Sunday, March 23, 2014

Reporting All That God Has Done For You!!




Good morning to all on this beautiful Sunday morning. Waine and I are in Thomaston and the weather is beautiful. All the trees we planted last year survived!! We don't have a lot of azaleas but will correct that this spring. Its a nice quiet Sunday morning and I enjoy the quiet of some down time. Had spiritual lessons to learn this week and took my faith to another level. Continue to keep me in your prayers as God teaches me to slow down and relax in His LOVE.

I am continuing my journey in Acts, chapter 14 verses 1-28 "At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of His grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.  The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, where they continued to preach the gospel. 

In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk. When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!”  Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.  But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. In the past, He let all nations go their own way. Yet He has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; He provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy. Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them. Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe. 

They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia, and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.  And they stayed there a long time with the disciples. " Amen and may the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.

When was the last time you were excited about what God has done for you? I remember when I went on a high carbohydrate diet and lost 40 pounds, I was so excited and told everybody I could about the virtues of this high carb diet until I gained all the weight back and then some. I remember when I discovered the truth about how to add years of life through exercise and proper eating until I couldn't go to the gym every morning at 5 AM. It is easy to be EXCITED and so hard to sustain the enthusiasm. Paul and Barnasbas however was not only excited they were CONVERTED!! They knew first hand what a life for Christ and the Good News did for them. They had experienced the Mercy and Grace of God through Christ and WOULD NOT BE QUIET! I can't remember the last time I was with Christians outside of church and felt this level of enthusiasm. There are the Joyce Meyers, Crefelo Dollars, TD Jakes and Joel Olsteens of the world but where are the millions of Christians living their every day life? Where are the proclamations coming from the "you's" and  "me's"?

Waine and I recently opened our 3rd medical office. When we announced to our staff we were going to open another office the staff looked at me like I had 2 heads. Most thought it was just a passing fancy. I decided that I would proclaim my faith that God had a plan for ZOe Pediatrics and set a date to open. With each passing week I would proclaim to the staff the progress we were making. As doors opened and obstacles were moved, I again proclaimed the Power of God. I professed daily the power of God to remove barriers and make the way clear. I at one point announced to the staff that if they ever wondered the practicality of God and how He answered prayer they needed to look no further than their nose. Now most of my staff profess to be Christians (we are living in the South) and I was amazed at the lack of "hallelujahs" and "praise the Lords". What I have concluded is that most Christians live in the mental bondage of fear. They live in "Spiritual Egypt" too afraid to believe that God will be faithful to their prayers. Most of us would rather the routine of "Egypt" than the adventure of the "wilderness" which has to be experienced before we partake in the abundance of the "Promised Land". Speaking as someone who decided to Believe God for the vision that He gave me in 2008 --the vision of prosperity and happiness--My Story is unfolding right before my eyes. Hallelujah! I can't stop talking about it. I still have areas of my life to surrender; I still have to remind myself daily to rebuke Satan when fear and doubt creep in; I still walk with Jesus hand-in-hand minute by minute AND I am learning daily how much God through Christ loves me and you. WE ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE KING! OUR FATHER HAS NUMBERED THE HAIRS ON OUR HEAD AND ONLY HAS LOVE AND GOOD THOUGHTS ABOUT US. It is time that people of faith REPORT THE GOOD NEWS OF ALL THAT GOD HAS DONE FOR THEM THROUGH FAITH. Not to do so is not only cowardly it robs the ability of others to turn from sin and experience the abundance of God. To know Him is to love Him. To love Him is to serve Him. To serve Him is to love you.

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

Stephanie


Sunday, March 16, 2014

Take The Promises of God To Heart!!

Good morning to all on this wonderful Sunday morning. Waine and I just returned from a trip to Jamaica and are staying with  friends in Atlanta. Aleron had guests so  we kotched with friends. This has taken some getting used to and I am sure as we progress things will be worked out. Transitions are difficult to say the least. Spring has finally decided to descend on Georgia and for that we are all grateful.
 
I am continuing my journey in Acts 13 verses 13-52 " From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem.  From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down.  After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.” Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: “Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me! The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors; He made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt; with mighty power He led them out of that country;  for about forty years He endured their conduct in the wilderness; and He overthrew seven nations in Canaan, giving their land to His people as their inheritance. All this took about 450 years. After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. Then the people asked for a king, and He gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. After removing Saul, He made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as He promised. 
 
Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. As John was completing his work, he said: ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not the one you are looking for. But there is one coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’ Fellow children of Abraham and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent. The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning Him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have Him executed. When they had carried out all that was written about Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb. But God raised Him from the dead, and for many days He was seen by those who had traveled with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now His witnesses to our people. We tell you the good news: What God promised our ancestors He has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: You are My Son; today I have become your father.’God raised Him from the dead so that He will never be subject to decay. As God has said, ‘I will give you the Holy and sure blessings promised to David.’ So it is also stated elsewhere: ‘You will not let Your Holy One see decay. Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed.  But the One whom God raised from the dead did not see decay. Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through Him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you: ‘Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, for I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you.’
 
 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God. On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the Word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him. Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the Word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the Word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. The Word of the Lord spread through the whole region.  But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.  So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium.  And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit." Amen and may the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.
 
This is a very good and concise account of how God fulfilled His Promise to Abraham and how God's Plan of Salvation was fulfilled through Jesus. There were several things that struck me as I read these chapters. 1) God is long suffering with the people that He loves and has made a promise to. He suffered all of the insults of the  Jewish nation--endured their worship of idols and the prosecution and crucifixion of His Son Jesus because He had a plan of salvation for His creation Man. 2) How he answers prayer and seeks to communicate with us, is in a  manner that we can understand. Remember He communicated directly with Adam and Eve and when that didn't work, He gave men judges, then prophets and then kings. Still the Israelites turned to their own understanding and away from the face of God. Yet in their weakness God fulfilled His Promise of Salvation through the seed of Jesse and David and gave mankind the ultimate gift--Jesus. 3) God's vision for mankind is long term and unwavering. He, God. wants a relationship with us (collectively as man-kind) and will wait on us. He is truly long suffering. 4) The only "person" God raised from the dead was Jesus--Jesus and the disciples raised many people from the dead but God only raised One and that was Jesus. He  made certain that as prophets, kings and other great people come and go they will all have the  legacy  of being born, living and dying. Only one had a comma after death and that was Jesus because He alone was conceived, was born, lived and died and ,,,,,,, was resurrected. Hallelujah. This resurrection again fulfills God's plan for all of His believers that we two will be resurrected with Him. 5) The last and certainly not least point I got is that when you are in God's Zone and are going about His business, be bold and speak truth to power. If you are rejected then move on; shake the dust off  your feet and move on. God will handle the rest. The fulfillment of God's promises for you are not dependent on others--just your faith!! Hallelujah!!
 
To Know Him is to Love Him. To  love Him is to serve Him. To serve Him is to love you. Have a great day and great week. Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
 
Stephanie
 
 
 
 

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Being Sent on Your Way by the Holy Spirit!

Good morning to all on this 2nd day of March. My father Emorrie was born on March 2, 1928. He is with God now and would have been 86 years old. I have may positive memories of my time with my Daddy as he was called and although a man of few words, those words still resound with me. It is also a picture perfect day in Georgia. The trees are beginning to get sexy so there is a lot of pollen in the air. The colors are very gorgeous. We are in Thomaston and Waine is getting ready to go any play some golf with buddies in Jamaica. Pray for our safe travels.

I am continuing my journey in Acts 13, verses 1-12 " Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the Word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.  They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the Word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said,  “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?  Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand.  When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord. ". Amen and may the Lord add a blessing to reading and hearing of His Word.

When you have been sent by God to fulfill His vision, you can walk and speak boldly because none of what you are doing is by your own might. You don't have to apologize for your actions; you are the representative of the King on High. No evil can over take you and no evil can harm you. You will have a hedge of protection around you at all times and God's plan will be made perfect through you and for you. This is what Barnabas and Paul (Saul) experienced. They were sent to preach the Gospel of Good News and what they met is the instrument of the devil. Instead of being afraid they rebuked the man and the evil within him. They proclaimed the judgment of the Lord and the judgment was made manifest so that all who witnessed it could be saved. All of us on a daily basis have the opportunity to speak boldly the Words of God so that others might come to know the same God that we know. The step of faith that it takes to proclaim the Power and Might of the Lord and the fulfillment of that life through us is all that it takes for the veil to drop from the eyes of the unbeliever.

If you have a chance to have the privilege of being a witness for God through Christ. just take the step of Faith that all believers have done since the birth of Jesus the Christ. To know Him is to love Him. To Love Him is to Serve Him. To Serve Him is to love You. Have a great day.

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

Stephanie