His Humble Birth

Tenderly she held her Baby, and looked at Him with love.

Her heart was filled with wonderment,

about her Christ child from above.

This truly was the Son of God was what the Angel told..

Her tiny baby full of grace, such a wonder to behold.

She thought of what His life would bring, He was born to set us free.

But she only saw her infant Son, as a mother’s love would see.

The shepherds came, the wise men too, to praise His Holy name.

She sat in awe, and held her Child, while those to worship came.

She must have wondered why God's Son was born to her this day.

She wanted so much to be worthy, as she bowed her head to pray.

Mary wrapped her robe a little closer, around her new born Son.

The chill of this old stable, must not touch the chosen one.

It was a humble birth, but a King was born that day.

He came to pay the price for us, and wash our sins away.

Written by Verna Parks

May the love of Jesus fill your heart

May God bless you and keep you

May you prosper in the New Year

May you know that you are loved

M e r r y C h r i s t m a s !

Laminin - Louie Giglio

You must see this video clip on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e4zgJXPpI4

How close are you God?

While studying the book of Job, God has been revealing some incite into His plan and purpose for my life. I seem to learn something new everyday that causes me to run after Him. God is so great and vast and majestic, yet He chooses to have a relationship with me. He desires to walk with me through out my life and guide me in every step I take if I will only let Him. How awesome to know that the King of the universe knows my name and desires to have a truly intimate relationship with me. In His word He says that He will stick closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). I never understood that, but through this study I’m learning that God does just that. He sticks closer than a brother, friend, mother, father, child. He never gets aggravated and says, “That’s it. I can’t stand you anymore.” The only way to get rid of the closeness of God is to run away from Him. He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He is a very present help in time of need (Psalms 46:1). I’m learning that God is really always there no matter what I’m going through. No matter how difficult the trial may seem at the time, He is there! He was there for Job and He is there for you, too!

Job had never been through a trial of this difficulty before. It was challenging and it was going to be life changing for him. We go through things like this in our lives also. God challenges us for greatness. It is through these times of trial that our fleshly flaws are exposed. We can allow God to remove these things to make us stronger and to cause our spiritual growth, or we can falter under them, run from them, and find no growth and stay in the same place. If God is allowing a great challenge to come in your life, then consider it an honor that He loves and respects and considers so much of you to allow it. He is sitting on the throne saying things like, “Hey watch what she does here. Isn’t she awesome? I bet Satan never saw that coming. I’m so proud!”

You are truly blessed and highly favored when trials come because God sees what is coming and knows that you can make it through.

Faith

"You're reading too much into the question. Stop reading too much into the question." That is what our nursing instructors would tell us after our test. What exactly does that mean? Our imagination would paint a picture for us as we read the limited information contained in the question. Based on our understanding of the picture we saw, we would formulate the answer to the question. It was a universal process. All the students did it. What causes people to see something in their mind that they cannot see with their eyes? It's called faith. I always had a preconceived notion that faith was something just for people who were saved. I thought it was believing for someones healing or expecting a miracle, but faith is so much more.



"Now faith is the assurance(the confirmation, the title deed) of the things[we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality[faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]," Hebrews 11:1. Faith is believing in or about something or someone that you cannot see with your physical eyes. On those test we all had faith that the picture our minds painted for us was the truth and factual even though many of those facts were missing. Why would an entire college class do this? Why not just the Christians? The answer is faith. It is a spiritual law. Romans 12:3 says that each person is given a degree of faith. That means that faith applies to believers and nonbelievers alike.

Each moment spent with God increases your faith, after all you are spending time with Someone you cannot see with your physical eyes. With an increases of your faith will come an increase in your understanding of the things of God. As you begin to read the Word of God let your faith take over. That degree of faith that God gave you in your mothers womb will work along with Holy Spirit to unlock the hidden mysteries of His Word. There is so much to be learned from the Bible if you will "read into the question."

Pray For Your Leaders

As I was studying the story of David and Goliath the Lord gave me some new incite that I would like to share. In 1 Samuel 17:8-11 the mighty champion of the Philistines, Goliath, comes out to challenge the Israelite army. The Bible actually says the he defied the army. He was huge and the Philistines used that to their advantage. My question for you is, are you buying into the rules of engagement that Satan is shouting out at you?

In the beginning of these verses the Bible says that the Israelite army was in a battle array. They were ready to go out and fight. They most likely had their shields and their swords ready and were about to go in when Goliath came out to fight. He completely changed the rules to suit him and his army. He said something like this, " Hey, why are you lined up to battle us. Let's just do it my way. You send one man to fight me and who ever wins will have the opposing army as servants. I defy you today! Now come on and fight!" Since when does the enemy get to set up the rules. Israel was ready to fight and Goliath comes out to change things. Why didn't they just rush him and do battle as usual? As I began to think about this I started to get angry. It's just like Satan to come in and change the rules. He is always tying to get an advantage over us. The sad part is, like the Israelite army, we usually let him make up the rules as he goes. It is no wonder that David was angry when he came into the camp. He probably was thinking the same thing I was. He actually said in verse 26, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

The next thing that made me sad was the fact that Saul the king and leader of the army and the people was letting Goliath dictate how the battle would be fought. What kind of leader lets the enemy control the battle? This question goes deeper than just this battle between Israel and the Philistine. It speaks also of our spiritual leaders. The answer is this. Leaders who let the enemy control all aspects of the battle are leaders who are not covered in prayer, and who are not supported by the people.

How often do you pray and lift up the leadership that you are currently under? Unfortunately I fall short in this area. I say that I'll pray but then "life happens" and I forget. Shame on me and shame on you who don't pray for your spiritual leaders. Without a prayer covering how can we expect the vision of the church to come into existence. With out a prayer covering how can we expect our leaders to even have a vision. In Proverbs 29:18 we learn that the people perish without vision. Pray for your leaders so that they will hear the voice of God, have vision, and follow God's rules for battle not what the enemy has set up.

After you have prayed, you then need to follow the leaders. They might tell you to do something that is absolutely absurd to you, but if you follow their lead you just might see a mighty move of God. What is foolishness to us can change the lives of others. Don't grumble, gripe, and complain about their decisions just follow their lead. After all, if you are doing your part, they should not lead you astray.

Live Life

So many things happen in the Summer. It is hard to keep it all together. The kids are out of school and then you go to camp. The next thing you know, you're shopping for school clothes. For me I seem to get lazy, but life keeps on going really fast. It's on days like today that I realize that I shouldn't be lazy, but I also shouldn't miss out on life by getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of the world around me. We all should cherish every moment that God gives us to live. It's Satan's job to get us distracted. Sometimes we become so focused on preparing for the future, that we forget that we live in the present. I would encourage everyone to enjoy the simple pleasures of everyday. If you spend all your time preparing for the future you just might miss out on the daily blessings God has for you. In James 4:14 The Amplified Bible says, "Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen tomorrow. What is the nature of your life? You are [really] but a wisp of vapor (a puff of smoke, a mist) that is visible for a little while and then disappears [into thin air]." Life is too, short. Live it, don't miss it!

Who is at work?

While reflecting on the story of the children of Israel being delivered from bondage in Egypt, I began to see something different. I've heard the story in church and saw the movie on t.v., but I never saw it in this light. In Exodus 7:1 I discovered that Moses was to be God to Pharaoh, and Aaron was to be the prophet. A prophet is a person that brings the word of God to the people. Aaron was not bringing the words of Aaron or even the words of Moses to Pharaoh and the Egyptians. He was bringing the Words of God. Moses and Aaron would go before Pharaoh and his wise men and magicians and tell them a message from God and then do a sign. The wise men would then produce a counterfeit sign. This happened three times, but the fourth time Aaron, through the power of God caused lice or gnats to come upon the land and the magicians and wise men could not produce. How did they respond? They said, "This is the finger of God(Exodus 8:18,19)."

These men might have thought that Aaron was doing these great signs and wonders through his own power just like they were doing. When they were stumped they realized Who was really at work. How many times have we been in the same position as the magicians and wise men? We try to out do God in our own power. We think, "I got this," but we really are making a mess and can't produce what God can. We need to learn to yield ourselves the the power of God like Aaron did. We need to recognize Who is at work just like those magicians and wise men. Lord help me to realize that You are at work in my life. Lord remind me to yield myself so that You can operate through me. In Jesus name I ask this, Amen.

Does God Hear Me?

While reading Job this morning I saw something really interesting. I had been struggling to understand chapter 35 and God gave me a revelation. Elihu, Job's friend was speaking about people crying out to God in vain. Have you ever felt like your prayers were going no higher than the ceiling? I have. I some times feel like they are just bouncing off the walls. It is in those times of seeking a breakthrough that we can get really frustrated and not even want to pray anymore. After all, does God even hear me? I think if we will look at this passage (Job 35:9-13) we can get insight into how to touch God and make Him hear us.

First we should look at what doesn't work. The passage says that people cry out during times of oppression. This is true of everyone born again or not. How many times do you see people around you in trouble calling on God for help? When people get distressed the say things like Oh, God! or Jesus! or Oh, my Lord! People treat a holy God like something that is common. That is the point that Elihu was trying to make with Job and his friends. People can call on God all day long, but because of pride and disrespect God is not obligated to hear. He knows us and knows the intent of our heart. He knows when we are full of pride and when we are humble and broken. We should be careful not to approach God with pride but rather with humility.

After we realize that our pride is most likely the thing standing in the way of God even hearing our prayer, we should look at what gets His attention. In verses 10 and 11 we see what captures the heart of God. We first should acknowledge that God is our Maker. He has created me and you and we should give Him credit for His creations. Next we should realize that He gives us reasons to sing and again give Him the credit for it. Last we should realize that it was and is God who gives us wisdom and who also teaches us. The verses say that He taught us more than the beast of the earth and that He made us smarter than the birds. Again we should give God credit for what He has done. When we give God credit for all that He does we are giving Him praise and worship. That is the key to getting God to listen.

When you find yourself in a place where you feel like God is not listening, take a look at your approach. Did you praise and worship Him? Did yo come in with humility? If you find that you opened up with pride or self worship then take a step back, repent, and let humility flood over you. You'll most likely find yourself broken before God with His undivided attention.

On The Brink

As I re-read the story of Jesus' first miracle, turning water to wine, I had the same question come to mind that I always do. Why did He say, "My time has not yet come?" That is something that has puzzled me for years, because His next statement is bring me those water pots. I feel God gave me a revelations about this story that I've never thought about or heard preached.

I'll set it up for you. Jesus, His disciples, and His family were at a wedding. It must have been a huge affair because they ran out of drinks. Mary said to Jesus, "they are out of wine," as if she wanted to know what they could do about it. Jesus then tells her, "what does that have to do with you and Me, just leave it to me." Then He says it, "My time to act has not come."

The next thing to happen was key to the miracle happening. It was Mary's response to "It's not time." She told the servants to do what ever Jesus told them to do. Mary's faith was put to the test. She had been told, "no, not now," and she responded just like God wanted her to respond. She basically said, "get ready, because when it is time ,He will do something great, and He may want our help."

What do we do when God says, "It's not time?" Most of the time we get negative, and speak out of fear rather than faith. It's hard not to. Our flesh is naturally negative. We should be like Mary and say, "Okay God. Your the boss. Let me get ready for when the time comes for my miracle."

We need to realize that just before Jesus said, "not now," He said, "I'll take care of it." Sometimes we forget that God said that He would take care of us. We get so caught up in what is happening all around us that we forget about God's provision.

Jesus was just moments from performing His first miracle, but no one knew it at that moment. I think that the miracle happened because Mary didn't freak out and get negative. Who knows? You might be on the brink of your miracle. It might be moments away. Don't push it away with negative fear filled words. Remember God knows what you need and He said that He would provide it. Just wait on Him and be prepared! It might be today!

Intimacy With God

In Ezekiel 2:1,2 we see a portrait of an intimate relationship with God. It begins with Ezekiel on his face before God and then God speaking to him. God actually addresses Ezekiel as "son of man." How does God address you? Does God have a special name that He calls you? Are you intimately acquainted with God?

As I sat and thought of this, I began to see that Ezekiel and God were pretty intimate. God knew just what to say to Ezekiel to get his attention, and Ezekiel also knew the voice of God. As the book of Ezekiel progresses it unfolds like and autobiography of Ezekiel and God. It is really awsome.

I desire to be that close to God. I would like to have an autobiography of my life with Him, but what does it take to get to that place? The key is to become intimate with God. Webster's Dictionary defines intimate as closely acquainted, familiar; private, personal. How many of us are truly that way with God?

Many people see God as untouchable. They ask Jesus to come in and take away their sin but cower in fear of the Father. They place Him on a great throne and are afraid to approach except in extreme distress. They view God as a great authority figure like the president. He is someone of great power that cares for their wellfare, but they will never sit down to a meal with Him and share their day with Him because He is too, great.

God is great, but He also desires to have the daily chats about your day. He is like your best friend, mother, father, and spouse all in one. He wants to chat with you to get to know you, but mostly He wants for you to get to know Him, after all, He knew you before you were formed in your mothers womb (Jeremiah 1:5). The difference in people and God is that no matter what happens between you, He'll never leave you. If you get mad and say ugly things to Him, He is still there. When your world is crashing down, He is there. When you are having the time of your life, He's there. The Amplified Bible says it this way in Hebrew 13:5b, "for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]." We have a mighty God Who loves us unconditionally.

As I read the Bible, pray, fast, and worship, I begin to see just Who God is to me. It builds my desire to spend even more time with Him. As the intimacy grows so does my hunger for more of Him. One day we will have that autobiography about our life together. You can have that too. Remember, if you are going to put God on the throne, you have to be willing to crawl into His lap.

Effective Witnessing

Have you ever had trouble witnessing? I have! What do you say? How do you do it? Where do you do it? Who do you talk to? When is the best time? Why should you do it? As I was studying this morning I looked at some really good examples.

John 1:35-51 gives a real and effective witnessing experience. It shows how some of the desciples became disciples. It show different ways to approach people. It also shows tools that equip us for witnessing.

What do you say? John the Baptist said, "Look! There is the Lamb of God!"(John 1:36, Amplified) It wasn't a lot spoken, but it touched the lives of two of his own disciples. These two decided to follow Jesus from just those words. One of the two, Andrew, went and told his brother Simon about Jesus and led him back to meet Jesus. I would suggest that you keep it simple and tell what you know. That is what these men did.

How do you do it? Let Holy Spirit lead you! God knows just the word or words that can impact a person to the point of making the decision for Life. We see this in how Jesus responded to each one that He came into contact with. For His first two disciples, all it took was showing them where He was staying. For Peter it took the opperation of the gifts of the Spirit. Jesus used the word of knowlege and the gift of prophesy to tell Peter who he was and who he would be. Some may say, "but He was the Son of God!" We are too(John 1:12)! Jesus was a fleshly man opperating in the power of Holy Spirit. We are called to do the same. Jesus also used the power of Holy Spirit to get Nathanael's attention. If we will be sensative to Holy Spirit, He will tell us exactly what to say and how to say it.

Where do you witness? Some people think that witnessing is something you do at church. Wintessing is actually something you can do anywhere. You might be at work ,at Wal-mart, at a neighbors house, at a ball game, or even at the police station. You are not limited to a particular place. Let Holy Spirit be you guide. He'll set up the place for you.

Who do you talk to? I believe Jesus talked with the ones Holy Spirit led Him to talk with. Jesus was very sensitive to Holy Spirit and His leading. He is our example. That means we should be able to do everything Jesus did here on earth (see John 14:12). Andrew talked to his brother, Peter. Philip talked to his friend Nathanael. So, who do we talk to ? We talk to our friends, our families, and those to whom Holy Spirit leeds us.

When is the best time to talk to people? I think that goes right back to Holy Spirit. He will set up the time and the place and tell you what to say. Just tune in to Him. Jesus talked to people when the opportunity arose. The disciples talked to others about Jesus while it was fresh in there hearts and minds. I think we should follow their examples. Tell people about Jesus while what He is doing is fresh. Don't wait, because you might loose some of the fervor. Also, tell people about Jesus when the opportunity arises. Don't try to make it happen. Just let it happen!

Why should we wintess? Besides the fact that it is a requirement for all Christians (Mark 16:15-20), it is exciting to tell others about the good things that are happening in your life. Think about when you first found out you were going to have a baby. You wanted to tell others. You might have called your mom and his mom and your best friend and a your neighbor. I told just about anyone I came into contact with because it was such a miricle in my life. As that life grew inside of you, you started to "show" outward signs of what was going on, on the inside. That outward "showing" is attractive to others. People are curious as to what is going on. Sometimes they even want to touch it. Oh, if we could only be that way about salvation. If we would share with those around us, what Jesus has done on the inside, what an impact we could make on this lost and dying world. If what Jesus did on the inside, grew to the point that it was "showing" on the outside, people would be curious and want to touch. We have that "new life" growing in us, and people around us should see that. Rather than asking why should I wintess, maybe we should ask ourselves why shouldn't I witness.

If Jesus has done any thing in your life, then you have a story to tell. When you share that story with others, you are being a witness. It does not matter what church you go to. It doesn't matter who you are. Everyone who has asked Jesus in their heart has a story that can touch someone's life. Let's get out there and share! Lord, help me to tune in to Holy Spirit. Help me to be sensitive to what You are saying to me. Let me be ready to act when Holy Spirit sets up a witnessing encounter. Lord, most of all let my words be what you want people to hear, not just what I want to say. Make me an effective witness for You.

In Jesus name, Amen.

The Voice of God

Have you ever wondered about John the Baptist's life. As I was studying my Bible this morning, I began to think about his life. John was born into a time when no one had heard the voice of God for over 400 years. John's father was the first person to hear from God through the message of the angel Gabriel. This was the beginning of God's ultimate plan.

John was filled with the Holy Spirit at around 24 week gestation in the womb. That is an awesome thing in itself. He had specific guidelines to follow. He could not drink wine or strong drink. He is described in Mark 1:6 as wearing camel hair clothes with a leather belt and eating locusts and wild honey.

In John chapter 1 we learn a little about John the Baptist's purpose in life. He was the messenger God had spoken of in Malachi 3:1. He actually heard the voice of God. God let him in on the plan of salvation. He told him that the One Whom the Holy Spirit descended on was the One Who would save mankind from sin. What an awesome responsibility that was placed on and in trusted to this man.

God had a plan for John the Baptist just as God has a plan for all of us. We have to be willing to hear the voice of God, and we have to be willing to obey the voice of God no matter what it takes. If God asked you to do something that the world would view as crazy, would you be a John the Baptist or a Pharisee?

Lord, help me to be like John the Baptist when You speak. Help me to not question the plan You have for my life no matter how crazy it may appear. Help me to heed Your voice and not the voice of the world. In Jesus' name I ask it, Amen.