Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful fathers out there.  I happen to think my dad is one of the greatest dad's there are, but I know many of you, would fight me to the finish, because you also think your dads rank numero uno.

My dad was a Navy man, ending up in a submarine slot, working with the radar control boards.  He left the military after 20 years of service, as a chief petty officer.  That is pretty wonderful, for a young man working his way up in the ranks.  He told me it was a very hard training period that all of them had to go through, and obviously, he did his best and was successful in his career.

At some point, in his younger years, he and my mom became Christians, and gave up the lifestyle they were living at the time.  They have lived for the Lord ever since, and my dad finally gave into God's call in his life, and became a minister/pastor after he left the military.  He is one of the best pastor's I have ever had the privilege of knowing, and it is because of his and my mom's love for the Lord, that I have such a strong foundation of faith.

My dad and mom had eleven kids, so you know their home was full of life.  My dad taught us to respect my mom, and if he caught us sassing her, boy were we in trouble.  I always respected my dad for how he stuck up for my mom.  It meant a lot to me, as a young girl, to see a man give respect and honor to the one he loves.  My dad also taught us that if he or any other preacher preached something from the pulpit, we had every right to go and check it out for ourselves, and make sure that what was being said, lined up with God's Word.  That is a pretty big gift, in this world of  "Do as I say, and only as I say" world.  I use this gift sparingly in my eyes, but maybe some pastors that have had me in their congregations wouldn't agree that I was so quiet in my opinions.  But, I do read my Bible, and I do confront what is not following closely to God's Word.  So, thank you, daddy, for allowing your daughter to seek after God's Truth for herself.

My dad loves his kids with a full heart, but I truly believe his delight is in his grand kids and great grand kids.  He loves those little and big ones so much.  I watch him with the littlest ones, and his love and care is so special to see.  Both he and my mom were great parents, but they are even greater grandparents, which is saying a lot about how wonderful they are.

I watch my own husband with his kids, and I know that I have been blessed with a loving husband to me, and father to our kids.  His greatest joy is to take us on outings and trips.  He loves to see nature, and share what he sees with all of us.  He has gotten each of his children to love fishing, even though the girls don't really care to eat the fish, they love fishing with their daddy.  I was never a real fish eater, either, but in being married to this wonderful man, I have grown to love eating fish, and if you ever tasted his fish gumbo, you'd love to gobble that up as fast as you can, because it is so good.  I have been telling him to make it again.  Maybe soon!  As you can see, he has impacted our lives in a huge way.

Our older daughter's and Roy always come to him for help with their cars, and he is always willing to drop whatever he is doing, to help them out.  What a loving gift that is.  My dad did the same.  Kaylee loves watching certain shows with her dad, and they laugh and giggle and make me smile just to hear them, and watch them.

Isolino's dad accepted me into their family, and treated me like a daughter.  I never had any problems with him, and he tested me one time, when we first got married, by making me eat a hot pepper.  It was really hot, but I knew this was important to pass this test, so I ate that pepper, and didn't beg for water afterwards, and he shook his head up and down, and indicated that I was all right.  I had passed the test.  I learned some Portuguese words from him, like "frio" and "cabeza".  He loves to use his hands when he talks, and I would get the understanding of what he said, just through his hand motions.  He loves his grandchildren, and many would fall asleep in his lap.

Our heavenly Father, is even better than our earthly fathers.  He says in the Bible, that "if our fathers, being good, give us good things, than how much more will He, our heavenly Father, give us good things?"  Think about that.  We tend to blame God when bad things happen, but really, it isn't God who is to blame, but our enemy.  God allows it, but He didn't set out to ruin something in your life.  He tests us, to see what is in our hearts, and that is why He allows the enemy to do things, but God gives good gifts.  He has given us all we have need of, but we just don't understand how to accomplish the tasks He's set before us, because we are not really in tune with His plans.  We try to understand, but we have a lot of stuff that gets in the way.  That is why we need to have daily Bible reading or meditating on His Word.  That is why we need to be in prayer daily and in a spirit of praise at all times.  I know all of that sounds hard, but really, we only need one Word from Him a day, to keep us focused on His will for us on that day.  Try it.  Ask Him to help you understand His Will for you each day.  Let Him "fix" what needs fixing, and help you stand up and be victorious in Christ.

I pray you will all be blessed by your earthly dads, but I really pray that even if you didn't have a great dad, that you would know how much your heavenly Father loves you and wants to help you in your life.  I pray that you could understand that the bad things that happen, aren't happening because God has cursed you, but because the curse came about through sin, and it is only the Blood of Jesus that can cleanse us from that curse.  It is God's greatest gift to us.  The Blood of the Lamb, that set us free.  That cleansed us from all unrighteousness, and took the sin upon Himself, so that we could truly live as conquerors in our lives, overcoming the enemy and being victorious in living a life to the Glory of God.  Let God help you to see that victory in your life.  Let God help you to know that your life is precious and that as your Father in heaven, He cares about you intimately and completely.  He wants to shower you with good things.  He wants your life to be full of joy.  Full of wonder at all He has done.  I pray you see that today.

Cloak of Zeal

And He saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessor [no one to intervene on behalf of truth and right]; therefore, His own arm brought Him victory, and His own righteousness [having the Spirit without measure] sustained Him.
For [the Lord] put on righteousness as a breastplate or coat of mail, and salvation as a helmet upon His head; He put on garments of vengeance for clothing and was clad with zeal [and furious divine jealousy] as a cloak.  Isaiah 59:16-17

We are told in God's Word, that Jesus, for the zeal of the Lord, went to the cross.  He is our zeal.  He puts zeal for God's Word, and God's Will, into us, as He fills us with Himself.  Without this zeal, our lives would be mediocre and lukewarm, which we know God doesn't want for us.  He has told us that He wants us hot or cold, but not lukewarm.  Being lukewarm, is like sitting on the fence, not being able to decide if we are with God or not.  We haven't made a choice of complete abandonment to His Kingdom.

Our family went camping this weekend, and it got very cold.  The first night, we had no trouble keeping a fire going, but the next day, it took all our efforts to keep that fire blazing hot enough, to warm us up.  Kristine's boyfriend, Nathan and I, were the keepers of the flame.  They had gone and gathered wood with Kaylee, and brought back a nice haul of wood to feed a fire.  Nathan sawed it up, and we had some nice smaller pieces, that would help start and keep, a fire burning.

I kept the fire burning, while they went on a drive around to the sights in the area.  I had to keep moving, filling, and blowing on the fire, to keep it going.  It had gotten quite cold, and with the temperature drop, and the wind, the fire kept wanting to go out.  Then the snow started.  That made the job even more difficult.  We were determined to have the warmth from that fire, so all of us worked on keeping the fire going, but Nathan and I, kept stoking that fire as much as we could, once they had gotten back.

That night, as I sat there, tending this fire, and working so hard to keep it going, I realized that is our job, as we put on that cloak of zeal.  If we fail to tend the fire of God in our hearts, we lose the flame, and it quits burning as brightly, as we need it to.  We may still have a fire, but it may just be coals of heat, and not the flame it should be.  Yes, the coals are hot, but without a continuous flame, it grows cold, and then your fire will be completely out.  It took great effort, to keep the fire going, but it was worth all our efforts.  It takes work to keep ourselves in the Word of God.  It takes work to keep a prayer life going.  It takes work, to keep the fellowship of the brethren.  Each piece of "wood" we continue to place upon our "altar" of worship and fellowship of God, makes our zeal more abundant and vital to our spiritual walk.

Zeal is a passion for something.  It is a burning desire.  It is a continuous walk forward, towards a goal.  It brooks no defeat to its goal.  It fights to reach the prize.  Paul says, "For the prize laid before me, I run the race...."  The prize he was talking of, was the Salvation of Jesus Christ, being the best ambassador for God's Kingdom, that he could be, being the best representative of God's Life within him, that he could be.  The prize was heaven in the end.  Being with Jesus forever.  Being crowned with a crown of righteousness that he could then throw at Jesus' feet.

What do you have zeal for?  I encourage you to put on the zeal of Jesus.  Be drawn to grow in Him.  Be zealous for bringing forth God's goals.  Be hot or cold, but get rid of apathy and lukewarmness.  I heard a wonderful thought on the "hot" or "cold" verse.  We all know hot is like zeal.  It burns within you and creates a fire of endeavoring to do all you can to glorify God.  But I always wondered about the cold.  I didn't understand that part.  A young man that I met, said it this way, "Cold is refreshing.  It is like a cup of cold, cool water on a hot summer day.  It cools you down, and refreshes your body with replenishing it wit"h what it needs."  I liked that.  The Holy Spirit is also called the "River of Life"  and "Living Fire of God".  Cold and Hot.  Hot and Cold.  May you be filled with the zeal of the Lord.  God bless you all.

Happy Mother's Day

There are so many of us, that have been blessed with mothers we are so proud of, and who we love so very much.  Some of us are blessed to call our mothers our friends.  I am one who can say this is true.

My mom is an amazing woman.  She had eleven children, and even though she lost one of my sisters, she continued to raise the rest of her ten children with love, humor, and strength of character.  She mourned my sister Leslie's death, but was comforted with an image of Jesus taking Leslie to heaven.  She took that same faith that she had been given, and gave us a hope that is a strong foundation in most of our lives.

My mom took on many different jobs, wherever we moved.  She was a receptionist, secretary, office janitor, substitute teacher, and so much more.  She continued work, even now doing so much, that she can put me to shame with how much she does.  She has had many things happen in her life, and yet she has gone on with a joyful heart, and a strong belief in what God can and does do.

Her greatest treasures are her family.  She and my dad have been married for over 50 years, and are still very much in love.  They are the center of our large family, and we all fight about who will get them to live near by.  Those in Montana win for now.  They love, and are loved.  My mom has a huge and generous heart.  She gives one hundred percent, in whatever she does.

My mom is an artist, a cook, a musician, a chauffeur, a teacher, a helper, a worker, a singer, a mom, a wife, a grandma, a great grandma, and a woman who loves the Lord.  She uses whatever talent she has, to enhance and bring forth God's Truth to others.  She writes, and has written many  a letter to the editor of whatever newspaper is in her town at that time of her life.  She has written little tracts to put into trick or treat bags at Halloween, to bring forth God's Truth.

As you can see, I am proud of my mom, and proud to be not only her daughter, but her friend, and sister in Christ.  I pray that all of you, who didn't have a mother like mine, one you could be proud of and be blessed by, would remember that this day is still a day to remember that God said He'd be like a mother to you.  He will comfort you, bless you, and give you so much to be thankful for in your life.  Let Him take that pain, of a mother who wasn't all she should have been to you, and let Him heal that wound in your life, and bless you with a new appreciation of what He can do with that pain.  He will take it, and make you something greater than you could even imagine.

I ask God to bless all of you today, with the knowledge of how much He loves you.

Laura's Encouraging Words: Praying in the Spirit With All Kinds of Prayers

Laura's Encouraging Words: Praying in the Spirit With All Kinds of Prayers: "Pray at all times (on every occassion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all (manner of) prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert an..."

Praying in the Spirit With All Kinds of Prayers

Pray at all times (on every occassion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all (manner of) prayer and entreaty.  To that end keep alert  and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God's consecrated people).

And [pray] also for me, that [freedom of] utterance may be given me, that I may open my mouth to proclaim boldly the mystery of the good news (the Gospel).

For which I am an ambassador in a coupling chain [in prison. Pray] that I may declare it boldly  and courageously, as I ought to do.  Ephesians 6: 18 - 20.

Today is the National Day of Prayer.  What a wonderful day to talk about this piece of our armor.  How wonderful, that we can pray for each other and for our nation, not only today, but every day we live.  What an honor and a privilege, that we get to be a part of the very task Jesus has set Himself to do for us.  He intercedes for us in heaven.  We get to intercede for each other, too.

Paul, in this passage of Scripture, asks the Christians of his time, to pray for him.  He was one of the more well-known ministers of the Gospel of Christ.  He gave his all for the Gospel of Jesus.  He went through imprisonment, stoning, beatings, shipwrecks, and so much more, all to bring forth the Gospel of Jesus to a dying world.  He told of how he, too, had been an enemy of this self-same Gospel, but through the divine intervention of Christ, Himself, Saul, became Paul, and became a true ambassador of God.

For him to ask this of the believers of that time, makes us aware, that no matter how well we think we know Jesus, we need others to pray for us, to intercede for us, and to be aware, that we are all in need of encouragement, love, and support.  Prayer is a vital piece of armor, that can move beyond the natural realm and impact our lives in a supernatural way.  We are in a war, and prayer is so important to winning that war.
I remember one day, that I was at home in my kitchen, and I felt this overpowering need to intercede for my sister-in-law and her family.  I didn't know what was going on, but I truly felt a sense of this being a life and death situation.  I prayed for about an hour, and then I felt a release, that whatever had been going on, it was covered now by prayer.  Later on, we found out that it had indeed been a life and death situation, and they had gone over a cliff and landed with the front end down.   My brother-in-law was hurt pretty badly in his leg, and they all had some scratches and cuts, but they were all alive, and shaken, but not destroyed.

We won't all have such an intense call to prayer, and I have only had a few others like that in my lifetime so far, but that does not mean I stop praying.  I continue to pray as I feel led by God's Spirit, to pray.  God moves upon us in different ways at different times.  If you try and regulate prayer, it becomes a chore, and not the adventure in the Spirit that God wants it to be.  We need to allow God to be God, in our midst.

The disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray.  He gave them the Lord's Prayer.  I want to do more on that prayer in a later blog, so I am only mentioning it to you.  You can look it up for yourself right now, in Matthew 6:9-13.  He went on to tell them more of what they needed to do.
Prayer begins with us acknowledging God, as our heavenly Father.  We need to submit to Him, and His desire for our lives.  We need to pray with an ear towards listening for His direction.  We are prone to let distractions get in the way.  We need to concentrate on God's attributes, to help us keep focused on His ways.  He is our Comforter, our Healer, our Deliverer, our Strong Tower, our Salvation, our All in All.  The Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End.

Our God is a supernatural God.  He is not bound by our eyes.  He is bound by our faith.  What I mean by that is that if we will have faith, He will do more than we can imagine, but if we doubt, we close the doors to His supply.  If you don't believe me, just think of the Israelites going through the wilderness.  They had 40 more years of wandering because of their unbelief.  Jesus told the disciples that they could have whatever they believed for, if they would just have faith of a mustard seed.  That seems incredible to us, but believe me, He meant it.  He means it for us too.  He wants us to walk out that door of "just existing" and into a life of "believing for more".  Just like Paul asked for prayer, that he might be bold and courageous to share the Gospel of Christ.  We need that same boldness and courage.  I love in Joshua 1 when the Lord speaks to Joshua to be strong and courageous and then the people repeat that same thing, telling Joshua that the Lord is with him.  I quote that sometimes to myself.  Reminding myself that God is with me.  He wants me to be strong and courageous in HIM.

Dear ones, I pray that you will be encouraged today, reading these words, and that it will encourage you to pray not only for yourself and your family, but for your church family, and for your neighbors, and for the nation, and for the world.  Pray for those who are lost.  For those who are in disasters, for those who are poor and needy, for those who have lost a loved one, for those who are afraid, for those who are alone.  There is no lack of areas for you to pray for God to be glorified and revealed in.  I pray that God will give you a desire to pray.  A desire to lift up His Name on high and to glorify Him, in interceding for those around you.  God bless you all.

Happy Resurrection Sunday (Happy Easter) and Happy Passover

Today we celebrate the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  I took a break in the spiritual armor, to dedicate today's blog to Jesus.

I am so grateful for what Jesus has done for us.  He has given us new life, hope, and a reason for joy.  I am so thankful for God planning to give us this gift of His Son, so that we may have abundant life.  Not just existing, but truly celebrating each day as it comes along.  I don't do that everyday, but because of Jesus, I can.

May each of you, meditate on what Jesus means to you today.  What sacrifice He has given to each of you, and what He asks of you, today.  May the joys of His Spirit fill you completely today.  May you feel renewed and strengthened for the journey of life, as you begin to appreciate the total wholeness that Jesus won for you on that cross.

Happy Resurrection Sunday.  Happy Easter.  Happy Passover.  May each of these wishes, bring you a newer and deeper understanding of all Jesus is to you.  Powerful Redeemer, Resurrected Savior, and Lamb  of God, taking away the sins of the world.  God bless you all.

The Sword of the Spirit

And the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God.  Jesus is the Word made flesh.  The Word of God.  The Living Word.  Jesus said that the Spirit "would lead us into all truth".  The Spirit will reveal to us the things that are Christs.  He will remind us of a Scripture in our times of greatest need.

I have been very overwhelmed recently with my health and with things at home and at work.   I have been in need of a Word from God.  Recently, I have been asking God to help me to lean on Him, and to give me His Word to hold onto in my times of need.  He has come through with many words of hope and encouragement, but the main thing, is that He has brought to my attention, the very real need of all of us, to speak His Word out loud to our circumstances.  You may say, "What on earth is she talking about?".  Well, I am not talking of earthly things, but heavenly things.  You see, we need to realize that this Word of God, is really truly real.  It is active and powerful.  It cuts through marrow and bone.  It divides the truth from the lies.  When you speak God's Word in faith, something happens.  God is faithful, and He acts on His Word to us.

We need to apply this Word to our daily lives.  When we read it, we need to apply it.  I always ask God how He wants me to apply the Word I have just read, to my daily circumstances.  You see, the Bible tells us we must not just read the Word, but we must also act on it.  So, when you read the Bible and God highlights that Scripture in your mind, due to the Holy Spirit quickening it to your heart, stop and ask God how He wants you to use this in your life.  What is He saying to you?  How can this Word change you?  Is He reminding you of something to do?  Is He asking you to forgive, love, or do some other action, that you have been having trouble doing?  Is He asking you to be more holy in your thoughts, attitudes, and actions?  How does He want you to act in relational situations?  You see, there is so much more God wants to impart to us, than our just reading through His Word.  He wants to activate His Word in our lives.  He wants us to live His Word.

I remember when I first started applying God's Word to my life.  It was like the Bible became fresh and new to me.  I couldn't believe this was the same Word I had been reading all my life.  I had always loved the Bible, but it is one thing to read the Bible for study, and quite another to begin to apply that studying to your own life in a practical and real way.  As I began to step out in faith upon what God was sharing with me, I began a new adventure in my walk of faith.  It is truly stepping from faith to faith, as you learn new lessons from God's Word.  I remember a pastor once saying that "the more I read the Bible, the more I realize how little I know."  It is like you are plumbing the depths and coming upon more depths of knowledge and wisdom and understanding.  If you have become bored in your reading of God's Word, I challenge you to begin doing this applying it in your life.  And if you are applying it in your life, and are still bored, than I challenge you to begin to ask God, "What is it I am supposed to be getting out of this?"  He will let you know.  Believe me, when I think there is no more to glean, He always shares something fresh and new, for me to explore and get excited about.  I will always be learning from Him.  His Word is indeed active, living, and powerful.

Two friends have quoted the same Scripture to me recently.  It is in Isaiah.  "They that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength like the eagles.  They shall walk and not faint, they shall run and not grow weary."  But there is another addition to this.  Teach me Lord, teach me Lord, to wait.  My patience has grown weary, in this battle for health.  I have grown weary of waiting, but when I recently got these Words of Scripture, God is the one who reminded me of the waiting part.  He has told me it will take time for my healing, but I want it now.  Paul, when He went to God about his physical need, was told that "My grace is sufficient for you."  And Paul said "He would glory even more in his affliction, for God's glory to be revealed."  You see, my attitude has not been aligned with God's Word to me.  I have been impatient of the time it has been taking.  God's grace is sufficient for me too.  I need to remember that.  So, I too, will allow God's grace to do its work, so that God's glory will be revealed even more.

God has been reminding me of how much I am doing.  He helps me each day, to not get into "Poor, pitiful me mode", but to encourage an attitude of praise.  Isolino
 
Let the Holy Spirit speak to you through God's Word.  Let the Holy Spirit open your spiritual eyes with God's Word.  Ephesians 1:17 - 20 says:  "[For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of  insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him.
By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones).
And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength,
Which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His [Own] right hand in the heavenly [places].

You can go ahead and read the rest of that chapter, as it is very good!  Dear ones, God wants us to believe for big things.  He wants us to believe for good things.  He wants us to keep hope alive in our hearts.  He wants us to be alert and awake to the schemes of the enemy, so we can come against them with God's Living Word.  Jesus!  Speaking His dominion over our circumstances.  He gave us back dominion in this world.  Let us take His authority, as He gives it to us through His Word, and speak His Word over our circumstances to bring His Kingdom into our midst.  God bless you all with hope, joy, excitement, love, and most of all, a revelation of Who He is, in your lives.  Who He is in your circumstances.  Don't let hope and joy leave you, due to worry, fret, and fear.  Let God's Word speak Life to your circumstances.  Let Him bring forth answers to your prayers and dreams and hopes.  Go forth in peace and joy.  Go forth with praise.  Go forth with God's glory being revealed in your lives.