Category: Glory of God

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My country shall be great

Here are some quotes from the founding fathers.  May our prayers for the leaders of this great nation heal our land.

Abraham Lincoln: “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us finish the work we are in…to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and a lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”

Thomas Jefferson: “Almighty God, Who has given us the good land for or heritage; We humbly beseech Thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favor and glad to do Thy will.”

George Washington: “Preserve and defend our rulers I church and state. Bless the people of this land, be a father to the fatherless, a comforter to the comfortless, a deliverer to the captives, and a physician to the sick. Let thy blessings guide this day and forever through Jesus Christ.”

Samuel Adams, “Let divines and philosophers, statesmen and patriots, unite their endeavors to renovate the age by impressing the minds of men with the importance of educating their little boys and girls, inculcating in the minds of youth the fear and love of the Deity.”

Patrick Henry, “It cannot be emphasized too clearly and too often that this nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason, people of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.”

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

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My Name Shall Be There

I’m reading verses from 1 Kings 8, where Solomon dedicated the temple to the God. He thanked God for remembering his covenant, and asked Him to remember their prayers when they sinned and repented.  This building divinely ordained and designed stood as a reminder of God’s pledge of His presence, provision and his name.  The Lord told them I am God, maker of heaven and earth, and my name shall always be there. 

That got me thinking about his name being present in all situations and circumstances.  With all the wrong in the world, there is comfort in knowing that God’s name; his holy and righteous name is there.  There is no other name in heaven or on earth like his.   His name brings healing, power, deliverance, and love.  My name shall be there.  What a wonderful way to start the day; to remember His name shall be there.

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The Glory of the Lord

“And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost.” Acts 2:4

A Message from C. H. Spurgeon

“Rich were the blessings of this day if all of us were filled with the Holy Ghost. The consequences of this sacred filling of the soul it would be impossible to overestimate. Life, comfort, light, purity, power, peace; and many other precious blessings are inseparable from the Spirit’s benign presence.  As a sacred oil, he anoints the head of the believer, sets him apart to the priesthood of saints, and gives him grace to execute his office aright.”

Even as I am typing this blog, the presence of His gracious and precious spirit is upon me.  It’s becoming difficult to write, my spirit is soaring.  His presence has been all over us since our return to the US.  Everywhere we’ve been since returning from Uganda has been transformed.  Last night, during a rehearsal for our upcoming Pre-Convention Concert, the Holy Spirit descended, and rehearsal became a glorious time to worship and praise to the Most High, Almighty God.  There was power, a sweetness, a gladness, and a hunger and thirst for Him.  We didn’t want to leave…the praises kept going, and going…. “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost.”

“As the only truly purifying water he cleanses us form the power and sanctifies us unto holiness, working in us to will and to do of the Lord’s good pleasure.”  The praises continues last night making it difficult to prepare for bed.  And now this morning I’m still praising him. It’s been two hours.

Oh, God, thank you, thank you.  How wonderful, how glorious.  The glory of the Lord is my strength;  it is my joy; it is my power; it is my peace that passes all understanding.  It is the glory, His glory.

“As the light, he manifested to us at first our lost estate, and now he reveals the Lord Jesus to us and in us, guides us in the way of righteousness.  Enlightened by his pure celestial ray, we are no more darkness but light in the lord.  As fire, he both purges us from dross, and sets our consecrated nature on a blaze.  He is the sacrificial flame by which we are enabled to offer out whole souls as living sacrifice unto God. As heavenly dew, he remove our barrenness and fertilizes our lives. O that he would drop from above upon us at this early hour.”  

O dear friends, I wish you could be here with me.  I wish you could feel His presence right now.  I wish you, with the other saints coming from around the globe to join us in Charleston for our July convention.  God has promised an amazing manifestation of His presence.  

May His glory remove all the barrenness of your soul, and may the light refresh you so that you too can feel His glory.

Joy fills my soul; joy and thanksgiving for His amazing, amazing glory.  Since returning from  Uganda, his blessed assurance is dispelling the cares and doubts which mar my peace.  He is breathing new life within me, and His glory descending; and transforming.  How Great is our God….

The glory of the Lord, how priceless.

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Kingdom of God

Kingdom of God

Isaiah 2:5, “O house of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of the Lord.” When we walk in the light of the Lord and in the power of his might, then the Kingdom reigns!
Take any 24 hours and look at how badly our world needs “us” to walk in the light of Christ. The world needs to see us to walking and operating as Kingdom believers. The constant stream of pain, suffering and sin is marked by darkness which needs the divine light of Christ, which he gave to you and me. “Let your light so shine before men” is part of our orders from our Commander-in-Chief. We are to take the light of the Kingdom into every corner, every place, every home, every job, every and all situations, so the Kingdom can reign.
Today, walk in that amazing light of the Kingdom of God, and bring some much-needed “Son-light” to the world.

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Greatly to be Praised

I just returned from a mission trip to Uganda with my husband and pastor. Since coming home, my spirit has lingered in the state of praise in gratitude for the divine grace and mercy that was evident throughout the entire trip.  And yet saying “Amen, Hallelujah, Praise You, Thank You, Wow, Awesome” seems inadequate for what we were privileged to experience.  God’s grace allowed us this priceless opportunity and we felt His mighty hand. We witnessed it when confronted with forces set on delaying, and destroying the work.
Our hearts sang songs of joy when the blessings and gifts of love came upon not only us, but also those we came to serve. These experiences gave us time to see the Lord in expanded ways.  When the presence of God overshadows the mundane, the trivial, the commonplace you want to praise Him, and then have others share the experience.

You want others to see the joy, the light, the love, the goodness, and feel His presence; The heavenly Father, the Messiah who is our everything. You want the saints of God to cherish those sweet moments when beyond the veil you behold His glory. In these moments all life is transformed. Your eyes are opened to what is possible, truly possible when we praise and worship Him. The matchless Lord transfigures you, and sends your spirit soaring to new heights of love, and power. He is greatly to be praised.

As we visited Kampala, and the small village of Iganga, and felt God’s power and presence our lives were in awe of God’s grace. He is greatly to be praised. He is greatly to be praised for our salvation. He is greatly to be praised for leaving His arms open to receive us despite our sins. He is greatly to be praised for each breath; for each open and closed door; for everything good and perfect gift.  He is greatly to be praised for the joy unspeakable, and showing us how to live the abundant life.

I praised Him for allowing us the honor to serve him both here and aboard. For the opportunity to minister, teach, and mentor church leaders while leading a crusade in Uganda. I praised him for the healing, deliverance, the blessings He showered upon the pastors and congregation in Kampala and Iganga. I praised him for everything.

As I praise Him for our experience in Uganda, I am also praising Him for His priceless gifts here at home as well. Thank you Lord for the opportunity to see our first grandson graduate today, for the birth of our niece last night, for the honor and privilege of being a wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, daughter, friend and more importantly for being His child. He is greatly to be praised.  Thank you my Lord for being my all in all.

Today, praise the Lord for He is worthy to be praised.

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Joint Heirs with Christ

A powerful message from one of my favorite authors, C.H. Spurgeon

The boundless realms of his Father’s universe are Christ’s by prescriptive right.  As “heir of all things,” he is the sole proprietor of the vast creation of God, and he has admitted us to claim the whole as ours, by virtue of that deed of joint-heirship which the Lord hath ratified with his chosen people.  The golden streets of paradise, the pearly gates, the river of life, the transcendent bliss, and the unutterable glory, are, by our blessed Lord, made over to us for our everlasting possession.  All that he has he shares with his people. The crown royal he has placed upon the head of his Church, appointing her a kingdom, and calling her sons a royal priesthood, a generation of priests and kings.  He uncrowned himself that we might have a coronation of glory; he would not sit upon his own throne until he had procured a place upon it for all who overcome by his blood.

Crown the head and the whole body shares the honor.  Behold here the reward of every Christian conqueror! Christ’s throne, crown, scepter, palace, treasure, robes, heritage, are yours….”The glory which thou gavest me have I given them.”  “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”

Delight my brothers and sisters in the reality of your divine heritage.  Rejoice, I say again rejoice in the knowledge of the glory and honor afforded us by our blessed Savior.  Sing a new song, for all Christ has is ours. He is ours and we are joint heirs with him.

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You’re Blessed

I love reading and studying the Bible. We have several translations, and study tools which help, with the aid of the Holy Spirit our understanding of God’s Word.  They also draws us deeper in our relationship with God. One of those translations is The Message by Eugene Peterson.  This morning I read Matthew the fifth chapter where Jesus shared the Beatitudes with his disciples.  After reading The Message, I had one of those epiphanies. You know the ones that comes to reassure, comfort and bring light.  After reading the passage, my spirit peacefully lingered on its meaning; I am blessed.  No matter what I am blessed, and can make it through. I am blessed despite the loss of loved ones. I’m blessed going in, and going out. I am blessed because God loves me. I am blessed. I am blessed.

Here is the passage.

Matthew Chapter 5: 1-12  The Message
3 “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
4 “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
5 “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
6 “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.
7 “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.
8 “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
9 “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
10 “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.
11-12 “Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble. (The Message)

These words and its meaning are so clear.  I know most Christians are familiar with The King James Version (KJV). I grow up reading it as well.  However, when I became acquainted with The Message I found it to be particularly helpful, especially when I’ve used it in teaching and in my personal study time.  It has enhanced my understanding of the Bible along with the aid of the Holy Spirit.

Today, I was reminded of this simple, yet powerful truth that I am blessed.  And as soon as I embraced that fact, I knew I had to share it.  I sensed someone needed to be reminded as I did, that our awesome God wants us to know without a shadow of doubt how incredibly blessed we are.

So if you are feeling troubled, may these words remind you that no matter what happens you are blessed.

The Message by Eugene Peterson

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Quotes

Quotes.

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Aperio

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Aperio is the Latin verb which signifies “to open” like the petals on a tree. Resurrection Sunday is over, and residue of the celebration have been swept away for another year. So what is next? What do we do now?
Some will, like the apostles and other believers go and hold up in a room. Others will leave the city and walk away troubled because life didn’t happened the way they expected. Still others will continue in their beliefs that he was not the promised Messiah and return to business as usual. What will you do?
This is our time to blossom and to open; to explore the inescapable truth of the Resurrection. It does our Creator a disservice if we continue as before without joy and power. He kept his promise. He did exactly as was foretold.
Christ came and opened up the kingdom of heaven. He died so that we could have an eternal home with him forever.
To open (aperio) means to shed those “winter garments of unbelief, fear, and poverty mentality, and reveal the beauty of Christ. It’s time to put on the spring garments of praise and power. To open up to Christ in the newness of life. To open up to him in ways you’ve never ever done before. Conquer your fears. For Christ did not give you a spirit of fear, but one of power, love and a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)
Don’t go and hold up in some bleak room of despair when our risen Lord gave you the keys to the Kingdom. Don’t walk away troubled, and not knowing what to do next. He gave us the Spirit who guides us into all truth and knowledge. Don’t return to business as usual. For behold, “I make all things new” says the Lord. (Revelation 21:5b)
This is not the same year as last year. This is a new day, a new year. This sacred, holy resurrection time is filled with His righteousness, His glory, and His incomparable love. So are you ready to Aperio– to open up and show His majesty to the world? It’s time to APERIO!!!

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He is Risen

Christ is Risen

Glory and praise. Resurrection Sunday. Christians celebrating and worshipping our risen Savior.  Praising Him for the most amazing gift every conceived – the gift of eternal life.  Christ is to be glorified for what we can never do – restore us to God the Father.  With Christ hope has been restored; life has been restored; joy has been restored; power has been restored; love has been restored.

1 Peter 1: 3-5, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” (NIV)

Our Lord stated, “I am the truth, the way and the life.”  Our risen Lord fulfilled his mission, and restored our right to experience the new birth and have an inheritance that will never, ever perish.    Christ is Risen. Praise be to God.