In Christ is our Salvation -2-

Continued from yesterday.  This is such a grand study, there is so much hope and power  when we are in Christ, so much.  I don't know what I would do without this hope and the power He gives us when we are in Him.  It's amazing what He has done in my life, I am totally amazed how He has given me the power to overcome obstacles that seemed impossible to overcome.  Sometimes several days go by and all of a sudden I realize what He has done and I really am amazed how it all happened.  Then there are days I can't seem to make the grade but He is always there to give me strength and help me when I can't help myself.  WhenI fall, He shows me what it cost me and I get back up and in His strength I keep going.  What an amazing God we have, so loving and kind and helpful in so very many ways.  Let's get some more Bible in this study, shall we.

Romans 8:1-4  "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.  For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."

Romans 5:9  "Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him."

2 Thessalonians 3:3  "But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.."

Ezekiel 36:25-28  "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh, and give you a heart of flesh.  I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them."  He will do all these things for you when you are In Christ!!

Galatians 2:20  "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

2 Corinthians 5:17  "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: old things have passed away; behold all things have become new."

Some thoughts on this subject, In Christ.

In Christ Jesus you were chosen before the world began.  Ephesians 1:4
In Christ you are loved by God with a inseparable love.  Romans 8:38,39
In Christ you are redeemed and forgiven all your sins.  Ephesians 1:7
In Christ you are justified before God and the righteousness of God is imputed to you. (Just as if you had never sinned).2 Corinthians 5:21
In Christ you have become a new creation.  Galatians 3:26
In Christ all the promises of God are 'yes' for you.  2 Corinthians 1:20
In Christ you are being sanctified and made holy.  1 Corinthians 1:2
In Christ, everything you really need will be supplied.  Philippians 4:19
In Christ the peace of God will guard your heart and mind. Philippians 4:17
In Christ you have eternal life.  Romans 6:23
In Christ you will be raised from the dead at His coming.  1 Corinthians 15:22

To be In Christ, we must be surrendered to Him in all things and live His life, through His strength.

In Christ Is Life Everlasting -1-

If you are searching for a sure way to live and be ready to meet Jesus either at death or when He comes again in the clouds of glory, there is a way and that way is In Christ.  Let's study this out to be sure that we are on the right track.  We do not want to trust in man as our guide for this very important journey, we must have faith in Christ above anything else.  I have learned that In Christ is my only safe path to eternal life, there is no other.  Don't let someone tell you there is any other way, there is not.

In Christ we are Complete

Hebrews 13:20,21 "He will make us complete in every good work to do His will, working in you through Jesus."

In Christ we can do it

1 Thessalonians 5:24  "He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it."

In Christ we will be delivered

2 Timothy 4:18  "The Lord will deliver me from every evil work."

In Christ we can be confident

Philippians 1:6  "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ."

In Christ you will be safe in your walk

2 Peter1:10  "If you do these things you will never stumble or fall." Read 2 Peter1:1-10 to see what 'these things' are.

In Christ we are perfected

1 John 2:5,6 "Whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him, By this we know we are in Him.  He who says he abides in Him, ought himself also to walk just as He walked."

In Christ we are presented faultless to the Father

Jude 24  "Now unto Him who is able to keep you from falling an present you faultless before the presence of His glory."

In Christ His Word will save us

James 1:21,22 "Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.  But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

In Christ we are healed

1 Peter 2:2,25  "Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we having died to sins, might live for righteousness - by whose stripes we are healed.  For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your soul."

There is so much to this study, I will have to continue it tomorrow, so stand by.  I hope this has helped you as it has helped me.  In Christ we can do all things, without Him we can do nothing to save ourselves. Theres more, much more.  Stay by.  Grandma Joan

The Temple of God - 1 -

I'm sure that most of you know what the Temple of God is, but just in case there is someone that doesn't or if we are not that acquainted with the subject, I thought, as for me, it would be a good idea for me to give it some serious thought.  So let's investigate the Temple of God and see what we can learn.
1 Corinthians 3:16  "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?     We are God's temple.

1 Corinthians 6:19  "What! Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
              And we are not our own, we belong to God

2 Corinthians 6:16  "And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?  for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
               God has said that He would dwell in us and walk with us and will be our God.

Ephesians 2:20,21,22  "And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together grows unto  a holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit."
             Jesus Christ is the chief corner stone of our temple, the body, it fits together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord and we become a place for God to dwell in through His Holy Spirit.

1 Peter 2:5  "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ."

             We are like living stones built into a spiritual house and a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.  We can be a holy priesthood for God too.  If He dwells in us we will do His will, and our body will be a temple He can dwell in and we will demonstrate to the world His attributes and our life will shine forth as a light in a darkened world.
We also must treat our bodies as the temple of God, and not destroy it by the way we treat it.  He cannot dwell in a temple of sin or uncleanness.  Wow!  I must remember this study every day.  I want to be a temple that He can dwell in every day, not just here and there.  Don't you?  Grandma Joan

Some Verses to Help Us Resist Temptation

I believe we need all the help we can get to get us through this world of sin.  Do you agree?  It is very difficult and really impossible to resist the devil without God's help, we are no match for his subtlety.
He knows exactly where we are weak and we know exactly where we can be strong if we are willing to call for help.  Here are some verses to help us.

Proverbs 1 :10  "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not."  Do not give in.

Proverbs 4:14  "Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men."  We know that when we go where sin is, we will be overcome.  The Bible says 'not to go into the path of the wicked and not in the way of evil men.  We are warned.

Romans 6:13  "Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God."  Yielding ourselves to God, is the same as, Resist the devil and draw near to God.

Ephesians 6:13  "Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand."

2 Peter 3:17  "Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness."  This verse tells us we are never safe from Satan's temptations except we are connected close to our Savior.

This was a short study, but full of direction and hope.  I conclude with this thought.  The whole victory against Satan's assaults is staying near to God and asking Him to help you be victorious over them.  It's so easy to say, out loud, 'Jesus save me', He knows what we mean and He also knows how to save us from them. I have done it and need to do it more.  I'm as guilty as anyone in forgetting to call for help.  We need to be on our toes all the time.  Grandma Joan

Resisting Temptation - Biblical examples of -

I Would like to share some examples from Bible characters who resisted different types of temptations.  It should give us courage in our temptations.

Abraham by Refusing a Reward

Genesis 14:23  "That I will not take from a thread even to a shoe latchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou should say, I have made Abram rich."

Elisha for Refusing Payment for Healing

2 Kings 5:16  "But he said, As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none.  And he urged him to take it but he refused."

Job by Rejecting Evil Counsel

Job 2:9,10  "Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God and die.  But he said unto her, Thou speak as one of the foolish women speaks. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, an shall we not receive evil?  In all this did not Job sin with his lips."

The Rechabites and Daniel, by Refusing Wine.

Jeremiah 35:5,6  "And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabities pots full of wine, and cups; and I said unto them, Drink ye wine.  But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever:"

Daniel 1:8  "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the kings meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself."

Christ by Refusing Worldly Honor

Luke 4:5,6 ,8 "And the devil, taking Him up into an high mountain, showed unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  And the devil said unto Him, All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will, I give it.  If Thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and Him only shalt thou serve."

Peter by Refusing a Bribe

Acts 8:20  "But Peter said unto him, thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money."

We can always answer Satan with 'It Is Written' or we can just say, 'Jesus save me' when we are tempted beyond our control.  we can always resist him and draw near to God.  He is helping me and He will help you.  Grandma Joan

The Many Ways Satan Lures Us into Temptation - 2

The Temptation of the Forbidden Fruit

Genesis 3:6  "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree to be desired to make one wise she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."

The Temptation of Fertile Fields

Genesis 13:10-13  "And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou cometh unto Zoar.  Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east; and they separated themselves the one from the other.  but the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly."

The Temptation of Appetite

Genesis 25:29,30 & 33  "And Jacob sod pottage; and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:  And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage, for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.  And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob."  

The Temptation of Silver and Gold

Joshua 7:21  "When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it." (Gave in to temptation)

The Temptation of Women

1 Kings 11:1 "But king Solomon loved many strange wormen, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites:"

1 Kings 11:4  "For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God; as was the heart of David his father."

The Temptation of Ambition

Mark 10: 35-37  "And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto Him saying, Master, we would that thou should do for us whatsoever we shall desire. and He said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you?  They said unto Him, Grant unto us that we may sit , one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand in thy glory." (Wanting a high position)

These are some of the ways, not all, that we can be led away into temptation.  It might be that all sin comes under one of these headings.  I don't know, but it might be something to think about.  You can categorize your own headings.  The main thing is that we understand the different ways Satan can lead us astray.  We must resist, 'Jesus Save Me' is the way to resist, in my opinion. You can form your own solution to resisting the devil, but don't forget to 'draw nigh to God'.  Grandma Joan

Encouragement to Those in the Midst of Temptation - 1

Are you discouraged because Satan won't leave you alone and is always hounding you to do something that you know is wrong?  I have been there and I am still being tempted to spend time on keeping up on the news, which is horrible these days and I could be spending time with Jesus in His word. Time is all we have in this world and it is important that we use it wisely.  What is your temptation?  I have had many temptations in life and because I am up in years and pray for God to send His Holy Spirit to help me, He has delivered me and protected me from Satan's temptations that I could never overcome on my own.  It is impossible for us to fight evil powers on our own. We don't have the power to resist or the strength.  Because of this, I want to study some texts of encouragement for us as we battle this spiritual evil power.  I need this and I'm sure others do too.

1 Corinthians 10:13  "There hath no temptation taken you but such  as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." ( I think of this verse ever so often, because Satan is so subtle that he will stoop to any length to get us in a trap of his and we need this encouragement and power to escape and we can escape if we are willing to let God control the situation. He will make a way of escape.)

Hebrews 2:18  "For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted."  (Succour means, someone who gives help, relief, aid)

James 1:2,3  "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations.  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience." ( Divers meaning, diverse, different)

James 1:12  " Blessed is the man that endures temptation; for when he is tried he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to than that love Him,"

2 Peter 2:9  "The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished."

Revelation 3:10  "Because thou has kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."

Life is so short and the reward that is waiting for those that resist temptation through the power of God is so great, eternal life with God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit and all the host of Angels that have been with us and guarded us through our life.  Temptation doesn't amount to much here compared to eternity with our Savior and Friend.  "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you."  This is the solution, to resist the devil and he will flee.  Draw nigh to God, and He will draw night to you.  If you can only think of these three words that Peter used when he was sinking in the waves, 'Jesus save me', at the name of Jesus Satan will flee, I know, I've had to do that and it works wonders.  Jesus is always there.  Never doubt His presence.  Grandma Joan

Glorifying God - 1

The next few blogs I would like to discuss the attributes and characters of God, of Christ, of the Holy Spirit and the Angels.  It sounds so awesome, and I am not worthy to speak their names but I am hungry to know more about them, so lets start out with God, this has to be a very rewarding study, I'm sure.  I am also sure that the benefit I receive from this study will be AWESOME.  Let's get started.

By Praise

Psalm 22:23  "Ye that fear the Lord, praise Him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify Him and fear Him, all ye the seed of Israel."

By Good Works

Matthew 5:16  "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

By Fruit Bearing

John 15:8  "Herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples.'

By Spiritual Unity

Romans15:6  "That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

By Entire Consecration

1 Corinthians 6:20  "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's"

After reading these verses, I realize that I need to let God do some work in my life that I may glorify Him more and more.  I need to praise Him more and let His light shine through me.  I certainly need to bear fruit to His glory and I should try to be an example of unity with my brothers and sisters, so that we could be of one mind and one mouth.  I also need to glorify Him more with better health.  Wow!  I have lots to surrender to Him for improvement, don't I.  Did it help you?  I surely hope so.  This was a good study and I think more is coming just like it.  Grandma Joan

Abiding In Him

I would like to focus in on John 15 today.  This is one chapter that I love to ponder over and over again.  I would like to ponder it with you this time.  It has such a wonderful message and such an important one too.

First of all, Jesus refers to Himself as the Vine and we are the branches, and every branch that doesn't bear fruit He removes it and those that bear fruit He prunes it so it will bear more fruit.  Pruning is sending trials to perfect our character so that we can bear much more fruit to His glory.

In verse 3, Jesus says that we are clean through His word that He has spoken to us, by studying His word, our characters change to be like Him and we are clean and in verse 4, He tells us, 'Abide in Me and, I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the Vine, no more can you except you abide in Me.'  We are not able to bring forth any fruit without Him.

Verse 5 tells us that He is the vine and we are the branches.  If we abide in Him and He in us, we will bring forth much fruit, for without Him we can do nothing.  And in verse 6, it tells us if the branch doesn't bring forth fruit and is withering up, it is cut off and thrown into the fire and burned.

Verse 7  "If you abide in me, an my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.  Verse 8 says, 'this is how my Father is glorified that we bring forth much fruit; and you will be one of His disciples.'

Verse 9 "As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye, in My love.  Verse 10, If ye keep my commandments; you shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love."

Do you want joy in your life?  Here is how you may have the fullness of joy!

Verse 11 "These things have I spoken unto you that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full."

Do you have joy in your heart?  You can, all it takes is trust in Christ that He will take care of you and you will also have an abundance of peace.

Maybe I have increased your desire to continue reading the rest of the chapter, but hopefully you know the importance of 'abiding in Christ'.  Without Him we can do nothing and with Him we can do all things.  Philippians 4:13.  It is so encouraging to read this chapter, especially the first eleven verses.  The rest is important too, but in my heart, I feel the need of a closer walk with Jesus and this always encourages me in that direction and I thought it might do the same for you.  May God bless you from the reading of His word today.  If God were first in our lives, we would be the happiest people in the world. I want to be the happiest that I can be, don't you?  Grandma Joan

Prayer Is a Privilege and a Key

SC 93  "Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend.  Not that it is necessary in order to make known to God what we are, but in order to enable us to receive Him.  Prayer does not bring God own to us, but brings us up to Him."

It is a divine privilege to be able to come to God in prayer.  When we pray, we are first not to focus on self and on our needs.  Our focus should be on God and how great and mighty His is.We are to come to God with Thanksgiving and Praise.  Thank Him for our daily blessings which He gives us every day of our lives, even if it is little blessings, He is still where they come from and it's important to thank Him for them.

Next it is important to confess our sins and to be forgiven.  We need to be sorry for what we have done to hurt God and turn from our wicked ways, whatever they are.  Because God says in Isaiah 59:1,2  "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, neither His ear heavy that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear."

We also need to confess our faith in Jesus knowing all our blessings come through Him from the Father.  Jesus is our intercessor before the Father, pleading for our Salvation in His name, because He died for our sins.

Now it is time to petition Him for our needs and the needs of others that are on our prayer list.  But, we must ask in the name of Jesus, because He is our intercessor and He brings all our requests before the Father.  "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive that your joy may be full."

I always pray in the name of Jesus because that's who's name our prayers go through to the Father.
And also we are admonished to ask in His name.  He is our intercessor and it only makes sense to me to pray in His name.

There are conditions to answered prayer but there is one prayer that is always heard and answered if we are sincere about it and that is the prayer of Peter walking on the water when he started to sink,
"Lord, save me."  God always hears this kind of prayer and Satan flees at the sound of Jesus name.
"Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you, cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded."  James 4:7,8.

Prayer is also a Key.

SC 94  "Why should the sons and daughters of God be reluctant to pray when prayer is the key in the hand of faith to unlock heaven's storehouse, where are treasured the boundless resources of Omnipotence?

I do hope this has helped you in your prayer life.  It has helped me tremendously and I will try to follow the outline for a more focused prayer life and a better walk with my Lord.  Grandma Joan

PS. SC = The little book "Steps to Christ".

What To Do With Guilt?

Many people believe that guilt comes from the Devil.  Why would the Devil make you feel guilty? He doesn't want you do anything about your guilt.  It isn't true, is it?  If you are guilty, you should feel guilty, right?

The Holy Spirit is the One who convicts us of sin and makes us feel guilty, so we will repent and turn around.  If we have sinned against God, we should feel remorse for our sin or sins.

James 4:10  "Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up."

Don't be too proud to say, 'I'm sorry'.  It is a humbling experience to some, to say, 'I'm sorry'.  But it is necessary, we must even admit we are wrong if we offend our children, that may be hard for some to do but it is necessary to be right with God.

2 Corinthians 7:10  "For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation."

Romans 2:4  "Despisest thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and long-suffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leads thee to repentance?"  Where do you see the goodness of God?  At the cross, right?  Of course, when He gave His Son to die for us, that is the goodness of God.  And that goodness will lead us to repentance.

Repentance is a U-turn on the road of life, we turn from our sins and go the other way.  Godly sorrow for our sins is a turning away from them.

Christ died for the whole world, but He also died for your sins, your sins and my sins nailed Him to the cross.  Otherwise we would have to die the second death of which there is no return.  Christ died that death for us so we wouldn't have to.  That's where you see the goodness of God, giving His Son for a sinful world.  His love for us was that great. Are you willing to invite Him into your heart just now so that He can save you from your sins.  I am.   There is no better way.  Repentance is a life and death issue.  We do not dare to presume upon the goodness of God by procrastinating.  It is important when we feel guilty, to know that the Holy Spirit is working in our life to get us to repent and turn from our wicked ways.

James 4:7,8  "Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you."  I love these verses because they promise a complete turn around in our lives.  Let us draw nigh continually and we will be victorious over sin in our lives.

Have you ever hurt someone and needed to repent.  It's hard isn't it, especially if you have pride in your heart.  It is a very humbling experience.  I know because I have been there, lots of time.  The after feeling is so good and such a relief and usually ends up being friends with the one you confessed to.  There are always those who are not willing to forgive.  I have encountered that too and it's hard to know that someone is not willing to forgive you.  And sometimes they are the one that did the wrong in the first place.  I read a story one time of two men that had a fractured relationship over something and they went on as enemies for some time.  Then one day the one decided it had gone on long enough and he decided he would take the blame, even though he believed the other man was in the wrong.  When he confessed that he was wrong, the other man broke down and confessed that he was the one that was wrong and they wept together and became friends again.  I would like to say that this is the way it should be even though it is hard to do.

I know I am not perfect but there is one thing I do know for sure and that is that I am not like I use to be, and if you are a Christian, you are probably not like you use to be either. Praise God for His unfailing love and forgiveness.  Grandma Joan

Friendship Among Believers

The last post, I told my experience of making friends and today I want to impress upon your hearts that you can even make an enemy be at peace with you and how God looks upon our friendships.

When We Please the Lord

Proverbs 16:7  "When a man's ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him."  An example of this:  I was insulted, (which I shouldn't have been) by a lady at church one week and the distance between us was pretty cold.  Then I was impressed to make her a scarf and so I did.  When I gave it to her, it happened to be her birthday, can you believe that?  Anyway she got up out of her seat and came around to where I was sitting and thanked me and I found out what her favorite color was and made her another one.  We are good friends now.  It pays to obey God when He nudges us to do something.  I don't like to have coldness between me and someone else, it doesn't feel good.

How to Choose Friendships

Psalm 119:63  " I am a companion of all them that fear Thee, and of them that keep Thy precepts."
I'm sure most of you know that wrong friendships can pull you down, so choose wisely.

Malachi 3:16  "Then they that feared the Lord spoke often one to another:  and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord, and thought upon His name."( Fear here means Reverence)

Steadfast Friendship

Acts 2:42  "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers."  This reminds me of a friend that had an operation and I told her I was praying for her and she never forgot that and told my daughter that I was praying for her and how she was healing.  It never dawned on me that my prayers meant so much to someone.

Thankfulness for Friendships

Philippians 1:3 & 5  "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.  For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now."  I am so thankful for my Christian friends and try to pray for them every day and others too, of course.

How to Have Christian Friends

 John 1:7  "But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin."  It's good to walk in God's way and then our friends will be God's children, but don't forget to love all God's children, even the unloveable.  It's possible to love those that hate you.  I have done it and it is a wonderful thing to be friends with an enemy.  Try it, you can have friends in abundance.  Grandma Joan

The Value of Friendship

Do you have friends?  When I first came to the church that I am attending now, I had two friends. One day I was outside watering a flower garden at home, and a lady from the church came by and I don't remember the incident, but I do remember being prompted to make her a frilly scarf.  So I did.
She just loved it and wore it every week to church, and I decided to make her another one and it ended up I believe to be six or eight, not sure.  Anyway, different ladies, one at a time asked me if I was the one that made those beautiful scarves, and I asked each one what their favorite color was and today many of the ladies in the church wear the lacy scarves and they are all my friends.  One lady in particular sat down beside me in the hall and asked me how I was doing?  She was so sweet, I asked her her favorite color and it was purple.  I made her a scarf and she wore it to church and she was out in the foyer showing it to everyone who came by and telling them who made it and gave it to her. Today she is one of the sweetest friends that I have ever had.  Two years later, I cannot count my friends and I love every one of them.  It reminds me of the verse in the Bible:

The Desire for Many Friends

Proverbs 18:24  "A man that hath friends must show himself friendly:"  I have never in my whole life of almost 86 years had so many loving friends, they are not just friends, they are loving friends, I tell my friends that I love them and they know that I do.

True Friends are Unchangeable

Proverbs 17:17  "A friend loves at all times."  My sweet friend lost her husband very recently and I was able to put my arms about her and love her and sympathize with her whole heartedly because I had experienced the same thing.

Old Friends to be Cherished

Proverbs 27:10  "Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far of."

Stimulating Friendship

Proverbs 27:17  "Iron sharpens iron: so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend."  Each week when I walk into church my friends hug me and I know I have friends because as soon as they see me their countenance lights up into a great big smile.  I love them so much.

Profitable Friendship

Ecclesiastes 4:9,10  "Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor.  For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falls; for he has  not another to help him up." Would you say that I have been rewarded for my labor?  I would say, over and over again.  A couple of weeks ago, I saw a friend in the hall that I hadn't see for a while and I called her by name and said, 'I have missed you and we hugged and I told her I loved her and she said, 'I know you do'.  What a response!

Everyone can make friends if you show yourself friendly.  I had no idea what one little frilly scarf
would do!  No idea.  I am still doing it.  I just gave one to the first lady that I ever made one for, it was one that she could wear with anything.  I got a friendship hug from her.  I have two or three made for other ladies but they are busy in children ministries and are not at church very often, so haven't been able to give them to them.

My scarves are also a witnessing tool.  I live close to the World Mark time share and the other night I was sort of downcast somewhat and went for a little walk over to the entrance lounge and sat there for a while and this lady that works there came over and conversed with me and brought me an herb tea and sat and visited with me for a while.  I took her a scarf and she had tears in her eyes when I gave it to her for her kindness.  I got her favorite color and made her another one and haven't given it to her yet but maybe I'll get it to her today as she is on duty today.  I have learned a great lesson in giving and this is just a sample of what giving does.  I want all my lady friends  to know that I love them.  I only have one regret, I wish I had learned this many, many years ago.  But I am so thankful that I learned this great lesson now.  It doesn't have to be scarves, it could be any small thing that you like to make or do.  Just show yourself friendly, that's all you have to do, the Bible says so.  Grandma Joan

The Holy Spirit's Leadership in Our Lives

Listen!  The Holy Spirit may be speaking to you right now.  He has a way of correcting us if we are listening.  He guides us in God's pathway so we won't be making mistakes that we will be sorry for. He teaches us lessons that we are apt not to forget, hopefully we won't forget them. The lessons that I learn from Him, I can't forget, they are life changing, sometimes severe lessons that it's impossible to forget.  How about you?  I think you probably have experienced some lessons like that too.  So glad we have the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, teach and love and comfort us, we absolutely need Him in our lives in order to have a happy fulfilled life, don't you agree?  Following are some texts to give us an idea what kind of leadership He does.

Guides Into All Truth

John 16:13  "Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth; for He shall not speak of Himself but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak; and He will show you things to come."

Controls the Movements of Believers

Acts 10:19,20  "While Peter thought on the vision the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.  Arise therefore and get thee down, and go with them doubting nothing: for I have sent them."

Directs in the Selection of Christian Leaders

Acts 13:2  "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them."

Chooses the Fields of Operation

Acts 16:6  "Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia."

Teaches Us What to Say

Luke 12:12  "For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say."

John 14:26  "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you."

Obedience to the Holy Spirit, is a Mark of Sonship to God

Romans 8:14  "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."

David's Prayer Regarding the Holy Spirit

Psalm 51:11  "Cast me not away from they presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me."

This last verse should be our prayer, shouldn't it?  I do not want the Holy Spirit to leave me to handle the battles of life alone.  I need Him every minute of every day, continually.  I truly cannot live without Him, and even then sometimes I slip up and make a mess out of things when I try to work things out myself.  Then I am so sorry that I slipped away for a moment and was caught up in Satan's plan, which I have learned to hate and I hope that I continue to hate his ways and listen to the Holy Spirits guidance in my life.  It is the only sure way to everlasting life with our Father in heaven.  I pray that God will impress your heart today with this little study on how we can have a victorious life in Christ, through His Holy Spirit, which He promised His people before He went back to His Father.
Let's let Him guide, teach, lead, love and comfort us each moment of every day.  Grandma Joan

A Recipient of Divine Favor

Divine Favor, how many of us want to be a recipient of Christ's favor?  Do you have a longing in your heart to be a partaker of His divine favor?  Have you ever saw someone that you just knew would make the best friend if you could just get to know them.  One time, years ago, we got a new pastor and when I saw his wife I just knew we were meant to be friends, first time ever that that thought ever came to my mind, but it did and I don't remember the pathway to that friendship but I do know that it didn't take long to become best of friends.  We did a lot of things together, picnics, trips with our families together, lots of dinners together, just a lot of time spent together, she taught me how to sew, and I sewed my clothes, my grand children's clothes, my daughters wedding gown and formals for academy.  I don't remember ever doing much for her but I was a recipient of her love for me and we are still friends.  How much better to be a recipient of Christ love and favor, I want to be a recipient of His favor, don't you?  How can we have it?  Read on.

It Renders Life Secure

Proverbs 16:7  "When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him."

Christ Had His Father's Divine Favor

Matthew 3:17  "And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased."

John 8:29  "And He that sent Me is with Me: the Father hath not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him."

The Aim of the True Minister

1 Thessalonians 2:4  "But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which tries out hearts."

The Christian's Duty

1 Thessalonians 4:1  "Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.

Enoch, an Example of Divine Favor

Hebrews 11:5  "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God and translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God."

Benevolence a means of Divine Favor

Hebrews 13:6  "But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased."

From these verses it sounds like that we must please the Lord to receive His divine favor.  Did I say we had to become perfect to please the Lord?  No, I didn't say that, but we do need to strive in that direction.  God wants us to please Him in all that we do.  And we can if we keep our eyes upon Him and off of ourselves.  We are such selfish recipients of His grace, we forget what He has done for us and how much He loves us and craves to have our companionship.  When He died on the cross He paid the penalty for our sins so He could present Himself to the Father in our behalf and the Father would see His perfect life in place of our sinful life.  What an astounding trade He has made and then on top of all that He grants us His divine favor to help us on our journey through life.  What a Savior!
Grandma Joan

In His Divine Presence

His Presence Goes with Us In the Pilgrimage of Life

Genesis 28:15  "And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of."

His Presence Gives Us Rest

Exodus 33:14  "And He said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest."

His Presence Gives Courage in Life's Battles

Deuteronomy 20:1  "When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and sees the horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them; for the Lord thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt."

His Presence Is A Comfort in Trials

Isaiah 43:2  "When thou pass through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou walk through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee."

His Presence Is Assured to the Smallest Assembly of Believers

Matthew 18:20  "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

His Presence Goes With Us unto the End of time

Matthew 28:20  "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."

His Presence is so important to our well-being, that's why it is so important to abide in Him, so we can have His presence always with us.  God bless you with His loving presence.  Grandma Joan

A Divine Fellowship

I mentioned in a previous blog how I determined to make friends with a new pastor's wife and that we became fast friends.  Well, I think it's important to want to make friends with Christ so that we may become fast friends.  It's a longing in every human heart to be close to someone and I can't think of anyone to be closer to than Christ, can you?  So let's see what fellowship with Christ can mean to us.

Found in Spiritual Assemblies

Matthew 18:20  "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them."

In the Communion of Saints

Luke 24:15  "And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them."

Warms the Heart

Luke 24:32  "And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the scriptures?

Leaves its Impress Upon the Life

Acts 4:13  "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus."

Believers call to Divine Favor

1 Corinthians 1:9  "God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord."

Testimony an Aid to Divine Favor

1 John 1:3  "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ."

Spiritual Receptivity the Condition of Divine Favor

Revelation 3:20  "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me."

Wow! What promises, we truly have been promised that we can have fellowship with Him and receive His Divine Favor.  What's holding us back.  I hope nothing.  I want to be included in that special fellowship, don't you?  May God bless you, so that you can enjoy that kind of fellowship and favor from Him.  Others can tell if we are fellowshipping with Christ by our speech, our conduct and many other ways.  So let's let our light shine so others may see a good reason to fellowship with Christ.  Grandma Joan

The Secret of a Close Relationship With God

My secret of a close relationship with God is staying close to Him through Prayer and Study of His word.  The secret word is 'Abide' and the meaning of this word is: hold to, conform to, adhere to, stick to, and others.  I particularly like 'adhere to', or stick to, but they all describe what Abiding means.  Check out the following verses and follow on to know Him better by abiding in Him.

John 15:4  "Abide in Me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can you except you abide in Me."

John 15:5  "I am the vine, you are the branches. He that abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing."

John 15:6  "If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned."

John 15:7  "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you."

John 15:10  "If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in My love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in His love."

1 John 2:6  "He that says he abides in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked."

1 John 2:28  "And now, little children, abide in Him, that, when He shall appear we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming."

1 John 3:6  "Whosoever abides in Him sins not: whosoever sins has not seen Him, neither known Him."

2 John 9  "Whosoever transgresses, and abides not in the doctrine of Christ, has not God.  He that abides in the doctrine of Christ, he has both the Father and the Son."

Staying with Christ in His presence is abiding in Him and if we are abiding in Him, we will have the peace that passes all understanding.  Do you have that peace?  Can you say, 'Thy will be done' in answer to your prayers.  Our will has to be submerged in His will in order to abide successfully.  We need to be in His presence continually in order to be fully abiding.  I can't say that I have achieved this but I'm sure not the same as I was a year ago.  I'm still being sanctified daily as I study and pray for His guidance.  There is so much hope for all of us, we must not give up.  God loves each of us the same and wants us to spend eternity with Him.  That's why He gave His life for us, so He could present us faultless before His Father, 'just as if we had never sinned'.  That's what justification means.  We cannot abide without His loving arms around us and His strength to hold us up. Keep abiding my friend, God loves you so very much.  Grandma Joan

God's Loving Forgiveness Promised

Psalm 103:3  "Who forgives all thine iniquities; who heals all thy diseases."

Psalm 130:4  "But there is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou may be feared. (reverenced)"

Matthew 6:14  "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you."

Acts 5:31  "Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins."

Acts 13:38  "Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins."

Ephesians 1:7  "In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace."

1 John 1:9  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

We are to forgive others who have sinned against us too.  This is an important part of being forgiven.

Mark 11:25  "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."

Luke 17:4  "And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent, thou shall forgive him."

Ephesians 4:32  "And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even  as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you."

Colossians 3:13  "Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye."

It is such a wholesome, free feeling to forgive others when they have wronged you.  I have had to do that so many times, I can't count them.  I personally don't claim to have it all together, that's why I am doing this blog.  I am benefiting the most, I'm sure.  I love doing it because in studying the word I am learning what the duties of a Christian are and I appreciate learning these things.  I hope you do to.  I am being blessed.  May God bless you too.  Grandma Joan

The Abundance of the Spiritual Life

I don't know about anyone else, but I do know that I want an abundant Spiritual Life.  There are so many things lacking in our lives and I am hoping that the following texts will help us fill these things that are lacking.

Abundant Joys

Psalm 36:8  "They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of Thy pleasures."

Abundant Life

John 10:10  "The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:  I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

Abundant Grace

2 Corinthians 9:8  "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, alway having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work."

Abundant Power

Ephesians 3:20  "Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us."

Abundant Supplies

Philippians 4:19  "But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

Abundant Entrance

2 Peter 1:11  "For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

I want this abundant life, don't you?  So many people don't even think about the things God has for His people. It's amazing what we are missing out on in life, I'm talking to myself here too. My life is nearly over and I think about what an abundant life  I could have had, had I taken God's word for what it says.  I have missed out on so much but am trying to  make up for lost time and you can too or if you are young,  you have a whole life ahead of you.  Praise the Lord, either way we can have an abundant entrance into His everlasting kingdom.  May God bless you with this promise.  Grandma Joan

Don't Be Afraid

Fear is another tool of the devil, and God doesn't want us to live in fear.  Are you afraid?  In this world there are many, many things to fear.  One of the big ones might be death, or slavery of some kind, it might be rape, kidnapping.  In my life time I have experienced a few things that would cause fear but there are so many 'fear nots' in the Bible, I think we should look them up and see what God has to say about Fear.  Please be encouraged!!

Blessings in the Journey of Life

Genesis 26:24  "And the Lord appeared unto him the same night; and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father; fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake."

Supplies in Famine

1 Kings 17:13  "And Elijah said unto her, Fear not, go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me and after make for thee and for thy son."

Protection in Danger

2 Kings 6:16  "And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them."

Strength in Weakness

Isaiah 41:10  "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God:  I will strengthen thee; yes, I will help thee, yes, I will uphold the with the right hand of my righteousness."

Companionship in Trials

Isaiah 43:1-3  "But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, thou are mine.  When thou pass through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walk through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee."

Overshadowing Care

Matthew 10:30,31  "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."

Life Beyond the Grave

Revelation 1:17,18  "And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.  And He laid His right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:  I am He that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forever more, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."

Are you afraid now?  We shouldn't be, should we?  There are so many 'fear nots' we really don't have any reason to be afraid if we are in the hands of God.  Death is just a sleep until Jesus comes and the other fears that we have are sometimes brought upon us by our own actions, even death can be.  We don't want to be presumptuous and cause our own fears by the way we eat, things we wear, or what we do. Let's trust in God to take care of us always.  Grandma Joan

Lean Not on Your Own Understanding

There are many, many beliefs in this world, how do you know what truth is and what is false? The first thing we should do is, ask God to show us truth as we read His word.  Take the word as it reads and do not try to make it say something that it isn't saying.  Many people take a portion of a verse and make a doctrine out of it.  If we stick to the word as it reads, we will not have difficulty understanding the meaning of it, God is faithful to answer the petitioner's prayer for understanding, Trust Him.

Proverbs  3:5-7  "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.  Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear the Lord, and depart from evil."

Psalm 37:3  "Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shall thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shall be fed."

Psalm 37:5  "Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass."

Psalm 118:8  "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man."

Isaiah 26:4  "Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength:"

Isaiah 50:10  "Who is among you that fears the Lord, that obeys the voice of his servant , that walks in darkness, and has no light?  Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God."

Special Promises to Those Who Trust Him

Psalm 31:19  "Oh how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee; which Thou has wrought for them that trust in Thee before the sons of men!"  ( fear meaning reverence)

Psalm 32:10 "Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; but he that trusts in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about."

Psalm 34:22  "The Lord redeems the soul of His servants: and none of them that trust in Him shall be desolate."

Psalm 125:1  "They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abides forever."

Psalm 29:25  "The fear of man brings a snare: but whoso puts his trust in the Lord shall be safe."

Isaiah 26:3  "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusts in thee."

Perfect Peace.  Is there anything better than that perfect peace, when you know everything is right between you and God and your life is in His hands.  When studying His word, you can have perfect peace too, knowing that He is guiding you and strengthening you so that you can submit your will in His will as you study and see things in your life that need changing.  If we reverence man's word against God's word, we will be tripped  up.  If we reverence God's word against man's word we will be safe.  So let's be safe and trust Him to guide us through this life.  I need this kind of trust, don't you?

Let's not lean on our own understanding but trust Him totally and He will guide us safely into His kingdom.  Grandma Joan

Making the Right Choice

It is our privilege in life to choose.  We have choices to make every day.  When I get up in the morning I have choices to make.What is the day going to bring?  How am I going to spend this day? In my condition, I don't have many things to pick from, but I can do some cleaning, I can cook, or I can knit, and like this morning, I chose to rise early and study God's word first, then when I have spent time with God, I will choose what comes next.  Choosing all day long.  I am going to give you some people examples who made choices, I think it will help both of us in our choices.

Joshua

Joshua 24:15  "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve, whether the gods which our fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Ruth

Ruth 1:16  "And Ruth said,Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee, for whither thou goest, I will go, and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God."

Solomon

1Kings 3:9  "Give therefore thy servant and understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this Thy so great a people?

The Psalmist

Psalm 119:30  "I have chosen the way of truth:  Thy judgments have I laid before me."

Mary

Luke 10:42  "But one thing is needful; and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

Moses

Hebrews 11:25  "Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season."

This has been a good study for me.  I have learned that I can make a choice as to what I am going to do moment by moment.  It is not a one time thing.  It is choosing all day long and when the end of the day comes I can be satisfied that I didn't waste my time in something that did me no good, but I accomplished something worthwhile.  For some reason, I never thought of it being a moment by moment thing, I had in my mind it was a once daily choice to make but no, its not, we can have a wonderful fulfilling day if we choose moment by moment what we will do.  I love that idea and will try to install that in my mind each and every morning.  I like to make God's word my first and most important for my first choice, and then I like to pray and ask Him to fill me with His Holy Spirit so that I will follow His leading through the day and there are friends and family that I want to pray for in a special way.  Praying for others keeps my mind off of self and my infirmities and I see prayers answered for others and it does my heart good to see others prosper in the Christian pathway.  I hope this little study helped you make right choices and your day will be fulfilling as you follow on to know your Savior.  Grandma Joan

Divine Protection, Promised to Believers

Have you ever been assaulted by satan..We can be assaulted in many ways, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  If we are following God's command, we need not worry, just hang on with all your might and don't let go of the One who protects you from these assaults because that is the very reason satan is coming after you, he wants you to give up and let go of the One who saves.  Please don't let go. I am going to share some promises for you to hang on to, when he comes with all his force to get you to let go.  Here they are: God of the Battles.

Exodus 14:14  "The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace."  Hard to do sometimes but its worth it, altogether worth it.

Exodus 23:27 "I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee."

2 Samuel 5:24  "And let it be when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the Lord go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines."

2 Chronicles 20:29  "And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that the Lord fought against the enemies  of Israel."

2 Chronicles 32:8  "With him is an arm of flesh;  but with us is the Lord our God to help us, an to fight our battles.  And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah."

God a Defense

Psalm 5:11,12  "But let all those that put their trust in Thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because Thou defends them: let them also that love Thy name be joyful in Thee.  For Thou Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favor wilt Thou compass him as with a shield."

Psalm 31:1 - 5  "In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust: let me never be ashamed: deliver me in Thy righteousness.  Bow down Thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be Thou my strong rock,  for an house of defense to save me.  For Thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for Thy name's sake lead me, and guide me, Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me; for Thou art my strength, into Thy hand I commit my spirit; Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth."

Psalm 37:35,36  "I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Yet he passed away, and lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found."

I hope this little study has helped you in your fight against satan's attacks.  There's more to come but I want to tell you that I am strengthened all the more to stand for truth and righteousness.  May you be blessed too.  Grandma Joan

Will You Let Him Touch You?

Can you imagine what it would be like to have Jesus reach out and touch you?  Just to feel His touch would so fill me, I would be so thrilled, and I have been touched by His healing hand and it was thrilling to say the least.  I must share it with you. We had remodeled our garage into a family room and my husband had built a beautiful hearth to put our new wood stove to heat the house and he needed help getting the stove up on the hearth and I was the only one to help I guess, anyway I was the one.  As I lifted I felt a sharp pain in my back and we just thought I threw my back out and he tried to adjust it and it became a huge red swollen spot on my back.  Not only that it paralyzed my legs and I couldn't walk.  He put me on the couch and I laid there for eleven days, I will never forget it.  I was still young enough to enjoy life and was paralyzed.  On the eleventh day I was talking to God about it and decided if this was my future, I would be content with it and I opened my Bible to the Psalms 6 and was reading how David felt and I told the Lord that I was willing to live like this if that was His will.  All of a sudden I felt no pain and I sat up without help, I stood up without help and fell back on the couch in shock.  I had a red swollen spot about 3 inches across on my spine and had been in traction to take the pain away and just about that time my husband walked in and I said look at my back at the injury and it was gone, I was so happy I had to tell the whole church about it.  I still thank God for His great mercy and love for me.  Been walking ever since.  I never felt His touch but I felt the results of it.  God is so good to me.  That is the physical touch and I want to share some physical touch verses with you today that some of you may need just now.  I was in my fifties when that happened and now I am nearly 86.  Praise God for His healing touch.

The Cleansing Touch

Matthew 8:3  "And Jesus put forth His hand, and touched Him saying, I will be thou clean and immediately his leprosy was cleansed."

The Quieting Touch

Matthew 8:15  "And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them."

The Illuminating Touch

Matthew 9:29,30  "Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.  And their eyes were opened, and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it."

The Reassuring Touch

Matthew 17:7  "And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid."

The Liberating Touch

Matthew 7:33 & 35  "And he took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers into his ears, and He spit, and touched his tongue, and straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain."

The Touch upon Childhood

Mark 10:13 & 16  "And they brought young children to him, that He should touch them; and His disciples rebuked those that brought them.  And He took them up in His arms, put his hands upon them and blessed them."

The Healing Touch

Luke 22:51  "And Jesus answered and said Suffer ye thus far.  And He touched his ear and healed him."

I have given you quite a few verses of Jesus touching others and healing them.  Will you let Him touch you and bring healing to you either physically, mentally, emotionally and most of all Spiritually.  He is willing but we must be willing to let Him.  It takes faith but faith is just resting in His arms and letting Him have your life, your worries and your future. I have found that resting in His love is the very best place to be.  The doctors have told me that my heart is in critical condition and I have no worries, His will, will be done for me, I know.  I am resting in His arms.  Will You? Grandma Joan

Divine Sympathy for Human Frailties and Sorrows

I almost hate to start this study or even say anything about sympathy towards others.  I have been at the brutal end of some peoples so called sympathy and I hate to even talk about it but I feel impressed to do a study on it right in the middle of my other studies.  I have a feeling God knows who needs this study and I am sure that I do to a certain extent.  I am nearly 86 years old and am very handicapped in several ways, I'm not able to walk far, my back has been broken over and over in the vertebrae and my hip is degenerating and I have an aorta valve that is closing up on me and last time I was checked it is in critical condition.  I for sure am not asking for sympathy because ordinarily I am a happy person even in this condition but I feel that someone out there needs to realize what real sympathy is and what it is all about because I have been at the brutal end of no sympathy twice that really bothered me.

Psalm 78:39  "For He remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passes away, and comes not again."

Psalm 103:13  "Like as a father pities his children, so the Lord pities them that fear Him."

Isaiah 63:9  "In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them: in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He bore them, and carried them all the days of old."

John 11:35,36  "Jesus wept.  Then said the Jews Behold how He loved him!"

Hebrews 4:15  "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities: but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."

The Marks of True Human Sympathy

Benevolence

Isaiah 58:7  "Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house?  When thou sees the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?"

Helpfulness

Acts 20:35  "I have shown you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, It is more blessed to give then to receive."

Burden Bearing

Romans 15:1 "We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves."

Galatians6:2  "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."

Feelings for the Unfortunate

Hebrews 13:3  "Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body."

Visitation of the Needy

James 1:27  "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this.  To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."

It seems from my experience that there is a terrible lack of sympathy, even in the church.  We need to exemplify Christ in His sympathy and give our hard hearts to Jesus to cleanse us from this evil. Are you hard-hearted?  Do you need you heart cleansed from this evil.  It is so very prevalent today in our society and even in the churches.  Please think about it and search your hearts as I am searching mine to see if there be a heart of unbelief and lacking sympathy for others.  There are so many that need out love and care and when we treat them in an unreasonable manner, in a heartless way, we are allowing the great deceiver to have His way in our lives.  I think we all can benefit from this.
Grandma Joan

I would love to share a couple of experiences with you but I have friends that read my blog and I don't want to hurt anyone, just want to help all of us to be more kind and compassionate.

God's People Invincible when Obedient

Did you ever think about being an invincible person?  Neither have I until I read these verses.  I thought they were worthy of study and would give us something to think about.

Deuteronomy 7:24  "And He shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven; there shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed them."

Deuteronomy 11:25  "There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the Lord your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as He hath said unto you."

Deuteronomy 28:7  "The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face:  they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways."

Joshua 1:5  "There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."

Joshua 21:44  "And the Lord gave them rest round about, according to all that He swore unto their fathers; and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand."

Joshua 23:9  "For the Lord hath driven out from before you great nations and strong: but as for you, no man hath been able to stand before you unto this day."

Here is the promise that shows these promises are for us.  Read carefully.

Deuteronomy 4:29-31  "But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God; thou shalt find Him, if thou seek Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.  When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto His voice;  For the Lord thy God is a merciful God, he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which He swore unto them."

What do you think of these promises, I have noticed as I have read through Deuteronomy many times that there are many, many promises from God.  These promises are for us living in the latter days.
I think they are beautiful and I want to be a part of God's people and to be able to claim these promises.  Don't you.  To me they are out of this world, I don't know of any other way to describe them. Grandma Joan

By Beholding We Become Changed

Is what we look at on TV, computer, phones, newspaper etc. important?  Should we monitor our vision, so that we can keep our hearts and minds pure.  I read an article recently that a doctor wrote on watching movies etc and what we observe we take into our brain and live it out in our minds and if that is true which I believe it is then we have a lot of sin to confess and forsake in our lives.  The Bible has some important information regarding this very thing.

Psalm 119:37  "Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken Thou me in Thy way."

Isaiah 33:15,16  "He that walks righteously, and speaks uprightly; he that despises the gain of oppressions, that shakes his hands from holding of bribes, that stops his ears from hearing of blood,and shuts his eyes from seeing evil;  He shall dwell on high; his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him and his water shall be sure."

Matthew 5:29  "And if they right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee, for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell."

Psalm 101:3 - 5  "I will set nothing wicked before my eyes:  I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.  A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness.  Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him will I destroy;"

Can you really, truly take these verses to heart and then watch television garbage?  I can't, I would be condemning myself to death.  I have never really like TV anyway because I have seen what it can do to families and individuals that sit before it and watch what ever comes into view.  It is devastating what it does to people and if we are Christians why would we spend our time destroying our brain and ruining our opportunity to spend eternity with God.  It is hard to comprehend, to say the least.  I know that I have been guilty but have never been addicted to it as some are.  I have other addictions, such as food, my greatest one.  I love to eat, but even that is sin if we are gluttons, and destroy our bodies with the wrong food and drinks.  I don't want to dwell on that one right now, later for that. I know that the technology today is destroying people, families and is wreaking havoc with our children.  The games children and teens play continually, and if you are out and about, almost everyone has their eyes on their phone and you have to be careful that they don't run into you.  It's a different world today than the one I was brought up in.  Of course we know that these new technologies are great in many ways but also can be used of Satan to destroy our minds and hearts so that we have no desire to study God's word or talk to Him in prayer.  I'm guilty too.  I love facebook, it is a social outlet for me because I don't get out very much, so I have to watch my time that I spend on it and I don't always do that I'm ashamed to say. I do try to curb it and I do take time to study and this blog helps me a whole lot.  I love to study and learn.  Do you?   It is a habit worth forming. I haven't always loved to study, but I do now. So give it a try and stay away from the time consuming nothings. Another good habit to form.  If you have children, teach them to love God's word.  Grandma Joan

The Ultimate Aim of the Christian, Christlikeness

Is it your desire to be like Christ?  I cannot think of anything any better.  Let's make it our goal to be like Him in all that we do and that all our thoughts will be in His will. This is our work throughout our lifetime, to daily seek Him to pour out His Spirit upon us to sanctify us and make us like Himself.

Romans 8:29  "For whom He did foreknow He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first born among many brethren."

2 Corinthians 3:18  "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."

Philippians 3:21 "Who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself."

2 Peter 1:4  "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these ye might be partakers of the Divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

1 John 3:2  "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him: for we shall see Him as He is."

What a beautiful thought, just to be like Him.  It is hard to comprehend isn't it?  But it's true He will change our vile body and fashion it like His glorious body because He is able to do all things, even our poor sinful bodies.  That is my hope and I hope it is yours.  According to these scriptures, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him: for we shall see Him as He is.  Grandma Joan

Reasons for Faith in God

There are good reasons why we need faith and I thought that might be a good subject for me.  I need some encouragement today, so maybe this is it.  Remember, I told you my definition of faith, that it is complete submission to God in everything and trust Him to take care of everything in your life.  Let's look at some of the good reasons why we need this kind of faith.

Assures Success

2 Chronicles 20:20  "And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper."

A Fundamental Duty

John 6:28,29  "Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, this is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent."

A Defensive Weapon

Ephesians 6:16  "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked."

An Indispensable Element

Hebrews 11:6  "But without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."

Essential in Prayer

James 1:5,6  "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraids not; and it shall be given him.  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.  For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed."

Should Be United With Love

1 John 3:23  "And this is His commandment, that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment."

Complete Faith or Trust in God assures success in our Christian walk and life, it is our duty to believe in Him.  Faith is also a weapon against the devil and his temptations.  Faith is indispensable in our Christian walk and it should be united with love for our fellowmen.  Faith is casting all our care upon Him because He cares for us and loves us with a boundless love.  We cannot comprehend that kind of love, it is unfathomable.  Just trust Him with everything.  God bless you with this kind of faith.  Grandma Joan