"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

GOING HIGHER WITH GOD, BE SURE YOU ARE LISTENING TO THE CORRECT VOICE

Matthew 7:24-27 (KJV) "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock. And the rain descended and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock.  And everyone that heareth these sayngs of mine and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain desended, and the floods came and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." 

We all want to "go higher" in God. Over the years in an earnest zeal for God I am ashamed to confess that I have not always prayed and fasted enough to be sure the voice I listened to was God, or the accusing voice of satan saying,  "You never do anything for God, everyone will get credit but not you you are faithless."

Satan will prompt Christians to "go higher", to do some wondrous thing, just throw caution to the wind, surely you have enough faith.  Don't take the time to fast and pray.  Quit being a wimp, just do it.  God does not bless wimpy Christians." Does this sound familiar?  No one wants to be a hindrance to the Kingdom of God.  Remember anything that satan asks you to do for God is for your FAILURE, the thing that you do will be as the man that built his house on the sand, the rains will come and wash it away, there is no foundation built  in God.

So we throw caution to the wind thinking we are doing something for God, because being praised and being exalted feels so good so it must be for God right? WRONG! God has gotten NO glory, only you.  Suddenly there you are exalted high up, holding tight to a precipice, no where to stand, just hanging there, no foundation under your feet, a slippery crumbling slope.  High up so you can be seen, yes, but there is no Glory for God, only you with shame in your face that you let satan fool you, well let's not give him all the credit our pride got in the way and sadly we listened. 

But where is God, oh, did I forget to bring Him with me up here?  Surely he knew to follow me here.  Then I realize God does not FOLLOW,  He LEADS.

When we listen to what satan has to say he is playing on our greatest fear, and that is the fear of failing God.  Remember the fear of failing God IS NOT FROM GOD. 2Timothy 1:7, KJV "For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind." 

Oh God, help me get down from this place forgive me for letting myself be deceived by the voice of satan.  Forgive me that I did not take the time to fast and pray to be sure that the voice I heard was Yours.  When God asks us to do something for Him, he will lead us into a time of prayer and reading His WORD for guidance and for assurance.

God, help me get down from this place where I let satan lead me, please put my feet back on Your  Foundation, on solid ground which is the Rock Christ Jesus.

Yes, God's WORD does encourage us go "go higher", but that comes as we spend time getting instruction from God in His WORD.  Spending time on our knees, letting His Holy Spirit lead, guide and instruct us.

"Going higher" in God does not promise us fame or wealth in this present world.  Our heart's focus is to see souls come to  accept Jesus Christ as the Lord of their lives because of His death on the cross for our and their sins.  We pray for them, help disciple them in the WORD and help them grow in God and in their faith.  We encourage them to live lives that will be pleasing to God, so when the trumpet sounds they will hear it and be caught up with Jesus in the air, and forever live with him in the new heaven and new earth that is now being prepared for those that love Him.

When we "go higher" in God we seek to exalt only His Holy Name, never our own.  God sees and knows our efforts to glorify Him.  The world may never hear us intercede for souls at the midnight hour when we have been awakened by The Holy Spirit.  Will never know the hours we have spent studying His WORD.  May never know when we have given an uplifting word or phone call to someone that desperately needed to be reminded of God's love for them at that exact time.

Precious reader, we all want to do our very best for our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.  We must always remember it is not just the "famous" or "great" men and women of God that will have crowns to lay at Jesus feet, but also we who are just "worker bees" in His Kingdom will also have crowns to lay at His precious nail scared feet.  he will look at us with His eyes of pure love and he will  say to us, "Well done thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." Matthew 25:11 KJV 

And so shall we always eternally be with Him.



Copyright 2011 Gloria B. Powell. All rights reserved.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

JESUS, HOW MUCH DO YOU LOVE ME?

Jesus, how much do you love me, I asked. "This much," He replied and He stretched out his out His arms and died.

I do not know where I read this quote or who wrote it.  The first time I read it I remember I literally held my breath for an instant as the power and true meaning of these words hit my mind and heart like a thunder bolt. 

Oh LORD Jesus you DID willing stretch out your bruised and bleeding arms on a wooden cross and died for me.  It became so personal and clear to me as I once again realized how much God loves not only me, but everyone that has ever been born into this world. John 3:16 tells us, "that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."KJV

Rembember, it was not the nails in Jesus hands and feet that held Him to the cross.  What was it then?  It was His love for me and for you that He willing left his home in glory, where He had always been with His Father God, to come to earth, to be born in a stable, live as a poor carpenter and then be betrayed and die on a cross to shed His precious blood for our sins, our healing and so we can have the peace that passes all understand in any situation.  Dear reader this was no accident. This was planned by God before the foundation of the world.  Jesus knew when he came to earth that this was His mission and he saw it fulfilled.    No man has ever before or since Jesus, suffered as He suffered for us at the hands of cruel men. His will  and purpose was to please His Father, and to provide for us a way to be forever with God  when  we die or if we live until He comes for us in the clouds. If we just ask Him to be our Savior, He will apply the blood that He shed for all mankind to us, cover our past, and make us like new.  Just think we become a new creature in Jesus Christ.

Not only did He die but he shed every precious drop of His blood, the stripes on His back are for our healing and He was chastised so that we might have the peace of God that passes ALL understanding.  Then He was buried in a borrowed tomb.

There may be weeping for the night, but JOY cometh in the morning. 

The Bible says that early on the third day which was Sunday morning, Mary the mother of Jesus and Mary Magdeline and some others came to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus with spices.  They wondered among themselves, "how will we be able to roll away the heavy stone that the soldiers put in front of the grave."  But when the ladies got to the tomb they saw that it was open.  They saw an angel they were frightened.  The angel said unto them,"I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here: for he is risen as He said.  Come see the place where the Lord  lay. Go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead; and behold, He goeth before you into Galilee, there ye shall see Him: lo, I have told you." Matthew 28:L5-7

Dear Reader, that is why we celebrate Easter, it the day to commerate and praise Jesus Christ our Savior for being willing to be beaten, burised, scorned and  to hang on the old rugged cross until He shed every drop of His precious blood for who? FOR ME AND FOR YOU,  please get this into your mind and heart FOR YOU, no matter what your life is like now: that can and will change in an instant the moment you asked Jesus to be your Savior and to apply His blood to cover your sins and forgive you.  Please say this prayer with me: Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner, I have not lived according to your Word the Holy Bible.  Lord I am tired of fighting all by myself.  I need you, truly need you to be Lord of my life.  Please forgive me of every sin that I have ever commited and take away all the bad habits that control my life.  Lord I give all my sins and everything not like you, to you to cover them with your blood.  The Bible says that you will never remember them anymore.  From this moment on I am a new creation in You.  Lord I will tell someone what you have done for me and I pledge to make the rest of my life as an example of what you have done for me and will do for anyone that asks you.

Please find a good Bible believing church and get up in the morning and attend, if you do not have a Bible I am sure that someone in the church will be most happy to give you one.  God will never turn anyone away if we come to Him with a repentent heart.  God bless you as you begin your journey in this most wonderful path of life with Him.,  Love Gloria

Copyright 2011 Gloria B. Powell. All rights reserved.