 Yesterday the Lord prompted me at lunch time to pray for my husband's protection and safety at work. So I did. I received a phone call from him at 6:00 pm that evening. He said something went out in his work truck (big ol delivery truck) that caused his brakes and power steering to go completely out. This didn't happen on the Northshore where he delivers. Or on the Causeway. Or on the Huey P bridge or even in the 5:00 evening traffic. No. It happened just when he got near his job and was able to make it back to work safely. Can u imagine if that would have happened anytime earlier? Lord I thank u for my hubby's safety and protection and for prompting me to lift him up in prayer. I got your back babe.
Lately, I have been reading the book of Daniel. I always feel like I'm sitting at the edge of my seat watching some great action movie, especially when reading about the 3 youth in the fiery furnace. Even though I know the end, it always makes my heart beat fast and my eyes open wide at the thought of what is coming next. The image of them being arrested and thrown into the blazing furnace for not bowing down and worshiping the King's gold statue when the music played sends a chill up my spine. Most importantly, it brings a deep sense of conviction.
These three young men, practically teenagers, could be described as faithful and loyal to their earthly king. They were young men who obeyed the laws of the land and upheld the law with great integrity. Not only were they faithful servants to their earthly king, Nebudchanezzar, they were devoted and commited to their Heavenly King, the True and Living God.
After a dream and the interpretation given by Daniel, a few years later, Nebudchanezzar in his pride had a gold statue built to represent him as king and become an idol of worship for his people. Though the Hebrew boys understood that they lived in a land where the worship of many idols was the norm, they were never forced to worship an idol.
Out of spite and envy, the King's men known as astrologers convinced him to set a law commanding the people of the land to bow down and worship the golden idol he had errected when the music played. To disobey would result in immediate death by being thrown in to a blazing furnace. It was then that the three youth had to make an eternal decision. Will they obey the law of heaven and worship God alone or fit in with their society and culture and give in to worshiping the idol required by law?
They refused to worship the golden statue.The astrologers snitched and reported the definance to the king. When confronted by the king and his men they were given a second opportunity to worship the idol. The king reminded them of the fiery furnace and challenged the three youth with this question, "If you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand? (verse 15)” That question not only posed a challenge to the three youth but the True Living God himself.
Check out what the 3 youth said in verse 16-18, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Some would say they said this with attitude, great confidence and and in your face gusto. I'm of the opinion they replied with fear, trembling, conviction, and humility. Their lives were at stake here! Death was knocking on their door, and a terrible death at that! However, they moved past the fears and doubt and mustered the courage to put thir trust in God even if it cost them their life.
Their response enfuriated the king and he immediately commanded the furnace be turned up 7 times hotter. Let me pause to remind my readers that 7 is the number of perfection....just thought I'd throw that in there and you do with it what u like. ;) It was so hot the men who prepared it and escorted the 3 Hebrew boys died instantly from the heat of the flames. The three youth were fully dressed in robes, trousers, turbans along with extra clothing and were firmly tied and thrown into the blazing furnace.
Here is my favorite part... The king was astounded. He immediately leaped up in haste and asked, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire? Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
I find it amazing that the king was allowed to see the super-natural. How did he recognize the 4th man as a divine being? Did God allow this king to tap into the spiritual realm for a moment? This moment not only brought grea confusion to the king but the power of darkness at work here.
To make matters more exciting, the 3 youth were unbound, and walking freely in the fire. Let this serve as an example to those of us experiencing our own fires now. Freedom doesn't come after we have been through the fire. Freedom is given in the fire. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty!
The king himself went to the door and had the boys taken out of the furnace...Can u imagine him wide-eyed, sniffing and examining their clothes and hair... in awe of their sight the king had no other recourse but to recognize the event that just occurred as an act of God. Here is his reply in verse 28-29, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I AM make a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.”
This is the kind of story that make me shake my head and say Um Um, Look at God!
Fire and heat is a source that can be extrememly uncomfortable, exhausting, tiring, physically and emotionally painful and cause significant damage even death. However, know this whatever your fire at this time and place in your life please rest assure that there is freedom during this time of intense heat. God is in the fire with you if you look to Him as your source of help. I'm not saying this is a matter of trusting God more or lack of faith because sometimes we are just too spiritually drained to do so. I've been there...So tired of the fight, there isn't a help or a hallelujah left in me. However, now, I am learning to dance in the fire, it may be with tears in my eyes and an ache in my heart but the Spirit of Lord is with me leading me and guiding me into all truth. Jesus is the Truth. He is revealing more of Himself, myself and other to me during this time. Friend, Look unto the hills from where your help comes from. It comes from the Lord the Maker of heaven and earth.
God bless you.
 I was thinking today about the friends God has placed in my life. Most of them are distant due to the miles that seperate us but close in heart. A handful are here in my inner-circle.
As a minister, it is very hard to call people your friends. Mainly because one minute they pat u on the back and say job well done, confess their deepest fears to you, embrace your prayers and usually are the same ones to gossip about you behind your back and attempt to tear your character to pieces...all while smiling in your face and assuring you they are thankful for your relationship and leadership. Sure the term friends is used loosely but by definition many of us have very few people whom we can call a genuine friend...if any at all.
My genuine friends are not just companions to pass the time with. My friends are those who know the power of true biblical fellowship, the importance of keeping a confessed word silent, comitting u to prayer and loyaly defending your character even after knowing your greatest flaws. Those friends I have very few of, but I am so thankful for each of them. I consider myself a rich woman when it comes to that kind of friendship and for this I am thankful.
-eli ray
Check the link at the end of this article please pray about this.
I did this for 6 years nearly every Friday night and saw God touch many lives through street preaching and evangelism.
My first night ministering on Bourbon Street was at the Southern Decadence (Gay Parade) festival in 2001 where many men and women, gay, straight and bi behaved in an unruly manner. Matter of fact, it’s too graphic for me to write about.
During those 6 years, I recall seeing families out there with their children. Women pushing their babies and toddlers in strollers with one hand and holding a Hurricane in the other.
One parent was so drunk she passed out on the sidewalk with her legs wide open while her family and friends laughed and her child stood by crying. Men walked by mocking, pointing and gawking as they took pictures with their cameras or cell phones all the while the child standing there.
After a few minutes, I could no longer take it. I ran up, covered the woman, closed her legs and attempted to comfort the child. The family quickly scooped them up and walked off. Upset with me for ruining their enjoyment! Ridiculous!
Over the years, I witnessed many bazaar moments. I even broke up a drug deal going down and unbeknownst to me started ministering to the drug dealer himself. I found this out at the end of my conversation with him. This hardcore Bourbon Street hustler had drugs and wads of money on his person, a gun in his back and fierce look in his eyes. Yet the love of the Lord and the boldness of the Holy Spirit compelled me to share the gospel with that man. At the end of our conversation he was in tears due to the love of God tugging at his heart.
Funny thing is cops were always on Bourbon Street. They would break up fights here and there. However, why don't they arrest the negligent parent or the drug dealer? Why not put the cuffs on the men and women who behaved unruly taking their clothes off and proceed to bump and grind out side of the bars and clubs and before the eyes of children? Why not lock-up the drunkard causing the disturbance?
Yet, they would arrest a small group of street ministers who’s mission is to share God’s love through prayer and a word of hope through His written word? I don’t get it. This has me seriously, smh.
Read this post on FB:
http://www.facebook.com/elinor.d.ray?ref=tn_tnmn#!/media/set/?set=a.10151090150923719.441692.507048718&Check out the article:
http://christiannews.net/christians-arrested-for-preaching-in-new-orleans-after-sunset-police-vow-to-target-churches-next/
 Thoughts from a long-time friend, Chasity Figueroa Gonzalez.
A very timely word.
"When a True man steps out his door each day, all of heaven, earth, & hell take notice. When he protects or "covers" the woman under his care. He's mindful to look after her Well-Being, physically, mentally, emotionally, & spiritually. There's little she can do to resist him.
If he's a family man, his children look to him for confidence & reassurance. This man ...makes it his business to make sure his family is provided for. He exhausts all avenues daily to make it happen- in a manner that is deemed honorable. Other men look to him as someone to emulate. As a Godly Man, his church calls on him for strength and leadership. He's a preserver of culture, and a champion in society, while keeping out evil and ushering in good. And as Kingdom man, he understands God never said a godly life would be easy, all the while staying the course because he knows it will be worth it.~ This may hit or miss for some... My hope is this... Ladies ACKNOWLEDGE this if this is the kind of father you desire. APPRECIATE this fully, if this is the kind of father your have, if neither encourage that man to ASPIRE, and to that man, take your place!!!!
Happy Father's Day"
With inspiration from Nelson Gonzalez & Pastor A. Evans
Hi Friends, I saw this in a forwarded email and thought it was worth sharing.
Honey is the only food on the planet that will not spoil or rot. It will do what some call turning to sugar. In reality honey is always honey.. However, when left in a cool dark place for a long time it will do what I rather call "crystallizing". When this happens I loosen the lid, boil some water, and sit the honey container in the hot water, turn off the heat and let it liquefy. It is then as good as it ever was. Never boil honey or put it in a microwave. To do so will kill the enzymes in the honey.
Cinnamon and Honey
Bet the drug companies won't like this one getting around. Facts on Honey and Cinnamon: It is found that a mixture of honey and Cinnamon cures most diseases. Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world. Scientists of today also accept honey as a 'Ram Ban' (very effective) medicine for all kinds of diseases. Honey can be used without any side effects for any kind of diseases.
Today's science says that even though honey is sweet, if taken in the right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm diabetic patients. Weekly World News, a magazine in Canada , in its issue dated 17 January,1995 has given the following list of diseases that can be cured by honey and cinnamon as researched by western scientists:
HEART DISEASES: Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, apply on bread, instead of jelly and jam, and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from heart attack. Also, those who have already had an attack, if they do this process daily, they are kept miles away from the next attack. Regular use of the above process relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heart beat. In America and Canada , various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that as you age, the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalize the arteries and veins.
ARTHRITIS: Arthritis patients may take daily, morning and night, one cup of hot water with two spoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. If taken regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured. In a recent research conducted at the Copenhagen University, it was found that when the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of one tablespoon Honey and half teaspoon Cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week, out of the 200 people so treated, practically 73 patients were totally relieved of pain, and within a month, mostly all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis started walking without pain.
BLADDER INFECTIONS: Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the bladder.
CHOLESTEROL: Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of Cinnamon Powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water, given to a cholesterol patient, was found to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within two hours. As mentioned for arthritic patients, if taken three times a day, any chronic cholesterol is cured. According to information received in the said Journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol.
COLDS: Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for three days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold, and clear the sinuses.
UPSET STOMACH: Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach ache and also clears stomach ulcers from the root.
GAS: According to the studies done in India and Japan , it is revealed that if Honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas.
IMMUNE SYSTEM: Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacteria and viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use of Honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacterial and viral diseases.
INDIGESTION: Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals.
INFLUENZA: A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural ' Ingredient' which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu..
LONGEVITY: Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly, arrests the ravages of old age. Take four spoons of honey, one spoon of cinnamon powder, and three cups of water and boil to make like tea. Drink 1/4 cup, three to four times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age. Life spans also increase and even a 100 year old, starts performing the chores of a 20-year-old.
PIMPLES: Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it next morning with warm water. If done daily for two weeks, it removes pimples from the root.
SKIN INFECTIONS: Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin infections.
WEIGHT LOSS: Daily in the morning one half hour before breakfast on an empty stomach, and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one cup of water. If taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.
CANCER: Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder for one month three times a day.
FATIGUE: Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful rather than being detrimental to the strength of the body. Senior citizens, who take honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts, are more alert and flexible. Dr. Milton, who has done research, says that a half tablespoon of honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3:00 P.M. when the vitality of the body starts to decrease, increases the vitality of the body within a week.
BAD BREATH: People of South America , first thing in the morning, gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water, so their breath stays fresh throughout the day.
HEARING LOSS: Daily morning and night honey and cinnamon powder, taken in equal parts restores hearing. Remember when we were kids? We had toast with real butter and cinnamon sprinkled on it!
I'm normally not into reading forwarded emails. I usually delete most of them. However, I read this one and thought it was pretty funny. I had to share.
Do you know your Hymns? This is GREAT!!!
When you go to Church this weekend be sure to smile as you go through your Hymnals
Dentist's Hymn ................................Crown Him with Many Crowns
Weatherman's Hymn ......................There Shall Be Showers of Blessings
Contractor's Hymn ..........................The Church's One Foundation
The Tailor's Hymn ...........................Holy, Holy, Holy
The Golfer's Hymn .........................There's a Green Hill Far Away
The Politician's Hymn. ....................Standing on the Promises
Optometrist's Hymn ........................Open My Eyes That I Might See
The IRS Agent's Hymn ...................I Surrender All
The Gossip's Hymn ........................Pass It On
The Electrician's Hymn ..................Send The Light
The Shopper's Hymn ......................Sweet Bye and Bye
The Realtor's Hymn. ......................I've Got a Mansion Just over the Hilltop
The Massage Therapists Hymn ....He Touched Me
The Doctor's Hymn .........................The Great Physician
AND for those who speed on the highway - a few hymns:
45mph .....................God Will Take Care of You
65mph .....................Nearer My God To Thee
85mph .....................This World Is Not My Home
95mph .....................Lord, I'm Coming Home
100mph ...................Precious Memories
Give me a sense of humor, Lord,
Give me the grace to see a joke,
To get some humor out of life,
And pass it on to other folk
Three R's pastor gave me when I feel anger.
1. Recognize you are angry/frustrated
2. Reject it right away
3. Replace it with the word of God
Thanks PG!
I recall one chapel service in Bible college where one of our professors, Joan Millar, encouraged us to tell God our ps. When a special holiday or occasion is celebrated we tend to send or email cards for our family and friends. However, there are a few whom you take time to read the card, underline certain words or phrases to emphasize you truly feel what the card is expressing. Then, for that one special person, you write a ps.
That ps is for you to express your most sincere intimate feelings for your reader that the card did not express. If you are like me, I take a few minutes to really think about what I want to say and how I want to convey it. Will you take a moment and think of what the Lord means to you? After you have done so, begin to express your ps to Jesus. Feel free to say or write as much as you like. Trust me, He's listening/reading.
ps. Jesus, You are my pollo to my arroz!
Many of you know that since I was 18 I've suffered with PCOS (poly cystic ovarian syndrome). As a result, I've dealt with irregular cycles, painful cycles, short cycles, loooong cycles or no cycle at all. Fever, vomiting, headaches, severe stab-like pain in my abdomen, horrendous cramps, severe body ache and other things I'm too embarrassed to mention have accompanied my cycles frequently. Oh and don't let me forget the awful emotional breakdowns, short fuse temper, feelings of insecurity, self neglect, over-eating, fits of anger, over-sleeping, loss of sleep, and the list goes on. Worst of all, infertility. Not only does it affect me, but my husband, family, friends, and co-workers. I mean think about it, they are in my company while I go through alot of this.
I have been on the same heavy cycle now for nearly 3 months. I recently started a treatment that has brought some relief on the cycle side of things but also has some minor side effects. The last couple of days I felt horrible. tingling all over my body, shakes, feeling of anxiety, body ache from head to toe, my very bones felt stiff. It was just a weird day for me physically.
Yesterday at Mid-week service, pastor George preached about having faith in trials and used Psalm 40 as his text. Have you ever been through the Trial of Waiting? I'm sure you have. Perhaps you are waiting on that promise to come to pass. Waiting on healing. Waiting on your loved one to be saved. Waiting on God to provide. Waiting on reconciliation in a relationship. Waiting for a job. Waiting on _________________.
Pastor challenged us...
"To MAXIMIZE what the Lord has done in the past and MINIMIZE what could go wrong in the days ahead."
Remember that...
"The past is full of God's mercies and the future is full of God's plans."
While you wait on God's plans/promises to come to pass in your life YOU CAN...
1. LOVE GOD,
2. SERVE OTHERS.
3. TELL OTHERS ABOUT HIM.
I can tell you many AMAZING stories of the Lord's faithfulness in my life over the last 15 years. Yet over the years I have struggled with my faith in God. Faith that He will do certain things for little ol me...like heal me. But one thing I have held on to is my hope in God. Hoping, waiting even in the darkest times of my life that God's deliverance is on the horizon. For some reason, He has yet to heal me or allow Eddie and I to have a child. I will say this, at the end of the day I will continue to wait on Him. Whether the Lord heals me or not, or allows us to have children, Jesus will remain my Lord and that will not change.
ps. I love you Lord and I wait on you. My hope is in You.
|
RSS Feed