 Jesus said, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:" Matthew 28:19 Thank you, Heavenly Father, for Your Son and Your Spirit. Amen. Apologies from the start if this blog includes a lot of "I's," as it is challenging to write a testimony without using "I." With that being said, I was a disobedient and unruly child, teenager and adult. When I was around 12 years old, I tried to "kill" myself by taking baby aspirin, which was just a feign attempt at garnering attention, and distracting my mother from my misdeeds, which were really the issue. After that, I heard my sisters tell my mom that she should take me to church, so we began attending the First Baptist Church. "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6. Amen. The church had Sunday school for children my age, so I began attending. Sadly, even at Sunday school, I seemed to fall in with the kids that were going behind the church to smoke cigarettes. Little did I know that God had other plans for my life. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior shortly after starting to attend the church. I do not remember if I even really knew what that meant at the time. Then, around the same time, I was baptized in water, in front of the church congregation. A short time later, the Sunday school class hosted a church camp for two weeks, and I attended that as well. At the camp, they were baptizing people in the lake, so I lined up with my friends to be baptized again. From the moment I put on the white garment and walked into the lake, the whole experience was surreal. When I was raised up out of the water, I can only describe it one way, I was in love with everyone and everything. I did not understand then, but I can now understand how Jesus felt when He was baptized by John the Baptist, and a voice came from heaven and said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased. Matthew 3:16-17. Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. I could not understand why everyone was not lining up to be baptized, so they could feel like I felt. After church camp was over, within a couple of weeks of returning home, hanging out with my same old friends, doing the same old things, not nurturing the Holy Spirit inside me, the warm, fuzzy, feelings faded. I spent the next 45 years being disobedient and unruly, running from God and, worse, denying Him. In my 20s, my mom would tell me to "get back to God, Melanie," and I would reply with something like, I don't believe in that stuff, Mom. Bless her heart. In my 30's, I began to believe in something, a Higher Power, and I subjected my young daughter to six years at a metaphysical church. Bless her heart, also, because she came to God before I came back to Him, and she has raised her children with Jesus Christ. That has nothing to do with how I raised her obviously, or with her father, whose family is Jewish. Only God could save someone in the face of that adversity! Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. From my 40's to 50's, I wandered in my sin and lusts, still believing something, but no knowledge or understanding of it, and not having a spiritual home. Most of my adult life, I have watched all manner of violence and horror on TV, as this was my preferred genre. Then, Ancient Aliens, which led to Biblical archaeology. I was searching for something. It was at my fingertips but I couldn't reach it. Then, one day, five years ago, at 58 years old, over 45 years after accepting Jesus Christ as my savior, being baptized twice, and receiving Holy Spirit, during a wicked storm in our area that was rattling the walls, the light bulb went off, the light shined into my heart through the darkness surrounding it, and I understood that God, the Father in heaven, IS the Higher Power. After that, I could not get enough of His Word. Still being blinded by the ruler of this world 2 Corinthians 4:4, I could not understand the King James Bible, so I began reading the easy-to-read Bible, which is written at like a 9th grade level, and it was awesome. Then, I heard of the Amplified Bible, and I loved how descriptive it was, with the footnotes. I now read the King James Bible (almost exclusively), with ease. Thank you, Lord. At that time, I also heard that if you read the Bible from start to finish, God will give you revelations. Who would not want to hear revelations from God? And, I was still soaking up His Word like crazy, every day, all day, writing blogs, listening to Him, obeying. So, I started to read the Amplified Bible from Genesis to Revelation. I read the entire Amplified Bible in four months, August to December 2021. In the first 10 days, I was already in the book of Joshua, and God was not disappointing with showing me great and mighty things. Jeremiah 33:3 Within the first month of beginning to read, I prayed for and received from Holy Spirit the gift of [praying in] tongues Acts 2:4. It was then that I became aware of the evil and immorality abounding around us. I now understood clearly the scripture, "Love not the world, nor the things in it. For if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in Him." 1 John 2:15-17. I could no longer watch the movies I had loved for 50 years. I could no longer listen to the same music. I understood inherently that it was all against God's Will and purpose for our lives, and designed by Satan to pull us away from God, to worship idols even. It saddened me to know that I had wasted my whole life running from God, denying Him, and living my life in all manner of vileness. Praying in tongues also immediately brought my Spiritual journey into a greater reverence for Jesus Christ and His mission to love and serve. I now understood His love for the lost, weary and forgotten, and more importantly, I had a yearning to serve them. I now understood 1 Corinthians 13:13: "And now abides faith, hope, charity [love], these three; but the greatest of these is charity [love]." And, the greatest commandments to love God and love our neighbor as ourself Matthew 22:36-40, because we are all one in Christ Jesus. 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 So, my husband and I began serving the homeless. First, by making Blessing Bags and handing them out to the homeless at street corners. Then, we learned of people who live in tents in our area, year-round, even in the snow, so we started taking food to them and sharing God's Word with them by putting scripture in the bags, or just sharing a kind word and a hot meal, and telling them that Jesus loves them. I noticed later that I wrote very few blogs during the August 2021 to December 2021 time period, when I was entrenched in God's Word, reading it from Genesis to Revelation in four months. In December 2021, however, at the end of the reading, God had much to say in my writings/blogs and testimonies about His systems on earth: Seed plant harvest, tithing, giving, His Son, Jesus Christ, His plan for man before time began, and, also, that He is our Source, and we are all one in Him. He is available to all who seek Him, and He will never forsake us, even unto the day our bodies return to the dust and our Spirit returns to God who gave it. Ecclesiastes 12:7 The "free cost of grace" is that without God's grace, all men would have perished, but with God's grace, or favor to man, given freely to all who believe in His Son, and keep His commandments, all men might be saved. There is a meme that says, You know the kingdom of God is within you Luke 17:20-21 when you want to obey Him. In my experience as written here, this is 100% the truth. Accept Jesus Christ and keep His commandments. Believe and be saved: John 3 16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." Pray for Holy Spirit to transform your heart from glory to glory in God's image: "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Corinthians 3:18 Maybe other people have different experiences. God does work in mysterious ways, and He will keep trying to reach us any way He can, until we turn to Him and away from the sin in our lives. I would love to hear those testimonies. I pray this word reaches and helps those who need it on their journey to find, accept, believe, obey, and have faith in, God and His only begotten son, Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. For an in-depth look at the heart of Jesus, watch the "Jesus Film" (1979) below:
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"LOVE PEOPLE, HATE EVIL" AUDIO BLOG  James 5 verse 16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
God says, Confess our faults one to another. How many of us like to admit that we are wrong? Probably not very many. That makes it a little difficult to confess our faults one to another. It is okay. No, it is not okay, but it is human nature, Satan’s nature, to protect ourselves and our feelings. Satan is very good at his job, but God is our protector, our provider, our shelter, and our salvation. The remainder of James 5 verse 16 tells us why God tells us to confess our faults one to another: Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. I am sure we all want to be healed, healed physically, emotionally, spiritually, body, mind and soul. Healed from years of Satan’s influence in our lives, beating us down, whispering in our ear that we can’t, we aren’t good enough, or telling us we are too good! Not too long ago, the Pastor at our church asked for testimonies, and I had this testimony with me, but when he asked, I shrunk back and hid the paper. Sly as a fox. Who else was sly? Satan! So, I did not get up and give this testimony; I’m a coward. Satan won that round, and after hearing the lesson that night, of course, I wished I had given it, because it was about sweeping Satan under the rug. Anyway, the reason you will see that I did not want to give this testimony, basically ever, is because I will be confessing my sins, my faults, one to another. God’s Word is alive, and it is written for us. His Word says, Confess your faults, and pray for one another that you may be healed! So, here goes. First, just know that I love children now. Around April 2022, Holy Spirit revealed to me how Satan operates in our lives, to keep us from fulfilling God’s Will and God’s plans for us. More specifically, He showed me how Satan has operated in my own life, basically grooming me with bad quirks, bad habits, dislikes, even hates, illnesses, and other behaviors and physical attributes that Satan thinks, hopes or counts on preventing me from obeying or freely serving God’s call now. Remember, Satan’s goal at all costs is to keep us from our rightful inheritance, and to keep us from our blessings. To see how Satan operates generally, let’s look at Genesis 3:1: “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.” Subtil means cunning, wily, crafty, deceitful, using trickery, underhanded. THAT is Satan! Still looking at Genesis 3 verse 15 “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” So, we can bruise Satan’s head, but he can only bruise our heel. Satan is under our feet, to be stepped on, trampled on. Some translations have it as "crush Satan's head." Personally, I prefer that translation: We can kill Satan in our lives; remember, resist the devil and he will flee from you. Satan cannot kill us; he can only tempt us, with worldly, material things, and evil, fleshly vices. 1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” Amen and amen. Satan is only able to tempt us with these worldly things, and he is able to tempt us only so much, because God will not allow us to be tempted more than we can withstand: Our God is amazing and good - all the time. Amen. Following are two examples of how Satan has tried to work in my life, and has done a pretty good job until about four years ago. Perhaps, confessing out loud will give others the courage to recognize some of the ways Satan may be holding them back from freely fulfilling God’s Plan in their lives right now. After all, knowing is the first part of doing, or overcoming. In May of 2020, I wrote my first Testimony to God’s Power, and in that Testimony, I tell how one of the first things God put on my heart in 2019 was to quote “help the children.” Easy enough, right? Except for as long as I can remember, I would tell anyone who asked or who would listen: I don’t like children. I know, right? Who doesn’t like children? Satan! So, Satan whispered in my ear most of my life, You don’t like children, and this was one of my life’s mottos, or Satan's mottos for my life. So, if any children are listening right now, I love you all now. God is good. Amen. Satan is evil. Now, lo and behold, decades later, after I am firmly planted in Satan’s motto for my life, and loving it, God tells me to “help the children.” You cannot make this stuff up. Do you see how God called me to do the one thing that Satan thought he had prepared me my whole life to dislike? I did help the children by donating money to various charities, and by spreading God’s Word on social media to pro-choicers for about a year and a half during lockdowns, until social media became social(ism) media. Before God called me to this service, I had no problem with abortion. I thought: there are too many unwanted children already; too many children not being raised properly; my body my choice seemed reasonable. I now despise abortion with a vehement dislike. Jesus said, Hate evil. Abortion is evil; abortion is an abomination, and nowhere in the Bible does God, the Father, tell us to murder or kill our babies, born or unborn. Bless the unborn babies, Lord, bless the little children. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. The next life motto Satan whispered to me over my lifetime, and sadly has apparently whispered to a lot of people, because I hear people say it often is: I don't like people; I hate people; or even, I like animals more than I like people. Jesus had only two commandments: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. Nowhere did Jesus say to hate people. To the contrary, He said love them, pray for them, bless them, feed them, give them something to drink and clothes to wear, love them as if they are you. We are in a time of refreshing by God right now, hallelujah! when our sins may be blotted out . . . if we repent of them. Acts 3:19 “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;” How else does Satan work in our lives to try to keep us from reaping our blessings from God? Many people, including me, while we are sleeping, make grand plans of things we want to do around the house, or in life, maybe how we want to serve God, or a ministry we want to start. And, then, we wake up, and the reality of who we are, who we have become in this life, sets in. Fear sets in. Satan sets in. Then, we start talking ourselves out of it. We hear Satan there in the background saying, You can’t do that; you don’t even know where to start with something like that; no one will help you; it’s a lot of work; that’s not who you are; you have too many responsibilities already; you can just serve God another way? Man has a sinful nature, courtesy of Adam, Eve and the serpent in the garden of Eden. We must combat this sinful nature every day; we must resist Satan every day and he will flee from us. James 4:7 Amen. God forgives us for the sins for which we ask Him to forgive us. If, then, we have a sinful nature, it stands to reason we must repent to God, turn away from sin, and pray for forgiveness every day. This is why it is important to have God’s Word stored in our hearts. The more God’s Word is stored in our hearts, the less the devil will come around, and be able to steal our blessings. With God’s Word stored in our hearts, God Always Wins, and We Do Too! Amen. In 1 Corinthians 15, Apostle Paul wrote that he dies every day. How could he die every day? Because we have a sinful nature. Yes, we have the Power of God’s Spirit, God’s Word, and the blood of Jesus Christ, by which we strive to become more like Jesus on a daily basis, to overcome this sinful flesh and sinful, evil world, as Jesus overcame, but we are still human, and we still have a sinful, human nature; God’s forgiveness does not remove our sinful, human nature. 1 Corinthians 15:31 from the Amplified Bible “I assure you, believers, by the pride which I have in you in [your union with] Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily [I face death and die to self].” There are many ways we can sin against God talked about in His Word. Our lukewarm to cold society and churches have caused people to sin by teaching that because we believe in the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we can do whatever we please and are forgiven. No. This is a fallacy, an untruth, not even supported by God’s Word. To the contrary though, it is not that now we can do whatever we please, but because we have the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ, now we no longer desire to do those sinful things we used to do. Amen. There are many sins talked about in the Bible. One of the greatest sins is pride in oneself, to which Apostle Paul is referring in 1 Corinthians 15:31: Because he had pride in [himself] for bringing these unbelievers in Corinth to Christ, and he is saying he sins every day and dies because of that pride. We also see the sin of pride at work in the book of Esther, where Haman’s self-pride got him executed on the hangman’s gallows that he had built specifically for Mordecai the Jew to die on, because Mordecai would not bow down to him as commanded. Haman was instead hung on the hangman’s gallows, and Mordecai, a humble servant to God, took his place, and became king Ahasuerus’ second in command. So, there are many ways a man can sin against God every day, and we can only combat those sins with prayer and His Word. Amen. In Job 33, Elihu, the only friend of the four who spoke to Job, whose words were not condemned by God, Elihu is basically telling Job to stop complaining against God; that God speaks but no one listens. Job 33 from the Amplified Bible Verse 13 “Why do you complain against Him? That He does not answer [you with] all His doings. 14 For God speaks once, And even twice, yet no one notices it [including you, Job]. 15 In a dream, a vision of the night [one may hear God’s voice], When deep sleep falls on men While slumbering upon the bed, 16 Then He opens the ears of men And seals their instruction, 17 That He may turn man aside from his conduct, And keep him from pride;” God speaks once even twice and no one listens. It doesn’t say, Maybe He speaks. It says, He speaks. He opens our ears and seals our instruction, so He can turn us aside from our conduct: our thoughts, words and actions, and keep us from self-pride, thinking we are better than our neighbor. God seals our instruction in the wee hours of sleep, and then we wake up, and Satan’s lifetime of training kicks in: sickness, fear, doubt, unbelief. Some people feel persecuted on a daily basis, oppressed, beaten down, sad - persecuted, as if they are guilty of something, of which they have no earthly clue. When we feel that way, we should go into prayer with God. Repent of our sins, cry out to Him, tell Him that we turn away from our sins, and that we surrender in full obedience to Him. Pray for forgiveness. Ask for His Will to be done in our lives. Amen. The words in the Bible are not just words. They are active and alive and powerful, and written for us. Hebrews 4 verse 12. God cannot repeat it enough: If we pray fervently, without ceasing, and meditate on His word, worship Him, give all glory, praise, honor and thanksgiving to Him, day and night, every day, it will activate enormous blessings in our lives, and we will know that He is real. Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. "OUR WORDS ARE ALIVE" AUDIO BLOG Images above, left to right: Rosehips thorn bush; Virginia creeper vine; King Bolete wild mushroom. Heavenly Father, thank you for our many blessings. Thank you for the Power in Your Word, and in the blood sacrifice of your only begotten son, Jesus Christ. Thank you that this Power is for us, Your Children. Let Your Words and Your Will always be ours, and let Your children see and hear. In Jesus' Mighty Name. Amen. Sometimes it can take a minute or two, or year or two, to understand what God is telling us, or me, because as is often the case, I started writing this on August 4, 2022. Just today, I realized what God has been trying to tell me. Actually, He began showing me this through scripture and other videos about physics, which I first posted about a couple of years ago here at "God and Physics." So, I am a really slow learner. Forgive me, Lord. Many times I have written that God's Word is alive and powerful, but what about our own words? Just this morning, I began to realize what God has been showing or trying to show me, that our words are alive as well. Because God will never forsake us, and He promises to show us great and mighty things, He gave my husband and me examples this year of how our words create. I mean, I am sure there are many examples in our lives everyday, but these four were undeniable. Bear with me, because this may sound a little crazy, but our God is a supernatural God, right? So, supernatural can seem a little crazy if we do not have faith in God and His Word. Also, I do not believe in coincidences as much as I did before God was in my life. I saw a meme last year that said something like, Coincidences are God-inspired opportunities. Amen. So, the first three examples of our words creating that happened in our lives this year were concerning our yard, the front yard, a big ugly hill in the front of our house to be more precise. This hill could be called a proverbial thorn in our sides, which will seem funny in a moment. It is covered in useless vines that don't even flower; they just cover everything; and there is other equally useless stuff growing on the hill as well. Last year, I was thinking a lot about the hill; thinking about, and researching, what we could plant on it that may overtake and coverup the vines. Last year, I also became interested in medicinal and edible wild plants and weeds. I commented to my husband, Maybe we should put an edible bush with thorns; that seemed appropriate on a hill. One of the other things I talked about was a Clematis vine, or Virginia creeper, a ground cover vine, and especially the Virginia creeper, which turns red in the fall and the birds love the berries. I thought maybe it would cover the other vine, and the red on the hill would be pretty in the fall. Finally, I thought about and talked a lot about the Forsythia plant, which is the pretty, bright yellow bush we see everywhere in the spring/summer. All of that was in 2021, and in 2022, this spring, you can't even make this stuff up, the following three things started growing on the hill. Completely self-started. God-started! We did not plant anything on the hill, ever:
We have lived in this house for almost six years, and have never seen any of those growing on the hill! Rose hip berries are nutritious, medicinal, edible berries, which are concocted into syrups and used to make teas. As I was writing this, I researched again whether Virginia Creeper vine is edible or medicinal. It does have some uses in those areas, although only in extreme circumstances in my opinion, because it is known to be toxic to humans in some instances. The Virginia creeper vine, however, does attract a variety of birds, depending on your zone:
We have been feeding the birds for some time, and have talked frequently about what we could plant around the yard to attract more birds and bees. Our words are alive! Jesus says, By our words we shall be justified, and by our words we shall be condemned. Matthew 12:37 It only makes sense that this means now, in our lives on earth, we justify or condemn ourselves and our lives by our words: In other words, by our words, we create good things around us, love, peace, joy, abundance, et cetera, or we create bad things, strife, poverty, lack, unbelief, et cetera; we create all of these things in our lives with our words. And, in the end, when every knee will bow to Jesus, and every tongue confess to God, we will be justified and condemned by God, by our words as well. Romans 14:11 Especially since the LORD God tells us in Deuteronomy 30:19: "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:" Life and death. Blessing and cursing. Only two choices: Choose God or choose Satan. This is why God's Word tells us repeatedly to meditate on His Word, get it down inside of us, "Store it in our hearts so we do not sin against Him." Bring into captivity even our very thoughts to the obedience of Christ. So that our first choice is always God's Will, and Jesus Christ, the way, the truth and the life. So that we create blessings, not curses, around us now in this life, and in life everlasting. Amen. There are many times that I have said to my husband, Hey, I just said this yesterday, or recently, and look, here it is in the garden, or on television, or a video, or Pastor David talks about it in church that morning, right after I said it. I am sure if you think about it, you will realize the same in your life, or maybe you already have. Hallelujah! Praise God. Amen. If not, then refer to the previous paragraph: Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. The last thing I want to write about today are wild mushrooms. Last year, I became somewhat interested in wild mushrooms, watched a couple of videos about picking wild mushrooms, and then found some mushrooms in our yard, on a rotted tree. Subsequently, after researching them online, I determined that they were poisonous. And I commented out loud that it would be nice if they were not poisonous, and we talked about and researched how to grow mushrooms. I even bought a book on how to identify edible and poisonous wild mushrooms. Again, that was last year. This year, this fall, we had a whole patch of King Bolete wild mushrooms, which are apparently highly desired and sought after by wild mushroom connoisseurs. Now, that is four examples of our words creating in our life, which just came to me this morning. Do you see things like this in your life and know it is God, or do you just look at them as coincidences? Give all glory, praise, honor and thanksgiving to God, the Father, always. If we start having faith in God, the faith that can move mountains, then we will move mountains! The Impossible Rice Experiment Our words are alive! The time is at hand. Choose God. Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. "GIVE" AUDIO BLOG Yesterday, Labor Day, I was looking at rumble.com, and I noticed that my "rumbles," which are the same as "likes" and "dislikes" on other social media platforms, my "rumbles" were exactly 2,222. I thought it was interesting, and showed my husband, and thought no more of it. Then, we went out to eat, and to Wal-Mart. Our grocery bill was exactly 222 and change. Now . . . it is starting to get my attention. When we got in the car, I told my husband, half jokingly, that we should play the lottery with 222 and 2222. Yes, I am not perfect, and my mind and thoughts still jump to worldly things. Forgive me, Lord. This is why it so important to have God's Word hidden in your heart, so you do not sin against Him. Psalm 119:11 Later, after we got home, I was checking my email, and there was an email from a prophet that I haven't seen in quite some time. So, I read the email, and God told him to help people move to a new level in their lives in God by sowing seeds into the prophet's training center. By now, you can probably guess how much of a donation he was asking for. Drum roll please . . . $222. You cannot make this stuff up! Now, just a week or two before, God had told me to donate $100, and I was still trying to accomplish that. I had tried at a couple of sites that oddly would not go through, and then this happened with 222. So, let's all strive to be like Jesus: Love your neighbor as yourself, as Jesus loved, with unselfish concern. Do unto others as you would have done to you. And, most importantly, give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over . . . Luke 6:30 As I was finishing this blog up, and looking for an image to put at the top, I wondered what, if any, significance there was to the numbers 2222 and/or 222. Following is an excerpt from biblestudy.org. This website says, among other things, that "The overall meaning of multiple number twos (e.g. 222, 2222, 2:22, and so on) is somewhat unclear in Scripture. They are related, however, to not only the creation of Eve and the first marriage but also to Jesus' return to earth! They additionally reveal how rewards will be distributed upon entering the kingdom of heaven and how we must deal with temptation." The website goes on to say further: Quote: Multiple number twos: "One of Jesus' greatest, yet often misunderstood, use of symbolism is found in Matthew 18. He warns, in verses 8 and 9 of the chapter, that it is better to lose a hand, foot or eye than to have two hands, two feet or two eyes (222) condemn us. Since sin is generated out of thoughts and choices (Matthew 15:18-19), the Lord is not condoning self-mutilation as a way of dealing with sin but rather admonishing us to decisively deal with the temptations that lead to it. Jesus, in Matthew 25's parable of the talents, uses 222 in verse 22 to teach an important lesson about those who enter God's kingdom. And the one who had received two talents also came to him and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; see, I have gained two other talents besides them' (Matthew 25:22). The man who received two talents doubled his master's money just like the person who got five talents (Matthew 25:16). The Lord rewarded both men equally, showing that he judges and rewards fairly based on what a person does with what he is given (verses 21, 23). Lastly, Jesus uses the example of two men in bed, two women grinding, and two men in a field (222) to warn that many people will be arrested and killed prior to his return to earth (Luke 17:34-36, see also verse 37)." End quote. I have a feeling that this word from God is not yet finished, but I was so excited about how He works in our lives, I could not wait to share it! This is in line with God's words to me: The Millennial Reign, Seventy Years, and others. God truly works in mysterious ways. How does He work in your life? Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen   "And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you." Romans 8:11 God truly works in mysterious ways. Can you see all of the ways He works in your life?
Heavenly Father, thank you for our many blessings. Thank you for not forsaking us. Let Your words flow through me and not my own. In Jesus' name. Amen. So, we did not go to church this morning. We had that 'nor'beaster' come through New England. We probably got 5 to 6 inches of snow at our house Saturday, and it was pretty windy all afternoon and night. I prayed this morning and asked God if we should go to church today, which I try to do on a regular basis. We live about 30 minutes away. Anyway, I kept getting the same answer, No. I had no idea why, but we stayed home. Instead, I pulled up our church service on Facebook, and sang along with the Worship Team. When I opened the service on Facebook, my husband said something like, Hey, it is just like being in church. I said, Yeah, but not really, I don't feel the Holy Spirit here, or the Holy Spirit isn't here, something like that. So, I was singing along with the worship songs, and the Holy Spirit came over me, at home, and I began to sob uncontrollably while I was singing, still trying to get the words out. First, it felt like a sense of shame for the life I had lived, and then a sense of the love of the Father, who saved us by His grace, or favor, for no other reason than He loved us. God was reminding me that the Holy Spirit is inside us, believers, and, therefore, He is wherever we are. I mean, of course I knew that, but the Holy Spirit was reminding me. Perhaps, God told me not to go to church today, so I could be reminded of that, or perhaps He spared me the embarrassment of breaking down and sobbing uncontrollably in front of the church congregation. Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Stop what you are doing. Raise your hands in the air. Give all glory, honor, praise and thanksgiving to God, Most High, the great I Am, and watch Him come right down where you are standing, and ". . . fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in His promises." Romans 15:13 Romans 8:9 - But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. Hallelujah. Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. "THE HARVEST" AUDIO BLOG Coincidence. What does it mean? "A situation in which events happen at the same time in a way that is not planned or expected." Merriam-Webster
First, as always, all honor, glory, praise and thanksgiving to the One True God, the living God. Let Your words flow through me and not my own. Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. Sunday after church, my husband and I went to Wendy's, as we sometimes do. I usually check the order to make sure it is right, but the sign on the window to pay said something like, Check your fries. If they are not hot, we will replace them before you drive off. So, I mean, that is like a warning, right, so I told my husband not to drive off until I check to see if the fries are hot. I checked them. They were hot. We drove off. We parked across the street, and I started handing out the food, and what the literal heck, they did not put my hamburger in the bag! So, we drove back across the street. I tried to go inside, but the doors were locked, and we had to get back in the drive-thru line, which was now about five cars! By the time we got up to the window, our original order was lukewarm at best, and they replaced both sandwiches and both fries. So, now we have two bags of food. Thank you, Jesus. We drove back across the street and parked to eat. We had no sooner started eating and a young man with a hoodie on approached the car. Out of habit, I locked the doors when I saw him at a distance, and he came right up to my window. So, I rolled down the window, and he said something like, Hi, I wanted to get something to eat over there, but I'm homeless and I'm hungry. I was fumbling for the bags of food to give him some, because I knew we had two bags of food. Then my husband said, Here he can have my sandwich. Thinking about it later, I should have said so many things to him. I should have told him that Jesus loves him, and given him the address of the church, at the very least. Lord, please, help me to be a better servant, in Jesus Christ. Amen. So, do you think it was a coincidence that we ended up with two bags of food, and then a young man needed food at that same moment? I mean, God even made it easy for us. We had the second bag of food right there! ALL glory, honor, praise and thanksgiving to God, Most High! Amen. Consider also that The Harvest Has Begun. Do you see that this 'test' at Wendy's is a part of God's Harvest on my husband and me? 1 Corinthians 3 14 "If any person’s work which he has built [on this foundation, that is, any outcome of his effort] remains [and survives this test], he will receive a reward. 15 But if any person’s work is burned up [by the test], he will suffer the loss [of his reward]; yet he himself will be saved, but only as [one who has barely escaped] through fire. So, 'Satan demanded permission to sift us like grain.' Luke 22:31. Also see my blog titled, 'The Demons Are Out.' God is separating the wheat from the chaff, and He will gather His wheat together in His barn, but He will burn up the chaff. Matthew 3:12 "But he that received seed into the good ground is he that hears the word, and understands it; which also bears fruit, and brings forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." Matthew 13:33 The Time is at Hand. In God's 'test' for us at Wendy's, did we barely escape through fire, as in 1 Corinthians 3:15 above? Only God knows for sure right now. With time, I imagine we will know also, by the fruit we bear, an hundredfold, sixty or thirty. The Harvest Has Begun! Hallelujah! Praise God! Thank you, Jesus! Amen! God's Word tells us that we can have every gift of the Holy Spirit, prophesying, dreams, visions, healing, et cetera, but if we do not have charity, which is an agape love for all people, loving others as if they were ourselves, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ, then we have, and are, nothing. 1 Corinthians 13 1 "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it benefits me nothing. 4 Charity suffers long, and is kind; charity envies not; charity vaunts not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; 6 Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." We will say, Lord, Lord, Jesus, we did many things in your name, and He will say, Get away from me. I never knew you. Matthew 7 21 "Not every one that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, 'I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.'" 'Not every one that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he that does the will of my Father...' What does this mean? What is the Will of God? "For so is the will of God, that with well doing you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:" 1 Peter 2:15. In other words, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matthew 5:16 Apostle Paul gives us a long list on how to be good Christians: 1 Thessalonians 5 Christian Conduct ('Well doing') 12 "Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to appreciate those who diligently work among you [recognize, acknowledge, and respect your leaders], who are in charge over you in the Lord and who give you instruction, 13 and [we ask that you appreciate them and] hold them in the highest esteem in love because of their work [on your behalf]. Live in peace with one another. 14 We [earnestly] urge you, believers, admonish those who are out of line [the undisciplined, the unruly, the disorderly], encourage the timid [who lack spiritual courage], help the [spiritually] weak, be very patient with everyone [always controlling your temper]. 15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek that which is good for one another and for all people. 16 Rejoice always and delight in your faith; 17 be unceasing and persistent in prayer; 18 in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not quench [subdue, or be unresponsive to the working and guidance of] the [Holy] Spirit. 20 Do not scorn or reject gifts of prophecy or prophecies [spoken revelations—words of instruction or exhortation or warning]. 21 But test all things carefully [so you can recognize what is good]. Hold firmly to that which is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil [withdraw and keep away from it]." Sometimes things have to happen in your life before you realize what something means. This incident at Wendy's has shown me why it is so important to Wear the Full Armor of God, in order to withstand the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11-24 Also, what Apostle Paul meant when he said, "For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night." 1 Thessalonians 5:2. . . "But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation." 1 Thessalonians 5:8 Have you seen God's Harvest in your life? Did you withstand the wiles of the devil? We will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ and confess to God: Romans 14 10 "But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God." "Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you." Revelation 3:3 I pray we all remember and repent, so we can withstand the 'test,' and remain steadfast in Jesus Christ, and obedient to God, until the end. Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. "BAPTISM" AUDIO BLOGDOWNLOAD GOD Proverbs 4 20 "My son, pay attention to my words and be willing to learn; Open your ears to my sayings. 21 Do not let them escape from your sight; Keep them in the center of your heart. 22 For they are life to those who find them, And healing and health to all their flesh." ***UPDATED FEBRUARY 7, 2022 see below***
Father God, thank you for loving us and not forsaking us. Thank you for Your Word and Your gifts, talents, miracles, signs and wonders. Thank you for these Testimonies for You with which you have blessed me, and that prove to me, and hopefully those who read them, that Your Word is alive, and that you truly have not forsaken us. Thank you for giving us ears to hear and eyes to see. Amen. Now, if you are like I was until recently, you probably do not know that there are two types of baptisms: Baptism in Water, and Baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire. ***UPDATE FEBRUARY 7, 2022: Sunday after church, God turned on another light for me. Baptism in the Holy Spirit, and Baptism in fire, are two separate baptisms. In other words, they do not come together, at the same time, or at least not necessarily. If you think about it, fire is passion. When you hear prophets, pastors, or ordinary people, speak with a passion for God, a fire for God, then you know that they have received Baptism in Fire. I still do not understand the differences completely, but I have a general idea about Baptism in Water and Baptism in the Holy Spirit, based on my firsthand experience with, first, water at 13 years old Thank you, Jesus, and recently, in the last few months, with Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Click here to read my Testimony about being baptized in water at 13 years old. So, what is Baptism in the Holy Spirit? How do you know if you have been baptized in the Holy Spirit? (courtesy of lwaog.net/) The baptism of believers in the Holy Spirit is witnessed by the initial physical sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit of God gives them utterance: Acts 2:4; Acts 10:44-46; Acts 19:1-6. The speaking in tongues that occurs from Baptism in the Holy Spirit is, in essence, the same as the gift of tongues in 1 Corinthians, but is different in purpose and use: 1 Corinthians 12:4-10; 1 Corinthians 12:28 End quote. "And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams." Acts 2:17 The differences I see between speaking in tongues in Acts and 1 Corinthians, without having studied the subject other than reading the Scripture, is that in Acts, it says, "in the last days," everyone will be given these gifts, including speaking in tongues, to bring as many people as possible back to God, by showing His miracles, signs and wonders through them. 1 Corinthians 12, on the other hand, is referring to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, including speaking in tongues, being bestowed on people whom "God has set in the church," church leaders, and is not specifically designated for "the last days." This week, while working on our church website, and reading about Baptism in the Holy Spirit, I realized that, yet again, God was at work in my life. God is Great - All the Time! Now, I started learning about the Pentecostal denomination only a couple of years ago, during the lockdowns, by watching Pentecostal prophets giving prophecies and sermons. Occasionally, one will speak in tongues briefly in a prayer, or sometimes someone else will interpret what they are saying. Then, recently, I heard someone speak about praying in tongues. It was a very powerful sermon. He said praying or speaking in tongues is a language only God understands, and it causes Satan to flee from you. Hallelujah! Amen. So, I tried. I started praying in tongues. All glory to God in the Highest. How to: Pray to God out loud as you normally would, in private. Pray for the Holy Spirit to fill you, and then open your mouth and let another language, or 'tongue,' come out. What does this have to do with my Testimony to God's Power? Well, I noticed over the last few months, and the content of my blogs show it as well, that I am being drawn more into the service of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Literally, I have received a download, if you will, of "an overflowing fullness of the Spirit, a deepened reverence for, and intensified consecration and dedication to, God's work; and, a more active love for Christ, for His Word and for the lost," as described below in the experiences associated with Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Baptism In The Holy Spirit (courtesy of lwaog.net) All believers are entitled to, and should, ardently expect and earnestly seek the promise of the Father regarding Baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ, as was the normal experience of believers in the early Christian Church. With Baptism in the Holy Spirit comes the enduement of power for life and service, the bestowment of the gifts, and their uses in the work of the ministry: Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31 The benefits and experiences associated with Baptism in the Holy Spirit are completely distinct from, and after, the experience of the new birth, or Baptism in Water. Acts 8:12-17; Acts 10:44-46; Acts 11:14-16; Acts 15:7-9 With Baptism in the Holy Spirit come such experiences as:
"PUBLIC SPEAKING" AUDIO BLOG God is calling out to us now more than ever! Are you listening to His call? Is your eye single? spiritually perceptive? focused on God? I heard a prophet say in the last few days that God is starting to give out ideas to people. You may be just sitting there, and all of a sudden, He will put on your heart His plan for you. At the very moment I heard the prophet say that, God put on my heart His next step in my life. It was crystal clear. You can't make this stuff up. He said, Go tell unbelievers your personal experiences with My Word, people who are like you were, when you were in sin, whose hearts have been blinded by the ruler of this world [Satan], so that the gospel of Jesus Christ could not shine through. My Chosen, who do not believe in the power of the new covenant of the blood sacrifice of My Son. Thank you, sweet Jesus. As I have said before, God has an ironic sense of humor! I have had stage fright most of my adult life. It is easy to put words on paper, but standing in front of people? Oh boy! So, again, God tried to work through me, and, again, I put it to the back of my mind. I guess God had different plans this time, because the very next day, at the church I attend, our pastor asked if I had ever preached. Wow! Can you imagine? God told me one day I was going to be speaking in front of people, and the next day, He gave me the opportunity!! Praise God! GOD IS GREAT - ALL THE TIME! Of course, as soon as the Pastor asked about preaching, standing in front of people and speaking, the stage fright kicked in, and I completely forgot God's Word from the previous day (in the back of my mind). I said, No, I am waiting for God to tell me to. LOL After the incident with my estranged sister, which I talked about in my previous Testimony, I would not dare even try telling God that He did not understand, that I could not do that. LOL Instead, I will put it in His hands, turn it over to Him, and ask Jesus to "take the wheel"! Now, I am not saying that the brothers and sisters in my church are unbelievers, God forbid, but there is a season for everything, and everything in its season. Meaning, I will be where God wants me when He wants me there! Praise God! Hallelujah! All glory, honor and praise to God, most High. Amen! "GOD'S SYSTEM OF TITHING" AUDIO BLOG Have you ever experienced God's government, His system on earth? He has one, you know, and it is marvelous, simply marvelous. SEED, PLANT, HARVEST: Prayer. Tithing. Offerings. First fruits. Meditation. Loving others the same as you love yourself. Reaping what you sow. Blessings and curses. And so much more! "For ever since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through His workmanship [all His creation, the wonderful things that He has made]. . ." Romans 1:20 All of these things are real, and every choice we make has consequences in God's system: good consequences, or bad, depending upon what kind of seeds we plant, or choices we make. First, let's give all glory, honor, praise, and thanksgiving to God, our heavenly Father. Thank you, Father. Amen. GOD IS GREAT - ALL THE TIME! Hallelujah! The Bible, God's Holy Word, is amazing, and He wants us to understand it. "Call unto me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you know not." Jeremiah 33:3 As I have said in previous blogs, I began reading the Bible, beginning to end, around the middle of August this year. I am happy to report, I am up to Acts 18 now. Thank you, Jesus. God has given me many revelations during this time, many written pages of understanding, knowledge and wisdom, which He is gradually pulling together for me into one document. Praise God. Hallelujah! This blog is part of those revelations: God's System of Tithing. Thank you, Heavenly Father. Let your words flow through me, in Jesus' name. Amen. I used to wonder how God knew who was good and who was bad, kind of like Santa Claus. I mean, there are over 7 billion people in the world. How can He possibly see what everyone is doing all the time? Well, He can, and He does, because the very hairs of our head are all numbered Luke 7:12, but He does not need to see what every single human being is doing every second of every day, because He put a government in place, a system if you will. The whole system is quite amazing, just like Him Praise God, and it is based primarily on seed, plant, harvest. If you sow seeds of righteousness (love, kindness, charity (giving with a selfless and joyful heart), obedience to God), your fruit will be good, and your harvest bountiful. If you sow seeds of unrighteousness (discord, strife, evil thoughts, lies, gossip), your fruit will be bad, and your harvest will be lacking. I personally have my own experiences with God's system on earth. Thank you, Lord. One such instance is with tithing. First, though, what is tithing, and what does God say about it in His Word? GOD'S SYSTEM OF TITHING “Every year you shall certainly tithe [a tenth] of all the yield of your seed which is produced by your field." Deuteronomy 14:22 In modern times, men have grown accustomed to tithing (a tenth) of their income (since our main income is no longer that which is produced in our field), spread out weekly or monthly. And, Malachi 3, tells of God's System of Tithing, and the blessings or the curses, which can result therefrom. Malachi 3 You Have Robbed God 8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings [you have withheld]. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, this whole nation! 10 Bring all the tithes (the tenth) into the [c]storehouse, so that there may be [d]food in My house, and test 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 [so great] a blessing until there is no more room to receive it. 11 Then I will rebuke the [e]devourer (insects, plague) for your sake and he will not destroy the fruits of the ground, nor will your vine in the field drop its grapes [before harvest],” says the Lord of hosts. 12 “All nations shall call you happy and blessed, for you shall be a land of delight,” says the Lord of hosts."" Footnotes: biblegateway.com (c) Malachi 3:10 In ancient times special storehouses were established in the temple to receive the tithes of the harvest. If the people were not faithful, the priests could not continue to serve and perform their duties. (d) Malachi 3:10 I.e. support for the priests and their families. (e) Malachi 3:11 In return for their faithfulness God promised protection for the harvest. The only time in God's Word, where we are told to 'test' Him: Malachi 3:10. He tells us specifically NOT to test Him, but this one time, regarding tithing, which is so important to care for and feed God's needy and poor children, we are told, "Test me now in this, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you [so great] a blessing until there is no more room to receive it." Hallelujah! Amen! These are not just words. God's Word is alive! It is a living and active system! "For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart." Hebrews 4:12 So, last year, when the stimulus checks were given out, I had thought earnestly about tithing. As I was thinking about it earnestly, considering how much I would give, which I guess would have to be considered some form of prayer or meditation on God's Word in His eyes, a significant amount came to me, a number (this number is not exactly 10% of our monthly income, but it was what God wanted from us at that time). I mean, it was clear as day, this number that came to me. Long story short, Satan pushed it to the back of my mind, and I never tithed that amount, or any other amount. I had a short list of excuses to myself at the time as to why I did not, but in the end, they were just excuses. The truth has something to do with not having the faith of a mustard seed. Fast forward probably almost exactly one year later, and God is putting tithing on my heart again. Praise God! Amen! Again, I start earnestly thinking about it, considering how much I would give, and bam, the exact same amount, same number, came to me, clear as day. I don't know about you, but these things give me goosebumps. So, this time, having spent the last year in almost daily prayer with Him, and reading His Word daily, I immediately got out my checkbook and wrote a check for that exact amount, not one penny more and not one penny less. I was now listening to God, and I was going to execute His Will in our lives, precisely as instructed. Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen! Now, we are not rich by any means. We are a one-income family, and this tithe was a bit of a sacrifice, Thank you, Jesus, for your ultimate blood sacrifice, but, in the past, I have seen God's system of tithing reap enormous rewards in my life, never wanting or having a shortage, when it could not have possibly been that way without God's brilliant system. That, together with the fact that when God tells you to do something (especially if He tells you TWICE), you might want to listen, so I wrote the check, and wrote it joyously, with a happy heart. Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. 2 Corinthians 9 6 "But this I say, He which sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7 Every man according as he purposes in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:" Sow your seeds with a giving and joyful heart, so that God's grace abounds toward you, and you always have all sufficiency in all things. Now, you may be asking yourselves, if I knew firsthand the rewards of tithing, that it IS real, then how did I let Satan keep me from activating our blessings of tithing last year, by preventing me from listening to God's Will? Well, I guess my seed was like that which fell on the rock, in The Parable of the Sower: "They [the seeds] on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away." Luke 8:13 Also, I just realized the next day, December 8, as if any more proof were needed (for me and hopefully some of you), my garden last year, for the first time since we moved into this house five years ago, was exactly what God said He would prevent in Malachi 3:11: "Then I will rebuke the devourer (insects, plague) for your sake and he will not destroy the fruits of the ground, nor will your vine in the field drop its grapes [before harvest] . . ." Last year, for the first time, because I did not listen to God, my tomatoes fell off the vine while they were green, or the vine just withered with the green tomatoes still on it; same thing with many things we planted. Also, we planted 13 bare root fruit trees last year that ALL got Japanese beetles (the devourer). So, yep, my garden experienced everything Scripture said He would keep away if we tithed, just because I listened to Satan instead of God. You cannot make this stuff up. God is GREAT - ALL the time! He called, but I did not listen, and I got withered vines and Japanese beetles. Isaiah 66:4 "So I will choose their punishments, And will bring the things they dread upon them Because I called, but no one answered; I spoke, but they did not listen or obey . . .” How about you? Is God talking to you? Are you listening? SEED, PLANT, HARVEST! As I told my grandson recently, always listen to the good voice in your head. The good and bad voices are real. They are a part of the system of free will, through seed, plant, harvest. Sow good seeds and reap a bountiful harvest. Satan [the bad voice] is always there, trying to tempt us, to give us bad seeds to sow, to keep us from our bountiful harvest, to pull us away from God's Will in our lives, and to take away our earthly and eternal rewards. So, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour." 1 Peter 5:8 (the devourer Malachi 3:11 above) We know God does not tempt us, and we know that He will not allow us to be tempted more than we can withstand. "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13 He gave us a way to withstand the wiles of the devil, to reap the full rewards of His system. The way we protect ourselves from Satan [the devourer] is with God's armor. We must wear the whole armor of God, not just to "withstand in the evil day," but every day, to protect our bountiful harvest, and other rewards in this life, as well as eternally. Ephesians 6 The Whole Armor of God 13 "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:" I pray that God's Will is done in your life today and every day. Keep God's Word hidden in your heart, so that you always hear Him calling. "Your word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against you." Psalm 119:11 Amen. Do not let sin win. Repent, turn away from it, activate God's system of bounty in your life. Change your hearts and show by the way you live that you have changed! Matthew 3:8 Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. Our Prayer Today: When His disciples asked him to teach them how to pray, Jesus responded by saying, Pray in this manner (the Lord's Prayer) Matthew 6:9-13. The Lord's Prayer Matthew 6 9 "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. Amen. Amen. "THE VEIL" AUDIO BLOG Recently, I heard that if you read the Bible from start to finish, and pray, God would give you revelations about His Word.
Psalm 1:1-2 1 "Blessed is the man . . . 2 . . . (whose) delight is in the law of the Lord, And on His law [His precepts and teachings (commandments)] he meditates day and night." "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou know not." Jeremiah 33:3 Did you know that reading God's Word, the Bible, is how He talks to us, and that prayer is how we talk to Him? These two combined are how we open up the communication airways for God to show us great and mighty things. Anyway, so I started reading the Bible, Genesis, about 10 days ago. Somewhere around Deuteronomy is when things got supernaturally weird. I mean, our God is a supernatural God, right? And, His Word is alive! Hebrews 4:12 Now, before this incident, the only Biblical veil I was aware of was the veil Moses used to cover God's glory (Shekinah) that radiated from his face after leaving God's presence. 34 . . . "When he came out and he told the Israelites what he had been commanded [by God], 35 the Israelites would see the face of Moses, how his skin shone [with a unique radiance]. So Moses put the veil on his face again until he went in to speak with God." Exodus 34 Around the weekend of August 21, 2021, during Hurricane Henri, which hit areas of the northeast hard, but pretty much missed us, I felt very oppressed, depressed, suppressed and repressed, and my husband felt it as well, even to a greater degree. Now, I am a firm believer that people turn to God the most in despair, so sitting next to my husband at the computer desk, I grabbed his hand and began praying out loud. It was not long before we were both sobbing, as I was trying to get the words out. Repenting, begging for forgiveness, crying out for His Glory. Of course, I had no specific idea of why I was doing that, at that moment. I now believe God (God's Spirit) willed it. Later that night, when we talked about it again, I said it felt like a veil over me, and my husband agreed, it felt like a veil. We went to bed, and had an uneventful sleep. I believe it was a couple of days later, around August 23, my husband said, the veil is gone, and I agreed. "but whenever a person turns [in repentance and faith] to the Lord, the veil is taken away." 1 Corinthians 3:16 God is Great All The Time, and He is Truly Amazing! Hallelujah! Praise God! Fast forward about five days. I am still reading the Bible start to finish, and I am up to Joshua now, and I came across the following Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3 14 "But [in fact] their minds were hardened [for they had lost the ability to understand]; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed [only] in Christ. 15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil [of blindness] lies over their heart; 16 but whenever a person turns [in repentance and faith] to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom]. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror (reflection) the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit." "We . . . reflect the Lord's Glory." 2 Corinthians 3:18 All Glory and Praise to God in the Highest. Hallelujah! Thank you, heavenly Father, for all of our blessings, of which we were unworthy sinners, but are now redeemed through the blood of Jesus Christ. Thank you, Jesus, my Savior! Amen! Amen! Amen! "THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE" AUDIO BLOG This morning, my husband and I were talking, and he said something like, "You're not a social butterfly." I said, "No, but I can be. I stopped trusting people." Later, I was looking for scripture to respond to a Facebook post, and God directed me to 1 Corinthians 13. I read it, and thought, That doesn't really fit what I need. Plus, I know I've posted that recently.
So, I tried my "Bible ritual," where I pray for guidance and then pick up the Bible and open it to the Word God wants me to see for the day. Today, I prayed and opened the Bible to . . . drum roll please . . . 1 Corinthians 13. As I was sitting at my desk, reading it again, the light bulb went off. It wasn't meant for everyone else. It was meant for ME. And God kept showing me, because I wasn't listening. I was not paying attention to Him. I had just told my husband this very morning, that I stopped trusting people. And God told me, no, no, no. You will not. You will love and trust, because HE loves and trusts me. "Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits." 1 Corinthians 13:7 So, moral of the story, Don't give up on people, don't stop trusting, don't lose hope, never quit, and always love! Also, listen and pay attention when God talks to you! 1 Corinthians 13 Let Love Be Your Guide 1 "I may speak in different languages, whether human or even of angels. But if I don’t have love, I am only a noisy bell or a ringing cymbal. 2 I may have the gift of prophecy, I may understand all secrets and know everything there is to know, and I may have faith so great that I can move mountains. But even with all this, if I don’t have love, I am nothing. 3 I may give away everything I have to help others, and I may even give my body as an offering to be burned. But I gain nothing by doing all this if I don’t have love. 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. 5 Love is not rude, it is not selfish, and it cannot be made angry easily. Love does not remember wrongs done against it. 6 Love is never happy when others do wrong, but it is always happy with the truth. 7 Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits. 8 Love will never end. But all those gifts will come to an end—even the gift of prophecy, the gift of speaking in different kinds of languages, and the gift of knowledge. 9 These will all end because this knowledge and these prophecies we have are not complete. 10 But when perfection comes, the things that are not complete will end. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, and I made plans like a child. When I became a man, I stopped those childish ways. 12 It is the same with us. Now we see God as if we are looking at a reflection in a mirror. But then, in the future, we will see him right before our eyes. Now I know only a part, but at that time I will know fully, as God has known me. 13 So these three things continue: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love." God Bless You and Jesus Loves You! Amen!  First, all praise and honor and glory and thanksgiving to God, Most High, the Great, I AM!! Amen. Now, I am a redeemed sinner, saved through the blood of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah to the Lamb of God! We are all sinners. We are not all saved! God's word tells us so. Thank you, Jesus, our Savior! God has been working in my life since I was 13 (mostly behind the scenes). I spent most of the 45 years in-between 13 and 58 years old chasing the sins of the flesh, and running from God, instead of running from the king’s chariots, or letting God lead me through the Red Sea, away from my oppressors. We may not understand God’s plan, but we should never doubt whether or not he has one, nor whether or not it is for the greater good of His Chosen, the believers. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Jeremiah 29:11 So, most of my adult life, I have been an active and willing sinner. I have doubted God out loud to anyone who asked, or who would listen. I have run from Him, and searched in all the wrong places for the wrong answers: bars, parties, drugs, sex, horror movies (oh yeah, I was a horror movie fanatic for many, many, many years). I filled my soul with anger, violence, bloodshed, sex, vulgar language, and I became an angry adult. How many of you know that whatever you fill your soul with is what you become? I didn't know it. Why don't they teach us these things in school, instead of Algebra, which no one remembers unless they use it daily. So, anyway, please, please, please be sure to fill your hearts, and your children’s, with God’s Word, moral uprightness, righteousness and wholesomeness, and whatever you do, pay attention to what they are watching on TV and what they are doing on the internet. Yes, Lord. Amen. Now, my first real and only association with God until adulthood was when I was 12- to 14 years old. When I was 13 years old, I was baptized in the church, in front of the congregation. A short time after being baptized in front of the congregation in church, my Sunday school class had a camp for the kids, which I attended. We were at camp for 10 days. It was a very spiritual camp. Every activity, all day, focused around scripture, prayer and fellowship. While at camp, we had the opportunity to be baptized again in the lake, so I participated. Looking back now, and at the time, the whole baptism was surreal: putting on the white robe and lining up for your turn to walk into the lake and be baptized by the preacher. As soon as I was lifted up out of the water that day, I was a different person, completely at peace, in love with everyone and everything, and I wanted everyone to feel the same way. I could not understand why no one had ever told me about this, or why everyone didn’t do it!? I was not aware of the following scripture at the time, or at least, again, I do not remember being aware of it, but having since learned it, I understood how Jesus felt when being baptized by John the Baptist, when He came up out of the water, “And behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased and delighted!’” Matthew 3:17 I have no memory now, or since, of being told that it was a very special gift that needed to be nourished and nurtured daily with the Word of God and fervent prayer. I returned home after camp to my normal life, my same old friends, and the warm fuzzy feelings soon faded away and were forgotten for another 20 years. At one point, I joined a metaphysical church for six years. This church had a strong community outreach program, and their messages and sermons were important life lessons from Scripture, but they were metaphysical in every sense of the word: tarot cards, mediums, palm readings, you name it. In the same time frame, I was driving 45 minutes to and from work, through never-ending construction, for four of the six years I attended the metaphysical church. In the beginning, every day, morning and night, I would find myself cursing out other drivers under my breath, or occasionally, more vocally, and sometimes honking the horn. Then, I learned meditation, and I started noticing results, being less angry and less short-tempered, so I started meditating in the car, during that 45-minute drive, twice a day. “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14 I guess my words and meditation were acceptable because I started noticing a difference in my attitude, gradually, slowly. Then, around the same time, at the metaphysical church, we learned about decrees and declarations. So, I started confessing out loud a specific decree, over and over and over again, while driving 45 minutes to work, twice a day, every day. This decree was simply something like, I am Peace, Love, Happiness, Joy, Compassion, Understanding, Kindness. Over and over again to myself in the car. I am unsure whether it was the meditation or the decree, or possibly both, but over a period of months between the two activities, something changed in me, just like it had when I was baptized at 13 years old. I loved everyone. Instead of cursing out the cars in front of me, I was blessing the drivers, saying out loud that they probably had a bad morning, and praying that they have a better day. God had taken over my meditation and decrees. He had taken over my life. Again. And, again, this did not last, because I had no faith, and I failed to nurture His presence. After six years, we stopped attending the metaphysical church, and for another 20 years, I continued running from God, looking for all the wrong answers in all the wrong places. During my years of denial, running from God, my mother - God Bless her heart - told me time and again to get back to God, but my mind was blinded by Satan, the god of this world. So, I always responded to my poor mother with, I don't believe in that stuff, mom, or some other blasphemous comment, which I am sure broke her heart. I’m sorry, mom. I know she is looking down on me from heaven, and praising God that I awakened to the power of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! Thank you, Mom, for giving me a foundation in Christ. So, fast forward to 2018. I was sitting in the garage looking out at the mountains, and a storm was rolling in, low, grumbling, black and gray clouds, interspersed with lightning strikes and distant thunder. Then, I hear this loud, booming thunder, which seemed to start at one end of the universe and echo across to the other end of the universe, and which seemed to last for eons. It shook me to my core. Then it happened again. In the back of my mind, I knew God was demanding my attention. He would no longer let me run away from Him. Before this incident, my husband and I had been watching videos on history, archaeology and even Ancient Aliens, which led us to the Bible, and we had gradually begun to study the Bible. Some months later, God told me to contact my sister, and tell her, GOD IS REAL. Seems simple enough, right? Well, my sister and I have been estranged for many years, first for what were ridiculous reasons, and then later for how she was caring for our mother, or not caring for her. Obviously, as with most families, there is a lot more family history to it, but you can see that she probably did not want to hear from me. When God told me this, I started sobbing, and I told Him, in no uncertain terms, I cannot do that. I told Him that He did not understand, that it just was not possible for me to do that. Can you imagine telling God that He does not understand your life, or what you can or cannot do? Of course, He immediately told me, It is possible, and you will do it. I continued to sob uncontrollably, as I recanted the story to my husband. Again, I told my husband, I cannot contact her, I just can’t . . . Anyway, I had to contact another family member to get my sister’s email address. Yep, I took the coward’s way out and emailed her, instead of calling her. So, I emailed my sister. I told her that I realized I was probably the last person she wanted to hear from, and she was certainly the last person I wanted to contact, but that God told me to tell her that GOD IS REAL! Hallelujah. Praise God. Then, around the end of beginning of 2019, God put on my heart to "help the children." That was it, “help the children.” I prayed fervently for guidance. God was talking, and I was trying to listen. Later, I became a warrior on social media for the unborn babies being sacrificed, 60 million per year worldwide, until social media became social(ism) media. Then, some time in 2021, God turned my attention to focusing on His Word. So, I started reading and studying the Bible. In August 2021, I began to read it from start to finish, and completed it in December 2021. God Chose Me. As much as I denied Him, He still Chose Me. He told me to testify about Jesus Christ, who was crucified for our sins, and rose again, so that we might do the same through the resurrection. Is God trying to talk to you? Are you listening? Make no mistake, He has a purpose for you as well. Hallelujah to the Lamb of God! Thank you, Jesus. Praise God. Amen. "MY WALK WITH GOD PART 2" AUDIO BLOG ONLY |
Melanie Garcia
Born again and redeemed by the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
“But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:” 1 Peter 1:19 Archives
May 2024
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