tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61264087722763753662024-03-12T16:28:00.469-07:00Harriett FordHarriett Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15703668166822463360noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126408772276375366.post-13184227550756970552018-04-13T05:15:00.002-07:002018-04-16T13:36:26.204-07:00We Have a Lot to Talk About<br />
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk509220705;"><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt;">We Have A Lot To Talk About <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk509220705;"><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> Readers, this is a short satire I wrote for Unidentified Funny Objects. </o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk509220705;"><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Writers of supernatural thrillers and suspense novels sooner or later come to realize the conflict between good and evil actually IS a supernatural conflict. Dean Koontz uses his talents to ask the what-if question, and then he follows it to some of its outrageous conclusions, making a commentary on modern society. What if genetic recombining could be accomplished? What if human and animal genes are mixed and produce a living creature? Is this beyond the realm of possibility?</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br />I rather like the idea of a dog with human intelligence, which is one of Dean's better books. His Frankenstein books are clearly observations on a corrupt society. The monster has far more humanity than his evil creator. However the possibility of man creating life, whether it be human or animal, clones or not, has never been abandoned by science fiction. Or science for that matter. It began in the book of Genesis with the Nephilim.</span></o:p></span></span></div>
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Following is a spoof on a genetically modified man talking to his GMO wife:</div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk509220705;"><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt;">Every day I kiss a strange girl. And also,
every night I kiss a strange girl. The same girl—you. Strangely beautiful! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk509220705;"><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt;">Not everyone has such a lovely third leg, and
you should be proud of it. You saw the admiration in my lingering glances at
your three lovely legs long before I ever asked you to be my wife. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk509220705;"><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt;">How do I love you? Let me count the ways. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk509220705;"><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt;">I love the way you wear that safety pin
through your eyebrow. An eyebrow could fall off, and I wouldn’t want you to
lose it the way you lose your ears. I really don’t mind when you borrow mine. I
have ears to spare, and mine look good on you. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk509220705;"><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt;">Genetic-recombining is becoming so popular,
even though geneticists have had some mishaps. One modified fellow came out of
the lab missing his entire left side. He’s all right now though, and in his
right mind. He’s going to run for office. Probably as a Republican. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk509220705;"><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt;">I love how active you are. Because of Genetically
Modified Organisms, the gun manufacturers have come out with specially adapted
weapons which have multi-handed grips and triggers. Naturally, some politicians
are already trying to ban them. I was so proud when you sent a letter to the
editor to explain that a man dropped dead in Iowa while pulling on his pants.
“Obviously, pants kill people and should be banned,” you wrote. After that,
people started sending dozens of designer pants to Hillary Clinton. And she
wears them. What a brave woman! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk509220705;"><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt;">Because of you, my little GMO activist, we
have the Citizens-Against-Pants people. Think of the lives you’ve saved. And
here’s another thing. The clothing designers are having a field day creating pantless-safe
attire. Everything from Scottish kilts to speedo wrap-arounds. You’ve created
more jobs than Steve Jobs. The insurance companies even have a new policy
offered to pants-owners who prefer to wear their dangerous, life-threatening
trousers. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk509220705;"><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt;">I want to let you know how fabulous you are. I
wish I had taken you out to dinner more often to your favorite restaurant. The
one that offers genetically modified food for Genetically Modified Organisms.
Did I tell you, they have started a trend by adapting their tables to the many
GMOs who are over 400 pounds?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk509220705;"><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course, the Obesity Supporters applaud the heavy
weights. Oprah Winfrey hosted a special show titled, Obesity is Optimal. Marie
Osmond was not invited. That woman has lost fifty pounds so many times she
should be shrunk to nothing by now. Kinda like the invisible shrinking man. He
still exists somewhere. Fighting off amoebas and paramecium. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk509220705;"><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt;">I do wish I had confronted you more when you
deserved it, like the time you told everyone that I don’t allow you out at night
because you might eat the neighbor’s cat. I know you don’t eat cats. It just
bothered me because some people might think that you really do. You know how
hateful those GMO-Lives-Don’t-Matter people can be. Did you hear their
president died from a freak accident? A freak fell on him. Since then, that
group has all but disappeared from the world. They’re more afraid of freaks
than pants. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk509220705;"><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt;">We’re seeing far more intelligent and discerning
clubs because of GMOs like you. The Tooth-Fairy fundraisers. The People-Who-Eat-Laundry-Soap-Packets
supporters. I’m so amazed that anyone ever thought to do that. We’ll be seeing
brain surgeons and nuclear scientists coming out of that movement, for sure. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk509220705;"><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt;">I especially like the Black-Labs-Matter Foundation.
Labradors are fine dogs. So are yellow labs and white labs for that matter. We
just aren’t allowed to mention them. It’s far too racist and discriminatory. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk509220705;"><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt;">So, my darling wife, sit down with me on the
love seat and prop your three pretty feet beside my eight. We have a lot to
talk about. You see, I’m expecting. I know. We didn’t think it would ever
happen outside the laboratory. But it has! I think we’ll be needing more than
one nest. I’m hoping they all hatch out and already have jobs. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk509220705;"><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt;">Who knows? We may even have them matured in
time to run for president against Hillary next time. Although she’s always been
well suited for president. Pant-suited that is. If we allow our youngsters to
wear pants we must warn them. Those who get too big for their pants are always
fully exposed in the end. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk509220705;"><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now about the neighbor’s cat. I’m pretty sure
he ran off with one of your ears. Never mind. I’ll lend you another one of mine.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06536175497237850106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126408772276375366.post-1010501069250006622018-03-27T06:52:00.002-07:002018-03-27T06:52:52.190-07:00Salvation is Threefold<br />
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<b>Dear Ones,</b></div>
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<b>After I understood the following, it cleared up a lot of mysteries for me. </b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Salvation Is
Threefold<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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We are created a
triune being in the image of the trinity. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
So, what three parts are we? We are body, soul, and spirit, (I Thess. 5: 23). <o:p></o:p></div>
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Hebrews 4: 12
states that only the Word of God can “divide asunder soul and sprit, and of the
joints and marrow.” I cannot define the difference adequately.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here’s what is
important. Salvation happens for all three parts of us. Not just our spirits,
as I wrongly understood for many years. Simply put, our spirit is saved
at the new birth (John 3: 5-6). Our soul is being saved by the renewing of the
mind (Eph. 4: 22-32) and our body will be saved at the resurrection when what
is corruptible shall put on incorruptible (I Cor. 15: 54). <o:p></o:p></div>
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When Jesus sweat
drops of blood, He was taking on all the sorrows and griefs (our soul wounds)
of the whole human race (Isa. 53: 4). He was pierced for our transgressions
(our spiritual death), and by His stripes we were healed (physical illness). If
you question that physical illness is part of the package, look at Matthew 8:
17, which clearly states Jesus healed physical bodies to fulfill Isaiah’s
prophecy. He is still healing diseases today because He is the same, yesterday,
today, and forever. <o:p></o:p></div>
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He paid the penalty
for all three parts of our triune being. That does not mean that we don’t have
soul wounds or physical illnesses or that our bodies will not die. That means
the curse of the Law has been fulfilled. Our appointment with physical death
does not change because of Adam’s curse (not Moses’s law). However, our spirits
have already passed from death to eternal life! (John 5: 24). Our bodies have
been redeemed from the curse of all sickness and disease listed in Deuteronomy
28: 15-68. We need only to receive by faith what Jesus provided (Galatians 3:
13). <o:p></o:p></div>
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Sorrow comes,
but we sorrow not as the world sorrows (I Thess. 4: 13). Soul wounds and
illnesses will happen, but as we renew our minds (souls) we learn to overcome
by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Father of
Light I rejoice in Your goodness and mercy! I could never imagine giving my
child’s life as a ransom for the wicked. How great is Your love. May I walk
worthy of so great salvation. Amen.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06536175497237850106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126408772276375366.post-44016038329590620142017-09-04T06:58:00.002-07:002017-09-04T06:58:33.917-07:00So simple and so profoundAs we participated in the Daniel fast along with several hundred people at James River Assembly for 21 days, we read how Daniel was a prophet in captivity in Babylon, but still a "highly favored" prophet according to the angel Gabriel. Daniel was not released from his captivity. He still had to serve three pagan kings over his lifetime. The favor of God came in promotion from slave to overseer, dreams and visions of the future, and divine rescue from certain death on at least two occasions. We all know the story of the lion's den.<br />
What was the secret of Daniel's favor? We know he continued to eat a kosher diet to honor God instead of the King's rich food. We know he also refused to worship false gods at the risk of death. He also worshiped God three times daily.<br />
He practiced seeking God first, His kingdom and His righteousness. He loved spending time in the presence of the Lord.<br />
In all the current teaching and emphasis on faith and how faith says what God says, the Lord is impressing on my heart that overcoming faith works by love. Yes of course we are to love one another. That is the new command Jesus gave to us in John 13: 34. However, to have faith that works by love, one must believe that God is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Love Him. Seek Him first, and seek Him for Who He is, not just for what He can do for you. The rewards follow seeking Him First--not seeking first rescue, healing, provision, etc. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all, Psalm 34: 19. This deliverance follows seeking and loving the Father.<br />
Faith that works by love spends time worshiping Him, like Daniel did. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desire of your heart. I am impressed that the emphasis is on loving Him and delighting in Him first, even if it means being willing to lay down the desire of the heart.<br />
I am confident that I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, Psalm 27: 13.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06536175497237850106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126408772276375366.post-77172521238845391942017-08-22T14:08:00.000-07:002017-08-22T14:08:31.146-07:00Is it a Sin to Blame God for evil? <div class="MsoNormal">
I have been meditating on this for days. Difficult to boil
it down to 750 words, but here it is. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Is It A Sin to
Blame God?</b> (Job 1: 22)<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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Many Christians
expect to endure afflictions and tribulation, thinking this is just part of
"suffering because we live under the curse of a fallen world." Others
are quick to blame God for the evils in this world. They forget there is a
kingdom of spiritual darkness here, and Satan is the prince of this world (John
12: 31) until Jesus comes back again. <u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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The Bible does
say, <i>"Many are the afflictions of the righteous</i>" (Psalm
34:19a, KJV). However, that is only part of the truth. The rest of this
scripture is, "<i>But the Lord delivers him out of them all</i>" (v.
19b). People who blame God for "<i>afflictions</i>" have not learned
the good part--deliverance! The Lord is not causing the afflictions, or He
would not be delivering us from <i>them all</i>. However deliverance is not
automatic. Most often it takes a good fight of faith. A fight that doesn't even
begin if a person thinks God is afflicting him to somehow perfect his faith. If
suffering perfects faith, the church would have been perfect long ago.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A careful look
at the book of Job reveals that it is not God who afflicts. It is the adversary
walking about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (Job 2: 2; 1 Pet. 5:
8).<o:p></o:p></div>
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I know what
you're thinking. Satan had to get permission from God to torment Job. True, but
it <i>was NOT God</i> who did the tormenting. Torment, death and destruction
are never God's will (Luke 12: 32). He sent His Son that we might have life abundant, redeem us from the curse of sickness, bind up our broken hearts, and bring peace that passes understanding in the midst of trouble (John 10: 10). <u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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The Lord showed
me an example. I permitted my 16-year-old daughter to drive a car. She ran a
traffic light, got into an accident, and suffered a broken leg. Shards of glass
are still embedded in her forehead today. This was <b>not my will.</b> I did not
cause it. Yet because I permitted her to drive, someone could blame me for the
accident. <u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Job 1: 22
states, "Job did not sin against God by blaming Him" for the
devastation in his life. This verse shows that it IS sin to blame God for
destruction, loss, and death. <u5:p></u5:p></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>God
permits. He does not cause. <u5:p></u5:p></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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When Mrs. Job
said, "You might as well curse God and die," she was agreeing with
the devil instead of trusting in the goodness of God. That was Satan's
objective. He wanted Job to <i>blame</i> God for his suffering and curse God to
His face (Job 1: 11). Scripture is clear that is was Satan who was afflicting Job, who "smote Job with sore boils," Job 2: 7. <o:p></o:p></div>
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God is not
interested in doing us harm. Jeremiah 29: 11 says God plans to do His people
"good and not harm." Harm is saved for the enemies of the Lord. <u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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Jesus said we
will have tribulation, "<i>But, be of good cheer, I have overcome the
world</i>!" (John 16: 33). Do you see what Jesus is saying? It is the
Father's good pleasure to give us the kingdom, (blessings and benefits) but <i>because
w</i>e have an adversary, there will be difficulties. We must fight the good
fight of faith and overcome tribulation by His power working in us. If we do
not resist, the enemy persists. Christians were not created for defeat. But so many do not know that. They are walking in the natural world and expecting only natural results. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Christian author Grace R. Roos
had a challenge which lasted for over two years, even though she exercised all
the spiritual knowledge and faith she had. The problem persisted. Satan whispered,
"You're going overboard in your zeal to make much of the blood of Jesus.
Simmer down and leave it to God." Grace knew she could not do that:
"I had to utterly believe, or abandon my stand on the power of the blood
to deliver from satanic oppression." </div>
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Grace knew that Jesus delivers the sick from
oppression (Acts 10: 38).<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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Thoughts came against her.
"You have battled this problem for two years and the end is not yet in
sight." Then the Holy Spirit quickened these words: "Do not let
anything shake your faith in the power of the blood of Jesus to overcome the
enemy. Hold your ground." <u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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She won the battle by her good
fight of faith in the blood in the blood of the Lamb and the word of her testimony: <o:p></o:p></div>
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I will not sin
against God by blaming Him for oppression. My Father loves me, and He does not
afflict, or make me sick. I do not allow the thief to steal my life, my health,
or my family. The blood of Jesus <b>empowers</b> me
for victory (I Cor. 15: 57)!" The enemy whispers, "What if you fail this time?' I answer as the three Hebrews facing a fiery furnace: Our God is well able to deliver us, but if He does not, we will not bow our knew to worship any other gods, including the gods of sickness and disease. <o:p></o:p></div>
<u5:p></u5:p>
<u5:p></u5:p>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06536175497237850106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126408772276375366.post-71300098051606918972017-01-07T07:59:00.003-08:002017-01-07T08:05:46.984-08:00Authority you do not use is Victory you will not have<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Authority you do
not use is Victory you will not have<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I used to think God postponed Adam's death on the day he sin<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">ned</span>. Actually, Adam did die that
day. His physical body lived on for 930 years, but his spirit died. That is
what Jesus calls death-- Separation from God. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
His oneness with
the Father was broken. He lost that sweet fellowship with God Who had come to walk with him in the garden each day. He lost his crown of dominion (Psalm 8:5). He lost his
garment of light, (Psalm 104: 2; Isa. 61:10;). He was naked and ashamed. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
From that day on, all mankind has been born separated from the Father
and <b>spiritually dead </b>(Col. 2:13;
Eph. 2: 1-3). Their only way to have any relationship with God was through the
blood sacrifice of animals. In Gen. 3:21, God made a garment of animal skin to
cover their sin. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
When we receive Christ, we are spiritually reborn because of
His perfect blood which paid the ultimate price and legally satisfied Heaven's
justice. God becomes our spiritual Father (Heb. 12:9). Not only are we cleansed
of all unrighteousness, We get back our garment of light (Christ's robe of
righteousness, Isa. 61:10). We have a crown reserved for us in heaven. W<b>e also get
back our dominion on earth, which is our </b>authority over the god of this world and prince
of the power of the air now at work in the sons of disobedience (Luke 10:19). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Authority you do not know is yours and do not use is victory you will not have. The
first commandment was to be fruitful, multiply and take<b> dominion</b> over the earth. Note. Satan was already there in the Garden. Adam had
the legal right to command the creep to leave (Gen. 1:26). He gave up his dominion that day and Satan became god of this world according Jesus in 2 Cor. 4:4; Luke 4: 5.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Heavenly Father, I
thank You for teaching me how to overcome the darkness that tries to steal Your
plan for my life. I exercise my authority over the enemy and command him to
leave my garden where You walk with me. In the Name of Jesus, I command you
Satan to get out! Thank you Jesus for shedding Your blood on the cross for me
and restoring my dominion over the earth. Amen. <o:p></o:p></b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06536175497237850106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126408772276375366.post-71532764146942758852017-01-06T10:59:00.000-08:002017-01-06T10:59:17.348-08:00The Cross is the Dividing Line <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="reftext"><b><span style="background: #FDFEFF; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">These are short
meditations and brief prayers for building faith for God's healing to manifest.
They are inspired by a dear friend who is renewing her mind to the fact that
healing is the children's bread. The Lord has impressed it on my heart to send
her a daily prayer, and He gives me a new insight every morning as I meditate
on His word. I am posting these insights for others who would like to have "Word
medication and Intensive Prayer." I
will begin by saying that I do not know all the answers to the mystery of
prayer for healing. God has mysteries. God has secrets. <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="reftext"><b><span style="background: #FDFEFF; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As always, the
Number One question when it comes to praying and believing for the sick is
this: Why isn't everyone healed? Three common scriptural reasons are:
Unbelief, the traditions of men which
make the word of none effect, and ignorance of the word, which includes lack of
knowing the authority of the believer. Unforgiveness is also a blocker. Faith, which
works by love, will not activate healing in an unforgiving heart. All these blockers to healing can be easily
overcome by spending time in the Word, renewing the mind, and asking the Holy
Spirit for revelation knowledge of these truths.<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b> As you
continue to pray these scriptures, the truth in them will develop faith which
comes through hearing the Word. And faith is the evidence of things not seen.
You must learn to believe what you do not see yet, until it manifests. <span class="gmailmsg">By the sun's natural light, people only believe what they see.
In the supernatural Son light, we believe first what we do not see, and then
the supernatural becomes evident in the natural (Mark 11: 23-24).</span><span class="reftext"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="reftext"><b><span style="background: #FDFEFF; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Everyone at
times will lose a loved one or a church member, while praying with all the
faith he has. Even Jesus was not always successful at praying for the sick. In His own hometown of Nazareth, "He
could do no mighty works there because of their unbelief," (Matt. 13:58 and
Mark 6:5). However, He did NOT stop praying for the sick. We should follow His
example. <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="reftext"><b><span style="background: #FDFEFF; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Let's start
with the day Jesus triumphed over death:</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Sunday<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>The Cross is the
Dividing Line (rightly dividing the Word of Truth ( 2 Tim. 2: 14-26). <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.clker.com%2Fcliparts%2FV%2Fj%2Fq%2Fl%2F3%2Fi%2Fcross-dark.svg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.clker.com%2Fclipart-cross-dark.html&docid=UMvMT-lrySO9zM&tbnid=YziQfbQ1kJnW6M%3A&vet=1&w=625&h=937&bih=904&biw=958"><span style="background: white; color: #660099; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f">
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<o:lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit">
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<v:imagedata o:href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRGNr0sX_UF5hp_-tD4lJURHwMneUYKp6Qy8vbnw2JSOTqYRS2O" src="file:///C:\Users\Harriett\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.png">
</v:imagedata></v:shape></span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I am seeing more victory when praying for healing for myself
and others today, NOT because I have any more faith than other believers. I
have learned that the Kingdom operates by law, and when I have appropriated
those laws, I see things happen.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Here is something the Lord has just shown me. In Numbers
12:13, When Miriam was stricken with leprosy, Moses cried out, "Heal her O
god. Heal her now I beseech Thee."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
This is what I call a <b>begging
prayer</b>. And this is what most believers are taught to pray and do pray. I
have prayed this way for years over two of my grandchildren without seeing any
victory.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Then I learned a kingdom law.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Moses had to pray
based on the law of blessing and cursing in Deuteronomy 28, and Miriam had
brought herself under the curse by her disobedience.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Dividing line between the old and new testaments is the
Cross. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In the New Testament, Jesus and the apostles NEVER prayed a
begging prayer for healing. You won't find one example. They simply commanded,
"be healed. Take up your bed. Walk." <b>This is the prayer of authority. It is based on the fulfillment of the
law, which Christ accomplished at Calvary (Rom. 8: 1-2).</b> He set us all free
from the curse of the law. He imparts this same authority over the kingdom of
darkness to all who believe (Luke 10: 19).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Here are two examples: <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>A begging prayer: <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
For years my mother has suffered with continual sinus
infections, allergies, and pain from metal rods in her leg. Together we have
prayed something like this: "Father, we know you are our Healer. We know
that Jesus took stripes on His back for our healing. We ask you to please heal these
maladies and pain (if it be your will) in Jesus' Name, amen." We finally
did learn to leave out the faith-destroying "If-it be-thy-will,"
because we discovered healing <i>is </i>His
will (111 scriptures declare it). Still she did not have victory over those
pains and disorders without taking a lot of antibiotics and suffering side
effects from those strong medications.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>A prayer of
Authority: <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Then we learned a kingdom--law that we have authority over
our own bodies, so we began to speak <i>directly</i>
to those aches, pains, sinuses, and command normalcy in Jesus' Name like this: <b> "Father first we submit ourselves to You to
honor and glorify Your Name. You taught us to rule and reign over the kingdom
of darkness in Ephesians 1:21. Sickness is a curse from darkness in Deuteronomy
28. So by the power of the Blood of the Lamb we overcome it! I speak to the
body and command it to be normal. I speak to pain, arthritis, disease of any
kind, and command it to leave. These curses are not staying on my mother. We do not allow sickness in the temple of the Holy Spirit. I declare the
blood covenant over her body. You're not crossing it Satan. Get out in Jesus
Name. Praise God."</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Mom <i>was instantly healed</i>, put her walker
aside, cooked dinner and drove to town! Praise God.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">* * *<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Monday<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Authority you do
not use is Victory you will not have<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I used to think God postponed Adam's death on the day he sin<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">ned</span>. Actually, Adam did die that
day. His physical body lived on for 930 years, but his spirit died. That is
what Jesus calls death. His oneness with
the Father was broken. He lost his crown of dominion (Psalm 8:5). He lost his
garment of light, (Psalm 104: 2; Isa. 61:10;). He was naked and ashamed. He
lost that sweet fellowship with God Who had come to walk with him in the garden
each day. From that day on, all mankind has been born separated from the Father
and <b>spiritually dead </b>(Col. 2:13;
Eph. 2: 1-3). Their only way to have any relationship with God was through the
blood sacrifice of animals. In Gen. 3:21, God made a garment of animal skin to
cover their sin.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
When we receive Christ, we are spiritually reborn because of
His perfect blood which paid the ultimate price and legally satisfied Heaven's
justice. God becomes our spiritual Father (Heb. 12:9). Not only are we cleansed
of all unrighteousness, We get back our garment of light (Christ's robe of
righteousness, Isa. 61:10), <b>we also get
back our dominion which is </b>authority over the god of this world and prince
of the power of the air now at work in the sons of disobedience (Luke 10:19). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Authority you do not use is victory you will not have. The
first commandment was to be fruitful, multiply and take<b> dominion</b> over the earth. Note. Satan was already there. Adam had
the legal right to command him to leave the garden (Gen. 1:26). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Heavenly Father, I
thank You for teaching me how to overcome the darkness that tries to steal Your
plan for my life. I exercise my authority over the enemy and command him to
leave my garden where You walk with me. In the Name of Jesus, I command you
Satan to get out! Thank you Jesus for shedding Your blood on the cross for me
and restoring my dominion over the earth. Amen. <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">* * *<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06536175497237850106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126408772276375366.post-13556133797485100512016-10-21T07:57:00.003-07:002016-10-21T07:57:30.063-07:00Is it Fair to Blame God for All the Suffering in the World?<div class="MsoNormal">
Is God really to blame for all the evil and suffering
in the world? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Would a loving God really create a beautiful and
perfect planet and then add germs, viruses, bacteria, destructive and
catacaclysmic upheavals, earhtquakes, suffering, and death just to torment His
creation? Some say yes. This is to test our faith. But does such inevitable tribulation
really come from God? Jesus taught us to pray, "Deliver us from the evil
one. . .Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." These evils do not
come from heaven, although they do perfect patience in us according to James
1:3. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In keeping with His character of perfect love and
holiness, God did NOT create Satan. He created Lucifer, a beautiful archangel
filled with music and called the star of the morning (Ezek. 28: 11-17).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When Lucifer rebelled, he took a third of the angels
with him (Rev. 12:9). Some people
believe that Satan lives in Hell. God did prepare hell for the devil and his angels, (not
people originally) Matt. 25: 41. However Satan and his mionions are not there
yet. Where are they?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jesus saw Satan fall like lightning to the earth. So
now we have the appearance of evil on the earth. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Satan, the deceiver, immediately went to work to
destroy the perfection of God's creation. He caused Adam to lose dominion
through sin, and then he stole Adam's crown (Heb. 2:7) and became the prince of
this world (Jn 16: 11). Now we have two invisible kingdoms here on earth, the
kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of Light (Col. 1:13). There is a spiritual
war going on and it does affect this planet. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We know that was not God's will. Sin and death (death is
defined in John 5:25 and Gen. 2:17 as separation from God) was never God's will.
He wanted to walk with us and talk with us as He did with Adam and Eve in the
Garden It is not His will that any should perish but that all should come to
repentance (2 Pet. 3:9). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We also know God had a secret plan, even before the
foundation of the world, to redeem it (Rev. 13:8).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We know it was a secret plan because I Cor. 2:8 says
the rulers (Satan and his cohorts) of this world would not have crucified our
glorious Lord if they had understood God's amazing plan of redemption. Satan
could not guess that the last Adam (I Cor. 15:45) would reverse the curse. He
could not comprehend such great love the Father has for us. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Satan did not guess the power of the blood of the lamb,
which was God's own blood. God paid the penalty for Adam's sin and legally
fulfilled the law of righteousness. Then He invited all who would receive Jesus
to enjoy eternal life (John 3:16). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
God also has a plan to restore earth to its original,
perfection (Rev. 21:1). Death and suffering are not His will. The last enemy to
be destroyed is death (I Cor. 15:26). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
God gets the blame for so many horrible things that are
not His will. Think about this. If I permit my son to drive my car, I expect
him to obey the traffic laws and drive courteously and responsibly. It is not my will
if he chooses to drive recklessly, or drunkenly, and causes an accident that
takes lives. But ultimately, am I to blame because I permitted him to drive? It
could be argued so.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If the young man recovers, repents and asks forgivenss
for the accident he caused, should he be allowed to drive again? What would the
father say?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06536175497237850106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126408772276375366.post-85374941642260743622016-09-02T13:13:00.001-07:002016-09-02T13:24:11.722-07:00Ever had computer gremlins? Computer gremlins! Some very mysterious things have been happening to my blog. My genius webmaster designer was probably ready to pull out her hair and mine too.<br />
Dumb and dumber describes me when it comes to computers. I do not know what a URL is.<br />
I have so many passwords that my file is as thick as a dictionary! And when I look for them, they keep changing.<br />
Does anyone else out there have that problem? There's got to be an easier way.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06536175497237850106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126408772276375366.post-71777353350132214242016-09-02T13:10:00.002-07:002016-09-02T13:20:51.151-07:00This is a testThis is a test!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06536175497237850106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126408772276375366.post-38018933202267204152016-07-04T13:52:00.001-07:002016-07-04T13:55:30.670-07:00Page Turner Runner Interview featured me on Faith Writers<h2 style="background-color: white; color: #665e59; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Gerogia, "Times New Roman"; font-size: 30px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 30px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<a href="http://faithwriters.com/blog/2015/12/15/meet-page-turner-runner-up-harriet-ford/" style="color: #025687; text-decoration: none;" title="Meet Page Turner Runner Up Harriet Ford">Meet Page Turner Runner-Up Harriet Ford</a></h2>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #665e59; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" />
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http%3A%2F%2Ffaithwriters.com%2Fblog%2F2015%2F12%2F15%2Fmeet-page-turner-runner-up-harriet-ford%2F&layout=standard&show_faces=false&width=450&action=like&colorscheme=light" style="background-color: white; border-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #665e59; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; height: 60px; overflow: hidden; width: 450px;"></iframe><span style="background-color: white; color: #665e59; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><span class="postmeta" style="background-color: white; color: #ff7100; display: block; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "arial" , "verdana"; font-size: 14px; text-transform: uppercase;">DECEMBER 15TH, 2015, AUTHOR: JOANNE, CATEGORIES: <a href="http://faithwriters.com/blog/category/announcements/" rel="category tag" style="color: #ff7100;" title="View all posts in Announcements">ANNOUNCEMENTS</a>, <a href="http://faithwriters.com/blog/category/member-interviews/" rel="category tag" style="color: #ff7100;" title="View all posts in Member Spotlight">MEMBER SPOTLIGHT</a></span><br />
<div class="postcontent" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(231, 223, 222); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(231, 223, 222); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; color: #665e59; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 10px;">
See<a href="http://faithwriters.com/blog/2015/12/11/meet-2015-page-turner-champion-debbie-roome/" style="color: #ff7100;"> Page Turner Champion Debbie Roome’s interview here</a>.<br />
Harriet Ford is a writer and speaker, and FaithWriters member – and a runner up in the FaithWriters 2015 Page Turner contest. Read on to learn more about Harriet, her novel in progress, and get a peek at her sense of humor.<br />
<em><strong>JOANNE SHER</strong>: First of all, congratulations on your Page Turner placing! Can you tell us a bit about how you found out? What was your reaction?</em><br />
<strong>HARRIET FORD</strong>: I first discovered my Page Turner placed from your email request for an interview. I said, “Wow! Thank you Lord.Woo Hoo!” I must have sounded like Daffy Duck. The Lord doesn’t mind. He knows what a joyful noise is, even if it sounds ridiculous.<br />
<em><strong>JOANNE</strong>: When do you first remember developing a passion/love for writing?</em><br />
<strong>HARRIET</strong>: I fell in love with storytelling when I was a child. My dad could spin wondrous yarns at bedtime and I insisted on one every night.<br />
<em><strong><a href="http://faithwriters.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/harrietford.jpg" style="color: #ff7100;"><img alt="harrietford" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-6689" src="http://faithwriters.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/harrietford-300x300.jpg" height="300" style="background: rgb(247, 243, 239); border: 3px solid rgb(219, 205, 190); float: left; margin: 0px 10px 2px; padding: 2px;" width="300" /></a>JOANNE</strong>: So you started young. <img alt=":)" class="wp-smiley" src="http://faithwriters.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif" style="background: rgb(247, 243, 239); border: 3px solid rgb(219, 205, 190); padding: 2px;" /> Is writing a hobby or potential career for you?</em><br />
<strong>HARRIET</strong>: Writing is a career for me. I am a veteran newspaper columnist and reporter. In the late 1980s, I entered a contest to replace the then-famous Ann Landers. I was in the top 100 of 11,000 entries. My editor gave me an advice/humor column which appeared weekly from 1990 to 2014. I’m good at advice. Just ask me. Everyone is entitled to my opinion.<br />
<em><strong>JOANNE</strong>: Share a bit about</em>Voodoo Vanquishing Vixen<em>. Where did you get the idea for it? What’s it about? How far along in it are you?</em><br />
<strong>HARRIET</strong>:<i> Voodoo Vanquishing Vixen</i> is a suspense adventure with a hint of romance for readers of all ages, especially those who have grown up on Harry Potter and the Vampire series. It is the first of a three-part series called “Beyond Fantasy.” There is a biblical message wrapped inside which illustrates why witchcraft is forbidden by God. As a retired school teacher, I know what kids are reading and I’m very concerned.<br />
<span id="more-6684"></span>What inspired me? My Grandmother visited a fortune teller at a state fair as a young woman. The psychic could not “read” her, but she said this: “You have the power to become a medium.” When my grandmother asked her how to do that, she answered, “You have to curse God.” Grandmother refused because she loved the Lord. When I began to search biblical answers about occult subjects I soon realized there is a kingdom of darkness and a kingdom of Light. The enemy has his prophets, witches, and more. There is a hidden reality behind the game playing.<br />
<em><strong>JOANNE</strong>: Definitely issues many want to avoid – but shouldn’t. I am glad you are writing about it. How did you find FaithWriters and what made you stick around?</em><br />
<strong>HARRIET</strong>: I discovered FaithWriters while browsing the web and love what that site is doing to encourage believing authors. I have made friends with many of the members.<br />
<em><strong>JOANNE</strong>: What kinds of books or genres to you prefer to read and/or write?</em><br />
<strong>HARRIET</strong>: I read in a variety of genres, by a variety of authors. History, mystery, spiritual, suspense. I write Bible studies, devotions, answers to spiritual questions on my blog: www.hlfordbelieve.com I write every day.<br />
<em><strong>JOANNE</strong>: Tell us about your family.</em><br />
<strong>HARRIET</strong>: I am the wife of one husband (thank God), mother of two miracle daughters (God healed my barren womb), and grandmother of four gorgeous grandkids who are superb. Just ask me. I also have a little dachshund who is a Christian. I know this because she is perfectly obedient to the words of Jesus: she eats the crumbs from under her master’s table. I haven’t heard her pray yet, but I’m sure she will one day.<br />
<em><strong>JOANNE</strong>: Love your sense of humor! What are your other passions besides writing?</em><br />
<strong>HARRIET</strong>: My other passions are leading a women’s Bible study and prayer group, volunteering at a ministry-gift shop in Branson, and speaking for Stonecroft women’s connection luncheons where I get to tell the story of Jesus and His miracle-working power in my life. I have spoken at Faith and Wisdom Church in Branson at a women’s conference. The Purple Shoes (Treasures of the Heart Women’s Conference) has asked me to speak again in April of 2016.<br />
<em><strong>JOANNE</strong>: Do you make New Year’s Resolutions or goals? If so, what do you hope to accomplish in 2016?</em><br />
<strong>HARRIET</strong>: I do not make New Year’s resolutions. I do set goals. I am in the process of completing the third book in the Beyond Fantasy trilogy. I can’t wait to see how it’s going to end. There is no outline or plan for my chapters. I sit at my computer and ask the Lord to help me keep it entertaining and to handle all scriptural activities (both dark and Light) honestly in a way that will bless and minister to the reader. Knowledge rests not on Truth alone, but on recognizing error. I want my children to know the difference.<br />
<em><strong>JOANNE</strong>: How can people connect with you online?</em><br />
<strong>HARRIET</strong>: People can connect with me on<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Harriett-Ford/e/B001K8X4Z4" style="color: #ff7100;"> my author’s page</a>, my <a href="http://hlfordbelieves.com/" style="color: #ff7100;">author’s website,</a>and <a href="http://faithwriters.com/blog/2015/12/15/meet-page-turner-runner-up-harriet-ford/www.facebook.com/Harriettbarnettford" style="color: #ff7100;">on Facebook</a>. I do enjoy hearing from my readers.<br />
<em><strong>JOANNE</strong>: Is there anything else you would like to add?</em><br />
<strong>HARRIET</strong>: Would I like to add anything? Tell Santa I want a fat bank account and a skinny body. Last year he got that mixed up.<br />
<h2 style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Gerogia, "Times New Roman"; font-size: 30px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 30px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">
Hehe <img alt=":)" class="wp-smiley" src="http://faithwriters.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif" style="background: rgb(247, 243, 239); border: 3px solid rgb(219, 205, 190); padding: 2px;" /> Congratulations again – it was great learning more about you!</h2>
</div>
Harriett Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15703668166822463360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126408772276375366.post-17527071328093955392016-05-26T13:37:00.001-07:002016-05-26T13:37:25.770-07:00Drowning is not an Option <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<b>Drowning Is
Not<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<b>An Option
With <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<b>Jesus in the
Boat<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<i>Please
wake up Jesus. Don't you care that I'm sinking? </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Sometimes reality
can strike with tidal wave force. This was the year it slammed into me,
wave by wave by terrifying wave. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
I
was already grieving for my dad, in the latter stages of prostate cancer, when
my best friend suffered fatal injury in an auto crash. Margie lived eighty
painful days in ICU. The night she died, my younger daughter was in surgery at
the same hospital for injuries she received in a separate traffic accident. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Before
I could steady my swamped emotions,<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span>another
wave came rushing at me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
“We
spotted something on your mammogram that looks suspicious,” said my doctor on
the phone. “It’s probably nothing but we’ll do a lumpectomy to be sure.
Now have a nice day,” she offered pleasantly.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
“A
nice day? You’ve just told me that a cobra could be loose in the room with me
and I’m supposed to have a nice day?” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
I
hung up and pondered her terminology.<i> Mammogram. </i>The very word sounds
like it should be done entirely by mail. However, I couldn’t mail my
“suspicious” breast in an envelope for the lumpectomy—a lump that was probably
nothing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Later
that week, I sat stripped to the waist, my breast squeezed flat by a clamp. The
X-ray technician, a young man, entered the room. “How are you today?” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
“Fine,”
I answered, <i>fine as any woman can be, half naked and clamped by a device
with a needle inserted into her breast while a grinning male looks on</i>.
If ever I needed a delusion of grandeur as a survival tool, this was the time,
but there’s little room for pretense when you’re disrobed. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
“It’s
probably nothing,” he said while positioning the machine. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Nothing?
The <i>what-ifs</i> kept whispering in my ear. What if it’s not benign? What if
it’s spread? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
What
was I thinking? I chided myself on being morbid and switched the <i>what- ifs </i>to
another topic. What if green hair grows on my chin? What if Bigfoot shows up on
Dancing With The Stars? Since worry won’t change anything, why bother with it? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
That
afternoon, the lumpectomy completed, my husband held my hand while the
surgeon gave us the news. “I removed the tissue, and . . ." she began and
paused. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Her
next words washed over me. "I don’t expect this to be
benign. We’ll wait for the report, but I should prepare you that we will
probably be removing the entire breast.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
She
spoke calmly, precisely, her clinical voice devoid of emotion. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
We
stared at her, stunned into silence by what was “probably nothing,” now <i>something</i>
that must be dealt with further. Something that could disfigure me. Leave
me less than whole. Affect my marriage. Fear of disfiguring scars and a
mutilated body almost shoved me underneath the shock wave. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
I
did not know what our insurance would cover. In this country, Hollywood queens
regularly augment their breasts. That reveals a lot about our culture.
What exactly it reveals, besides mounds of bare flesh, I don’t know. I only
knew that I wanted to keep <i>my</i> body intact.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
What
would life be like with a flat chest or a lopsided one? Visions of my upper
body marred by scabbed-over, gaping wounds tormented my sleep. To make myself
even more desperately depressed, I tried on a few bathing suits. “Do you have
any <i>three</i>-pieces?” I asked the puzzled clerk. “Two for my body and a
matching blindfold for my eyes?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
My
doctor forwarded the tissue slides to Mayo Clinic for an expert opinion,
extending the time that I had to wait and wonder if my life would be
irrevocably altered.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
It
was.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Mayo
Clinic diagnosed an <em>insitu carcinoma</em>. Before I had time to consider my
ugly options—whether to have a lumpectomy and radiation, a single or even a
double mastectomy, and what method of breast reconstruction—the tsunami of
tidal waves struck. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
I
got the news during my conference with a team of health professionals, all
urging me to choose radiation. My parents had been in a serious auto accident
in Oklahoma which left them both in the hospital. Dad was not expected to live,
and Mom might not recover sufficiently to walk again. This was the third
serious car crash to strike my loved ones in less than a year.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Where
was the God I had prayed to and followed as closely as I knew how? Had He
abandoned me?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
I
felt helpless, overwhelmed by a powerful force carrying me where I did not want
to go. I left the conference and boarded a plane for Tulsa, Oklahoma,
all thoughts for my own health shoved aside. After five days, Dad was
moved out of ICU. Mom underwent surgery for a broken hip, leg and wrist.
She would recover. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
My
doctor insisted I leave my injured parents, fly back to Illinois and go ahead
with the surgery. She wasn’t certain she “got it all.” The disease could be
“spreading through my body, multiplying at 50,000 cells per day.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
I
had to think about getting the operation behind me and be sufficiently
recovered to be there for my parents when they were released. After hugging
them one more time, I boarded the plane for Illinois. Leaving them behind was
perhaps the most difficult thing I ever did. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman \, serif";">Time was of the essence. I said
no to a prolonged course of radiation and scheduled the mastectomy. Medical
staff wheeled me into the OR and left me alone. I looked up at a ghastly
array of torturous devices suspended overhead. For the first time since my
doctor’s unwelcome call, I allowed the tears to flow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
“Dear
God, I'm going to wake up in a body that will never be the same. I don’t know
how long my Dad is going to live and my Mom is very broken. Where are you?” <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman \, serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
I
had never felt so abandoned. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Surely
this was how the disciples felt when their boat was tossed and
swamped by a violent storm and Jesus was asleep, seemingly
unconcerned. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<i>Please
wake up, Lord! Don’t you care that I’m drowning?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
At
that moment, a nurse walked into the room. "Oh honey, you're crying!”
She said tenderly. “You have every right to cry. We both know they’re cutting
into more than just your body. It's your sense of femininity and your
emotions too.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Having
undergone a complete hysterectomy only two years earlier, I sniffed, “What’s
left of me will hardly be a woman.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
“Now
that’s not true. You’re a beautiful woman. Is someone here with you?
Where’s your mother?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
“She's
in a hospital in Oklahoma,” I sobbed, unleashing a fresh stream of
tears. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
“Oh
dear! Well then just pretend I’m your mother,” she wrapped her arms around
me. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
“You
have a very good surgeon and your plastic surgeon does a good job," her
words were reassuring. "He’s the same doctor who did my
surgery.” She rocked me gently and then drew back with
a half smile.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
“You
had this surgery too?” I asked, glancing at her chest.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
“No,
honey. I’ve had a weight problem all my life. I finally chose to have my
stomach stapled. Then, after I lost the weight, I had an apron
of excess skin, and Dr. Weiskopf removed it.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
She
asked me about my family, explaining why she had never married. “No man ever
wanted me, because I was always so fat.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
I
felt a stab of compassion for this kindly woman, slender and certainly not
unattractive. She’d missed out on the thrill of romance, the love of a
dedicated man and the comforts of a happy marriage. She had never experienced
the sweet delight of cuddling her newborn baby in loving arms. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
My
tears stopped. Why was I feeling sorry for myself? God had given me
a wonderful husband and two beautiful daughters. I’d had several years of
happy family life already such as this gentle woman may never know.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
I
went to sleep and woke up again with reconstructed breasts, thinking of my new
shape as probably<i> nothing</i> to be concerned about. I even laughed at my “Dolly
Partons.” Then the expanders were removed and I had popped “balloons” for
awhile, but eventually I returned to a feeling of normalcy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
A
year followed, filled with complications, a stubborn staph infection and
further follow-up surgery, but the real healing had already taken place. God
had whispered to the storm in my heart, “Peace! Be still.” I lost my dad
in that year, but the peace remained. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
I
never knew my OR nurse's name, but I call her Lilly. From her, I
learned that when you're going through wind-whipped stormy seas, God sends
the Lilly of the Valley to wrap you in His loving arms. He works through
people, and Lilly was surely His representative. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Because
of Lilly, I learned the One who walks on water will not let you drown, no
matter how strong the waves. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Afterword:
That surgery was in 1994. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Today
I am a healthy, grandmother of four, and a published award winning member of
Faith Writers. My Dad went home to be with the Lord in the spring of the following year. My mother recovered and is running her own cattle ranch in Oklahoma. My Lord is worthy to be praised, whether He is asleep in the
floundering boat I'm on, or lifting me up to walk on the water. I know I can trust Him. Drowning is not an option. </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Harriett Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15703668166822463360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126408772276375366.post-2684020266858637352016-03-30T07:13:00.000-07:002016-04-09T06:46:17.268-07:00Maybe everyone knows this, but<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="background: #F3F3F3; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt;">
<a href="http://www.hlfordbelieve.com/2016/03/not-just-for-sin-there-is-so-much-more.html"><span style="color: #888888; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16.5pt;">Our</span></a>
Three-fold Redemption:<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F3F3F3;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F3F3F3;">
<span style="color: #222222;">Maybe
everyone already knows this: </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F3F3F3; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F3F3F3; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #222222;">Most of us know that Jesus died for our sins. There is so
much more. How many know that He also died so that we might have health in our
physical bodies? And in our souls? Matt. 8:16-17 says Jesus healed all that
were ______ that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet,
saying Himself took our infirmities and bore our __________. Does this verse
indicate Jesus healed spiritual or physical illness (or both?) as a fulfillment
of Isa. 53:5. The Isaiah prophecy states, with His stripes</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #222222;"> </span></span><i><span style="color: #222222;">we</span></i><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #222222;"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222;">are
______________.</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="color: #222222;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #222222;">Does
“we” include you and me?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F3F3F3; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="color: #222222;">In the Garden of Gethsemane,</span></b><span style="color: #222222;">
Jesus began to reverse the curse which happened in Eden's Garden. We know
that Jesus became "exceedingly sorrowful," so that blood ran from his
pours like sweat. This was not a natural sorrow. It was not born of fear for
what He knew He must suffer. Yes, He dreaded being separated from His Father
for the first time ever. However, He also was bearing the sorrows of the world.
Every grief, heartache, disappointment, discouragement, He took on Himself in
fulfillment of Isa. 53:5.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F3F3F3; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="color: #222222;">When He suffered the cruel whip lashes</span></b><span style="color: #222222;"> from a cat-o-nine tails embedded with barbs, He was
taking on every sickness and disease so that believers could</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #222222;"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222;"> have physical healing by those stripes on his flayed
flesh. Prv. 20:30, "Blows and wounds cleanse away evil and stripes scour
evil which reaches the innermost parts." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F3F3F3; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="color: #222222;">When He hung on the cross and cried out,</span></b><span style="color: #222222;"> "My God," He did not use the word,<i> Father,
</i>because He was now separated from the Father. He was taking on the sins of the
world into His own sinless spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F3F3F3; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="color: #222222;">When He cried out, "I thirst,"</span></b><span style="color: #222222;"> doubtless He was suffering the body's pangs for physical
water, but even more so the spirit's thirst for the Source of Living Water from
which He had been cut off, so that by that sacrifice, we can have living water
in our inmost being for the purpose of refreshing others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F3F3F3; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><b>When He refused the sour wine,</b> He was fulfilling His own
prophecy, "I will drink wine no more until I drink it new with you in the
Kingdom." This is the promise of the best wine at the wedding feast of the Lamb and His bride.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F3F3F3; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #222222;">On the cross, Jesus also suffered actual mental torment
from Satan. He suffered in our place!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F3F3F3; text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="color: #222222;">I have met Patricia Parks of Harrison Arkansas and found
her vision of Christ's suffering to be scripturally accurate. She was walking
in a beautiful valley surrounded by high mountains. She noticed the clouds
changing shape, taking on the appearance of ferocious beasts—a lion, a big cat,
a bull, or a bear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F3F3F3; text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="color: #222222;">In Patricia’s vision, the cloud beasts looked as if they
were going to attack Jesus; however, she saw they were made only of mist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F3F3F3; text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="color: #222222;">She heard the Lord say, “The beasts were satanic
illusions. If I had believed satan’s lies while I was on the cross, I would
have been defeated, instead of victorious.” She wrote down the following words
which He spoke to her spirit:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F3F3F3; text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
<b><span style="color: #222222;">My people have forgotten what I did for them on Calvary.
I have a victorious people, but they do not live it. Nor do their countenances
show it. It grieves my heart that they do not realize what I did for them. My
people are a victorious people and they know it not. You are already
victorious, and you do not even know it. I have already wrought the victory for
you (I Cor. 15: 57).</span></b><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F3F3F3; text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F3F3F3; text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
<b><span style="color: #222222;">Let the reader note:</span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #222222;"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222;">I do not give serious credence to any claim that a
message is directly from the Lord, until I find scriptural support. The spirits
of the prophets are subject to the prophets and must be judged by scripture. In
the gospels, there are no threatening cloud beasts described surrounding the
cross. However, I asked the Lord to show me the truth, because the vision rang
true in my spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F3F3F3; text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="color: #222222;">A few days later, I read a prophetic description of
Christ’s death on the cross, written by King David some 700 years before it
came to pass. David described beasts,</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #222222;"> </span></span><i><span style="color: #222222;">strong
bulls of Bashan besetting around and gaping upon the Lord as a ravening and
roaring lion</span></i><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="color: #222222;"> </span></i></span><span style="color: #222222;">(Psa.
22:13).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F3F3F3; text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="color: #222222;">This passage confirms exactly what Patricia saw in her
vision.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F3F3F3; text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="color: #222222;">Perhaps we will never fully understand what horrors our
Lord endured as He hung on that cross, however I see His struggle in an
entirely new dimension.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F3F3F3; text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="color: #222222;">Our redemption is threefold. He suffered in body, soul,
and spirit, in order to redeem the complete triune nature of man </span>I
Thess. 5:23.<span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F3F3F3; text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="color: #222222;">We need only to believe we receive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>It is not a lack of faith to go to a doctor. </b>Jesus
said the sick need a physician. Mark 2: 17.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He is also the Great Physician, our Passover Lamb, and He
came to redeem us spirit, soul, and body, from sin and sin's illnesses.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some Foundational truths about healing from the Lord, which
the Lord impresses on my heart:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1. <b>Healing is provided in the Atonement</b>, which
includes healing for <b>all three</b> parts of man--spirit, soul, and body.
Psa. 103: 1-5; Matt. 8: 16-17; Isa. 53:5, I Pet. 2:24. (See page three.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2. <b>Healing is</b> <b>always God's will</b> <b>in the New
Testament.</b> We are under a new and better covenant. We do not need to beg
God to heal us. Although we often do and it's not necessarily wrong, just wrong
theology. Thank God He doesn't require perfect theology. Heb. 8:13.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Luke 5:13; Acts 10: 38; John 8: 28<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3. <b>Healing can be limited by unbelief</b>: Never tell
someone they don't have enough faith. Honest doubt is <u>not</u> the same as
unbelief, which appears to be a choice in the face of Jesus' miracles. The
scribes said He cast out demons by the prince of demons' power. That's
unbelief.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mark 6: 5; Matt.13: 58<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4. <b>Healing, like salvation, is NOT automatic</b>. Both
are God's will, and both must be <b>received.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
John 1:12; Rom. 10: 8-10. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
5. <b>When healing does not come immediately</b>, one
possible reason is that God is allowing the seed to take root so the healing
cannot be stolen by the fowls of the air. A longtime sick person often
needs the renewing of his mind so that when symptoms try to reappear, he can
resist and command them to leave. Mark 4: 4.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
6.<b> In the New Testament, healing comes by a prayer of
commanding authority</b>, based on the authority Christ gave to believers, Mark
16:17. Jesus commanded. <i>Rise and be healed. Stretch forth your hand. Little
Girl arise. Lazarus come forth. </i>The apostles imitated his commanding
prayers by faith in His Name throughout the New Testament. "In the name of
Jesus Christ rise up and walk!" Acts 3: 6.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is in stark contrast to Moses, who prayed, "Heal
her O God." Moses did not have the authority to command Marian's leprosy
to go. That authority is given to the believers after Christ's resurrection. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
7. <b>Healing does not have to be earned.</b> Like
salvation, none of us can qualify with our own righteousness. We come to the
Savior who qualifies us.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>WHY does everyone not get healed? There are factors that
block the blessing: <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>1. Unforgiveness in a person's heart</b> can block
the blessing. Mark 11: 23-25; James 5: 16; Psa. 66:18; <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2. <b>Healing can be blocked</b> at times because demonic
oppression is not addressed. Luke 13: 11-16.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3. <b>Faith does not trump stupidity</b>. If you
habitually abuse, neglect, or violate the natural laws of good hygiene,
nutrition, etc. you will likely reap natural consequences. Ex. 23: 25.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4. <b>Fear and anxiety can be sources of illness</b>. Prv.
3: 5-8. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>5.</b> <b>Past disappointments</b> <b>that undermine
faith in the present</b> can block the blessing: Mark 5:26; John 5: 5-7.
This requires a renewal of the mind, seeing yourself well, planning for a long
life (Psalm 91: 16) regardless of what the doctors say. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>6.</b> <b>Unbiblical conclusions can block the blessing.</b>
Blaming God for what the devil does, the thief who comes to steal, kill, and
destroy. Jesus came that we might have life and that more abundantly. Matt.
12:27. Also the whatever-will-be, if-it's-God's-will passive attitude, which is
spiritual laziness.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>7</b>. <b>Eating and drinking unworthily</b> <b>without
recognizing what Jesus</b> accomplished on Calvary can cause people to grow
sick and die before their time. I Cor. 11: 29-30. Obviously, if they are not
taught to expect redemption from sickness, they will not receive it. How can
they believe is they are not hearing. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the
Word of God.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>8. Sometimes, a believer just gets tired and wants to go
home to be with the Lord</b>. Phil. 1:23.16. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>9.</b> <b>There is also a time when physical death may be
a rescue from things to come</b>. Isa. 57:1; Psa. 37:37.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>10. Wrong speaking, or agreeing with negative reports,
can squelch faith.</b> Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Example: "Yes,
doctors diagnosed this condition, but God's Word says by His stripes I was
healed. I am redeemed from the curse of the law of sin and death. I believe I
receive my healing and resist lying symptoms." There are countless
testimonies of victories of illness, simply by the person speaking God's word
over their bodies and refusing to agree with any other report. Let God's Word
be true and every man a liar. Rom. 3: 4. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<b>11. Failure to act on God's word.</b> If the lame man did not obey the Lord's words to get up and walk, he would not have received. If we truly believe we receive when we pray for healing, we need to act on that. I'm not saying quit taking meds or stop using common sense. See yourself well and began to act and plan for wellness. Dodie Osteen got up, dressed and went about her normal activities, even though her body was weak and in pain from cancer. Within a few days, all symptoms left. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>12.</b> <b>Some people are just too spiritually lazy to
SEEK God for their healing and learn how to fight a good fight of faith.</b>
Even though we have a promise that those who seek Him with the whole heart will
find, lazy people want the doctors to do it, want others to pray the prayer of
faith, and would rather watch TV than turn the pages of the Bible. Jer. 29:13;
Matt. 7:7; John 4: 23-24. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Let all who seek Him rejoice and be glad! Psa. 40:16. <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>A good fight of faith is</b> when you get hold of God's
word, you align yourself with it, and you do not let go, even if it means lying
on your belly and reading all the healing scriptures aloud to God throughout
the night and longer--<i>however long it takes. (Two years in my case before
the symptoms left completely and stopped returning).</i> You are not trying to
change God's mind. <i>You are changing your own mental</i> <i>image of self
from one of illness to health.</i> Gen. 2:19 credits evil people with achieving
whatever enters their imagination. If they can do it, how much more can God's
people have victory by aligning their imagination with His Word?! You are also
resisting the devil. He may not flee at once, but he will flee. And he always
returns to steal the Word, so the good fight continues even after the healing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A good fight is one you can win. Arm yourself with the sword
of the Spirit (the Word). It will put the devil on the run. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Harriett Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15703668166822463360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126408772276375366.post-1489131797851337752016-03-25T07:01:00.000-07:002016-03-25T07:01:12.099-07:00The First Easter Happened Long Before Calvary<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
First Easter<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Happened
Long<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Before
the Cross<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Have
you ever considered the first Easter celebration actually happened long before Calvary? When the
Hebrews sacrificed a lamb and put its blood on the doors of their houses in
Egypt, they were acting out a dress rehearsal for Calvary. They simply trusted in the lamb's blood and the angel of Death passed over
them. This literal metaphor pointed to the shed blood of the Perfect Lamb of
God which washes away the sins of the world on the cross.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Hebrews have eaten their Passover lamb every year since that historic day. When
Jesus said to His followers in John Chapter Six that they must eat His flesh and drink His blood, He was in effect saying
to the Jews, "I AM your Passover Lamb." They didn't understand and most turned away, saying this teaching was too hard.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Jesus explained that metaphor to
the apostles, saying "the flesh profits nothing." <b>You don't eat flesh to have spiritual life</b>. The manna which the Hebrews ate
sustained only their fleshly bodies, which eventually died. "I am the true Bread from Heaven and <b>My words
are Spirit and life</b>," John 6:63. "I am the Word made flesh.Whoever eats this bread (my words) will
nourish the spirit, which leads to eternal life." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">When we celebrate the Lord's supper by eating a wafer and drinking the juice, we are not taking <i>eternal life </i>into our fleshly bodies. We are "doing this in remembrance" of our Lord's body and blood which was shed to take away our sin. By trusting in that blood of the Perfect Lamb, we know that the angel of death must pass over us, just as he passed over the Hebrews on the First Passover.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Harriett Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15703668166822463360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126408772276375366.post-69385400044342770032016-02-19T09:58:00.003-08:002016-02-19T09:58:43.013-08:00A Secret Revealed<div class="MsoNormal">
Have you ever searched the multiple layers of God's Word and
been thrilled to discover what has previously been a hidden truth? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I lay awake one night unsatisfied, because I had been
seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, yet still seeing
through a glass darkly.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had listened throughout the week to sermons, teachings, Bible truths and it seemed I was never going to do master all the wonderful things I have learned. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"Lord I need to pray this, and do this thing, and
do this other, and do that one too," I thought. "I need more Bread of
Heaven to equip me!" </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Lord impressed on my heart: <i>The</i><i> secret things that belong to me, but
I have given you manna for one day at a time. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"Okay Lord, what's my manna for today?" I asked,
ready for my marching orders.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One single word echoed in my spirit. "Love."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love! That's it. Love fulfills all the law, covers a
multitude of sins, and when we operate in love it activates faith (Gal.
5:6). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What a secret revealed. It is so simple. Love is what we are wired for. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When we act in love, Jesus is recreating His image in us.
And when we see Him, we shall be like Him, according to I John 3:2. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lord let Your love and your Word transform me into Your
image, not one dependent on a hundred thou shalts and shalt nots, but a light reflecting Your glory because I have chosen to walk in Your Love toward others.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Harriett Ford is a writer of faith-based books. </div>
Harriett Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15703668166822463360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126408772276375366.post-86928731100949886632016-02-19T09:48:00.003-08:002016-02-19T09:49:23.333-08:00A Den of Thieves in My Temple?!!<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A
Den of Thieves in My Temple? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Jesus
said, "It is written, My house will be a house of prayer, but you have
made it a den of thieves!" (NIV).</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> He then grabbed a whip and drove out
the money changers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Doesn't this just break your heart? What
a cruel disappointment for the Son of God, who had such passionate zeal for His
Father's house. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lord, I want my living temple to be a
place where You<b> enjoy</b> dwelling. Not a place where You have to grab a
whip. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I don't want a den of thieves in my
heart who can rob me of our fellowship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Help me to keep it swept and clean every
day, so it is a comfortable place for You Who are the essence of love, and
mercy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I know that thieves like unforgiveness
cannot remain, no matter how great the offense.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Please show me also the little
foxes which can destroy the fruit of the spirit. Small irritations, cross
words, frustrations I may have forgotten. If I do not forgive these
offenses, why should You forgive mine? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">If there are thieves I have allowed to
remain, please help me drive them out. I long for sweet fellowship with You.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I want the temple of the Holy Spirit,
which is my body, to be a place of joyful worship, just as You desired that
temple in Jerusalem to be--a place where You feel at home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Amen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Harriett Ford is a writer of faith-based
suspense novels, a Bible Study book on healing, and a collection of 38
interviews with people who have experienced life-changing encounters with the
Living God. Visit her at hlfordbelieves.com or Harriettford.blogspot.com<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Harriett Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15703668166822463360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126408772276375366.post-46903202310807913332016-02-19T09:44:00.002-08:002016-02-19T09:44:35.616-08:00I Never Knew You<div align="center">
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<b><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I Never Knew You -
Harriett Ford<br />
<br />
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye
that work iniquity. Matt 7:23 KJV</span></b><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<br />
A place for miracles? It's listed in I Corinthians as one of the gifts of
the spirit. Clearly the Lord Jesus has not ceased to heal and deliver.<br />
<br />
We also see many televangelists proclaim they are healing the sick and
casting out demons. The passage in Matthew 7: 21-23 used to scare me. How
could anyone who did miracles in the name of the Lord be lost eternally?
Could I be deceived by such a person, Lord?<br />
<br />
"By their fruit you shall know them."<br />
<br />
The Hebrew word "yada" means to share love that bears fruit. It
is first found in Genesis regarding Adam and Eve. When Jesus told those who
claimed they worked miracles and cast out demons in His name, "I never
knew (yada) you, ye workers of iniquity," He was saying that he never
saw them bear the fruit of sharing intimacy with Him. Instead they
practiced iniquity, which means to be unjust and unequal in our dealings
with others.<br />
<br />
The workers of iniquity are those who eat up God's people like bread, Psalm
14:4, speak peace when mischief is in their hearts (Psalm 28:3), and lay
snares for the saints (Psalm 141:9).<br />
<br />
The money Judas received for betraying Jesus is called "the reward of
iniquity" (Acts 1:18).<br />
<br />
Judas was among the twelve whom Jesus sent out to preach, heal the sick,
and cast out demons in (Luke 9). Yet even after this, Judas worked
iniquity.<br />
<br />
Help Lord. Call me back to abiding in You when the thorns and thistles of
earthly cares sometimes choke out the Word's productivity in me. Let me
share the intimacy of love with You, and be a fruitful branch.<br />
<br />
<b>Harriett is an author and speaker. <a href="http://app.getresponse.com/click.html?x=a62b&lc=epmOl&mc=ll&s=rYQWx&u=Nso&y=b&" target="_blank" title="">Contact</a></b></span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Harriett Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15703668166822463360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126408772276375366.post-78534958564764698622015-11-10T06:21:00.000-08:002015-11-10T06:27:23.663-08:00What Kind of God?<b>WHAT KIND OF GOD DO YOU THINK I AM?</b><br />
<br />
<br />
WITH THE SOLDIERS RIGHT BEHIND THEM AND THE RED SEA AHEAD,<br />
THE PEOPLE CRIED TO MOSES, "MAN IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE DEAD!<br />
"DID YOU BRING US OUT OF EGYPT TO DIE IN THE SAND?"<br />
AND GOD SAID,<br />
"WHAT KIND OF GOD DO YOU THINK I AM?<br />
"DO YOU REALLY THINK THE WATER IS TOO DEEP FOR ME?<br />
"DO YOU THINK THAT I'M AFRAID OF PHARAOH'S ARMY?"<br />
THEN HE PARTED THE WATERS AND THEY WALKED ON DRY LAND,<br />
AND GOD SAID, "NOW WHAT KIND OF GOD DO YOU THINK I AM?"<br />
<br />
WHEN THEY REACHED THE LAND OF CANAAN, THEY SENT OUT TWELVE MEN.<br />
TEN CAME BACK TO TELL THE STORY OF THE GIANTS, AND THEN<br />
THE PEOPLE CRIED, "WE ARE DEFEATED, AND WE'LL DIE IN THIS LAND!"<br />
AND GOD SAID, "YES! IF THAT'S THE KIND OF GOD YOU THINK I AM.<br />
"AS YOU'VE SPOKEN IN MY EAR, THAT'S THE THING I WILL DO.<br />
<i>"THE THINGS THAT YOU BELIEVE ARE GONNA HAPPEN TO YOU (Num. 14:28, Mark 11:23-24).</i><br />
"ONLY JOSHUA AND CALEB WILL SET FOOT IN THE LAND,<br />
CAUSE I KNOW WHAT KIND OF GOD THAT THEY THINK I AM."<br />
<br />
PETER YELLED WE GOTTA BAIL BOYS, OR WE AIN'T GONNA FLOAT,<br />
AND WHAT ABOUT THAT JESUS? HE'S ASLEEP IN THE BOAT!"<br />
HOW COULD THIS BUNCH FORGET, HE SAID THEY'D CROSS TO DRY LAND?<br />
THEN JESUS SAID, "WHAT KIND OF GOD DO YOU THINK I AM?<br />
"DO YOU REALLY THINK THE WATER IS TOO DEEP FOR ME?<br />
"DO YOU THINK THAT I'M AFRAID OF SATAN'S FURY?"<br />
<br />
JESUS CALMED THE WIND AND WATER WITH AN UPLIFTED HAND,<br />
AND SAID, "NOW WHAT KIND OF GOD DO YOU THINK I AM?"<br />
<br />
SO EVEN WHEN THE WATER IS TOO DEEP FOR ME,<br />
EVEN WHEN I'M IN THE MIDST OF SATAN'S FURY,<br />
JESUS NODS TO THE FATHER AND SAYS, "THIS ONE WILL STAND, CAUSE I KNOW WHAT KIND OF GOD THAT HE THINKS <b>I AM</b>."<br />
<br />
<br />
His Name is I AM. Not I was, or will be. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is limited only by our unbelief. Matt. 13:58 and Mark 6:5.Harriett Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15703668166822463360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126408772276375366.post-5685143122245360452015-10-27T09:59:00.002-07:002015-10-27T09:59:24.588-07:00Does God Lead Us Into Temptation?<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Does God lead
us into temptation? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
can see why this might be a question for pondering, since in the Lord's prayer,
we are taught to pray, "Lead us not
into temptation, but <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">deliver
us from the </span>evil." Many translations say "deliver us from the
evil one." Implicit in that prayer is that the evil one is the
tempter--not God. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span style="background: white; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"When tempted, no one should say, 'God is
tempting me.' <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">For God
cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone;</span> but each one is
tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed" (</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a data-passage="James113-14" href="http://ebible.com/query?utf=8%E2%9C%93&query=James%201%3A13-14&translation=ESV&redirect_iframe=http://www.allaboutprayer.org/bible.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext;">James
1:13-14</span></a><span style="background: white;">).<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-hyphenate: auto; mso-line-height-alt: 12.0pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="background: yellow; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: yellow;">God does not tempt us. However all Christians can expect
trials.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
asked the Lord about discerning the difference between trials and temptations,
because these words are often used interchangeably in Christian dogma. What He
impressed on my spirit is a simple way to discern the difference between a temptation
and a "test" or "trial" of our faith.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h3 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 12.0pt;">
<span style="background: yellow; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: yellow;">Temptation always involves evil, or doing evil,</span> and appeals to the lust of the
flesh, the lust of eyes, the pride of life. I Jn 2:16<span style="color: grey; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 13.5pt;">
<span class="ft"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">"For everything in the world--</span></span><em><b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">the lust
of the flesh</span></b></em><span class="ft"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">, the
lust of the</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></span><em><b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">eyes, and the pride of
life</span></b></em><span class="ft"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">-<span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">-</span>comes not from the
Father but from the world," and
Jesus says the devil is the prince of this world (Jn 16: 11).</span></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Temptation to
sin leads downward. James 1: 15 says: <span class="ft">"Then desire when it
has conceived gives birth to sin, and</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em><b><span style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">sin when it is fully grown
</span></b></em><span class="ft"><b>brings
forth death</b></span><b>." </b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-hyphenate: auto; mso-line-height-alt: 12.0pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="background: yellow; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: yellow;">A FAITH TRIAL always involves victory</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, moving closer
to God, overcoming. Faith trials lead upward. <span style="color: grey;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 12.0pt;">
<b><span style="color: #777777; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">James 1: 13-14: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 13.5pt;">
<span class="st"><b><span style="color: #545454; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For
you know that when your</span></b></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="color: #545454; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></b></span><em><b><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-size: 14.0pt; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">faith</span></b></em><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="color: #545454; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></b></span><span class="st"><b><span style="color: #545454; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">is</span></b></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="color: #545454; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></b></span><em><b><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-size: 14.0pt; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">tested</span></b></em><span class="st"><b><span style="color: #545454; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, your endurance has a chance to grow. ... because you know that
the</span></b></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="color: #545454; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></b></span><em><b><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-size: 14.0pt; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">testing</span></b></em><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="color: #545454; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></b></span><span class="st"><b><span style="color: #545454; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">of your</span></b></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="color: #545454; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></b></span><em><b><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-size: 14.0pt; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">faith</span></b></em><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="color: #545454; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></b></span><span class="st"><b><span style="color: #545454; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">produces endurance</span>.</b></span><b><span style="color: #545454; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 12.0pt;">
Always look at scripture for
examples of tests or temptations. <span style="color: grey; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-hyphenate: auto; mso-line-height-alt: 12.0pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; vertical-align: middle;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 13.5pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Heb. 11: 17-19
says <em><b><span style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">By faith
Abraham, <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">when God tested
him</span></span></b></em><span class="st">, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Abraham
was specifically led (directed, spoken to) by God to offer up Isaac. A faith
trial usually involves specific instructions from God. The devil didn't lead
Abraham to offer Isaac. By that great act of faith in God's Word, Abraham (often referred to as "Father
Abraham" in New Test.) acted out a type of the Father offering up His only
Son (Gen. 22:2). Isaac was the child of the promise, a supernaturally-birthed
baby since the mother was past child bearing years, and therefore a type of
Christ. (Note: God recognized Isaac, not Ishmael, as Abraham's only son).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Other
Bible people who passed faith tests: Moses, Gideon, Jesus Who was led into the
wilderness to do battle with Satan, Paul. Each of them had a specific task to
perform and was specifically directed by God, not Satan, although Satan wanted
to tempt them not to fulfill their FAITH assignments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">King
David lost his battle with temptation when Bath Sheba bathed on the rooftop.
But God didn't lead David to watch her. The resulting pregnancy tempted David
to murder her husband, Uriah. The consequences also including the death of the
child. Sin leads to death.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">When the Lord leads His
people, it is usually not by external circumstances (like accidents, illnesses,
tragedies, etc.--that theology comes from the wrongly taught belief that God
controls everything that happens to us. If that were so, how would we know when
to resist the devil?)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">God desires to lead us by the internal spirit
voice, which every born again man has within his own spirit. We learn to hear His voice as we train our
spirits to follow our Good Shepherd, Who says, "My sheep hear my
voice."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I must admit, at times I'm
better at this than at other times, especially if I let the cares of this world
choke out the word. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Psalm
32: 8-9<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<sup><span style="background: white; color: #545454; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">8</span></sup><span style="color: #545454; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span style="background: white;">I will
instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my
loving eye on you.</span> </span><span style="color: grey; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: #777777; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bible Hub<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;">
<em><b><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">32</span></b></em><span class="st"><span style="color: #545454; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">:8-11 God teaches
by his word, and guides with the secret intimations of his will. ....</span></span><span class="ft"><span style="color: #545454;">Proverbs</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #545454;"> </span></span><em><b><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">8:10</span></b></em><span class="ft"><span style="color: #545454;">,11 Receive my instruction, and not
silver; and knowledge</span></span><span style="color: #545454; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I love the
passage in I Kings. 19: God was not in the whirlwind, He was not in the
earthquake, He was not in the fire, "Then a
great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the
rocks before the <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span>, but
the <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> was not in the
wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> was not in the earthquake. <b><sup>12 </sup></b>After
the earthquake came a fire, but the <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> was
not in the fire. And after the fire came a still, small voice.<b><sup>13 </sup></b>When
Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood
at the mouth of the cave."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; mso-hyphenate: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">That still small voice rises up from your innermost being and You are
led by God's counsel, always to do His will. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; mso-hyphenate: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The tempter will always entice you to do the opposite. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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Harriett Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15703668166822463360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126408772276375366.post-3486004665422467772015-10-16T07:05:00.003-07:002015-10-16T07:05:35.842-07:00What Should She Do? She Loves Him.<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="dqo1b-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$dqo1b" style="background-color: white; color: #373e4d; direction: ltr; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span data-offset-key="1fdt7-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$1fdt7.0:$1fdt7-0-0"><span style="font-size: large;"><br data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$1fdt7.0:$1fdt7-0-0.0" /></span></span></div>
<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="41sid-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$41sid" style="background-color: white; color: #373e4d; direction: ltr; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span data-offset-key="41sid-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$41sid.0:$41sid-0-0"><span style="font-size: large;">What does a girl do when she's deeply in love with the guy, wrapped in his passionate embrace, and she doesn't dare risk losing him?</span></span></div>
<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="1l0n0-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$1l0n0" style="background-color: white; color: #373e4d; direction: ltr; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span data-offset-key="1l0n0-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$1l0n0.0:$1l0n0-0-0"><span style="font-size: large;">"If you love me you will," he says between kisses and promises of undying devotion.</span></span></div>
<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="3ej1-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$3ej1" style="background-color: white; color: #373e4d; direction: ltr; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span data-offset-key="3ej1-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$3ej1.0:$3ej1-0-0"><span style="font-size: large;">The flesh answers yes. </span></span></div>
<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="a2dt9-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$a2dt9" style="background-color: white; color: #373e4d; direction: ltr; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span data-offset-key="a2dt9-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$a2dt9.0:$a2dt9-0-0"><span style="font-size: large;">She gives away her purity and expects him to keep those promises. She believes him because he actually meant them when he said them. He thought he did. But he wakes up now with a stain on his soul. He has violated the moral law of God. He may not realize it at once. Maybe never if his conscience has been seared over as with a hot iron by our culture's glaring lack of all moral responsibility. However, those people who allow him to do something wrong soon become people he just does not want to be around. He may not even realize it, but it's true.</span></span></div>
<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="506r0-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$506r0" style="background-color: white; color: #373e4d; direction: ltr; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span data-offset-key="506r0-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$506r0.0:$506r0-0-0"><span style="font-size: large;">We love people most who expect and require the best of us. Who lift us up to a higher standard and make us feel good about ourselves.</span></span></div>
<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="fjt7q-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$fjt7q" style="background-color: white; color: #373e4d; direction: ltr; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span data-offset-key="fjt7q-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$fjt7q.0:$fjt7q-0-0"><span style="font-size: large;">Soon he begins to take the girl for granted. And then to actually disrespect and dislike her, no matter how desperately she tries to please him. His passionate "love" turns to hate.</span></span></div>
<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="39o8s-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$39o8s" style="background-color: white; color: #373e4d; direction: ltr; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span data-offset-key="39o8s-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$39o8s.0:$39o8s-0-0"><span style="font-size: large;">It's over. She realizes she has made a serious mistake. </span></span></div>
<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="86si4-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$86si4" style="background-color: white; color: #373e4d; direction: ltr; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span data-offset-key="86si4-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$86si4.0:$86si4-0-0"><span style="font-size: large;">She feels betrayed and sullied. There is a wound in her soul. Seeking to heal that wound, she moves on to the next guy. And the next. </span></span></div>
<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="bb211-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$bb211" style="background-color: white; color: #373e4d; direction: ltr; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span data-offset-key="bb211-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$bb211.0:$bb211-0-0"><span style="font-size: large;">So many young girls are looking for genuine love in all the wrong places. The wrong arms. They are created with this need for love and do not realize it is found only in the arms of their Creator. He has planned the best possible husband for them. It's not too late. She can turn to the Lord and truly find that her way is not leading to the good life she envisioned for herself. It is only in Jesus Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. </span></span></div>
<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="5968b-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$5968b" style="background-color: white; color: #373e4d; direction: ltr; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span data-offset-key="5968b-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$5968b.0:$5968b-0-0"><span style="font-size: large;">The girl who has a sincere love for Jesus is protected by obedience when confronted with a guy's words, "If you love me you will." She answers, "If you love me, you would not ask me to do something that is clearly wrong in God's word."</span></span></div>
<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="63br1-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$63br1" style="background-color: white; color: #373e4d; direction: ltr; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span data-offset-key="63br1-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$63br1.0:$63br1-0-0"><span style="font-size: large;">He knows deep inside that she is right. He ends up respecting her for her convictions. He goes home and wakes the next morning with his own self respect intact. She has kept him from a transgression, a stain on his soul, whether he realizes it or not. </span></span></div>
<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="eku6s-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$eku6s" style="background-color: white; color: #373e4d; direction: ltr; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span data-offset-key="eku6s-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$eku6s.0:$eku6s-0-0"><span style="font-size: large;">If he has any character at all, he realizes this is the kind of girl he wants to marry and cherish as his lifelong companion. The kind of girl who knows how to train up children in the way they should go.</span></span></div>
<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="akrr5-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$akrr5" style="background-color: white; color: #373e4d; direction: ltr; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span data-offset-key="akrr5-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$akrr5.0:$akrr5-0-0"><span style="font-size: large;">The correct answer to anyone who pressures you to do something wrong or risk losing his or her companionship is: "If you really are my friend--pal, sister, brother, boyfriend, etc.--you would not ask me to do something that is wrong and against the Word of God."</span></span></div>
<div class="_209g _2vxa" data-block="true" data-offset-key="dcct7-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$dcct7" style="background-color: white; color: #373e4d; direction: ltr; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span data-offset-key="dcct7-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$dcct7.0:$dcct7-0-0"><span style="font-size: large;">You may lose that person, but the Lord has someone in your future who will bring you joy and not sorrow. Who will lift you up, not bring you down. And it's never too late to turn to Him. His tender mercy is new every morning. He will turn your mourning into dancing light and your sorrow to joy unspeakable and full of glory. He came to seek the lost and broken hearted and to heal all the wounds in their souls. He restores, ne-news, regenerates. A complete makeover from inside out. Who wouldn't want one of those! </span></span></div>
<div>
<span data-offset-key="dcct7-0-0" data-reactid=".0.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$dcct7.0:$dcct7-0-0"><br /></span></div>
Harriett Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15703668166822463360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126408772276375366.post-68232605554081009142015-08-28T11:36:00.003-07:002015-08-28T11:36:44.488-07:00Is There A Secret to Happiness? <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Is There A Secret <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>To Happiness?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
I stepped off the bathroom scale with a sigh
of frustration. How was I going to conquer these unwanted pounds? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
Bookstore employees say diet and self-help
books are their biggest sellers. Many women are not happy with themselves. Inside,
we secretly know this involves much more than just our outward appearance. Soon
enough we discover that all efforts to change are not working. We fail
ourselves.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
<b>If
only we could discover the secret to happiness.</b> <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
What if I told you <i>I know where </i>it is? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
This is not just a make-over. You get a total
transformation from the<i> inside</i> out. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
Mine began when I had a desperate longing to
become a mother. It took months of seeking, asking, knocking. I read God's word
continually, learning that faith comes by hearing and hearing His Word. That
makes perfect sense. How can you have faith in His word if you don't know what He says?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
I also found an amazing thing. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
<b>God
talks!<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
Right away people put you in the category of
"weird" when you say God speaks. Yet He speaks from Genesis through
Revelation. How could He not speak to His own sheep who know His voice?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
"When you seek me with your whole heart,
you will find me" (Jer. 29:13). God who is spirit, spoke that verse to my
inner spirit ear and I took it seriously. I was expecting to "find " that
He would grant me a child. I found much more. I found a real and vital
relationship with Jesus. Indescribable joy!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
Wow. Now that God and I were on a first-name
basis. Surely He would answer my prayer for a baby.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
He spoke to me a second time in the form of a
question. "Why don't you fast?" At first, I thought it was my imagination.
Yet the question kept popping into my mind. "Okay, if that's You, Lord I'll
fast." <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
<b>I
went all day without food, then opened the fridge that evening.</b> <b><i>Hungry.</i></b> What if it was only my
imagination and I was going hungry for no real reason? I decided I had better
ask the Lord before I took a single bite.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
Being young in the Lord, I put out a fleece
like Gideon did in Judges 6:36. "Lord show me a verse on fasting if this
is really your instruction to me." I let my huge encyclopedic study Bible
flop open. My eyes fell on the words: "And they sanctified a fast unto the
Lord."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
Whoa! Was that a coincidence? My stomach
growled. I knew Gideon had put out his fleece twice, and I wanted certainty.
"Lord, pardon me if I ask again." I let the book flop open once more.
The verse was on fasting. I am embarrassed to say, I <b><i>repeated this process a third
time.</i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
Confirmation? Oh yeah. I went to bed hungry
but curiously satisfied.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
<b>God
will confirm His Word when you seek Him,</b> and as you get to know it better, He brings it to your recollection
(John 14: 26). That's how He usually speaks. You will not need to put out a
fleece.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
The second day of my fast, God filled me with
His glorious presence so powerfully that <i>I
knew</i> I had touched His throne room. I experienced such fullness of joy,
unspeakable and full of glory.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
Raising my hands, I declared, "Father, I
no longer care if I ever have a child. You are all I want and all I need in
this world."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
Right then, I learned to seek the Giver and
not the gift. I laid my deepest desire on the altar with praises. Guess what? I
got it back again. I now have two beautiful daughters and four grandchildren.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
My transformation has been ongoing. God did
what I could not do to change myself. My listening ear needs fine tuning every
now and then, but my heart beats with passion to do His will. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
<b>Yes,
there is a secret to happiness. </b> "Happy is the man (woman)
who finds God's wisdom and gains understanding" (Proverbs 3:13). I have
not been free from the trials and challenges of life, however I have learned to
trust in Him. The joy of the Lord is my strength. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
Oh yes, with His help, I have lost thirty
pounds. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
Harriett Ford is an award-winning member of
Faithwriters, the author of six books listed on Amazon, a member of Kingdom Xperience, and an
inspirational speaker. Contact her at harrietf@centurytel.net. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
Harriett Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15703668166822463360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126408772276375366.post-88501782900813838382015-08-03T06:37:00.000-07:002015-08-03T06:37:37.261-07:00Does the Bible teach Soul Sleep? <div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">Do our spirits sleep in the grave until the resurrection? </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">Does the Bible teach soul sleep as many people believe based on a few passages which seem to indicate this. Actually Jesus used the term "sleeping" to describe only the<b> body </b>of a person who has died, such as Lazarus, and also the little 12-year-old girl He raised. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">Think of what He said when Elijah and Moses appeared with Him on the Mt. of transfiguration. <b>God is not the God of the dead but of the living</b> (Mark 12:27). Clearly they were not sleeping. And Paul wrote that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). This illustrates that we are spirit-soul beings and only our flesh is mortal. (I Thess 5:23). </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">Luke 16:22 "And it came to pass, that the beggar
died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also
died, and was buried;"</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">Comments by Andrew Wommack on LUKE 16:19-31 follow: </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;"><o:p> Jesus</o:p> clearly teaches that there is life after
death. It shows that there is no "soul sleep" where our souls are
awaiting the resurrection of our bodies, but we go into a conscious eternity
immediately. It also shows that there are only two destinations possible after
death. We either go to a place of torment for the wicked or a place of blessing
for the righteous. There is no "limbo" or "purgatory" and
there is no second chance, illustrating the finality of our eternal destiny
once we die.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">Abraham's bosom is a symbolic term designating a place of
comfort for the righteous dead. It was located in the heart of the earth, in
the same region as hell, where the ungodly dead go. The rich man's body was in
the grave and yet this scripture speaks of him lifting up his eyes and seeing
Lazarus in Abraham's bosom. Our soul mirrors our physical shape so closely that
it is recognizable. It is probable that one's soulish body is an exact
duplicate of their physical body.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">Part of this man's torment was from the flames. However,
he was also tormented by the thought of his loved ones' lives on earth and
their eternal destiny. Surely his helplessness to warn them would make his
misery worse.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">Also, the fact that he could see Lazarus and Abraham in a
place of total blessing and comfort would keep him from ever adjusting to his
situation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">In the light of Jesus' words, we can see that hell will
be much more than just a place of physical torment. Those who are consigned to
that place will also be tormented with the thoughts of what could have been if
they had trusted Jesus. The greatest witness that anyone could ever receive is
the witness from God's Word. The gospel is the "power of God unto
salvation".</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">Share the Word today.</span></div>
Harriett Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15703668166822463360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126408772276375366.post-32352524166816225432015-06-12T10:41:00.000-07:002015-06-12T10:41:03.510-07:00Are you under an umbrella of curses?<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1f497d;">I thought she had the victory
and we would be rejoicing together in her healing and her travels with her
friend. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1f497d;">Instead, </span>I heard Sue crying once again on the phone, and it's true she has serious reason to feel
betrayed. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This kind of thing happens way too often in her life. <b>I
love her and want this pattern to stop!</b> She has been crying<span style="color: #1f497d;"> over various painful situations in her life</span> for
years, and while I do hurt for her, I want her to break out of this<span style="color: #1f497d;"> cycle</span>. <span style="color: #1f497d;">Sympathy from
me is not the answer. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have been seeking the Lord on this: He showed me through a
very wise friend, the umbrella -principle which leads to victimization.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some people can inadvertently keep themselves under a curse
by having a victim mentality.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>They see themselves as victims in almost every situation
in life</b>. It usually starts in childhood when they actually have been
victims of abuse, neglect, parental dysfunction. They do not have much control
o<span style="color: #1f497d;">ver</span> this. This umbrella brings a
generational <span style="color: #1f497d;">victimization </span>curse which must
be dealt with. Deeply dealt with at the very roots. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When they grow up, they still see themselves as
victims, even when they become Christians. They do not learn that they <b>don't
have to be victims.</b> They pray and worship, but they want God to be their
Rescuer, perpetually. They do not learn how to get out of toxic situations. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They cry and complain about every wound in their souls, and
yet <b>they set themselves up for defeat time and time again by that very
reaction of crying and complaining instead of singing praises.</b> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>They bring themselves under the victim's curse by
their associations.</b> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Whoever you allow into your life brings an umbrella of
curses or blessings. This includes <span style="color: #1f497d;">husband, </span>family
members, especially those who are still living under the umbrella of
generational curses ( such as a dependent brother or sister). The victim, Sue, supports or agrees
with them and soon takes on their curses. Once again<span style="color: #1f497d;">,
she</span> <span style="color: #1f497d;">becomes</span> a victim.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She can stop it by refusing the association. This must be
done for her own spiritual and mental health.<span style="color: #1f497d;">
Mistaken charity can bring a curse. It is also not biblically correct to support a relative who chooses not to work. If a man does not work, let him not eat, said Paul.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Then there is another umbrella of curses or blessings in
the work place</b>. If an employer is honest, has integrity, kindness, etc. he
will bring blessings. And the opposite is also true.<span style="color: #1f497d;">
I have seen this in effect in my own life to a startling
degree. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The perpetual victim has a choice to make.</b> She does
not have to remain in toxic relationships. She does not have to allow the
victim-wounds to remain in her soul. She can pull these out one at a time and
ask the Lord to replace them with the good seed that brings forth the fruit of
the spirit. She can continue to bless others and focus on being a blessing,
rather than to focus on licking her wounds<span style="color: #1f497d;">. That is
the quickest way to heal soul wounds and defeat the curse. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It may take confessing to the Father and asking Him to
forgive the victim mentality, because He says we are more than a conqueror
through Christ, and <b>if we don't see ourselves that way,<span style="color: #1f497d;"> and break off the old chains of bondage,</span> we are <span style="color: #1f497d;">not free</span>.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1f497d;">You shall know the truth, and
the truth will set you free!!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1f497d;">Rejoice.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1f497d;">Love you with all my heart,
faith, and soul,</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1f497d;">Harriett</span></div>
Harriett Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15703668166822463360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126408772276375366.post-6645916335699313402015-06-04T06:58:00.001-07:002015-06-04T06:58:13.510-07:00"You Must Curse God," she said<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<b>"You Must Curse God"<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
Children's laughter came from the
wooden horse carousel and the Ferris wheel. Smells of popcorn and cotton candy
filled the air.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
Carney barkers enticed visitors to
drop their hard-earned coins on side shows, ball tosses, games, and weird
exhibits, including the Cherokee alligator wrestlers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
A young woman walked along the midway
at the 1920s Arkansas state fair.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
Caroline stopped at a curtained
booth painted with the image of an exotic gypsy woman gazing into a crystal
ball. Out of curiosity, she went inside, plunked down a coin and said,
"Okay, tell my fortune."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
The woman asked for her hand and
studied the palm lines a few moments. Her eyes suddenly grew wide. With
something like fear in her eyes, she said in a low voice, "I cannot tell your
fortune. But <i>you have the power</i> to
read the fortunes of others."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
What power? What was this? Caroline
puzzled. She asked, "What do I have to do?"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
The gypsy woman spoke slowly and
deliberately, a serious expression in her eyes, "You must curse God."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
Caroline drew back. She answered,
"I'm not going to curse God. Give me back my coin."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
She left the booth and never looked
back.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
That young woman was my
grandmother, who later married a cotton farmer and settled in eastern Oklahoma.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
Upon hearing that bit of family
history, I became curious in my adult years. Why couldn't the gypsy simply make
up some kind of fortune and keep the coin? Why would she urge Caroline to curse
God? Was there really some mysterious force at work here?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
In my Bible, I soon found numerous
scriptures warning people not to seek information about the future from any
source but true prophets of God and His Holy Word. Why would God forbid this
activity if it is harmless? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
The desire to know one's future
through oracles, astrologers, and people with "psychic gifts" goes <span style="color: #111111; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">back for thousands
of years. All pagan nations have practiced it. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="color: #111111;">Following is a quote
from Deuteronomy 18:9-13: “When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving
you, do not learn to imitate the<b>
detestable </b>ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who
sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire [human sacrifice], who practices
divination [obtaining <b>knowledge of the
future through spiritualist practices, i.e. psychics</b>] or sorcery,
interprets omens [signs of activity of pagan gods, i.e. palm readers,
astrology], engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or
spiritist or who consults the dead [séances and those who try to speak to the
dead]. <b>Anyone who does these things is
detestable to the Lord</b>, and because of these detestable practices the Lord
your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before
the Lord your God."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="color: #111111;">Galatians 5: 19-20 is
just one of many scriptures repeating this same instruction. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="color: #111111;">I have an acquaintance,
an author who was once a satanic priest. He is now an ordained evangelist who
devotes his ministry to delivering people ensnared by these practices.
"They are not harmless pass times or mere games," says Tim Thompson.
More about Tim in another post. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Harriett Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15703668166822463360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126408772276375366.post-78793725561162524712015-05-29T08:46:00.001-07:002015-05-29T08:51:08.855-07:00How Do We Know It's God Speaking? <div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We hear
people say it often. God told me this. God spoke to me. I have a word from the
Lord. Sometimes we hear their claims with skepticism, simply because we know
the person too well. Or we know that person did not hear from God because his
"message" did not meet the standard of Truth in His Word. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How do
we hear from the God of the Bible who so clearly spoke to Adam, to Noah, to
Moses, to Abraham, to the Apostles of the New Testament? Did He stop speaking
to individuals after the twelve died? Of course not.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 19.2pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #444444;">God speaks to all people—to you and me. Jesus said, <i>My sheep know my voice</i>. Pastor Jack
Hayford explains at least five ways to hear what He wants us to know. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 19.2pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #444444;">First and foremost,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 19.2pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong><span style="color: #444444;">God speaks through the Scriptures and His Son Jesus, who
is the incarnate Word and the true manna from heaven</span></strong><span style="color: #444444;">. Many a time, I have opened the Bible and found a word
specific to my inquiry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 19.2pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong><span style="color: #444444;">The Lord speaks through creation.</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #444444;"> </span></span><span style="color: #444444;">"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the
firmament shows His handiwork" (Psalm 19:1). You can't look up into the
night sky without something stirring in your heart that says, "God is
mighty." You can't hold a baby in your arms without sensing the marvel of
His creative dynamic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 19.2pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong><span style="color: #444444;">God speaks to our heart.</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #444444;"> </span></span><span style="color: #444444;">Our conscience "bears witness" (Romans 2:15). Everyone
at some time or another, has sensed within themselves the rightness or
wrongness of an action. People have an intuitive feeling there is Someone to
whom, they are accountable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 19.2pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong><span style="color: #444444;">God speaks through circumstances.</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #444444;"> </span></span><span style="color: #444444;">By the very nature of circumstances we face in our
lives—whether beautiful or frightening—there comes a revelation of our
dependence upon God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 19.2pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong><span style="color: #444444;">God speaks by His Voice.</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #444444;"> </span></span><span style="color: #444444;">The conclusive revelation is in the Scriptures, but the
Scriptures are <b>filled with God speaking
to people.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 19.2pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #444444;">On that great day of Pentecost, the day the Church was
born, Peter rises to preach and interprets what God had said 800 years earlier
through the prophet Joel:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 19.2pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em><span style="color: #444444;">"And it shall come to pass in the last days,"
says God, "that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and
your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men
shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour
out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy." - Acts 2:17-18</span></em><span style="color: #444444;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: 19.2pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #444444;">God's goal in coming to work through human beings is to
fill people with His Holy Spirit and enable them to prophesy. Still, we must
always be careful to differentiate between what God has said in His Word, and
whether there is a biblical basis to what a person shares as prophecy. The
Spirit and the Word always agree. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Harriett Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15703668166822463360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126408772276375366.post-54607156890765546272015-05-26T07:22:00.000-07:002015-05-26T07:22:22.433-07:00Good and Evil at the click of a key<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Train Up A Child In
The Way He Should Go (Proverbs 22: 6 NKJV)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Some fruit may look
delicious, but it can lead to much pain. Ask my sweet husband, who just endured
a violent attack of food poisoning. He didn't know the fruit had been
contaminated. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">It can be argued
that there is a difference in knowing <i>about</i>
evil and actually partaking of its fruit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Knowledge about
every subject imaginable is so readily offered today.<b><i><o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">My computer delivers
vast information with just a few clicks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">As a faith writer, I
enjoy having that wealth available. Writings by devout ministers of yesteryear and
today. Wonderful faith-building devotions, testimonies, biblical discourses. So
much wise and godly teaching right there on my screen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">At the opposite end
of the spectrum is unimaginable perversion, extremely deceitful doctrines, and
wicked information available as well. Sometimes it pops up unbidden on my
screen during a topic search. I wonder with horror how a parent can protect an
innocent child from accidentally viewing it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I make the choice to
stay away from evil. But I cannot protect my children from the knowledge of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">That thought brings
to mind the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
After being warned its fruit would cause them to die, Adam and Eve made
the wrong choice. They saw the fruit and desired it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The forbidden fruit
is often depicted as an apple. Curiously the <i>same name</i> chosen for one of the most successful computer companies,
Apple. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The keys one chooses
do actually represent the choice to partake of the knowledge of good or evil. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Lord, give parents
the wisdom to instill in children how to avoid the bad and choose the knowledge
that leads to them to life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Harriett Ford is the
author of numerous faith-based books. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Harriett Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15703668166822463360noreply@blogger.com0