Thursday, April 09, 2009
Last night I had an interesting dream that has significance.
I was visiting an increasing family of African Americans, starting with 5 or 6 and by the end was over 50. Everyone was in one accord with only one conversation going. They listened to me with kindness and acceptance. Since I was myself, I probably was a visitor, not a member, but I am unsure.
As we passed from one room to another, we say President Obama in a room with several people. He was sitting on the floor receiving instructions and writing them down. As I looked at him, I envisioned him as an innocent, attractive child with purity and goodness.
By time we arrived in the new room we were large in number. I shared my view of President Obama and requested that we pray for him together. We held hands and did not make a perfect circle. I started to pray, completing one sentence. Everyone seemed restless, moving individually, making the circle difficult. Everyone started talking amongst themselves, making prayer impossible. Everyone dropped hands and no longer was one in spirit.
This was the end of my dream. As I had my morning coffee I prayed for President Obama and then for the meaning of the dream.
The meaning of the dream is for the Church, especially for African American churches. Whether small or great we are meant to be one in spirit. WE MUST PRAY FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA.
Pray that he is:
Innocent of any evil intent
Childlike in his faith in Jesus Christ as his savior
Comely in the sight of God
Humble and able to receive wise counsel
Able to lead us as a nation to be a part of God’s Kingdom
PRAY FOR THE CHURCH wherever you are and around the world that we are:
Unified
Willing to pray together
Powerful for the Kingdom of God here on the earth
PASS this on to the leadership in your church and then to your friends to pass on to their leadership. Please understand it is very important that we pray in unison as the Church for leadership. Make a perfect circle; be united in spirit. Do not chatter, but pray in earnestness. Prayer changes things and is powerful.

Blessings to you and to your family in Jesus Christ, our only hope and salvation.

Bloom Where You Are Planted

Bloom where you are planted

The Lord is my shepherd (my guide)
I have no needs because He takes care of me
He MAKES ME lie down in green pastures
He leads me beside the still water
He restores my soul.

Have you heard the saying “The grass is greener on the other side of the fence”? Things must be better in another job, another love relationship, another town. We all suffer the desire to escape and go eat the grass on the other side of the fence.

Most of the time the Good Shepherd tells us the grass is green where we are. If we go to the other field, the grass probably is not as good as it looks, and the Good Shepherd will not guide us to the best spots.

There will always be imperfections in this sinful world, but we have a guide who directs our paths of righteousness. He snags us back from going over dangerous cliffs with His staff. He prods us forward with His rod. We don’t always like these instruments of righteousness, but ultimately we have peace and comfort because of them.

You are here now. Bloom where you are planted.

Let’s Praise the Lord!

I chose this scripture because Shane preached his sermon from this passage this morning. Way to go, Shane!

Before I could get it pasted to publish, Jim started to talk about this scripture and Shane's message of love. I hope this simple blog will give you strength, hope, and peace today.

14For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15from whom his whole family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
This is the scripture from which Shane gave his message in church this morning. Way to go, Shane. This scripture is full of hope, strength, blessings, and direction in the absolute best direction towards worshipping God.

We bow humbly simply because God deserves our adoration.
He loves us so much that we are named after Him. In love my husband gave me his name, and thus I am Mrs. James Leasure.
Paul prays that the Ephesians are strengthened in the best way (through the Holy Spirit) and in the most important place (inside to out).
Christ comes to live with us through our faith in His redemptive power.
Rooted and grounded are solid, stable words, which our inner beings crave.
And we crave love, both to love and to be loved.
Love surpasses knowledge.
And He does do more than we can imagine.
Thus we praise Him and bow before Him.

I have this marked in my oldest and favorite Bible as a message given by an elderly, extremely wise man of God. I also remember the summer that I read Ephesians over and over and over.

Reincarnation and Early Christianity

Reincarnation and christianity
I read a book that in passing stated that the early church believed in reincarnation. Whoa! Stop. There must be something amiss here. Reincarnation, which says that we keep coming back over and over again until we get the experience of life done the right way, and salvation, completely to the uttermost forgiveness of sins, and righteousness offered through the blood of Jesus, are diametrically opposed to one another.
Hebrews 9:27 (Amplified Bible)
27And just as it is appointed for [all] men once to die, and after that the [certain] judgment.
I found out the reference in the book was due to the early heresy of Gnosticism, which took many forms from one extreme of beating the sinful body into submission to the other extreme that it just doesn’t matter what one does after the initial salvation experience. None of these were acceptable as the truth of the New Testament.
Revelation 2:6 (Amplified Bible)
6Yet you have this [in your favor and to your credit]: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans [what they are doing as corrupters of the people], which I Myself also detest
Irenaeus taught that Nicolatians were Gnostics who believed that once accepting the gospel truth, then actions no longer mattered. Please read this link to understand that salvation is the essential first step to a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ, but is ever active and demands our response in daily life
http://www.wordoftruthradio.com/questions/38.html
Hebrews 7:24-25 (Amplified Bible)
24But He holds His priesthood unchangeably, because He lives on forever.
25Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost (completely, perfectly, finally, and for all time and eternity) those who come to God through Him, since He is always living to make petition to God and intercede with Him and intervene for them.
We are saved to the uttermost. Praise the Lord! There is no doubt of being part of God’s Kingdom. I have talked to many who just can’t believe that God is going to forgive the unspeakable, secret, and detestable deeds they have committed. And yet as we are broken in spirit from our unrighteousness, Jesus is before the Father interceding on our behalf. What can be more powerful than the blood of Jesus! Let us not take lightly the great gift of atonement.
This does not mean that we can sin presumptuously thinking that God will excuse anything since we’ve believed in Jesus. After all, even demons believe in the atoning work of Jesus’ death on the cross. A contrite and broken heart is central to forgiveness. Then there must follow activity that reflects the example of Christ, and testifies of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Do not be fooled: do not believe in reincarnation. Jesus’ blood can atone for our sins to the uttermost. It is appointed man once to die and then the judgment.

Go Steelers!

The Lord is My Shepherd

The Lord is my Shepherd
I have no wants
He makes me lie down in green pastures
He leads me beside the still waters
He restores my soul

Psalm 23 is my theme song for this year. It is probably the most read poem throughout history, written by an anointed king of a small kingdom a thousand years before Christ.

David could have composed this poem as a lad during the long hours watching his father’s sheep. Or he could have written it in reflection during his reign as king over Israel.

Sheep are stupid and are desperately in need of guidance. They need a shepherd to guide and to rescue them. Most of us recognize that we really don’t know the path in front of us, and we also are greatly in need of a loving shepherd to guide us. The Lord is my Shepherd.

I’ve had an issue lately that I have been wrestling with, robbing me of peace. Last night I wrestled with an angel during my sleep, asking for peace. Jim said I talked in my sleep all night. He thought I was arguing with him. After rebuking an evil spirit this morning, peace from God descended upon my being. I am still praising the Lord and feel calmness and direction.

I have no wants. I have so many wants and needs that I worry about. I don’t need anything but my Shepherd. He will take care of me and those around me.

He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. I don’t always want to lie down in comfort in the meadows of spiritual food. I want to roam around, stumbling over rocks, taking a chance on going over a cliff. But the Good Shepherd makes me rest and to eat. He leads me to drink holy water.

He restores my soul. I feel so good, so at peace, that I am restored and ready for the day. My natural response is praise.

Read Your Bible Everyday

I have had the opportunity to teach teenagers and mature adults over the years, and my theme song has always been READ YOUR BIBLE EVERYDAY.

Thy Word is a lamb unto my feet and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105

Someone reading these words may think that Amy Grant wrote them. Smile. She, like song writers over the centuries, used the Word of God, the Word of Truth. This makes her wise in this area.

Why should you read the Bible daily?
1. It is the Word of truth. When you pray or when you listen to words of advise from others, the Bible can tell you if the words you are hearing are within God’s vast Kingdom, or from the tiny kingdom of damnation.
2. You cannot be obedient unless you know what obedience is and what pleases God. Reading the Bible can help you avoid sin.
3. From His youth, Jesus studied and learned the scriptures. We as Christians should follow His path.
4. When talking to others, whether Christians or otherwise, we are responsible for truth. Sometimes we sound foolish when we act like we know the Word and our knowledge is spotty. We can lead others astray and permit gross heresies in ourselves.

What should you read? Of course, read all of it, both Old Testament and New Testament. Interpret the New from the Old. However, there is no time constraints, nor limits of times to read the Bible. There are new, fresh ideas continually as long as life lasts.

Here is a suggestion for starting: First get a bookmark and place it at the beginning of a book, such as Genesis, Matthew, I John, or Psalms. Take your time and read something, maybe only a few verses, everyday. It’s okay to read the same passage over and over for several days. You are not in a hurry. Ask the Lord of Truth to direct your mind as you read. Second, make an appointment daily to spend time in the Word. It will not happen unless you set aside time. Perhaps your time will be first thing in the morning, at lunch, or before you turn out the lights.

One night I got in bed and realized that I had failed to read my Bible. So I took my Bible into my closet so not to disturb my husband’s sleep with the light. God met me in that closet and revealed Himself in a most wonderful and personal way. That is another amazing story.

Please share with others what the Bible means to you. Tell how the Word has changed your life, perhaps a special story.
Blessings.

New Year resolution to surprise you

I received a lovely email from Tamela, whose blog is called Tamela's Place. She had a message from Max Lucado about prayer. I sent this respoonse and wanted to share this with you too. I consider this instructions for a better new year.

Prayer is the most fantastic, powerful asset we have as Christians. I really don't know why, but it pleases God that we plead with Him, struggle with Him, bless His Holy Name, Praise Him, and listen to Him. Prayer changes things. I know this, really know this.
God will do all the blessings and directing as He had done so in the past. However, I can assure you that He will not do it exactly as He did it in the past, nor will He answer prayers as you expect. His answers will be better, more appropriate, and will always show great creativity.
The first value of prayer is not to have things turn out the way we want. It is to peel off our sinful selves and to find ourselves in the center of God's vast Kingdom. When we see ourselves herein, we see the prayers answered even before the perfomance. It is the best place to be.
What makes prayers powerful and to be able to be located inside God's Kingdom? Forgiveness of sins, a desire to be crucified with Christ, read your Bible everyday, and spend most of your prayer time listening instead of dictating.
Blessings to all who read this.