joel osteen: God as Father

---be blessed---c

Exodus--the departure--replay

The word for today is Exodus 6: 8 and 9.  A paraphrase (c3): -- I will bring you into the land that I swore to give your forefathers and it will be your very own property.  I AM the Lord!  So Moses went and told the people what The Lord had said, but they would not listen anymore.  They had become too discouraged by the increasing burden of their slavery.--

The burden of their slavery had taken over their believer.  The vision had gotten buried under circumstances.  Hopelessness had swallowed up hope.  Their ancestor Abraham had received the word of the slavery and the deliverance.  That story had been handed down through time to the people that Moses was talking to.  Instead of looking at the promise of God, they had successfully been taken over by the cares of this world.  Their slavery had been bad enough before, but just before this in scripture, the Hebrew slaves had been told to not only make as many bricks as they did before, but now they had to get the straw themselves also.  What we need to take away from this:

Sometimes things get worse before they get better. 

God's promises are true.

Believe everything that God tells you.

I think that if the children of Israel would have listened to Moses and just packed up and left, the Lord would have protected them and they could have walked right out---by faith.  But there are a lot of lessons about human nature that we would not have in the bible if they had just believed the Word and acted on it.  This blog could get really long if I chase that down.---Be Blessed---c

God is Awesome in this place

I have to post this from a brother in Christ newly added to our fellowship at Evangel Christian Fellowship www.ecfmauldin.org

What a wonderful Sunday Service this day of May 2nd, 2009

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Today at 1:54pm

God is so good. We had a woderful chruch service. So good that I wanted to make mention of it. I got there late (only 5 minutes) and felt that I was missing out on the praise and worship. Little did I know what God was going to do today. I have been saved since 1979. It was at South Hills Assembly of God. I attended that church until sometime in the early 1990's. It has been quite some time since I had participated in a church that had the outflowing of God's Holy Spirit in that same way. This is not to take away from the churches I and my family have attended since that time until now. Each one had something that was unique. I have longed for the supernatural working of God in the church services I have attended since then. During praise and worship the praises of the congregation was like a wave of praise flowing from one side of the church to the other. The gifts of the baptism were openly excercised. A word of knowlege fitly spoken, healing, prophesy, and so on were abundant. I have had glimpses of that since then. When I moved to South Carolina I remember driving past a chruch not far from where I am living. I felt God telling me to go to it. It was like a magnet pulling me to it. I did go there and was blessed. I tried to look around for another church to attend and found that God did not want me to do that. I am so glad that I listened to Him. The church services have been what I had been longing for. Last Wednesday night it was awsome. For someone who has not known what it is like to feel God's move in a service I will try to describe it. While singing the songs I am overcome with joy in knowing He loves me. Feeling peace as I begin to think on things that have me bound and asking God to take care of my cares. To release those things to Him to let God be God! Wenesday was awsome. No one wanted to leave after the service. We all stayed and talked to each other. Sharing what we noticed during the service, what God had done for us at that moment. "To God be the glory!" has been my thoughts lately.

Today Pastor Wayne never got to preach the message he had prepared. Instead it was a time of prayer for members of the congregation, a time of praise, people sharing how God had moved in thier lives, a time of joy, a time of recomitment for some. God is moving in that place. Something speacial happened for me today. Actually two things happened of significance in regard to myself. I have gifts that I received from God when I received the Baptism in the Holy Ghost. I have the gift of prophesy, it scared me so much when I received it that I did not excercise it. I know now that I have this for God's purpose and need to be faithful. However that is not what I wanted to share. I was speaking quietly in tongues today. It was not loud as I was not sure if it was for interpretation. As I was speaking I felt impressed that I should speak louder. However, I did not (I wondered about that too). Not mroe than a minute a man in front of me gave the interpretation. Wow, I have never experienced this for myself! Ok, so you can read this and possibly doubt, why do we deny His works when God moves in this way?

The second thing that I wanted to talk about is that a woman who does not know all of the details of our move to South Carolina had a word from God. She looked right at me and said, "God has told me to let you know that the devil has been meddling in the affairs of your move and that it will no longer be so." Then the pastor told everyone about the delays with the paperwork and the septic system problems (much of this I shared with him yesterday at the men's fellowship). I am convinced that God is truly interested in the details of our lives. This is the confirmation for me that it will be ok. I had been praying about the closing date on of the homes this week.

The presence of God was aparent at church today. It is still with me even hours later and I don't want to do anything to cause this moment to go. Just to spend time with Him. Wow, let God be glorified in this note to anyone who is in need of encouragement today. May you also be blessed in your life. Seek God he is not far away.

Roy

laughing

 I just thought everybody needed a good laugh today.  I know that I do.  When I first received The Father’s Love, I laughed for months.  I thought that I had been a pretty happy go-lucky person.  But God must have thought that I was way too serious.  One day after an encounter one morning in Spindale, NC, we went to a restaurant to have lunch.  The Spirit of God hit me so strong I could not speak.  I was laughing so hard that I could barely breath.  My wife had to tell the waitress that I was not messed up on something.  We just came from church.  We found out later that the town knew about the Spirit moving in that church.  Several people had been pulled over going home for DUI.  When the cop came up to the window and stuck his head in he would just say, ” Oh, you just got out of Evangel, try to keep it in the lines.”

   It seemed that the Lord wanted me to stop taking myself so serious.  If I started to “say grace”, I could not get much further than “Father”.  Then I would laugh.  Sometimes I could not stop long enough to eat.  Yesterday if you knew where I was in relation to this world there would be no way that I could possibly be laughing.  But I laughed and laughed and had such joy, and all I can say is THANK YOU FATHER!—Be Blessed—c

Exodus the departure

The word for today is Exodus 6: 8 and 9.  A paraphrase (c3): -- I will bring you into the land that I swore to give your forefathers and it will be your very own property.  I AM the Lord!  So Moses went and told the people what The Lord had said, but they would not listen anymore.  They had become too discouraged by the increasing burden of their slavery.--

The burden of their slavery had taken over their believer.  The vision had gotten buried under circumstances.  Hopelessness had swallowed up hope.  Their ancestor Abraham had received the word of the slavery and the deliverance.  That story had been handed down through time to the people that Moses was talking to.  Instead of looking at the promise of God, they had successfully been taken over by the cares of this world.  Their slavery had been bad enough before, but just before this in scripture, the Hebrew slaves had been told to not only make as many bricks as they did before, but now they had to get the straw themselves also.  What we need to take away from this:

Sometimes things get worse before they get better. 

God's promises are true.

Believe everything that God tells you.

I think that if the children of Israel would have listened to Moses and just packed up and left, the Lord would have protected them and they could have walked right out---by faith.  But there are a lot of lessons about human nature that we would not have in the bible if they had just believed the Word and acted on it.  This blog could get really long if I chase that down.---Be Blessed---c

General Growth Properties

  The number one search term at the time I am writing this is "general growth properties".  I am looking for some traffic here to keep me writing when I see no readers.   The truth is that I am very much enjoying hearing from God and translating His Word here in this blog.

   This morning the verse I received was Romans 5:11 "So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God---all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God."  I have just went through the last part of John and was reminded of the morning that I first got the revelation that God has called me His friend.  John 15:15 Jesus said---you are my friends.  He said this right after he told us how we could know if you have a friend,  how to measure love or friendship.

   The greatest love is when you lay down your life for someone else.  Jesus has shown us the greatest love and we are to receive that love and give it away---even as we did not deserve it and received it--we must give it away.  My one reader here has expressed a need to keep it short, so I think I need to cut this off---I feel a sermon coming on.  I think that this is the number one growth property  That we receive His Love ---and give it away.

---Be Blessed---c

chometz

As I was thinking today about the time we are in as it relates to the traditional Passover I found the title term of this blog.  I will provide a link at the end to read more.  I just posed the question to myself "what was Jesus doing on Tuesday before passover the year of his death?"  My favorite book is probably John and I knew the chapters 13-17 were about the events the night before he was crucifixion, so I backed up from there.  John 12:12  "The next day..." which would have meant it was 5 days before passover---Tuesday---today.  The triumphant entry into Jerusalem.  John 12:1 sates that six days before passover...".  He was anointed that day, and the next day was the entry into the city of David, Jerusalem.  

During that day the (Jewish passover) tradition is to search your home to find anything made with yeast to rid yourself and your household of it.  During that day a miracle happened.  John12:28--'"Father bring glory to your name."  Then a voice spoke from heaven saying, "I have already brought it glory, and I will do it again."'  Father had for the third time announced to the world that Jesus was his Son.  Then the last thing Jesus said that day "My light ...Believe in the light...and you will become children of the light.(Jn. 12:35-36)  

In thinking about the chometz, how are we to relate the search for yeast in our household?  The father of the house in the traditional passover celebration takes a candle and seaches throughout the house looking for anything non-kosher.  The big thing that they are looking for is anything made with yeast.  I immediatley think of "Beware the yeast of the pharisees...".  I believe that for me today I need to take the Light of Christ into the house of my heart and search for anything that is made of pride.  If anyone ever had the opportunity for pride it would be the Son of God himself, however, we see in John 13 He took off his robe and washed the diciples feet---even Judas his betrayers feet!  Jesus did not have to go searching his house for pride.  He was the fullfillment of humility.   Be Blesses---c    

Link for chometz  http://www.jewishmag.com/53mag/bedeka/bedeka.htm   

standing against rejection

Any human over the age of probably three years old knows or has experienced rejection.  Rejection comes in many forms but probably most often shows up in a verbal fashion.  Being accepted is a need within everyone of us.  Without acceptance we strive for a place or a purpose to feel accepted.  Church or religion is where many rejected people find their place of approval.  We do the right things and recieve the praise of men to get our approval need met.  That approval is always short lived and is temporarily satisfying.  That is rarely if ever authorized by The Holy Spirit, and it leaves us exhausted and offended because we have done it out of our flesh as an obligation and not out of The Love flowing through us by the Holy Spirit.

Matt. 3:17 says that at the Baptism of Jesus a Voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with Him."  Three verses later, the devil came to Jesus and said"If you are the Son of God, change these stones into loaves of bread."  If Jesus lived in the place that most christians live, He would have turned the stones into a truckload of bread and said "I told you, I told you, nanny nanny nanee nanee."  But as we Know he used the Word and quoted Deut. 8:3.."they must feed on every Word of God."  The Word of God had just come from heaven "This is my Son, and I am fully pleased with Him."

If we are in Christ, we are fully pleasing to Our Father God, and there is no need for us to jump through religious hoops to gain that approval.  We can be at rest while the world and religion drive themselves to exhaustion to please man and try to gain something that they already have in Christ.  The real thing is that we must KNOW that we are swallowed up in Christ.  Just as death was swallowed up in the ressurection of Christ, we are also.  Faith is the only way to gain righteousness, and the only Righteousness is in Christ---Be Blessed---c