Now I Know How God Feels!

The other day I wanted to talk with my family and friends. I had something I wanted to share with them. But everyone I called would not answer their phones. Now I'm beginning to understand how God feels. He calls out our name. He too, has something He wants to share with us and He wants to spend time with us...........yet we're to busy doing other things and we don't answer.............

I called my sister three times but she was busy doing other things and really didn't have the time to talk to me. Yeah, she called me back. Said she was "BUSY" combing her hair. She even text me some pics until she had time to talk to me. LOL!!! But my point is, she was still to busy to answer my call. Combing her hair, brushing her teeth, Excuses, Excuses......Busy doing other things....just no time to talk when I call........Like I said....Now I know how God feels.........What excuses do we give when He calls to talk to us?

I then tried calling my best friend, Patty and her phone rang and rang and rang. She was home but she never heard it ringing. Just too busy doing other things......it really makes me stop and think.......How many times Has God called for me to spend some time to talk with Him and I was to busy? Has there been times when He called me and I was so busy I didn't hear Him calling? I better make sure I am in tune with that still small voice of God. I don't want to miss His call.

I tried calling my youngest daughter twice and she too, did not answer. All I got was her voice mail. When God calls us what does He get? Do we answer or does He get a busy signal, our voice mail, or do we just let the phone ring? Think about it?

I thought to myself, How many times has God called to speak to me and yet I was to busy to stop to talk to Him for a few moments? How many times have I been so busy that when He called, I didn't hear Him?

My sister called me back as well as my best friend Patty, and my daughter when she got off of work. But when my sister called me back, I was busy with the baby and really couldn't talk, so I had to call her back after the baby was taken care of. I thought about my sister's return call. When she called me back, I was then to busy to talk to her. What "IF" God would be to busy for our return calls? He has called out to us so many times and we don't answer. We let the phone ring, or we let it go to voice mail, or He gets a busy signal and we think nothing of it. We will get back to God in our own good time. But what "IF" in our own good time is when we REALLY need Him and then He should be to busy to answer? I'm glad He is not like us! But don't take Him for granted.....One day you just may cry out to Him in need and He won't be there to answer your call. "And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man…" Genesis 6:3

Jesus is calling you today! Won't you answer Him? "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." Revelation 3:20

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: "John 10:27
Do you hear his voice today? Are you in-tune with Him? Are you following Him? He's NEVER to busy for you, Please don't be to busy for Him. Answer when He calls.

Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth.

Cleanliness....Is It Next To Godliness?

Today's bible reading really caught my attention. The reason being is I have seen people who are guilty of both parties of what goes on in this chapter. I must say that I have even been guilty of thinking "How gross!" After reading todays WORD, I have a new outlook on this whole aspect.

Matthew 15: "Some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don't wash their hands before they eat?" Question - How many times have we looked upon people with disgust because we watched them eating with dirty hands and/or they were dressed beneath our standards, dirty and smelly? Think about it.......passing judgment on them?

Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

“‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’”

Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”

Let me say right here, that many times I have seen people get offended over the preached Word of God. Over what thus, is Written in the Book of Life. They got offended when Jesus spoke, and there are those who still get offended today when the preacher speaks. Why? Because it reveals who they really are, and what they are really doing. The WORD gets down to where they are living and they don't like it.

He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.” “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.'"

Hmmmmm..........I think it's time we clean up our OWN hearts and our OWN speech before we pass judgment on the one's with dirty, smelly clothing and unwashed hands.

Remember Matthew 15:20 the next time you sneer at someone eating with unwashed hands. Someone you consider beneath you. Stop and check your heart real close.....you just might have a few things that needs cleaning out yourself.

"For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.'

So back to the title...Cleanliness.....Is It Next To Godliness? When it comes to our heart I say yes!

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10

Over My Head ~ Brian Littrell (lyric video)

I had never heard the following song before yesterday, yet when I heard it, I was instantly reminded of my Pastor's message this past Sunday evening. It was out of Ezekiel 47:1-6. This song goes along with my prior post. It speaks well of how I feel. I do believe that God is definitely calling me into deeper waters. Yes, a deeper walk with Him. I want to be in "Over My Head" in Him.

Deep Sea Diving!

I can't get last night's message out of my head & heart. It keeps echoing through out my inner being. I was sitting here thinking about that message & I thought about my son & Amalia, who loves to go deep sea diving. They have shared pictures & treasures of things they have brought back from their adventures from the deep floor of the ocean. Oh the wonders they have seen & experienced & shared just by going out into the deepest of waters. Such beauty, wonder, & awesomeness that can only be experienced by going into the deep waters. I have seen the look in their eyes as they talk about their experiences in the deep waters. Their eyes light up with excitement. They wanted to go deep sea diving so bad that they took the courses that were required. They bought the needed equipment for the deep waters. They did whatever was necessary, so they could enjoy the experience of the deep & the beauty it had to offer.

That is the same with us in the spirit. If we want to enjoy the deep waters then we must prepare ourselves. We must train for it. It takes prayer, DAILY. Reading of the WORD. We must do this to the point that we become saturated in HIM. This is how we get the needed equipment for deep sea diving, & the courage to jump in and let go and let God have control. This is how we let the Spiritual current take us where it will. The deeper we go in God the greater treasures we will find. There will be more beauty to see. Beauty that will leave us awe struck. Like my son & Amalia, we will want to collect these wonderful treasures and hold onto them for they are valuable to us. Then we will want to share them with others. We to, will want to tell others about what we have found. When we talk about what we have seen and found, our eyes will light up and shine for we have been to the deep waters in God.

Ezekiel 47:1-6 Thank you Pastor for an Awesome message!

Restoration & Salvation - Part Two

"My name is Esther. I am a queen, but most importantly I am a Jew." ~UnKnown~



Ruth & Queen Esther, My two favorite women of the Bible. One brought Restoration & the other brought Salvation.

In Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew whose name was Mordecai who had been carried way from Jerusalem by an enemy army. He raised his younger cousin Esther for her parents had died.

King Xerxes threw a grand banquet. When he sent for Queen Vashti she refused to come. So the king was counseled to replace her as queen to let women everywhere know that this kind of conduct would not be tolerated. There would be no disrespect and discord allowed. So he set out to find a new queen. Esther was chosen as the new Queen.

Although Esther had been chosen to be Queen, she had two strikes against her. One, she was a female and two, she was a Jew. It was forbidden for anyone to approach the king without an invitation, yet an evil prime minister named Haman was plotting to kill off all the Jews. Esther's cousin Mordecai's plea to intervene meant risking her own life. It took courage for Queen Esther to take a stand.

God appoints for His purpose. "And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)

Though Esther knew that it could cost her her very life if she went before the king without being summoned, she also knew that if she didn't, all the Jews, including herself were going die. So after she and the Jews had fasted for 3 days, Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace in front of the king's hall, facing the entrance. When the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand and she approached and touched the tip of the scepter.

Before we approach the throne of the King of kings to make our petition known, do we cleanse and make ourselves ready? Think about it! Esther prepared herself! She fasted, then put on her royal garment and waited quietly before the king. She did her best to catch his eye. How many of us wait patiently, Quietly upon the King? and when He extends His scepter out towards us we approach Him and touch the tip of His scepter. Oh such reverence!!!

Then he asked her what her request was and that he would give her up to half the kingdom. Then she invited him and Haman to a banquet. They came and enjoyed such a grand meal. Oh such blessed acceptance by the king. I can imagine the joy and relief that flooded her soul. If we were to approach the King of kings this way can you imagine the blessings that would be bestowed upon us? After reading and studying the book of Esther, the way we approach Him and expect Him to answer our prayers is shameful!

After the banquet he again asked her what her petition was and said he would give her up to half of the kingdom. She requested for him and Haman to return the next evening to a banquet. The next evening after the meal, the king again ask her for her petition and she then reveals Haman's evil plot to destroy her and her people. Haman was hung on the very gallows that he had built to destroy Mordecai.

When is the last time we have just entered into the King's court and quietly awaited His approval and then when He acknowledged us we invited Him to come and have a banquet with us. To come and dine with us. When did we last serve Him with praise and worship so that as the King is feasting upon our praises and worship unto Him He looks at us and says, "My child, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request?"



Wherever God has placed you, He can use you to speak His truth-words of love, justice and faith to a lost world-even if it means being misunderstood or ridiculed. It may be difficult and you may be weary; but "never tire of doing what is right." 2 Thessalonians 3:13

Restoration & Salvation - Part One

Ruth & Queen Esther, My two favorite women of the Bible. One brought Restoration & the other brought Salvation.

The book of Ruth is an ancient story that follows the journey of one Jewish family's struggle for survival. Escaping famine, Elimelech traveled to Moab with his wife, Naomi, and two sons. But ten years later, we find Naomi in mourning at the loss of both her husband and sons. She is left alone in a foreign land with two Moabite daughters-in-law and no hope of future happiness, or it seems. Naomi is a woman who forgot her dream, but God had not forgotten her. God restores her joy through her daughter-in-law, Ruth.

When Ruth's husband died, Her mother-in-law, Naomi, had decided to return to Bethlehem. When she urged Ruth and her sister-in-law to stay in Moab, Orpah chose to stay among her people and pagan gods. Ruth, chose to follow her mother-in-law to the land of Judah.

But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God."

Ruth chose to be loyal to Naomi, even though it meant going through some tough times and not knowing how life would turn out. Boaz,a distant relative of Naomi, saw Ruth's loyalty and faithfulness to Naomi and her hard work to earn enough to take care of Naomi and herself.

Through Boaz & Ruth, restoration is brought back to Naomi. They got married, had a baby boy and Naomi said, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who gives an old woman like me grandchildren and a loyal daughter-in-law. She is better than seven sons!"

In Judah Ruth found new hope, a new husband, and a place in the genealogy of the Messiah. New life can come from the tragedy of death. (John 12:24) We've all lost someone dear, leaving an emptiness in our hearts. We go on, but we ache for their presence.

What do we do in the face of death? Do we blame God, as Naomi did? Do we stay in the nowhere land, as Orpah did? Or do we let God weave our grief into a new story, as Ruth did?

Our faith promises new life. God knows the deaths we've experienced. His plans for us are good, though they look different than we expected. We need to learn to rest in the knowledge that God uses every circumstance to strengthen our faith in Him. When we think that life as we know it is over, remember the One who said "I make all things new." (Rev. 21:5)

Trash Diggers

I was in the kitchen yesterday doing the dishes. My granddaughter, who just turned one, was with me for the day. Hailey thinks that she has to be wherever I am. She is not a happy camper if I walk out of the room and leave her behind. So she followed me into the kitchen so she would not be alone. As I was doing the dishes she edged over towards the trash can and reached out to grab for something that she wanted in the trash. I would tell her "NO! NO!" Hailey would stop reaching but immediately drop her lower lip and begin to cry. After a few moments she would reach towards the trash again for whatever it was that was enticing her. I would continue washing dishes and simply say "NO! NO!" never once turning around to look at her or moving her. I just simply gave her a firm command and continued doing the dishes. Again, out of the corner of my eye, I could see she her lower lip begin to quiver and drop. Then the crying began all over again. This went on about 5 times. I believe it was on the 6th attempt that she was trying to dig in the trash that I gave a very stern "NO! NO!" Hailey then turned and threw herself and buried her face into the back of my skirt and wailed hysterically. Oh the pitiful crying that went on. She clung to the back of my skirt and wailed. I continued on with the dishes as she cried and pulled on my skirt. Her crying got louder and louder. She would raise her head and cry then throw her face back into my skirt, pull on my skirt, and wail louder. It was as if she was pleading with me to please let her have the object she wanted that so charmed her in the trash can. I thought to myself, Hailey Renee, you have all those wonderful toys you just got for your birthday and you want to dig in the trash can for something to play with? Girl what is wrong with you? Then it hit me! That's the way God's children are. He has blessed us with so many WONDERFUL things and yet, sometimes He sees His children reaching for the trash can of this wicked evil world to find something to entertain themselves with. God has delivered us from the deep miry clay. Cleansed us from drugs, alcohol, prostitution, lying, cheating, a life spent in and out of jail. Some have lived on the streets, under bridges. God gave them homes, mended broken hearts, others blessed with cars who were walking before. I've seen families put back together. We are blessed with good wholesome fellowship amongst the family of God. Get together at the parks, fellowship meetings, conventions, Sr Camps, Youth Camps and the list goes on. It is a good life a living for the Lord! Yet, for some reason or another, IF we are not careful, laying on top of the trash can of this thing we call the WORLD, will be something the devil has placed just to try and entice you! If he can only get you to reach in and take a hold of the object that looks so inviting, alluring, then he has a chance of snagging you and pulling you to the bottom of the trash can. God is standing and washing, not dishes but souls, and He is watching His children as He is doing so. He sees when we reach out towards the trash can of the world. He doesn't move us away from the tempting object. He simply says "NO! NO!" We might let our lower lip quiver and drop. We might pout and cry. But like Hailey some of us keep trying to reach for that enticing object because we want it so bad. Sometimes God will even use the Preacher through His word to speak to us about what we are doing. We still get upset and want that enticing object of the trash can from the world. We might even go as far as to throw ourselves on the altar, grab a hold of the horns of the altar, wail and plead with God because we want it so bad. All the time He is saying "NO! NO!" Because He knows it is of no value to us. It will destroy us and our walk with Him. It will drag us to the bottom of the trash can. I wonder if He looks at us and says "All the wonderful blessings you have and you want to dig in the trash for pleasure? Child, what is wrong with you?" I will tell this, my worst day living for the Lord is better than my best day ever was living in the world! Like Hailey is towards me, I want to be towards God. Lord, I want to be wherever you are! I will follow you. I don't want to be left alone! When you see me reaching for anything that will destroy my walk with you, don't ever stop telling me "NO!NO!" I don't want to be lured into the trash digging business for the pleasures that this world has to offer. I don't want to be found suffocating at the bottom of the trash can of sin. But like Hailey was with me, I will lift my arms to you and crawl into your lap and lay my head on your shoulder and cling to you. I will let you wipe away my tears and know that you love me and know what is best for me! For above all else, I MUST BE SAVED!