Don’t Give Up: You Are Here For A Reason

The sole purpose of man is to worship God. God desired creatures who would freely worship and love him. The only way for this love to be real it had to be tested. Test are given to measure effort and knowledge. God gave the first man and woman a test by allowing the serpent (Satan) to enter the Garden and deceive Eve. Mankind failed God’s test and sin entered into the world. It grew extremely fast. Murder right out the gate with Cain killing his brother Abel. In an effort to save man, God circumvented his owns words by preparing a lamb (his Son) to die in-place of man. Jesus became the scapegoat.

Now we fast forward to the year 2016 and there is still turmoil in the land. Wars and rumors of wars fill the social media accounts and household table-talks. The answer for them in the Bible was Jesus and today he is still the answer. In fact, that is why Jesus has not transferred all of the Christians out of the world. Jesus said, I have given them Your word and the world has hated them; for they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one (John 17:15). 

Who is this evil one? It is the same Satan found in the Garden of Eden. He is still being used to test humans love for God. We fight him the most aggressively when we love Jesus. Those in Christ will be kept. You can be confident that the blood shed on the cross and the Holy Spirit given as the earnest expectation of our salvation will deliver us from hell. Let us not grow weary in well doing.

All Christians have a responsibility to be salt and light. Flood the social media and the airwaves on youtube with light. Let the world know that the problems we face started in the Garden of Eden and the solution is Jesus. Any other solution will create for you a wandering in the desert effect. A cycle of depression and suicide in your family. A cycle of sexual, alcohol, and drug abuse. A cycle of mental disorders and sleep paralysis.

God wants to deliver us from all of our afflictions, but he has placed some parameters on it. Love him with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. This will lead you into all truth and set you free.

Two Mommies Left A Huge Hole In ME

Heather Barwick, who was raised by her mother and her mother’s lesbian partner, wrote in an essay this week that same-sex “marriage” is not the same as normal marriage between a man and a woman, that the traditional family is best, and that while growing up she “ached every day for a dad.”

Barwick, who is 32 now, married, and has four children, said that “same-sex marriage and parenting withholds either a mother or father from a child while telling him or her that it doesn’t matter. That it’s all the same. But it’s not.”

Same-sex marriage withholds either a mother or father from a child while telling him or her that it doesn’t matter. That it’s all the same. But it’s not. A lot of us, a lot of your kids, are hurting. My father’s absence created a huge hole in me, and I ached every day for a dad. I loved my mom’s partner, but another mom could never have replaced the father I lost.

I grew up surrounded by women who said they didn’t need or want a man. Yet, as a little girl, I so desperately wanted a daddy. It is a strange and confusing thing to walk around with this deep-down unquenchable ache for a father, for a man, in a community that says that men are unnecessary. There were times I felt so angry with my dad for not being there for me, and then times I felt angry with myself for even wanting a father to begin with. There are parts of me that still grieve over that loss today.

I’m not saying that you can’t be good parents. You can. I had one of the best. I’m also not saying that being raised by straight parents means everything will turn out okay. We know there are so many different ways that the family unit can break down and cause kids to suffer: divorce, abandonment, infidelity, abuse, death, etc. But by and large, the best and most successful family structure is one in which kids are being raised by both their mother and father.

It’s only now, as I watch my children loving and being loved by their father each day, that I can see the beauty and wisdom in traditional marriage (God’s way & inline with nature) and parenting.

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Power of the Marriage Law

You have heard of natural laws like gravity or thermodynamics and those with a deeper understanding know that these laws are not as fixed as we are often taught. There are supernatural laws that defy the natural. For instance Jesus in Acts 1:9 “ Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.” No mention of wings flapping, but a blatant disregard for the law of gravity. You may have also seen demonically filled people levitate etc. However, the law of marriage that God has given man comes with some powerful benefits.

These laws pertain to Christian marriages. Those outside of Christianity are subject to mind-control and manipulation by all kinds of spirits. They are driven by the wind and tossed around having no foundation as to why they exist and for what purpose they were created. The Christian marriage has supernatural protection. Even if only one parent is saved and the unsaved person remains within the marriage there is a covering. It is important to note that Christian marriages are not exempt from attack, in fact, your anointing draws more attack than those outside as the devil has already defeated them (temporarily, if you run to Jesus).

When a husband and wife come together in agreement as touching anything on earth, God has said they will have it. This agreement is spiritual. The mere fact they have become one through sexual intimacy and one inline with God’s favor as this union is blessed by God they have a constant stream to draw from. It is not good for man to be alone. When the woman was created she completed the man. They fit together perfectly like a puzzle. Their love creates the next generation and you can see instantly why Satan works so hard to destroy this union. Each baby that is born from a woman covered by her husband and then God is a huge problem for the kingdom of darkness.

The mind of this child is protected by their parents and anyone seeking their harm will only be the child’s promotion for the kingdom of God. Statistics show that when a husband and wife raise their children in the admonition of the Lord they are without psychological trauma that many children in world experience. They know God and God loves them and they prosper in his kingdom.

Prayer for the Christian marriage: Forgive me of all my sins. I forgive my spouse for sinning against me. We invite the Lord Jesus Christ into our dwelling place. We ask him to rest in our home. We ask him to bring peace to our home. We ask him to evict evil spirits that may be hiding in our home. We ask him to identify for us gateways and ways to close them, so that our family is safe from evil. We ask the Lord Jesus to anoint our heads with the oil of gladness and to shower down blessings that overflow into the next generation. If I have a participated in any occult behavior, karate meditation, yoga mediation, premarital sex, whatever evil spirit from these things, go in Jesus name. Any spirit of depression that likes to linger, you go as well in Jesus name. Now Lord Jesus, refresh, renew, restore, replenish, in Jesus name.

A TOUCH OF THE MASTER’S HAND

Sometimes the sweetness of God’s power can be overlooked because we don’t know or realize that aspect of him. Always remember that God is love, he sometimes doesn’t move in our timing, but he moves regardless. Allow this story to encourage you especially if you have a parent or loved one suffering from dementia or an illness that has affected their mind.

There was an elderly grandfather who had dementia and was in the last stages of that illness. The grandfather lived with his son’s family. One of his grandchildren was a girl of about 10 years old who loved her grandfather very much and couldn’t understand why he said things that didn’t make sense. She didn’t understand why he would yell out words in the middle of the night and wake everyone up. She didn’t understand why he didn’t know who she was. She didn’t understand why he changed and didn’t laugh and joke with her like he used to.

One day the granddaughter was exploring her grandfather’s possessions that were all stored in the attic of their home. She opened one of the trunks that she thought appeared to be a ‘pirate’s’ chest. To her surprise among other things it contained a violin case which she immediately opened. No her young eyes weren’t trained or she would have been able to recognize the caliber of musical instrument that this violin was.

From that time and for many days she would sneak up to the attic, take the pristine violin out of it’s case and hold it. One time she actually took the bow and ran it across the strings, which produced a squeaky sound. From that time on she kept practicing on the violin’ She was cautious to play softly so that no one would hear the ‘out-of-tune’ sounds she made on it and take it away from her.

The grandfather’s health was deteriorating rapidly and this was hard for the little girl who deeply loved her grandfather or “Papaw” as she called him. The girl’s name was Sierra. Sierra had been told that her grandfather was very sick and that she wasn’t to go to his room unless her mom or dad was with her. One day she decided to break those rules. Sierra decided to go into the grandfather’s room with her newly found violin and play him a song, howbeit she knew no cords but she could make noise.

When Sierra stood by his bed and begins to move the bow across the strings, her grandfather’s eyes opened slowly. Eyes that were dim and stayed mostly shut opened and revealed faded blue eyes that somehow became brighter when he saw the worn instrument. He looked at his granddaughter, smiled and barely could speak these words…”Play on my child. You are doing a fine job”. Sierra was so surprised with his response that she grinned back and said, “Grandpa..you like my music”? The very weak man whispered the words of confirmation, but what happened next was almost a miracle. He asked Sierra to allow him to hold the violin and he actually lifted himself up off his pillow. The weak and very sick man had regained strength almost supernaturally.

Now by this time the son was standing in the doorway of the bedroom. With weak hands and a very feeble back, he set up on that make shift hospital bed with a strength that hadn’t been there for years. Unbeknown to his granddaughter but known to his son was the fact that her grandfather had been a concert violin player with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for many years before he became ill.

The unimaginable was happening as the old man took the violin and the bow and began to play it. What amazing cords he struck, what amazing posture and poise his tired and sick body began to exemplify. The son couldn’t hold back the tears, the tears of joy and peace. Most of his life he heard his father play that very same violin, but this time was different…he knew in his heart it was the last time he would hear his father play.

Sierra was in awe…she was mesmerized by the beautiful tones coming from the violin. Her grandfather appeared to somewhat glow in Sierra’s eyes anyway. The sound of the violin echoed throughout that home and for a few minutes it was like angels joined the orchestra, surely it wasn’t just one violin that was played?

Those moments were just that… moments and then they had to end. The grandfather looked at his son and smiled, he looked at his granddaughter and spoke softly to her; “My child…carry on with loving this instrument, play it for me even though I won’t be around to hear you. Play it with everything that is in you my child…do it for me”. With those words and very weak and shaking hands the grandfather gave the violin to Sierra. He laid back on his bed, closed his eyes to never open them again.

Sierra went on to become a concert violin player just as her grandfather requested. I wrote this story to bring out a point that I want you to know. It took just a touch of a master’s hand to bring an instrument’s sound to a level of a symphony orchestra’s caliber.

Think about God, he can supernaturally touch you and make your life valuable. He can bring a life to order and remove the chaos. He is the master and you can know him today. He is only a prayer away. What do you need him to do? Do you need to know that someone cares? Do you need encouragement? I want to give you that today.

God’s Word says that, he inscribed your name on the palm of his hand, he loves you. You are HIS creation and his Word also says in Jeremiah 29:11, ‘I know the thoughts I have toward you, says the Lord. Thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope’. Trust him today…he is just a prayer away.

picture #1  by  freshphoto
picture #2 by fotoroto

By Sheila (Guest Post)

Send guest post submissions to: inimnez@aol.com

ABIDE IN CHRIST

What does it mean to abide in Christ? It means no longer living the way an individual has lived without Christ. Previous to the life of Christ a person lives with no regard for the creator’s desire. The creator has allowed this individual to live on earth and even fed this person but the individual lives within the parameters of his/her carnality. This person is not living under any rule but the rule of self-fulfillment. Whatever the person desires, sex outside of marriage, drinking an excess, cheating, lying and stealing, nothing is too far outside this person’s ability or completion, but Christ has shown us another way. To abide in his love is to keep his commandments (John 15:10). In order for one to keep the commandments of God, one must know them. The commandment is to love one another (John 15:12). A person is most like God when they love God and love people also. We demonstrate this love through our commitment to abstain from having sex outside of marriage, drinking an excess, cheating, lying and stealing. We demonstrate our love to God by not forsaking the gathering together of the brethren and by spending time in prayer. We abide in Christ through the spiritual formation of fasting and isolation. All these things encased in the love of God are abiding in Christ. It is a continuing process that requires daily attention. Our desire is with regard to our creator. Our power in prayer becomes effective because unlike a life previous to Christ we begin to learn how to pray. Our heart prays the things God desires. Intertwined with the life of Christ represented in our love for the brethren. We love so much because God loved us so much and the things we commit to doing are always out of this heart of love for our neighbor. If a person hates his brother the Bible says how can the love of God be in this person (1 John 3:15). Abiding in Christ is rolled up in loving God in reading the word, prayer, and fasting inwardly and outwardly through love seen and felt by people around the one abiding in Christ.