WHAT DOES YOUR FATHER SEE?

This past week as I watched our grandson, I began to ponder what the Lord sees when He looks down upon me, as His child.  Does He become as excited as I do as I watch my children and grandchildren explore, learn and step forward with new insights and goals?  

Noah is learning new words each day.  As we watched a video of him, I watched as he experimented with a new sentence.  The first time he tried it out, he said, "Hi kiki", Watching him closely for what he would do next while standing over the box of baby chickens, he said, "Hi kickin, hi kickin".  Then there was a pause as he looks into the box some more and he tries over and over saying "Hi kicken".  He tries hard to get it to come out correctly.  Then he decides which color he would like his father to hand to him.  He says, "That one" and Josh thinks he is giving Noah the correct chicken but Noah knows exactly which one he wants to have out of the box.  He looks back into the box and says, "white" as this is one of the colors we have been recently teaching him.  

As I watched Noah I was filled with awe, love, pride, excitement, joy, eagerness for him to learn more words, and a great desire just to give him a huge hug and kiss.  

Does the Heavenly Father become this excited about us learning and exploring?  I believe He does and I am sure he waits anxiously for us to take the next step, learn new jewels of His Word, and grow deeper in love with Him.  So go ahead, witness to others, study His Word, teach that class, write that song or write your book, as it will only bring great joy to Your Heavenly Father.   

He has created each of us just as he created our grandson Noah, with the need to learn and grow stronger each day in our physical walk.  Not only our physical walk, but also our spiritual walk.  Many of us have matured greatly physically but we have not even begun to take baby steps spiritually.  When you begin this process, the Heavenly Father will be filled with excitement, joy and an eagerness to help you learn more.  He longs for the day for you to become nourished and grow into what He has planned for your life.  

When will you take the first step or say the first words to begin that process.  Do not wait until your spiritual life has dried up and weathered away.  Let today be the day when you take that first step.  It will surprise you after a few years, how far you have come when you look back, if you begin to cultivate your spiritual maturity each day.  

GIVE UNTO THE LORD THE GLORY DUE HIS NAME

Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; 

worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: 

the LORD is upon many waters.

The voice of the LORD is powerful; 

the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.

The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; 

yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.

He maketh them also to skip like a calf; 

Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.

The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire.

The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD 

shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.

The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, 

and discovereth the forests: 

and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.

The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, 

the LORD sitteth King for ever.

The LORD will give strength unto his people; 

the LORD will bless his people with peace.

Psalms 29

ALLOWING THE LIVING WATER TO FLOW

Photo Provided by Karen Boston Fain

In the last day, that great day of the feast,
Jesus stood and cried, saying, 

If any man thirst, let him come unto me,
and drink.  He that believeth on me,
as the scripture hath said, out of his belly
shall flow rivers of living water.

John 7:37

EXPERIENCING GOD'S RICHES, GRACE AND POWER

Traveling to an exotic place on earth leaves a deep memory of what the place was like and all the emotions that go along with the experience.  One of the reason's we don't understand God's Love, God's Mercy, and His Grace is because when the signs point to Him; we turn and go the other way.  How can you experience God if don't follow his directions and go down the journey of life with Him.  Those that have traveled down this path can truly tell you that, God is Good, God is Love, Full of Mercy, New Every Morning, Faithful, True and Holy.  Want you come and go and experience for yourself His riches, glory and power.

AWAKEN MY SOUL IV

     As I was driving to work yesterday, I heard a quote from Martin Luther King. As our topic lately has been on Awaken My Soul I realized this man had experienced that very thing.  I know I have heard his speech many times in the past but I don't think I had ever really heard what he was saying.  During the middle of his speech he said,

 "Now, what does all of this mean in this 

great period of history? 

It means that we've got to stay together. 

We've got to stay together and maintain unity. 

You know, whenever Pharaoh wanted to prolong 

the period of slavery in Egypt, he had a favorite,

 favorite formula for doing it. What was that? 

He kept the slaves fighting among themselves. 

But whenever the slaves get together, 

something happens in Pharaoh's court, 

and he cannot hold the slaves in slavery. 

When the slaves get together, 

that's the beginning of getting out of slavery.

Now let us maintain unity.  

     Is this not what Christians have done for far too long?  We have broken into every sort of denomination and then within our own denominations we can't seem to have unity with one another.  Satan still uses the same tactics that he used with the children of Israel.  Keep the Christians fighting among themselves instead of become victorious and seeing a great awakening. 

     Right at the very end of his speech he said he had been to the mountain. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the Lord!  

     Let's look back to yesterday’s list of things we need to do to Awaken our Soul. Wake up, walk circumspectly, be filled with Spirit, speaking to ourselves, give thanks always, and submit to one another.  

     I believe that this man's soul was awakened and all he could do was long to be with the Lord. Previously he had preached Christ but during this speech the power of Christ was all over him.  His soul was fully awakened to the Power of the Almighty.

     He felt his calling was to set the African American people free.  Just as Moses began the march for the Israelite's, Martin Luther King did the same for the African Americans.  The last of his speech he said, 

"Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. 

Longevity has its place. 

But I'm not concerned about that now. 

I just want to do God's will. 

And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. 

And I've looked over.

And I've seen the Promised Land. 

I may not get there with you. 

But I want you to know tonight, that we,

as a people, will get to the promised land! 

And so I'm happy, tonight. 

I'm not worried about anything. 

I'm not fearing any man! 

Mine eyes have seen the glory 

of the coming of the Lord!!"

 The Lord wants his children set free. We are living under the same type bondage the Children of Israel and the African Americans were living in. We are slaves to our own sins. We can't seem to shake loose from the bondage. Maybe instead of shaking loose from the bondage we need to have unity with other brothers and sisters in Christ.  We need to become one as American Christians.  When that happens those chains of bondage will fall off. I don't mean just be nice and friendly with other brothers and sisters; I mean we need to walk in unity with each other.  The scripture below says, "Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.  Now wouldn't that be amazing; to be the pastor of a church and start seeing this take place.  All jealously demolished and people worshipping in Spirit and in Truth.  

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter 

into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, 

which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, 

that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest

 over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true 

heart in full assurance of faith, 

having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, 

and our bodies washed with pure water. 

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; 

(for he is faithful that promised;) 

And let us consider one another to provoke 

unto love and to good works: 

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, 

as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: 

and so much the more, 

as ye see the day approaching.

Hebrews  10:16-25

AWAKEN MY SOUL PART III

So I am thinking maybe this is going to be a series.  Each day I try to focus my mind on something else, I am drawn back to this topic.

I find in the scripture that each person used by God in a mighty way, did what the scripture said.   Let's break it down and look at all the action verbs here.

• Wake up
• Walk circumspectly
• Be filled with Spirit
• Speaking to ourselves 
• Give thanks always
• Submit to one another

What is the area you need to work on the most?  Are you willing to take these steps in order to experience the awakening of your soul.  

Wherefore he saith,

Wake thou that sleepest,

 arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding

 what the will of the Lord is.

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess;

 but be filled with the Spirit;

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, 

singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father 

in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Ephesians 5: 14-20

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