Examine Your Heart

I am weary of hearing about so many of God’s children doubting their salvation. It is the enemy’s intention to steal away our JOY..how better to do this than to take away our hope.  This has happened to me more than once, so I know how easily we can be decieved by the enemy of our soul.

Should we examine our conversion experience? Yes we should, but in light of what scripture says, and not as a subjective experience  ie:(this happened to me and I felt like…so it must be.) It is a good thing to feel the presence of God for:( In His presence is fullness of Joy), But ultimately God  reveals Himself to us through His Word which is the only WAY,TRUTH, and LIFE, and His Holy Word is alive in the person of His son Jesus: who is rightfully called The WORD in the Book Of John :

John 1

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
²The same was in the beginning with God.
³All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
⁴In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
¹⁴And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
¹⁷For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
¹⁸No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.


Do you believe this?


⁹That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

¹⁰For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

¹³For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

¹⁴How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?… ¹⁷So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.  (Romans 10:vs9,10,13,14,&17)

*But what about…

“I Never Knew You”

²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’( Matthew 7:21-23)

Let’s ask Jesus what He means by this…

 IN MY NAME….Where does Jesus use these words?

 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. (Mat. 24:5)

¹ Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly—and indeed you do bear with me. ² For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. ³ But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity^[a] that is in Christ. ⁴ For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!  (2 Corinthians 11:1-4)…

Paul  then goes on to explain his mission for preaching the true gospel…¹² But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. ¹³ For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. ¹⁵ Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works…

 "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."—(John 14:26).

In conclusion....

 Examine your heart..  Is the Holy Spirit of God revealing  who God is to you?  Is the Jesus in your heart the same Jesus of the Holy Bible? the Living Word, the Way the Truth and the Life..If so.. HALLELUJAH!…

*If Not then please read through the above scriptures again..You are a sinner who needs to repent of your sins just as I did over 25 years ago..and you need to believe in your heart that Jesus Christ, the Son Of God died for your sins, paying the price for you so you don’t have to. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD.. (Romans 6:23)

Rightfully Handling The Word

 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  2 Timothy 2:15

  I have fallen back time and time again to being distracted by other things, not only distracted but sometimes, intrigued and carried away from studying the Word of God.  Recently I found myself in a situation where I feel God was giving me a choice. I made the wrong choice and suffered a small consequence for it. Thankfully our God is the God of second chances though.  I am not taking lightly the task before me however, If there is one thing that the Lord has been stressing upon my heart lately, is that I need to rightfully handle His Word. This is the passage taken from 2 Timothy 2 that explains this to me:

Approved and Disapproved Workers
  
 14 Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. 17 And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, 18 who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some. 19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ[c] depart from iniquity.”
20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. 21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. 22 Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. 24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.


I am daily amazed at the way the Lord is using so many to teach about His kingdom. I take a step back in awe at the ability of those people to impart such wisdom from God's Word to whomever has a heart seeking the truth. 

*This is a call to all who have felt God leading you to share what you are learning in your daily walk with Him:

DON'T GIVE UP...   ( 2Timothy 4:7 )
BE ENCOURAGED...  (John 14:1 )
GOD WANTS TO USE YOU... (1 Corinthians 1:27 )
LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE WHERE YOU ARE... (Mathew 5:16)

A SIMPLE TEST

Choose only one:

a) Life -Good
or
b) Death - Evil

* Look for the hint below

Deuteronomy 30:11-20

( The Blessing of Returning to God )

The Choice of Life or Death

¹¹ “For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. ¹² It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ ¹³ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ ¹⁴ But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. ¹⁵ “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, ¹⁶ in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. ¹⁷ But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, ¹⁸ I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. ¹⁹ I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; *therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; ²⁰ that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

Are You An Over-Achiever?

The perils of an overachiever

Mat.11:28
28-Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29-Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30-For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

"Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved" (Ps. 55:22).
⁶Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
⁷Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.  (I Pet. 5:6-7).

Every spring we see weigh masters stopping trucks (usually loggers) to check the weight of the load that they are transporting. The trucker will receive a ticket if they exceed the limit.  The reason this intercession is necessary is to protect the integrity of the paved roads as the frost is lifting from the ground underneath, so this is the prime time  most damage occurs to the pavement.  Every trucker knows what the limits are, but there are still some who will push those limits in order to get the job done faster and make more money with less runs. I am also reminded of seeing  a small pickup loaded with timber sitting on the side of the road with the rear axle busted from the weight. 
Do you know what your capacity is? Jesus does, and he often makes intercession when He notices that we are about to exceed that capacity. That is why He invites us to cast our burdens upon Him and He gives us something else to carry, His yoke. What is a yoke?

Can you imagine if only one of these oxen were wearing this?
How would that work? It would be quite difficult for the animal. and the load would be unbalanced .

When Jesus asks us to take His yoke upon us, He is right there next to us to help carry the load. We are also told to humble ourselves under His mighty hand and in due time He will lift us up, and then we are reminded once more to cast our cares upon Him.

Sometimes we think we can carry and control
everything all by ourselves, trusting in our own strength instead of His.
Might seem like a good idea at the time , but...

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor. 12:9-10)

Unless our Master intervenes...
We won't get very far on our own





So just let go and let God
(not as simple as it sounds)

Maybe pride gets
in the way?

If we trust in Him, he will lighten our load

we will be able to run and not grow weary.

The foundation of our hearts will not crumble under any  load if it is built with the rock of our salvation [ JESUS ]. He will not allow us to buckle under any burden too heavy, he will help us if we trust Him; ...after all....

                                He once carried our heaviest load !

HIS GLORY IN THE CEDARS

I walked down into the forest this evening just as the sun was beginning to set. The cool September air was a gentle reminder of the change of season that lies ahead. I leaned against an old cedar that was slightly tilted towards the path; I pushed myself away from the leaning cedar and walked along the long worn path to sit upon another tree, downed more than two decades ago, an old friend lying in ruin, roots exposed, dried, and bare; This once sturdy cedar had struggled to remain alive until recently, it's roots clinging to the nourishing soil beneath where it lay, now it falters with the weight of me, will it hold? I wonder as I tilt my head as far back as possible to take in the expanse of it's brothers still standing tall. The ground beneath me smells of mushrooms and decay, but it isn't an unpleasant smell, it is the smell of the earth, the way God designed it. The crisp air carries a slight scent of the pines. A hawk flies overhead, I can hear the steady whish, whish of it's wings. How magnificent is this creation, how awesome the Creator!

 My favorite place to go to talk with God. I even go there when the snow is deep. This place is glorious no matter the season & I will share it with you throughout the year.

Psalm 104:16     

The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.

                                                                      Isaiah 60:13     
The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the plane, and the pine, to beautify the place of my sanctuary, and I will make the place of my feet glorious.
                                                                     Hosea 14:5-7     
I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon; his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon. They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.
                                                                      Psalm 92:12     
The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

Scriptures About Nature



 Because I love God's awesome creation so much I have picked out some of my favorite verses relevent to the subject:

Me & my dog Sasha
(My husband caught me unaware)

Job 12:7-10 “Ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” (NIV)

Romans 1:20 “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” (KJV)

Psalm 96:11-13 “Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad, let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy; they will sing before the Lord.” (NIV)

Psalm 148:1-10 “Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created. He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree that will never pass away.

Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds.” (NIV)

 Romans 8:17-23
17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God, and co-heirs with Christ; if indeed we suffer with him that we might also be glorified with him. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this time now are not worthy to be compared to the glory about to be revealed to us. 19 For the eager expectation of the creation awaits eagerly the revelation of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to frailty, not of its own free will, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be freed from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that all the creation groans and suffers the agony of labor pains together until now; 23 and not only this, but we ourselves, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, also groan within ourselves, while we eagerly await our adoption of sons – the redemption of our body.