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Blessed Reception

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word is from Matthew 10:11-14~ "Whatever town or village you enter, serach for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting (blessing). If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. If anyone wll not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town." ~Recently the Lord had me walk out this scriptural lesson. When I first moved to Big Rapids in July, the Lord persisted that I bless the house of where I was to be staying, using Psalm 122 as a blessing. The owner of the house was a Christian, but she did not think her house needed to be blessed...she blessed it herself, she said. However, what she couldn't see in the spirit the Lord allowed me to see--her house needed to be cleansed and blessed! So, when she went out of town, I blessed the whole house except her room. When

Redeemed by the Lord

Greetings in the Lord! Today the Lord has put on my heart to share about the dream I had this morning. In this dream I was talking with a young woman at her fabulous house, beside her pool. Everything around us was amazingly wonderful--it was obvious that her family was VERY rich. In fact, I said to her, "No one is ever going to believe I was at the Hilton's house." However, our conversation quickly turned from cordial and light to serious and heartfelt, as she was concerned about her life and for her sister's, too. I began to tell her about Jesus. Just as I got started, her sister Paris walked up to us looking really sad and defeated--like she had been crying. I looked at her and said, "Jesus can take away the shame of your sins. Ya know, the shameful things we do while we're young." She looked happy to hear that and wanted to hear more with her sister about the Good News of Jesus Christ, so I told her. The Lord has a wonderful plan for both

His Ultimate Good Purposes

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Jeremiah 40:2-4~ "When the commander of the guard found Jeremiah, he said to him, "The Lord your God decreed disaster for this place. And now the Lord has brought it about; He has done just what He said He would do. But today I am freeing you from the chains on your wrists. Come with me to Babylon, if you like, and I will look after you; but if you do not want to, then don't come. Look, the whole country lies before you; go wherever you please." ~Have you ever been freed from a situation and not sure what to do next or where to go? When your freedom doesn't feel like freedom at all and it seems maybe your freedom was gained at too great a price, even? When freedom from opression only looks like the freedom for chaos and more rebellion to take place? And your initial opportunities granted by your newfound freedom seem worse instead of better; same trouble, different oppressor? Such must be the perspective

Dreams From the Master

Greetings in the Lord! So it seems for the past couple months the Lord has been sending me to minister to different groups on Thursday night...so when I woke up yesterday I wondered where the Lord would be sending me. As it turned out, my pastor called me at work and asked if I would be willing to lead Senior High Youth group at our church that night. I agreed and then began to ponder in the few hours beforehand what the Lord wanted me to share with that group. He led me to Job 33:14-18; Genesis 28:10-18; 32:22-32; 37:5-11; 40:8-23; and chapter 41. I will not write out all those scriptures in this writing, but give you an idea of what the Lord wanted me teach those young adults. First, the scripture in Job acknowledges that God does speak to us in our dreams--and a couple of the kids had some experiences to share about that. It was an interesting place to begin, I thought, as that passage talks about how God speaks warnings to us in our dreams "to keep him (us) from pride, t

Long Journey Big Rewards

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from 2 Samuel 16:1-14 and Isaiah 14:1-2~ "As King David approached Bahurim, a man from the same clan as Saul's family came out from there. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and he cursed as he came out...."Get out, get out, you man of blood, you scoundrel! The Lord has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. The Lord has handed the kingdom over to your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a man of blood!" Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head." But the king (David) said, "What do you and I have in common, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord said to him, 'Curse David,' who can ask, 'Why do you do this?'" David then said to Abishai and all his officials, "My son, who is of my own flesh, is trying

Effective Prayers of the Righteous Avail

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Jeremiah 18:3-10 and Jeremiah 27:1-8~ "So I went down to the potter's house, and saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me: "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the Lord. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it. " "Early in the reign of Zedekiah

Josiah Generation

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from 2 Kings 23:8-25~ "Josiah brought all the priests from the towns of Judah and desecrated the high places, from Geba to Beersheba, where the priests had burned incense. He broke down the shrines at the gates...He desecrated Topheth, which was in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so no one could use it to sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to Molech. He removed from the entrance to the temple of the Lord the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun....He pulled down the altars the kings of Judah had erected on the roof near the upper room of Ahaz, and the altars Manasseh had built in the two courts of the temple of the Lord...The king also desecrated the high places that were...built for Ashtoreth the vile goddess of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the vile god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the people of Ammon....The king asked, "What is that tombstone I see?" The men of the city said, "It m

Young Hearts Following Him

Greetings in the Lord! For today's word the Lord has put on my heart to share a little event from today. Actually, probably not many in attendence understood the Spirit was moving, but it was. Tonight the Lord put on my heart to re-visit the student Bible study held on campus, comprised of mainly Black students. What a wonderful group they are--full of love for the Lord and hungry for His Word! For two weeks now the Lord has been giving me little tidbits of what's on His heart for them--things to teach, share, and encourage them with. And like I do, I say, "Yes Lord, I'm willing to tell them, just provide the opportunity." Tonight was the night. It started with the Lord putting a hunger in the leader's heart for prophecy, as the Word tells us that we should all desire to prophesy. Then, casually and nonchalantly, as the Lord gave opportunity, I was able to share with them the things that have been laid on my heart from the Father: teachings and scriptu

Believe It or Not

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from John 15:18-16:4a~ "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin...But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father....When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, He will testify about me. And you must also testify....All this I have

Beauty Treatments

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Esther 8:1-8~ "That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came into the presence of the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. The king took off his signet ring, which he had reclaimed from Haman, and presented it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed him over Haman's estate. Esther again pleaded with the king, falling at his feet and weeping. She begged him to put an end to the evil plan of Haman the Agagite, which he had devised against the Jews. Then the king extended the gold scepter to Esther and she arose and stood before him. "If it pleases the king," she said, "and if he regards me with favor and thinks it the right thing to do, and if he is pleased with me, let an order be written overruling the dispatches that Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, devised and wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king's provinces. For how can

Light Shines Brighter in Darkness

Greetings in the Lord! While the word the other day was so wonderful to share, today's word is a bit more somber. Please remember that those who love the Lord, have the Word and are faithful to His ways, we have the Light to see the way. However, we live in an incredibly idolatrous nation and darkened world, and today's word speaks to that situation. It is taken from Ezekiel 7:10-27, of which I will share selected verses~ "The day is here! It has come! Doom has burst forth, the rod has budded, arrogance has blossomed! Violence has grown into a rod to punish wickedness...Let not the buyer rejoice nor the seller grieve, for wrath is upon the whole crowd...They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be an unclean thing....They will not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it, for it has made them stumble into sin. They were proud of their beautiful jewelry and used it to make their detestable idols and vile images. Therefore

Best is Yet to Come

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word is from Joel 2:13, 19, 24-25a, 27-28, 32~ "Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity....The Lord will reply to them: "I am sending you grain, new wine and oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations...The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil. I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten...Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed. And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will dream dreams....And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there wil

Keep to the Blueprint Please

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Isaiah 44:8~ "Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one." ~Tonight I went to a different student Bible study near campus. It was a group of about 12 or so, mostly Methodist kids. Being Methodist myself, I can say that these kids were a fair representation of what is going on in many of the Methodist churches these days--heavy on the socializing and light on scripture...even lighter on the Holy Spirit. But nonetheless, the Lord did send me there for His purposes. First, to give a prophetic word for one of His chosen ones out of the group that had a special calling for evangelism through music, and that she should move boldly through the doors the Lord has open for her. She was very happy to receive it and it was confirmation for her about some issues. Now, you may be saying to yourse

Stretch Out Your Hand

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Mark 3:1-6 and Titus 3:9-11~ "Another time he (Jesus) went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Stand up in front of everyone." Then Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent. He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus." "But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. Warn a divisive per

Remember that You are Blessed

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Psalm 73:22-28~ "I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before You. Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Those who are far from You will perish; You destroy all who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all Your deeds." ~Has there been a great change in your life from before you gave yourself to Christ to afterwards? Most likely there has been! But today's word reminds us that on occasion, even the righteous get caught up in envying the supposed ease and carefree lives of the wicked.  We lament over what we think they are getting away with and envy in our hea

Light in the Darkness

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Mark 12:24-27 and Matthew 17:1-17, of which I will share selected verses: Mark 12:24-27) "Jesus replied, "Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. Now about the dead rising--have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.'? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!" Matthew 17:1-3) "After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountian by themselves. There he was transformed before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus." ~Th

End to Lewdness

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Ezekiel 23:40-48~ "They even sent messengers for men who came from far away, and when they arrived you bathed yourself for them, painted your eyes and put on your jewelry....The noise of a carefree crowd was around her; Sabeans were brought from the desert along with men from the rabble, and they put bracelets on the arms of the woman and her sister and beautiful crowns on their heads. Then I said about the one worn out by adultery, 'Now let them use her as a prostitute, for that is all she is.'....so they slept with those lewd women, Oholah and Oholibah. But righteous men will sentence them to the punishment of women who commit adultery...because they are adulterous...This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Bring a mob against them and give them over to terror and plunder....So I will put an end to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not imitate you." ~Tonight, just as the sky became dark and th

Change of Perspective

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Hebrews chapter 12, of which I will share selected verses: 12:3-6~Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those He loves." 12:14-15~Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. 12:25-29~See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns from heaven? At that time His

The Good Life Is Always Good

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Job chapters 29-30, 38-39, of which I will share selected verses~ 29:1-3~ Job continued in his discourse: "How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me, when his lamp shone upon my head and by his light I walked through darkness! 29:7-8~ When I went to the gate of the city and took my seat in the public square, the young men saw me and stepped aside and the old men rose to their feet;... 30:1~But now they mock me, men younger than I, whose fathers I would have disdained to put with my sheep dogs. 30:9-11~And now their sons mock me in song; I have become a byword among them. They detest me and keep their distance; they do not hesitate to spit in my face. Now that God has unstrung my bow and afflicted me, they throw off restraint in my presence. 30:20-21~I cry out to you, O God, but you do not answer; I stand up, but you merely look at me. You turn on me ruthlessly; with the might of your hand you atta

Fearless Rapids in the Dry Lands

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Isaiah 35:1-6~ "The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon, they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, He will come with vengeance; with divine retribution He will come to save you." Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert." ~Have you ever felt what it's like to hear the perfectly timed word of the Lord--an encouraging word that lifts your spirits and makes certain your hope