Well, Merry Christmas! This was my first Christmas as a born again. I knew it would be a blow out! It was fantastic, reading the Bible these past 11 months, and understanding now that beginning with Genesis, the Bible is preparing us for the Messiah's birth. It was always about Jesus! The Word became Man. I praise God that I understand these most eternal Words that have now changed my destiny. I am on a different course. I am growing and stretching and reaching. And obviously you can tell from my blog that I am sure the heck praising and evangelizing.
Oh Lord, thank you for coming to the earth in man-form to Bethlehem so many years ago. Thank you God, for feeling our every suffering, disappointment and temptation, in the form of Jesus. You suffered on the cross. Thank you for the Christmas story, revealed to us in completion and perfection, untouched through the ages. I have complete faith that your Holy Book is absolutely true and each chapter is a story about my life. I am living through your breathing book.
I hope that on your faith journey, you are opening your mind further and further and exposing all of those rooms in your heart to the Lord. I have a general prayer that "Oh Lord, please expose to me any hidden sins that I may have. Please unearth any items that I need to deal with". Don't be fearful of doing that. Say it with intensity. Pray with passion. Really concentrate. Pray when you are not doing anything else. Yes, pray also during the day, during your daily duties. But, I think it is important to pray boldly to Him.
Being a new born again, I knew this Christmas would be the best one I have ever had. Yes, in the past I always had my nativity scene up and said "Merry Christmas" more that "Happy Holidays". And many years I got to church, but also, many years I did not on Christmas. (sometimes our pain is too great--but any pain that comes my way now, I will truly let God shoulder it also with me. PTL)
I list at the bottom of my blog the lyrics of Christmas songs that really hit me as a born again Christian. (the term "born again", came into my heart in May of this year. I did not label myself. The Holy Spirit labeled it for me).
These lyrics are amazing, because most of them are at the end of the hymns. Many times we may not have sung them. I went through all of the Christmas songs I could think of, and found all of these, with reference to born again status and also, our earthly-dwelling, fallen angel, satan. (Yes, he resides here, please read your Bible and quit ignoring the truth. Fear God more than satan. I now am. )
Well, being a lifelong Christian, I probably did sing these hymns and glazed over the true meaning. I "had it". I knew John 3:16 by heart. I "had it covered". I didn't even search those lyrics for what they really mean, behind the curtain.
One way a friend of mine puts it: "It's like The Wizard Of Oz. You spend your life a Christian or non-believer. You are on a journey on a yellow brick road to find what you are looking for. You meet people on the way who are looking as well for "it". You get there. And find a phony. A guy pretending to be almighty, pulling strings, scaring everyone. He is behind the curtain, Mr. Oz. You are disappointed, because you found out the truth is in you. No person can do that for you. He can't put a heart in you or a brain or take you home. Humans can't do that. They can't change the insides of you."
Being filled with the Holy Ghost first begins with God choosing you. But, you MUST BE OPEN TO THIS INVITATION.
I don't know why He chose me. I am very, very happy He did. I am not arrogant by saying that I was chosen. My 19 year old son (home from college) got overdosed on my new "self" and made a snide comment on Christmas Eve about this. He said that he didn't want me to become self righteous because of my religion. It hurt a little. But I thought about it. He is still not knowing where I am coming from. I was him not that long ago. It's ok. I pray for all of my children and grandchildren to be born again, and I also pray a "blanket prayer to cover them", until they do, as a power of a parent, still rearing her children.
I love what is behind the curtain for Melissa. Forget Oz. I read my Bible and it has a heartbeat. It is alive. I see behind the curtain now. I am open to this, the seen and unseen. I want God to take me where He wants. He has revealed to me many things and I am an actress now in his dramatic play about real love. Love for a Father I want to obey. Love beyond what I ever knew. And loving me back as no man or child of mine can. I dare you to realize that there is so much more than what you have been led to believe. Read these lyrics and see that satan is real and he is having a hay day here on this planet, through your TV, radio, People magazine and unqualified church leader. That is just the beginning.
May I suggest Joyce Meyer ministries? She is so Holy Spirit driven, I have confidence in that. I will not raise her to too much of a pedestal, but she is someone I truly look up to and listen to her conferences approximately 5 times a week online. Make her your church for now if you can't get out to church or if you are in too much pain to worship with people. She moves me so much that I praise out loud watching her in my house. I put my hand in the air, cry, and say alot of "amens" out loud. I can't help it. I am born again. Come join me. Please, be open to what you are missing. The curtain and veil are mentioned many times in the Bible, in different references. Open that Book and see for yourself.
O Little Town Of Bethlehem: Verse #3: O holy child of Bethlehem, descend on us, we pray; Cast out our sin and enter in; be born to us today. We hear the Christmas angels, The great glad tidings tell; O come to us, abide in us, Our Lord Emmanuel.
God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman: Verse #1: God rest ye merry, gentlemen; let nothing you dismay. Remember, Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day. To save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray.
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing: Verse #2 Hail the heaven born Prince of Peace! Hail the Son of righteousness! Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings. Mild He lays His glory by. Born that man no more may die. Born to raise the sons of earth; Born to give them second birth.
Oh Holy Night: Verse #3 Truly He taught us to love one another; His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother, And in His name all oppression shall cease. Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus rise we, Let all within us praise His holy name. Christ is the Lord, Then ever, ever praise we; His power and glory ever more proclaim, His power and glory ever more proclaim.
O Come, O Come Emmanuel: Verse # 2 O come, thou rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan's tyranny. From depths of Hell Thy people save, and give them victory o'er the grave.
As With Gladness Men Of Old: Verse # 4 Holy Jesus every day keep us in the narrow way. And when earthly things are past, bring our ransomed souls at last. Where they need no star to guide, Where no clouds Thy glory hid.
Monday, December 26, 2011
What's Your Yoke Like Today?
Praise and Glory to God our Father who sent His Son to us! Merry Christmas. We had a glorious service Christmas Eve at a new church I am attending. I know it's good there because I have Holy Ghost tears every time I sing there and the third verse of O Holy Night really got me! Please check out that verse. We no longer have chains and the slave is not our brother.
I have been intrigued with the term of "yoke" lately.
Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery.
Matthew 12:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened , and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
2 Corinthians 7:14- Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?
These three verses really pull us in different directions. The first verse (Galatians) speaks so much to new believers. I very well remember my yoke of slavery. It just lifted from me this spring. I felt that pull and weight for my entire life. I thought it was normal to feel guilty as a Christian. To ask over and over for forgiveness from God for the same sins, yet still feel ashamed . And the #1 question I couldn't answer: "If you died today, Melissa, where will your soul go?" I could not answer that question until this spring/summer. Now I can answer that it will be with my Father in heaven (Amen, precious Father).
Galatians warns us not to fall into the satan trap of religious rituals to free us again. The other trap is to fall back into our fleshy ways. Numbing ourselves with substances, buying our happiness with possessions, and in general: Letting the world tell us how to be happy. Others: Sexual sin, Hollywood obsessions with the elite, falling into marketing techniques that sway our "feelings", idolizing people including our children, husbands and wives. Falling in love with power and importance at work. All of these things can put the feeling of a yoke back on our shoulders.
The second verses from Matthew are so well known. My mom was an artist and was taking lessons in South Carolina from a well known water color artist near her community. She had a painting she gave to me and it depicts slavery. It shows slaves and slave owners both, going to Belin's Black Mingo Church near Hemingway, South Carolina. (Black Mingo is a creek also) I visited this church once. The church was burnt down a few years later. We visited the site after the destruction. The tomb stones are still there. The structure is not. The painting shows this church in slavery times. The slaves can go to church with the white folk, but they have to sit in the balcony (this is according to history my parents understood. History they learned of the deep south, living there from 1987 to 1998). The verse is written on the painting. The Belin Black Mingo Church stood tall and strong from 1843 to 1993. No one had worshiped there for years prior to the burning. But, we would go there to walk on the grounds, to see the graves of the slaves and their masters. The "good" slaves would get tombstones. If they were the "best" of slaves, they got an inscription such as "Here Lies Bill Smith's Loyal Slave, David".
The third verse can raise a few eyebrows (2 Corinthians). I think it takes a more mature Christian to understand this. I am starting to understand it. Do you? Do you think you can continue to spend hours a week with friends and family that are negative, don't believe in Christian growth, use "innuendos" to cut you down? (Oh, but don't take things so personally..........). I love the word innuendo now. It completely describes what so often happens to us tender hearts. And they say it's all in good fun. It is not. Not on my end. Words either instruct, question, build up, or tear down.
Do you think you can continue to spend time in arenas that encourage flirting, gossiping and over indulging? I found, myself, that I was getting more and more perturbed at only getting face time with friends and families at bar/restaurants, parties or beer gardens. You can't hear the conversation, someone in the group has too much to drink and insults or ruins the evening. I backed out of these gatherings more and more over the last three years. Now, primarily if someone wants to get together, I try to offer a coffee shop or a restaurant without alcohol. I guess you find out who your true family and friends are after you make a move like that. I did.
So there are the three yoke references I found quickly in the Bible. That is alot
I will tell you; the guilt that lifts, the grime, the scarlet letter, the divorce decree, the DHS report, the bruise you had to hide once upon a time, the regrets, the religious people that shamed you. These will all float away.
And now, when you are born again (pray for this to happen), you will sin, and you will now repent quickly (I do either in writing to my Father, or say it out loud to my Father and usually the person I sinned against) and THE GUILT GOES AWAY AND DOESN'T BUILD UP. It can't. You are living in the light now. And you are in God's precious, strong hand.
Please, pray a Believer's Prayer if you have not. Do this even if you are a Christian and you still feel a yoke of burden. There are many forms of Believer's Prayers, but essentially you need to admit you are a sinner. You also need to confess your sins and then repent for them. You should state that you know the only way of rescue is through a relationship with Jesus Christ, not religion and not rituals. You need to submit to Him, your life now. And ask for direction on how to walk in the light now that you have done this.
Go out and buy a Bible you can understand. My suggestion in a Life Application Study Bible in the NIV version. Go to the books that the apostle Paul wrote. They are so easy to read and will make sense. You will find so, so many references regarding being born again. It will amaze you. You will understand what your prayer you just said means and that those written words in the Bible describe God's love for you. Selfishly, you!!!!
Grab a hold of Jesus! He is so in love with you. He already did the work for you that you are trying to do, to be good enough for Him. You don't have to do that. You will naturally want to please Him after you are born again, and it becomes easier to not sin. I promise. I am an example of a Christian sinner, born again after 43 years. Yoke bearing, trying to do it all by myself, while my world kept crumbling around me.
My general prayer now is for you to look at all of this differently now that I explained it from my perspective. I was in your shoes. Now, I share my yoke, which is light, with my Creator. And it is so much easier!!!
PTL!
I have been intrigued with the term of "yoke" lately.
Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery.
Matthew 12:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened , and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
2 Corinthians 7:14- Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?
These three verses really pull us in different directions. The first verse (Galatians) speaks so much to new believers. I very well remember my yoke of slavery. It just lifted from me this spring. I felt that pull and weight for my entire life. I thought it was normal to feel guilty as a Christian. To ask over and over for forgiveness from God for the same sins, yet still feel ashamed . And the #1 question I couldn't answer: "If you died today, Melissa, where will your soul go?" I could not answer that question until this spring/summer. Now I can answer that it will be with my Father in heaven (Amen, precious Father).
Galatians warns us not to fall into the satan trap of religious rituals to free us again. The other trap is to fall back into our fleshy ways. Numbing ourselves with substances, buying our happiness with possessions, and in general: Letting the world tell us how to be happy. Others: Sexual sin, Hollywood obsessions with the elite, falling into marketing techniques that sway our "feelings", idolizing people including our children, husbands and wives. Falling in love with power and importance at work. All of these things can put the feeling of a yoke back on our shoulders.
The second verses from Matthew are so well known. My mom was an artist and was taking lessons in South Carolina from a well known water color artist near her community. She had a painting she gave to me and it depicts slavery. It shows slaves and slave owners both, going to Belin's Black Mingo Church near Hemingway, South Carolina. (Black Mingo is a creek also) I visited this church once. The church was burnt down a few years later. We visited the site after the destruction. The tomb stones are still there. The structure is not. The painting shows this church in slavery times. The slaves can go to church with the white folk, but they have to sit in the balcony (this is according to history my parents understood. History they learned of the deep south, living there from 1987 to 1998). The verse is written on the painting. The Belin Black Mingo Church stood tall and strong from 1843 to 1993. No one had worshiped there for years prior to the burning. But, we would go there to walk on the grounds, to see the graves of the slaves and their masters. The "good" slaves would get tombstones. If they were the "best" of slaves, they got an inscription such as "Here Lies Bill Smith's Loyal Slave, David".
The third verse can raise a few eyebrows (2 Corinthians). I think it takes a more mature Christian to understand this. I am starting to understand it. Do you? Do you think you can continue to spend hours a week with friends and family that are negative, don't believe in Christian growth, use "innuendos" to cut you down? (Oh, but don't take things so personally..........). I love the word innuendo now. It completely describes what so often happens to us tender hearts. And they say it's all in good fun. It is not. Not on my end. Words either instruct, question, build up, or tear down.
Do you think you can continue to spend time in arenas that encourage flirting, gossiping and over indulging? I found, myself, that I was getting more and more perturbed at only getting face time with friends and families at bar/restaurants, parties or beer gardens. You can't hear the conversation, someone in the group has too much to drink and insults or ruins the evening. I backed out of these gatherings more and more over the last three years. Now, primarily if someone wants to get together, I try to offer a coffee shop or a restaurant without alcohol. I guess you find out who your true family and friends are after you make a move like that. I did.
So there are the three yoke references I found quickly in the Bible. That is alot
I will tell you; the guilt that lifts, the grime, the scarlet letter, the divorce decree, the DHS report, the bruise you had to hide once upon a time, the regrets, the religious people that shamed you. These will all float away.
And now, when you are born again (pray for this to happen), you will sin, and you will now repent quickly (I do either in writing to my Father, or say it out loud to my Father and usually the person I sinned against) and THE GUILT GOES AWAY AND DOESN'T BUILD UP. It can't. You are living in the light now. And you are in God's precious, strong hand.
Please, pray a Believer's Prayer if you have not. Do this even if you are a Christian and you still feel a yoke of burden. There are many forms of Believer's Prayers, but essentially you need to admit you are a sinner. You also need to confess your sins and then repent for them. You should state that you know the only way of rescue is through a relationship with Jesus Christ, not religion and not rituals. You need to submit to Him, your life now. And ask for direction on how to walk in the light now that you have done this.
Go out and buy a Bible you can understand. My suggestion in a Life Application Study Bible in the NIV version. Go to the books that the apostle Paul wrote. They are so easy to read and will make sense. You will find so, so many references regarding being born again. It will amaze you. You will understand what your prayer you just said means and that those written words in the Bible describe God's love for you. Selfishly, you!!!!
Grab a hold of Jesus! He is so in love with you. He already did the work for you that you are trying to do, to be good enough for Him. You don't have to do that. You will naturally want to please Him after you are born again, and it becomes easier to not sin. I promise. I am an example of a Christian sinner, born again after 43 years. Yoke bearing, trying to do it all by myself, while my world kept crumbling around me.
My general prayer now is for you to look at all of this differently now that I explained it from my perspective. I was in your shoes. Now, I share my yoke, which is light, with my Creator. And it is so much easier!!!
PTL!
Monday, December 12, 2011
Chalk Talk--Being a maverick for Christ
Praise to God! I have not blogged lately, but I here I am. I see many viewers on my stats. I love to see the consistent Russian viewers. Please join in officially or comment. I would love feedback. Am I making a dent? I hope so. I am compelled to spread this Good News. Please join me in this powerful movement. Don't you see it in sports? Tim Tetow? So many professional athletes are giving the praise to our Lord for their achievements. I never appreciated that until being born again, myself. I used to think "How dare they give God the credit?" I can't believe what a flip I have made in my thinking. It was easy to imagine these born agains as being arrogant/chosen. Why am I not good enough? Will they praise God when they lose? Well, yes, I see that most do. Externally we have put on our armor (Ephesians 6:11) We deflect "feelings". We are driven by the Holy Spirit. Each and every day is a step more in faith, in growth. Oh, how the Bible is our best tool. Please, if you are not reading it daily or near daily, that is the missing link. Please understand how you cannot water the seed without the Word. It will be so difficult, you may just shrink back and not be effective for our Lord. Worse yet, you will be a poor example of what Christian life is. We need to do our part and God will do the rest. Share the yoke!
I have a friend who is doing an amazing thing in the public school! I will not submit any further information, so his mission will not be squashed by our lovely government, lawyers, rigid parents and board members. He simply writes a verse from the Bible on the chalk board. What he does not do is label its source! Boy, do the kids love it. It creates great conversation.
I imagine he is careful about which scripture to write on the black board, but you can imagine Proverbs or Psalms would be great for morality boosters.
I read in Dr. David Jeremiah's book "I Never Thought I'd See The Day" about The New-England Primer. This was a textbook that was used in the schools extensively into the 18th and 19th centuries. You may remember the prayer (I grew up with this one):
Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.
This was first published in the New England Primer.
Here is a poem that children learned the alphabet with in 1690 circa:
A: In Adam's Fall we sinned all.
B: Heaven to find, the Bible mind.
C: Christ crucified for sinners died.
D: The deluge drowned the Earth around.
E. Elijah hid by ravens fed.
Imagine that! Now, yes there is so much more for me to say about these textbooks, including The Protestant Tutor. But, you need to go to the library and research or check out the internet, or even read Dr. Jeremiah's book for this great history information.
What happened is that these books were replaced little by little, removing the Biblical portions.
If you want to compare our homes and schools to how they were functioning approximately 60 years ago, I guess you could say we have a problem. But, more disastrous is that our churches are functioning even worse. They seemed to have lost the Bible somewhere in the sanctuary! Darn, they better go get it and bring it out every Sunday. How about encouraging everyone to bring one as well.
I say this with zest because I was brought up in churches that did not have Bibles in worship. I feel I was robbed. Who can I ultimately blame? Guess who? Satan. He has even so carefully removed them from our pastors hands as he leads his flock.
I say this because as a born again this last 8 months, I have experienced incredible spiritual growth. That is why I am writing these blogs. That is why I am doing alot of my "mini missions". I have a sense of urgency. It is really wearing on me. (and yes, I am filled with such incredible joy I have never experienced in life! It is heavenly joy, possible on earth) My alarm is for what is happening. But, by golly Satan got the churches screwed up within the first few years, according to Acts. So, this is not a new problem, but we have generations of believers that are not reading their Bibles because their parents didn't, their pastors didn't drill it into them, they did not see it practiced in church. What you get is a short snippet of scripture, decided for you, typed on a bulletin. Very little discussion about what was really happening in that time of history. No real confirmation that what the Bible states is absolutely, positively true. I have had many Christians tell me without wincing these last 8 months that the Bible is simply a book of stories. And "We don't take it literally". Whose words are those coming out of their months? Does that make God cry? (Yes, God cries if we can cry).
Do what you can now to spread the message of our Beautiful Love Story, written for US. Personally. (It is hard for us Lutherans turned Catholics turned into Jesus Followers to believe that Jesus is talking to us!!) He is wanting to guide us, hold our hands, love us. How can He do that if we don't believe The Word? Don't get me started on miracles and prayers answered............
Satan's greatest trick against Christians is to keep them too busy. Too busy to read the Bible. Too busy to be quiet with God.
Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
I have a friend who is doing an amazing thing in the public school! I will not submit any further information, so his mission will not be squashed by our lovely government, lawyers, rigid parents and board members. He simply writes a verse from the Bible on the chalk board. What he does not do is label its source! Boy, do the kids love it. It creates great conversation.
I imagine he is careful about which scripture to write on the black board, but you can imagine Proverbs or Psalms would be great for morality boosters.
I read in Dr. David Jeremiah's book "I Never Thought I'd See The Day" about The New-England Primer. This was a textbook that was used in the schools extensively into the 18th and 19th centuries. You may remember the prayer (I grew up with this one):
Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.
This was first published in the New England Primer.
Here is a poem that children learned the alphabet with in 1690 circa:
A: In Adam's Fall we sinned all.
B: Heaven to find, the Bible mind.
C: Christ crucified for sinners died.
D: The deluge drowned the Earth around.
E. Elijah hid by ravens fed.
Imagine that! Now, yes there is so much more for me to say about these textbooks, including The Protestant Tutor. But, you need to go to the library and research or check out the internet, or even read Dr. Jeremiah's book for this great history information.
What happened is that these books were replaced little by little, removing the Biblical portions.
If you want to compare our homes and schools to how they were functioning approximately 60 years ago, I guess you could say we have a problem. But, more disastrous is that our churches are functioning even worse. They seemed to have lost the Bible somewhere in the sanctuary! Darn, they better go get it and bring it out every Sunday. How about encouraging everyone to bring one as well.
I say this with zest because I was brought up in churches that did not have Bibles in worship. I feel I was robbed. Who can I ultimately blame? Guess who? Satan. He has even so carefully removed them from our pastors hands as he leads his flock.
I say this because as a born again this last 8 months, I have experienced incredible spiritual growth. That is why I am writing these blogs. That is why I am doing alot of my "mini missions". I have a sense of urgency. It is really wearing on me. (and yes, I am filled with such incredible joy I have never experienced in life! It is heavenly joy, possible on earth) My alarm is for what is happening. But, by golly Satan got the churches screwed up within the first few years, according to Acts. So, this is not a new problem, but we have generations of believers that are not reading their Bibles because their parents didn't, their pastors didn't drill it into them, they did not see it practiced in church. What you get is a short snippet of scripture, decided for you, typed on a bulletin. Very little discussion about what was really happening in that time of history. No real confirmation that what the Bible states is absolutely, positively true. I have had many Christians tell me without wincing these last 8 months that the Bible is simply a book of stories. And "We don't take it literally". Whose words are those coming out of their months? Does that make God cry? (Yes, God cries if we can cry).
Do what you can now to spread the message of our Beautiful Love Story, written for US. Personally. (It is hard for us Lutherans turned Catholics turned into Jesus Followers to believe that Jesus is talking to us!!) He is wanting to guide us, hold our hands, love us. How can He do that if we don't believe The Word? Don't get me started on miracles and prayers answered............
Satan's greatest trick against Christians is to keep them too busy. Too busy to read the Bible. Too busy to be quiet with God.
Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
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