City of the Lord

“Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. Within her citadels God has made Himself known as a fortress.”
Psalm 48:1-3

These verses are really awesome. There are no enemies to worry about, no battles, no sickness, or trials. It’s just purely awesome. It’s like Heaven on earth.

 However, when we look at the world today, we don’t see this. We don’t see Heaven on earth. We see the junk in the world today, and it makes us want to go insane.

 It’s time we fight back. Until Jesus comes again, we are ambassadors on this earth. We have the Holy Spirit inside of us. It’s time to start proclaiming God is greatly to be praised. It’s time to proclaim Him as the joy of the earth. It’s time to declare within the cities that God is our fortress.

 It’s time for Believers to start claiming the earth for God again.

 ---Joy

"The Parable Of The Kids Book"

Did you ever have a feeling there's a ZAMP in the LAMP? Or a NINK in the SINK? Or a WOSET in the CLOSET? Sometimes I'm quite CERTAIN there's a JERTAIN in the CURTAIN. And when I hear a TOCK, I know a ZLOCK"S behind the CLOCK. And that ZELF up on that SHELF! I have talked to her MYSELF. I like the ZABLE on the TABLE. And the GHAIR beneath the CHAIR. But the BOFA on the SOFA acts if he doesn't care. etc., etc, etc.

At this moment I know that some of you have figured out the author of the above rhymes, especially if you have little ones that you read to every night! You guessed it. Dr. Suess is the author and it comes from his book of ridiculous rhymes, "There's a Wocket in My Pocket." I've written the above to illustrate a point. It is my very own, just thought of parable. We'll call it, The Parable Of The Kids Book.

Does your little one have a favorite book that he/she likes to have read to him/her? The above is a favorite of the two toddlers in my life at the moment. When I say go get a book its the one that 9 times out of 10 they will come back with. So I have become quite familiar with it! Sometimes I just read it in my natural voice, sometimes I use funny voices, sometimes its in a rap style rhythm, sometimes I sing it, and sometimes I use the fill in the blanks method. You know the one where you leave off the last word and they fill it in. My point being, it is their favorite and it doesn't matter how often they hear it, they just like it! They like it - In part because I try to make each reading fun. In part because they like the pictures. In part because they are familiar with it. In part because they are having time with me!  I love their excitement each time they bring me their favorite book. They shove it at me and climb up as quickly as possible to settle in with me even though they've heard it so often they can tell me what comes next. Their pure enjoyment over the same old story amazes me and the word I get to hear when I've finished is always the same, "Again!"

So here comes those famous words that Jesus always speaks, "Gods like that." or rather in this case, "God's Word is like that!"  Sometimes it speaks to me with a big booming voice. Sometimes its a still small whisper, and sometimes it makes me laugh, and there are even occasions that it makes me cry, and believe it or not, sometimes He even lets me fill in the blanks. Jesus said that we should come to Him as little children. His Word should be the book we grab with excitement everyday! Its never boring and its never the same. Its alive and active and it always accomplishes something in our heart and attitudes!

If as His sons and daughters, we truly approach our daily time with Him and His Word with that same expectation and enjoyment that my toddlers do their favorite book then we will always have a similar response. He too will get to hear,  "Again." or maybe even, "More."

Here is a fill in the blank for you from your favorite book! Do you know what comes next?

Blessed is the man who walks not in the _______________ of the ungoldly, nor stands in the way of ________________, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful, But his _________________ is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night. 

He Will Take Time

The soldiers beat Jesus. They flogged Him. They made a crown of thorns for Him, and put a robe on His bloody, bruised body. He was brought before a mass of Jews-Jews that despised Him, for they had been deceived. Pilate tried to convince the people to let Jesus live. But the people threatened to tell Caesar that Pilate had spared a man who had made Himself a king. In the end he gave in to the Jews, and Jesus was delivered to be crucified.

Jesus carried His cross up to Golgotha, The Place of a Skull. There they crucified Him, with two thieves, one on each side of Jesus. Pilate also wrote a message that was placed on Jesus' cross. It said, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews," in three languages. The soldiers took Jesus' clothes, and casts lots for it.

People stopped and mocked Jesus, but among them were His mother, His aunt-Mary the wife of Clopas, Mary Magdalene, and at least one disciple. "When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, 'Woman, behold, your son!' Then He said to the disciple, 'Behold, your mother!' And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home."
John 19

In the midst of all that was going on around Jesus, He took care of the woman who had been His mother on this earth. He wanted to know she would be okay. So He asked the disciple whom He loved (John) to take care of her.

Jesus was on the cross, dying, and He still took care of His earthly mother.

Have you ever felt like there is so much junk going on in the world that Jesus needs to worry about, He doesn't have time for you or your problems? You're wrong. This is proof. If Jesus loved His earthly mother so much that while He was dying, He could take some time to make sure she was provided for, then Jesus in Heaven, will take care of you. Even amongst all the other stuff going on in this world, He will take care of you.

---Joy

"Just Ask"

For He taught His disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is being delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day."

But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him. Mark 9:31-32

As I was reading this morning this verse caught my eye or rather my attention.  Here we have Jesus trying to lay it out for them and they are not understanding. As His disciples today we know what His statement meant and what He was trying to tell them. "The Son of Man is being delivered into the hands of men." We know He was handed over to the Romans. "They will kill Him." We know He was scourged, nailed to a cross, and crucified. We know that there was a moment when He cried, "My God, my God, why has't thou forsaken me!" so that He could pay for our sins. We know what He meant when He said, "After He is killed, He will rise the third day." We know that the tomb was empty despite the guards that were placed to guard it. We, as His disciples today know what He was trying to tell them about. But they didn't understand and  they didn't dare ask for his help to understand and it was this statement that caught my attention.

This was a pretty important event that He was trying to prepare them for.  It says they didn't understand His saying and were afraid to ask Him. Why? Throughout the Gospels we see them asking Him questions and for explanations all the time. Why were they afraid this time?

The thing that I noticed is this. It was His heart to tell them, to let them know what was going on, just as it is His heart to help us and eguip us for the events in our lives. As His disciples, I think we should never be afraid to ask for understanding. Its His heart to tell us and to help us understand. He wants us to know Him, to understand Him. He has given us His Word and He has sent us the Holy Spirit. "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to remembrance all things that I said to you." John 14:26

Don't be afraid, just ask! It is His heart that we know and understand!

Let The Trees Wither

"I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree. But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found." Psalm 37:35-36

So when I read this I immediately thought about Jesus and the fig tree.

Jesus had just arrived in Jerusalem, and He went to Bethany for the night. The next day, on His way back into Jerusalem, Jesus was hungry. Now there was a fig tree on the way, and Jesus saw an opportunity to teach His disciples. He looked for the figs, and but there was none, because they were not in season. And Jesus said to the fig tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And His disciples heard it.

The following day they passed by the fig tree, and the disciples saw that it was withered to its roots! Peter pointed this out excitedly. Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whenever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in Heaven may forgive you your trespasses." (The referenced story is from Mark 11.)

What do these two stories have in common? A tree. One that withered away.

How do these fit together? Spiritual warfare. The devil uses so much against us. He will put many obstacles in our path. He will use anything in anyway to hinder your relationship with God.

Believe what you pray. Let all the doubt in your life wither away. Let it die. Let the voice that whispers doubt die. If you believe what you pray, then the devil can't manipulate it into doubt and unbelief in your life. You CAN overcome any obstacle because you have God in you. You CAN do what Jesus did and more because you the same Spirit that Jesus had in you. Believe it. Stop praying for it. Believe it.

Believe it and let the stress that have taken root in your life wither away.

---Joy

"You Are My God"

But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, "You are my God." My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies. Psalm 31:14-15

I just really want to take this opportunity to praise Him for His amazing presence and for all the prayers these past few days.  It is awesome how He provides even in the midst of an ordeal! I am a foster parent and the little guy I have with me at the moment had some medical issues this week where we ended up being shipped down to the big hospital in the southern part of the state. As things unfolded each step of the way it was more than apparent that His presence was with us, going before us, and making a way for things in ways that at first glance could have been a problem but instead it turned out those same things went from being issues to blessings!

One such example is this.  Because we had gone down by ambulance I needed to call and find someone who could make the trip down and pick us up and bring us home. Its an hour and a half - two hour drive back.  My ride came and at 1:30 in the morning the ER decides we are free to go home.  Off we go to the parking lot of this huge hospital with lots of entrances. My ride doesn't know which entrance he came in so we need to find the car.  We are in the general vicinity that he thinks its in.  We are looking, haven't found the car yet. All of a sudden my little guy drops and is out. I scoop him up and run him back to the hospital where he now gets the help he needs. My ride is beating himself up and blaming himself because of the hunting for the car thing.

My immediate response is, " No, its a blessing. We were still in the parking lot and able to get him the help he needed quickly instead of being up on the highway in the middle of nowhere. Those of you who know the highway in New England know how long it is between exits!  My ride is someone who always knows! He is an extremely sharp guy. Never in a million years would he not know where he parked his car. There were three different times this happened during this whole experience. When something seemed to be a problem, a hindrance but it really turned out to be the provision that made help possible! 

It is so nice to know that He has me and mine in the palm of His hands and He is taking care of everything even when I don't see or recognize it right away!

"You are my God! My times are in your hand!"

Before Temptation Strikes

"And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And He said to His disciples, 'Sit here while I pray.' And He took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And He said to them, 'My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.' " Mark 14:32-34

"And He came and found them sleeping, and He said to Peter, 'Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.' And again He went away and prayed, saying the same words. And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer Him. And He came the third time and said to them, 'Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.' "  Mark 14:37-41

This can be a hard passage to read. You know what's coming. You know it's terrible. And to add insult to injury, they just could not stay awake!

They had a full day, and once they sat down all bets were off. Their eyes were heavy, and it was peacefully quiet for once. Focus was impossible. Their prayers were softly mumbled until their heads fell back, and snores escaped their lips.

The Bible says Jesus came and found them sleeping three times. They had been caught, and the disciples had no idea what to say to Jesus. Nothing seemed sufficient at a time like this.

Jesus told them to watch and pray that they may not enter into temptation, and He said, "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

While Jesus probably wanted His friends to pray with Him, His request wasn't self motivated. Jesus knew what was about to happen. He knew the temptations His friends were about to face. He didn't want to see them fall into temptation. He also knew their hearts, and that indeed, they were willing! However, their flesh was weak...

How true this is for all of us! We all have these different things in life, where we want to do better, but our flesh is weak. It doesn't hold up against temptation. We want to do better. We cry out to God for help to do better. But how do we do better?

Watch and pray. A good way to fight temptation is to avoid temptation. Watch for those things and situations. Build up your resistance. Pray, and then pray some more. When you find yourself in a situation where you need to make a choice, Lord willing, you will not only be willing, but your flesh will have the spiritually-built muscles to fulfill what must be done.

---Joy