O.S.G.G Chapter 2

My parents’ wedding.. Society believes that beauty is the real treasure to be had.. In Christ we know that beauty is fleeting, but a woman of virture is more precious than rubies..

Society thinks it’s okay to sin as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone.  That must depend on who the “any one” is.

Is it acceptable to sin against people who are different than us? The fat kid in the hallway (I was that fat kid)? The kid who has acne? The poor kid? Oh, nowadays people hate ya if ya look too good too! Tell me WHAT IS THE PERFECT FORMULA for people to be kind to one another????

Thank God that He made a way for all this garbage to be dumped as far as the east is from the west…

Thank God that “love covers a multitude of sins”…  Only God’s love truly enables us to rise above!

Our story, yours and mine, began the moment we took our first breath in this world, and our story will only end the moment we let out our last breath.

Remember God truly has a plan and a purpose in all things.

Satan also has a plan! Remember that too.

We must know the enemy’s tactics Church!

Let us share the journey of TRIUMPH OVER evil..

Let me share with you the plans of God and the plans of the Evil One.

Here begins the GOOD WORK of God in the midst of a wilderness..

And then, hold tight with me. There is a Promise Land coming!

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Chapter 2: Stink, Stank, Stunk

My story IS God’s glory.

Your story is God’s glory!

If we shy away from our story, no matter how stinky it appears to smell, we are dimming His glory.

His glory must shine to set the captives free, to bless the saved, to give strength to the weary, to give hope to the brokenhearted, AND to keep the fires stoked for the strong!

(so many exclamation points! I am rejoicing!!!!!)

I have heard enough about my life from extended relatives to know that the spirit of hate was upon me the very day I was born. This destroyer of God’s people was well sustained throughout my childhood (this spirit attempts to destroy God’s people..He can attempt to take us down– but in Christ, we are locked AND loaded in Jesus name, AMEN!)

We are locked in because we are SAVED through the blood of Jesus Christ.

We are loaded because we are EQUIPPED by the armor of God (Ephesians 6:8)..

My parents just weren’t good. Plain and simple.

I was raised by a “Mommy Dearest” 100 squared (is that a number?). My nightmares were scary. They were about her trying to kill me.

She hated me. My skin color. My words. My brains. I was too fat, too stupid, too ugly. Daily she physically and emotionally berated me. As a teen her beatings made me wet my pants. She cursed at me.

But I loved her.

She wasn’t always that way. There were few moments when I was little that I felt her love.. She had a sweetness and a warmth to her. Sadly, I believe the Evil One got to her and tormented her.

(Present day: She has her story too. I’m going to interject right now that I do not blame her. I have forgiven her. She is greatly loved. She is still an abuser of herself and others. Yet, Our God is powerful. “Through Christ All things are possible”– she can be made whole. That is my praying hope!)

She was my first love.

She was everything I was made to believe I was not.  Perfect figure. She was always the most beautiful woman in the room. She used her sexuality with men like a weapon and a curse.  A man left his family for her. Another man killed for her.

( yes, this is crazy AND true)

She was intelligent: Excelled at everything she touched other than being a mother… other than loving people.

My father. Allusive. Easy prey to my mother’s every outburst. I see my Father through the lens of how he let my mother hurt me and my sisters.

(Present day: my dad is warm, kind, thoughtful, lighthearted, loves the Lord and has taken the best care of his second family! He has asked for forgiveness and loves me and my family with all his heart!)

He was not my protector. He was a person, not a Daddy. I cant describe what his role was. I am very sorry to say that I could only see him through the lens of that one word– abandonment.

The extended relatives saw me and my sisters as an extension of our parents’ dishonesty, recklessness, irresponsibility, vanity and selfishness.

We had no one that loved us right or loved us well. Adult monsters persisted at being stupid very well.

The school kids were cruel. I was teased without mercy. My first day of kindergarten was sickening.

( I think the world has changed in one way for the better. Society is more aware of bullying, except kids are still allowed to bully overweight kids..)

My mother could care less about making sure I found my classroom. It didn’t matter to her if it was my first day of school.

Thankfully I knew how to read. I found my name on the list of the students’ names on the classroom door. Of course my name stood out in the midst of all the Jennifers and Sarahs.

As I stood outside my classroom door the Gremlins attacked.  Two monster children ran passed me faster than I could see their faces.  One of them smacked me in the face and the other punched me in the stomach.

Before I could begin to feel any pain from the smack in the face, the second boy punched me in the stomach.

Looking up through my tears, I saw them both running away laughing so loud that the other kids had to see what was happening. Of course the other kids began to laugh too.

That was when my face went hot with pain and the air was taken out of me. I couldn’t breath. I could cry, but I couldn’t breath.

I received no kindness from my teacher or the principal. The teacher did not console me.  She looked at me with cold eyes and turned away.

The Great Beautiful Monster found her way into the principal’s office. Sitting on one of the cold office chairs, I heard her verbally berate every single soul in that office with her hitting words.  She went right to the center of the gut and hit them all like Mohammed Ali on steroids.  She made a big scene.  She didn’t care!

Did she care about me? Or did she love the drama?  I know it was a little of both.

Did it help me? Did I feel loved?

I felt nothing, but deep pain that hurt more than the punches. I had no idea why I deserved this. I was only standing there. I was just being me…

Life went on like that for a very long time. My Grimm Tales seemed to last a lifetime. In my Cinderella tale I did not lose just a shoe. I lost a few shoes, my hat, gloves, glasses all the way down the stairs! Do I wish God didn’t let me fall? Sure. Yes. Who would say, “Oh, yeah I don’t regret living in hell?”

It was hell.

But God sustained me!

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Chapter 3 is on its way!!!

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ENDURING EMBERS AND RELENTLESS WILDFIRES CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2: Here We Go, Wilson… I’ll Do All The Paddling…

Psalm 55:52 Cast thy BURDEN upon the LORD, and he SHALL SUSTAIN thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

Whether our burdens are physical or spiritual— the Lord WILL sustain us!!
What does the Lord tell us to do with our burdens? He tells us to “CAST our burdens UPON Him! God uses a TON of action verbs! He says CAST.

Casting takes DELIBERATE ACTION! Let it GOOOOOOO!!!!!! (GREAT SONG HUH!)
CAST those burdens on the Lord, woman!
He says “My yoke is easy and my burden is light”.. Matt 11:30

He will carry our burdens IF WE GIVE THEM TO HIM.

He is our endurance and our sustaining power!!

Do we BELIEVE IT?

I believe it!

This isn’t “letting the universe come to you” wishy-washy no-power-in the hour belief.  This is I KNOW MY REDEEMER LIVES belief.  Belief that moves the mountains of mens’ hearts.

This is the where the rubber-hits-the road kind of belief.

The same kind of belief that ENGAGES the gift of faith.  Like butter we drive over the 4 x 4 rough roads.  We need no guardrails.  We got God in the driver seat!

Yeah, we have THAT kind of belief.

GOD PUTS THE PEDAL TO THE METAL while we TRUST Him to own the road!!!!

The Lord means business.  I figure that He is a better driver than me so I let go of the wheel.  He owns the road to our lives.  He tells us that He goes before us.  Come to figure, if the Lord is telling me that He is going before me, that must mean that HE knows what is coming around the bend, right???

Why don’t we, like Tula in the above picture, let God carry us more?

In the words of Tom Hanks in the movie Castaway:
“Here we go, Wilson. You don’t have to worry about anything. [God] will do all the paddling. All you have to do is hold on!”

What you waiting for women of God? 

Who you putting in the driver’s seat? I pray you have decided to let God do the driving, the paddling, the sailing. However you navigate this world, have you made Him your pilot or copilot? Please don’t think you be bobbing Wilson playin’ pilot to the oceans of life without THE Navigator!

You have a wildfire itching to roar like a lion? Engage your faith muscles! Get out there and scratch that itch! I was told I was stupid, too fat, too this and too that!!  Girrl– I had this crazy itch that was bugging me so bad.  No man could reach it but God! The last church I went to wouldn’t touch that itch.  They were trembling afraid of whatever I brought with me in the room. Oh, but it was clear.  They didn’t like the Holy Spirit Smiles I shined in the space I took up!  They didn’t like the love I spread around.  Their eyes closed to the shine in their eyes.. What is that saying– people throw rocks at things that shine?   Oh, but God’s people, The Shiny Ones, need to dust off their feet sometimes right?

Riiiiiiight????

RIGHT!!!!!Amen!!!

I am now scratching that itch by doing the podcasts and blogs!!! Aaaaamen!

There is not ONE moment when we take a time out from honoring God! 

Enduring embers, why you not letting the Lord give you some tender loving care? Do you believe that He left you with The Comforter???? John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.

Wildfires start with embers.  Let God pour all His love into you! Let Him do “His good work in you”!!!  Always remember– We are His workmanship!

STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN! Listen to the podcasts! They are funny straight shootin’ to the point words that encourage, engage and uplift!! I guarantee it or you can hit me with a wet noodle!!!!

Don’t keep this blog a secret to yourself! Fan the flames of truth in everyone that meets you!!  Share it don’t bear it!!!

Chapter 3 in the editing process!!! Cuz’ I am no grammar perfectionist, but I try my hardest for ya’lls sake!!!!!!!

GO LIGHT SOME FIRES! Amen and aaaaamen!!!

Oh, I’m an ember today. Just let me rest a little, Lord.. Fill my doggy bowl, Lord.. just a little tender morsel….

CALLING ALL Enduring Embers and Relentless Wildfires! Chapter 1

ENDURING EMBERS AND RELENTLESS WILDFIRES!

 

CHAPTER 1: What, Where, Why?

Let’s have a conversation ya’ll!!!

In biblical times it was common for Jews to wear a few snippets of God’s Word upon their heads and hands.

Question: How did they manage this?

Answer:  They strapped two small leather boxes around their heads and hands.

I’ll try to explain it this way:

In the words of Vinnie Barbarino from the 1970’s show Welcome Back, Kotter I’ll start with: what, where, and why.

What are the boxes?

The leather boxes are called the Tefillin.  The boxes contained the first four books of the Torah.

Where?  Inside the Tefillin was written:

1. The Shema–  Deuteronomy 6:4-9: Proclaiming the Unity of the ONE God
2. Vehayah—  Deuteronomy 11:13-21: God’s promises of reward if man obeys God and His promises of warning if we choose disobedience.
3. Kadesh—  Exodus 13:1-10: God’s Commands for man to REMEMBER that He set the Jews free from captivity
4. Vehayah–  the responsibily of every Jew to teach their children God’s commandments and ways.

Why? Because God’s people are in the:

“midst of a crooked and perverse nation”….
“midst of thieves that come in the night to kill and destroy”…
“midst of false teachers and doctrines”…

The wheat lives among the tares.  It is sifting time. Matthew 13:30

Purpose?

To remind the Jews of God’s power, redemption and conviction.

To remind His people that His Word is a “lamp unto my feet and a light on to my path”…. God is our Lighthouse. He is our beacon.

Are we always going to be a quiet ember?  Will we always feel bold like a wildfire?

At times we are glowing embers.

At times we are roaring wildfires.

Some days I look to the sky and ask God, “How long can I withstand the flaming arrows of evil? How long can I press? I am tired, I am weak and I am weary!

I know my cries can be of a tired wildfire; all I wish to do is recede into a glowing ember.

Then I hear the strong say— Here I am Lord! I will follow you! Send me!

…..Burning like relentless wildfires they speak strong and proud; chins lifted towards the heavens with feet ready for service. Armor of God is strapped on tight. They are bold and ready to aim true. Obeying their marching orders….Their fires spreading unquenchable!

Those of God who call His name JEHOVAH-NISSI– THE LORD IS MY BANNER!

These are the Iron Ones who ignite me with encouragement as I watch God move them forward, pressing towards the High Calling of Christ JEsus!!!

Then I hear the weak say— Here I am Lord! I will follow you! Send me!

…..Their embers glowing warmly in the midst of the ashes. The Lord sustaining them, giving them beauty for ashes… oil of joy for mourning… garment of praise for heaviness…

Trees rooted in righteousness… steadily drinking the waters of life, they begin to burn brighter and brighter…

They BELIEVE that God sustains them.  They have no shame for their time of preservation!

No matter how hard the winds blow and where the winds take us, the fire of God is unquenchable.  His people WHO ARE CALLED BY HIS NAME are relentless! It does not matter if we are in the season of the ember or wildfire.  We ARE lights in the darkness!

Believers are called to keep His Word at the forefront of our minds. Life is not about the honey-doo list, our workout regime, or our career and educational goals! If we are to burn in Christ, we are called to “keep first the kingdom of God and His righteousness THEN all these things shall be added unto you.”

His Word is the conduit that lights His people up like a “city on a hill”!

May we keep His Words on the forefront of our thoughts each day….

Let us carry our own Tefillin that says:

“Be still and KNOW that I AM GOD”

“Be of Good courage for I GO BEFORE YOU.”

“I WILL NEVER leave you or forsake you.”

Or seek your own Tefillin scriptures.

Write them on the tablet of your heart (Proverbs 7:3) today!

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Our Story is God’s Glory Chapter 1

Note to all my beloved grammar elitists:  I am not a professional writer! You will see errors here and there.  I do care that I give ya’ll my very best,  but I can’t kill myself to be what I am not–  a perfect wtiter!  I promise that I will give my heart and soul to every thought I put down on “paper”!

Now to “My Story is  God’s Glory”……

What kind of tale should I tell about my story?  The tale that begins with “once upon a time” and ends with “Happily ever after”?   There is no phrase I can think of that could describe my beginnings in a pretty way.

My start was not sweet like the fairytales about pretty little girls with long beautiful hair. Or fairytales about little girls who sing like an angel while all the forest animals love them and become their best friends…

My beginning is more like a Grimm tale, scary monsters everywhere.  No friends.  Kids were little monsters.  Adults were big monsters.  The villain was just about everyone. Where was my relief?  Where was my moment of reprieve?  I finally met my Wesley.. as I rolled down the mountain, so did he. We caught each other at the end.. That part was pretty awesome!

My husband, my Wesley says that great line, “Aaaas youuuuu wiiiiiiish” really well now! I had no idea what it felt like to have someone care about my wishes. I am not ashamed of that!  I am thankful for it!  I now have my Cinderella moments where I get to dance with my prince…forever.  We take care of each other, praise God!

But, the mountain of challenges didn’t stop there.  After we met we both rolled down the mountain of challenges together! As we rolled down together we hit just about every tree, I bounced off just about every huge rock.  Finally, the momentum came to a stop.  My husband’s expression didn’t change much.  But my expression? I’m sure it looked something like the movie clip in Tommy Boy where rolled down a mountain too.  He finally came to an abrupt stop. Kind of like how I did.

Like Tommy rolling down that mountain, my childhood was like “getting shot through the orchard and hitting every tree”….

Once I moved out, that part of my life came to an abrupt stop.   Like Tommy, I rolled out of it, brushed off the dirt and said, “WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT!”

In that moment, I realized I was not broken (somehow).  I was now free to make good choices.  I was free to make a good life.  I forged ahead from that day forth.  I was released into another kind of wilderness without provisions  I had no emotional or financial sustenance. But I had God.

This is story about God’s powerful goodness in the midst of a VERY REAL spiritual battle…

For me, there is but one word that describes my beginnings– abandoned.

Not abandoned by God.

Strengthened by God.

I’m gonna have to start with the ugly truth.

Abandoned by those who we all believe should love us the most.

You say– stop in the name of love!  Please T, you can’t start with that!

Oh yes I can!

Why? Because my start is kind of like a —– ( what rhymes with start and is stinky.. another one of God’s jokes on us right!)

But let’s get serious.The beginning of life is a puff that dissipates as time moves forward. It truly is how we end the race.

Do we stand our position or let the world knock us down?

Do we brush our selves off and forge ahead?

Ultimately,  do we believe what God tells us and trust Him?…

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Chapter 2: Stink Stank Stunk!

See next blog!!! It’s a journey of God’s power to sustain us!

 

 

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Jail Time?

Hello dear friends!  We are meeting “for such a time as this”! Let us get to the heart of the matter… Grab a cup of something good and let’s get unshakeable!

Tula, my pug, is in jail here! See her above picture!  She is super cute– but can we have a conversation? My heart has been put in jail!  My Holy Spirit-given gifts have been oppressed and censored.  If I play the church-lady political correct game, I am in like Flynn.  If I speak the truths– hard, ugly, and YES– even speak God’s truths too shiny, too brightly, I STILL receive censorship, shunning, and the pecking order begins…

I have tried and tried…

And tried…

I have heard the voices of the remnant who have tried too.

And they keep trying…

We are now setting ourselves free…

Free to roam on the range of life! No thing (no evil spirit of oppression) and no one reigning in the light of our Savior in us!

We will always stay in the race!

We will “fight the good fight of faith”!

As Paul said so well in Philippians 3:12-15 (I paraphrase): It is not that I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after the Lord God that I may apprehend the Lord Jesus Christ! Church, I count not myself to have made it yet– I am a work in progress–, but this one thing I do strive for, forgetting those things which are behind as I reach forth unto those things which are before!  I PRESS towards the mark of Christ Jesus!

Paul’s life, all that he lacked and all that he gained is a witness of God’s power in God’s people.  Paul relied on God to sustain him, not man.  Paul sought after the Lord’s approval, not man’s.. Paul BELIEVED in the holy blessed assurance of God.  Paul put ALL his trust in the coming hope of Jesus our Messiah and His salvation!

We will stay in the race, leaving the past behind, reaching forth to the mark of Christ Jesus!

Like Pumba said in the Lion King movie, “But it hurt when they stood down wind, oh the shame!”

(I told you we are not P.C here!)

Yeah it hurts! Us strong Believers can handle it.  We are George Forman Believers!  He was a prize fighter like we are!  Our prize is Jesus! He loves God like we do!  We are practiced at staying in the ring..  God sustains us to take the punches..  However, what about the “baby milk-fed Christians”.  Can they outlast the attempts of the Evil One using God’s people to hurt them?  That’s right,  God’s people hurting one another.  It happens.  It hurts.  We know better. We can do better, much better!

Some good people may say that I am complaining.  They may say, what good are you doing by pointing at our sins?  Jesus never minced words when He called out sin.  Paul was also a straight shooter.  I am not going to tip toe through the tulips.  What is your calling?  Do not back down.  I won’t back down!  I can’t.  It would confine me.  I have experienced spiritual jail; silenced, appeased, mocked, and laughed at behind my back by leaders of the church.  To me it meant that I did “share in the persecution for the Lord’s name sake” because I spoke the truth.. The good truth and the ugly truths.

In some churches the only acceptable truth is the one in the prettiest package.  Does anyone remember the poop-in-the pretty bag prank?  Some awful kids would set a package on fire on the front door step.  Some innocent person would stomp on the package trying hard to snuff out the flames.  The Innocent, trying to do good, got cooked poop all over their shoes!   They had no idea what was in the bag.  They were trying to just do good.  That is exactly what Satan hopes we do!  He wants us all blind to what is inside to cause havoc, create chaos.

I believe in getting rid of the dirt so we can play in the mud (Like the picture of my sister’s awfully cute shih Tzu puppy on the bottom of my Home page).

If you don’t want to play in the mud with us, LF4JC ain’t your kind of ice cream.  Our 35 flavors just won’t work for you…

Although…

We will be sweet here.  But– we are not one flavor.  Some of us love chocolate. Some of us plain hate it.  I used to hate coffee ice cream, now I love it!

Let’s have a conversation:

We are not alone!  There are many feeling the same way.  They feel like they have to keep their hearts quiet amongst the church.  Keeping our hearts hidden is not what God calls His people to do.  We are called to be His light in the world, a city on a hill, not a candle hidden under a bushel!  This is exactly why I finally set “Lighting Fires for Jesus Christ” ablaze!

Guess what?  It starts here, praise God!  Right here, in Lighting Fires. In you, me–all of us who are ready and waiting for the call!  We are “pressing towards the mark of Christ Jesus”.

We know that the enemy is not of the flesh, but of the principalities of the air.  We have our armor strapped on and our feet prepared to move!

I am done with all the churchy political correctness!  The spirits of oppression, depression, passive aggressiveness, squelching the light of Christ in God’s people has got to go!  Yes, not just outside of the church, but inside the church too!

However, this is NOT from the people of God.  Yes, the enemy, Satan, uses our weaknesses as an open door,  but the weaknesses he uses, are also the very same weaknesses the Lord uses to make us stronger (checkmate Satan!).  As the song sings, “when we walk in the Lord in the light of His Word, what a glory He sheds on our way”!  We are overcomers, never ever defeated!

“The Lord is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN”!

It is my prayer that this website and the podcasts will strengthen us to:

• Learn to use the Word of God against the enemy EFFECTIVELY
• Prepare us for spiritual battle
• Not just “know” what’s in the Word of God, but make what we know a HABIT
• KEEP the joy of the Lord when in the battle
• Learn to pray deliverance over our lives and loved ones
• Reprogram our church autopilot responses; speak with truth and life
• Know how to spot false doctrines and false leaders infiltrating the church
• Learn to see the bigger picture (biblically); get wise to what’s coming around the bend
• Broaden our understanding of the Word of God (Moses was more than just the happy, sandal-wearing smiling man in the coloring books)
• Refuse to let any one, leader, teacher, preacher censor and silence the light of Christ Jesus within us
• Handle friendly fire with compassion, love and grace.

Let’s have our first conversation.  I have been searching for a straight-talkin’, Jesus-preachin’, Bible-teachin’ Titus 2 Christian-sister from another mister for decades.  I have found some, praise God!  Fierce women of God are out there! I pray to bring us together, powerfully, prayerfully, actively!  This is the time of harvest.  It is not going to get any easier.  It is time to refine our walk.

Here’s a problem.  Sadly, I have experienced a complacency and lack of grace in some of God’s beautiful people.  They are the ones who tend to be interested in keeping the status quo.  They still love the Lord very much, but they are not the ones encouraging the frontline soldiers.  If anything, their passivity and lack of kindness is being used by the real enemy to hinder the ones who are taking the punches.  I believe we are in the time of harvest… and it is time for God’s people to build up the house of God more than ever.

For God’s people to be truly His sheep, we must have both truth and love.

Some of us are better at one than the other.  Like a mustard seed of faith, some have a mustard seed of love and some have a mustard seed of truth. Both are not nurturing what little they have.  Some of us have allowed distraction to hinder our traction!  The real enemy depends on this.  He wants God’s people to be too hot-headed or too cold-hearted.

It seems that much of the church is on autopilot; giving the masses what they want to hear.  Some are wrapping everything up in a pretty package or revealing all the mess at once with out prayerfully seeking after God’s will FIRST.  Life is not always pretty.  Sometimes we need to break through the ugly to get to the promise land! The Truth absolutely sets us FREE!  Keeping the ugly wrapped pretty only suffocates our freedom to LIVE in His joy!

These issues have weakened the strength of the collective church.  The relationship BETWEEN God’s people is at DEFCON 3.  Satan has his army in ready position to strike, yet many of us are lacking in spiritual luster and strength.

Supporting one another in love is a crucial part of our strength.  Jesus said that He is our cornerstone. He said that He is love.  Love is a part of the main support of the church!  The Lord also said that they that love God are a part of God, but if we do not love one another, we cannot be of God!  Houston, we may just have a problem!!!  I wonder how many of us actually give love the way we know we are called to?  If we are wondering, it is not enough to win the battle at hand.

Scripture says that in the last days the love of many will wax cold.  This breaks my heart.  I have heard many dear sisters say they feel alone.  This is because we are not doing well to love one another!  The Lord says, love one another as I have loved you by this shall men know that you are my disciples, IF you have love one to another…

Together we make up the “house of the Lord”.  We well know what God’s Word says about building a house upon the sand verses building the house upon the rock of Christ!

Ephesians 2:20-22 20  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 groweth unto an holy temple in the LORD: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Together we stand, together we fall!!!!!

Matthew 7:24-27 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

When we build the house of God on the solid Rock of Jesus, we are able to withstand ALL storms! Much of the church (not all) is behaving like a sick  puppy– naïve to the enemy and easy prey.  No wonder the family is dying, marriages are falling apart, and children are hating their parents. While we continue to drink the elixir of false doctrines and false teachings, the Holy Spirit is waiting for us to wake up.  We are easy pickin’s for the wiles of hell.  It is time to get fired up. Time to fan the flame of the Holy Spirit within us now.

We are in the hour of the last days. We need sound biblical truth and fellowship of Christ’s people more than ever!  God is “assembling the remnant… [He] is putting together a flock in the midst of their fold…”.  The believers in Christ Jesus, saved by His blood, born again into the kingdom– “chosen by grace” are the remnant!  It is time for the remnant to stand in the midst of the many.   “…I [God] will make a remnant and those who were cast off a strong nation”.

Christ fills our cup. Every time you open a podcast in “Lighting Fires for Jesus Christ” we will have in-depth biblical conversations.  The podcasts will feed your spirit and pour into your cup.  It will enable you to head out in the world with “power, love and a sound mind”!

Many sisters in Christ want Titus 2 fellowship that encourages biblical conversation, deep Bible study and heart-felt transparency.  We are done with fluffy church talk.  Many of us feel it hinders truth.  The truth is the power of God that delivers us from evil and deception!  We are ready for Jesus Christ and His power to be our preoccupation amen!

Right now spiritual warfare is very real.  The enemy has been relentless at going about dividing families and the fellowship. God’s people are feeling disconnected, silenced and censored.  Now is the moment for God’s people to be relentless in study, prayer, living it out loud and worship!

This is a call to arms; linking arms and preparing for arms.

The enemy has sent a Trojan horse into the church world.  We have opened the doors to it in many forms.  “Lighting Fires for Jesus Christ” will reveal these forms and give us solutions to overcome while keeping the joy of the Lord!

Friends, I am extremely concerned that the fellowship is too divided.  Scripture says that in the “last days the love of many will wax cold”.  Have you observed the lack of simple kindnesses these days?  There is no winning the battle behaving like this!  “Lighting Fires” will help us begin rebuilding the hearts of many.  The podcast will also help us handle friendly fire with compassion, love and grace.

There is a great desire amongst the remnant to LIVE God’s Truth.  Some of us do not know how because our churches keep feeding us milk. However, we sense that we need richer spiritual nourishment.  In order for us to have the biblical nourishment we desire we have to make some changes.

Strength in God is not about perfect church attendance!  I am sorry to say this, but many of us are not plugged into God biblically.  He said that “His Word is alive and active”.  We cannot depend on a middleman to tell us what God is saying to us.  God wants to communicate directly to us.  Attending church is beautiful time of fellowship.  It is not our main meal.  Jesus said that a man cannot live by bread alone, but by every Word of God!

I want to live ALIVE in Christ with you!  Having a close relationship with God is not built upon saying a few quick prayers or reading our daily devotional calendar scriptures.  Feeling alive is not behaving passively, aggressively, or even raising our hands in Sunday worship service once a week.  This battle is real!  Calendar devotionals and raising hands in church are absolutely good, but they will not win the war. We are called to be ALIVE in Christ!  Jesus said that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.. No man comes to the Father, but through Him.  We can’t get to Jesus without believing that He is the Word.  If we believe that He is the Living Word, we cannot help but to read His Word and seek after Him.  This is living ALIVE in Christ! Can I get a witness or what!

The starter-kit-Christianity dialogue has no power.  Aren’t you done with the confines of Christian P.C.- political correctness- sweating bullets as we color in the lines? What is this having to keep all your ideas in a neat pretty package? Uncovering deceptions is not pretty! Why are leaders expecting this?  This is terrific for the devil. If we sit-stay like a good puppy, we will get a treat of approval.  Satan plans for this.  Good puppies receive an A+ for behaving p.c.  What has happened to us?  Let’s light fires where ever we go!  I am ready, are you?  If yes, then stay with me.  A few more paragraphs then I have to go to work on the podcasts.

God gave us individuality.

Our DNA cannot be replicated for a reason.  We were created for a very individualized purpose.  If we fall in line, allowing our gifts and callings to be silenced, the light of Christ in us can fade.  The Lord said “let your light shine that they may see your good works, to glorify your father in heaven”.  The Lord “created us unto good works”, “we are His workmanship” created to do His works for His glory. Why in my right mind would I allow anyone to squash the Light of Jesus in me?  And what about always being on autopilot!  I can’t stand it!  Esther was ready “for such a time as this”. I am ready.  Are you ready?  If yes, stay with me here…. almost done

We need to become good at seeing the bigger picture.  Biblical study will help us gather wisdom beyond our human limitations.  The Bible says ” the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God…because they are spiritually discerned”.  I pray that “Lighting Fires for Jesus Christ” will help us gain spiritual discernment with each new talk.

We will have guest visits.  Our sisters will share their hearts with us.  They will share their experiences and what they learned through Christ.

We must strengthen our understanding of the Word of God and learn how to use it against the real enemy.  He gave us His armor, “perfect for every good work”…We must exercise the gift of faith and LEARN how to use it as our SHIELD from the relentless attacks of Satan.  We will learn how to use our armor effectively. We will learn how to pray powerfully. We will awaken out of the slumber and live the life He called us “unto good works”… and then hear “well done, good and faithful servant”!!!!

It is time for deliverance! We Believers are walkin’ around with the power of the Holy Spirit, yet it is tucked so far away that we have forgotten it is there and how to use it!  Did you know that you can say prayers of deliverance for yourself?  We can be delivered from sin, we can be delivered from a mental torment, we can be delivered from ANYTHING through the power Jesus Christ.  “Blessed be the Lord my strength who teaches my hands to war and my fingers to fight”!!! Psalms 144:1

Let’s get unshakeable!  Unbreakable!  Powerfully plugged in to the power source of Jesus Christ!  Let’s light up the fire of the Holy Spirit!  Light it up so big that it is out of control!

I am ready! Let’s get set free!

Let’s have a conversation!

See you at the podcasts!