Confession Letters

There are too many times that people tell us “you can’t do that” or “you’re not allowed to do that” or even “that is not acceptable”. I have had times in life where I have felt boxed into a corner because I was told I could not praise MY JESUS which was the same as THEIR JESUS in a certain way.  Don’t mistake what I am saying… everyone has a way that is best for themselves to praise Christ; however, keeping someone from how they choose to praise (provided it’s within the laws of Gods Word – the Bible) then I don’t feel as though that is fair.

If someone feels the urge to raise one or both hands as a way of praise then they should be allowed to do that. If someone feels the urge to bow their head and close their eyes, they should be allowed to do that and not ridiculed for not being “open enough”. If someone wants to dance as their praise to God, they should should be allowed to do that and not ridiculed for being “disrespectful”. I want to remind these people that God gives a list of ways we can praise His name. Just because it’s not the method you choose does not mean it’s not acceptable to the God we both believe in. I found this summary and loved it! It was simple and yet to the point in what I was trying to say (I’m sure there are others, this is not a complete list):

A. Audibly

1. Singing (TEHILLAH)—“Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name” Ps 30:4; “Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” Eph 5:19; see also Ezra 3:11, Ps 40:3, Ps 47:6-7, Ps 61:8, Ps 81:1, Ps 146:2, Ps 149:5, Is 42:11, Zeph 3:14, Matt 26:30, 1 Cor 14:15, Col 3:16, Rev 14:3.

2. Shouting (SHABACH)—“Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause” Psalm 35:27; “For thus says the Lord: ‘Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say “O Lord, save Your people, the remnant of Israel!”’” Jer 31:7; see also Josh 6:16, 1 Sam 4:5, 2 Chr 13:14-15, Ps 32:11, Ps 47:1, Ps 98:4, Zeph 3:14, Luke 19:37.

3. Instruments (ZAMAR)—“Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals; praise Him with clashing cymbals!” Ps 150:3-5; see also 2 Sam 6:5, 1 Kin 1:40, 2 Chr 5:13-14, Ezra 3:10, Ps 68:25, Rev 14:2.

4. Saying amen in church—“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’ Praise the Lord!” Ps 106:48; see also 1 Chr 16:36, Neh 8:6, 1 Cor 14:16.

5. Weeping—“So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people” Ezra 3:13; see also Judg 21:1, Ps 6:8, Jer 9:1, Joel 2:17, Luke 6:21, James 4:9.

6. Prayer Tongue – Acts 10: ⁴⁶“For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.” Acts 10 and Acts 19

B. Physically

1. Lifting Hands (YADAH)—“Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting of my hands as the evening sacrifice” Ps 141:2; “Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens” Lam 3:41; see also Ex 17:11, 2 Chr 6:12, 29, Ezra 9:5, Ps 28:2, Ps 63:4, Ps 119:48, Ps 134:1-2, Luke 24:50, 1 Tim 2:8.

2. Dancing—“Let them praise His name with the dance; let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp” Psalm 149:3; “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets” Luke 6:23; see also Ex 15:20, 1 Sam 18:6, 2 Sam 6:12-23, Ps 150:4, Jer 31:13.

3. Bowing & Kneeling (BARAK)—“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker” Ps 95:6; see also Num 20:6, Lev 9:24, Ezek 1:28, Luke 17:16, Eph 3:14, Rev 22:8.

4. Clapping—“Oh clap your hands, all you peoples, shout to God with the voice of triumph!” Ps 47:1; see also Ps 98:8, Is 55:12.

5. Other forms of praise to look up: standing, lifting up eyes/face, banners, standards, pageantry, processionals.

Notes:
TOWDAH = A sacrifice of praise, thanksgiving, or an offering of praise.
HALAL = To be clean, to shine, and rejoice in the Lord with a distinct sound.
TEHILLAH = To sing a loudation or hymn.
SHABACH = To address in a loud tone, to shout, to be jubilant, and in fact, to be militant.
ZAMAR = To touch the strings or parts of a musical instrument, to play upon it and make music with the voice and to sing forth praise.
YADAH = To praise or to extend the hand.
BARAK = Adoration, when we kneel expectantly, quietly and reverently before Him – “To bless the Lord”

You can also call Him by different names as a way of praising Him. He holds many titles and calling him by one that is specific to your situation when praising or praying is a wonderful way of showing and giving reverance.

31 Ways to Praise: Creating A Vocabulary of Praise
by Bob Hostetler

1. God the Creator “Creator God, I praise you because you made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you’. . . ” (Neh. 9:6).

2. The Only God “God, I praise you because you are the LORD, and there is no other; apart from you there is no God. . . “ (Isaiah 45:5).

3. The Almighty God “O LORD God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O LORD,” and I praise you . . .” (Psalm 89:8).

4. The Everlasting Father, the Ancient of Days “I praise you, Lord, as the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:9), the Everlasting Father (Isaiah 9:6), who lives forever and ever. . . .”

5. A Loving God “I praise you because you are a loving God, whose very nature is love. . . .” (1 John 4:16).

6. A God of Justice “Lord, I praise and magnify you, who is just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. . . .” (Romans 3:26).

7. The Trustworthy God “Heavenly Father, I give you my praise and adoration, because you are a “faithful God, keeping [your] covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love [you] and keep [your] commands. . . .” (Deuteronomy 7:9).

8. A Merciful God “You, O Lord, are a gracious and merciful God,” (Nehemiah 9:31), and I praise you for your great mercy. . . .”

9. God my Refuge, my Fortress “I praise you, Lord, for you are my mighty rock, my refuge. . . .'” (Psalm 62:7).

10. A Long-suffering, Persevering God “Father, I praise you because you are patient with [all your children], not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance’ (2 Pet. 3:9).Thank you for your patience with me. . . .”

11. The Only Wise God “I give praise to you, my Father, the only wise God [my] Saviour’ (Jude 1:25). May all glory and majesty, dominion and power, be yours both now and ever. . . .”

12. The Holy One “Holy, holy, holy are you, Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come. . . .” (Revelation 4:8).

13. A Personal God “I praise you, God, because you are a personal God, who gives me the honor of knowing you personally, just like you did to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. . . .” (Matthew 8:11).

14. A Giving God “Praise and honor be yours, O God, because you are a generous God, who did not even stop short of giving your own Son (John 3:16). . . .”

15. The Provider God “I praise you today, Lord, as my Jehovah -jireh, who will generously provide all [I] need’. . . .” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

16. The Shepherd God “I bless your name and praise you as my Jehovah-rohi, who will shepherd me and guide me in the paths of righteousness for your name’s sake” (Psalm 23:1-3).

17. God my Victory “Praise to you, my God, because you are my Jehovah-nissi, God my victory, who always leads [me] in triumphal procession in Christ’. . . .”(2 Corinthians 2:14).

18. God my Peace “I praise you with all my heart, Lord, because you are my Jehovah-shalom, the God of peace [who] will soon crush Satan under [my] feet. . . .” (Romans 16:20).

19. The God Who Heals “Father, I praise you because you are the Lord who heals me. . . .” (Exodus 15:26).

20. The God of All Comfort “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. . . .” (2 Corinthians 1:3).

21. The God of Miracles “Lord, I praise you because You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the people’. . . .” (Psalm 77:14).

22. A Forgiving God “I want to bless you with my praise, Father, because you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love’. . . .” (Nehemiah 9:17)

23. The Burden-Bearer “Praise be to the LORD, to God [my] Savior, who daily bears [my] burdens’. . . .” (Psalm 68:19).

24. A Faithful God “I praise you because your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies’. . . Great is your faithfulness’. . . .” (Psalm 36:5; Lamentations 3:23).

25. God the Blessed and Only Ruler, King of kings and Lord of lords “All honor and praise be to you, my God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords’. . . .” (1 Timothy 6:15).

26. God the Liberator “I praise you because You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD’. . . .” (Psalm 70:5).

27. The Lifter of My Head “Father God, I praise you because you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head’ when I am weary or depressed. . . .” (Psalm 3:3).

28. A God of Light “I praise you, Lord, because you are my light and my salvation,’ and because you know what lies in darkness, and light dwells with you’. . . .” (Psalm 27:1, Daniel 2:22).

29. A God of Joy “I give you my praise, O Lord, because you have granted [me] eternal blessings and made me glad with the joy of your presence’. . . .” (Psalm 21:6).

30.  The God Who Answers Prayer “I praise and honor you, Father, because you are a God who loves to answer prayer, and who begins to answer even before I begin to pray” (Isaiah 65:24).

31. The God of All the Earth “I praise and adore you, Lord, as the Holy One of Israel. . . [my] Redeemer. . . the God of all the earth’. . . .” (Isaiah 54:5).

God gives all sorts of gifts to His followers. God gives everyone some part within the church. When you receive your gift, use it, and praise Him for it! The Church is a mix of all gifts. One gift by itself cannot bring a church where it needs to be or bring others into the church:

1 Corinthians 12:10

^4-11God’s various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful: wise counsel, clear understanding, simple , trust, healing the sick, miraculous acts, proclamation, distinguishing between spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues.”

All these gifts have a common origin, but are handed out one by one by the one Spirit of God. He decides who gets what, and when.

Lastly, God has different names that we can call him. Beautiful names. Learning them and calling upon him appropriate to our needs is another way of praising! Here are names for our Lord:

• Jehovah – The Lord
  Exodus 6:2,3

• Adonai Jehovah – The Lord God
  Genesis 15:2

• Jehovah Adon Kal Ha’arets – The Lord, the Lord of All the Earth
  Joshua 3:11

• Jehovah Bara – The Lord Creator
  Isaiah 40:28

• Jehovah Chezeq – The Lord My Strength
  Psalm 18:1

• Jehovah Chereb – The Lord . . the Sword
  Deut. 33:29

• Jehovah Eli – The Lord My God
  Psalm 18:2

• Jehovah Elyon – The Lord Most High
  Genesis 14:18

• Jehovah ‘Ez-Lami – The Lord My Strength
  Psalm 28:7

• Jehovah Gador Milchamah – The Lord Mighty in Battle
  Psalm 24:8

• Jehovah Ganan – The Lord Our Defense
  Psalm 89:18

• Jehovah Go’el – The Lord Thy Redeemer
  Isaiah 49:26; 60:16

• Jehovah Hashopet – The Lord the Judge
  Judges 11:27

• Jehovah Hoshe’ah – The Lord Save
  Psalm 20:9

• Jehovah ‘Immeku – The Lord Is with you
  Judges 6:12

• Jehovah ‘Izoz Hakaboth – The Lord Strong and Mighty
  Psalm 24:8

• Jehovah Jireh – The Lord will Provide
  Genesis 22:14

• Jehovah Kabodhi – The Lord My Glory
  Psalm 3:3

• Jehovah Kanna – The Lord Whose Name is Jealous
  Exodus 34:14

• Jehovah Keren-Yish’i – The Lord the Horn of My Salvation
  Psalm 18:2

• Jehovah Machsi – The Lord My Refuge
  Psalm 91:9

• Jehovah Magen – The Lord, the Shield
  Deut. 33:29

• Jehovah Ma’oz – The Lord . . . My Fortress
  Jeremiah 16:19

• JehovahHamelech – The Lord the King
  Psalm 98:6

• Jehovah Melech ‘Olam – The Lord King Forever
  Psalm 10:16

• Jehovah Mephalti – The Lord My Deliverer
  Psalm 18:2

• Jehovah M’gaddishcem – The Lord Our Sanctifier
  Exodus 31:13

• Jehovah Metsodhathi – The Lord. . . . My Fortress
  Psalm 18:2

• Jehovah Misqabbi – The Lord My High Tower
  Psalm 18:2

• Jehovah Naheh – The Lord that Smiteth
  Ezekiel 7:9

• Jehovah Nissi – The Lord Our Banner
  Exodus 17:15

• Jehovah ‘Ori – The Lord My Light
  Psalm 27:1

• Jehovah Rapha – The Lord that Healeth
  Exodus 15:26

• Jehovah Rohi – The Lord My Shepherd
  Psalm 23:1

• Jehovah Saboath – The Lord of Hosts
  I Samuel 1:3

• Jehovah Sel’i – The Lord My Rock
  Psalm 18:2

• Jehovah Shalom – The Lord Our Peace
  Judges 6:24

• Jehovah Shammah – The Lord is There
  Ezekiel 48:35

• Jehovah Tiskenu – The Lord Our Righteousness
  Jeremiah 23:6

• Jehovah Tsori – O Lord My Strength
  Psalm 19:14

• Jehovah ‘Uzam – The Lord Their Strength
  Psalm 37:39

• Jehovah Yasha – The Lord Thy Saviour
  Isaiah 49:26; 60:16

I can’t get used to sitting down and pouring out my heart and soul to people I will probably never meet. It’s a challenge every time but it’s one I am willing to take on head first because I have a purpose in doing all of this. Let me begin by explaining this.

Here is my timeline to help this breakdown a little easier 🙂

Summer of ’09: Two different people tell me I will have to step down from singing in the praise band at Life’s Hope Baptist Church. These two people have never met, never talked, never crossed paths in their entire life. Needless to say, I didn’t believe them at all. This was my home, my passion and my gift from God.

May/June ’09: I had continuously had urges to raise my hand in praise when I sang. Not many people at my current church did this so I always felt out-of-place to go through with doing it. I began to somewhat lift my hand with my elbow stuck to my side. Around this time, I had a huge breakthrough!! I raised my hand not caring what anyone else had to say to me because I was praising the Lord my God! I had reached a new level in my spiritual growth.

June/July ’09: I began to feel the tug to step down out of the praise band. This is a long story which is written in a previous  blog if you want to know the entire story. Ultimately, I fought the notion. I didn’t understand why He would ask me to do such a thing.

October ’09: We had moved into our new house. My husband was working nights and I was petrified to stay home alone. One night I experienced a petrifying ordeal that no one should ever have to go through. I won’t share details of this at this point but if you want to know, just ask, I’ll be more than happy to. The next morning I heard an entity for the first time. I had always seen them, but never heard. It was ear-piercing and spine chilling. That afternoon, my sister, her mother-in-law and myself walked through the house anointing it. After this was done, all of us began talking. My sister’s mother-in-law said she had something the Lord had told her to remind me of but wasn’t sure when she was supposed to tell me. (She said she knew she was supposed to say something for months but was waiting for the right time to present itself). She decided to tell me at this point. She asked me if I remembered visiting a church with them in Dallas, GA and if I remembered going down to the altar. I had no recollection of this at all. She said I went down and the pastor said, “God wants to know if you love Him?” I said yes supposedly and the pastor then said, “Then feed His sheep.” She said God had asked her to remind me that I needed to feed His sheep and that I would go through a very humbling experience. Of course, I was lost at this point. Where did this leave me? What was I supposed to do with this information? After they left, I sat down and looked up “sheep” in the concordance of my bible. I ended up being pulled to scripture in 1 Peter and Ephesians. Two scriptures dealt with feeding His sheep and other two dealt with leadership and church. I won’t continue on with this part but when you listen to scripture that God brings you to, it’s amazing how puzzle pieces begin to fit together!

December ’09: I finally made a decision to listen and resign from my position in the praise band. It was hard for me to do, painful for me to walk away but I knew I had too. There was a reason regardless if I understood it or not. My job was not to understand what was happening but to act out of obedience. The humbling experience was definitely this one. Not humbling in the sense of I was singing for the wrong reasons, but humbling in the sense of just because I think I am where I’m supposed to be doesn’t mean I am. You have to listen for His guidance and not question it. I had questioned it for 5 – 6 months at this point. While doing so my spiritual life was stagnant. As soon as I listened, it began flowing again and flowed directly into a new season.

Out of all of this timeline, I began this “Feed His Sheep” blog. I wasn’t sure how to go about doing that (feeding His sheep that is) so I thought what better way than to share my experiences with supporting scripture and how He has taught me. Maybe it would touch someone through His direction, maybe it wouldn’t. All I knew was I had stuff to say and orders to do it. lol

I have gotten into my jeep the past few days to hear Joyce Meyer on the radio. She is going through Battlefield of the Mind. Amazing study so far. When I hear things two and three times I realize it’s God trying to get my attention! I should listen! She was discussing each time how what you let into your mind affects everything around you. Your attitude towards things affect everything around you. To clear out negative thoughts and if you are not strong enough to just clear them from your mind, verbally speak something positive. It helps to flush it out 🙂 I do a pretty good job of keeping a clear mind for the most part but I am human and not perfect. I can do this very well when it’s outside of my bubble, but as soon as life is altered inside my bubble I can’t handle it.

Matthew 5:8 You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

When my inner circle is breached by Satan it’s all I can do to stay focused.

Proverbs 14:30 A sound mind makes for a robust body, but runaway emotions corrode the bones.

Proverbs 18:20 Words satisfy the mind as much as fruit does the stomach; good talk is as gratifying as a good harvest.

Recently, I have experienced Satan trying to pervert situations with someone very close to me. I would notice myself getting angry at that person and wanting to fight and argue but then I would try not to — trying to keep my mind clear. All of a sudden it hit me like a ton of bricks — that person very close to me was going through the same thing I was. Satan was perverting things for them just like he was doing to me. In turn, he was turning us against each other instead of us standing tall together in Christ. (Romans 7:25 The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.)  All I can do is pray for the person close to me. Something like this you can tell in words to someone all day long but until they are ready to see if for themselves there is nothing you can do but pray. So I did that. I prayed for clarity for both of us and I prayed for God’s light to shine through and rebuked Satan in the blood of Jesus Christ!!!!!!!! (Ephesians 4:23: ²³and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind)

Our mind sets the grounds of battle. We choose what comes out of mouths and we choose what comes into our minds. Our mind should be like Christ’s mind.

2 Peter 3:1 My dear friends, this is now the second time I’ve written to you, both letters reminders to hold your minds in a state of undistracted attention.

Romans 8:6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.

1 Corinthians 2:16 For  who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

Romans 15:5 Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus.

A very wise lesson is in Proverbs 19: ⁸ Grow a wise heart—you’ll do yourself a favor; keep a clear head—you’ll find a good life. ⁹ The person who tells lies gets caught; the person who spreads rumors is ruined. ¹⁰ Blockheads shouldn’t live on easy street any more than workers should give orders to their boss. ¹¹ Smart people know how to hold their tongue; their grandeur is to forgive and forget.

You know what you want. You are taking every possible opportunity that comes your way. You can see it. The dream you have dreamed for the longest time. You know in your mind that what you want is not something horrible or detrimental to anyone else. It’s a positive dream. God says He will give us the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4) but yet it isn’t happening. It seems like everything that could go against you is. You take an opportunity  but it’s a dead-end. You take another opportunity to better yourself and it results in failure. You feel like your world is coming to end and you don’t know which way to go… Proverbs 21:16 says, “Whoever wanders off the straight and narrow ends up in a congregation of ghosts.”

I have been through this feeling personally. And it’s one that even today I struggle with quite a bit. The desires of my heart are pure, they are true, they are passionate, they are everything that encompasses who I am. But sometimes that is the problem. We encompass ourselves so much in passion for other things that we forget where our passion is supposed to lay. Which is with Him. Our first passion is (or should be) for the word and truth of the Lord. To spread our testimony, our story of how He saved us from a sinner’s life of hell and gave us an opportunity to live in a place of perfectness and harmony. Once we have focused on Him, many times other things will fall into place. Either those desires of our heart come to fruition or the desire goes away because it was not a desire needed to be felt to begin with.

Proverbs 30 ^{5 -6} The  believer replied, “Every promise of God proves true; he protects everyone who runs to him for help. So don’t second-guess him;  he might take you to task and show up your lies.”

But what about those who are doing as they are supposed to with focusing on God and they still have desires urging to be fulfilled? If you want something bad enough and it fits within parameters that God has set, then go after it. But a warning is to be heard in doing that. When you do something that could even POTENTIALLY benefit God, Satan is going to come after you. He works just as mysteriously as God does. He is subtle, he is caniving, he is sly, he is quiet, he is slippery and he is deceitful. He perverts things so much that without even realizing it, you are blaming yourself,others and even making excuses for things happening around you. He will get in your head and make you ask things like, “What’s the point?”, “I’m not any good at this” or “It’s her/his fault not mine”. He might make you angry and make you want to throw all your dreams away. In the process of all of this – he is helping you to stray from your walk with Christ. Notice I said “helping” you stray. He doesn’t MAKE you do these things. He tempts you. Dangles bait in your face (perverts your thoughts or situations around you). We have to stay strong enough in our knowledge (the Bible) and in our armor of God to be able to go to battle head to head and toe to toe with Satan  IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST NOT OURSELVES. He knows just as much as us and even more.

Mark 4:15 ¹⁵Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.

Romans 7:8 Don’t you remember how it was? I do, perfectly well. The law code started out as an excellent piece of work. What happened, though, was that sin found a way to pervert the command into a temptation, making a piece of “forbidden fruit” out of it.

You have to know that he is going to do whatever it takes to get to you. If he can’t get directly to you through your mind, he might try and get to someone around you which in turn affects you. If that doesn’t work, he might try to get at you through work. If that doesn’t work he might try to get to you through troubled times. YOU CAN’T LET HIM WIN. But the only way to do that is to live your life as you should. Those dreams can be reality. You can’t let him get in your head.

When you have been touched by the Lord, when you have felt is anointment come over you, when you just know that you have received that personal attention from our Holy Father, Satan is right behind you. When you make a stand for what is right, Satan is right behind you. There is always a spiritual battle going on around us. Pick your side and choose it wisely.And don’t get cocky and think you are invincible. God is a gentleman and will NEVER force you to choose a side. God doesn’t promise for life to be all cherries and butterflies. What He does promise is to be there for us and tells what He expects us to do as HIS disciples. For decisions made in life there will always be consequences — those could be good or bad. Ultimately, that is your decision.

I was in church this morning and had an urge to pray for some specific people. I probably spent a solid 5-6 minutes praying for these specific people only to see them being tested. I could see (and have been seeing) God working in these people’s lives and the good that is slowly evolving for them. And here came Satan, trying hard to frustrate them, to get them to give up and not want to try anymore.

Luke 22:31 “Simon, stay on your toes. Satan has tried his best to separate all of you from me, like chaff from wheat. Simon, I’ve prayed for you in particular that you not give in or give out. When you have come through the time of testing, turn to your companions and give them a fresh start.”

What he tries to frustrate people it doesn’t have to be what is directly in front of them. As humans, we can get so frustrated in what to do in one situation that it completely affects decisions in others. I pray this doesn’t happen for you. I pray God keeps your mind clear and separated from the perversion of Satan v. the purity of Christ. (In Matthew 4 Satan tests Christ three times by perverting actual scripture. He speaks verses of scripture trying to trick Christ. But Christ responds to Satan with other scripture to back up the true meaning. ) When you begin to get frustrated or confused, when your mind is cluttered, take a minute and clear it out. Spend some time with God and ASK HIM to clarify things for you. Opportunities are all around us we just have to make sure to focus on the “BIG PICTURE” not just our road in front of us. Make sure you don’t have potential accidents waiting in that road in front of you. If you do, there is always a detour you can take. Don’t let it be a barrier.

Proverbs 4:10 Dear friend, take my advice; it will add years to your life. I’m writing out clear directions to Wisdom Way, I’m drawing a map to Righteous Road. I don’t want you ending up in blind alleys, or wasting time making wrong turns. Hold tight to good advice; don’t relax your grip. Guard it well—your life is at stake! Don’t take Wicked Bypass; don’t so much as set foot on that road. Stay clear of it; give it a wide berth. Make a detour and be on your way.

God promises to deal with those who mislead HIS sheep.

Jeremiah 23:1

“Doom to the shepherd-leaders who butcher and scatter my sheep!” God’s Decree. “So here is what I, God, Israel’s God, say to the shepherd-leaders who misled my people: ‘You’ve scattered my sheep. You’ve driven them off. You haven’t kept your eye on them. Well, let me tell you, I’m keeping my eye on you, keeping track of your criminal behavior. I’ll take over and gather what’s left of my sheep, gather them in from all the lands where I’ve driven them. I’ll bring them back where they belong, and they’ll recover and flourish. I’ll set shepherd-leaders over them who will take good care of them. They won’t live in fear or panic anymore. All the lost sheep rounded up!’ God’s Decree.”

This month has been a tough month financially. January always has lots of “extra’s” for me. Vehicle registration… Cassanova’s annual shots… Fees for tax preparation… KSU Spring tuition these can easily total over $900. To add to the stress, my husband’s (bless his heart) job has not been giving him 40 hours a week. In fact he has averaged one day off a week until this week and it was two. Naturally, I begin to get worried. To put icing on the cake, our electricity bill came in from the two weeks of nonstop freezing temperatures at the tune of $192. (We had budgeted $100 in our monthly budget. For those of you who don’t do this it’s amazing!! If you want the low down on how to do this let me know, I’ll blog it! I paid off $20,000 doing this method.) My husband and I had overslept two weeks ago on a Sunday morning, so needless to say we didn’t make church. I was considering taking my tithe (which was $60 – this is important). My sister gently reminded me that it is the Lord’s money to begin with, that I need to still tithe. She also said I should remain faithful and believing that the Lord will provide my needs. (She nicely brought my own words to her to me in this instance. I always tell her God promises to provide what is needed, not necessarily what is wanted) 🙂 After thinking about it she was right. The Bible says:

Malachi 3:8 – THE MESSAGE
“Begin by being honest. Do honest people rob God? But you rob me day after day. “You ask, ‘How have we robbed you?’ “The tithe and the offering—that’s how! And now you’re under a curse —the whole lot of you—because you’re robbing me. Bring your full tithe to the Temple treasury so there will be ample provisions in my Temple. Test me in this and see if I don’t open up heaven itself to you and pour out blessings beyond your wildest dreams. For my part, I will defend you against marauders, protect your wheat fields and vegetable gardens against plunderers.” The Message of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.”

Malachi 3:10 – NEW AMERICA STANDARD VERSION
” Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.

So I gave double the next Sunday. $60 for the current week, and $60 for the previous week. My tuition for KSU was due Jan 19th. My bill was $318. When I logged on to pay it? Total due: $210. God had blessed me with saving $108 that I didn’t have to pay out!! That was money to go towards the electricity bill that had not been budgeted for. In the mail today, I randomly received a check from Well-Star (that had been sent to an address that I lived at over 1.5 years ago and been forwarded to my parents house) for $81. God had blessed me with an extra $189.

Moral of the blog? Give to God what is His and He will always take care of you in one way or another.

Luke 6:38 says, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

If you lean on the Lord for understand, listen and do as He commands. Otherwise, you will never truly be prepared and will fall and suffer with total loss.

Luke 6:46-49

^46-47“Why are you so polite with me, always saying ‘Yes, sir,’ and ‘That’s right, sir,’ but never doing a thing I tell you? These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on.^48-49“If you work the words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a dumb carpenter who built a house but skipped the foundation. When the swollen river came crashing in, it collapsed like a house of cards. It was a total loss.”