God's Love is Perfect! God Is Love!

 

1 John 4:18-21The Message (MSG)

To Love, to Be Loved

^17-18 God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.

¹⁹ We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.
^20-21 If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both.

1 John 4:1-10 Holman (HCSB)

The Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error

4 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

² This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has^[a] come in the flesh is from God. ³ But every spirit who does not confess Jesus^[b] is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist; you have heard that he is coming, and he is already in the world now.
⁴ You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. ⁵ They are from the world. Therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God. Anyone who knows God listens to us; anyone who is not from God does not listen to us. From this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.

Knowing God through Love

⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ God’s love was revealed among us in this way:^[c] God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. ¹⁰ Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the^[d] propitiation for our sins.

1 John 4:18 KJV 

God's love is perfect
¹⁸ There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 
 

  

Jesus you have everything under control! Thank you for your gift of grace...thank you for your peace that passes understanding...help us to overcome fear by having faith in you! Give my brothers and sisters your steadfast love and rest in you, knowing you are for us! Your perfect Love, cast out fear! No matter what comes Lord...we are in your hands! Fill us with your supernatural Love and Wisdom! Amen!



Toto I Have A Feeling We're Not in Kansas Anymore

Hebrews 12:12-17New Living Translation (NLT)

12 So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. 13 Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.

Toto…we’re not in Kansas anymore!
Mayberry has come and gone!

There is a wave headed your way…you can see it coming…you hear it coming…don’t hide your eyes or stop your ears, pretending it isn’t coming…because it is…But I have not given you a spirit of fear…and with every temptation I have made a way escape for you. It’s not in your military strength or your government, it’s not in your entertainment world or in your merit…You will only overcome by being in me and I in you.

I’ve given you everything you need to survive!!! I’ve sent my prophets, I’ve sent my son, I’ve given you my word and most of all I’ve given you my Holy Spirit I AM that Spirit, I AM, is with you!

Don’t look for someone to save you…I already have…put your faith and your life and the life of your children in my hands, says the Lord!

Your greatest weapon in my Holy Spirit…if you don’t know me, get to know me…there is, no other way!

Lift up the hands that hang down, lift up your voice now still…give unto me continuous praises…sing forth from Zion’ hill. (Song)

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:58King James Version (KJV)

Do not be afraid, for as you walk through the valley of the shadow of death you will fear no evil; for I AM with you…says the Lord…

Now, right now is the time to be strong and courageous…do not look at their faces…keep your eyes focused on me, says the Lord…and your heart strong.

Exercise your faith…and pray in the Holy Spirit, for my Spirit is a Spirit of Love, it is not weak, it is stronger than any power on this earth or the one to come…

There is no better weapon than my Holy Spirit, says the Lord! Be filled to overflowing…I gave you my Holy Spirit freely and I expect you to utilize my Holy Spirit every second of your heartbeat…In yourselves you can do nothing…but with me you can do ALL Things, in the name of my son, the anointed. Yeshua/Jesus name. 

2 Corinthians 10:4-7King James Version (KJV)
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
7 Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? if any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's.
Jesus, may we be ever watchful and looking for you! Give us a double portion of your Holy Spirit today, in your name I pray amen!

Ostrich or Eagle?

 

The Ostrich:

Job 30:29 New Life Version (NLV) ²⁹ I have become a brother to wild dogs, and a friend of ostriches.

It’s distinctive in its appearance, with a long neck and legs, and can run at up to about 70 km/h (19 m/s; 43 mph),^[5] the fastest land speed of any bird.^[6] The ostrich is the largest living species of bird and lays the largest eggs of any living bird (extinct elephant birds of Madagascar and the giant moa of New Zealand laid larger eggs).

The ostrich's diet consists mainly of plant matter, though it also eats invertebrates. It lives in nomadic groups of 5 to 50 birds. When threatened, the ostrich will either hide itself by lying flat against the ground, or run away. (Wikipedia)
 
The unique thing about the Ostrich is that they have the fastest land speed of any bird…if you’re running away from something that would be a great skill to have. But sticking your head in the sand and hoping everything will change isn’t reality.

The Eagle:

Exodus 19:4King James Version (KJV) ⁴ Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.

1. Eagles fly alone at high altitude and not with sparrows or with other small birds. No other bird can go to the height of the eagle. When Moses went to commune with God on the mountain, he left the crowd at the foothills. Stay away from sparrows and ravens. Eagles fly with eagles.

2. Eagles have strong vision. They have the ability to focus on something up to five kilometers away. When an eagle sites his prey, he narrows his focus on it and sets out to get it. No matter the obstacle, the eagle will not move his focus from the prey until he grabs it. Have a vision and remain focused no matter what the obstacle and you will succeed.

3. Eagles do not eat dead things. They feed only on fresh prey. Vultures eat dead animals, but eagles will not. Steer clear of outdated and old information. Always do your research well.

4. Eagles love a storm. When clouds gather, the eagles get excited. The eagle uses the storm s winds to lift it higher. Once it finds the wing of the storm, the eagle uses the raging storm to lift him above the clouds. This gives the eagle an opportunity to glide and rest its wings. In the meantime all the other birds hide in the leaves and branches of the trees. We can use the storms of life to rise to greater heights. Achievers relish challenges and use them profitably. (Berean Publishers)

Eagles are admired the world over as living symbols of power, freedom and transcendence.

The spot on which an eagle landed dictated to the ancient Aztecs the place where they were to build a city.

In some religions, high-soaring eagles are believed to touch the face of God. (From OneKind Blog) 

So my question: Are you an Eagle or an Ostrich?

Joshua 1:9King James Version (KJV) ⁹ Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Exodus 19:4King James Version (KJV) ⁴ Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.

Holy Spirit fill us with your overflowing, Wisdom, and Guide us with your all seeing eye. Let us soar as never before. Keep us alert and watchful. Help us to keep our hearts tuned to you. Let us run and not grow weary, and let us walk and not faint! Amen!

Shalom The Peace That Passes Understanding

 

Jesus the Prince of Peace…Our Shalom

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: Ephesians 2:13-16King James Version (KJV)

Shalom – Peace

I’ve prayed this over people’s lives recently knowing there is much more to it than peace alone. There is fullness, completeness, and an awareness that goes beyond peace, when we say shalom to others.

This morning our pastor started a new series called “Keep Calm and Choose Peace!” He used the word Shalom and expounded upon its meaning.

I would like to share something very personal and profound with you.

Back in July, my mom passed away peaceably in her home. I sat at her bedside watching as she took her last few breaths. As you can imagine it was a traumatic time for all of us. I didn’t know how I could bear the pain of her leaving. Being a Christian I had comfort from the Lord but still the pain is indescribable. You’ve been there; I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.

At her last breath I sat there, waiting for the devastation to hit…but all I felt was complete peace…a peace I have never, in all my life, ever experienced. I cannot even begin to try to tell you what it was like. Until this morning when Pastor Scott talked about the peace of God, then, I understood something that had eluded me before…

I believe at that very moment, mom entered the presence of God; and He allowed me to feel for a few moments what it was she felt.

I couldn’t cry…it was as if I were in a bubble of joy and exceeding great calm…my mind couldn’t comprehend it…it was euphoric…I even remember thinking..."What is this?"

WOW…

Jesus the Prince of Peace (shalom) had showered me with His grace…

If heaven is anything like what I felt…take me home now…because there is nothing like it…

Now, about ten minutes later it was removed and the full impact of my mom being gone shook my soul…and the grieving began.

Brothers and sisters I can honestly testify I experience a taste of heaven and now I understand the fullness of that peace. Understanding shalom is something I want to keep forever…all I have to do is choose His peace…and when I do that …BAM…I’m right there by faith…engulfed in total awareness of Him.

He gave us this peace; all we have to do is accept it…

Would you rather keep your worry, your anxiety, frustration, fear, doubt, stress or would you rather have His shalom…a peace that goes beyond what we feel or think…

I pray His shalom over you right now. We have a choice; I choose peace!

27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27 King James Version (KJV) 

The following is Reprinted with permission of The Gale Group from Contemporary Jewish Religious Thought , edited by Arthur A. Cohen and Paul Mendes-Flohr, Twayne Publishers.

The Hebrew word for peace, shalom, is derived from a root denoting wholeness or completeness, and its frame of reference throughout Jewish literature is bound up with the notion of shelemut, perfection. Its significance is thus not limited to the political domain‑-to the absence of war and enmity‑-or to the social-‑to the absence of quarrel and strife. It ranges over several spheres and can refer in different contexts to bounteous physical conditions, to a moral value, and, ultimately, to a cosmic principle and divine attribute.

Biblical Usages

In the Bible, the word shalom is most commonly used to refer to a state of affairs, one of well‑being, tranquility, prosperity, and security, circumstances unblemished by any sort of defect. Shalom is a blessing, a manifestation of divine grace.

Simon the Leper - Devotional 11/13/2015

Matthew 26:6 King James Version (KJV)
⁶ Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,

Leper's were considered unclean in bible times...they'd have to cry out, "Unclean," when people approached them. They had to live outside the city and families and friends could no longer associate with them. Can you imagine never ever being hugged again, or gather with family for special dinners. Never attending church or football games or hold your child in your arms...it would be unthinkable!

This is the third time in three days I've heard the word leper. This morning as I was reading this scripture it jumped out at me, I'd never paid attention to it before...Simon the leper. The focus was always on the woman and how she showed her great love for Jesus.

Today leprosy is treatable thank God for that. But when I was a child and heard about lepers and how their body parts would fall off...that was before it was explained what really happens to the body. It scared the pee doodle out of me. (pee doodle...meaning caused great fear.)

Jesus not only touched the lepers he healed ten and one returned to thank him. He didn't condemn the woman caught in adultery. He went to a tax collector's house, Zacchaeus, because he wanted to get to know him.

Jesus ate with sinners and publican's. The religious of the day were appalled and wanted to stone him for his behavior.

He had common fishermen as his disciples...

Can you imagine, the son of God hanging out with "these kind of people?" This was the attitude of the Pharisees...

But Jesus loved them, why, because their hearts were open to his love. They were rejected, looked down upon, outcasts and yet the King of Glory loved them.

Can we honestly say that we would do the same? Are there people you would run from and say, "Oh no I can't associate with them? They are unclean?"

Let the Holy Spirit be your guide, let the love of God saturate your hearts today and reach out to the ungodly...they are lost souls who need love too! The love, that, Jesus gives freely...after all, but for the grace of God it could be you or I, who's unclean.

 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 (KJV)

Jesus help us your children, to love others as you have loved us. Amen!

 

And God Made Man a Living Soul Devotion 11/12/2015

 

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Genesis 2:7 (KJV)

The Breath of God

What if...

God had not breathed into man...

What if...

After God, had formed Adam, man, from the dust of the earth, God decided to leave him lifeless...

But that was not God's plan...

God's breath, is life...His Spirit quickens...He breathed into man's nostrils and gave him a living soul!

This morning in my prayer time with the Lord as I sang before Him, He allowed me to understand, a deeper measure, that His breath is, Life...and without that breath we would be dead.

He gave us a free will...to choose...life...and until He reveals himself to us we are just like Adam, made from the dust of the earth, void and lifeless...

Until God, breathes into us a living soul...we are with form, but our souls are in darkness...void of God's light...

This is getting deep yawl...

The difference between light and darkness, is the breath of God! When you walk in the light...you comprehend the light and there is no darkness...secrets are revealed it's like eating from the tree of knowledge...He is the tree...

Let God breathe into you a living soul...it is total joy...total peace...it is an awakening to the Spirit of life.

There is no room for darkness when the room is filled with light!

Holy Father, breath of life, breathe on us today so that we will live and not die. Amen!

Hold the Fort - November 2, 2015

Revelation 2:25 That which you have, hold fast til I come!

BE GRATEFUL...

Yesterday is gone; thank God for today!

The battle rages but hold the fort!

We all have those days when life gets too difficult to bear. Thank God for a new day where things seem brighter and better. This morning a very good friend of mine, Charisse, whom I have known for over thirty years, left me a message. In that messages she wrote HOLD THE FORT…it brought to mind this song. 

Below is an article along with the words to the song Hold the Fort.

If you are struggling this morning, life has kicked you just a little too hard … remember…Hold the Fort For I am coming Jesus signals still…wave the answer back to heaven…by thy grace we will!

Philip P. Bliss, 1870. Bliss wrote this song after hearing Daniel Whittle relate the following incident from the American civil war:

Just before [William Tecumseh] Sherman began his famous march to the sea in 1864, and while his army lay camped in the neighborhood of Atlanta on the 5th of October, the army of Hood, in a carefully prepared movement, passed the right flank of Sherman’s army, gained his rear, and commenced the destruction of the railroad leading north, burning blockhouses and capturing the small garrisons along the line. Sherman’s army was put in rapid motion pursuing Hood, to save the supplies and larger posts, the principal one of which was located at Altoona Pass. General Corse, of Illinois, was stationed there with about fifteen hundred men, Colonel Tourtelotte being second in command. A million and a half rations were stored here and it was highly important that the earthworks commanding the pass and protecting the supplies be held. Six thousand men under command of General French were detailed by Hood to take the position. The works were completely surrounded and summoned to surrender. Corse refused and a sharp fight commenced. The defenders were slowly driven into a small fort on the crest of the hill. Many had fallen, and the result seemed to render a prolongation of the fight hopeless. At this moment an officer caught sight of a white signal flag far away across the valley, twenty miles distant, upon the top of Kenesaw Mountain. The signal was answered, and soon the message was waved across from mountain to mountain:

Hold the fort; I am coming. W. T. Sherman.

Cheers went up; every man was nerved to a full appreciation of the position; and under a murderous fire, which killed or wounded more than half the men in the fort—Corse himself being shot three times through the head, and Tourtelotte taking command, though himself badly wounded—they held the fort for three hours until the advance guard of Sherman’s army came up. French was obliged to retreat.

Sankey, pp. 150-1

Philip P. Bliss (1838-1876)

---

Ho, my comrades! see the signal waving in the sky!
Reinforcements now appearing, victory is nigh.

Refrain

Hold the fort, for I am coming, Jesus signals still;
Wave the answer back to Heaven, By Thy grace we will.

See the mighty host advancing, Satan leading on;
Mighty ones around us falling, courage almost gone!

Refrain

See the glorious banner waving! Hear the trumpet blow!
In our leader’s name we triumph over ev’ry foe.

Refrain

Fierce and long the battle rages, but our help is near;
Onward comes our great commander, cheer, my comrades, cheer!

Refrain

Be Grateful November 2, 2015

Celtic women sing - "You Raise Me Up"



Today has been difficult maybe it has something to do with the time change or the season changing and missing loved ones.

We are human and we have emotions. We hurt and feel deep feelings.

I’ve been asking the Lord, what is it Lord? Why am I feeling this way? Is it that the world is crying out in sorrow and great pain?

Is it the full moon?

Or growing older?

Or is it just plan self-pity?

What is the deal?

Maybe you’re as happy as a lark…

Maybe you don’t have a care in the world…

Maybe you’ve arrived and have all the answers…

Maybe not…I know I sure don’t.

Upbeat and happy…Oh yeah I’m supposed to write about that…

Well today it just ain’t gona happen…

Forgive me Jesus I’m sorry…but I just don’t have it today to give…

I know you are still Lord, and savior and that you hold everything in your hands…

You are in control…but I’m just simply down today…

Even so, I will write an encouraging word for my family and friends and stranger’s I’ve never met before…

Be grateful…no matter what! When you are feeling desperate for what you just don’t know

Sing…and make a melody in your heart and before you know it all the gloom will fade away…

I promise you…

just smile it will change everything!

Do it, prove it to yourself right now…

Just do it!

Lift me up Lord…

Marla Shaw O'Neill November 2, 2015©