YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND!

Our beloved Pastor, David Joyner, opened his sermon last week with a reference to the song, "You've Got a Friend" by James Taylor. Those of us of a certain age will recognize that song and sing it to ourselves immediately. It's a favorite of many and a wonderful classic! It helps to describe the purpose of the Holy Spirit.

I think the modern church has gotten away from teaching about the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Not in some kind of supernatural, weird way, but in the wonderful, comforting way that God intended it.

The main question is, "Who is the Holy Spirit and what did He come to do?

He was the promise given to us by Jesus when He was preparing for His death.

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.  John 14:26

The Disciples were able to have Jesus with them and look at Him but we have His Spirit dwelling within us 24/7, our strength and deliverer, always there when we need Him. He is a real friend who sticks closer than a brother, who knows everything about you and loves you anyway. It doesn't get any better than that!

Because the Holy Spirit is a part of Jesus, He is a person not a thing. He actually has a personality. Personality does not demand a physical body or visibility. The "real" you is invisible. 

There are 3 things that are necessary to have a personality:

1. Mind - The ability to think and reason

2. Emotion - The ability to feel things and to be moved.

3. Choice - The ability to do something.

The Holy Spirit has all three of these things.

After the Pentecost the Holy Spirit went from dwelling among people to dwelling within them. We are so blessed that we have Him forever. 

Also, there are 3 works that the Holy Spirit does: Salvation, Sanctification and Service.

Salvation: He convicts us of our sin and convinces us that we need a Savior. He confronts us with our lostness. He is the only one who can do that. 

Sanctification: This means to be special, set apart. We mean something to God and the Holy Spirit 

encourages us to be everything that God wants us to do and created us to be. He helps us to get the bad stuff out and the good stuff in. He is our encourager who will help to produce the fruit of the spirit in us. Galatians 5.

Service: He powerfully equips us to do whatever we need to do for God. It's impossible to do it in our own power. He desires to do service through us. This will make a huge difference in our lives. Don't squelch it. Let go and let Him accomplish everything that He wants to through you. 1 Thessalonians 5:19.

This was an eye opening study for me. I hope you gain something from it as well. I welcome any comments or insight that you would like to add.

Love ya'll!

God is Love!

As an adopted child, I think I may have more issues with feeling loved than most people. In the back of my mind is always the thought; why did my parents give me up? Why didn't they want me? Didn't they love me?

But also, I can honestly say that from the time I was very young Jesus was always there with me, providing all the unconditional love that  I could possibly need. He brought me through a pretty rough childhood basically intact mentally. Lol! I guess that depends on who you ask. There's always a part of your environment that figures in. I think it's because I grew up in Cicero.

In his Life Principles Study Series, "Exploring the Depths of God's Love", Charles F. Stanley says something that really struck home for me and I wanted to share it with you because I think it will resonate with a lot of people.

                                             Our Need for Unconditional Love

Name any problems that plagues our world today, and I will point you toward an underlying emotional or spiritual need in the heart of man. Drug abuse, child abuse, spouse abuse, poverty, war, violence, crime - each of these situations is a result of a ripple effect that begins with an unmet need in the heart of one man, one woman, somewhere on this earth. The person reacts to circumstances which he believes are related to his unmet need in the heart, in a way that is unhealthy, ungodly, and ultimately unsatisfactory - perhaps with an outburst of angry words, a drink or the use of a drug to attempt to escape the need, a retaliatory measure, or grasping for material possessions in a hope of resolving the need. At that point, a trigger has been pulled. Another person is caused to feel pressure to respond to the needy person's behavior, and the problem expands and intensifies from person to person until an entire family, neighborhood, community, city, or nation is involved.

The basic condition of man's heart is neediness, and the foremost need that mankind faces is a need for unconditional love. At the foundation of all other needs we find a tremendous need to be affirmed by someone who will accept us for who we are. We long for someone to affirm our personality, our unique abilities and talents, and even our foibles and flaws. We long for someone to say to us, "I love you," without adding any "if you" when you," or "so why don't you" statements. We have a deep ache to be appreciated for no reason other than the fact that we are alive and we are a child of God.

Only God can give us unconditional love in unlimited quantities. Only God has the infinite capacity to love in this manner. All human beings ultimately disappoint us or fail us in their love because they are also in need of unconditional love. We should never expect from another person what that person is incapable of giving to us - not because they wouldn't like to love us in this manner, but because they simply do not have the infinite capacity to love us fully all the time, in all situations, and regardless of what we do.

To love a person unconditionally is not necessarily to like everything that the person does or says. It is to love the person in spite of what he does or says! To love unconditionally means to help a person become who that person can be in Christ Jesus; to help the person reach his potential mentally, emotionally and spiritually. To love unconditionally means to forgive a person freely and as often as necessary. To love unconditionally means to allow another person to express his opinions and feelings and to function fully in his ministry without hindrance. To love unconditionally means to want for another person what God wants for that person and to be sensitive always to God's timing and God's chosen methods for accomplishing His purposes in a person's life.

                                              A Threefold need for Love

Our need for love manifests itself in three very basic needs: a need for acceptance, a need to feel competent, and a need to feel worthy. Only God provides a means for us to be fully accepted and reconciled to Himself and to others. He provides this through His plan of forgiveness.
Only God provides a means for us to feel competent. His provision comes to us in the form of natural and spiritual gifts, which He bestows upon us as our Creator. Only God provides a means for us to feel worthy and needed. His provision comes in the person of the Holy Spirit, who guides us into the paths we are to walk and the work we are to do, who presents opportunities to manifest His forgiveness, and who reveals ways in which we are to employ our natural and spiritual gifts.

Only God has a means for completely fulfilling our need for love. The simple fact is this: God longs for you to be in relationship with Him. He wants you to become the person that he created you to be from the foundation of the world. He wants to see you living a fulfilling, satisfying, and meaningful life. His desire is that you live as His child, in the fullness of blessings, mercy, and grace.

What is it today that you desire for yourself? Do you desire to receive God's love?

Isn't that awesome! I highly recommend that you go to Intouch.org and order a copy today. They're very reasonable and I guarantee you will a great blessing from it.

Today I desire that I receive God's love in all it's fullest manifestation of Him. I claim it and receive it and I fully intend to share it with all those around me.

I love you guys and I hope you were able to be blessed through this today! Let me know if you have any comments and anything to add to this.

A WOMAN OF VALUE

How many of you have read Proverbs 31:10-31 and was impressed with this incredible woman? I know I was. How could anyone possibly live up to these impossible standards? It's mind boggling. But (IMHO) this is another example of the difference between before Jesus' coming and after. I see a parallel here between this woman and the lengths that God's people had to go to in order to be forgiven of their sins.  Prior to Jesus' coming, it was necessary to gain God's approval & subsequent forgiveness through works, rituals, laws, etc. They had to keep the 10 commandments, plus the other 400 something laws that the Jews added to it in order to be considered a "religious" person. Wow. Was it even possible? One little mistake and it's all over. 

But our mind sets have not really changed at all. We as human beings attempt to try to prove ourselves everyday to an extremely indifferent world. We judge each other on how we look, what we wear, where we live, how much money we make, and on and on. Temporary, unimportant things. You get to be my age and look back and start thinking about all the years you wasted chasing these things that don't amount to a hill of beans. But it is human nature.

That's why when Jesus came He was all about showing us God's heart and how much He loved us just exactly as we are, because He created us and put us here for a very particular reason, to worship & praise Him. That's it. So freeing but so hard for our finite minds to grasp. What else do we need to do? It can't be that simple. No way!

I really believe that as this world continues to slide deeper into sin, our worth as Christians is also becoming harder to grasp.Our rolls as male & females has become so blurred. Women are forced to work outside the home and the roll of wife and mother is trivialized. It robs the men of their place and responsibility. It's not working. It's not working because that is not how God designed things to be.  Families are suffering and consequently the church is suffering. 

In Dr. Charles Stanley's, "Discover your Identity. Find Yourself Fully in Christ", he says  my true identity comes entirely through the grace and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We have been chosen by God. 

God is saying, "I want to be in a close relationship with you; I want to spend time with you; I want to share Myself with you".  As a believer in Christ Jesus, you are a saint in Christ, and you have been chosen by God to have a very special relationship with Him. I love that! It makes me feel amazing.

He also says, "Grace" is the undeserved favor of God at work in our lives and we are the recipients of divine grace. Our being chosen is the act of a loving God, who chose us solely because He gained pleasure in doing so. 

Galatians 4:4-5, 7 

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons...Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Isn't that wonderful? The chosen child of The Lord God!! That's worth so much more then the paltry titles and recognition that this evil world bestows on us! We are His beloved children, He desires a relationship with us. He created us for that very purpose! He yearns to spend time with us and values us. My mind just swims with the thought. Don't look to people or things to gauge who you are. Look to the Author and Finisher of your soul, your heavenly Father! 

I hope this helped someone today who is in need of hearing these words from God! I love ya'll and I'm here for you. Our church has a new Women's Ministry that we've called WOW - Women of Worth. If you're looking for a place to plug in and join in, please check us out. We're First Baptist Church of Acworth and we'd love to have you. God bless!

JESUS IS COMING - LOOK BUSY!! (The Rapture)

Well, I've been a little remiss about posting lately but I'm ready to make up for some lost time. Even though the two things actually don't have anything to do with the situation I would like to let you know that Mother's Day has become one of the most emotional holidays there is for me, due to the fact that since my son, Adam, died the day has been difficult for me. This year marked the 2nd Mother's Day that I've had to spend without him and it's very painful. They asked me to sing something on Mother's Day at church. Before I did I prefaced it by talking about Adam and how no matter how hard we try to raise our children right, sometimes things don't always turn out the way we expect them to. But that as long as we do everything we can to bring our children to Jesus, no matter what happens in this life, we know they will be eternally saved. I have the assurance of seeing him again and that makes all the difference in the world.

Now that brings me to the current subject, The Rapture. Our Pastor, Dr. Joyner, has been teaching about it on Wednesday nights because I asked him to and I've been learning things that have blown my mind. For the first time in a long time I'm excited about the second coming of Christ and looking expectantly for him. But it has also given me a renewed sense of urgency about reaching the lost in the brief amount of time that we have left.

The main thing that he told us that really struck home was that according to scripture He would return for his church in one generation after Israel became a country again. A generation usually means about 70 years. Israel became a nation on May 14, 1948. That means that next year will be 70 years. I'm getting chills just thinking about it. So He can come back any time now. If you look at the world around us, you can see how bad things are going and completely agree that we are in the end times right now.

Contrary to popular belief, after Christ raptures His Bride, the church, there will be no more chances for people to be saved. The only ones who will have a chance are the Jews who have not had an opportunity to hear the Gospel of Jesus. All this is written in Matthew 24:15-39. There will be more this Wednesday and I can't wait. I hope you will study these things for yourself. We have to be prepared for His return. We have to be diligently doing the things that He wants us to do when He returns. 

I'm praying for my purpose and doing everything I can to make sure that my family, friends and anyone else in my sphere of influence knows the Lord so when the time comes He will say, "Well done my good and faithful servant. Are you? Search yourself and ask Him what you need to do. The days are short and we have to get to work. I'm praying for a revival across the face of the Earth. Please join me! 

Love ya'll. If you have any questions or comments, you know I welcome them.
If you're interested in further study about Israel and the prophecy regarding the end times, check this out. 
Are there really ancient prophecies in the Bible that promised the rebirth of Israel in the “last days”?

What Does Being "SAVED" Really Mean?

I have decided that I would like to explore this topic. I realized recently that there may be a lot of misconceptions about this subject.  I do know that there are quite a few disagreements on the subject but the Bible is clear.

During Sunday School last week we were discussing the parable of The Rich Young Ruler. Of course, I had heard this story multiple times and I was used to generally looking at it from the usual perspective, which was a rich person who didn't want to give everything up to follow Jesus. But I was thinking about it from a different angle this time.

Before Jesus died and returned to heaven there was no helper. (John 16: 6-8, John 14:16 & John 14:26) The Holy Spirit only came upon people when God specifically sent Him to someone, as in the case of Mary when she conceived Jesus. Prior to this, the Jews believed that when they were blessed financially it was a sure sign of God's favor.

Just imagine how mind boggling this new concept that Jesus was preaching must have been. He asks Jesus, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" After all, no one knew about 'accepting Jesus', right? So I was wondering how people were "saved" prior to the coming of Jesus. The following is an excerpt from
                             

                              HOW WERE PEOPLE SAVED BEFORE JESUS CAME?

                                                            BOB BRYANT

                                    Cypress Valley Bible Church Marshall, Texas

How were people saved before Jesus came? Just like you and I are saved—by faith alone in Christ alone. For them, it was by faith in the Christ who had not yet come. For us, it is by faith in the same Christ who has come. No one has ever been or ever will be saved apart from believing in Christ for eternal life. We must reach people with the one and only message that provides eternal salvation today, just as it did before Jesus came. (End of Excerpt)

But we have the benefit of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Bible to help us. People back then really had to rely more on faith. That's why scripture says that Abraham believed and it was credited to him as righteousness.  He believed what God told him.

Then we look at Job, which kind of seems at odds to what Jesus says but I like this particular perspective on it:
Matthew Henry Commentary
1:1-5 Job was prosperous, and yet pious. Though it is hard and rare, it is not impossible for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. By God's grace the temptations of worldly wealth may  overcome. The account of Job's piety and prosperity comes before the history of his great afflictions, showing that neither will secure from troubles. While Job beheld the harmony and comforts of his sons with satisfaction, his knowledge of the human heart made him fearful for them. He sent and sanctified them, reminding them to examine themselves, to confess their sins, to seek forgiveness; and as one who hoped for acceptance with God through the promised Saviour, he offered a burnt-offering for each. We perceive his care for their souls, his knowledge of the sinful state of man, his entire dependence on God's mercy in the way he had appointed.

Now back to The Rich Young Ruler. What it boils down to is that he didn't believe Jesus. He was too attached to his worldly possessions to think beyond this world. He walked away sad but lost as a billy goat. After hearing the gospel from Jesus Himself! Wow! But are we so very different, really? Every one of us has the opportunity to believe God, to seek forgiveness and accept His Son for who He truly is. Why haven't we all done that?? You know that each and every one of us is going to die one day, right? Not only can we have the assurance of an eternity spent in Heaven with our heavenly Father instead of an eternity spent in a fiery hell, but we will have the presence of Jesus every day to help us through this difficult journey that we call life. Someone to hold onto, to guide us, to love us, and to give us life more abundantly. John 10:10. I can't think of a better way to live our lives. He promises all these things in His word. 

Think on these things.  Search your heart. Are you really saved or just pretending? What would happen if today was your last day on earth? No one knows when that time will come. Are you prepared? Do you know that you know that you know that you're saved? I can't think of anything more frightening than that uncertainty.

I'm here for you. If you have any questions please contact me. If anyone has any additional comments they'd like to add as well, I'd love to hear them. There's always more that can be said but I need to stop. I cannot stress enough the urgency of making the very important decision. If not now, when? Don't wait!

I love ya'll! If you want me to pray for you I will be happy to. Just contact me.

Knowing and Living what you Believe!

The other day my Pastor, Dr. David Joyner, was delivering a sermon, continuing in the book of Acts. He was talking about an incident that took place a couple of years ago where a Judge in Alabama was asked to resign from the bench because he refused to take down the Ten Commandments from his courtroom walls.  He said that people all over the country was up in arms and rallying around this Judge in support of his decision. Then he asked us something interesting. He said "How many of you who call yourself Christians actually can recite the Ten Commandments in the correct order. I was totally under conviction about it. I have been a Christian for many years, I've read the Bible through, cover to cover, 7 times and I taught Sunday School and VBS for a number of years but I didn't know the Ten Commandments verbatim. I was flabbergasted. So it became my mission to memorize them. Not that it's really necessary to have them memorized in order to be saved and to have eternal life but I thought it was important that I knew them. So here goes.

#1 I am the Lord your God. Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.

#II Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.

#III Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.

#IV Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.

#V Honor they father and thy mother.

#VI Thou shalt not murder.

#VII Thou Shalt not commit adultery.

*VIII Thou shalt not steal.

#IX Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. 

#X Thou shalt not covet

There you go. I challenge everyone that reads this to memorize them in the correct order as shown.

Is it important to your salvation? Not really. But I think it's really important that we know what we believe. why we believe it and stand ready in all knowledge to defend those beliefs. I think that's particularly important in this day and age.

Another thing that Dr. Joyner said Wednesday night that really got me to thinking about this is that he's seen such an upsurge in the last few years of people interested in all this supernatural stuff. Zombies, Demons, all kinds of crazy stuff, and he thinks people are just craving something. Of course, we all know that we were all created with a God-shaped vacuum that only He can fill. I can only presume that this is people trying to find something supernatural to believe in. Something beyond themselves and their lives. We have something much better for them. Something supernatural and super powerful and we need to share it with them any way we can. 

We need to suit up, armor up and get ready to do battle for the souls of this world. Time is getting short! I'm praying that God will use me in a mighty and powerful way to reach out to the people who need Him desperately. 

There's no time like the present. I love you guys!

My Responsibility and Joy!

Hello, everyone! Welcome to my new blog. I'm really excited about this new adventure. Let me explain to you what I hope the Lord will do through me here.

The last few weeks our Pastor, David Joyner of First Baptist Church of Acworth /has been bringing a a series of messages on Acts and the early church that have been incredibly inspiring and motivational.

The Lord has had me under conviction for quite awhile and  I want to share my faith any way that I possibly can. I've been doing it through music with One Voice, and I love that, but I don't have that many opportunities sharing with the outside world because I work from home.

I realized how much I missed teaching Sunday School. It's been quite a while since I was privileged to help in the shaping and molding of young minds and decided that I would use this medium to reach, teach and in the process, hopefully the Holy Spirit will use me to inspire those who need it the most.

I've been so blessed by God in so many ways throughout my life that I need to scream these things from the rooftops but instead I will do as the scriptures say and share my experiences and my testimony, I don't plan on being "politically correct". I feel like there's just not enough truth spoken aloud in the world today and people are suffering because of it. But I will tell it in love. The message of the scripture is all about love. People who really don't know what the Bible is about, do not understand that everything God has done for us since the dawn of creation has been all about His love for us.

Remember that song, "What the World Needs Now is Love, Sweet Love"? It's never been more true then it is now. I have a responsibility. It's called the Great Commission and I plan on fulfilling it. There's too much at stake. Time is short, the end times are drawing near. One day, very soon, Jesus is coming back and we have to be ready.

I feel a lot more optimistic about the direction that our country is taking these days. The future is looking so much better, but we must never lose sight that ultimately there are certain things that are prophesied that have to take place in order for Jesus to return.We need to be aware of these things and prepared for what's to come.

I want to channel God's blessings to other people. I want them to see what a loving, compassionate God that He is. That His plan for their lives is perfect and if they will just follow Him, He will never lead them astray.They can have an abundant, fulfilling life now and, when they die, an eternity spent in Heaven with Him. What could be better?

I welcome any comments or questions that you may have. If I don't personally know the answer, I know how to get it, so don't hesitate to ask. You can post them here or send me an email. Discussions are welcome.

I guess that's about it in the way of introduction so stay tuned for upcoming posts. I'm not sure what direction the Lord will lead me here but I can't wait to find out. God bless you!