COVERING ALL THE BASES; WOE

 I had the chill bumps on my arms-reading the passage, "Jesus led them up a high mountain, there He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. While He was still speaking a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased, "Listen to HIm!"

My heart lept with joy as I was overwhelmed with, this is who I talk to. He is my Savior. Have I been faithful how awesome, holy He is? It comes to me, "I tremble at the thought of who I talk to. I fear the Lord. 

If the world only knew the true God in Jesus Christ would they take each word captive, ponder it, digest it, recall it...is everyone remember who we talk to? Because if we do we would watch our every words when we talk about Him, we would carefully and accurately relay His message. We would never want to lead anyone astray. It would be such a grave mistake to not portray Jesus as the one and only way to eternal life.

Jesus died for us! People died for Jesus! This is serious! We must be careful, to LISTEN!

This message was a seed that began to grow and grow. We must take each word seriously. Pay attention. Be aware of who you go before. This is not a genie, a cartoon character, but Jesus. Holy, majestic, JESUS!

I ask...do you know that Jesus...the one God said to listen to?

Because that Jesus can not be tailor made to fit your needs. One that would satisfy your story. Especially if it does not agree with His whole word. Every word! No picking, no choosing, but excepting it all! Help friends, are you covering all your bases with anybodies word that tickle your fancy just so you are sure you got it all in case they are right too! That's called covering your all our bases, but is that right? NO!

A little bit of new age, sprinkle that with a little of what Buddha said and little of what this author said and this Rabbi said etc.

We cannot add to it! Jesus said woe to Korazin, Bethsaida, hypocrites, teachers of the law.

Woe

I don't want to get a "Woe" on my last breath. I want to honor God. To remember Him in His glorified state that day at the transfiguration.

Where have you lost your sensitivity to be able to LISTEN?

As the Lord...What has become more important than accurately portraying Jesus and His full words. Do you have to be right and that become more important to being right with Jesus? Do you have a heart problem? You just want to feel good about yourself? 

Do you not understand? Do you not have eyes to see or ears to hear? Do you have a hardened heart? 

How many times has God faithfully provided for you? How many times has he healed you? What is your spiritual state?

Does His glory, majesty, power matter to you? Is He your all and all? Luke 24:38, "Why are you troubled; and why are doubts rising in your hearts?"

Lets remember together these promises:

Ps. 16:11 "In your presence is fullness of joy; In your right hand there are pleasures for ever."

Is. 66:1-2 "This is what the Lord says; "Heaven is my throne; and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being? declares the Lord. "This is the one I esteem; he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my WORD."

Heb. 10:22-23 "let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us  hold unswerving to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful."

Hold fast! Don't swerve! Relinquish any control you may think you have!

Before Jesus fed the 5000 he broke bread and looked up to heaven and gave thanks. He was remember what God was telling Him would occur. The breaking of His body, the shedding of His blood. We always need to remember that!

John 10:28 "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand."

Finally I want to finish with Psalm 25 (put your name in this Psalm and make it your prayer)

In you, Lord my God,
    I put my trust.

² I trust in you;
    do not let me be put to shame,
    nor let my enemies triumph over me.
³ No one who hopes in you
    will ever be put to shame,
but shame will come on those
    who are treacherous without cause.

⁴ Show me your ways, Lord,
    teach me your paths.
⁵ Guide me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are God my Savior,
    and my hope is in you all day long.
⁶ Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love,
    for they are from of old.
⁷ Do not remember the sins of my youth
    and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
    for you, Lord, are good.

⁸ Good and upright is the Lord;
    therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
⁹ He guides the humble in what is right
    and teaches them his way.
¹⁰ All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful
    toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.
¹¹ For the sake of your name, Lord,
    forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

¹² Who, then, are those who fear the Lord?
    He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.^[b]
13 They will spend their days in prosperity,
    and their descendants will inherit the land.
¹⁴ The Lord confides in those who fear him;
    he makes his covenant known to them.
¹⁵ My eyes are ever on the Lord,
    for only he will release my feet from the snare.

¹⁶ Turn to me and be gracious to me,
    for I am lonely and afflicted.
¹⁷ Relieve the troubles of my heart
    and free me from my anguish.
¹⁸ Look on my affliction and my distress
    and take away all my sins.
¹⁹ See how numerous are my enemies
    and how fiercely they hate me!

²⁰ Guard my life and rescue me;
    do not let me be put to shame,
    for I take refuge in you.
²¹ May integrity and uprightness protect me,
    because my hope, Lord,^[c] is in you.

²² Deliver Israel, O God,
    from all their troubles!

THE PRIZE

 

I am taking time with God alone and He is giving me a message.

I started with a Prayer.

My father who art in heaven hallowed your name

Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Lord as things transpire here on earth,

Help me to interpret things with your heavenly wisdom. What is the best questions I should ask of you

Father right now? Why is this happening? No, but what are you using this all for. Transforming and training me to go down your path and your ways. My desire is to please you Father. Your love is perfect. Why review this past again? I have glanced at this past with much prayer and consideration.  Laying down at the cross, the orphan spirit, the abandoned child, the rejection. I am aware Father that your perfect love is what we need, your zoe life,  substance, peace here in life. No human beings can give me happiness. Seeking you to be my perfect abba Father. 

As I prayed this I hear in my head “Press on for the prize”, I look for the verses by following the word “prize”  the verses in 1 Corinthians 9 come to mind.  Paul talks about preaching the gospel as his primary matter of existence. Verse 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. 24-27 Running for the prize. Being qualified. Paul gives us direction as how to deal with the past.

The explanation of righteousness and everything in the past, losing all things. Verse 8- “I consider them “Rubbish”, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

Col. 3:13-“Brothers (sisters) I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do :  Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus!

 ONE THING…here it is again. Pressing forward.

I am armored in the Lord Jesus Christ. Asking him what now. 

My soul is satisfied in Christ alone. I reconciled to Christ when I was 26. My mission was to raise my children in the word and that the Holy Spirit would lead them, for them to live for Christ and He will direct our paths when we trust in Him. No friend, husband, wife, cousin, aunt, step-sister, child, co-workers, animals, neighbor can do that. NO ONE.

Anyone who puts things before Christ will struggle.

What’s next…

I am waiting on the Lord.

 I remember when my mom died. I was kneeling on a stone path on a rural road and crying, really God this is the end of the story. Really no manifestation of healing for my mom on earth. It’s all happening in heaven? Crying. I called a friend that prayed  over me and said, “Lord we grieve differently, do not let the spirit of grief come over her. Let your spirit come and comfort her now.” I stopped crying and realized this truth. Our home does not reside here on earth. It is in heaven. Glory! Glory be my mom stands in glory with the glorious King Jesus!

People do not satisfy, but we give that job over to Christ and join in His work. We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Eph. 2:10

Letting the process go…giving it to Christ Jesus at the foot of the cross…waiting on Him…being still….

 

Elaine

COURAGE? 2022

 

My word for 2021 was JOY! God in divine ways showed me that would be the word and he gave me a fresh message that confirmed over and over that would be the word for the past year. He even brought me to a point where I got a lovely puppy named JOY!

 

Now in this season he started showing me courage. It all started with the revelation from the word. Jesus said, “Be of good cheer or take courage”! When He revealed himself to the disciples in Mark 6:50. He took them from feeding the 5000 to saying, “get immediately in the boat.”  He removed them fast from going over (processing it over with those around) the miracle with the crowd where the reactions could have been all over the place. He wanted them removed. He had them get in a boat assuring them to go to other side. 

Immediately has emphasis in the Greek. Jesus the one who promises us peace did not take them to a peaceful situation. He took them to a STORM! They were terrified. They needed to remember the miracle that just occurred. Jesus was always in the business of discipling. Stretching them. Teaching them. Training them. He cared about their hearts. He saw that hearts. “Their hearts were hardened.”  

As we look throughout the Bible Moses, Joseph, Esther, Ruth…to name a few, had to have COURAGE=be of good cheer to get through tough times. We today must take the word as truth and not change it, progressively reinterpret it, rewrite it to fit our lifestyles. So dangerous. We must take courage and stand up for truth. We go through things and it brings us to be courageous. In 2022 the word is courage. I keep asking the Lord is that the word confirm it. It started rereading the boat story, to the example of faith Fathers (rereading their stories) to last night a conservative news corespondent blurted out very boldly, “Where is our courage? We need to have courage! He said, “The fraternal twin of courage is faith!”  I can’t make this stuff up. I watch, wait, listen for God to reveal what we must know. 

The other thing God is showing me is the Greek word “life” is Zoe. In 2022 we strongly must remember that we need zoe life. John 10:10. The thief came to steal and destroy, (Jesus did not come to steal, destroy) he came that we may have Zoe life, and have it abundantly. The first Adam was born with Zoe life and he gave it away by taking from the tree of knowledge. From that day forward all things God said would point to the return of Zoe life through Jesus Christ death and resurrection. Zoe life is all encompassing Jesus teachings, time, healing, forgiveness, and eternal hope. 

To live is to grow in His Zoe life. 

So I say at Christmas and celebrating New Year  we lift our glass and say, “Be of good cheer (courage), Zoe life in 2022”!

Love how God works. He is faithful to show himself true. 

Beware our hard copy bibles will be essential in the future. Because men  and women are trying to take out or rewrite what doesn’t fit their lifestyle. Explain it away with a narrative of cultural ancient context that will change the original narrative, of marriage, family, sin, salvation (many ways to heaven), control, virgin birth and heaven and hell. 

A women wrote me her article of courage on a day when I was being challenged. I needed courage. It was so timely. I heard in my head only the words of Jesus. Be of good cheer, courage! I couldn't think other thoughts but what I needed to be courageous. I had a peace that passes all understanding go through a tough time.

You are a women of the word. I remember a way the word JOY was confirmed. I was at church on January 3 rd. Walking around at a all church time of prayer where you find someone and you pray for each other a girl approached me and said she felt led to pray over me, I said “Oh I am Elaine and she said my name is JOY!” Lol! God is good!! I cried. I was humbled to tears and prayer! I can’t make this up. 

I believe more moments of courage will come. It will be a reminder of peace.

BE OF GOOD CHEER-

 When things get tough, when you keep going despite hard times...

Jesus said it best, It is I, be of good cheer...take courage!

Do you believe Jesus?

Jesus said!

I am writing fresh lessons I am reminded from the word.

1 Thessalonians 1

I love that Paul always starts his message with grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

He is saying I am greeting you with grace. To me it starts a fresh with I want to live this for myself and I want to extend it to all the believing brother and sisters (he refers to the audience as brothers and sisters). He wants peace. He want others to live amongst each other as the Father communed with us He wants that unity in the body. We can only live in grace and peace if we abide with Jesus. 

When having issues in life. We must filter them through the word, Jesus. How he wants us to live, being holy.  Not a door-mat or goody-goody. But set apart as a child of God.

This is a powerful reminder for us all. How do we do this? Emotions are high! My inside is rocked!

Good things this happened now, because I think God is always preparing us for the future. Maybe we will even have higher emotions. We have to set aside the emotion with God. Cry! Rant! Be sad! Feel it with Him!

Jesus felt things with God in Gethsemane! Then dealt with the matter in spirit and truth.

How are you doing? God asks, "How are you doing?" Tell Him really how you are doing!

Cry! Say, "NOT GOOD". Be honest!

Be honest. repent, tell the truth to HIM!

Jesus came that we may have LIFE!

LIFE as in time! 

In the greek zoe is life! Eternal. The soul separated from materialism and circumstances. This life is only in Him. The first Adam was born with Zoe life but three it away when he took control and ate of from the tree of knowledge. From that day forward life pointed to the new for a savior. Jesus came to give us this ZOE LIFE. 

The thief came to rob and destroy, but Jesus came that we may have life=zoe and have it abundantly. He is not robbing us or destroying us, but saving us from destruction of life and no eternal life later. He gives us what we are lacking her on earth and forgiveness then when we take our last breath we are ushered into eternal life with Christ. He lives! He wants you to have more life, that equals perspective from Him as we pray and seek Him with our whole heart. 

The baby Jesus teaches us this from HIS miraculous birth.

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father[a] is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:15-17)