Total Pageviews

Friday, December 31, 2010

Have You Turned Off Your Christmas Lights?


Our family took down the Christmas tree on Wednesday afternoon. The ornaments,Christmas balls, beads, and the star tucked away in their appropriate containers. As I began to take down the lights, one strand at a time, I thought about how quickly that special day came and went. Everyone is now putting away their Christmas decorations and the Christmas lights are beginning to get unplugged.
I started to ponder the night the Angels came and told the Shepard boys the news of the savior's birth. How brilliant the night sky must of been! Beams of radiant lights shining forth from the Heavens! My imagination tells me God's face was beaming with joy because of the birth of His One and Only Son, and that is what caused the Heavens to declare His birth!
My mind then went to the fact that once the 25th of December has passed, many remember the Saviors birth no more until the following year. "I wonder what people would think if I left my Christmas lights on the whole year?" I thought to my self. How many of my friends would say,"Angie, you know Christmas is over. Don't you think it's time you take those lights down. They're becoming an eye sore." I am not suggesting that we leave our Christmas lights up all year long. At least not our outdoor lights...
I am suggesting, however, One light we need to keep on at all times. Our inner Christmas Light. The Light of the truth that Jesus came born in a manger, he grew in strength and wisdom and lived a SINLESS life and He became the PERFECT,BLAMELESS, sacrifice that God accepted for our sinful lives! That my friends is the TRUE Christmas Light we must never turn off!

John 8:12, "Then Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”

Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let youlight shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

God Bless us, everyone!

A few weeks ago our family sat down to watch the famous "A Christmas Carol" on television.
It is such a wonderful movie.
I began pondering in my heart the statement that Tiny Tim made,"God Bless us, everyone!" We often go to God in prayer and we ask Him to bless our families, our health, our finances, our friends and so on....
After quite some time I have come to realize, we should be blessing God instead! We should bless Him with our families, our health, our finances, our friends etc...Do you understand what I mean when I say we should bless God?
Giving Him all that we claim to be ours! Giving Him the reign over our lives! Giving Him honor and praise at ALL times!
No matter what we are experiencing in life, nothing is so bad that we can't find a way to bless God in our daily living!
Thank Him for the salvation we have in Christ Jesus! Thank Him for breath today! Thank Him for death of a loved one,a brother or sister in Christ, for they are completely healed and rejoicing in Heaven with our Sweet Jesus! Thank Him for the set backs! Thank Him for your children! Thank Him for your spouse! Thank Him for your home, even if its not the one you've dreamt about! Thank Him for the food He has provided! Thank Him for the clothes on your back! Thank Him for the bed you sleep on each night! Thank Him for the birds of the air, the snow on the trees, the wind as it blows through your hair! Give Him Praise!
There are so many things we can be thankful for! There are SO many ways we can bless God this CHRISTmas season!
Instead of praying for God to bless us, lets pray,"God how can I bless You today?"
How can I put a smile on Your sweet face?
Let today be different! Let's bless our Savior for all He has done! AMEN!

Bless God!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Have You Cried Out to Your Abba?


Galatians 4:6 "And because you are sons/daughters, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying,"Abba Father!"

Can you remember the last time you cried out to your Abba Father? Maybe you never have or maybe it happened so long ago, you can't remember when it was.

The phrase,"Abba Father", shows a deep emotional connection with God, through Jesus Christ. Our Abba Father, adopted us through Christ's suffering and ultimate death, when we, by faith, believed in Him. At that appointed time, God sent His Spirit into our hearts and we were able to cry out,"Abba Father!"

In Mark 14:36 Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane, on His face weeping before His Father. He cried out,"Abba Father! All things are possible for You. Take this cup from Me. Nevertheless, not what I will but what you will."

I love that God wants to show His children a simple yet profound truth....Jesus, God's flesh and blood, went to His Abba in agony, asking for the cup of His suffering to be taken from Him. Yet His Abba Daddy knew that taking the cup from Jesus was not the best answer. Why? Jesus had to be the sacrifice made once and for ALL, so that we could be adopted into His family and become Heirs of Heaven. We are His children!

Jesus asked His Abba what His flesh desired. Then He said,"not what I will but what you will."

He accepted His Father's will even though His flesh wanted to give up. This tells me, even when my flesh is weak and wants to give up, I need to cry out to my Abba Daddy and ask for His will to be done, not my will.

Often times, as Christians, we let the lies from our enemy drag us down. I mean we will pray and ask specifically for something and when we don't get the answer we were looking for, we take it out on God. Some will even turn their backs on Him all together.

I believe the Spirit of God is teaching us to be as Christ. Out of obedience Christ followed His Abba Father's will, and VICTORY over death came! When we obey the will of our Abba, VICTORY is at hand! Amen!

So what is the Spirit of God saying to you? Maybe you have never cried out,"Abba Father!" out of fear of rejection. His Spirit is saying,"Forget the lies of the enemy! God will never reject the humble!"
Humble yourselves before your Abba Daddy, and let His love fill you with the peace of knowing, you belong to Him. You are His child, the apple of His eye! Nothing and no one can take that away from you!

His arms are wide open, waiting patiently for you to cry out,"ABBA FATHER, I need You!"

May your CHRISTmas be filled with His presence! AND may we Bless His Name this SEASON!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

You are the Light of the World!



Matthew 5:14
“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden."

As I was driving along the country side on my way to work this morning, I started thinking about the sun and how beautiful it looks coming through the trees. The rays were bursting forth, with brilliant power, through the slightest opening of tree branches and leaves.

To me the trees resemble my life. Often times His light shines brightly through me and then there are times when my life is consumed with my thoughts, my wants, my ways... and like the big oak tree that tries to "hide" the sun....my sin is TRYING to "hide" the SON OF GOD. Thankfully He can never be hidden completely. Thankfully His Spirit which reminds me that I am not my own. I was bought with a price, a very high price at that.

When a child of God wanders, His loving hand draws us back. Sometimes discipline is necessary but it is always because He loves us too much to leave us in our sin. If we admit our wrongs, He will forgive us!
1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness".

Once the cleansing has occurred, the stains from my sins are completely removed and the SON OF GOD is visible in my life once again. I want to be a vessel that God can shine forth His light, so that others can see and know the SON OF GOD. I want others to experience His grace, His mercy, His love and shine forth His LIGHT! Help me Lord to be Your light wherever I go and whatever I do. Continue revealing my sins to me so that I may call on You for daily cleansing. I never want to hide Your Son! AMEN

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Why, O Why Do We Go Astray

Why, O why do we go astray from the One who's blood washed our sins away?

Why, O why do we turn away from the One who's love will never fade?

Why, O why do we run away from the One who died for all to be saved?

Why, O why do we go astray?

The Lord laid this on my heart this morning and as I was saying it out loud, I thought about the love He freely gives. The unconditional love that we set out to find in the world, yet come up empty handed each time. We look for that special love in a special someone, so that the longing can be satisfied, only to find ourselves disappointed time and time again.

Why? Because there is only ONE that can satisfy this desire. He created us to LOVE Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. However, when we buy into the lie, that a human can fulfill the longings of our heart, we end up hurt. We end up on a path to destruction. We end up settling, yet longing for TRUE LOVE.

Our True Love is Jesus! He is the ONLY One who will show unconditional love to us! He is the ONLY One that will fulfill all our hearts desires, through having a relationship with Him!
The One who deserves all our devotion and love is Jesus!

Why, O why do I go astray? Jesus help me to never stray away, Amen!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

You are a walking "BILLBOARD"


Just the other day I was chatting with a friend who was very upset because she heard that atheist were going to put up billboards along some highways. "They are going to get people to say God doesn't exist. Atheist don't want people to believe in God," she said frantically. "What can I do to stop it?" she asked.

I simply said," We are not fighting flesh and blood. This is spiritual warfare and we have to fight with His Tools. Prayer is our #1 tool! We need to pray that people will not even pay attention to the billboards."

As I went to bed, I started praising God for His many blessings. I prayed about the billboard situation and then fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke up with this thought, "We are to be God's walking "billboards". So, what is a billboard or I should say what is the purpose of a Billboard? Dictionary.com says:
as a verb (used with object)
"to place, advertise, proclaim, etc., on or as if on a billboard"
According to the dictionary, it is something that proclaims or testifies....

As I was driving to work, I felt the Lord speak to me saying,"Look at the trees, they are pointing up to Me. When you look at the stars at night, they also point up to Me. Just look around, I have placed "billboards" all over the universe to proclaim I AM GOD! I created all living things for the purpose of praise, and praise is a testimony of who I AM. It's to be vertical, UPWARD, between Myself and My creation for the purpose of drawing people to Me."

I am in awe of God and the way he speaks to my heart! He has designed this whole universe to draw people to Himself. Daily He proclaims or advertises, "I AM GOD", and His children's responsibility is to proclaim He is our Lord! I am to live my life as a walking "billboard" for Jesus!

What is your "billboard" testifying or proclaiming??

1 Chronicles 16:8
"Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim His greatness. Let the whole world know what He has done."


Psalm 97:6
"The heavens proclaim his righteousness; every nation sees His glory."

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Living in the "KNOW"

I love living in the now, the present. How about living in the KNOW? There is a difference between the 2. A beautiful difference. Living in the now, is about looking at TODAY and not looking to your past or your future. Living in the now helps us to not worry about future or dwell on our past, whether victories or failures.
As I was walking with my Lord this morning, He spoke to my heart with these words. "I will never leave you! I AM is with you always." When I choose to trust Him at His word, no matter the situation, good, bad or ugly, I am living in the "know". It is being at a place in your life that you "know" God intimately. You are totally and completely depending on Him daily.
Is this hard when life throws you a curve ball? You bet. When my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, all I knew was to trust God at His Word. I knew He was not going to leave me alone during that very difficult time in my life. I knew if I asked Him for wisdom, He would answer so that I could minister to my mom during her last days. I knew if I asked Him to carry me, He would. He says,"My Yoke is easy and my burden is light." These are all in the Bible, which are hidden in my heart for the purpose of living in the KNOW!

I am loving living in the "Know"! How about you?

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Keep that fire burning!


Today as I was doing my daily devotion, a picture/thought ran through my mind.....
I saw a fireplace with a blazing fire, the colors were magnificent to look at. I could see the yellows, oranges, and reddish glow of the fire brightly dancing over the logs. I thought about how the fire keeps its intensity by someone poking and prodding, and throwing more logs on it. Once the person attending the fire decides the fire is no longer needed, they can simply stop tending to it and eventually it will die down but until the fire is completely out, you are still able see a amber glow coming from the logs, an internal glow. The fire is still there just without the flames.....
I say all this because the Lord spoke to my heart saying,"When you are sharing an intimate relationship with Me, the fire in your heart will burn with intensity. I AM the "fire starter" now you are responsible to keep it ablaze." I thought about how God has given this gift to us and we our obligated to keep the fire going.
When we have a thriving relationship with God, we are poking and prodding the fire. Each believer must choose to keep "throwing logs" on the fire, by confessing sin, praying, studying His Word, and having fellowship with other believers. All this will keep the fire in us burning bright. This Light/Fire cannot be hidden however it can die down.
So if your fire has started to die out and only a slight glow is seen, start poking and prodding, stirring up the flames and then throw on a log or two to keep the fire burning bright!

Monday, August 16, 2010

Heavy Heart

My heart is heavy today. A dear friend of mine just past away after having bleeding on the brain. This is a shock to all who love and know her! Because of this, I am reminded that life is just a breath away. At any moment anything can can happen and our life as we know it on earth is over. Death is promised to all living things."What man can live and shall not see death" Psalm 89:48
My dear friend Jeanette lived her life knowing that life on earth is temporary and her real home is in Heaven. Everyday she loved Jesus, loved people, loved life. She had an eternal purpose and she served Jesus well. She was my mentor, my spiritual "mom", my friend, my sister in Christ.
She has impacted so many people! I am sure when she stepped up to Heaven's Gates, hand in hand with Jesus, He said,"Well done good and faithful servant."
I love you Jeanette and you are missed!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

"Holier-than-Thou"

1 Peter 1:13-16,"Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be serious and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance. But as the One who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct;  for it is written, “Be holy, because I am holy.”

Why is it when people see others striving to be Christlike, they think you are trying to be "perfect" or trying to convince others you "got it all together"? I have been called "holier-than-thou" and I have to admit that I used to take offense to it until I understood the truth in the above scriptures. I want to make a few things clear, perfection is an impossible task and no one has it all together! However, with God's wisdom and the power of the Holy Spirit's indwelling, we can choose to live a life pleasing to Christ which our Father has called us to. I know, it's shocking that the One who is Holy desires us to conduct ourselves in a manner that identifies us with Himself but it's true read 1 Peter.

I want you to imagine standing before a judge who just pardoned you from a death penalty. In your excitement you say, "Honorable judge, whatever you ask I will do for I am indebted to you." There were terms and condition which led to your freedom and one is having a court ordered witness following you wherever you go, to make sure you live according to the agreement. At first you're grateful and overwhelmed with joy, not minding this witness following you around. But eventually you get tired of him watching your every move and you try to escape his presence. You want to honor the judge who set you free but you begin thinking maybe going back to prison on death row would be easier than living up to the judges expectations....

In the same sense, God has pardoned our sins and freed us from an eternal death penalty. He has sent the Holy Spirit to live in His children to help us live a life that is honorable and moral, showing our allegiance to God. It's hard to live up to His standards but it is possible because He lives in His people.

Honestly, I am tired of "Christians" looking down on those of us who are striving to live a life according to God's standards. Saying things like, "Stop judging me and acting like you're all holier-than-thou. This is my life and God is my judge." I have news for you, if you have been bought by the blood of Jesus, the Bible says, "You are not your own" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). If you truly believe that God is your Judge, then why would you live as though He is not. We will all stand before Him and give an account for the way we live our lives (Hebrews 4:13). So let's stop passing judgment and start encouraging one another to live as Christ. You say don't judge all the while you are pointing your judgmental finger at me, and when we do this to one another, are we not doing it to Christ who is in us?

Lord, help me to live my life in a way that is worthy of the Gospel. Help me where I fail and help me to not fall into Satan's traps. "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my ways. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way." Forgive me of all my wrongs.
Lord, my desire is to know You and be known by You. I desire to share Your love and forgiveness with the world that so desperately needs You. I pray, as the Body of Christ, we will live out the desires of Your heart which is; to Love You, with ALL our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and secondly, to love our neighbor as our selves. When we follow Your path, it brings GLORY to Your Name! Thank You, Jesus for ALL You went through so that we can be in an intimate relationship with our Father in heaven! All to you, I owe! You alone are worthy of our "holier-than-thou" life!
I love You, Jesus. My Savior. My King, My God! You alone are worthy of my life!

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Do You Love Him?

Our relationship with God is of the upmost importance, atleast it should be. Have you ever went a day without thinking about your spouse or children, you know those closest to you? I am positive I have never went a whole 24 hours without thinking about those I love the most. So why is it that God gets left out of our daily living?

Mark 12:30 "So love the Lord God with all your passion, prayer, intelligence and energy." The Message Bible

If I LOVE God the way I'm supposed to with All my passion(heart),prayer(soul),intelligence(mind),energy(strength), there wouldn't be a day that goes by without me thinking on Him in some way. As Jesus says in Mark we are to always be mindful of him. We are to LOVE Him with everything in us!

I am truly thankful to Jesus for all He has shown me, for the love He has given me, and for the future He has for me. I do beleive I am in a stage of my Christian life that I do NOT go a day without thinking on Him, praying to Him, praising Him, Loving Him! I DO LOVE YOU JESUS!

Monday, May 24, 2010

How will they know you are His disciple?

Do I resemble Christ? Do people see Jesus in me? That is my deepest desire! How about you? Are you a disciple of Christ? I say that I am, but I am sure I do not always resemble Him. Just ask my husband and kids, lol. I am not talking about perfectionism here either. I am talking about the desire to be like Christ. Did you know, as a disciple we are to take on the character of Christ in all areas of our lives?

I just wonder how often we pray to have Christ's character in our everyday lives? I think we try to atleast on Sunday. I mean, we go to church, greet one another with smiles on our faces, hands lifted in worship, maybe sing in the choir or the ensemble. We say a hardy "amen" as the Pastor preaches about loving one another, treat others how you want to be treated. We tear up when we hear of the orphanage in need, or when we hear of the lost people of this world dying.

I guess my question is do we truly want Christ's character in our everyday lives? If we had his character, it would show up Monday-Sunday! What Character traits do you desire more of? Compassion, love, humility, passion for the lost, patience, kindness, gentleness, etc. My daily prayer is that I would be emptied out of self, and filled with the Holy Spirit that I may be used by Him and that others will see Christ in me. Would you pray that for me and if you desire the same kind of character, let me know and I will pray for you! If we have His character,the world will KNOW we are His disciples! Amen!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

She Touched His Hem, He Touched Her Soul

“SHE TOUCHED HIS HEM, HE TOUCHED HER SOUL”

I have been waiting for Him to enter our town. I heard of the miracles; turning water to wine, healing the paralytic, driving out demons, and bringing the dead back to life! I have not seen the miracles or this Jesus; however the ones who have speak of Him with such amazement. Their eyes brightly shining like emeralds in sunlight as they shared their stories about Him. They inspired me to see this Jesus for myself.

“Could this be my chance for healing? Is it silly for me to believe this Teacher, Prophet, Healer may be my only hope?” The Doctors have given up hope in finding a cure for my rare blood disease and I have no more money for another doctor.” I thought.

As Jesus passed through town, the people were desperate to be near Him. The crowd was becoming out of control. They started to close in on Him as if to crush Him. I knew this would be my only chance. I am so weak but I have to squeeze my way through the multitude so I can get close to Him. I caught a glimpse of Him through a small opening in the crowd. Suddenly a strength I had not known for twelve years came over me. “I must get through. If I can just touch Him, I know He can heal me!I have never spoken like this before. Is this faith I have within me? I believe He can heal me! I know if I just touch Him, He can heal me if He chooses," my mind raced with excitement.

With determination to touch Him, I reached through the sea of people as I was about to touch Him, I fell but I managed to touch the hem of His garment as He passed by. I felt a surge of energy rush through my body as His cloak brushed my feeble hand. Instantly the bleeding stopped! As I lay on the road, no one noticed me, I heard Jesus speaking to His followers. “Who just touched Me?” “There are people all around you, many are touching you,” said Peter. “This was different, I felt power leave me.” Jesus replied.

“I am the one who touched You, Lord,” I said trembling in awe at what just took place. As I was speaking, He grabbed my hands and helped me to my feet. I told Him the whole story. For the first time in years, I felt heard...As He lifted my chin with His strong, warm, calloused hands and looking into my eyes ever so tenderly He said, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace with no more suffering.”

As others were desperate to have His full attention, He smiled at me with the most endearing smile and went on His way. My mission was to touch Him but in return, He touched me. He touched my very soul! My strength has been restored and now I must tell others what He has done for me. My Savior, my Healer, my Redeemer has come!

When we read this familiar story from a new perspective, I pray we are reminded of our first encounter with Jesus, when He touched our very soul and healed our “blood disorder”. One aspect of this story that I absolutely love, is that Jesus did not allow this woman to go unnoticed. He knew who touched Him, for He is God. He just wanted her to not be ashamed. He wanted her to proclaim the healing, so that others would know Him. If you have encountered Jesus and He has healed you, set you free from your sin, you are to proclaim that Healing to the world watching! If you have not had this encounter, start out on your mission to touch Him. He is waiting to touch your soul right where you are. Just call on Him and He will answer.

Sweet Jesus, because of your great sacrifice on the cross we no longer have a “blood disorder”! Thank you! Help us to come out of the shadows of the crowd and share your grace and healing with those around us. May we be found faithful until we see You face to face, fully clothed in Your righteousness. In Jesus Name, Amen

Mark 5:25-34

“And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better, she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.”Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched me?” But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”