Good morning to all on this glorious Sunday morning. Waine and I are in Atlanta this weekend and as it turns out this may be the last weekend we spend at 3151 Rilman Road. We got an offer on our house and we accepted it. It was an all cash offer which is what God told me it would be. But let me back up. I am getting ahead of myself. When we moved to Thomaston--specifically when God blessed us with a home there, Waine wanted to put our home in Atlanta on the market. I kept resisting him and then one day during my devotion God convicted me. He reminded me that as Christians we can never take a hold of the plough looking backwards. If I truly believed that God led us to Thomaston, I would have to let go of the past so I agreed. We literally have had the house on the market for 2 weeks and received an all cash offer. We received 2 offers on the house but when asked which one we should take I chose the all cash offer because when I became obedient and listed the house God revealed to me that it would be an all cash offer. We are now being told by friends that the house sold so quickly because we under priced the house. This house sold quickly because God ordained it! I continue to be a witness that when you are in the Will of God, nothing can stand in the way of your blessings except you. When you get yourself out of the way--the blessings literally flow pressed down and multiplied. I am not sad or nostalgic. We have 18 years of memories here and are building new ones in Thomaston. In fact when I awakened this morning, I was sad that I was not awakening in my Thomaston house. Waine just built me a Koi pond with a waterfall and the sound of the waterfall is wonderful. You all come and see it when you can.
I am continuing my journey with 3 John 1 verses 1-4 "To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth. Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth. I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church. Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone—and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true. I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name." Amen and may the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.
Even back in the history of the early church you had people who professed to have the love of God who really only had love of self. These folk profess the love of God through Christ but when you look at their lives there is one common theme--Look at Me and What I am Doing. These people can be found in every church--creating mischief and promoting strife. Unless they are at the center of attention, they spend their time disrupting the Peace that should be found among believers. We are not to imitate them. We are to pray for them and admonish them if the Holy Spirit leads you to do so. Following His lead, the still small voice of God is always a good thing to do just as in the example of my submitting my will to that of God and letting go of this house. When we hold on to material things it is out of fear of loss-but there is no fear in Love or God. There is only fear in sin. Perfect Love (God) casts out all fear so when you are experiencing fear just know it is not of God. Look at the example of Job. He lost everything and when he still praised God he was restored 10 fold. Some call it a miracle. I call it living with God day-2-day.
My life with God is such a wonderful life. He has walked me through many land-mines most of which I created through disobedience. God, however, never turned his back on me. He patiently waited for me to repent my sins and turn my face to Him. Even when I had to face my disobedience, He was still there and the consequences were not life threatening. God is always faithful even when we are not.
Pray for one another and continue to pray for me. 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
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