Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Christian News Link


                                                                     
Psalm 24:1
The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world,
and they that dwell therein. KJV
                                                        

If you're interested in  world news from a Christian perspective [in other words, not fake news] I've "discovered" a wonderful website you can trust.   I was reminded today of Pat Robertson's  The 700 Chub television program  where at the beginning of each show, they have a news segment.  I decided to check out their website today and was delighted to find their online edition  of current world news as well as a variety of other interesting topics and interviews.

So here's the link for  CBN News  where you can  even choose to download the daily headlines if it fits your personal style.   

Friday, April 21, 2017

In the Process

                                     Psalm 24:1
The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world,
and they that dwell therein. KJV




I'll still be making changes...and it can be a bit frustrating....well, more than a bit. I'm only certain of 2 things, the background and the header.  I guess we all might be surprised at how it ends up.

Hope to be back soon....with something more than this!  ðŸ’—

P.S.
Added at 10:00 pm central time.  This will be it.   I'm satisfied with the changes.
Yay!!!!  Simple is  Very Good and Great!




Tuesday, April 18, 2017

It's time for a change....

I'll soon be changing the look of this site, at least a little at a time, so if you drop by and find a change, don't be surprised....it will still be mine- one of the bear girls, too!

The peonies were a nice transition, and though I love how I was introduced to that lovely flower, I'm looking forward to the change. The next one won't be so froufrou.  If you're not use to my choice of words, here's the definition :
    
     [froo-froo]        
noun 





1.
elaborate decoration, as frills, ribbons, or ruffles, especially on  women's clothing.
2.
a rustling, particularly the rustling of silk, as in a woman's dress.

Truly, I enjoyed the look for a while,  and it was a nice rest stop along the way, but now it's time to move on.  Realignment for me is in full progress!...so I'm going with it and looking forward to experiencing  all that's *on the other side of the boat!

* reference to content in the post just prior to this one.


Here's a picture of the peonies I used for my frou frou background.




Thursday, April 13, 2017

More Encouraging Words

I've been wanting to write for some time now, about casting our net on the other side and what it's come to mean to me.  So you'll know, I'll be using the scripture in Luke 5 and John 21 interchangeably, because I've often thought of it that way and I think others have as well. 

In Luke 5 after Jesus told Simon to, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch",  Peter explained to Jesus they'd fished all night and caught nothing.  (Funny, but sometimes we still do that! ) This was just before He called Peter and the others to follow Him.   In  John 21 after Jesus' resurrection, they were told by Him, after having fished all night again, to, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So this is often referred to as casting your net on the other side, since they must have had their nets on the left side.  Now that the reference scriptures have been established, I'll move on knowing when I might use the term the other side,  you'll understand.

We seem to be in a specific time where many of God's people are coming to, or have come to the place of not only figuratively having hit a brick wall, but a place --though we've experienced degrees of it in the past-- this time has been the most complete end of ourselves we've known.   And what's the answer?  How do we recover, recoup our energy and motivation-our very lives?   Simply stated, it would be to cast our net on the other side, the right side, just as Jesus told Peter and his friends to do. The other side is where we finally stop relying on our ability and begin actually, in real time, trusting Him in a way we never could before now....because He IS the same as the other side of the boat where all the provision is.  We can trade the best we can do, for the best He can do.   And He's seeing to it as we make that decision, there are those He's prepared, though experiencing the fire of change themselves are sharing their part to help.  

It seems that at every turn, someone is speaking on a subject which the Spirit of God can use to encourage and strengthen us in our journey from weakness to His Strength.

With the permission of Derek Prince Ministries, I have the privilege of passing on much of an email I received authored by Dick Leggat, President, DPM–USA.  The subject matter which he writes about so eloquently, is a compliment to what I've been sharing recently, and is  a prime example of how God is almost flooding us with inspired words to help strengthen us along the way. 

Most of  Mr. Leggat's  letter follows:




Dear Friend,

     Have you ever hit the wall? Bumped up against the absolute limit of your own resources and strength?

     If your answer is yes to those questions, you are in good company. Coming to the end of ourselves can be a regular, if not daily experience for us. In this letter, I want to speak from personal experience, sharing some thoughts on why the Lord allows us to reach our limits. What is He teaching us at such times? That our weakness opens the way to His strength.

It Was a Bad Day

     Friday had been a bad day. (I don’t know whether you can relate to that, but we all occasionally have those days we would prefer to forget.) The next morning was no better. I awoke in a very dark mood—residue from the bad day before.

     As I was driving into the office early on that Saturday morning, I assessed my emotional condition, arriving at the following conclusion: “Today I am not fit for interaction with man nor beast.” My plan for the day was to isolate myself as best I could, avoiding contact with anyone who might be scorched by my foul mood.

     On the drive to work, however, as is my custom, I carried on a conversation with the Lord—somewhat more reluctant than usual. Hesitantly, I let Him know how I felt (as if He didn’t already know). Then, I simply prayed: “Lord, I put myself in Your hands today.” Immediately, a phrase popped into my mind: “Be strong in the power of His might.” That unbidden impression was so far outside of my thought pattern right then that I felt certain it had to be a word from the Lord.

Power and Might


     When an impression comes to me in this way, even though I may recognize it as a Bible verse, rarely do I know its exact address in the Word. So, my first step on arrival was to consult the concordance, followed by a time of study of the passage and its context.

     I found the unbidden phrase quickly: Ephesians 6:10. “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” Two aspects of the ensuing study helped me immensely in my understanding of the passage.

     First was its context. Significantly, the verses following Ephesians 6:10 talk about putting on the armor of God “to stand against the wiles of the devil,” doing battle with the spiritual forces arrayed against us. Could it be that the bad days we experience are somehow rooted in the schemes of the enemy? Isn’t he the one who is constantly working against us to discourage us and wear us down?

     The second point from the concordance was a related reference to Micah 3:8. “But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the LORD….” When we are at our weakest and worst, where can we turn to find the strength we so desperately need? To the Spirit of the Lord.

Strength in Weakness

     I need to make something clear at this point. I am writing this letter fresh from my study of these verses, right in the wake of the bad day that so discouraged me. Why is that important for you to know? Because, truthfully, this is probably the worst possible time for me to share anything about the Lord’s power and victory. I am still slogging through the issues that upset me. Even so, I am trying to write my way out of the heaviness I am facing—deliberately “putting it on paper” while still wrestling with the foul mood described at the beginning of this letter.

     I am trusting that even in these worst moments—the times when my weakness and failure are most glaring—God can display His strength most clearly.

     If you are deriving any encouragement from this letter right now, chalk it up to that truth. It is exactly how the Lord comforted Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect [complete, evident] in weakness.” That is why Paul could respond in verse 10 by saying: “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

The Greatest Display

     Undoubtedly, the greatest display of power released through weakness and vulnerability took place on a cross at Calvary nearly 2000 years ago. At the very moment when Satan was exulting in apparent victory, having engineered the death of the Messiah on a Roman gibbet, immeasurable might was being generated. Unbeknownst to the adversary, the lifeblood flowing out of Jesus was unleashing power that would consign the enemy and his hordes to eternal defeat and disgrace.

     The power of the cross! In Derek Prince’s 60 years of teaching the Word of God, this was one of his constant themes. In fact, from the abundant archives of Derek’s teaching on this subject, we have just released a new book entitled, What’s So Important about the Cross?

     One of the transcripts at the core of this new book is Derek’s powerful message, “The Cross at the Center,” from which we have taken the following excerpt.

     I want to say something that’s very easy to say but not always easy to live. The purpose of the cross is to bring us to the end of all our wisdom and all our strength—to show us that they are totally of no avail whatever. We can only begin to enter into the grace of God when we have come to the end of ourselves.

     At the present time, you may be going through problems and pressures in your life. You may be asking, “What is God doing?” The answer is: God is gently but firmly bringing you to the end of yourself— where the best  you can do doesn’t even begin to be good enough. You have to come to the end of all that and release something that is totally from God. When do we find Christ as the power of God and the wisdom of God? Only when we have come to the end of our own power and our own wisdom.

     It’s hard for most of us to let go our strength and to let go our wisdom. We want to cling to it. But what God said to Paul is really true: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Why is that so true? Because when we have our own strength, how can people identify God’s strength? They can’t see it.

     But when we have come to the end of our own strength and then we have strength, then we know it is God. God’s strength is made perfect in my weakness. Would you like to say that? “God’s strength is made perfect in my weakness.”
 

Pushing Back

     If you can relate to the matter of sometimes facing the kind of bad days described earlier, let’s push back against it together. Would you be willing to join me in a prayer to that end? Let’s do it now, beginning with the concept Derek asked us to repeat.

     I thank You Lord, that Your strength is made perfect in my weakness.

     Father, I confess that I’m not in a good place right now. I’m discouraged by circumstances around me, and it appears the enemy is having a heyday with my life at the moment.

     The only step I can take is to place myself in Your hands. Even though I am weak, I know that Your power in me can be the strongest when I am at my weakest. I choose now, Lord, to be strong in the power of Your might.

     I bring my present situation to You. I trust You to show Yourself strong in the midst of every negative circumstance facing me. I will rely upon Your power and might, taking a step toward the words Paul spoke in Ephesians 6:10. By faith, I proclaim that I will be strong in You—in the power of Your might. Amen.


Standing in His Strength

     You and I have just started to pull ourselves out of the hole the enemy has dug for us. We have affirmed the godly principle set forth by Paul: “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” It will take persistence in faith to move fully into the outworking of that declaration. But you and I have started the process today.
                               Derek Prince Ministries            Article
                            -----------------------------------------------------------------
No matter who shares  inspired encouragement,  all points back to Jesus, His Strength,  His armor,  His Word.   The Father is taking us deeper and higher into who Jesus is and who we have been recreated In Him to be!

I know that turning my focus on Him  this morning,  and preparing this post,  has already turned my head and heart around.  Choosing Him is always a *very Good and Great thing to do!  

(* The italicized expression is credited my  granddaughter when she was a child....and quite appropriately, her name is Hope!)

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

About Timely Messages

In a recent email one of my daughters mentioned a message of Joel Osteen's saying, it "was excellent".  After looking it up, I discovered it was, indeed, excellent.  He entitled it Shame Off You.  Even if you don't believe you have been affected by shame, this message has the power in it to touch souls and spirits in ways which can bring strength and healing on many levels.  It did for me.  

And no matter how mature we are-or even think we are- God is bigger and knows how our hearts have been affected by life's difficulties on levels we are not aware of.  And we're living in a particular time where God is intently going about raising up and maturing His people according to what HE knows maturity is.  This process involves revealing, healing and cleansing us as He removes those things in our lives which have hindered us from becoming all He created us to be. 

It is actually a part of realignment.  And contrary to what I may have written or suggested before, it is a continuing process.  He never quits, but we do need to co-operate.  This is a time when He is "full on" bringing all things into one in Christ Jesus.  He won't make us go with Him as He will NOT impede our free will, but we can choose to go where ever He wants to take us, because His love and desire for us is very great.

And one fact I find very interesting and so consistent with God's way of doing things is this: Those who are carrying out their assignment in full time ministry are all speaking about subjects which compliment what God is doing in the  now which is exactly the demonstration of Ephesians 4:16.  And please notice that it is based on love....everything God does is based on love because He Is LOVE! 

Ephesians 4:16New King James Version (NKJV)

16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
I'll close now with the link where you can see and hear Joel  Osteen presenting Shame Off You, a message in line with him carrying out this scripture.

http://www.itbn.org/index/detail/lib/people/sublib/Joel+Osteen/ec/tsYjBvYTE6Vgz4dVwrn-xsW_7VSRS_mC

Sunday, April 9, 2017

Jerry Savelle: Word from The LORD

I've been looking for this particular Word from the LORD which came through Jerry Savelle  on  New Year's Eve 2016 since I first heard about it. I'm so glad I discovered it on Eagle Mountain International  Church's website.  Pastor George Pearsons had it printed and handed out sharing it with all who attended  the Branson Victory Campaign which just concluded Saturday, April 8. 

I now have the privilege of sharing it here with you.  I trust it will be a blessing and encouragement to you even as it is for me.  Let us all "hang in there" together regardless of the difficulty of our current circumstances....and receive those promises we've been standing on for such a long time!

Jerry Savelle, Word from the Lord 12/31/2016

Word from the Lord given to Dr. Jerry Savelle
12/31/2016 at 9:10 pm
“There is a level of prosperity that you have never known, nor even hoped for… but I am empowering all those who dare believe that it is available. And I will show them how to tap into it and it will begin to manifest in their lives in this coming New Year,” saith the Lord.
“I will take them to a higher level of prosperity and success, which they didn’t ever think was possible. For this is the time for My faithful ones to flourish and to thrive and to excel in every area of their lives. And it will indeed be a year unlike any other you have known. For special and unusual and extraordinary blessings are being released right now and will continue to be released throughout 2017. And it shall be glorious in your sight.”
“Stay in faith,” saith the Lord. “For these are the days that you have longed for. Determine that giving up is unacceptable and don’t even give it another thought. For I am honoring your patience. I am honoring your steadfastness. I am honoring your unwavering stand on My Word. And remember, I have declared that the faithful shall abound in My blessings and the time has come for you to experience this in it’s fullness. Rest assured that I am faithful to bring this to pass. So, rejoice and again I say rejoice!”


Saturday, April 1, 2017

A Word from Billye Brim

This morning I discovered an email from Billye Brim in my inbox which was sent yesterday evening.  What she wrote is so very timely, and since she already posted it on her blog,  I'm sharing it here with you.

March 31, 2017 FIRST OF ALL and Awakenings



  
Billye Brim Blog 3-31-17
From the Parsonage
I'm writing a book about FIRST OF ALL and the Awakenings.
I just finished the first draft of the first chapter and decided to send it out as a blog.
Here it is.  If you would like to join the FIRST OF ALL Campaign, call us at 1-800-972-3447.
Chapter 1
First of All

Before the 2016 US election, I knew (perhaps with a reasonable doubt) that Donald John Trump would be elected to the office of President.
            How I knew was because of supernatural revelations given to someone else. The Bible says that in the end of days men would be given visions. The Amplified Bible calls them "divinely granted appearances." The early New Testament believers experienced them and in the Book of Acts it says they will occur in the end of days.
            I was not a Trump supporter at the beginning. But I became one when he and Dr. Ben Carson invited a thousand or so ministers to New York City for a "conversation." There I began to see in my spirit that He might be God's choice.
            The man to whom the Lord granted the visions asked me to judge them. A former Muslim, he'd accepted the Lord after hearing an audible Voice call him by name.  In the visions that began in September before the election, he'd heard that Donald Trump would be elected, but that the church would have to pray for him, and for our leaders as never before.
            I knew that meant we would have to obey the Lord's command in First Timothy 2:1 as we never had.

1 Tim. 2:1-4, 8 (KJV)
1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth...
8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
Up To The Church
Dr. Kenneth E. Hagin, whose books and publications I edited from 1970-1980, was granted a vision in which he saw three demonic frog-like creatures rise up out of the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. They hopped along the eastern seaboard and landed in Washington D.C. He was made to know their intent was to harm this nation.
            He was shown, however, that their evil assignment could be stopped by the prayers of the people of God. He was instructed to come back to Tulsa (he'd been on a ministry trip) and to start a regular prayer service to stop this strategy of the enemy. He initiated the prayer group, which stayed focused for a while, but let up in its initial purpose.
            When the Watergate scandal in all its depths and cover-ups caused great hurt to the nation, the Lord told Brother Hagin this was the strategy of the enemy revealed to him in the vision. Then he was told something to this effect, I'm not going to hold Richard Nixon primarily responsible for this; I'm not going to hold the Republican Party primarily responsible for this; I'm going to hold you primarily responsible for this. For I revealed it to you and the church could have stopped it. What ever happens in this nation happens because the church allows it to happen.
             I heard Brother Hagin say this was one of the hardest things he ever had to pray and receive forgiveness for.  But he did!
           
FIRST OF ALL
Remembering this, I knew that the success of President Trump's Administration falls primarily upon the shoulders of the Body of Christ.
            It came into my mind to initiate a campaign. Not a political campaign. But a spiritual campaign. A "FIRST OF ALL" Campaign. A campaign which calls upon believers to commit to pray FIRST OF ALL for our leaders just as our Lord instructs.
            FIRST OF ALL before we pray for our family, before we pray for ourselves, before we pray for the lost, before we pray for our jobs or businesses, our ministry, before we pray for anything we are instructed to pray for our leaders, for kings (today it's usually presidents, prime ministers, etc.) and those in authority.
            So through the various prayer avenues the Lord has granted me, I began to call for people to commit. To call us or write us. To say, "Count me in. I commit to pray every day FIRST OF ALL for our leaders."
            We have never obeyed 1 Timothy 2:1 as we should have. If we had, this nation would not be in the darkness and division it now suffers. Satan (and his kingdom of darkness) is behind division. He seeks to divide and conquer.
            The kingdom of the Light can and must overcome his evil plots. The most powerful weapon we have is obedience to the Word of God. And particularly concerning good government, obedience to 1 Timothy 2:1. We can unite in this effort and overcome the enemy's plot to destroy us through division.
Commandment With Promise
This is a commandment with promise. The revealed purpose of God is that we can expect to receive a time in which we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. A time conducive to men's being saved and coming into the knowledge of the truth.
            Is this even possible in such a terrible time as this? God didn't put a time limit on the promise. When these Holy Spirit inspired words were given through Paul Timothy was the young pastor of the church in Ephesus. Ephesus was a wicked city that worshipped the goddess Artemis. The Roman Empire was in the throes of its most evil emperors such as Nero. Christians and Jews were thrown to lions in the evil bloodthirsty games in the great theatres. Nero dipped them in pitch and burned them as human torches. 
            The kings were evil. But the church was instructed to pray for them and to expect their prayers to bring about what God said they would. And things did eventually change.
            If you are a believer in the truth of the Bible, you are commanded to pray first of all for your leaders, whether or not you like them. Whether or not you voted for them. Won't you please do so? And won't you please commit to do so? Please contact us if you would like to be counted in a huge company of praying people who are committed to pray FIRST OF ALL as our Lord commanded. 
Billye Brim Ministries ~ PO Box 40 ~ Branson, MO 65615
Office: 417-336-4877 ~ Product Order Line: 800-972-3447
Billye Brim Ministries Canada ~ PO Box 20085  
Kelowna, BC, V1Y 9H2