Tag: faith

IS YOUR FAITH LITTLE, GREAT, OR PERFECT

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Our faith brings honor to God. Is your faith growing? We need to check our faith prayerfully. There is Scripture that may help you to know how you are growing. Jesus’ heart can be hurt when you do not have faith. Mark 16 tells about Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James and Salome, who went to the tomb and found it empty. The angel told them Jesus had risen and to go and tell the disciples. Verse 11 says that they refused to believe. I believe this unbelief hurt Jesus. In verse 14 says in part, “He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart.

THE BIBLE TELLS OF DIFFERENT LEVELS OF FAITH

Little Faith: This is a struggling faith in which they are trying to believe. An example of this is found in Mark 9:17-19. 21-24.

Verse 17 And one of the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I bought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute;

Verse 18 and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth, and stiffens out. And I told your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.

Verse 19 And He answered them and said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!”

Verse 21 And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said to him, “From childhood.

Verse 22 And it has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!”

Verse 23 And Jesus said to him, “If You can!’ All things are possible to him who believes.”

Verse 24 Immediately the boy’s father cried out and began saying, “I do believe; help my unbelief.

The main group of words here is “if you can”. At least he knew he needed help.

2. GREAT FAITH: It is a maturing faith and stands on the word of God. A beautiful example of this is found in I Samuel 17 where David goes against Goliath. In verse 26 David views the situation as a sacred cause. In verses 32-37, David is reviewing his personal history under the providence of God and giving credit to God for delivering him. He expressed his confidence that the same God would deliver him again. WOW! We need to review our past and write them down. What a legacy to hand down to our children.

In Matthew 8:5-8 A centurion came to Jesus asking Him to heal a paralyzed servant at his home. Jesus said He would come but the centurion said he was not worthy for Jesus to come under his roof. He then said, “Just say the word and my servant will be healed.” Jesus said that he had great faith.

PERFECT FAITH: This person says, “This is what God says. So it is true. So be it.” Next, You thank God in worship. Rejoice over the Lord. Genesis 22:1-5 shows perfect faith. In these scriptures, God shows us perfect faith through Abraham. In these verses, God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son. God does not tempt us with evil but will test us so we will know how deep our faith runs and how God will stand with us. Other religions practiced human sacrifice so Abraham was familiar with it. The place where God told Abraham was about 50 miles from where they lived. Those 50 miles would be agonizing for most people. But Abraham had Perfect Faith. He remembered that God said He would multiply Isaac’s descendants. Abraham believed that even if he killed Isaac, God would bring him back to life. We know this because, in verse 5, Abraham said to his servant staying with the donkeys, “I and the lad will go, and we will worship and return to you.

So, where are you on this road of maturing faith?

BLESSED ARE YOU

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Luke 6:22 (NAS) Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and cast insults at you, and spurn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.

Spock of “Star Trek” would say this is illogical. I am to be happy if people hate me? The answer is yes if it is “for the Son of Man’s sake. Beloved, remember that you have the Holy Spirit to help bring you joy in these situations and all of heaven standing behind you.

ISAIAH 55:8-9

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Photo by Diana Burbridge

I have begun my Bible Study Fellowship study for this year and we are studying the “Kingdom Divided”. Although I have studied this part of the Bible in-depth before a number of times, I always come away with amazing new knowledge. I love the Old Testament because I learn so much about the character of God. Well, a few things each time. We can always depend upon Him but how He reacts or answer prayers is always unpredictable. We can have faith in His character, but His ways are complex and hard to understand.

Isaiah 55:8-9

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My way’s higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

Remember that God thinks and moves for the long term and His wisdom is eternal.

THE STORM IS TOO VIOLENT TO SURVIVE

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I started, “Enter The Throne Room of God with these words:

In an instant, everything changes. You run to God and fall on your knees while a roaring thunder rolls with pain through out your whole being.

The emotional, mental and spiritual pain caused a physical pain. In my case, I do not believe it was a heart attack. Although I did ask God to take me home that night because I did not think I could handle this storm. I most definitively did not even want to try. When I woke the next morning and was still here with nothing being change, and I was angry at God. I was angry because He did not want to take me home.

I guess the only thing that I did right was I did not stop talking to God. It was a way of life before the storm. I could not let go of Jesus. I need His love. There were times that I felt so alone. The Holy Spirit helped me to hold on and remember His love.

At that time I was sitting under an excellent teacher/preacher and did in dept Bible studies with word studies. Plus the Lord had me doing Bible Study Fellowship (bsf.org) . I thought the knowledge I had gained found a resting place in my heart. Looking back, this probably is what gave me strength to go forward. Everything was tested and put through the fire and whatever else was in the mix. No one could see the dept of my pain that filled my soul. In the dept of my soul I knew Jesus must be there collecting my tears. I lost my oldest daughter to cancer when she was 14 and knew Jesus never left me then. I survived that pain. I thought this pain was deeper so maybe I just could not feel Jesus because of this pain.

Although knowing how He helped me and always there, I believed a lie. I thought God had favorites and I was not one of them. My faith became weak. My prayer life stopped. I am thankful that did not last a long time.

God is so patient with all of us, especially things concerning me. There are scars but Jesus has a healing hand on those scars. I survived and feel a deeper love from the Lord and He is helping me to love Him even more each day. Jersus heals and binds our hearts together. He keeps me on His mind. He is a caring God.

I remembered Him and His love when the doctors told me I had arthritis and thyroid problems. I stilled loved Him and praised His name. I remembered His goodness when the doctors said I have Parkinson?/ Positional tremors. I still loved Him when the doctors told me I have degenerative disk disease. God came to earth as Jesus to give me life for eternity. I remembered His great love when the doctors told me I had cancer. Yes, I ask God to heal me physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritualy.

Each new day brings rejoicing songs in my heart for the God who saved me for rejoicing Him for eternity. He has an everlasting love. A never ending love for me with my name, Diana, inscribed in His hand (Isaiah 49:16).

May the angels and demons know that God’s children will love Jesus without seeing Him and when bad things happen to us, we will still love Him.. Jesus died on a cross, so we would have the riches of heaven. Only Jesus forgives us and loves like no other. I am a witness of this love.

Beloved ones of God, the Lord Jesus is patient with us and helps us to get through difficult times. He is holding our hearts but we do not know it because we are consumed by whatever. (My lie was I was not God’s favorite. He does not have favorites.) He waits to share truth with us. It is because we did hold on to each other that God shares truth with us.

God does heal our spiritual blindness that one develops in the midst of things, to share truth. He waits for all of us with an open heart and wide open arms. The same heart and wide open arms that were on the cross. Run to Him and softly weep on His blood stained robe.

He takes the lies that we have believed and the pain we have suffered and replace them with His wonderful truth. Can you hear His love calling you.

If you are under a severe attack from Satan, find a safe resting place. You must find this place so you can begin to heal. God will use His other children to help you find this resting place. When you have been destroyed emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and maybe physically. Do not travel this road alone. Have a physical person that can hold you as you weep. They will help you.

You are a precious treasure to God. “Believe this my precious love, you are a jewel. A jewel inscribed in my hand. A jewel placed in my crown so you can share my kingdom. I chose you. You are far from home but I am coming to show you the power of my Love. Will you wait in your love for Me just a little longer. Hear my love calling out to you. Sing your praises. I love you with an everlasting love. Allow Me to pull you closer as you endure your journey. Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to help you and bring you into the place which I have prepared for you with many rewards.”

Jesus calmed the Storm.

Note: I have been married twice and it was a biblical separation.

Be A Man That Walks In God’s Glory

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A man must pursue God goodness, holiness, direction in order to lead his family on this journey. A man must have the inner strength to lead his family through the hardships of this world. If a man developes inner strength, fuel by worldly things, one will fail at some point in time. Inner strength given by God will bring about confidence will cause the man be gentle and will do things in love (I Corinthians 11:16:13-14) He will have a spiritual backbone for leading his family. Today’s paths are filled with adversaries. A man must have wisdom and have self-control. In Proverbs 22:24-25, it says not to even associate with a man given to anger, lest you learn his ways.

A man must have a prayer life, (I suggest a prayer life title, “Enter The Throne Room of God) in order to lead his family and the church he attends. He should at times pray with others, especially with his wife. A wife feels more secured and loved with her praying husband and as she walks through life. If she becomes afraid, she not only finds strength in the Lord, but runs to her husband for security an strength. This is a new trinty of Christ, man and woman ( I Peter 3:1-6). Being frighten will only last a moment if she is filled with the Holy Spirit. But she may need to have just a little more, and seeing Jesus within you will help to melt away her fears. She will gladly submit to her husband. (I Perter 3:1). This verse says, “you husbands likewise, live with your wives, in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she a woman, and grant her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayer may not be hindered.”

The first scary thing about this verse is the last, “that your prayer may not be hindered.” If a wife does not see Christ in you, she may feel insecured. She may become afraid and scared to submit to you.

If you take time to worship the Lord and allow the Holy Spirit to consume you, loving her as Christ, your wife will follow you and submit with an incredible love. That is, if she is a Christian. If she is a Christian, she will feel the presences of God with you. With this new trinty existing, you will be saturated with His glory, love and divine guidance.

Men should teach things of God to their sons. Men are commanded to do so in Deuteronomy 6:6-7. Also when they are older teach them about the family and how to bless their wives. Remind them that they should do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with them (Deuteronomy 6:18).

Father’s, do not provoke your children to anger: but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).

I have seen husbands/wives, that will emotionally and mentally abuse their spouse in order to drive them out of the home. Then they say that they did no wrong because the other spouse left, in order for the church to think different about the situation.

On just about every page of the bible, one can find something on how to know God, consequences of actions, examples of Jesus and wisdom.

There is one more thing I would like to mention, and that is about the times we live. Yes, natural weather needs to be watch. But what is not mentioned often is the behavior of people. The bible states that things will be like in the “days of Noah.” I look at the wickedness of people. I have seen so called Christians become hostile to each other because they did not vote like them, or the color of carpet to be bought for their sanctuary. People are getting more wicked and accepting things that are not right in the eyes of the Lord.

The sad part is that the people have not become as wicked as they were in the days of Noah. The Christian man must be so close to the Lord in order to hear God tell him where he must go to be safe. I am not suggesting to run for the hills. I am suggesting that each on of us, especially men, to do as the Lord instructs. He might have you go on vacation on certain days to avoid a mishap. Or maybe stay home instead of going some place. Just stay close to the Lord so He can move and direct your path. Allow God to be a part of your whole being and feeling His glory.

Beloved men of God, this is the greatest gift you will ever receive. It is the greatest gift you can give your family. Your children may not know why your home brings peace and comfort to them. But they will be drawn to your home and not forget the peace.

Men, this is a high calling. Leave a legacy for your children. Allow God to breathe on you. Teach your children the things of God. Be faithful to God and meet Him daily. Repent of any wrong doing or thinking. Have a direct line to God. You and your wife were made for this moment in time. Live it to the fullness of God. Reflect God.

WHY WE SHOULD LOVE

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Big Horn in Utah

Dear Ones of the Lord Jesus, it is love that gives our lives the fullness with peace and joy for our journey here on this earth. Remember when you fell in love for the first time and how your heart became so full that you did not know if you could contain that love within you. We need to strive to carry within us a fullness of love for Jesus Christ. As we mature in our love for Jesus Christ, we are able to love others more fully. For when we love Jesus to the point where we cannot contain it, the love flows in such a way that others around you feels that love. That is when you carry God’s presence’s and majesty to others. It is here that you feel God’s perfect peace.

I have seen Christians become so hostile to the sins of others. They are especially hostile to other Christians. Our heart is to look at others in love. Does your heart feel the presences of God when you approach others in sin. There is a saying, and I do not know who began this but it says something like, “Don’t judge others because their sin is different than yours.”

In Matthew 18:15-20, gives further instructions on how to approach those that need Christian discipline. This is a command on how we are to do this discipline. First we are to go to them privately with deep love. If they repent,he is then restored in the fellowship of God and service. If there is no repentance, we are to take one or two more with us and speak to them. These other will be witnesses. If there is still no repentance, then you go to the church. We are to keep God’s name holy.

Beloved, in all these steps, they must be covered with deep prayer to have the Holy Spirit go before you. You must carry with you God’s love and His presences. You must feel the pain that Jesus feels over this precious wounded one. In Luke 15:4, Jesus talks about leaving 99 sheep to look for one.

Matthew 7:1-5, speaks about removing the log out of your eye before removing the speck in another’s persons eye. This must be done before you approacyh another and this must be done with scripture. The same scripture that Jesus uses to judge. Consider this passage as qualification of you judging. Christian discipline should be the highest form of Love. Any other form is sin.

I can not remember Jesus being hostile to any individual in sin. Yes, He was angry with groups of religious leaders and in the temple, but never individuals. If you know of any scripture in the New Testament, please let me know.

Let me again, state the importance of asking God daily to put more love in your heart for Him. The more you love Him, the more you are able to love others. I did not think I could love my husband, children and grandchildren any more than I did at some point in time in the past. Your love to others can grow by leaps and bounds. Then your ministry can grow by leaps and bounds. You being a servant of Jesus Christ can grow deeper. Your love can cause the Holy Spirit to move in greater power. More love can move you deeper into God’s heart. You can express God’s love to the world in ways you never imagined.

Now for the all importance of Saul’s conversion to Paul on his way to Damascus (Acts 9:4). It says, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Jesus did not say why are you persecuting my children. Jesus said, “persecuting Me.” When the Lord repeats a name twice, you better listen because He means it is very important. When the Lord brought this to my attention, I immediately thought of cross words to my husband and other Christians. It is the same as those words being said to Jesus.

I pray that your heart is so filled with love, that you remember this before the fact and not afterwards, as sometimes I do. Ask Jesus to put more love in your heart starting now.

To Be Held By The Spirit Of God

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Beloved, the Holy Spirit is the key in a Christian life. God the Father, loved us so abundantly that He left us with a gift that transcends our imagination. But my Dear Ones, most of God’s children reduces the power of the Holy Spirit because we violate His sovereign will. Sin is anything that we do or don’t do out of the will of God. A lot of God’s children do not know the Holy Spirit. Now He will help a Christian when we quench Him but we reduce His power. Sometimes just by not asking Him to do something like asking Him for wisdom. It is He that fills us and brings peace to our most inward parts of our being. He is the One that takes our prayers to Jesus and He talks to the Father on our behalf. It is the Holy Spirit that enables us to stay and explain God’s Word, to pray without ceasing and to worship. It is the Holy Spirit that leads us in His ways. One of the most things I love about the Holy Spirit is that he leads us to The Throne Room of God.

God calls us to get alone with Him, to seek His presence, to develop a mind like His and receive His Word. This call is a Divine urge to commune with Him.

A good person to study is Moses. Moses longed for the presences of God in his life. This longing was intense in nature. I believe this determined the intensity of God’s touch on Moses life. Moses accepted the divine urge God gave Him. Many do not let this intensity grow within them. They miss being touched by God.

One thing about Moses and God’s relationship is that God caused Moses to wait before He spoke. I guess God wanted to see if Moses was serious. although God knew and it was for our benefit. This is where we fall short, myself included. If you have prayed and not met with God, then you have only made it half way…maybe. Do you leave your prayer time before you feel the presence of God? Passage after passage in the Bible tells us to wait on God. We need to have this set firmly within us to wait on the Lord and that we will not settle on anything less than a heart to heart communion with Him. It is with this attitude that God will take you to places within Him that are not met by many. One of God’s greatest desire is to take His children deeper into His heart. We are to be so interlocked with the Holy Spirit that we carry God’s presences within us so it will flow out to others.

Next I will write “To Enter The Throne Room Of God.”

Finding God Part 2

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At some point God decided to create man and then a woman. God knew them before He made them. God knows the past, He knows everything in the present and all things in the future. Some say that God made man because He was lonely. That is not true. God is God and does not need anyone or anything. If He did need something, then He would no longer be God. God made man so we could enjoy Him and be bathed in His love, glory and holiness.

God knew beforehand that we would not obey Him and reject Him. Since God knows all things in the future, He knew us and loved us before He even created the Earth. God knew we would do things that He could not look upon because He is so perfect. We call that to be Holy. God is so perfect in all things which includes His perfect and vast love for each of us. God knew He would have to suffer for you and me. Now I do not understand the mind of God in that He would want to suffer for us. It’s the perfect love and God’s infinite wisdom that may come into play here, so God would have a people unto Himself.

I believe it is because of this that God expresses Himself in three ways. They are all God of the same God substance but are different in subsistence. The first of the Godhead is God the Father. The second of the Godhead is Emmanuel which means God is with us. We call Him Jesus Christ. God did this so He could reveal Himself to man and suffer and die for the bad things we have done. After Jesus died, He arose from His grave and was alive. Jesus proved He was God.

Jesus was born of a woman just like we were born. The Father of Jesus was not a human. The Father was the third person of the Godhead which is the Holy Spirit. So Jesus is fully God in a human form. This is a forever union. When Jesus went back to heaven, He sat down at the right hand of God the Father.

I would now like to talk about the third Person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit. The work of the Holy Spirit today is to tell people or convict people that Jesus Christ died for them. God came to earth and was born of a virgin, died for the bad things we have done, that Jesus will return and set up His kingdom here on earth. The Holy Spirit will let this truth be known and each person will accept this truth or reject it and does not want to be a part of it. If the truth is accepted, then the Holy Spirit will come and dwell within a person. This happens instantaneous when a person accepts Jesus death for them.

Do you remember that I said God will give proof that He is the One True God. Do you remember that God would give you a supernatural engagement ring. If you believe these thing about Jesus Christ, God will give that supernatural engagement ring in that the Holy Spirit will come to dwell within you. This Spirit will lead you, teach you and bring the presences of God into your life. As to how much of God we feel will depend on how much we give to Christ. We are to give Ourselves completely. The world should not be able to tell where our personality ends and Jesus’s personality begins. That is our goal as a Christian.

One day Jesus will return to Earth and will reign over all. Let the Holy Spirit rule over your heart.

One of my peacocks

Finding God Part 1

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Some say there is no God and everything just happened. That every planet, star, moon, everything just popped out of nothing.

Everything and its complexity can only point to a Creator. If humans are intelligent, then someone with vast intelligence had to be the one to create them. We have emotions, so someone with perfect emotions had to create emo throughns within humans.

It takes more faith to believe that all came out of nothing than it is to believe that there is a Creator. So, what is faith? Faith is the belief in something with no proof. Those that believe that we came out of nothing without a Creator will never have proof. Those that believe in God and His promises through Jesus Christ will receive proof. Now it may not be in an instant of belief, but they will notice a change with proof to come shortly. We have preconceived ideals that may blind us for a while.

There are those that believe in a god but have believed lies about a god. They will not find Truth for they follow another god. A god that is not the Creator can be followed.

So now, you are probably thinking and asking this question. “How does she know that she is following the one true God, the Creator of all?” The Creator of all is so perfect in His Truth and love for us, that He wants to give us that proof. Our Creator gives us this proof in a supernatural way that begins with a love that is so great and perfect for you and me. This is such a glorious love that God gives us a supernatural engagement ring.

Let me ask each of you a question. When you fall in love, what is your greatest hope for the one you love. Your hope is that they love you too. You show them that you love them. You woo them. You choose to run after their heart in hope that you will win their heart with love and devotion to you. You want to give them all of you. You want them to give you all of them.

But what happens if you are rejected over and over again? You pull back. You stop trying to win their heart.

God does the same thing. He allows people to choose not to love Him. The difference is that He never stops loving them. Now God is so powerful that He could make people love Him. God does not force us to love Him. Even humans do not want someone to love us by forcing them to do so.

Now if you choose to love God in His special way through Jesus Christ, your life is changed forever. Not just for the time we live here on earth, but forever. Another word for forever, is for eternity. When we choose to love God, we choose to bathe in His love and glory.

New Zealand orchids

Continued in Part 2