"All Nations"

Psalm 86:8-10

Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord;

Nor are there any works like Your works.

All nations whom You have made 

Shall come and worship before You, O Lord,

And shall glorify Your name.

For You are great,

And do wondrous things,

You alone are God.

Even now in this very hour there is a call going forth throughout all nations for 'true worshipers who will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and He is looking for a people who will worship Him in spirit and truth.' John 4:23-24

Your Most Important Thing

His son. His son. His son.

God wanted his son.

 Abraham stared blankly at his surroundings. His eye made out the golden sun, the blue sky, the crisp green grass, and the regal mountain range fading into the background. He could feel the breeze on his face. He could smell the sheep dung in the distance. Yet he didn't really sense any of it.

How could he do this? How could the Lord Most High ask such a thing of him? How could he give up a piece of himself, his heart, the most important thing in his life.

 He rubbed his tired, bloodshot eyes. Or was that the point?

Based on Genesis 22:1-2

"But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, 'Abraham, Abraham!' And he said, 'Here I am.' He said, 'Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.'" Genesis 22:11-12

I had a whole new respect for Abraham the other day when I read this with my sleeping baby in my arms. I imagined the internal struggle he went through. I kept thinking about giving up your kid, and all the different things that could mean.

I want to hold onto my daughter, or maybe lock her in a tower to keep all to myself. I want to protect her from harm, hurt, and heartache. I can't do that though... I would be keeping her from all the wonderful things God has in store for her... So one day, I have to let go of one of the most important things in my life, and give her back to God.

However, it doesn't matter if you have a kid, an empty nest, or are thirteen-year-old. God wants to know that you will give Him your all. That you will give Him those things you deem most important in life, place Him first, and let Him work His wonders.

 Will you give Him your most important thing?

V. Joy Palmer

What If?

He kept hearing that word. That one word.

"Go."

The strength and authority behind that one word were like weights on his conscious. They demanded he do what the Lord said. It was the only way to be free. He looked at the floor, as if avoiding the eyes of God.

 "Go." It echoed in his head. In his heart.

Ananias groaned. The last thing he wanted to do was go to Saul, the murderer. He shifted uncomfortably, but the soles of his feet burned with the urge to go and do as the Lord had said.

However, God said he would change. That he was a chosen instrument. And what would happen if he didn't go? What if this was the turning point for Saul, and because Ananias rejected him, he returned to his former ways? Could his disobedience have such a dastardly effect?

Ananias didn't want to wonder about that. He didn't want to be the one to disobey God. So he would go. He would go for God even though he didn't like it. Ananias arose and walked out the door.

Based on Acts 9:10-15

"Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, 'Ananias.' And he said, 'Here I am, Lord.' And the Lord said to him, 'Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.' But Ananias answered, 'Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.' But the Lord said to him, 'Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.'" Acts 9:10-15

I have to give credit where credit is due. This post was inspired by my insightful mother. Thank you, Mom.

Back to the topic on hand. Let's play a game of "What if...?"

What if Ananias didn't go to see Saul? What if he said, "Nope, not happening, Bro," to God? What if he disobeyed God? Would Saul have returned to his prior ways?

No matter what your opinion on this is, stop. Think about this for a moment. Let the full impact hit you. What if?

Here's the thing: God sends us to people who are messed up. Broken. Angry. Rebellious. Those are the people that need Him. What if we took one look at those people, turned up our haughty noses, and disregarded their worth and purpose? What if that person was supposed to be the next Saul/Paul? What if you are the one being disobedient?

My friends, we are called to be like Ananias. We may not like it - Ananias didn't - but we are supposed to minister to those people. They need God, and His plan and love for them is great. So before you do whatever it is you want to do in order to be rid of this person, stop. Ask yourself, "What if?"

V. Joy Palmer

"Be A Carrier Of His Anointing"

   Then Elisha died, and they buried him. And the raiding bands from Moab invaded the land in the spring of the year.
   So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders ; and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet. 2 Kings 13:20-21

I had a conversation with one of my young men the other day about this event in 2 Kings. He was asking me, "How this had happened? Did Elisha do it?" I told him, "No. That it was my understanding that it was more a case of 'residual' anointing left on the bones of Elisha that caused the guy to be raised to life."  He then asked, "Why when it worked by accident didn't they bring more dead people to touch the bones so they could be brought to life as well?" In his mind it seemed to be a reasonable expectation to have ...if it worked once why not again? He was definitely puzzled by the fact that people didn't make use of this event/anointing since it had worked on this guy.

Since then the Lord has been speaking to me about this same thing.  Romans 8:11 says, "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." Just as this man was raised to life because he came into contact with the anointing we to can expect the same thing to happen. The same Spirit that raised Jesus is the same Spirit that we have available to us. SO THE QUESTION IS ... WHY? WHY don't we realized that same anointing is available to us. Jesus promised us that He was sending the Holy Spirit to 'baptize us with power' (Acts 1:5,8)

We, as His disciples have resurrection power available to us because Jesus said so! We need to get that! We, as His people need to not only know that truth but to access it on behalf of the 'lost' or rather those who are dead so that the anointing has the opportunity to raise them to life both spiritually and if necessary in their mortal bodies.

You and I can be those who carry the anointing! Did you notice that it was just a natural outcome that when the dead man came into contact with the anointing left on the bones of Elisha that life, Life was the 'automatic' outcome.

Be a carrier of His anointing! Say, "Yes," to the Holy Spirit and bring life to the world around you!

When You Answer God's Call

Ananias wondered if the Lord moved and spoke the same way to everyone. Did He have characteristics, a way of nature, a strong yet soft presence, that burned a hole of love into His followers?

Ananias had been praying.

However.

Now the Lord was about to speak.

His vision clouded, and that burning, yet peaceful feeling took up residence in his chest. Swirls of holy light filled his vision, and if he squinted and focused with extreme precision, Ananias thought he could see a face.

"Ananias," the Lord said.

"Here I am, Lord." His desire to serve the Lord was strong. He would do anything for Him, even lay down his own life.

Or so he thought.

Ananias listened in disbelief as the Lord spoke. He didn't want to do that. No, he wouldn't do that. Surely, surely God was not serious. He couldn't do this.

Based on Acts 9:10-13

"Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, 'Ananias.' And he said, 'Here I am, Lord.'" Acts 9:10

So I know I've been stuck in Acts for. a. long. time. But I'm not done yet. Sorry guys. ;)

If you keep reading this section, you see God tell Ananias to go do something that Ananias really does not want to do. At all.

But here's my thing.

We tell God, "Use me. Send me."

Then when He tries to do that, we put up a fight because it's not what we want to do. That's what Ananias did. He pleaded with God, trying to get out of this mission from Him. We can't do that.

When God called Ananias, he answered. He said, "Here I am, Lord." He didn't say, "I'll only answer if I like your plan."

I'll be 100% honest with you guys - I'm so guilty of this. However, I don't want to have just a willing heart. I don't want to argue with God about the aspects of His plan that I find unappealing. I don't want to bless Jesus with my mouth, and disobey Him with my actions. I want to go and do.

So the next time God calls, and you answer, go and do.

V. Joy Palmer

I'm Back And I've Got Something To Say

Hey everyone! It's V. Joy Palmer. Yup, I'm back.

I had to take a blog break because my edits for my debut novel ( Love, Lace, and Minor Alterations ) arrived, and I had to focus a lot of time on that.

However.

The first round of edits has been turned in, and I've got a thought.

Just a thought.

But an important thought.

One I must share.

I was talking with some of the young ladies in the youth group. I was trying to share with them how special and important they are to God. It's ironic that I was the one trying to share this all important truth with them. Ahem, since I have a hard time remembering this truth myself.

Anyways. As I was talking, one girl said, "I know God has a plan for me," in response.

Which is true. God does have a plan for you. And it's an awesome one.

However. That's not why God created you. It's just a bonus.

God created you because He loves you. He wants you. He wants to hang with you. Chat with you. Spend time WITH YOU! His goal, purpose, and reason for creating you centers around His desire to be with you!

"Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised." Song of Solomon 8:6-7

"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

These verses are just some of the verses in the Bible that illustrate God's all-consuming, fierce love for us. For me. For you. Yes, you. Stop thinking this doesn't apply to you. This is an important message. One we are all to quick to forget. One we must not forget.

God ordained you from the start of time because He wants to be with you. No other reason. Just His love for you.

V. Joy Palmer