ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITE WORSHIP SONGS! NO SONG HAS MOVED ME LIKE THIS ONE.

PRAYER REQUEST

Sending out prayer request for the following people:


For the Forkland family. They are still grieving the death of their husband, father, brother and need much, much prayer. Cynthia is now a single mother with 13year old twin daughters and 1 17yr old son. The family has not returned to the house since his death and are still staying with his sister who is also having a very hard time.


For Kurtis Kelly, Kenny's brother. He had open heart surgery yesterday and is having a pace maker put in. Please pray for him and the whole family.


For Billy and my mom's family. Billy's brother's wife Maxine, passed away on Monday from pancreatic cancer. Pray for strength as everything happened all in a weeks time and was unexpected.


For Regina Calhoun that her prayers will be answered and that she will be able to move forward into having her own business selling her great craft work. For her son Tyler as he is graduating next year and moving from child to adult. That's a difficult stage.


For Michael, my son, he is in Job Corp getting his High School Diploma and at the same time earning a certificate for Certified Medical Assistant. He will continue, through Job Corp, to go to Long Beach City College to study to be an Emergency Medical Technician EMT. He was struggling in the beginning but he is doing so much better now. Please pray for him for his confidence and patience.


Let's keep these people in our prayer and if you have another prayer request you would like to send, than please let me know so that we can add it to the list and hopefully soon, we will have some praise reports to post.


God bless you all!

THE SCANDAL OF IGNORANCE!

It is nothing but scandalous if we remain content about our own ignorance of the Bible and are unconcerned about the lack of knowledge of the Bible among Christians today. The Bible warns us about such scandal.


Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge , I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.


Ignorance of the scripture is ignorance of God period! This is heavy on my mind and my main reason for writing about this is it has to do with the new law that was passed in New York. Now homosexuals can marry. It makes me sick to my stomach to think about what has happened. Because of lack of leadership and obedience, we have let this happen. 


Ministers in the media are caught doing unspeakable things and than we have people who say they are Christians who are living and practicing sin. The unsaved no longer trust the words of the Christians because we have become hypocrites to the world.


We are the examples of Christ. The world, who do not pick up the Bible, will only know who Christ is through us! It is the Holy Spirit, having the spirit of Christ, that lives in us that gives us all the power, guidance, strength, and knowledge we need and along with the word of God, that we are able to put this into action. That is the mystery that was spoken of in the Bible. Isaiah 2:11 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel  and might, the spirit  of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD


And we now have that same spirit through the Holy Spirit: 
1cr 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.


But now we have the blind leading the blind and the results of the scandal of ignorance is...gays can get married. Let me tell you what has just happened to America. New York being one of the example states of America have spread lies about who God is and now want the rest of the states to follow suit.


Anyone who says from their mouth that they were born that way, by God, is calling God a liar. Anyone who say that they were born with the wrong gender is calling God fallible. Anyone who says that God does not care if you are gay because he loves everyone the same is in darkness and the Truth is not in you. That's like saying that God does not care if you sin. You clearly do not know the word of God or God Himself. Anyone who is confused about the issues concerning homosexuality do not (Oida) Him. Oida is a Greek word meaning to know by personal relationship. Example Hebrews 8:11, They shall not teach...saying, Know (ginosko) the Lord; because all shall know (oida) me.' 


Ginosko means to know him by what others say about God and the books you have read about God having the human basic knowledge of Him and Oida means to have a marriage type of relationship and walk type of knowledge of Him. A deeper know becoming one with the other. I will speak on that on a different day.


This is the cause of why people who say they are of God is confused:


Romans 1: 21- Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [him] not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.26For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:27And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.28And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,31Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.


Paul gives us the examples of what happens to those who are ignorant and how God deals with them and now we have gay churches who preach that God condones homosexual acts. We truly do parish for lack of knowledge. 


It is so important for us to start now, if we are not doing it, to read His word daily. Make it your daily bread for you can not live without the substance of God's word!!! Make it your number one priority and put God first above all things. And along with that you must develop a personal relationship with God because if you don't, you could end up like the example Paul gave, ignorant and foolish. 


God bless you.

NEVER GIVE UP HOPE

I have a friend who is a minister. He work for a funeral home and he is called upon often to perform funerals. One day I asked him if he ever feel uncomfortable doing a funeral for someone who you may feel is not saved? He said he never feels that way. I did not expect that answer. He said I believe that until their last breath, everyone is given the opportunity to accept Christ and we don't know if they received a visitation on that day and I keep that hope. He said that also gives him the opportunity to preach salvation to the family and friends. I never looked at things that way.


This morning this thought came to me. Maybe someone needs to hear this and be encouraged. I was thinking about the two thieves that were on the cross next to Jesus. On their dying day, one accepted Jesus and one clearly had the opportunity but rejected Jesus. The one who recognized who Jesus really is, was told that on that day, he will be in paradise with Him. That was all it took. A thief, a sinner was saved on his dying day.


I want to say that Jesus has the book of life and know who's names are in that book. We can not dwell or worry if our loved ones or friends were saved the day they passed away. What hope we have is that they were given the opportunity on up until their last breath to receive Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior and to leave it at that. Rest your mind on this issue and do not worry yourselves over things that you can not change and never give up hope. God bless you.

THANK YOU

I want to say thank you to my family and friends who have prayed for me after my accident on last Saturday. I know that it's because of the praying saints that I am getting better and better. I want to thank Alecia Fowler for being so generous and selfless by offering to take me to where ever I need to go. Thank you for reminding me time and time again that I can not speak defeat for I am blessed. You will stop it before I can finish my sentence. You have always, always been there for me and I love you so much for being a true best friend!!! Thank you mom, Billy and dad for helping me last week using your gas and time to help me. I love you so much!!! Thank you Jessica, my daughter, for being home helping me and checking on me often to make sure that I am ok. You even had your friend take me to get my things out of my car yesterday and I thank you for that. Thank you for cooking and asking me often if I need anything from the store. I love you so very much!!! Even the pictures I received of baby Shyla helped take some of my pain away. She is such a precious little girl. She is a gift. I want to thank everyone else for your prayers because I know you have been praying for me. Prayers are just as important as a matter of fact more important than being there physically for me because your prayers are put into physical action by God. I love you all!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

LOOKING LESS LIKE ME AND MORE LIKE CHRIST

What does it mean to live a Christian life? It means that your walk, talk, and actions meet God's approval. If you do not know God's word than it is impossible for you to know God's will. So many people walk around saying that they are a Christian but will only pick up the instruction manual (BIBLE) on Sunday morning and that is only if they go to church on that day. It is impossible to go to church, listen to the messenger, and think that you have received all that you need to know about living a Christian life. First of all, it is impossible to retain what you have heard and apply it to your life in the correct way.


It's like going to school to study a major. You must read the book first before going to class so that you can follow along and understand what the instructor is saying. This is why we have confused Christian who are unsure about what God considers sin. The Bible is very specific on what God love and what God hate.


Being a Christian takes 100% effort on our part. Meaning even though God Himself lives on the inside of us and is always instructing us and guiding us but it is up to us to follow, listen, learn, read, and APPLY it to our living. It is not easy because we still have this old flesh that wants to take over.

I recently decided to make a genuine effort to becoming a better Christian daily. I am self centered by my sinful nature so to brake that cycle I have to do the opposite things, meaning putting others first. It doesn't mean neglecting myself because I will be taken care of because God will see to that, but I have to put it into action changing my selfish ways. One way I did this is by taking members who do not have transportation, home after church service and if we had special outings, I would pick them up. I ended up enjoying it by having wonderful conversations and hearing testimonies that lift me up. If there is a friends, family or even those I do not know personally that is in need of something, If I have the ability to get it, I will just buy it for them because I love them. I recognized my short comings and I am making a conscious effort to change it. A conscious effort to be more and more like Christ.


What would you like to share on this subject.

AMEN!

Since I decided to name my blog AMEN!, I thought it would be fitting to start my first blog by talking about the word AMEN. We say it a lot in church but a lot of people do not understand the full true meaning of the word. I will say that I am not an eloquent speaker or writer so I got some help on explaining this word.  


This Hebrew Amen is derived from the root [aman], which means to be firm or solid in the sense of permanency. Thus by implication, it means to be sure, true or faithful. So whenever we see this word Amen used in scripture, it is affirming truth, or illustrating something is said that is of absolute certainty. We can get a better understanding of the word in looking at the way God uses it in a slightly different context than we normally would see it. Here [amen] is used as a title for God, illustrating His faithfulness to His promises. 



Isaiah 65:16

• "That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes."

Both these words that are translated truth are the Hebrew word [amen]. Thus it is declaring by the God of Amen, Jehovah God who cannot lie (Titus 1:2). In this context this word is expressing God's faithfulness. That He alone is the Amen, the God of truth. Indeed, the Lord is the very essence of truth. So by comparing scripture with scripture and allowing it to be it's own dictionary and interpreter, we can come to sound conclusions about what words really mean in scripture. Amen is thereby defined as truth. And not only in the Old Testament, this understanding of the word continues to be made manifest in the New Testament.


That is one example that I wanted to use in explaining AMEN. The God we serve is the God of AMEN. The absolute truth.