Overwhelmed With Praise and Joy - A Living Reality

That's my offering today - praise and joy - two constant companions of mine. It's true, they never leave me regardless of circumstances. Frankly, a few years ago I would never have believed this possible - but the Lord is full of mercy and grace.

I was taken to the ER early last Sunday morning. Severe respiratory. It's something I live with and is fairly well controlled most of the time. And then comes the smoke from some distant fires or other toxic particulates and there I go!

I had barely reached the ICU room when I let them know that I was going home as soon as they could get paid and sign me off - which turned out to be Monday morning. If I die, I live - so I'm not going to spend 3-4 days in a bed doing nothing if I have any other possibility. I'm not going down for the count. Unless the Lord says....

Meanwhile, I knew the Lord had me there according to His plan and purpose, and my insightful husband brought one of the 'big' Bibles - although he forgot everything else! But I praised him because he had chosen to bring the one single thing that was needed.  I had it open and read it all the time, but let the Lord provide whatever opportunities He wanted His Word to accomplish, and several therapists, nurses and others commented or asked questions about it. Most knew right away what this 'big Book' was! Praise the Lord for that. I have no idea what the Lord was doing with these people, but whatever it was, was according to His plan and purpose for them.

My job finished, I went home. Oh, so tired, I realized when I got home. Oh, so tired. Here it is three days later, and I'm still very tired but at home.

As much as I love my home, I am overwhelmed by desire for my real home. Both yesterday and especially today the Lord and I had such wonderful times of joy and praise as I acknowledged that I had no idea what this has been all about, but I'm "all in" with the Program! Just knowing that He is my Rock and Stay - and that He still has me working is enough for me. I don't want to miss a single task He has for me.

God has allowed me to go through many tests and trials, and I'm very thankful because I know how to trust Him. In fact, all of my faith is in the Lord. My husband and I have learned over the past years how to depend entirely on the Lord. 

 At one point several years ago I went entirely blind - and what I do is read and write - and at that time I was also a musician. I need to tell you the following for your sake. I never cried, I never complained, I never asked the Lord to restore my sight.  I did ask Him to teach me whatever lessons He had for me, and to point the way to what He wanted me to do for Him in that condition. I tell you this because faith and trust need to be build upon layer by layer. And we are going to need to be practiced in trusting everything to the Lord, in depending on Him as our ONLY source, due to the things that are coming very soon.

I sensed that the blindness was a satanic attack which the Lord had allowed. Many online watchman and research ministries were all hit during that particular 3-month time period, and they all believed the same reason - spiritual warfare. Interestingly, over half of them were hit with some degree of blindness. The Lord restored my sight almost completely over the next few months. I have almost normal vision, but lost some of my peripheral vision, so I drive rarely and only on quiet country roads.

The Lord is full of mercy and grace. We must adjust our will to His. Period. That is the lesson (one of them) which we are here to learn. 

While all things are possible with the Lord, if you have not been exercising your faith in the little things, it's unlikely you will be able to seize upon it for the horrendous things. Awful things are coming. We need to be prepared in advance. We must be seasoned warriors in order to have faith in the worst of times. 

Keep your eyes squarely on the Lord and in His Word. We are going to need it. It will be a requirement for the Rapture.

Messianic Jews, Arab Christians Gather Amidst Violence and Anger

It Is Good To Be Afflicted

"It is good for me that I have been afflicted: that I might learn thy statutes." Psalm 119:71

The scriptures teach us that we should be thankful in all circumstances, and here is a great example. It is therefore appropriate that the author of Psalm 119 suffered a small affliction by not being acknowledged as the writer of this most elaborate and elegant Psalm, although the rabbis generally credited it to David.
During an affliction, it runs against the grain to admit that it is serving some positive purpose in life. Our first impulse is to complain and ask God to remove it. But as we grow in the Christian walk we come to realize that God allows these afflictions (or brings them) for our growth. The point of life as a Christian is to become more like Christ. We can therefore expect testing.

"... the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Since these attributes are the fruit of the Christian life, we have none of these from God's point of view, when we first accept Christ as our Savior. We must be pruned regularly in order to develop into full maturity. Pruning is painful! But it is necessary for growth into maturity.

It's not only for the Christian, but the Lord often draws the unsaved to himself through circumstances of sorrow, pain and affliction. People will examine the more substantial issues of life at a time of trouble rather than at a time of ease.

Our faith becomes very strong as, time after time, we can see in retrospect how hard times yielded amazing spiritual fruit in our lives. This is nothing we can take credit for; even the measure of our faith is a gift from God. "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now have I kept thy word ... This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me" (Psalm 119:67).

Particularly in these last days it is critical to understand that our level of responsibility in the next realm is directly impacted by how we handle testing in this realm.

It wouldn't be called testing if it was easy.

Royal Heir