Saturday, January 31, 2015

True Love


How noble true love is! How invincible! How pure!
How innocent! Love simply comes, often undetected even by the
one overtaken by its mysterious powers. True love. The lonely covet its reality. 

The arrogant flaunt its presence. The ignorant snub its wonder.
It is as illogical as anything can be. It is hopeless to
describe it and folly to shun it. The greatest philosophers have sought to define it.
Religion has tried to buy it. Many have tried to elude it.
Love is as hopeless to understand as it is impossible to deny. 

Yet reason and logic are helpless against love, for it is a most formidable foe 
of the mundane and the average. True love, you see, dares to go places
where reason cannot tread. Love sees realities about which philosophy can 

only hope to dimly speculate. True love knows what tradition can only distantly
remember. True love draws the least lovable. It can make anyone
a hero. True love is the sustaining power of the universe
itself, yet is so lovely that it abides fully in the hearts of
those foolish enough to respond to its rapturous invitation

to come.

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Being


Dear Lord, forgive me, for it has taken me so long to
realize that BEING is a whole lot easier and a lot more fun and
effective than trying to DO? So today…I just AM? 

I see now that is the way for You to live Your life
through me, which is what I want with all my heart. I want to
love, care for, and have genuine compassion on those around
me like you do. I want to move in harmony with Your spirit. 

I love You Lord with all my heart.

“…for in Him we live and move and exist…”
(Acts 17:28) 


“Cease striving and know that I am God;” 
(Ps. 46:10)

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Good Morning


I love mornings, not so much because I have to get up, but
because I love to talk to the Lord first thing. It is really almost
automatic these days. But I already know Jesus is with me
whether or not I ask Him. It is not like He needs to be reminded
that we are here counting on His love and protection. It is more
for me.


Morning prayer helps me to begin the day with focus, my
heart in the right place—on Him! He certainly has me covered,
but I can so quickly be overwhelmed with the day’s
responsibilities; with the seemingly endless list of things I
need to do; as well as problems I face as a husband, father,
grandfather, and business owner. I need to remind myself that
my steps are ordered by Him. This is a great help to the rest of
my day!


How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O
God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should
count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You. (Ps. 139:17, 18)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all
comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so
that we will be able to comfort those who are in
any affliction with the comfort with which we
ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the
sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also
our comfort is abundant through Christ.
(2 Cor 1:3-5)


for it is God who is at work in you, both to will
and to work for His good pleasure
. (Phil. 2:13)


When I think about the troubles facing me during the day, I
remember that I gave them to Him first thing in the morning.
That makes it easier to just thank Him for already working on
behalf of my concerns. I can more easily keep a good attitude
and positive prayer focus. My life’s journey has been a journey
of brokenness, of discovering my limitations, my human frailty.
I know few men like to talk about their weaknesses or human
frailty, but I have found that simple humility prevents a whole
lot of grief! I do not have to show off for anyone. I don’t have
to prove anything. I know who I am. More importantly, God
knows who I am and He is my strength, my balance, my
confidence during troubling times.


Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty
hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper
time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He
cares for you
. (1 Peter 5:6, 7)


Corrie Ten Boom always said there were no red flashing
lights in heaven, no emergency lights or sirens—that gives me
such comfort. God sees what is coming from miles away. If He
lets them come, I can handle them. At least, that is what I keep
telling myself when something really troublesome comes my
way! I know that He is in charge in my mind; but, getting that
truth into my heart and daily life is another thing altogether.
That takes time, patience, and the knowledge of His Word. His
greatest desire is for us to be like Him, to prosper in every way,
to live in peace. The Bible gives us all we need to find this way
of life for ourselves and for everyone we are praying for. This
Christian is dynamic, compelling, and fulfilling. He has not
made it difficult. He has made it as simple as possible.


Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden,
and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you
and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in
heart: and you will find rest for your souls. For
My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
(Matt 11:28-30)


I have learned that we are the ones who make it so difficult.
We put burdens upon ourselves and others that God never
intended. When I begin to feel that the responsibilities of life
are more than I can bear, it is probably because I have taken on
a burden that only He can carry.
So, I try to keep my prayers in line with what God has
promised (which is more than I can ever imagine) and what I
think I can handle (which is not much). I keep my heart as soft
as I can and my spirit free from unforgiving and anything else
that can fog up my relationship with Him. There is nothing
more certain on this earth than trusting in the goodness of God
and His never-ending desire to care for us.


To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic,
brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not
returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but
giving a blessing instead; for you were called for
the very purpose that you might inherit a
blessing
. (1 Pet 3:8, 9)


Yes, I am not really a morning person, but meeting with
Jesus first thing in the morning certainly gives me something
exciting to look forward to as I wake up. Asking Him to launch
my day gives me a peace and a confidence that can come no
other way.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Out of our control




Jesus is taking back the Church He is building. He will remove it from the hands of frightened, angry people to build it Himself. God is consuming the lives of those who will give Him permission. Many just don’t get it. We have the final say. Make no mistake, we decide the course of our lives. We make decisions every day that either lead us to the many dreams He has for us, or lead us in a path of our own choosing. When Jesus is Lord, in control of your home, your marriage, and your children, your world is strengthened and empowered. When He is Lord of your emotions, your past, and your memories, you are free to grow, and far more than you could possibly see now. When Jesus is in control of the deep places where you need healing and restoration, the joy of the Lord overflows your heart and life. Jesus wants to be Lord in every aspect of our lives. We know what the word Lord means, and we know how to get around that word. We’ve been getting around it all our lives—rationalizing it, measuring it, analyzing it. But He wants us to allow Him to take control completely out of our hands and place it "Completely in His hands so that it is out of our control so that moment by moment we may be moved by the wind of His spirit.

Friday, January 23, 2015

Wait upon ME





Wait upon Me
Let your life be as a deep, quiet pool.
Let your heart rest in My hand as a bird within it's nest.
Let your eyes be still. Let your hands be free.
For then I shall fill all your vision,
and then I shall take your hands into Mine
and My power shall flow forth into you.
If you would only make yourself a place apart,
yes, removed from the natural, a garden enclosed,
for it is there I will meet you.
 Yes, I wait at the door for you to open it.
For I long to pour out Myself into your life,
I long to give you My fullness.
Only be still before Me.
Even though there is a famine in the land
I will be your portion
and I will restore the wasted years
and extend your time that you might
come into a season of maturing
and sweet fellowship with Me.
For I know what you need
that you might never thirst again

Monday, January 19, 2015

Love Keeps No Record



There is a message of deception being spoken today that we, as believers, do not have to suffer. This is a delusion and a lie from the Deceiver. Paul, writing to Timothy, stated that
“all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). Paul went on to say that “evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (verse 13).


Do you know who the most adept impostor is? Satan, the Deceiver. Many times he comes to us as an angel of light. He will attempt to speak like the voice of God, all for the purpose of deceiving us. Satan would love for us to believe that we never have to suffer so that, whenever we do suffer, we will doubt God and His Word. Beloved, let us not be deceived when we go through dry seasons. A dry season sent by God will provoke us to seek Him more. When we are dry and thirsty and experience our own type of wilderness, God uses it to provoke us to cry out for His refreshing rains.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

A Visit to Heaven



Every morning it is like Easter at my house. It has not always been this way though. I had to die to learn how to live. I died for 28 minutes, and it was during this death experience that I learned how to live. I had never been sick before this time. I was on vacation. I was having a great time with my mother and dad, my kid brother Gary, my husband, and my six- year- old Brenda. The first night I experienced a pain in my right side. For someone who had never even had a headache up to that time, I began to suffer excruciating and uncontrollable pain.

After I began to vomit and hemorrhage they rushed me to a little beach hospital. I was transferred to another hospital and had an operation on my abdomen. The doctors discovered that I had developed peritonitis. After the operation I lapsed into a coma which lasted for the greater part of 44 days. I had two further operations.

During this comatose period I went through a wonderful learning process. I prayed most of the time, although I was unconscious and could not speak or respond. I still prayed in my heart, and I understood everything that was going on around me. I remembered all of the conversations that were spoken in my room, and I have written them in my book My Glimpse of Eternity. Another wonderful thing happened in this room. I heard music all the time as I lingered near death. I shall always remember two of the songs that I heard constantly echoing in my mind, and in the chambers of my heart. I heard singing 'The old account was settled long ago'. How thankful I was that at the age of 13, I had settled my account with sin. I had decided to invite Jesus be the Lord of my life, forgiving me of my sins, and experienced the new birth. Another song that I heard constantly was the same man singing 'I have been born again'.

God used very ordinary people to bring about some extraordinary experiences in my life. I was a proud, haughty young woman whom God could not use up to this time. Through this suffering, and 44 days of unconsciousness, I underwent a complete overhaul of personality. Ordinary people came into the room. I always remember Aunt Gertrude coming. She did not know that unconscious people hear, but she took me by the hand and very positively prayed for me. She talked with me about the flowers at home, read my cards, and the little notes that were on my flowers that had been sent to my room. She brought a little bit of the outside world into that hospital room.

Another wonderful person who ministered to me was Uncle Jesse. He was a brake man on the railroad. One day coming home from work he said he felt a very firm desire to come to the hospital to see how I was doing. He initially thought he should go home and shower first. He then felt God impressed him not to delay, but to go to the hospital right then. On arrival he learned that I desperately needed B-negative blood. When they tested Uncle Jesse and typed him, he had B-negative blood. I received a direct transfusion, which I urgently needed.

Another person who ministered to me was a man in our neighborhood who used pitiful English, and I whom considered ugly. I did not like him. I did not like his looks, and he did not know how to dress. He had a radio broadcast that I never cared for. I used to turn the broadcast off whenever it came on. This man violated the 'No Visitors' sign and came into my hospital room, not knowing that I could hear in this unconscious state. He came to the foot of my bed. Hearing a man's footsteps I thought it was my husband, John, who came several times a day. Or perhaps it was my father coming to sit beside me in the squeaky leather chair to pray for me, or just to whisper praises of worship, and bless the name of Jesus. But it was not my father. Suddenly I recognized the voice of Art, the man that I had never liked. My immediate reaction was to try to regain consciousness, to use the call button, and to call a nurse through to ask him out. After all I could not stand the man when I was well, let alone when I was sick. But Art did not leave because God was working on my pride. God had me in a corner where I could not manipulate the situation. Art began to read, and I began to listen. He read Psalm 107:20 to me, 'He sent His word and healed them '. Suddenly I realized that this ugly man had been a wonderful instrument, and played sweet music to my dying soul. I latched on to the hope of this word that he had read me, 'He sent His word and healed them'. I began to have faith that I might be healed. Art left, and I determined that, if I did live, I would apologize and tell him how much I loved him for bringing that word of life and hope.

In the days that followed I almost gave up. On two occasions I had to be resuscitated. Then I developed pneumonia with a high fever. At the end of this forty-four day period, when pneumonia raged, the outlook seemed very poor to my husband, my father and my mother. So they all went home to prepare themselves for my funeral and burial.

After they all left I felt as if I had suddenly got on a roller-coaster. When you hit that peak, that topmost point on the ride, I felt as though this was what had happened to me. When that sudden lurch came I realized that this was death. It was not frightening, and if it was death, it was very sudden. There was no fear, for death was just changing locations from this place to the other.

I had always been very tall, and it had become a phobia that haunted me all my life. Suddenly that was gone. I began to stand tall and erect, realizing that, in the place to which I had come, there were no complexes. I stood to my full height realizing that, in spite of three operations and forty-four days of tubes into my stomach, that I was well and strong. I was walking through a beautiful meadow of waving grass, the strands of which were like green velvet. As I walked in my bare feet, life, health and vigor began to come into my body. It was outdoors, and the climate was like forever spring. What a joy to learn that Heaven was not sitting on a damp cloud playing a harp. It was not wall to wall church, because there was no need for the church here. I realized I was in the living presence of the Son of God, and we would worship Him forever.

As I walked up a hill I became aware that I was not alone. To the left, and a little behind me, was a tall angel clad in a transparent garment of white. I saw his very capable masculine hands, and a masculine face with a knowing look. I realized that the angel had always been there from the day that I had found Jesus. I had never known it, because I had never needed him until now. Walking along we talked with our 'think'. There was no need for conversation because, just by wishing, we understood each other. We could go from Earth to the galaxies of space, and to the gates of Heaven where, as we approached, I heard the most beautiful singing. As we reached the gates there was melodious and harmonious sounds of music coming over the wall. Suddenly I heard voices whose singing I cannot describe, and I began to sing with them in a way I have never been able to do before or since. Standing there I understood all of the languages of the world. The Scripture verse in I John 3 became alive to me, 'When we see Him, we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is'. He understands all of the languages being spoken all the time around the world. In His presence, I was like Him, and I understood the other languages.

Approaching a most majestic gate of solid pearl, the angel touched it. It severed in the center. When it opened and I stepped inside I saw and felt light such as I cannot describe. Vivid yellow light, so dazzling and bright that I could not look into it. I began to strain to see where it was coming from. I believe I looked directly into the throne room of God the Father, for seated on His right hand was Jesus, the Son of the living God. I was trying to see His face, which caused a brilliant light to be reflected onto a golden boulevard. When I did, the light and the warmth of His face went directly through me, and I was healed. My past whirled rapidly before me. The present became very wonderful and real, and the things of the future unfolded. In that 28 minute period I learned so much that it will take many books to write it.

I began to look around. In that light I began to see shafts of direct light ascending from the Earth, directly joining that great light in the throne room. The light in the throne room is the source of all energy, all creativity and all power. It occurred to me that I had seen the other end of prayer. I cannot describe what followed except in great detail, and so have written a book, Prayers that are answered in which I describe this. As I saw the direct shafts of light ascending from the Earth, the reality occurred to me that they were the prayers of people on Earth ascending to the great light in the throne room. God could answer, either by the powers of almighty Heaven, or by angels, or the armies of God. We have to realize that in the midst of battle we need not be dismayed, for the powers of the armies of Heaven are at our command when we pray. What made me realize this was that, on one shaft of light, I saw my father's voice being registered. In my book I describe this as a 'The One Word Prayer'. My mother and father had been summoned to the hospital room by the head nurse to tell them that I had died. My father arrived there first. He walked over to my body, with the equipment removed, and the sheet covering me. He said that all he could think of to say was to breathe one word of prayer for himself, asking God through this prayer to give him strength to break the news to my husband. He also prayed for my daughter, Brenda, who would be very distressed when she heard the news that her mother had died. The only word that my father could speak was 'Jesus'. I saw it, and I heard it. There is power in the name of Jesus. It is sufficient. In that one word prayer was a wish that I had not died. I saw it and felt it. I thought I would never want to leave that place, but the power of my father's prayer breathed in the form of a wish, 'Jesus,' healed me and changed my mind. Now I desired to follow his prayer and to come back.

As I came back down the hill I had walked up, I looked through the roof of the hospital and saw down through the floors and into the room where my body was covered with a sheet. As I came closer I saw a direct shaft of the sunrays coming through the glass into my room. The sun was shining on my body, and suddenly I felt as though I had gone in an elevator and had hit the bottom floor. There was a sudden lurch sensation of inertia and I felt my body begin to warm and I touched the sheet. In the center of that shaft of light, I saw ivory letters about two inches coming towards me. I remembered what Art had read, 'He sent His word and healed them'. When I looked closer I saw these ivory letters were the printed word of God from the Bible, John 11:25, the words of Jesus, 'I am the resurrection and the life and He that believes on me though he were dead, yet shall he live.' I knew as that word was coming towards me it would heal me, and Art's prayer became reality. I touched the word, pushing the sheet off my face and, reaching out, I grasped those letters pulling them into my arms and then sat up. Within two days I went home from the hospital.

The doctor coming into my room was overwhelmed. The nurse ran down the corridors saying, 'It's a ghost!', she was so frightened. My first thought was that I wanted to call my grandmother who had been dying for the past year. When I called her I did not know that my mother had already called her to tell her I had died. So when I called I shocked her, because she thought that if I was dead then she must have died too. Finally my father got on to her and said, 'Betty is back, we don't know what has happened, but she is very much alive and sitting up'. In the following moments I begged for a drink and for food. I was given some 7 Up on crushed ice, and tray on which were two pork chops and a full meal. I ate it all.

I have perfect vision, and have suffered no depression. Since then I have had a perfect baby daughter, no drug withdrawal problems, no colostomy, all of my plumbing works perfectly well, and I have no brain damage. I have written books that have helped many people. I went home in two days happy for a second chance to live again. A second chance to love people again.

My healing was a great miracle, but even greater was the miracle that I returned with a different attitude, and with a great love for people. Through the telling of this story many people have experienced the love of Jesus and experienced the greatest miracle of all, that of sins forgiven.

Friday, January 9, 2015

Awaken


As we enter the final stages of God’s dealings with mankind, we realize that we also, have entered into a time of gross darkness upon the earth. This darkness is resting upon the godly and ungodly alike. It is, literally, an inability to see or perceive. This is a huge jeopardy for those called during this time, because it is not that difficult to lose your sight. We know that within the world, there exists very little perception, yet the promise - and the reality - for the sons of God, is that this is to be a time of increased light.

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day (Proverbs 4:18)

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Life Giving Spirit

“You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men.”  II Corinthians 3:2

It is what we have become, rather than what we say, that is the most effective witness.
We begin to see ourselves as containers of  the manifested glory of the Lord. It is an
anointing that is resting upon us as we have spent time in His presence. Our words can
be 100% correct but without the anointing no heart change will take place in the hearer.

“Who also has made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter,
but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”  II Corinthians 3:6

I have heard many with the ability to preach with passion and great intellect. There
is truly a stirring in the soul of the hearer but the Spirit is not released. And I have been in
meetings where the natural limitations of the person speaking were apparent yet the anointing
and manifestation of the Lord’s presence was upon them. In this day, the Lord is taking behind
the veil those who may be lacking in ability, but who abide in His presence. These are seeking
to better know Jesus and have made themselves available to Him for whatever purpose He may
have. We are "life giving" spirits. The words we speak are "spirit and life". The first Adam
was a living soul. The last Adam ( Jesus ) is a "life giving" Spirit. ( 1 Corinthians 15:45 )

Saturday, January 3, 2015

His Eyes



Revelations 1:14 ….. and his eyes were as a flame of fire.

“Eyes as a flame” speaks of the word of knowledge of an endtime discernment. The Lord is beginning to pull back the veil and show us the realm of the spirit. We are going to see and understand spiritual things. We will come to perceive the warfare that is taking place, the amount of the enemy that's within a person, the ground that is being held and also how much of them is free and has come under God’s sovereignty. We will know what's happening on the inside, the controlling factors within a person’s life, within a family situation or even within a church. We are going to begin to see below the surface. At this point is when we must use great caution. On the surface everything looks nice. But underneath it's not that way there's all kinds of things going on that need to be dealt with. Areas where there needs to come deliverance, release, healing and correction, repentance and forgiveness. Left to ourselves when we begin to see these things the natural tendency is to become critical or judgmental. If we allow either of these to manifest then we're of no use to The Lord. Because Jesus came not just to expose problems but to bring redemption in whatever form its needed into each heart and life. Not just to correct those things but He said I am come that you might have life and have it more abundantly. So then if the Lord is giving us discernment on some level and showing us a problem, the reason is that so through us through our faithfulness and obedience and response and reaction to His spirit there might come healing and correction and deliverance. This Burden takes the forms of prayer and intercession as we seek the Lord for understanding and wisdom so that we might see the situation as He sees it and respond and move in harmony with the Spirit to bring about the necessary correction. This “flame of fire” is more like a laser, pinpointing that next step that is needed then allowing time for healing so that additional progress may be made in the future. So it’s the right word, in the right amount at the right time spoken under the anointing that will produce a “ heart change” within the hearer. What we are becoming is a people who are available and sensitive to the moving of the Spirit, to seek and to save that which was lost.