Your Seed Is Your Seed

Have you ever had someone give you some money and then tell you, "I have already tithed on that money, so there is no need for you to tithe." Even though they mean well, and are trying to give you all the money, what they say is not true. Your seed is your seed, you are responsible for tithing on that seed. No one else can tithe for you. God tells us that we are to tithe ten percent of our first fruits and of all our increase. Your increase is anything that you did not have to start with.

Prov. 3 v 9...Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase....

You see you reap what you sow, not what someone else sows. God is looking for the cheerful giver, one who can trust Him with the little they have so that He may increase them to have an abundance overflowing, because then He knows He can trust them with more.

Prov. 3 v 10......So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine...

You say you trust the LORD with your salvation. You believe that when you die you will go to heaven to live eternity with Him. If you trust Him with something as big as that, how can you not trust Him with something as simple as managing your money?

Gen. 28 v 22......And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God's house, and of all that You give me, I will surely give a tenth to You.....

From the very beginning the word teaches us on tithing a tenth of what is already God's back to God.

You can trust God in this, He wants you to be blessed and have more than enough. He even tells you to test Him with this.

Mal. 3 v 10....."Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. And try Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.....

Sow your seed, have faith in God to do what He says He will do with your seed, and receive your blessings. No one can do this for you. Remember you have to sow the seed to reap the benefits.

Neta

Better To Give Than To Receive

Who came up with that saying? While it is true that you do want to give to others, it is also true that God wants to give to you. Sometimes we have a hard time accepting a gift from someone. Like when someone says, "let me pay for your lunch today." We often times say, no, no, you do not have to do that, I will pay for my lunch, when in reality, we may have just stopped their blessing. God may have instructed them to pay for someone's lunch that day. He may have been teaching them on giving. One day last week, I bought breakfast for me and my boss while we were working on a Saturday, and then the next week, she tried to give me back the money. I wouldn't accept it, because number one she did not ask me to buy her breakfast, and number two, I did not do it so she would pay me back. Later, when I got home, I saw she had stuck some money in my purse. At first this hurt my feelings, and I thought I will stick this back in her purse Monday. But then at church Sunday, they were taking up a collection for the Gideons, and I thought, I wish I had some cash on me. And then I remembered the money in my purse. So I dropped it in the plate for the Gideons. You see, God will always provide a seed for those who give with a cheerful heart.

One lesson here is, that although it is better to give than to receive, it is also a blessing for others when they are trying to give to you, so graciously accept their gift and do not try to rob them of their blessings. And the other lesson is don't go to church without your checkbook or some cash because you never know when there will be an opportunity for you to give and to be blessed. AMEN!

By the way, the answer to the first question at the beginning, is JESUS.

In Acts 20 v 35......I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the LORD JESUS, that He said, " It is more blessed to give than to receive."........

Neta

Watch Your Seed Explode and Grow

How many of you like me have at times said something like this, "Lord, I just do not know how to witness to others, I just do not have the right words, when I get to heaven, I will have to say I am sorry for not speaking when I should have? Well, not all of us are going to be the ones who go around witnessing to people one on one, but we can still sow God's seed into the lives of others, and watch as that seed explodes and grows.

Each time we sow our tithes and offerings into our church, and the pastor prays over that seed, and asks the LORD to bless that seed, and then sends that seed out in many directions, like missions, youth camps, building new facilities for church growth, etc. etc. Then every time one of those missionaries leads someone to Christ because of money that you sowed into that mission field, it is the same as you being there with them, praying right along with that missionary. So if this is you, and you have been faithful to sow into God's kingdom through your local church and through missions around the world, then rest assured when you get to heaven and think you have not helped with the harvest of God's kingdom, He will say, wait just a minute, look at this, and show you all the lives that have been touched through the missions you helped support, through the youth programs you helped sponsor, through the facilities that housed more and more people coming to hear the word, and you will be amazed at how many souls you have actually brought to the harvest. You see none of this work can be done without your obedience to the Holy Spirit calling you to obey the word of God.

God showed me this verse last night as we were reading our bibles, and this particular verse jumped off the page at me. Now, I know this verse is talking about God providing the seed, but I also saw this message in this verse.

2 Cor. 9 v 10......Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness....

The message God gave me through this, is that your pastor when he brings the word to you each week, a message he receives from God to give to you, it is the same as the LORD feeding you His bread. The bread of life. Your pastor is giving you the seed God gave him to bring to you, Then you in response to that seed that has been planted in your life, respond back to God by sowing a seed into others lives, this would be your giving your tithes and offerings. Then the pastor prays over that seed along with you asking God to multiply and increase the fruits of your righteousness, (your faith, your obedience). Then the pastor takes your seed sows it into others lives, like missions, youth groups, building funds wherever God leads him to sow it. And then the seed explodes and multiplies so many times that you could not contain all the harvest that comes from that one seed.

WOW!!! I don't know about you, but if that doesn't make you want to give more and more into the kingdom, then you must have fell asleep somewhere in the part above where I showed you how many souls are harvested because of your being obedient. AMEN!

This is so exciting, although you should pray and ask God to help you to have the right words at the right times to witness to others, sometimes your actions are enough. So remember if you can't go yourself into the missions fields, or you are not able to be a youth leader at your church, or you do not have the capability of building the buildings to house the people God sends to your church, then know this, you can still play an important role from the background, sow that seed with faith in what the Lord says He will do with your seed and watch as the harvest explodes right under your nose.

Let me show you how the message bible reads in these verses.

2 Cor 9 v 8-11.....God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you are ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmists puts it, He throws caution into the winds, giving to the needy in reckless abandon. His right living, right giving ways never run out, never wear out. This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full formed lives, robust in GOD, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.......

Can you see what God wants to do with your seed? Can you see now how important it is to listen to the message God gives your pastor to bring to you each week? Your pastor is not just speaking to you to hear himself talk. He has a message from God, a message telling you how much He wants to bless you and multiply your gifts. When you go to church this week, pray that the LORD will remove everything else from your sight and your hearing except His presence in the word He has given your pastor to bring to you, and ask Him to open your hearts to be receptive, and your ears to hear what He is speaking to you through your pastor. AMEN!

Neta

Enough Practice

When we are wanting to do something to perfection, we practice it over and over again until we can do it in our sleep without fault. Athletes do this with their game, dancers do this with their dancing. They practice to the point that they become so natural at whatever it is, that they need no more practice with that one routine, it just comes naturally to them. We as Christians need to do this until we come to the point that we do not need to practice but that it just comes natural. Going to church just on Sunday, or one day of the week is not going to get you there. Only opening your bible when at church is not going to get you there.

We need to get into the word and study it every day, worship the Lord everyday, sing praises to Him, go to Him in prayer about everything, totally trust Him with everything, have compassion for His people everyday, feed His sheep everyday, until these things come naturally to us.
When we start living our lives for Him instead of for ourselves, all of this will come natural for us. When someone cuts us off in traffic, instead of obscenities, we will smile and say be my guest. We will say you can go first, I will wait. We will quit being in such a hurried rush all the time, and actually maybe enjoy the things and people around us.

We will stop worrying over things, since we will know and it will just be natural for us to trust God to provide for our every need. I read in Andrew Womacks devotional that worrying is blasphemy against God's promises to you. WOW! Think about that!

When we read in 1 Kings 17 v 13 where Elijah tells the widow woman to go and make him a cake first with the little meal she has left, and her seeing that all she has in the jar is enough for one cake, that she was planning on making for her and her son, and then they could die, yet she has had enough practice in seeking the Lord that she recognizes this man as a messenger of the LORD and that she trusts what he says the Lord says to do, and then there was plenty. God said He would provide and He did. Her meal did not run out until the drought was over. She was able to trust GOD naturally. When you go against what the eye can see, and believe what the LORD has said, then you have come to the point of trusting naturally. You have had enough practice. AMEN!

Philippians 4 v 19.....And my GOD shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.....

Matt. 6 v 31-34...."Therefore do not worry saying, what shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of GOD and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.".....

1 Kings 17 v 13-14......And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me, and afterward make some for yourself and your son. For thus says the LORD GOD of Israel; "The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth."........

We just need to trust and obey. What area do you need practice in with your Christian life? Is it in trusting, giving, worshiping, singing praises to Him? Whatever area we need practice in, we will find our partner in practice in the Holy Spirit, our helper He left us with. We just need to practice, practice, practice.............and then practice.


Neta

Why Are Some Still Without

Jesus said in John that He came so that we might have life and have it more abundantly. He said in 2 Cor., that He became poor so that we might be rich. He said in 3 John that He prayed we would be prosperous, and in good health even as our souls prosper.

So why are some Christians still doing without, why are some still lacking? Maybe because there is more to it, than just reading the word and knowing what Jesus wants for you. We have to be good stewards of the word also. We have to not just read but actually do what the word tells us.

If you are worrying over financial problems at the end of this year, then you did not have a prosperous year as the LORD says in His word that He prayed for you to have. The Lord is doing His part, we just have to be faithful to do our part. Try doing what the LORD tells you to do with your money and see if He will not open up the windows of heaven and bless you with more than enough.

John 10 v 10... The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.....

2 Cor. 8 v 9....For you know the grace of our LORD Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.....

3 John 2......Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers....

Mal. 3 v 10......"Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.".....

So, I ask again, why are some still doing without?

Neta

Have We Forgotten God

While reading in my devotional this morning, there was an excerpt from a proclamation made by Abraham Lincoln to declare a national day of Prayer. This was in the same year that he proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday. The proclamation was actually written by the Secretary of State, William H. Seward. I thought it very interesting and like Andrew Womack said, even more true today.....

........We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven, we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious Hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us......

There was never a more truer statement than this one, today. We have forgotten the God who made us, we have decided in our government that we do not need the 10 commandments, or prayer to get us through each day. We have as a nation let the enemy come in and steal our rights as God fearing people.

Who will you thank for your dinner on your table this week? How many will say, look what I have done this week when they set their turkey on the table? How many will remember the God who made them and give Him the glory, honor and praise for all you have accomplished this past year?

I just pray our next Secretary of State will have the chance to read this, and remember Who it was that made them. I pray that they will say, hey, let's knock the dust off of this proclamation and use it as a stepping stone for redeeming our nation back to the standards God intended for it. Let's keep 'In God We Trust' on our currency, let's put the 10 commandments back on display, let's pray before our meetings, let's teach the Bible in our schools, after all, these were some of the things that our country was founded on. Let's pray for our leadership!!!

2 Cor. 9 v 10- 11.....Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us unto God......

God is our supplier, He is our source, He is our provider, He is to whom we owe our Thanksgiving. It is through Him, and not of ourselves that we accomplish what we do. Don't be too proud to pray to Him and give Him the thanks this Thanksgiving Day.

Neta

Who Do You Give Thanks To

Thanksgiving is a few days away, and we are all planning our Turkey dinners with all the fixings. But how many of us are actually planning to give thanks this day? How many are just planning that dinner, and then ball games, shopping and movies later? How many of us are planning on celebrating Thanksgiving with true thankfulness in our hearts for what we have been given?
We all sit around our tables and give thanks, but how many of us don't bat an eyelash when they talk about taking the words "In God We Trust" off of our currency? Or when they want to control when we can talk about God and when we cannot? Isn't it funny how we believe that God provides for our needs, but yet we want to take His name off of our currency that pays for our needs? Or do away with the 10 Commandments that instruct us how to live a moral life.

We all want God when it fits us, but how many of us turn our backs and do not stand up for Him when the world tries to take Him out of our everyday lives? How many of us, say it is not politically correct to discuss God at this time or that? Or it makes so and so uncomfortable to pray before we eat, so we will just skip the blessing today, or she/he gets really offended if you talk about God, she/he doesn't like to discuss such things.
How many will make God the center of their focus this Thanksgiving Day? I mean what is Thanksgiving celebrating anyway?

Try doing something different this year, and give Thanks to the one who is the reason you have a turkey on your table, the reason you have a table to put your turkey on, the reason you have a house to put your table in. And if you still can't see why you should give God thanks today, well let me see, take a DEEP BREATH and then think again!!!!

PS 100

"A Psalm of Thanksgiving"

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all you lands, Serve the LORD with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with Thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name, For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.....

PS 103 v 1-5....
Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits; Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagles......

PS 103 v 12-18....
As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him, For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But the mercies of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children's children, To such as keep His covenant, and to those who remember His commandments to do them......

Look around the table at your family, your parents (if you still have them) your children, their children and remember just Who it is that gave His mercies to those generations present and those who will come.

Who better to give thanks to on Thanksgiving day, than your own creator. AMEN!


Neta

We All Have A Season

Just like there is a winter, spring, summer and fall, we too have our seasons. We have seasons of blessings, and seasons of trials. We have seasons of sharing and giving to others. By this, I do not mean gifts wrapped in packages, I mean sharing the word and helping others in a time of need. Not necessarily monetary help but help to overcome something in their lives. Maybe you work with someone that is going through a sickness or a separation and they need a good word everyday and you are ready with the word of the LORD to help them through the days ahead. You may not even know you are helping someone when you share something about the LORD with them. So that is why we just need to share the word with everyone. You never know when someone will cross your path that needed to hear that particular word at that particular time.

We have a season of harvest just like in the fall, when we harvest apples and vegetables there is also a harvest time in our lives. God says as long as the earth remains, there will be a seedtime and harvest. This seedtime is when we sow seeds into others lives, when we sow the word of GOD into their lives, and they come to know Him as their personal Savior, this is a harvest. When we sow money into the mission fields, and children and people are saved from hunger and sickness, this is a harvest. When we sow our tithes into His house (our local church), we will see blessings in the church growth, and blessings in our own lives, this is a harvest.

Gen. 8 v 22...."While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.....

We have a season of growth. When we first come to know the LORD, we are baby Christians and we need our Pastors and fellow Christian friends to help us to grow and the stories of the Bible to feed us. But as we mature in the LORD we have a desire to study the word, and to act out the word and not just read the stories. We have a burning desire to know more and more about this Jesus who died for us. And we have a desire to share Him with others, so that everyone will have a chance to know of His mercy and His grace.

Phil. 3 v 14-16....I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind......

When we go through a sickness, and we trust God to heal us, and we let this be a time of proving out our faith. This is a season.

Whatever we go through, God promises us that He will not put more on us than we can handle, and that if we put our trust in Him, He will bring us through.

1 Cor. 10 v 13....God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it......

What season are you in? Whatever season, the LORD is there with you. You are not alone in your season. Get into His word and let Him help you to make the most of your season and guide you through, so that you emerge with blessings on the other side of your season. AMEN!



Neta

A Beautify Package

Have you ever been to a White Elephant party? This is where people will take things from their house they do not need or want any longer and bring as gifts. Some things can be really nice, but some things can be something as gross as someone cleaning out their medicine cabinet and putting all the old tubes of ointments and creams in a box. (I actually got that once). Sometimes the ladies will wrap the presents in beautiful wrappings and if you go for the outside appearance and pick the most beautiful package, you may get surprised as I did. Who would have ever dreamed that someone would waste that pretty packaging on something so gross? Not I!

This is how we look at people sometimes, we look at the outside and we are so distracted sometimes if they are different than we are, that we do not see the inside. We don't see what is in their hearts. We are a strange people the way we try to stay away from someone just because they are not the same as we are. Some people are so distracted by the color of someone's skin that they act as if they touch them the color will rub off on them. In other words we as human beings can not see past the man to his heart, and we miss out on the blessing of getting to know that person, and what that person may contribute to our lives. My favorite teacher in school was a black woman, she taught me how to see past the color of someone's skin. She taught me how to be proud of who I am, and how to do the best I could do. I was a drop out, and she got me back into school, and the two years under her teaching, I was on the honor roll, and had a perfect attendance at school. She taught me alot about responsibility and how to look at people from the inside out. But most importantly she taught my father who was very prejudiced at the time, to look past the color and see what a wonderful person she was, and he came to respect her and call her friend and was very grateful to her for how she turned me around. That was a blessing in itself to teach someone that a color of skin is nothing but a color, it is still skin underneath, and we are all made from the same creator. AMEN!

1 Sam. 16 v 7b.....For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.......

Aren't you glad that the LORD does not look at us and judge us from our outward appearance but that He looks into our hearts to see the real you and me? Sometimes we can not help our outward appearance because of different situations, we may be down on our luck and not have the best clothes to wear, or sometimes we may have strayed so far, that we have let ourselves go and quit taking care of ourselves. But the good news is, the LORD is there to pick you up no matter what you look like, no matter what kind of wrapping you have on the outside, He sees the inside. There are no surprises for the LORD. He already knows what to expect.

Don't always go for the beautiful package, you may miss out on the best gifts of all. Take time to really look at the package, and see what kind of surprises are hidden inside waiting to bless you.



Neta

A Selfish Heart Changed

We all have our favorite things that we do not want to get rid of. We will be cleaning out our closets, giving to the good-will, getting ready for new Christmas toys, clothes, shoes, etc., but then we will run across a favorite item and think, I want to keep this. We have all been there. We think we have really gave something good when we give our used clothes and things to good-will or to a local shelter, and we have done good, as long as what we give is still nice and usable. Don't give junk, don't give toys that are broken or without batteries, if you give a battery operated toy, make sure you clean it up, and put new batteries and make sure it works.???? Who wants something that doesn't work? If you give clothes make sure repairs are done, and there are no holes, or tears or faded spots, or stained spots. Would you wear tore, faded or stained clothing, why would you expect someone else to want to?

The holidays are coming up and the Christmas season, the season of giving, brings out the wanting to give feeling in people. Let's have compassion in our giving this year, lets remember why we are giving. It is not about the biggest, brightest, most pretty wrapped present, it is about the heart that gave it, and the sharing of the reason when you give a gift. Try sharing the gospel and a little about Christ when you give a gift. Make this Christmas really about Him and not ourselves.

I read this story in 'Beth Moore's" book 'Voices of the Faithful' and I thought we should all give with compassion, and we should all give when there is a need, no matter what time of year it is.

" A Selfish Heart Changed"

Prov. 19:17(NIV) ......."He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and He will reward him for what he has done.".....

She was the fifth stranger who had come that day in need. "I have a problem," they each said. Why did they all expect me to clothe and feed their families?
I forced a smile in greeting, wondering if a few coins or a piece of bread would get rid of her quickly. She was thin, making her near term pregnancy obvious. "My baby is coming sooner than I thought. I have no towel to wrap him in," she pleaded. Compassion filled me as my earlier irritations melted away. Why was I so selfish?
I folded a towel and gave it to her, along with a few pieces of fruit and a bar of soap. Her face lit up as she clapped thank you. I lay in bed that night praying for her.
Two days later, a note arrived saying she had delivered a baby boy. She wanted me to come and name her son. Humbly, I named him David, a man after God's own heart. She seemed pleased with his name.
Later I found out that she had tested HIV positive before delivery. Her husband rejected her and his unborn child. Because she was tested she was able to receive medications to reduce the chance of her baby contracting the disease.
Six months passed, and I received a photo of chubby little David. "Look how our David is growing!" a note said.
The next time my day is interrupted with a person's need, I hope I will see it as God's invitation for a blessing.....
Becky, Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa

Just like this lady, sometimes we get so caught up in ourselves we miss out on the blessing of helping others.

Lord, I pray that you will open our eyes to the need of others, and change our selfish hearts to giving hearts, so that we may bring others the joy we have found in You. AMEN!

A Calm Spirit

Have you ever been so angry or irritated with something or someone that you feel consumed by this anger? I am sure we have all been in this place some time or other in our lives. It is not a sin to get angry, Jesus Himself got angry. It is how we react, how we respond to our anger that matters. We can not let it fester until it totally consumes us, like taking over our every thought, so that every time we speak to someone, we speak about this problem. It is so easy to get caught up in that whirlwind.

We need to remember first and foremost what Jesus tells us to do, and that is to walk in love. We can disagree with someone, even get angry with them, but we must still walk in love toward them. We must keep a Calm Spirit.

I read this today in one of my devotionals about having a calm spirit. I loved the verse they gave.

Prov.17 v 27.....He who has knowledge spares his words, and a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.....

You see this doesn't necessarily mean book knowledge, this means knowledge of what the LORD says about walking in love. Because if you are walking in love toward your neighbor you will be able to have understanding over the situation. In other words you won't get so caught up in your anger that you forget about the person involved.

Sometimes we can get so caught up in our own anger that we hurt the innocent ones involved. Sometimes people can get us so turned around in our thinking that we indirectly hurt those that we love and want to help. What we have to remember here, is that it is not the person we are angry with, or wrestling with. We need to remember the scripture that tells us, that we wrestle not with flesh but principalities of darkness. We have to look past the person with own own eyes, and see what we can not see, and that is the spirit of darkness trying to stir up trouble.

Ephes. 6 v 12.....For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.....

You see it is not the person you see in front of you making you angry, it is the spirit of wickedness working through them. We need to pray and hold our tongues and let the heavenly places above take care of these spirits.

So next time someone at work, or in the family, or wherever tries to hurt you or make you angry, DON"T BITE, it is the spirit of darkness trying to lure you into a trap of anger, so that you will wither and die both in your spirit and also in your health.

Remember, walk in love and you will prevail every time. AMEN!

Who Has Reservations

Have you ever been told by someone before that we are all trying to get to the same God, but that we are just taking different paths to get there? Or that they believe there are many ways to God? Yesterday our Pastor showed us this analogy, and some clips from some interviews of people being interviewed on the streets and did they think that one religion was better than another. The majority of the people interviewed said no, that they felt like everyone was just taking different paths. This can be misleading to those who do not know the Truth.

While you may ask me how to get to NC, to where I live, I may give you directions to come one way, and then if you asked Rob, he may give you directions to come another way. But we are both trying to get you to the same destination.

While all people who believe in God may be trying to get to God, they may all take different paths to get there, but we will ALL end up at the throne of judgement. Then it will be determined who goes on from there. The word is very clear on this, that the only way to God the Father, is through His Son, Jesus.

2 Pet. 1 v 17-18....For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory; "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.....

John 14 v 6.....Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.".....

Rev. 20 v 11-12.....Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before GOD, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life, and the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.....

You see we will all come to the same end when we die, and the books of our lives will be opened up for judgement, showing our works, but works without Faith in the One who can bring us to the Father is useless, when the other book, the Book of Life, is opened and that is where we want to find our name. That is where we want to see that we have reservations for our final destination. If you do not have reservations you will not enter into the final place of peace with the Father, (Eternity) if your name is not recorded in the Book of Life.

We all need to check what paths we are following and make sure that we are on the one true path, the one that includes Jesus as our Savior, because that is the only way your name will be written in the Book of Life. You must accept Him as the only way to the Father. He is the Way, The Truth and The Light. AMEN!

The Word Says It All

James 1 v 19-27....My dear brothers, take note of this; Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that GOD desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says, Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does. If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that GOD our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this; to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world......

James 2 v 14-17.....What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead......

Don't we all wish we could be like the first verse above? Some of you may feel as though you are already there. I think the most important part of that statement is being quick to listen. Sometimes we just need to get still and quiet and listen to what the LORD has to say to us. If we practice doing this, then we will become better at listening to others. Then we can know what they truly are in need of, and then we can do as the second passage of scriptures above tells us to do. To not be hearers only but to also be doers of the word. AMEN!

We are approaching a time of year when everyone needs a little extra help. The heating bills rise, the food costs go up, people need coats and warmer clothes, and then there are those who stress out during the holidays with financial problems.

There are so many ways to give, to help others in need during this time. I hope you will all find it in your hearts to bless others this season, so that you may be blessed as well.



Neta

He Is The Same Jesus Today

Do you ever wonder why people of today don't believe in miracles? Oh they say they do, but most of the time they are just spouting scripture or something they read or heard. Then when someone comes and says "did you hear about so and so, they have cancer and it has spread through their entire body and there is nothing that can be done for them. It will take a miracle to heal them." I have heard people talk like this, and I want to say," then there is something that can be done. Jesus still heals today, He still performs miracles today, He is still in authority today, quick let's pray for a miracle if that is what it will take and let's believe that there is nothing that He can't heal." Sometimes, I have said this, and people look at me like I have fallen and hit my head. You see, they would rather wallow in the misery of believing that there is nothing that can be done, and just write this person off.

Then there are those who sometimes just gets tired of the fight. They get frustrated at every turn or every bad report from the doctor. Then those are the ones who need to be in the word, rebuking the reports with what the word says. It is as simple as this, do you believe the report more than you believe the word of GOD? You see, that report is just words printed on a piece of paper that was spit out of some machine, then interpreted by the doctor. The word of GOD is interpreted by the HOLY SPIRIT whom JESUS left within you. A piece of Him. You have to decide where to place your faith.

Faith is a powerful force. Faith changes everything. It can change black to white and vice versa. Faith provides a way when there is no way, answers when there are no answers. Faith changes no into yes. God is moved by our Faith. Faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit and a sign to unbelievers. We pray for faith when we have none or when the little we have seems to be lost in the circumstances. We keep asking and believing until God answers.

Matthew 9 v 6-7....But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" then He said to the paralytic, "Arise take up your bed and go to your house." And he arose and departed to his house."....

Can you imagine seeing that today. If you knew someone who was a paralytic and you and he both had enough faith in the word of God to say to him, arise and take your bed and go home, and he jumped up, how many of you would still be standing and how many fell out with unbelief at what you were seeing?

Matt. 9 v 20-22.....And suddenly a woman who had a flow of blood for 12 years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well." But Jesus turned around and when He saw her, He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your FAITH has made you well." And the woman was made well from that hour.....

We read over and over again the miracles, Jesus performed, and we say we believe them, but yet why do we think that those same miracles can not be performed today? Why do we think the doctor's report is the last word? Jesus still has the last word today. We just need enough faith to call out to Him.

He left each of us as believers with the same power He had when He was here on this earth, and He said we would do even greater things through His power and authority that He leaves with us.

Matt. 19 v 26.....But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with GOD all things are possible."......

Mark 16 v 17-18...."And these signs will follow those who believe; In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."......

You see the power is not yours to heal, or the doctor, the power is in the NAME, in whom you are working through. The name of JESUS is where the power for healing comes from. That name did not fade away with the years. That name is still in authority today. That name is still above all else today, and will be tomorrow, and forever. The name of JESUS is where we need to put our faith. AMEN!


Neta

Storing Up For The Winter

This morning the squirrels woke us up throwing acorns down on top of the RV. Sounded like they were having a war. I think they were throwing them down so then they could come and gather them all into one place to store for their winter provisions.

Sometimes we as Christians store up our word for a rainy day. We write our notes and say I will use that later, never to look at that piece of paper again. We hear the word of God on Sunday, and then we store it away all week long, never bringing it out again unless something comes against us. We say, amen, that was a good word preacher, then we leave go to Bojangles, Piccadilly, Golden Corral or wherever and we forget what we have just heard. We get our spiritual buckets full, and then someone cuts us off in the parking lot trying to get to the dinner table before us, (probably a baptist) and then we knock over our spiritual bucket and shout obscenities at them. Well now our spiritual bucket is spilled all in the floor board of the car, what will we do the rest of the week. I mean if we lose it that quickly after just having heard it, what will the rest of the week be like for those who only get filled up on Sundays? They will run dry.

Have you ever noticed dry skin, how it cracks and peels and then finally flakes away. No matter how much moisture creams you apply, the skin will just not soak it in. That is how it is with some Christians, no matter how many Sundays they sit in church under the word of GOD, nothing is soaking in. That is when you know that you are going to church out of the spirit of it is the right thing to do, I must keep up an appearance, instead of going with the spirit of true worship. If you come out of church the same way you went in, you might as well have stayed at home. And you can not blame the preacher, because you did not prepare your heart for true worship.

You see like the squirrels storing up for the winter with their provisions, we have to store the word in our hearts so that when trials come against us, (and they will) then we need to be ready to pull the word from our hearts and know how to fight with the word of God over our situation. We can't just go on Sundays and get our spiritual buckets filled, (head knowledge) we have to prepare our hearts before we go, so that it is ready to soak in all of the LORDs' presence and what He is saying to us, through our pastors. AMEN!

1 Tim 6 v 18-19....Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life....

This week before you enter into the house of the LORD, prepare your hearts, clean out your ears and all the space between, make room for His word, and open your heart to experience all of His presence before you, and listen as your pastor gives you what the LORD has spoken to Him to share with you.

2 Tim 3 v 16-17.....All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of GOD may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.....

Open your ears to hear, God knows what He has planned for you this week. Store His word in your heart for now and later. AMEN!

Neta

Have You Got What It Takes

Has God called you to something that you feel is bigger than you are? While reading in my devotional by Andrew Womack this morning, I realized that God has called me to do some things that I felt like I was inadequate to do, so therefore I put these things aside. But now after reading this, and seeing how if God called us to do it, then it probably is bigger than we are, because we serve a GREAT BIG GOD who can do ALL THINGS. I feel encouraged now to take up one of those tasks and let GOD lead me through it. AMEN!

If you know God has a will for you to do something, and you are afraid, or you feel inadequate, seek God and His word, and see what He has to say about it. Look through His word at all the times He asked someone to do something, and they felt the same way. Look at how He told Moses to go to Pharoah and command him to let His people go. Moses could not speak well, and yet God was sending him to this leader to command something of him. How do you think Moses felt? Probably like buckling at the knees. Or how about when He called Gideon out from hiding behind the winepresses to fight for Him. He called him a mighty man of valor. Gideon was hiding, he saw himself as a coward, but God saw him as a mighty man of valor. Or how about when He called David to be a king, and he was just a young shepherd boy. We could go on and on, but the point is, God sees in us what we can not see. God knows what we are made of, because He knew what and who we would be before we were ever born. When He formed us in our mother's wombs, He knew what we would be capable of doing for His kingdom.

Jer. 1 v 5-8....."Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." Then said I, "Ah Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth." But the LORD said to me; "Do not say, 'I am a youth,' for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you," says the LORD......

Do you feel led by GOD to make a move in a new direction, to set out on a path that seems somewhat intimidating? Andrew Womack said it right in his devotional, "Don't try to fulfill the task in your own strength and never again refer to your weakness, Go forward in His might instead."

Just like Jeremiah, God knew you before you were born.


Neta

In The End Will You Blush

Where will you be when the end times come? Not physically but mentally. What are your thoughts on that? Or do you ever even think about it? Do you wonder exactly how it will be? One story that comes to my mind is once when I was working with this girl, there was a loud explosion outside, from a refinery near by, and she came running to the back office where I was, and jokingly said, Girl, I thought the LORD came down to get us. I said, obviously not, I am still here, and when that time comes I know He is taking me. AMEN! It is like in the word, when it says, one will be working in the field, and the other gone. We can joke all we want, but the time will come, the question is will you be ready?

Where are you in your life right now? Are you at a point that when the LORD comes, He will say to you, "well done, good and faithful servant"? Or are you at a crossroads as to whether or not you are listening to what the LORD is telling you to do? Do you continue to put off until tomorrow what the LORD is telling you to do now? Sometimes, we just have to step out in faith and follow the LORD. Sometimes while waiting on everything to get perfectly lined up to do what the LORD is asking us to do we miss the boat. And who knows, another boat might not be coming by.

God tells the people in the book of Jeremiah, chapter 6 about standing in the crossroads and looking. He says ask for the ancient paths of the old ways, where there was good and people still feared GOD. Today, we see more and more how people have no fear of GOD whatsoever. They blatantly try to pass laws that clearly go against the word of GOD, and have no shame in living against how the word of GOD tells us to live. In the old days you would have never had things on the ballot to vote for such as gay marriages, abortion rights just to name two major issues that go against the word of GOD. It reminds me of this passage in Jeremiah where the LORD is fed up with the people and their foolish ways.

Jer. 6 v 15.....Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when I punish them, says the LORD........

Jer. 6 v 16-19.....This is what the LORD says; "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, 'we will not walk in it;' I appointed watchmen over you and said, 'Listen to the sound of the trumpet!' But you said, 'We will not listen;' Therefore hear O nations; observe O witnesses, what will happen to them. Hear, O earth; I am bringing disaster on this people, the fruit of their schemes, because they have not listened to my words and have rejected my law.......

In the end, will you be ready to face the LORD? Will you blush in judgment day? Or is your heart hardened like those in Jeremiah? It is never too late to seek that rest for your souls. Ask the LORD JESUS to forgive you for your sins, turn away from the wicked ways , and turn your heart toward Him. He will forgive you and He will give you peace and rest for your soul. All He ask you for, is to acknowledge Him as LORD, and to love Him with all your heart, mind, and soul and your neighbor as well, because He has already loved you that much and paid the price for your sins. You just have to bring them to the cross, and then turn away from them and not go back to that way of life. AMEN.

Don't get left behind in the end. Don't be the one still working in the field, when the LORD comes for us. Don't get left standing at the crossroads trying to decide. Make that decision today. We are not guaranteed a tomorrow.


Neta

God Chooses His Leaders

While we may choose someone to be in an office of leadership, such as a police chief or fire chief, God chooses us to be leaders in His word. He chose us to be His children. When we accepted the nudging of the HOLY SPIRIT to follow Christ, and to accept the LORD as our Savior, then we became God's children, joint heirs with Christ Jesus. We do not choose Him, He chooses us. He knows long before we do, that we will be a child of His. So when He tells us to take His word out into the world, to share His gospel with others, then that is our duty as a leader in the word. We may not have a title like Pastor or Bishop or Priest or Deacon, etc., but we have an important role and that is one of disciple. But to be a disciple we must first get in line with the word and be quick to obey it. We must first have the proper training given to us by our Pastors (our leaders). Before we can go out and lead others, we must first suit up for the task, because the enemy will come against those who are trying to do God's work.

First we must put on the full armor, not just pieces of it. We must suit up everyday not just in times of war.

The Belt of Truth (to know the word, so as to protect you from the lies of the enemy)

The Breastplate of Righteousness (to protect you from accusations that will be thrown at you by the unrighteous)

The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace (the peace of knowing Christ Jesus will supply all your needs)

The Shield of Faith (your defense against the doubt and the guilt that the enemy tries to put on you)

The Helmet of Salvation (your defense against people trying to confuse you and take away your assurance of spending eternity with the Father)

The Sword of the Spirit (the spoken word of God)

While reading in one of my Bibles this morning, I saw this and knew that there are a lot of people out there right now who need to hear this. You need to know how to let God be in control of your life, and quit trying to be the Lord over your life and let Him.

Who is your strength? PS 118 v 14....The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.....

Recognize your enemies,....Physical weariness (strength giving out) emotional frustration (too much bad you are listening to or watching on TV) mental discouragement ( I cannot do this) fear from threats (this sickness will take you down)....

Now is the time to know the word of Truth, so that you may conquer the lies of the devil. You need a plan of attack in the ready all the time. Don't wait until you are faced with a trial to try and come up with a plan. You need to know what the word says and speak the word over yourself everyday so that when the enemy comes against you, you can immediately put your plan into action. You need prayer partners that you pray with on a regular basis that you know you can call at a moments notice and put them into action. You need to make sure that your weak areas are covered, that is why we have our churches and our Pastors to cover us when we need it. To give us the word of God and feed us on a regular basis to keep our strength growing and to build us up so that we may protect the house of GOD, the church (the people) and ourselves against the enemy. Sometimes the enemy attacks us through our worship place, the enemy will try to divide God's people, (the church) by stirring up trouble. When you hear gossiping and grumbling amongst the people, you need to get away as quick as you can, don't let that evil spirit get on you. Gather some prayer partners and pray those evil spirits out. AMEN!

Remember that GOD is AWESOME and GREAT and can do all things. Remember who is on your side fighting with you. We as Christians need to take a stand and get the word out there so that people are not wandering around in circles trying to figure out what to do next. We need to be like Jesus and have compassion. Jesus is calling us to be laborers and go out into the harvest.
We don't have to have the big titles, we need to remember that promotion comes from God.

Ps 75 v 6-7....For exaltation (promotion) comes neither from the east nor the west nor from the south. But God is the Judge; He puts down one, and exalts another.........

Remember you do not need a title to go into battle. Sometimes the most important warriors are the ones on the front line holding the enemy back. But to do this, you need to be equipped with the right Word. The Truth. AMEN!



Neta

What Is Your Seed Worth

When you sow into the kingdom of God, do you sow seed with a name on it. In other words, are you sowing for something or someone in particular? For example when you pray for your children's health, salvation, or when you pray for your marriage, what is it worth to you. What kind of seed are you sowing into that area of your life?

When we sow our seeds into the kingdom, not our tithes but our seed, the extra that we give unto the kingdom, we need to name our seed. When we sow into a ministry other than our tithes to our local church, we need to be naming our seed, calling out to the LORD for what we have need of, and sow a seed for that prayer. And then when we sow that seed, we need to not be chinchy with our seed. I mean if you want a full field of corn you have to plant more than three or four seeds to get a full field.

God showed me this, when you sow for your children, for their salvation, you need to sow like it means something to you. You need to sow what it is worth to you. If it doesn't strain you a little, then what have you done? Don't just tip a seed, don't just cast a few seeds into your children's lives especially when it comes to their salvation. God gave me an amount, and I argued and said I could not afford this, and then when the crunch came down and the person asked me how much I wanted to sow, the HOLY SPIRIT said what is your children's salvation worth to you? I said more than I could ever have. He said and all I asked for was this amount...... I knew then that the LORD would provide the seed for my pledge. So I named my seed, made my pledge with a peace in my heart and a reassurance that God would provide me with seed. AMEN!

What are you praying for, what kind of seed have you sown for it? God is faithful to provide the seed. God told us from the very beginning that there would be a seedtime and harvest.

Gen. 8 v 22...."While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, and Day and night shall not cease".........

Where there are seeds planted, there will be a harvest. We need to be careful what kind of seeds we are planting, and pay attention to the timing of the harvest.

Prov. 10 v 5....He who gathers in summer is a wise son; He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.....

We need to be harvesting for the kingdom of GOD, now while here on earth, we need to be bringing in as much of the harvest as we can, we do not need to be sleeping now.

Matthew 9 v 37...Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray the LORD of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."........

This was Jesus' heart to bring in the harvest. He had so much compassion for saving us, that He died for us, but before He died, He was constantly working on bringing in the Harvest, and training those up to go out and help Him. It broke His heart to see how many were out there just waiting for Him, lost with no Shepherd. He left us with instructions to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.

Where have you planted seeds, have you gone back to water them, and to harvest them? Maybe the LORD is calling you to do more, maybe He wants you to get up at 5am and spend time in His word, maybe He has plans for you to go out into the world to bring in the Harvest. Get still and quiet and listen to what He is telling you to do with your seed today. Where is He telling you to plant? Who or what is He telling you to plant a seed for?
What will be the name on your seed and what will your seed be worth to you?

Neta

The Day After

We have some new leaders in our country today. Just who they are, I am not sure as I have not checked the TV as of yet. But who ever they are, we as Christians have a duty to pray for our leaders everyday. Remember God is still in control!

Thank you Father for our new leaders, and Lord I pray that you will guide them in their decisions, and keep their feet on your path. Father, I pray they seek you each day before they begin making decisions that will affect our Nation. Lord, I pray that they will remember that we are ONE NATION UNDER GOD, not under man. Lord, I pray that Christians will remember that you ordain all authority and that they will continue to pray for our new leaders everyday. In Jesus name, AMEN!

Yesterday we talked about choice, now is the time to choose who you will serve. Will you serve God, or will you serve man and flesh? God is a jealous God, but He is a gentleman and He will not force you to choose Him. This is a heart decision. What does your heart tell you? Look at your life. What do you see? Do you see peace and joy in your life? Do you see overflowing abundance of more than enough in your life? Do you see good health in your life? Do you see strong loving relationships in your life? Do you have the assurance of knowing that when you die, you will be with the Father and the Son in Heaven for all eternity, and there is no doubt in your mind about this?

If you could not answer yes to these questions, then you need to look at the choices you have been making. Do you make your choices based on what the word of God tells you to do? Or do you make choices based on what your flesh or your peers tell you to do? The way to know whether or not what you are doing is right or wrong, is to see what does God have to say about it? Are you living with some sort of sin in your life that you have not let go of? If you are then you may not have been able to answer yes to all of the above questions. If there is something in your life that you have not let go of, and given to the LORD and asked for forgiveness and then turned away from, then you need to do it now, so that you may be forgiven, and so that you may have the fullness and joy in life that God promises His children. If you yourself have some grievances or unforgiveness in any area of your life toward any person, then you yourself can not be forgiven, and your prayers can not be heard. Remember to let it go, unforgiveness is like a cancer that eats away at you little by little until it totally consumes you and your thoughts, and then you have no where to go but down.

Make a choice today, no matter who won the election to choose Jesus and watch your life change for the better. This is the change you need in your life, not the change of a politician. God's promises are truth, and real, and you will see change in your life if you choose Him. You can not always believe or trust in a politician's promises, that is why it is so important to PRAY for them. AMEN!

Acts 17 v 30-31......Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead......

You see God is still in control because He has ordained the one He raised from the dead, and He is the one who will ultimately rule this nation. AMEN!

Neta

I Choose The Lord

Who will you choose today, on election day here in the U.S.? We all have to make a choice or not. It still amazes me how many people do not vote. But, that is their choice. You have the right to choose whether or not you want to vote someone into office, and then you have the right to vote for whomever you choose. Now they say they will serve you as best they can while in office. Hmmmm!

But what about us? Who are we serving everyday? We are serving someone, whether it is the world, ourselves, or our God. Who do you worship everyday? You are worshiping someone or something with your time everyday. Where do you spend the most time in meditation? What or who do you give your undivided attention to everyday?

This may be an election year, in which you choose who will be your leaders, but everyday is an election day as to whom you choose as your God, and whom you choose to serve. What choice have you made, if any? I can not think of a better scripture for today than the one found in Joshua.

Joshua 24 v 15....."And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."......

Take heart Christians. It does not matter who gets voted into office. Jehovah God is still in control, and will always be in control, and will never be de-throned. There is not but one God, and He is the creator of this universe.

He put the Sun and the Moon in the sky. Long before there were stars and stripes on a flag, he put the stars in the sky. He put the earth where it is, and the solar system around it. How can there be any doubt that a little thing called man, can overrule anything He says will happen? So you see, it does not matter who wins this election, make no mistake about it, GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL!

Although today is an important day for our nation, everyday is an important day for your soul. Choose today, Choose Life, Choose to serve the one God who gave you that life. Make a decision today to live your life for Jesus Christ, and have an eternal life after-wards with the Father and the Son.

Time is drawing near, and there is an urgency to make your decision. Please, I pray that no one reading these tid-bits will be left behind. I pray that each and everyone of you have the peace and joy of knowing the LORD, and the understanding that you will live a full life with Him long after this election is over and done with. So open the word of GOD, seek Him first, choose Him first, then you can go vote with a peace in your heart. AMEN!


Neta

Water Seahorses

Do you remember those little spongy looking seahorses in a container, that you could order out of a magazine, and when you added water, they immediately started to grow? Sometimes that is how we take care of our problems. We keep throwing water on them (we keep speaking them) that they can't help but to grow. The more you speak something, the more you give it life. If we would learn to speak the word over our problem, and replace what we say with the word of GOD, then our faith would grow and not our problem.

What sort of water seahorses do you have, that you continue to water, and they continue to grow? Are they health problems, financial problems, relationship problems, employment problems? What are you speaking over them, the word of GOD, or what the world says about them? Remember Jesus said, let us go to the other side. If Jesus brought you to this, He will bring you through it. Have you prayed and asked the LORD for guidance in the area you need his help with? When you call on Him, He immediately answers you. Sometimes you may not see an immediate response, that is why you have to stay focused on the word, and not the world, (the problem). Just like the seahorses, they had to dry out before they shrunk back to almost nothing, to being insignificant. How much water you have thrown on your problem, will determine how much drying out they need to do, to get back to being insignificant again.
Remember when Peter tried to walk on water, he did well until he took his eyes off the LORD and put them on his surroundings.

Matt. 14 v 28-31......And Peter answered Him and said , "LORD, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord save me!" And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?".....

Did you notice that when Peter cried out to Jesus, He immediately pulled him up. That is important for us to understand that Jesus immediately responds to us when we cry out to Him. Remember Jesus said "Come", just like when He told them they would cross to the other side in the boat, and the storm came, and they were all afraid. He told them they would cross to the other side. He is telling you the same thing. Call out on Him and have faith and He will get you to the other side of your problem.

John 6 v 18-21.....Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.....

You see first of all they were half way across, the sea is 6 miles wide, and they had already gone half way, so they were deep into their problem. Then the winds picked up making their problems even worse, but then Jesus came and they willingly called out to Him and received Him into their boat, (their lives) with their faith now in Him, they were immediately where they needed to be on the other side (of the problem).

We need to do the same, we need to place our Faith in the LORD, that He is bigger than any problem we will ever face, and know that He will bring us out on the other side. We need to know that He immediately hears us when we cry out to Him, and then we need to stay focused on Him and His word, and let Him bring us through. AMEN!

Remember to vote tomorrow if you have not already done so, and remember to pray before you vote, and remember to vote the Bible and you can't go wrong.


Neta

How Smart Are You

While watching Jeopardy the other night, I was shocked by how smart some people are but then how much they lack wisdom in the word. I have seen this several times on Jeopardy, where someone will know all the answers and be running away with the game, but then there will be a category on the Bible, and these people do not have a clue. This happened on this show, and I was thinking, you can be the smartest person in the world, but if you do not know the word of God and His instructions you will lose the game in the end. If you do not have that personal relationship with the LORD JESUS you will not win at the game of life. Oh you might win a TV game, or a board game played against your peers, but the most important game of all will separate you from true wisdom.

My prayer for all of you who are just getting your lives on track, and you have a hunger for the LORD, start out reading 1 Jhn, 2nd & 3rd Jhn, then read the gospels. Then you can go back and read in the old testament. You can get some study tapes, or books by Christian authors, listen to teaching CD's on the radio while you are driving to and from work. Spend your spare time in the word of GOD, and see how much peace and understanding you acquire. Don't try to read the whole Bible in a week, break it down, pick a subject, look in your concordance then read all of the scriptures that pertain to that subject. Keep a notepad, and jot down thoughts as they come to you, questions you may have, then look them up for yourself in the word of GOD. Pray before you open your Bible, pray for wisdom, divine understanding over the word, and ask GOD to reveal to you, what He is saying to you. You can always do like me, and set a time aside for just you and HIM, and have a cup of tea, or coffee together, while you diligently seek HIM and His Wisdom. Some of you may have a whole hour for lunch, talk to GOD while you have your Big Mac, break bread with Him somewhere quiet, maybe in your car where you won't be disturbed. Listen to what He has to say to you.

If you are like me, you are so hungry for HIS word, that you try to soak in all you can when you can. I feel this great urgency to know all that I can about HIM, and I want to be a good servant unto HIM.

Sometimes, I think, is anybody really reading these things, and then like just yesterday, someone tells me how blessed they are by reading these tid-bits, how much they have helped them, and one lady said she sends them to her brother in prison, and how blessed he says he has been by reading them. I told Rob, later, this really made my heart glad, to know that GOD is using me, and this is HIS ministry. I am but a vessel bringing it to these people. But all the glory and praise goes to HIM who sends me. AMEN!

Prov. 8 v 17....I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me......

Heb. 4 v 12-13....For the word of GOD is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart,....

If you will diligently seek the LORD, you will be blessed with more wisdom than the so called smartest person. To be smart and learned of this world is one thing, but to have wisdom and understanding of the word of GOD is far much better. AMEN!

Thank you to all the tid-bit readers for being faithful to read, and I pray that you are faithful to look up the scriptures that I use, and read them for yourselves. I love you all and pray for you all each day.

In JESUS name I asked the LORD to bless each and everyone of you with your hearts desires, but most of all that your hearts desires are to seek HIM first. AMEN!


Neta

How Do I Vote

It is getting closer and closer to time for us to cast our votes for a new president. A new leader of our country. Some of you may have already even voted early. I will probably go tomorrow. Here in NC we can go to the library and vote early. You may be saying as so many people are saying, I just do not know what to do. Well, I am no political genius nor am I trying to put plugs in for any one candidate. But I will tell you this, and you decide.

One candidate is pro life, one thinks abortion is ok, that it is ultimately up to the woman. For those of you who know my story, you know that I had 2 abortions in my life. This was during a time that I did not know the LORD, and was as lost as one can get. The abortion clinics are ready and willing to tell you how it is all about you, it is your choice. What they don't tell you, is the grief, the pain, the depression, the guilt, the despair, the mourning over this baby you will feel on down the road long after the abortion is over with and forgot about. Your baby will not be forgotten. That's right, Your baby. Oh yeah, you say, what about the baby? Does this unborn fetus have any rights? Who will be the voice for this unborn child? Who will try so desperately to save this unborn childs' life? I mean if the mother carrying the child will not even try to save it, WHO WILL?

While watching TV, Sunday, I heard someone say something that really just sort of put all of this into perspective. He was saying how when the sea turtles come in to lay their eggs, the beach is shut down, all these laws are in place, to protect the rights of this sea turtles unborn, unhatched eggs, so that they will be given a fighting chance at life. WOW! DID I SAY WOW! Do you even grasp the irony of that statement as opposed to WHAT ABOUT AN UNBORN HUMAN BEING??????? Is it just me or is there something wrong with this picture?

Do you really want someone making decisions for your future who thinks that abortion is OK?
God tells us over and over in the word to choose life. Where is the problem with seeing that He says abortion is wrong? Now, you can all judge me and say yeah, well now that you had yours you want to tell everybody else how wrong it is. Your damn right! I had mine, I suffered the loss over and over for over 20 years, I know the hurt, the pain and if I can do anything to set you straight on the real truth behind abortion, the real truth behind saving an unborn babies life as opposed to fighting for some turtles life. Then here I am to defend those little ones. I am blessed to know that I will see my babies one day in Heaven, my only prayer is that those who have already made the same mistake as I have will be able to say the same. That they know the forgiveness, of my Father in Heaven and they have the assurance that they too will some day see their babies.

Come on America, wake up. Do you want to be in the same boat as some of these other countries who kill their first born if it was unlucky enough to be born a female, or if you have 2 children, you can't have anymore, or your children are sold into slavery because the country does not want to take care of them. Let's don't go backwards America.

All I can say is get the word out, read what God has to say about this election, and pray before you vote. Pray to the God who is sitting on the throne, pray to the GOD who says choose LIFE. Then your decision should be easily made without any hesitation.

Deut. 30 v 19.....I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.....

He says choose life so that you and your descendants may live. Who are your descendants? Your unborn children. He says heaven and earth are witnesses watching what decision you make.
How will you vote? Will you pray before you vote? Will you continue to pray for those who are running in this election? Most importantly keep praying for the one who is elected, long after the ballots are counted.

Neta

One Little Candle

If you were lost and in a cave and everything was pitch black, darkness surrounding you, all it would take is one little match, or one little candle burning to give you enough light to find your way. That is how it is with Christians. We have enough light to light up the way for someone who is lost. The problem is sometimes we can not keep our candle or match lit. Sometimes our flames just die down. What causes our flames to die down? It is when we get away from the word of God. There is no oxygen to feed the flame. Without oxygen we would die. Without the word of God (oxygen) our flames will start to flicker and die out. When we hang around those who are lost and do not have the light in them, we will start to lose our flame as well.

It is sort of like vinegar and oil, if you shake them together they will mix up for a little bit, just long enough to put some on your salad. But if you let the bottle sit for a minute, they will separate. The same is true with light and dark, they do not mix. If you are a Christian trying to have a relationship with someone who is not living for the LORD, then you will eventually separate as well.

We spend a season trying to share the gospel with the lost, but then as we read last week, if they do not accept it, we are to shake the dust from our feet and move on. We can not hang out longer than our season for then their dirt would start to cling to us. We would start to behave like those around us. Our light would start to fade. Darkness would soon take over.

Have you ever noticed how Christians who really live their life for God, who are really on fire for God, stand out in a crowd? There is no mistake as to who they serve. We as Christians need to all be like that, we need to stand out, we need to let our light shine.

Matt. 5 v 14-16....You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.....

Ephes. 5 v 8.....For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the LORD. Walk as children of light......

Rev. 21 v 23-27....The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.......

Stop hiding your light. Be bold, stand out in a crowd. AMEN!

Neta

Satisfied Or Not

Are you satisfied with your life, with your job, with your spouse, with your house, etc? Have you ever wanted something so badly that you say, I will never ask for anything else, only to find 6 mos or a year later that there is something else. How many times do we say, God had a hand in this, He got me this job, or this house or this car, and then later we are looking at other houses, cars, or jobs with envy and covet in our hearts? This brings up the question, are we ever really satisfied completely? As long as we are living in our flesh, probably not.

It is our flesh that makes us covet these things. Our flesh makes us covet sugar, or coffee, tobacco, or alcohol or whatever it is that we know we do not need. The next time we go on a fast, we need to fast with our whole flesh. Not just fast off one thing, but put our flesh under the fast of preparing it to meet Jesus. The one who gave His flesh on a cross.

It is that time of year that everyone should be doing a cleanse and a fast to keep your body free of toxins, so why not fast with our whole flesh. Why not fast off TV, radio, (with the exception of Christian channels to feed on) fast off FAST FOOD. Let's all fast and pray together for this election coming up. First let's do a cleanse, a total body cleanse, then fast and pray over our flesh, then we can come before the LORD with a clean heart, a right heart, seeking His wisdom in this election, and also in the things in our lives.

God has us where we are for a reason and for a season. Sometimes, we are like snowbirds and we just want to move because it gets a little uncomfortable where we are, a little too cold or hot. We need to make sure that our season is up, and we are not acting out of our selfish flesh instead of what GOD wants us to do. We need to pray before we make important changes in our lives, like moving away, buying a house, changing jobs, etc.

The good news is that we can be satisfied completely. If we put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and have faith in what He tells us, then we can have peace in our lives and satisfaction in our decisions if we seek Him first, let the Holy Spirit guide us in all of our decisions. Quit making decisions on our own understanding and quit looking to the world for our answers, and look to Christ. AMEN!

1 John 2 v 15-17...Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever...

PS 91 v 14-16....."Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.....

God wants you to be satisfied, and He tells you to deny your flesh, call on His name, and He will satisfy you. Christians we do not have to worry about the economy if we are living for Him and not for ourselves.

Call on the name of Jesus today and be satisfied.
Neta

Read It Believe It Live It

Why do we have the word of God? Because God knew that we could not live our lives to the fullest without instructions from Him who created us. The bible, the word of God is an instruction manual on how we are to live our lives. The word of God covers everything from how to invest your money, to how to eat healthy, to how to take care of your body, and most importantly how to take care of your soul.

God says man shall fulfill the days of his life. He does not say that our life should be cut short. He wants you to fulfill your days, and fulfill them in good health. In the old testament there is a lot said about how we should eat. Things that we should not eat. Don't you think there was a reason why God tells you not to eat these things. If you think about how they ate in those days, they didn't eat alot of meat everyday. And if you think about the setting of where they were, they probably ate alot of fruit, grains, and vegetables. They all had goats, so they probably had alot of milk, cheese and bread. The word talks about olive trees, fig trees, fish. Think about the types of food the word talks about, and then think about what you are eating. I personally believe there is alot to be said about this type of diet. I watched my son and daughter in law make a drastic change in their weight and their health simply by changing their life style of eating habits, and reading the book, 'What would Jesus eat? ' They have a cook book also entitled What would Jesus eat Cookbook. It takes discipline, just like anything else in life that is good for you. I think alot of us would be in better health if we would follow this example. That is just one of the ways the Bible instructs us in our everyday lives.

Another is that we are to have peace. God does not want us to have stress in our lives. He says we are to have peace, and a sound mind. If you are working in a place everyday that is causing you stress to the point that it is affecting your health, then you are probably in the wrong job. Stress causes so many illnesses. Look around you see what you can change to make your life less stressful. Sometimes it might be something as simple as getting up a little earlier so that you are not rushing around trying to get ready for work and not having to fight early morning traffic. In the evenings coming home, listen to something uplifting, and positive on your cd or radio, try a Christian channel, or put some learning tapes in teaching God's word. Don't feed your stress with negative things.

Then God even tells you how to invest your money. He tells you what you are suppose to do with the first fruits of your increases. He not only tells you, He promises you that your storehouses will be overflowing, your vats will overflow with new wine. He says the windows of heaven can not contain all that He will bless you with if you do what He says. WOW! He could not have made it any simpler. You don't have to worry about trying to figure out how to read the stock market pages, because God puts it so simple, give and it shall be given unto you, pressed down, shaken together, running over. HALLELUJAH! The economy should not be worrying children of God. There should be no fear for children of God who are doing what He says to do with their increases. AMEN!

And then most importantly He tells you how to take care of your soul. He tells you what you need to do, to have eternal life with Him, when you are finished on this earth. He tells you the only way to Him is through His Son. How easy can He make it for you?

an insert from Charles Capps book 'God's Creative Power'.......For poverty He has given me wealth; for sickness He has given me health; for death He has given me eternal life. (2 Cor. 8:9,; Isa. 53:5,6; John 10:10; John 5:24) This is another book everyone should have and read everyday, carry it with you, keep it in your pocket. It is a powerful weapon that Satan does not want you to have.

You can have it all. Good Healthy, Peaceful, Stress Free, Long life, and then live in Royalty with Him once it is all done here on earth. What do you say? Get the word out, Read it, Believe it, and Live it.

Neta

Forgiveness & Humility

Sometimes forgiveness comes with humility on our part. It is easy to say I forgive you, the hard part is to mean it with all your heart. Empty words are just that, empty. If we say we forgive, but we still feel resentment in our heart, then we have not done anything. Sometimes we have to humble ourselves to forgive a wrong. Like in the book of Hosea, his wife Gomer was involved in adulteries, and their marriage disintegrated because of it. Then God, instructed Hosea to buy back his wife and restore his marriage. He used Hosea to set an example of how He would restore His covenant with His people. God will not ask you to do anything that does not line up with His word.

Hosea probably had a hard pill to swallow to take back his wife after she had publicly humiliated him. Yet he would do whatever God told him to do. He was showing in his actions how forgiveness works. How God wants to forgive you, if you will let Him. No matter what you have done, God is always willing to forgive you and to take you back when you repent and mean it with your heart.

Hosea 3 v 1-3....Then the LORD said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of the LORD for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans." So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and one and one half omers of barley. And I said to her, "You shall stay with me many days; you shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man; so too, will I be toward you.".....

It is like the saying practice what you preach. God was showing through Hosea, that by taking his wife back and restoring his marriage, how God wants to restore His people back to Him.

Remember the hard part is to mean what you say. Don't throw empty words at GOD. He knows what is in your heart.



Neta

What is Hard Ground

When you hear scriptures talking about sowing seeds into hard ground, you immediately think of the unsaved, people who will not accept the word of God for their salvation. Well, it does not just mean the unsaved. Hard ground also refers to Christians who will not accept the word about healing in their bodies, or the LORD providing them with more than enough and abundance overflowing into their finances, etc. Hard ground, is anytime someone lets the world tell them what is the truth instead of the word of GOD.

Mark 4 v 35....On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side."....

Mark 4 v 37-40.....And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?".....

Jesus had just finished teaching them the parable of sowing seeds. He had just taught them to have faith in the word (the seed He was planting).
You see Jesus had told them, "Let us cross over to the other side." He didn't say let's try to make it to the other side. He had already told them that they were going to the other side. Yet as soon as circumstances arose against them,, the word (what Jesus had told them) was choked out by the weeds, (the circumstances) and their faith was lost.

Hard ground comes from packing the dirt down over and over again until it is as hard as concrete, and there is no way that a seed sown into this ground can break forth and produce, because the ground is so hard around it, that it keeps it packed down. There is no one tilling the ground up around the seed to give it a chance to break through. It is the same with the word of GOD. If your circumstances keep telling you that you are barely getting by, that you are living pay check to pay check, therefore you hold on to every dime you make instead of investing in the kingdom of GOD, so you are not tilling the ground around the seed, (or worse you never put the seed in the ground to start with) then your seed will not spring forth and produce any fruit. You can not get an ear of corn without a kernel being planted. And you can not get a crop of corn from planting just one kernel. And if you want the best crop, then your ground has to be tended properly. The ones with the best, most productive gardens are those that take time to till their ground, plant and water their seeds, and keep the weeds pulled so that they do not choke out their crop. It is the same with us. The seed (the word of GOD) gets planted, then it is up to us to water and nurture that seed with good things.

We are the ones to take care of our ground (our hearts) because the world will be trampling all over our dirt, packing it down if we let them. We have to keep our soil (our hearts) ready for the seed, so that when planted, it can produce. We have to keep the weeds (things of the world) pulled out so as not to choke our seeds.

Mark 4 v 3-8....Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed that some seed fell by the wayside, and the birds of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on stony gournd, where it do not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced some thirtyfold, some sixty,, and some a hundred."....

Mark 4 v 13-20.....And He said to them, " Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble. Now these are the ones sown among the thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.".......

Is your ground (heart) ready for the seed (the word of GOD) to be planted? What kind of crop will you have? Will you have good health because the word says you will, will you have an abundance overflowing into your bosom, because the word says you will, will you have peace, power, and a sound mind, because the word says you will. Will you be able to stand against your enemy and the devourer when it comes and tries to steal your fruit? The word says you can.

Open the word today and till your ground, water and nourish your seed. Protect your seed with the covering of a good bible teaching church. Don't leave it out in the frost to get frost bitten and die. Get into church, get under the covering of a good Pastor. Watch now as your seed grows and produces much fruit.

Stop listening to the world and the world's circumstances and listen to the word of GOD. AMEN!
Neta