Be Not Terrified!

Testing 1 2 3

By now many of my readers probably know about the nationwide Emergency Alert Test that was originally scheduled for today, September 20, but has been changed to October 3.

If you have not heard of this or want to know more, simply go to https://www.fema.gov/emergency-alert-test. In a nutshell, it is supposed to be a simple test of their systems and “no action is required”.

What is interesting to me is that this “Presidential Alert”, as it is referred to, is to be conducted 8 days after President Trump is scheduled to speak at the United Nations this coming Tuesday, September 25. If the President does indeed announce his Middle East peace plan that day, our nation will very soon afterwards suffer dire consequences; in other words, a real national emergency. I and many others have written on this subject before (go to Time to Focus! Mega Quake BEFORE the Rapture? for related links).

Dire Consequences?

God warns in His Word that the land of Israel belongs to Him and that there will be consequences to those who divide it (Joel 3:2). Example after example of this is cited in the book Eye to Eye--Facing the Consequences of Dividing Israel by William Koenig.

Koenig had this to say about that week of August back in 2017 when Jared Kushner and his team arrived in Jerusalem and how it related to the resulting unprecedented storm such as we have never seen the likes of before in human history—Hurricane Harvey:

"...The timing of White House Senior Advisor Jared Kushner, Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt, and Deputy National Security Advisor Dina Powell meetings in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Jordan, Egypt and Israel and the rapid reformation of Harvey when it looked like it was finished as a tropical threat was awe-inspiring. 

On Wednesday, August 23, the day that Kushner, Greenblatt and Powell arrived in Jerusalem after three and a half days of nonactivity, Harvey quickly became a tropical storm and within 48 hours a major record-setting category 4 hurricane. Much of Jared Kushner and his team's schedule the weekend of August 20-24 ... were somewhat secretive. I had to review some of the Arab news websites to establish the schedule. 

The bottom line, Kushner's week was focused on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. It was a serious effort on behalf of President Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, hurricane Harvey became a major record-setting category 4 hurricane that pummeled southern Texas Friday, August 25, and into the wee hours on Saturday morning ..."

. . . Newscasters have called Harvey a once-in-500-years storm. Fox News called it a once-in-1000-years storm. . . [Excerpt Why is America Suffering?]

The impression in my spirit is that instead of peace and security coming to America when our President announces his Deal of the Century, what is coming is—as David Wilkerson put it—"a tragic earthquake”:

The United States is going to experience, in the not-too-distant future, the most tragic earthquake in its history…I am not at all convinced that this earthquake will take place in California. In fact, I believe it is going to take place where it is least expected. (The Vision and Beyond by David Wilkerson, page 28. Also available at endtimemanna.org PDF.)

Many who have been watching for the Resurrection/Rapture will be dazed and wonder why they are living through such a thing! [Excerpt from Time to Focus! Mega Quake BEFORE the Rapture?]

About a week after writing the above article, I heard this prophecy through Charlie Shamp, someone whose prophecies have been reported as being proven:

I saw two E's resting over the earth: earthquakes and eruptions. We have entered into a time of spiritual and natural earthquakes and eruptions where the spiritual will be paralleled by the natural.

It will be a time of great rejoicing for some, but great sorrow for others. Great grace will be needed by the Church during this time to walk in the days ahead. The choice of desire will be handed to nations, sealed for a time and season. . .

I heard the Lord say, "There will be sizable shakings of the ground in 2018. Natural earthquakes will greatly increase this year across the nations, but so too will My glory."

I could see and feel major shakings coming in the earth physically on a much greater level than we have seen in the past. I could see great shakings that moved the ground in the natural. It was a massive force that caused the soil to be moved. I could hear people saying, "Why has this happened? Why has this earthquake come so that the soil of our country has been shaken?" I looked to the mountains and they were quaking and all the hills moved back and forth. I looked again and I saw other nations and they were shaking with Revival, Renewal, Resurrection and Restoration. [Excerpt from Elijah List]

Be Not Terrified

When asked what the sign would be of His Second Coming, Jesus spoke of a grand convergence of wars and earthquakes being indicators of the Tribulation and marking its beginning.

But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end [is] not by and by.

Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:

And great earthquakes [megas seismos]  shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. Luke 21:9-11

[Excerpt from Earthquakes and Resurrections]

Notice His exhortation— “be not terrified”!

Let us remember that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but that we have the SPIRIT OF CHRIST within us that is a spirit of POWER, LOVE, and a SOUND MIND (2 Timothy 1:7)!

If you will allow me once again to stand with you, brethren, as a spiritual doula, I wish to exhort you—if my impressions are correct and we experience this earthquake here in America before the Resurrection/Rapture occurs, be not terrified! It is still “false labor” and the Tribulation or Jacob’s Trouble has not yet begun!

Some women get a couple of strong contractions as a warning that labor is imminent, and they rush off to the hospital (if they opt for that instead of home birth) only to be sent back home. THIS IS WHERE WE ARE.

The earth is going to experience one maybe two strong contractions—earthquakes—BEFORE actual LABOR/TRAVAIL/TRIBULATION begins. [Excerpt from Time to Focus! Mega Quake BEFORE the Rapture?]

They Shall Know Us by Our Love

For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

Isaiah 60:2-3 KJV

When this prophesied quake occurs, it will be a time of darkness not just in America, but in the world. Christ came for Israel, but before He came the world was engulfed in deep darkness. Thanks be to God that His Light also shone upon the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:6) so that now all those who have Christ within them may also manifest that Light and manifest His Love!

I sincerely believe that those who are tuned into the Spirit of the Lord will rise in that hour and shine resulting in many giving their hearts to the KING of Kings.

Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

By this shall all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. - John 13:33-35 KJV

Breaking the Chain of Fear

1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment.

One of the joys of my childhood in the Great North was playing in the ever-present wintertime snow. I remember a day when my brothers and sisters and I were sliding down the great mounds of plowed snow in my uncle's farmyard along with our cousins. We were yelling and screaming as kids always do, but it turned into shrieks of terror when their vicious dog broke its chain and ran to where we were playing and began to attack us. I shrieked the loudest and attempted to escape by climbing the makeshift hill but he grabbed a hold of my heel and dragged me down. Fortunately my boots and heavy clothing kept me from any physical harm, but my soul had been scarred for life with fear.

Far from my mind was this memory when my husband Tom and I took a brisk walk in our neighborhood on a recent spring-like day. "Look at that sky," I sighed. Great swaths of pure white vaporous clouds wispily curtained the pale azure vault. The sight gave rise to worship within my heart and I thanked God for the beauty of the day. Love poured over and through me deeper than the warmth of the sun. Suddenly the pleasure of the moment was disrupted as a large white dog came running towards us barking a warning.

"Oh, no," I said as the adrenaline rush of fear tried to rise up in me. My husband was between the oncoming animal and me. We continued to walk hoping the dog would lose interest, but he didn't.
 
"His hackles are up," Tom said, his voice lowered. But within the flash of that moment the dear Holy Spirit came with guidance and I began to sing softly in tongues. I looked heavenward as we continued to walk and the Holy Presence poured over and through me once again. Immediately, the dog stopped barking and began to sniff the ground at a nearby mailbox losing all interest in us.

Then I remembered how by the Spirit I escaped being brutally mauled by an attack dog when Tom and I and our then two children lived in a mobile home park. I was walking to a neighbor's trailer when I heard a growl behind me. The Holy Spirit inspired me to whistle a tune as I continued to walk. As the beast closed in, I turned towards it and with pointed finger commanded, "In the name of Jesus Christ return to your home and do not come back out." I watched with amazement (and knees knocking) as that trained attack dog did exactly as I spoke.

THANK YOU LORD JESUS, OUR YAHSHUA HA MOSHIACH, for sending us the oh so precious Holy Spirit. Only through Him are we able to overcome the things of the world! Only by the blood of the Lamb came the gift of Holy Spirit. And only by the immeasurable love of our Heavenly Father came the Son.


 

When a Woman Cries

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. Psalm 56:8 NLT

There has been much written on the subject of suffering, but the simple truth is that if you stand for the true God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Yahshua, and live a holy life, you will experience pain and suffering. (2 Timothy 3:12; Romans 8:17; 1 Thessalonians 3:4; Hebrews 11:25)

Simply living in the world and not being of that world results in evil befalling us. Many times pain comes at the hands of our own brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Life can push the strongest follower of Christ into a pit of depression and despair. I know--I've been there. I refused to remain there and have continued to 'put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness' (Isaiah 61:3).

One recent morning I sat in my little office/guest room seeking His presence as some worship music played. I dropped into a place of deep, deep rest where my body and mind were at peace but I was still awake. The sensation was like being in a different realm while bodily on earth. I stayed in that place for over an hour.

I had experienced this before and breathed a prayer of thanks when I 'awoke'. Immediately I heard in my spirit, "I love you, Lyn. Rest in that."  

As if to confirm His love to me, I then was led to read a message a friend had emailed that same day. It moved me to tears of joy so I'd like to share it with you...

 

"This Time I Will Praise the Lord"(En Español) We cannot pass through life without getting hurt. Pain and disappointment in this world are inevitable. How we handle our setbacks, though, shapes our character and prepares us for eternity. Our attitude is the pivotal factor determining the level of our protection from strife. Regardless of the hardships we have faced, and in spite of the mistakes we have made, the end of our lives can either be full of praise and thanksgiving or full of misery and complaint. In the final analysis, what we have experienced in life will be as rich as the desires we have had fulfilled or as painful as the things we regret. The Bible tells us, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick" (Prov. 13:12). Deep disappointments in life have a way of never leaving us; they enter our hearts like fire and then harden into our nature like lava. Setbacks can leave us cautious about new ventures and suspicious of new friends. Our woundedness restrains our openness. We are fearful we will be hurt again by new relationships. Gradually, unless we learn to handle heartache correctly, we become embittered and resentful cynics. We lose the joy of being alive. The Source of Fulfillment It is our own desires and the degree of their fulfillment that produce either joy or sorrow in our lives. Even basic desires for marriage or friends can enslave us if they consume our attention. Are these desires evil? No, but if having our desires fulfilled is the main reason we have come to Christ, it is possible our lives simply will not improve until our priorities change. The Lord is concerned about fulfilling our desires, but to do so He must pry our fingers off our lives and turn our hearts toward Him. Indeed, the reason we are alive is not to fulfill our desires but to become His worshipers. Personal fulfillment can become an idol; it can develop into such an obsession that we are living for happiness more than living for God. Thus, part of our salvation includes having our desires prioritized by Christ. In the Sermon on the Mount, He put it this way: "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself " (Matt. 6:33-34). God wants to, and will, satisfy us beyond our dreams, but not before He is first in our hearts. A wonderful example of this can be seen in the life of Leah, Jacob's first wife. Leah was unattractive, unwanted, and unloved by her husband. Jacob had served Laban, Leah's father, seven years for Rachel, who was Leah's younger sister. On their wedding night, however, Laban put Leah in the nuptial tent instead of Rachel. Although Jacob actually did marry Rachel a week later, he had to work another seven years for her. So Jacob had two wives who were sisters. The Scriptures tell us that Rachel was loved by Jacob, but Leah was hated: "When the Lord saw that Leah was hated . . ." (Gen. 29:31 KJV). We must understand this about the nature of God: the Lord is drawn to those who hurt. "The Lord saw . . . Leah." What wonderful words! In the same way water descends and fills that which is lowest, so Christ reaches first to the afflicted, to fill the lowliest and comfort them. The Lord saw that Leah was unloved. He saw her pain, loneliness, and heartache. Leah, though unloved by Jacob, was deeply loved by the Lord, and He gave her a son. Leah's reaction was predictable. She said, "Surely now my husband will love me" (v. 32). Worse than living your life alone is to be married to someone who hates you, as was Leah. How Leah wished that Jacob would share the love he had for Rachel with her. Who could blame her? Leah's desires were justified. She had given him a firstborn son. In her mind, if the Lord could open her womb, He could also open Jacob's heart. But the time was not yet; Jacob still did not love her. Twice more Leah gave birth to sons, and each time her desire was for her husband. She said, "Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons" (v. 34). Yet, Jacob's heart still did not desire her. For Leah, as well as for us, there is a lesson here: you cannot make another person love you. In fact, the more pressure you place upon others to accept you, the more likely they are to reject you instead. Leah's concept of fulfillment was based on attaining Jacob's love and now her problem was worsening. Not only was she unattractive to Jacob, but also her jealousies were adding to her lack of loveliness. Three times we read in this text that the Lord saw and heard that Leah was unloved. He saw her affliction. Through all her striving for Jacob and her disappointment with her marital relationship, the Lord was tenderly wooing Leah to Himself. As Leah became pregnant a fourth time, a miracle of grace occurred within her. She gradually became aware that, while she had not been the focus of her husband's love, she was loved by God. And as this fourth pregnancy drew near to completion, she drew nearer and nearer to God. She became a worshiper of the Almighty. As she gave birth to another son, she said, "This time I will praise the Lord" (v. 35). She named that child Judah, which means, "praise." It was from the tribe of Judah that Christ was born. Leah had been seeking self-fulfillment and found only heartache and pain. But as she became a worshiper of God, she entered life's highest fulfillment: she began to please God. It is right here that the human soul truly begins to change and enter God's stronghold. As Leah found fulfillment in God, He began to remove from her the jealousies, insecurities, and heartaches that life had conveyed to her. A true inner beauty started growing in Leah; she became a woman at rest. Likewise, we each have character defects that we are reluctant or unable to face. Others have seen these things in us, but they have lacked the courage to tell us. Both physically and personally, these flaws in our nature are what leave us anxious, threatened, and unfulfilled. It is not counsel or classes on success or self-esteem that we need; we simply need to discover God's love for us. As we begin to praise Him in all things, we simultaneously put on the garments of salvation. We are actually being saved from that which would otherwise have destroyed us! Disappointments and heartaches cannot cling to us, for we are worshipers of God! And "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God" (Rom. 8:28). If we continue to love God, nothing we experience can ultimately turn out harmful since God takes all we pass through and, in His redemptive power, works it for our good. The Tree of Life You will remember the verse we quoted, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick" (Prov. 13:12). The verse concludes with, "But desire fulfilled is a tree of life." As our desires are fulfilled, we are fulfilled. Since it is the fulfillment of our desires that fills us with satisfaction, the secret to a rewarding life is to commit our desires to God. Let Him choose the times and means of our fulfillment, allowing the Lord to prepare us for Himself along the way. The truth is that in ourselves we are incomplete; but in Christ we have been made complete (Col. 2:10). You say, "That's easy for you to say. You have a wonderful wife and family. You are blessed. But you don't understand my problems." Yes, I do. My wonderful marriage was very difficult for the first few years. We struggled with many things in our relationship. My wife and I both came to the place where we were unfulfilled in each other. But, like Leah, we both looked to God and said, "This time I will praise the Lord." In fact, we named our second child the very name Leah gave to her fourth: Judah. For us, as for Leah, our lives were turned around as we chose to delight in God in spite of being unfulfilled with each other. As we became His worshipers, He began to work on our hearts until we were not only more pleasing to Him, we were also pleasing to each other! What I am relating to you is the very thing that saved and blessed our marriage! Psalm 37:4 reads, "Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart." As you delight in God, you change. The negative effects of disappointment and grief fall off. As love and joy from God begin to fulfill us, our very souls are restored and beautified. Yes, delight yourself with Jesus and your self-destructive tendencies will actually begin to vanish. Christ will beautify your life from the inside out. The Outcome of Leah's Life What happened with Leah? Well, the long years came and went. In time, Rachel and then Leah died. Jacob, on his deathbed, spoke to his sons: "I am about to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave . . . which Abraham bought . . . for a burial site. There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah, there they buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and there I buried Leah" (Gen. 49:29-31). Jacob had buried Leah in the ancestral place of honor! Oh how those words, though few, say so much! They tell us that God had, in some marvelous inner way, beautified this afflicted one with salvation. After Leah found fulfillment in God, God gave her fulfillment in Jacob. Over the years, inner peace and spiritual beauty shone forth from Leah; Jacob was knit to her in love. It is not hard to imagine that when Leah died, she left smiling, with the praises of God upon her lips. Become a worshiper of God! As you surrender your desires to Him, as you put Him first, He will take what you give Him and make it beautiful in its time. He will take what has been bent and imbalanced within you and make you stand upright in His light and glory. Therefore, this day speak to your soul. Tell the areas of unfulfillment within you that this time you will praise the Lord! Lord, I am a Leah, unlovely and always seeking the love of those who have rejected me. How foolish I have been. How blind. There is no love, no fulfillment in this life apart from You. You are the Tree of Life that satisfies all desires; You are the Healer of my heart. I love You, Lord Jesus. Amen.   ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Adapted from a chapter in Francis Frangipane's book And I Will Be Found By You, available at http://go.netatlantic.com/t/26858292/72654390/147514/75/ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Resting in His love,



P.S. Cassandra Boyson had a powerful encounter with the Lord related to this subject. To read about it, go to Quest Unto Glory. 

Free to Love

As I sat in the kitchen recently trying to clear my mind and pressing in to see if the Spirit of the Lord would speak to me, I heard, "Daughter, you're making life too complicated. The enemy wants your life to be complicated. Simply love Me as I love you."

When He said that, I remembered something else He had taught me years ago. Something I keep forgetting.

The Word of God instructs us in Mark 12:30 to love the Lord God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Well, you see, I had taken it upon myself to work harder on this. I would chastise myself because I didn't feel as though I loved Him enough. My Heavenly Father was gracious, though, and spoke to me one day saying, "Daughter, you are not able to love Me as much as I love you!"

What a relief! I cannot express how this freed me. It was as though another layer of manmade religion sloughed off me and I was free! Free to love Him as only I could.

Today, as I thought on His love, I came across wonderful encouragement through Anne Elmer as she shared regarding dealing with disappointment in our heart. I found it here: Anne Elmer: "REMOVE THE STONE! Let Out the Thing that is Rotting and Beginning to Smell"

And today I pray that you will be free to love!
 

Sleeping Beauty

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. - Isaiah 60:1 KJV

Remember the Disney classic movie Sleeping Beauty? Recently, the Holy Spirit gave me a vision while praying that reminded me of that movie. The vision was a path or road being blocked by briers and thorns. It reminded me of the scene where the Prince bravely hacks at the briers with his sword determined to reach Sleeping Beauty in yon castle to awaken her with a kiss.

The Church is Sleeping Beauty and the Prince is—you guessed it—the Lord Yahshua, our Jesus. Those who are awake and standing with the Prince of Glory are also facing a pathway blocked by dangerous barbs. I prayed for the Holy Fire of God to burn away the briers (see Hebrews 12:29) and obliterate any doubt or fear His people were suffering with.

The briers are from the enemy of our soul who is ‘pulling out all the stops’ for he knows his days are numbered (see Revelation 12:1-12). He does not want the sleeping giant, the beautiful Bride of Christ, awakened. He wants her out of commission!

And that, knowing the time, that now [it is] high time to awake out of sleep: for now [is] our salvation nearer than when we believed. - Romans 13:11 KJV

Do you remember how Sleeping Beauty ends? The valiant Prince flings his trusty sword at the Dragon and strikes it precisely in the heart ending its life. In these tremulous days, if we can remain determined to stand (Ephesians 6:13), we will see great and mighty things happen at the hand of God (Jeremiah 33:3).

I am honored to pray for you...

Something About the Ocean

"Something about the ocean makes me rise up and praise," choruses Ten Shekel Shirt in their song entitled Ocean.

At a beach early one morning I watched my husband as he held the camera up to take a picture of the blazing sun peeking over the ridge of clouds. "It just doesn't look as beautiful on camera as the real thing," he commented.

The prophetic in me rose up. "It's like when we show forth the love of God. People see Him in us but we are not, nor can we ever be, as brilliant and beautiful as He is."

There was a time in my life that I felt defeated because I could not love my Yah enough. I would come before Him daily striving to love Him more. But one morning He spoke clearly to me.

"Daughter, it is not possible for you to love Me as I love you."

A great weight lifted off me then. His love truly surpasses our understanding. Our job is simply to show and tell God's love. This will cause us to emit the incense of Heaven. It will rise up like fragrant fingers pointing to the Lord of Glory.

Something about the heavens, continues Ten Shekel Shirt,

Makes me stand in awe again
Something about the sunrise
Reminds me of Your faithfulness
Something about the ocean


And I'm lost in love again...

Remember I Love You

Everyone has a favorite holiday or season of the year. Our Creator was the originator of that idea, of course. He outlined several special occasions beginning in Leviticus 23 with the major festivals. Each one has historical, Messianic, and spiritual significance, but for simplicity I will list only the Messianic fulfillment of each:

Passover (Pesach) Death of The Lamb of God
Unleavened Bread (Hag HaMatzah) Burial of Yeshua, our Jesus
First Fruits (Bikkurim) Resurrection of Jesus
Pentecost (Shavuot) Pouring out of the Holy Spirit
Trumpets (Rosh HaShanah/Yom Teruah) Resurrection of the believers
Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) The day of the Messiah's second coming
Tabernacles (Sukkot) The Messianic Era/Millennium

Above information taken from The Seven Festivals of the Lord by Edward Chumney. His excellent website can be found at http://www.hebroots.org/

Why are these important? Why is your favorite holiday important? These are special occasions where we want to REMEMBER SOMETHING GOOD and CELEBRATE IT! The festivals of the Lord were given to us to understand the coming of the Messiah and His role in redeeming man back to God following the fall of man in Genesis. Our Heavenly Father wants us to remember how much He loves us. His love is so immense that He set forth a plan of redemption and restoration giving the precious life of His only begotten Son.

I'm not going to go into depth regarding all the feasts in one post, but I did want to share my thoughts on The Feast of Trumpets which, according to my calendar, begins tonight. At this season I find myself thinking of those who have gone before me--those in my family who are asleep in death awaiting the trumpet blast of I Thessalonians 4:16--


For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first...

The youngest of these is my nephew DJ who died just before turning five years old. I would like to acknowledge him today by telling you of the book his mother Linda Blechinger wrote regarding this time in her and her family's life, Mourning to Morning. Linda at first self published the book but now is in the process of having an expanded version coming out through a publishing house. Linda gives a Godly perspective to grieving and is a wise counselor to those who are mourning. If you would like to get in touch with her, she can be reached through her site at http://mourn2morn.blogspot.com/

Where would we be without Jesus? I shudder to think. But during this Feast of Trumpets, I'm going to celebrate that He gave me hope of eternal life! 1 Corinthians 15:55 KJV - O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

Despise Not Small Beginnings

Writing is one of the main passions poured into me by the Lord. Most any subject interests me, but the things of the Spirit of God intrigue me the most. I am a grandmother now but began journaling my thoughts and experiences when I was a young mother and then published them in 1991 in a book entitled The Mommy Manual (With Notes for Daddy Too). While working recently on a new book project, I stumbled across a copy of my first publication. Nostalgia swept over me and I began to think about when my kids were first born and remember how in the midst of the hustle and bustle of motherhood the Holy Spirit was there helping me. I flipped open the pages and began reading one of the many stories...

One day as I was bathing my newborn son, he seemed unusually fussy and wouldn't stop crying. Thanks to God, I noticed that there was a clear plastic thread wrapped around one of his toes which was cutting off the circulation. His toe was very red but had not turned blue yet.

Later on as I shared with my husband what had happened I realized it was the Holy Spirit who spoke to my spirit to check the baby's toes! Because of incidents like this I learned that I served a practical God--one that cared about everyday quandaries. Not an unfeeling, uncaring deity but the epitome of LOVE!

It is stories such as this I would like for you to share with me--everyday situations (big or small) where God showed up. Perhaps He spoke to you and gave you enlightenment of a scripture or understanding as to why someone spoke to you the way they did. My purpose in blogging and my prayer for the Body of Christ is Ephesians 1:4-23 which states (in part):

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love...That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ...

The computer is not a whole new world to me, but blogging is. Sometimes I think too much about what I am to write because I don't want to dishonor the Lord in any way. I was even obsessing over what I should use as a title for this first post when I heard that still small voice say, "Despise not small beginnings".