What Treasures have You Stored in Yor Heart?

Good morning to all from Portland, Oregon! We are spending some quality time with Melanie, Don, Audrey and Vincent in the great Northwest! Waine's niece is getting married on Sunday in Seattle so we used this occasion to visit our daughter Melanie and her family. We had a delightful day yesterday with Vincent at the Oregon zoo. He is an amazing 4 year old and the things that he comes up with, crack us up. We bought fresh vegetables yesterday and the quality of the fresh fruits and veggies out here is noticeable. We are also on the count down for Hailie Christine Kong joining us, so the next two weeks is going to be exciting! Pray for our traveling mercies; my brother Koichi said that I am wearing his knees out with requests for traveling mercies and I can't help it because your prayers work for me!

I am continuing my journey through Matthew 19, verses 13-30, Then little children were brought to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." When He had placed His hands on them, He went on from there. Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" Why do you ask Me about what is good? Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments. Which ones?" the man inquired. Jesus replied, " Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself. All these I have kept, the young man said. "What do I still lack?" Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me." When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to His disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Peter answered him, "We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us? Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. Amen!

Children are very central to the heart of God and as His stewards it is our job to ensure that children are protected and cared for! Not just your own offspring but the children of the world. There is so much exploitation of children; there are obvious evil doers who exploit children for sex and drugs--they will see hell and will deserve it. There are also not so obvious exploiters of children--those of us who allow children to fill their minds and hearts with violence, sex and drug use on TV or see us partaking of behavior that does not honor God. I know I made great mistakes with all of my children; I could have loved them more and been more kind to them and for these mistakes I ask God's forgiveness. God, however saw my heart and knew that I loved and wanted the best for my children and my children heard me. If you could see the kind attention and love they show their children I am humbled and awed because I know that it is only the love of God that allows my mistakes for not affecting my grandchildren. If you ever needed a reason to be diligent about your affect on children these verses will hold you in good stead!

Christ is also teaching us about our hearts and what we store in them. Christ certainly does not withhold riches and wealth to those that love Him. Having money and wealth is not a sin; there are certainly wealthy Christians however money and wealth can have a tendency to become demi-gods to alot of people. The pursuit of wealth and the propagation of wealth is a full time job; it can consume you and your thoughts. Christ wants to ensure that what consumes us is our faith in the Love of God and our mission to assist Him in Kingdom building for the eternal life that all will share. His desire is that people of the world hear and accept the Good News that will allow them to spend eternity with Him as opposed to without Him. If our  minds and hearts are on the accumulation of wealth then there is little room to pursue the Love and Commitment we must have as Christians for the work of the Kingdom. I think what Christ was telling the rich, young ruler is that it was not enough to display the acts of righteousness, we had to be righteous! What the rich young ruler would have found out is that the act of obedience of selling his riches was what Christ wanted. The rich young ruler would have been restored in his life time, ten fold just as Job was. Its the OBEDIENCE that matters!

As you go through your day, keep your mind and heart on Christ. There are so many distractions that can rob you of your happiness. One thing is assured, your obedience will make you rich. Christ loves you and is in love with you this day! Be about Kingdom building and be blessed.

Stephanie

The Armour of God

Good morning to all from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. All our family made it back to their respective states and homes without calamity so thank you for your prayers. God is Good every day and His mercies never cease to humble and amaze me. Other than missing my husband, this Wednesday Finds me in a good place.

As we continue our travels in Matthew 19, verses 1-12, "When Jesus had finished saying these things, He left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. Large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there. Some Pharisees came to Him to test Him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?" "Haven't you read," He replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female, and said, For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?" Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery." The disciples said to him, "If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry." Jesus replied, "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage]because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it." Amen.

I found several lessons from Jesus here. First, when Jesus was challenged by the false religious prophets (Pharisees) He quoted the scriptures. He didn't give them His thinking, Jesus gave them the Word of God. When our faith is tested, when our spirituality is tested, the only thing that can defeat Satan is the Word of God. But you cannot give the Word of God unless you have read it and hid it in your hear for just such occasions.  We are taught also in the scriptures to arm ourselves with the Word daily before going forth in the world daily. There are stinging arrows of sin and disbelief that will be hurled at us from the evil one and what protects us is the armor of God, the Word. This Blog is my way of reading and understanding the Word of God daily so that my mind is protected.

Second these scriptures provide advice to us all concerning the sanctity of marriage. In this day and age of couples dissolving their marriages over any and all things, Christ is telling us that the only condition under which a man can divorce his wife is infidelity. Back in the day when these Words were spoken, women had not authority under the Law which is why men are referenced and not women. Since Christ has fulfilled the law, I believe that both men and women can end their marriage because their spouse was unfaithful without committing adultery when and if they remarry. Marriage is a SACRED union that Gods created. It has a purpose that fulfills each of the parties in the relationship. Marriage should never be taken lightly and when sanctified by God, each person becomes a better version of themselves. Marriage is a fruitful union that ensures the promulgation of our species and that the offspring of the blessed unions will then go forth and continue the original plan of God when He created man and woman. The fact that so many people today violate their vows and are not faithful with their spouses is a sign that this age of sin is rapidly coming to a head and Christ is on His way  to claim is bride, the Church. Infidelity in marriage is a sin. It frees us to dissolve our marriage yet you can forgive your spouse and repair your marriage if that is what you are led to do. Infidelity should never be taken lightly. What is shared between husband and wife is so intimate; we bare ourselves, our souls and thoughts to the one we are married to and when this trust is broken you have to evaluate whether the trust can be rebuilt. I am confident that we in and of ourselves are not able to rebuild that trust again but the Holy Spirit can and will if you are led to stay in your relationship. I pray that those of you that are married continue in your faithfulness to Christ and one another. Protect the sanctity of your marriages as your honor to the God you serve. Be blessed today in Jesus name, amen and amen.

Stephanie

Forgive because God Told You to Do So!

Good morning again! I could not start my day without my devotion with God and you so I am posting another BLOG today. It matters not what we do unless we are faithful to the Kingdom building principles outlined in the scriptures, so I am continuing my journey in Matthews 18 verses 21-35, "Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents (millions of dollars) was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. "The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. "But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, (about $100).  He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded. "His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' "But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. "This is how My heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart." Wow!

The act of FORGIVENESS is a BIG deal to Christ. He talks about it often and I think it is because it is the act of forgiveness that allows us to accept the gift of forgiveness from Him. Forgiving is an action word; we have to do something in order for others to perceive and receive this gift; Jesus knows how hard it is for human nature to extend this act and He knows what is required. We have to put the needs of the other person above the need we have. When we forgive our hands are open--with open hands we can then receive. The act of forgiveness is a one way street; when we walk it we walk alone and in one direction. When we walk it we can empty all that bottled up emotion that only focuses on our needs, that "me, me, me" narcissistic place we all go to hide when we "feel" someone has offended us. If we walk in faith and know the love of God; if we know the mercy of God that allowed His Son to die in our stead; if we know the Power of the Holy Spirit that guides us daily, then you know that there is RELEASE and HAPPINESS when we forgive. The burden we carry when we hold grudges will not allow us to be free. If you hold anger toward anyone, I pray that you will let it go because whatever they did to you it can't be as great as the sin that Christ covers for us DAILY! Hallelujah and amen! Be blessed today and FORGIVE yourself first and then others.

Stephanie

There is a God and He is Good!

Good morning to all on this beautiful Tuesday morning. Well Aleron's graduation was a resounding success. Waine and I were able to "hood" him which was an absolute thrill; my heart was singing. Our  families were there to cheer him on and 'Big him up!" They were of such tremendous help during the entire weekend, washing dishes, caring for children and being a support. I hated to have the weekend end. The house was full of children, grandmother, aunts, uncles and cousins and the weather was perfect. Everything I prayed for was exceeded by God including having our electricity re-established. The company that was to set up the tent, table and chairs severed the power line from the street to the house. When we got home from the graduation I had no power--no air conditioning, no lights, no electricity for the band. I started praying! The first time I called Georgia Power at 1:00 PM (party to start at 2:00 PM) and explained the situation, a man  took my order said they could get someone out in 2-3 hours. I gave them our home phone and my cell phone number. I called back at 1:15 PM because I realized that the home phone would not work without power (cordless) and a woman answered the phone this time. She said, "Oh, you're calling to check the progress of the work order?" I said yes and she again started to review the work order. She said I see you are having a wedding and I said "I am actually having a graduation party for my son who graduated from Morehouse School of Medicine, he became a Doctor today. She said and I quote, "Oh no honey, is will never do you can't wait 2 -3 hours. You are going to get someone right away, oh we are going to fix this!"All the while I heard her fingers moving across the key board and eard the keys clicking. I thanked her profusely and my heart was lifted because "Faith is the substance for which we hope and he evidence of the things we cannot see! Hallelujah! Within 15 minutes of this second call at 1:35 PM a Georgia Power crew was on my property and my electricity was restored by 2:30! If we don't serve a mighty God that will even restore power on a graduation Saturday then someone needs to stop me from shouting! He is a good God that loves us and cares about the minute details of our lives.......if we only have faith. We are REQUIRED to have this faith and serve God with it.

On this same celebration Saturday, we found out that Waine's cousin, in her mid 30's didn't wake up on May 14th. She left behind a three (3) year old and a 6 month old baby. On May 13th she went to sleep fully intending to wake up on this side of Jordan and on the 14th and was called home. Praise God she was ready as we all should be; keep her family in your prayers, the DeRoys. The Kingdom building we are to be involved in is serious, serious, serious! The crap we fill our lives with that keeps us from loving God and each other is not worth it people. This world needs Jesus; this world needs to see Jesus in the lives of the faithful. The junk in your trunk that prevents you from living victoriously is not worth it. God is real today and is countin on us to be FAITHFUL.  If you are ablend if you are willing,  there is a trust fund for her(Peta Gaye's) children (Alexander and Madison) which has been set up at Farmington Bank (http://www.farmingtonbankct.com/). If you are reading this blog you were blessed enough to wake up with your right mind and on this side of Jordan. Bring light into a dark world today and you will be blessed!

Stephanie

Sheep that are Found!

Good morning to all on this wonderful Thursday morning. Waine and I both made it home safely so thank you for your prayers. We are on the count down for Aleron's matriculation into the medical profession so keep our family in your prayers. We have a lot of folk traveling to Atlanta and their safety is my number one concern. God is a good God all the time and I am praising Him this morning. I had a lot of work to get out before 8 AM but I couldn't help myself. I had to stop and praise Him for He alone is worthy to be praised!

I am continuing my journey in Matthew 18, verses 11-14, "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost." Likewise in Isaiah 53:6 "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." Wow, what a profound LOVE God has demonstrates toward us through Christ!

Isn't it a beautiful sentiment that every child has an angel that "sees the face of God" each moment of each day! These little ones have protective warriors who watch out for them and we as adults are admonished not to "suffer" children to suffer or to sin. I pity these child molesters and pornographers; these dope dealers who lure children into sin; adult parents who ignore their children; their punishment is already set. Christ says they will burn in eternity in the lake of fire. I watch my own children as they raise their children and I am humbled. Our children are so much more adept at providing love and understanding to their little ones. I confess, when I had my children I was either working or in school and did not enjoy the nurturing time that our children now display with our grandchildren. I marvel each time I am with my grandchildren!

Recently in Jamaica and Atlanta, a child sex trafficking ring was discovered. What are men thinking to want to have sex with a young child; who is depraved enough to rob a child of their innocence? These folk will be punished and yet, yet, yet Christ loves them too!? It takes the love of Christ to love people like this and we are to love them likewise. That is a very hard concept for me. Isaiah says WE ARE ALL LOST SHEEP--we have all strayed and Christ has born the iniquity for us all. Christ has born the payment for our sins, past, present and future. Hallelujah! And when one of us is not found, He eagerly seeks us to bring us back into the fold. Likewise we are to do the same thing. When we are really and truly about kingdom building its about that "lost sheep". Its easy to sit in the comfort of my home and reflect on the love of God. I am put to the test in the world when confronted by those I know are living in sin. I once met a man who is a gangster. He wields a considerable amount of power and is accustomed to violence. His body guard is never far away. As I was leaving I had an overwhelming urge to hug him and pray over him. I told him that God loved him and wanted him to come into the fold. I later learned that he was very upset that I prayed for him and I knew then that Christ had touched his spirit. I do not know if he will repent and leave his life of crime. I do know he has heard the calling and the rest is up to him. I also know that he will never be the same because now there are angels on standby to help him fight the evil spirits that have ruled his life. When this man comes into the fold, there will be great rejoicing in Heaven. A thousand angels will sing praises to God; Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna to the Highest! Likewise when everyone of us turned our hearts and minds to Christ and accepted His forgiveness the same chorus went up. Hallelujah and amen.

I don't know where this BLOG finds you today. I  just know you were supposed to read it and be blessed by it. God loves you so much and wants only that you are happy and secure in that love. Until we meet again, let the love the God so shine on you that others may come to know Him. In Jesus name, amen!

Stephanie

The True Master and Commander

Good morning to all on this wonderful Tuesday! The B. Waine Kong household is on the final countdown for the graduation of Dr. Aleron Kong on Saturday. Keep us in your prayers as we have family and friends traveling from near and far. Keep Waine and I in your prayers as we are both traveling today. I had a great time with Kai and his family this weekend. He got used to the ocean and other than a temperature on Sunday and yesterday, he was a trouper. Keep Freddie and his family in your prayers as they get ready for Hailie and a new job that he is starting on May 17th.

I continuing my journey in Matthew 18 today, verses 1-9; "At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a little child and had him stand among them. And He said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell." Amen and amen!

I guess it is human nature to want to be the "favorite"; the "best"; the "most loved" and I am sure the disciples wrestled with this immaturity as well. These twelve men had a serious "hole" in their emotional bucket and always looked for outward affirmation of their importance to Jesus. At this time of their spiritual walk, they did not have the Holy Spirit to enlighten them so were immature. We don't have that excuse, because the Holy Spirit is among us. A lot of us have "holes" in our spiritual and emotional buckets and our behavior is the evidence that this "hole" exists. This "hole" behavior can be manifest in many ways and at the ROOT is NARCISSISM, i.e. an OVER the top emphasis on ME, ME, ME. In our society and others, you see this played on with folk that sell drugs and folk that buy drugs; folk that steal and folk that purchase stolen goods; folk that produce pornography and folk that buy pornography; folk that entice folk to participate in adulterous behavior and folk that participate; folk that lie and folk that participate in lies; folk that kill to get what they want and folk that help them. Societies with these hallmarks are not societies that prosper. I tell you  the truth, I think the only reason that the United States continues to prosper is that we had founding fathers that gave lip service to "One nation under God" and we have folk that continue to Kingdom build in the US. That being said, I do believe that the time is drawing nigh when we will be caught up to meet Him and the times of Tribulations will be upon us. It is thus incumbent now to ensure that others see the Master in our lives--we are to be obedient children who trust the Father and trust and obey His commandments so that others can come to know Him. We are instructed in these verses to not think ourselves more highly than the Master and not to think we know better how to build our lives on the solid foundation of faith in Jesus Christ. Had Adam and Eve not been consumed by narcissism we would all be still living in paradise and knowing what true happiness it.

It is always a good day to obey Christ and to do the right thing despite what our narcissistic self tells us to do. To know Him is to love Him; to love Him is to serve Him. To know Him is to love Him; to love Him is to serve you. I love you in Jesus Christ and pray for your success today, in Jesus name amen, and amen!

Stephanie

Reaping is an Act of Faith

Good morning to all on this Friday morning. God is in His Heaven and loves all of His children. I am winding up my training in Baton Rouge and heading out to see Kai and his family this weekend. Can't wait to get some Kai cuddling and hugs. He gives the best hugs ever! Waine is still enjoying the sun and golf on our little island and beat the club pro yesterday without being given strokes. I think my man is ready for the Senior Pro Tour! As we make the final preparations for Aleron's graduation please keep us in your prayers and pray for the safe travels of family and friends who are coming in from far and near.

As I continue my travels in Matthew 17 verses 24-27, the scripture says "After Jesus and His disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, "Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?" Yes, He does," he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. "What do you think, Simon?" he asked. "From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own sons or from others?" "From others," Peter answered. "Then the sons are exempt," Jesus said to him. "But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours." There are many lessons in these 4 verses. First, since Christ was not in ear shot of the conversation that Peter had with the tax collector, Jesus was letting him know that He knew His thoughts. Jesus is always concerned with our thinking and what's in our hearts. He looks in those two places first before judging our behavior. We also cannot hide what is in our hearts and minds and Christ tells us to renew our thinking daily and be weary with what we put in our  minds so that our hearts will not be corrupted. Jesus was also teaching his disciples that we should follow the rules of the land to the extent that we are not put into sin or prevented from serving God. Some of the religious rulers of our day should take this lesson to heart. We have alot of Pharisees and Sadducees among us who have forgotten the Power of the Resurrected Christ; these religious rulers have started to believe their own fame and not the Power of the Holy Spirit and their judgement will be harsh. And last and certainly not least, He was teaching His disciples that God can take care of our specific needs and in real time. The tax collected needed 2 Darma for each of them and Christ provided it through a fish. I have learned a long time ago to pray specifically for my needs and desires and it is only my lack of faith that prevents my blessings! This is a good lesson for all of us in need today!

The Jesus we serve and His Words and teachings are so relevant for the world in which we find ourselves. I praise God for each of you and your efforts at Kingdom building. Be encouraged today because God is in His Heaven and all is right with your world. Amen.

Stephanie

What's in Your Faith Wallet?

Good morning to all on this Thursday morning! God is a good God and will protect us all on this day. Waine is in Jamaica for a week and I continue my travels in Louisiana. Pray God's traveling mercies for both of us. I had the occasion to be able to talk with my husband on "skype" this morning. The technology is really awesome and had he had a camcorder mounted on his computer we would have had a wonderful time conversing with one another. As it was I was able to hear my husband clearly, more clearly than on the telephone. Boy God has given us some wonders to behold through the mind and skills of man!

I am continuing my journey in Matthew 17, verses 14-23, "When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before Him. "Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought Him to your disciples, but they could not heal him." "O unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me." Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment. Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."When they came together in Galilee, He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and on the third day He will be raised to life." And the disciples were filled with grief.

The frustration of Christ over the lack of faith of His disciples is almost palpable. They had spent three years with Him and still didn't get it. Most of us would have fired this group of disciples by now and then started over; I think there is a lesson there. I think Jesus understood the frailties of men; Jesus understood that, what sin robs us of is our ability to exercise the power of our faith. I had to stop and think about that myself. When Adam and Eve sinned, they allowed Satan to introduce doubt into their consciousness. Doubt that God was true to his Word. When they accepted doubt then sin had free reign in their hearts and minds and for the first time they KNEW fear. Satan works in our minds first which then infects our hearts. Jesus tells us to guard what we put into our minds because that is the quickest path to our hearts and what we put in our hearts will be carried out in our behavior.

Fear will have us not trust the things that are unseen which means we then have to rely on only what is seen and felt. There-in lies the lesson of exercising our faith. Hebrews 11:1 tells us "Now Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Do you live your life boldly? Do you live your life with assurity? Are there things, plans, positions you desire and have faith that God will provide for you? Then you have the faith of a mustard seed; your faith can move mountains, your mountain! Or do you live in Doubt? Do you walk around being scared because you don't know what your future holds? If you know Jesus then you know your future! Your future and everything you touch along the way will be blessed because He said so! I know Jesus and He is a good friend of mine. I have it on good authority (His) that He had written the end to my story, hallelujah! Jesus has secured and bound me here on earth and in Heaven and my happiness if of utmost concern to Him. Can you grasp that concept? Jesus has angels on my watch! They are there to do one thing and one thing only, portect Stephanie. He, Jesus, has numbered the hairs on my head and He has counted me in His "chosen". I am His child and will live boldly today. I am my best today because of Him!

To know Him is to love Him. To love Him is to serve Him.  Be blessed today in Jesus name. Amen and amen!

Stephanie

Getting into the God Zone

Good morning to all on this beautiful Tuesday morning. God is in His Heaven and Waine and I have our health so we are blessed! Waine and I are getting used to Aleron not being here and Waine is actually having a harder time than I am. My husband loves all his children and he has a special bond with Aleron. The last child is called the "wash belly" child and this wash-belly child was with us a very long time and I thank God for all the time spent with us as the power of the Holy Spirit allowed Aleron to see imperfect people (Dad & Mom) and the Perfect God that can work through us.

I am continuing my journey through Matthew, the 17th chapter verses 1-13, "After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!" When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," He said. "Don't be afraid." When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead." The disciples asked Him, "Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?" Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands." Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist." Amen and amen!

These three (3) disciples was witness to the Glory of God and His pronouncement that Jesus was His son. This moment in time confirmed the Messianic Deity of Christ and as usual Peter wants to do something--build a shelter. Peter has not yet figured out that Christ doesn't need help from him, Peter. Christ is quite capable of building shelters, walking on water, healing the sick and raising the dead. Peter just doesn't get it yet and the good news is that he will because he had faith. He was a loud mouth, a screw up and in the end he denied Christ and yet Christ knowing all of this said he would build His Church on the rock called Peter. Thank God that He always looks to our faith and heart and not the screwed up actions we go through and the screwed up thinking that we allow ourselves to wallow in. Christ has a time frame for our lives. Nothing, nothing, nothing can stand in the way of His will for the life of the Christian. I am a firm believer that our Faith makes us whole each and every day. Yesterday is the past and what has been done in the past is dead and buried. Each day we have a new opportunity to witness the Messiah, His Power and our ability to participate in the Kingdom building that is so necessary. We will have sacrifices, pain, disappointment and GLORY. Day always follows the night and is more powerful than the night so never worry or fret. Rejoice in the  night when everything SEEMS lost because you are in the God Zone just like Peter, James and John. When you have nothing left to give; when you have run out of ideas; when you are powerless then praise God and lift your hand up because you are getting ready to be restored! Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah and amen!

Do not be dismayed you walk with Jesus!

Stephanie

Having the Mind and Heart of God

Good morning to all on this Monday morning. It is a rainy day in Georgia and God is good. I had a very relaxing weekend; although I had plans to do a lot of paper work I enjoyed my family instead. The B. Waine Kong clan achieved a milestone this Saturday. Our youngest son Aleron, moved into his own apartment. He researched his options and then made the best choice. We helped him moved and although I was a little surprised to find him in the guest bedroom on Sunday, my heart was still thrilled. His Dad is going through a bit of a withdraw but I am convinced our youngest child and all of our children are in a good space. Praise be to God the great Jehovah! Keep us all in your prayers.

I am continuing my journey in Matthew 16 today verses 21-29, "From that time on Jesus began to explain to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to You!" Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in His Father's glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what he has done. I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." Amen and amen!

When you read this passage who can understand that Peter was motivated to protect Christ however Peter still didn't know Christ. Peter acted on emotions 100% of the time and had a pure and sensitive heart which is why Christ told Peter on his faith Christ would build His Church. I am sure Peter was feeling rather confident that he was the number 1 disciple; the favored one; the "go to" disciple. What Peter didn't understand was the depth of the mission of Christ. Christ was the Messiah and He would have to make the ultimate sacrifice for the world to be saved. Christ preached this through out His 3 year ministry; the old testament prophets foretold the death of Messiah. The Jews however wanted a Messiah to lead them out of the bondage of Rome just as Moses had led the Israelites out of Egypt. Christ came and began to preach that the bondage that we should all be concerned about is that which is created by sin; sin binds our minds and emotions and does not allow us to be free to assist Christ in Kingdom building. Sin will blind us into thinking that we have the power within ourselves to live the life that Christ preached about and we don't. Christ came that our lives might manifest the fruits of the Spirit; when our lives do not then we are still in the prison of our "own" selves and other men will not see the Light of the Gospel. This rebuke of Satan by Christ was necessary for Peter to understand that Satan works through the emotions of men; moral men and women, good men and women can also be working for Satan against the Kingdom of Christ. Good works, good intentions do not pave the way to Spiritual salvation. Only our confession of faith.

When we have the mind and heart of Christ, we are safe from believing in good works, whether ours or others. When we secure our very walk with Christ each day then we are protected. Christ tells us to keep our  mind on Him and continually pray as Satan in on the prowl to devour that precious soul. If you have the opportunity to pray with others in your home, do so often. If you have the opportunity to pray in the work place, do so often. If you have opportunity to pray with friends do so often. Keep about you the mind of Christ so that your heart and soul can be protected by the evil one. God loves you today and is prepared to give you the desires of your heart. Keep on the mind and heart of Jesus today because someone is going to need the love of God in a real way.

Stephanie