NCarolinian

First we must believe we have been heard, then we must trust God wholeheartedly in the answer, which includes the timing of the remedy. In this process, the Holy Spirit is calling us to pray, believe and trust corporately and privately too.  Jesus had approached Lazarus' tomb four days after Lazarus had died. After counseling and comforting Mary and Martha, Jesus had the stone from in front of Lazarus' tomb rolled away. Then Jesus prayed out-loud because Scripture says "Jesus...said". So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” (John 11:41-42) I believe this is the perfect example for us. Jesus gave gratitude for not only Father God's omni-presence, but personal attention to His request/petition -  Father, I thank you that you have heard me.  Then Jesus gave ack...

Names - usually parents are the ones responsible for identifying us with the combination of names - first, middle and last - we will be known by for the rest of our lives. Then there are those like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah who had their names changed by a king. You might remember the last three as - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Daniel's name was changed by the king to Belteshazzar, to reflect belief in the king's god. ( Daniel 1:7 ) For those who believe in Jesus Christ - The King of Kings - there will come a day when The King will be delivering and inscribing new names. Allow your imagination to be structured by Christ's words as He promises to those "who overcome" - "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it. " - Revelation 2:17 What an extreme...

"My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One." (1 John 2:1 NIV) Does this mean I have permission to go on sinning? Absolutely Not! If you do continue in a lifestyle of disobedience or sin against God, then you trample the very sacrifice of redemption He offers. We cannot live a perfect life, Christ Jesus has done that for us. We are called to live a Sin-Less life.  Furthermore, we should not be on eggshells about our behavior, feeling as though God has a large bolder hanging over our head ready to drop at the first sign of a mistake. If you do not know Christ as your Savior you are condemned already. " Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son." (John 3:18)  Christ Jesus was the one who said,  “I am the way and the truth ...

The Lord has stirred my heart, mind and spirit to write to you about the following subject once again. Please soak it in and I hope it blesses you. Proverbs 18:24 "One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." This verse speaks to reliability, dependability, steadiness, stability and faithfulness. It is what I call a Battery Verse - it has a Negative part to it and a Positive part to it. The Negative is the unreliable friend(s). The Positive is a particular friend that is more reliable than family. The first part of this verse talks about the importance of the company you keep. The section states,  "One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin," .   Not only will bad company hurt you, but if you have people you call "friends"  which are unreliable - the unreliability places you back by yourself when you need help and even ruins you. I encourage us to be very selective in cho...

Did God miraculously heal you? Did God save you from a perilous or dangerous situation? Did God rescue you out of a lifestyle that was destructive? These are reasonable beginnings to a life of faith in Christ Jesus. However, my effort is for us to revisit the "altars", the trophies or memorials of God in our lives. Altars in and of themselves are structures that were built to certain specifications and placed in a specific place for many different uses. Multiple cultures have integrated the use of altars in their society. The Mayans, Incas and Jews are just a select few that we know used altars. For the Jewish usage of the altar the usual observation is that they dealt with all the many sacrifices brought before the LORD. However, not only was it a place of daily sacrifice, but much more. Consider the following about the Jewish Altar... It was portable (Ex. 27:7) A place of offering (Ex. 29:18)   A place of consecration (Ex. 29:21)   A place of seeking holin...

Dear Lord,  Thank you. You have been the anchor for my soul. You have been the wind in my sails. You have been my help when I knew I needed it and when I did not know.  Lord, I apologize for dragging your Holy Spirit through my sinful mess. Savior, I request you forgive me and immerse me in a baptism of your Holy Spirit Fire-River . Empower me again, oh Lord, to be a mighty, positive influence for you. Help me to know The Shepherd's Voice more clearly and be able to carry out His Words. I pray, there is no compromise in trusting you King Jesus. You have been so good, you have been so faithful to me and my family. Even when the answers have varied from yes, to maybe, to yes, to wait for it - I have always benefited from trusting you first. Help me to continue to live like this - always consulting you first in everything. You know my first day from my last. You know every hair on my head or lack thereof. You know my thoughts before I perceive them. Your ways and though...

The Kingdom of Heaven is not just a supernaturally built structure, people or your true home. It is where creativity is nourished and grown. It is a limitless supply of potential, making you forever a work-in-progress. It is a fostering of leaders of Righteousness for His name's sake. The Kingdom of Heaven isn't just a place of citizenship - it is an atmosphere, attitude and person of Christ Jesus you always carry with you by the grace and power of The Holy Spirit.