COULD WHAT I THINK AFFECT WHO I AM?

As I sit in my kitchen watching the rain outside, two questions are in my thoughts:

(1) Why do I find myself wanting to know something that God doesn't want me to know ... namely, WHY is this happening to me?

(2) When I get frustrated with not understanding WHY something is happening in my life, am I really saying by my actions that the Potter (God) does not have power over the clay (me)?

So, I decided to take a page from the book of David, the sweet Psalmist. I note that in Psalm 42 and Psalm 43, David speaks to his soul about being cast down and he encouraged his soul to hope in God.

So, on  this rainy Saturday afternoon, I started to speak to my own soul like this: O my soul, there is always Divine Wisdom and Love behind every trial you experience. YOU CAN BE SURE O SOUL THAT God has a limit for every trial in my life,

Remember O my soul, the trials of Joseph and Job? Joseph and Job were two of the finest men of the day and do you recall their trials?  So, understand this my soul, TRIALS DO NOT NECESSARILY MEAN DISCIPLINE for as I study the Word of God, I see that in God's economy, the greater the trial, the more outstanding the saint in the eyes of God.

O soul, hear what Matthew 11:6 says: "Blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in Me." Or, in other words, the person who trusts God in the dark will be blessed. For when I have the light and I am able to see clearly, what need do I have for trust? So, God can only build and develop my trust in Him in the dark trenches of my life, when it seems as if there is no hope, and yet I keep clinging to God's unchanging hand as my only life line.

Finally O soul, learn this so that you do not have to come this way again: YOU ARE NOT WHAT YOU THINK YOU ARE, BUT WHAT YOU THINK, YOU ARE. I know that as soon my soul FULLY grasp by actions what this means I can expect a direct correlation with  the length/limit of my testing period!

Know this O my soul, it is impossible to please God without faith and it is impossible to trust God without faith. This is true both in the spiritual and in the physical realm.

Jesus said: "According to my faith, it will be done unto me" Matthew 9:29. So, the fruits I reap in my life are a product of the seeds I sow in my thoughts. O soul, be very careful of not disciplining your thoughts! I need to bring my thoughts into obedience with what and who God says I am. It is only then that God will be pleased that I have passed the test and I can graduate from that test because I have mastered dealing with doubts and fears and because no matter what the circumstance, I choose to believe God first and not my circumstances.

LOVE SO AMAZING

Yesterday, we celebrated the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is not dead. He is RISEN as He said He would. This separates Christianity from all other beliefs. The tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ is EMPTY and my Saviour lives! Budda's bones are still in the tomb. Mohammed's bones are still in the tomb. The bones of leaders of every belief system are still in the tomb. But my God, Jesus Christ my Lord, rose from the dead and His tomb is empty. My God came to me. He became a man so that He could die in my guilty place so that I could go free. Now, this my fried is love ... amazing love. My Saviour laid down His life for me while I was a sinner.

If God is so loving, why does He allow pain, sickness, suffering and death?

Because God is holy, He has to punish sin (Romans 6:23). Many ask, If God is so loving, why does He allow pain, sickness, suffering and death? And who are you to talk back to God and pass judgment on a thrice holy God (Romans 9:20)? The reason we are troubled is not because of God. It is our own fault. Pain, sickness, suffering and death were never God's plan for us. We reaped these troubles as a result of our disobedience against God. It is OUR SIN that causes us to be troubled with pain, sickness, suffering and death.

WHAT MUST YOU DO TO BE SAVED FROM GOD'S WRATH? Believe that the Lord Jesus Christ became a substitute for you and died in your place for your sin. That all your past, present and future sins are laid upon Him when you put your trust in Him. That Jesus rose from the dead and because He lives, you too can live again because before you placed your trust in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ, you were dead to God. Yes, a walking dead person, dead in trespasses and sins. Friend, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved" Acts 16:31

O my God, may I never boast EXCEPT in the cross of my Lord Jesus Christ (Galatians 6:14)

Now friend, slowly read Isaac Watts' hymn below and be blessed

WHEN I SURVEY THE WONDROUS CROSS - Isaac Watts

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

His dying crimson, like a robe,
Spreads o’er His body on the tree;
Then I am dead to all the globe,
And all the globe is dead to me.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

The wife of my Russellite friend responded to my emails with snailmail

I have a Russellite (a.k.a JW = Jehovah Witness) friend and over a period of time I have been witnessing to him via email about who is Jesus Christ. Then, one day, a letter from his wife comes in the mail explaining the following: 

THE RUSSELLITES (JW) SAY:

Jesus is the archangel Michael

Jesus is a created being and therefore not God (Colossians 1:15)

Friends, the bible says that we perish for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6)

If we do not study the Word of God and allow the Spirit of God to illuminate the Word and our minds, we will be deceived by not only Russellites but many wolves in sheep's clothing. 

I plead with you, study the Word so you will be able to recognize the voice of God when you hear it because:

Jesus says, "My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow me" John 10:27

Jesus says: "And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32

Jesus says:  "If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed" John 8:36

Jesus says:  "I am THE WAY, THE TRUTH and THE LIFE: No man comes to the Father but by Me" John 14:6 Please notice, Jesus is the way, not a way.

NOW LET US GO TO WHERE THE RUSSELLITE POINTED ME: 

Colossians Chapter 1

Colossians 1 (King James Version)

¹² Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
 ¹³ Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
 ¹⁴ In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
 ¹⁵ Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
 ¹⁶ For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
 ¹⁷ And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
 ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
 ¹⁹ For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
 ²⁰ And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

The Russellite explained to me that in Colossians 1:15, the word translated as firstborn is the Greek word protokos, which literally means "first taken" as in birth. And YES, she is correct.

But, let us allow Scripture to interpret itself and not lean to our own understanding.


BUT FIRST SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION
We see in the bible that the word "firstborn" can also mean the place of preeminence. In the bible we see many who were not literally the firstborn of their families, but because of their faithfulness, were given the right of the firstborn by God. An example of this was Joseph, for his family line was given a double portion of tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh. For, the birthright being forfeited by Reuben, the firstborn of Jacob, it was given to Joseph, who had the double portion, the privilege of the firstborn. And later, David, who was the last-born of Jesse, was actually elected by God to be His firstborn when God said in Psalm 89:27: "Then I'll appoint him (David) to be my firstborn, and put him above the kings of the earth" (the preeminent position).


NOW BACK TO COLOSSIANS 1
VERSE 13: Speaks of the Son of God. Now friends, you need to understand why the First Century Jews wanted to kill the Lord Jesus Christ.  HERE IS WHY:


"Therefore the Jews sought to kill Him (Jesus), because He said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God" John 5:18 (the Jews understood that the Son of God was God Himself)


"The Jews answered him (Pilate), We have a law, and by our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God" John 19:7 (the Jews understood that the Son of God was God Himself) 


VERSE 14: There is no forgiveness of sin apart from God, the Son. If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your own personal Saviour, you are still in your sins and we know that ONLY GOD ALONE CAN FORGIVE SINS. 


Before I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my own personal Saviour, I was raised in the Roman Catholic church. I used to confess my sins to the priest. Then, on July 18, 1978, I accepted that Christ died for my sin and rose again on the third day from the dead. I understood then that because He died in my place, I have eternal life (John 3:16). For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ out Lord (Romans 6:23). And do you have to work for a gift? No, all you need to do is receive it. So, I received God's free gift, Jesus, into my heart and life. Later I read in my bible that neither the priest nor Mary could help me, only Jesus alone because: 


"There is one God, and ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN, the man Christ Jesus" 1 Timothy 2:5


VERSE 15: (We already covered the "firstborn" in the background information above) Now verse 15 also says what? The Son is what? ... AN EXACT COPY OF THE INVISIBLE GOD. It is like when you look at your own image in the mirror. The person you are looking at in the mirror is an exact copy of yourself. Now hear the Word of the Lord:


"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:" Deuteronomy 6:4 OR "Jehovah (singular) our Elohim (plural) is one God." Three persons in ONE GOD, the Trinity. Jesus is God, an exact copy/image of the invisible God. God had to take the form of a man before any one could look upon Him and not die.


VERSE 16: Now pay close attention to this verse. It says what? THE SON CREATED THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH. Which person of the Trinity created the heaven and the earth? THE SON. Now what does Genesis, the book of beginnings in the Bible tell us about the one who created the heaven and the earth?  It says this: "IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH" Genesis 1:1. 


Who created the heaven and the earth according to Colossians 1:16? 
THE SON


Who is the Creator of the heaven and earth according to Genesis 1:1? 
GOD


CONCLUSION: Jesus, the Son, IS GOD. Word of the Lord.




Bountiful Blessings, 
PsalmsChild

Destiny robbers stalking me ... HELP!

DESTINY ROBBERS

My heart goes out to so many women who are over 30 years old, lonely and unmarried. So many of these women have bought into the devil's lie that their time is up and their eggs are getting too old to procreate. Hello, my bible tells me that Satan is the father of lies. Women over 30 years, over 40 years and so on, you can only be defeated if you believe the father of lies, that is how Satan and his demons get you to give them legal ground in your lives. You must accept and believe the lie before destiny robbers can rob you of your destiny and pursue you with frustration, and defeat.

WHO IS THE REAL LIAR?

God says in John 8:44 that the devil is the father of lies. Every spirit of fear and discouragement that is dragging you down has the power to do this only because you believe the lie that the devil suggested to you about your future. As my grandmother used to say to me, "belief can kill, and belief can cure." If you choose God, Who is THE TRUTH (John 14:6), then and only then will you have a hope and a future. If you choose the devil's lies, he will have the last laugh as you give him permission to destroy you and bring you down to the pit of despair. Many of us do not realize that we have spiritual enemies working against us and these spiritual enemies are empowered by us, the very people they are working against. Yet, in our ignorance, we entertain these spiritual "frenemies" and they reek havoc in our lives and rip off our destiny. The bible says that we perish because of lack of knowledge. Tell me, once you look through the peep-hole of your door and identify a strange person at night whom you do not know, are you going to open your door and invite him in? STOP! In the same way, do not invite "frenemies" into your mind either.

The bible says that GOD CANNOT LIE (Titus 1:2 and Romans 3:4). So, who are you choosing to believe, God or the originator of lies, the devil?

It is time women stand up in the Name of Jesus and recover our wasted years in the Name of Jesus by giving no more place to the devil. Instead of agreeing with the devil and speaking death over our lives, let us agree with God by speaking words of life for God says: "death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21)."  So, speak LIFE and NOT DEATH into your life by siding with Creator God, who cannot lie.

Now, raise your right hand over your head and make this declaration with me: 

Heavenly Father,

I make this declaration in the Name of Jesus:

Every power declaring that it is over for me, 

    you are A LIAR, DIE! in the Name of Jesus.

Any power that has tied down my destiny, 

    BREAK LOOSE from my life in the name of Jesus.

In the Name of the King of kings, In the Name of the Lord of lords, 

    in the Name of the Prime Minister of prime ministers, JESUS CHRIST, 

        every bondage in my life, BREAK!

Ministry of fear in my life, DIE in the Name of Jesus.

Every power of frustration that has been pursuing me, 

       your time is up! DIE! in the Name of Jesus.

Negative circumstances affecting my success, 

      BOW in the Name of Jesus.

I cancel every satanic decree working against my life. 

Satanic decree working against my life, DIE in the Name of Jesus. 

I thank You LORD for answering my prayer in Jesus Name. Amen.

Now that we have done some cleansing, let's look at some facts of life:

Unmarried women, you need to know that there are many married women whose lives are actually worse off, being married. You see, many women are just "settling" and getting married simply because they want to pro-create, only to realize that they are lonelier, being married than they were unmarried. They got married, received the man's sperms, but not the man himself. Ladies and gentlemen, God says that marriage is a blessing but only when our motivation is right and we operate within God's boundaries. If we are rushing to get married because our biological clock is ticking, then we are most likely to end up as an unhappy statistic. And what's worse, there is also an unhappy child or children in that equation too. Now talk about jumping out of the frying pan into the fire!

GOD HAS A PLAN AND PURPOSE FOR YOU FROM THE VERY BEGINNING

God blesses marriage and wants us to be sexually active only within the confines of marriage. This is not merely a matter of obedience to God, but this is just another way in which God protects us. If you want to operate outside of God's boundaries, lean to your own understanding and do your own thing, then do not be surprised if you "reap what you sow" in more ways than one. Think about that!

Every woman and every man out there, unless you believe the lies of the devil, God says that it is not His will for you to be alone, but that He will provide you with an helpmate that is right for you (Genesis 2:18) I ask you again, who are you going to believe, God or the devil? Where are you going to anchor your trust today?

I ask you this: Do you want to receive a blessing today? God says: Blessed are all those who put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ (Psalm 2:12)

God says: If you put your trust in Him, He will not let you be ashamed, neither will He allow your enemies to triumph over you (Psalm 25:2)

Bountiful Blessings,

PsalmsChild

Did you know that you can give evil spirits legal ground in your life?

GIVING EVIL SPIRITS LEGAL GROUND IN OUR LIVES
Sometimes, a negative thought flashes across my mind and I just let it slide and do nothing about it. This thought eventually gets pushed to the back burner of my mind, but it is still there non-the-less. Has that ever happened to you?


I would like to share with you what happens when I entertain that negative thought by doing nothing and what happens when I refuse to welcome that negative thought into the deep places of my mind.

HERE IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I DO NOTHING

According to Luke 22:3-4, Satan placed a thought into Judas' mind to betray the Lord Jesus Christ.

Judas, like I sometimes do, did not dispel that thought. He did not, according to 2 Corinthians 10:5,  "bring that thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" by rebuking the thought in the name of Jesus. Consequently, this thought from Satan found fertile ground to grow, and so Satan was given legal ground in Judas' life as I sometimes do.

The fact is, if Judas was a man of faith, like Peter, Satan would not be able to find fertile ground in his mind so that the seed planted could come to fruition. Yes, we all fall down, but when we are children of FAITH, we get up in Jesus Name. We EXAMINE ourselves and do housecleaning and we realize that we have allowed contaminants to enter our minds and our lives.

HERE IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I DEAL WITH THE NEGATIVE THOUGHT

Read what Jesus said to Peter, a man of faith: 

"And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:" Luke 22:31

"But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." Luke 22:32

Like Peter, every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is a child of faith. So, let us resist the devil and he will flee from us. Let us give no place to the devil. We can do all things through Christ Who gives us the strength. We have all the power we need in Christ Jesus. Christ defeated Satan at the cross and we too can defeat him if our "faith fail not."

So, next time when Satan brings a fearful thought or a thought of discouragement to you, what are you going to do? 

HERE IS WHAT TO DO WITH EVERY NEGATIVE THOUGHT

The negative thought is actually a spirit at work. IDENTIFY which spirit it is, whether a spirit of fear or discouragement etc. Then, rebuke that spirit of fear or that spirit of discouragement in the Name of Jesus. In Jesus Name, speak to that spirt, call it by name, "spirit of fear", "spirit of discouragement" etc. Calling that spirit by name, let it know that it is not welcome in your mind that that you command it to depart now and forever in the name of Jesus. For at the Name of Jesus, every knee (evil spirit) MUST BOW (Philippians 2:10)

And sometimes when you do fail to rebuke and reject these evil spirits that mess with your thoughts, and in so doing sin against God, remember believer, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

I am so glad that because I often mess up and complain instead of giving thanks in everything, that Ephesians 1:7, and Ephesians 2:4 say that "God is rich in grace and mercy". So, because of His grace God still blesses me with what I do not deserve and because of His mercy, He withholds from me that which I do deserve. All Praise To God!

Hope this Word blesses you today.

With Christian Love,

PsalmsChild