Month: March 2018

WHEN THE ENEMY COMES IN LIKE A FLOOD…


Spiritual Blog - Flood

Isaiah 59:19 – “So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.”  NKJV

 

It is another beautiful morning here in the DFW area in Texas.  I have been running behind this morning because after my time of prayer and fellowship with the Lord there were some things that came up to delay my coming to the computer.  I love these cool mornings when I can rise before it is yet day and bask in the sunlight of His presence.  My heart has been heavy for some time over what I see in this present world and the Lord witnessed to my heart the following:  “Do Not Fear, I Am With You!”

I look around at the world, our nation, much of the world of Christianity and at individual lives and am troubled.  One the one hand, I see the Glory of the Lord moving and on the other; I see the onslaught of the enemy coming in like a flood.  For me to say that our nation is in trouble would be an understatement; it is a disaster!  For me to say that our world is troubled would also be an understatement, it is being dismantled!  For me to say that much of the Christian world has lost some of its direction would be an understatement, much is out of focus and out of order!  I am not trying to be critical of the Church but when I look at what I see, I am not seeing what is depicted in the Bible as being the Church that Jesus is coming back for!  Since the Church is the people within it, my concern is not for the organized church but for the individual cells, members or people within that great organism called THE CHURCH!

There have been times when I have felt overwhelmed by what I saw and in those times, the Lord has given me something to stand on.  This is one of those times and this passage is one of those passages – “When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.”  That is my rallying cry today!  That is my inspiration today!  That is my declaration of faith today!  Therefore, it does not matter how big the battle, how fierce the attack, how widespread the seeming destruction – GOD will and is LIFTING UP A STANDARD against the enemy.  Simply put, God will STOP him, provide protection and we know that we have weapons that are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.

Therefore, my word to you today is KNOW that GOD is IN CONTROL and WILL NOT FAIL!  He has promised to NEVER leave us nor FORSAKE us but is with us ALWAYS even to the end of the world!  No weapon formed against us shall prosper and every tongue that rises against us in judgment will be condemned.  We have been attacked on many sides regarding our faith but we must never quit.  The only way the devil can win in our lives is if we quit.  The enemy is ramping up his assault but the Spirit of God is rising up within the hearts of believers worldwide to stand in the gap and make up the hedge.  I, therefore, rest in the protection and provision of the Almighty!

I urge you to approach your day with the confidence that even if the enemy comes in like a flood, God will raise up a standard against him.  Go in peace and rejoice for your redemption draws near.  Blessings to everyone! 

 

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AMERICA’S PRAYER THROUGH HER PEOPLE…


Spiritual Blog - National

Psalms 6:1-10 – “LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure. 2 Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am weak; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are troubled. 3 My soul also is greatly troubled; But You, O LORD — how long? 4 Return, O LORD, deliver me! Oh, save me for Your mercies’ sake!  5 For in death there is no remembrance of You; In the grave who will give You thanks?  6 I am weary with my groaning; All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears. 7 My eye wastes away because of grief; It grows old because of all my enemies. 8 Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity; For the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping. 9 The LORD has heard my supplication; The LORD will receive my prayer. 10 Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled; Let them turn back and be ashamed suddenly.”  NKJV

As I listen in the silence of the morning and hear hearing the beginning of life stirring in the near and far and sip my coffee as I pore over the passages listed below.  The word of God in my heart is consistent with what a person told me yesterday, “Psalm 6 should be America’s prayer at this time!”  The Lord confirmed that to me this morning, so I share it.

So much going on that is not good or right in this world and especially in our nation.  Truly, we have come to a time when some hearts are failing them for fear of what they see coming on this country and this earth.  Others, are stirring with anticipation of the Lord’s return and are dangerously close to just sitting and waiting for the Lord to return and doing nothing.  Both approaches are contrary to the heart of Scripture, in my humble opinion.  In this Psalm, there is a message and a process that we each individually can and should follow in our pursuit of freedom and liberty.

  1. Cry out to God for His Mercy – – Individually, collectively and nationally.
  2. Admit our weakness and failure as a nation and repent of those sins before God as though we were the nation rather than just individual parts. Repent personally and for the nation.
  3. We must come to the place that the troubled times around us and our desire for God and righteousness bring us to the place that we make our beds swim with tears. We need to mourn this nation and where we have come to as a people and incessantly cry out to God for mercy.
  4. We need to come out from among them and be separate. We need to stand for right and stand against wrong.  How can a nation with the blood of innocent, unborn babies on its hands not face swift and severe judgment?  We must seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
  5. Then we walk in confidence that God has heard our repentance, our mourning, or intercession, prayer, and supplication and received our prayers.

It is then that we will see the hand of God move and our enemies (the enemies of this Great Land) and the enemies of the Kingdom of God turned back, become greatly ashamed and troubled.  It is then that God will cause them to turn back in shame SUDDENLY!  His act will be swift and His judgment sure!  It is in our hands!

My desire and prayer are that all believers cry out to God in repentance for ourselves personally and this nation collectively.  That we cry out for the Kingdom of God to come, on earth as it is in heaven, and we submit ourselves to the rule and reign of the Lord Jesus Christ in all things!  Pray like you’ve never prayed and work like you’ve never worked, evil does not take a holiday!

Through our God, we will see victory either here on earth and in heaven or just in heaven, but we will see victory!  I heard the Lord say to me, “It’s in your hands to put it back in mine!”

Blessings as you begin your week.  May the Lord Bless you richly on this special day that the Lord has made!

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SHATTERED TEETH AND A FACE SLAP…


Spiritual Blog - Shield Around Us

Psalms 3:1-4:1 – “O LORD, how my adversaries have increased!  Many are rising up against me. 2 Many are saying of my soul, “There is no deliverance for him in God.” Selah.  3 But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head.  4 I was crying to the LORD with my voice, And He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah.  5 I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustains me. 6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me round about. 7 Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God! For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked.  8 Salvation belongs to the LORD; Your blessing be upon Your people! Selah.”  NASU

 

This morning is so still it would be eerie except for the peace it brings.  Cool, damp and wonderful.  As I sat drinking my coffee, reading Psalm 3 and listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit, the Lord spoke to my heart about our distress as a people.

I, as many of you, have for some time contemplated the rise of the enemies of America and the increase in the activities of the evil one in our land and even against our lives and those of our family and friends.  Some have even gone into a deep state of depression over what they see and because they see no deliverance on the horizon, their faith has waned, and their hearts have grown weak.  Others are having become like the Children of Israel while in Egyptian bondage and have daily and incessantly been crying out for DELIVERANCE!  We live in troubling times and are facing trouble on every hand.  Except for God’s hand of deliverance we perish!

I heard the Lord speak to me, “Relax, I’m not through yet.  Continue to do all I’ve told you and tell you to do but relax I will work a work in your day that even if I told you, you would not believe it.”  We do not have to fear the thousands of people or thousands of thousands who have set themselves or will set themselves against us.  We do not have to fear the powers of hell that are in or will set themselves in array against us for we have and are crying out to the Lord of Host to DELIVER us.  We will see the day when GOD smites the cheek or SLAPS THE FACE of the enemy and shatters their teeth of the wicked.  Salvation belongs to God and we are children of the Most High God! His blessings are and will be upon His people!

Therefore, rise up, shake yourselves and rejoice for your HELP is in GOD, your HOPE is in GOD, your DELIVERANCE is in GOD and He has not FORGOTTEN us.  Pray with fervency and work with diligence for our day of deliverance is coming!  I rejoice in that word this morning and encourage you to do so as well.

Blessings to you as you begin this beautiful day in the Lord!  Lift up your voice and rejoice! 

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ANYBODY THIRSTY??? REALLY THIRSTY?????


Spiritual Blog - Thirsty

John 7:37-39 – “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ” If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.  38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'”  39 But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”  NASU

 

WOW!  Today is another beautiful morning, as I awaken and sit before the Lord enjoying the solitude of my quiet place.  Darkness fills the air in the natural and light fills my heart in the spiritual.  My coffee tastes especially good this morning, the Word is incredibly refreshing and the communication with the Lord enlightening.  He asked me this question from the passage in John’s Gospel, “Are You Thirsty, Really Thirsty?” 

Jesus cried out at the last day of the feast a question that would have been applicable to every person there.  “Is anyone thirsty…”  Then He gave the solution to quenching that thirst, “let him come to Me and drink…”  This is not the first time that we’ve seen water regarding the people. We saw it in Exodus 17 Israel was encamped a Rephidim, but there was no water to drink and God through Moses’ hand provided water from the rock (a type of Christ).  Now, Jesus was telling the crowd if you have a thirst there is water that will quench it permanently for once you drink of this water there will be an inner river flowing out of your being to continually satisfy.  Remember the woman in Samaria (John 4) whom Jesus asked to give Him a drink and ultimately told her that there was water that she did not know about that would quench her thirst permanently?  Water that would become a fountain of water from within that would spring up into everlasting life was what He was offering her.

That Water of Salvation is available to everyone but ONLY those who THIRST find it.  If any man thirsts let him come unto Me and drink.  He speaks of the power of the Holy Spirit within our lives who will provide that continual flow of the waters of salvation in our beings.  He is offering that continual connection to Himself and the Father to whoever will come to Him and drink.

How do we drink?  We confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead.  We confess our sins and He is faithful and just to forgive us of all our sins.  We find that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.  We drink from the fountain filled with blood that flows from Emmanuel’s veins.  We come to the Cross and receive the sacrifice that Jesus offered to pay for our sins.  We receive Him into our lives as Savior and as Lord!  He is the Water of Life, a continual flow from the throne of the Father, to us who are thirsty!  But, we must become thirsty or we will never seek that flow!

Today, allow your hunger and thirst for righteousness to be satisfied by turning fully to Jesus with your heart, your soul, your mind and your spirit.  Once you taste this water you will never thirst again! As you begin your day, go forth from the fountain of life having drunk from His waters and be satisfied!  Once you have quenched your thirst at His fountain go forth and share that water with others who are searching and thirsty!

Blessings as you go through your day!  May the Lord provide all that you need to do all that your heart desires on this day!

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WHO ARE YOU?


Spiritual Blog - Who

Acts 19:11-15 – “Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. 13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 14 Also, there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. 15 And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”   NKJV

 

As the darkness covers the backyard, stillness and quietness allow my mind to reflect on the things of my heart without interruption from external sources.  Reading passages from the Bible and listening to the Lord refreshes the soul.  This morning I sat thinking about the question above from the scripture text passage.

This account in Acts is so applicable to us today as in any day.  Some diminish the power of the forces of hell to the point that they mock and taunt those forces while others are so fearful that they live life with such timidity that they cannot accomplish anything for the Lord.  We have authority, we have weapons of warfare that are mighty through God (2 Corinthians 10) and we have a commission to go into all the world with the “Good News”. (Mark 16)

Luke 10:18-20 – “And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” NKJV

 We, having been born again, have the privilege of carrying the “Good News” to the ends of the world and to every person.  In so doing, we will be invading territory that is currently occupied by the forces of darkness.  They will not want to give up that territory without a fight, so it is imperative that we KNOW who we are and whose we are.  Our faith and confidence are not in our ability, spirituality, gifts or talents but in HIM, otherwise, we will find the evil forces saying to us what was said to the sons of Sceva in Acts 19, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know but who are you?”   May that never be!

Our rejoicing is not, that the powers of darkness are subject to us through Christ, but that our names are written in heaven.  Our rejoicing is not in our ability to cast out demons, see signs and wonders but in souls coming into the Kingdom of God.  Seeking the demonstrations of power is to focus wrongly.  Seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness is the proper focus and the other will be a by-product of that relationship, as needed and where needed.  It’s not important that anyone know our name or recall any exploits that we may have done or been used to accomplish, in Christ, but that they KNOW HIM!  The objective is reaching those who are lost, dying, hurting, bound, wounded, bruised, battered, defeated and bring them out of the darkness into His marvelous light!  There will be demonstrations of power when God moves!  The purpose of those demonstrations is not to call attention to us but to turn hearts to our Lord!  My desire is to see the captive free, not have attention called to me.  My purpose is to lead so that others can follow Him, not that I have a following.  So, for my name to be feared in hell it must be written in heaven and my heart must be completely submitted to Christ!  We are children of the Most High God and have authority over all the power of the enemy!  We do not walk in fear but in confidence in Him!

Today, as you work, war and witness for our Lord know that you are more than a conqueror through Him that loves us!  Perfect love casts out fear!  Walk in His love and allow Him to demonstrate the power of that love through us.

May the rich and bountiful Blessings of the LORD accompany you as you go through your day! 

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FOURTH MAN IN THE FIRE…


Spiritual Blog - Fourth Man

Daniel 3:16-25 – “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”  19 Saved in Fiery Trial Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 22 Therefore, because the king’s command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.”  25 Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”  NKJV

  

What a beautiful beginning to a new day.  I am sitting with my morning coffee, bible and the presence of the Lord, reading, and listening.  In the stillness I heard “There is a Fourth Man in the Fire!”

The Book of Daniel is a most interesting book, to me.  I love watching the hand of God upon lives that are completely committed to Him and seeing His delivering hand.  A truth that too frequently we forget and allow ourselves to fret, fuss and fume over various situations and circumstances.  The Hebrews taken captive to Babylon had among them, four very distinctive personalities.  Daniel, whom they named Belteshazzar but we always find him called Daniel.  Hananiah the Babylonian’s renamed Shadrach; Mishael to Meshack and Azariah to Abed-Nego names we find them referred to in the book henceforth.  These four young men made some early decisions regarding their commitment to the Almighty God whom they served.

  1. The refused to eat the king’s meat or drink the king’s Oh, how we need to understand that we must “come out from among them and be separate”.  They didn’t try to make themselves noticeable to everyone around them in their difference, just maintain their commitment to God and allow the result to speak for itself.  Their commitment elevated them to prominent positions in the kingdom of Babylon, yet they maintained their integrity and commitment to God.
  1. The refused to bow before the king’s idol even though, in the natural, it meant sure death. They responded to the king by saying, king we do not need to try to justify our actions to you, we trust the God we serve and He will deliver us and if not no big deal.  We must always remember that this life here is just a sojourning; we are passing through as “strangers and pilgrims on this earth.”  This is a temporary home, not our permanent one.  Therefore, keeping the focus on the “goal, the prize of the high calling” is more important than being politically correct or fitting in with the world.
  1. They were delivered by THE FOURTH MAN IN THE FIRE whom Nebuchadnezzar declared looked like “the Son of God.” Even the Babylonian king could not deny the truth of God nor His great power because of the commitment of these young men.

It doesn’t matter what we face!  It doesn’t matter what obstacles are laid in our path!  It doesn’t matter what opposition comes our way!  It doesn’t matter what danger our lives might be placed in – – THERE IS A FOURTH MAN IN THE FIRE!  If we “seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness”; our eyes upon Him and our commitment firmly rooted in His Word and refuse, as the three Hebrew Children to BEND, BREAK or BOW we will walk out of the fire either in this life or in the next unscathed and into His presence!  They may be able to kill our bodies but they cannot kill our souls, therefore we need not fear them, whoever they might be!

I pray that as you begin your day today you will have a knowing deep inside that if today leads you to the fiery furnace the FOURTH MAN IN THE FIRE will be awaiting you there to cover you over with His feathers and under His wings, you can trust, rest and be protected.  We will either receive deliverance or promotion and both are victories!

Blessing my friends as you go through your day!

 

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WHERE IS MY HELP?


Spiritual Blog - My Help

Psalms 121 – “I will lift up my eyes to the hills — From whence comes my help?  2 My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.  3 He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.  4 Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep.  5 The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade at your right hand.  6 The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night.  7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. 8 The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.”  NKJV

 

It is another beautiful morning in the DFW area, cool temperatures 46 degrees, slight Southerly breeze blowing, train horns shattering the morning silence, coffee temperature perfect and my Bible providing needed nourishment.  In conversation with the Lord, these passages came up regarding HELP.

Like the Psalmist, we find ourselves facing possible or imminent attack from time to time in our lives.  The Psalmist was looking to the hills (mountains) and asked where is my help coming from?  Was he looking to the natural mountains?  Was he looking to heaven?  Was he looking to Jerusalem?  No matter, he identifies where his help is coming from – – The LORD who made heaven and earth.  He was looking to the one who will not allow our feet to slip.  The one who does not sleep or slumber.  The one sustains keeps or protects us in EVERYTHING.  He is our covering to keep us from being burned by either the sun or the trouble.  He is the one who preserves us from all evil and preserves our soul as we go out and come in.  He is our fortress, our defender, our protector, our deliverer, our guide and our counselor.

More than once in my life, I have experienced this protective care and keeping of the Lord.  He would make a way when there seemed to be no way.  He came through when there was help from no other source.  He has come through financially providing funds when an emergency had arisen that without His miracle my family and I would be devastated.  He has provided healing when I faced cancer’s sentence of death and numerous other times when the physical condition prevented me from accomplishing His purposes for that time.  He has provided wise counsel with a clear path to victory when there was confusion and searching for the way.  He has provided the loving touch of His hand when loneliness and despair had set in and lifted me from the pit of self-pity back onto the solid foundation of victory.  He has been my provider, defender, protector, guide, friend, counselor and LORD in so many instances that time will not allow me to include here.

WHERE IS MY HELP?  Where is my country’s help?  Where is my family’s help?  It is coming from the LORD!  He has promised that if we CALL unto HIM He will ANSWER us!  Lord, I’m calling confident that you are answering!  As in the Old Western movies, the U.S. Cavalry is coming in the nick of time.  The Christ of Calvary will be ON TIME, EVERY TIME!!!! 

Look up your redemption draws near!  Today is a good day for you to being the day rejoicing in the Lord and thanking Him for what He has done, is doing and is going to do on your behalf!

May the LORD bless you richly as you embark on today’s journey! 

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NO OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN…


Spiritual Blog - no Other Name

Acts 4:1-12 – “As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, 2 being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand. 5 On the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; 6 and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent. 7 When they had placed them in the center, they began to inquire, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ” Rulers and elders of the people, 9 if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead —  by this name this man stands here before you in good health. 11 ” He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone.  12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” NASU

 

Sometimes in the chaos of this world’s problems, political, social, economic, physical, etc. we forget the foundation.  We turn our eyes toward the problem and it causes fear, concern, apprehension, trepidation and even depression.  Yet, when we remember to remember that Jesus is the foundation and that “NO OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN has been given among men by whom we must be saved” we shake ourselves and rise up out of the ash heap of despair and look up to the author and finisher of our souls in victory!

Deep inside my spirit, I know that I know that I know that GOD IS IN CONTROL of my life and the lives of many others and that His Holy Spirit is touching hearts across this land for good and right.  We may continue to have political chaos and disaster of all types but the one thing we DARE NOT FORGET is that Jesus is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE – THE DOOR!  There is no other access to the Father but through and by Him.  That has to remain our foundational focus and message to those around us.

The chorus of an old song resounds and resonates in my heart today – “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”  He is the Stone that the builders rejected but has become the Chief Corner Stone!

He is trustworthy!  He is reliable!  He is Truth!  He is Life!  He is Hope!  He is change!  He is Salvation!  It is in Him that we live and move and have our being and upon whom we can rely!  So, no matter what takes place in this life our faith and confidence MUST REMAIN IN HIM!  He is our Rock and our Foundation!  Don’t let the problems overwhelm you allow His love to give you an anchor that will hold no matter what!  If they kill us all they’ve done is send us home early.  However, if He keeps us here awhile longer then there is work to do and we must be busy about the Master’s Business!

God Bless you as you enjoy this wonderful day in Him!  May the Lord Bless and Keep you and make His face to Shine upon you and give you Peace!

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