Happy Sunday!
I hope you had a wonderful week! Also I'm thankful that your world did not end on September 23, 2017. It may seem comical after the fact, but many people may have really believed that the end had come. I happened to listen to a TED Talk this week. The young man recounted being a child in a small Texas town in 1999. He and his family were members of a church that believed the world would end and the rapture would occur as the year 2000 began. They all knelt at the altar praying fervently awaiting the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. What shock, horror, and disappointment they all felt when life continued even after y2k. This event has scarred this man and caused him to doubt God, and the people of God. I'm saddened for him, but I can recall several scriptures that could have brought clarity in this situation. The Bible reminds us that wisdom, and knowledge are necessary to live a victorious life. Hosea 4:6 says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:"(KJV).
Even Jesus did not know when the world as we know it would end. In Matthew 24:36, Jesus said, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."(KJV). What Jesus stressed more so was readiness. Matthew 24:44 says, "Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh."(KJV). Read Matthew 24 for yourself. Yes, I have to admit the things that Jesus described are definitely happening in our world today. He said there would be wars, and rumors of wars, famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes. But in Matthew 24:8 he warned that, "All these are the beginning of sorrows."(KJV). WOW! That's scary! This is only the beginning? Yes, he goes on to describe even more trouble..."Then you will be arrested and handed over to be punished and killed. People all over the world will hate you because you believe in ME. During that time many believers will lose their faith. They will turn against each other and hate each other. Many false prophets will come and cause many people to believe things that are wrong. There will be so much more evil in the world that the love of most believers will grow cold. But the one who remains faithful to the end will be saved. And the Good News I have shared about God’s kingdom will be told throughout the world. It will be spread to every nation. Then the end will come."(Matthew 24:9:14, Easy-to-Read Version).
Don't miss this! 1 John 3:8 says, Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. When we follow Jesus, his mission becomes our mission! Our purpose and life goal should be to destroy the works of the devil everyday! In Matthew 24, Jesus said the Good News that he preached would be preached to the entire world, then the end will come. Each day as you do your part to fight poverty, ignorance, sickness, injustice, homelessness, hopelessness, depression, sadness, and sin...you are helping to bring the return of our Lord closer.
It will take time and effort to study the Word for yourself. But in the Bible times, even the blind and lame were made to work. OK, I know what you are thinking...she's really lost it now! But read it for yourself. The blind and lame were taken to the local thoroughfares by their families to beg. Sounds like work to me. No disability checks! No welfare! They were expected to use what they had to improve their lives, even if it was just their voice used to ask for money! Jesus told a story in Luke 16:19-20, "There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was LAID at his gate, full of sores,"(KJV). Mark 10:46 says, "And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, SAT by the highway side begging."(KJV). And Acts 3:2 says, "And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they LAID daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;"(KJV). So there is no excuse for us! If you miss out on God's best because of your own laziness and ignorance don't blame the Man.
Love and prayers, Cynthia
Sunday, September 24, 2017
Sunday, September 17, 2017
Finish Strong
Happy Sunday!
I hope that you are well, and that you enjoyed the weekend and are ready for the new week! My daughter, Crystal ran and completed the Fox Valley Marathon for the second time today. At first, I planned to do what I'd done two years ago. That was to ensure she was at the race on time, watch her start the race, and then go to the car to sleep. She ran 26.2 miles, just enough time for a lovely nap. Of course, I would have been sure to wake in time to see her cross the finish line. However, I was informed of a need for volunteers to be Course Marshalls and I signed up. The Course Marshall stands at various positions along the route to ensure runners, and local cars and pedestrians don't accidentally collide. I was positioned near a fork in the road, less than a mile from the finish line. The local police basically did the hard work. They blocked off one of the streets completely then directed automobile traffic along one lane.
I am a perpetual learner. So want to share a few things I learned, or was reminded of today.
Kindness and encouragement are understood in any language, by any race, or creed. With the state of racial affairs in this country, and the ability of our local media outlets to find and promote everything negative it was refreshing to see that everyone of any race is not all bad. Of course, I know this and believe it no matter what they say on the news, but I worked with a young African American man today named Joe. Joe was genuinely amazed at how friendly all of the runners, police, and local pedestrians were. In most cases, they spoke to him first. They acknowledged him with good eye contact, and without any fear or trepidation. The race starts and ends in a small Illinois city called St. Charles. St. Charles has over 93% white listed in it demographics. Since we didn't have to worry about traffic, we just cheered for the runners. The runners were grateful. Some were even in tears, but thanked us for being there and continued their race. I saw one young lady at the finish line later, she was rejoicing with her family. Just a bit earlier, she was in tears and not sure she could make it. Just a word or two of encouragement could be the difference in someone finishing their race strong. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, "So encourage each other and help each other grow stronger in faith, just as you are already doing."(Easy-to-Read Version).
Age is just a number. You decide. Many runners that we would consider Senior Citizens completed the race. These athletes were not the last to cross the finish line by any means! They were ahead of most and in the pack. One runner was 84 years old. Yes, 84! He completed 13.1 miles the half-marathon goal. Are you encouraged yet? You should be, or perhaps ashamed as I was that I am not doing better. Our bodies are amazing creations of God with far more potential than we realize. God intended our bodies to last forever just like our spirits, but sin entered the picture and these bodies began to die. Genesis 5:27 says, Methuselah lived 969 years. Moses was 120 years old when he died, and Caleb said, "So here I am. The Eternal has spared my life these 45 years since He spoke this to Moses while Israel was in the wilderness. Here I am today, 85 years old, still as strong today as I was when Moses sent me into this country, able to fight and able to work."(Joshua 14:10-11, Voice). Change is required. But as the great prophetess, Whitney Houston once sang, "I believe in you, and me!"
Love and prayers, Cynthia
I hope that you are well, and that you enjoyed the weekend and are ready for the new week! My daughter, Crystal ran and completed the Fox Valley Marathon for the second time today. At first, I planned to do what I'd done two years ago. That was to ensure she was at the race on time, watch her start the race, and then go to the car to sleep. She ran 26.2 miles, just enough time for a lovely nap. Of course, I would have been sure to wake in time to see her cross the finish line. However, I was informed of a need for volunteers to be Course Marshalls and I signed up. The Course Marshall stands at various positions along the route to ensure runners, and local cars and pedestrians don't accidentally collide. I was positioned near a fork in the road, less than a mile from the finish line. The local police basically did the hard work. They blocked off one of the streets completely then directed automobile traffic along one lane.
I am a perpetual learner. So want to share a few things I learned, or was reminded of today.
Kindness and encouragement are understood in any language, by any race, or creed. With the state of racial affairs in this country, and the ability of our local media outlets to find and promote everything negative it was refreshing to see that everyone of any race is not all bad. Of course, I know this and believe it no matter what they say on the news, but I worked with a young African American man today named Joe. Joe was genuinely amazed at how friendly all of the runners, police, and local pedestrians were. In most cases, they spoke to him first. They acknowledged him with good eye contact, and without any fear or trepidation. The race starts and ends in a small Illinois city called St. Charles. St. Charles has over 93% white listed in it demographics. Since we didn't have to worry about traffic, we just cheered for the runners. The runners were grateful. Some were even in tears, but thanked us for being there and continued their race. I saw one young lady at the finish line later, she was rejoicing with her family. Just a bit earlier, she was in tears and not sure she could make it. Just a word or two of encouragement could be the difference in someone finishing their race strong. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, "So encourage each other and help each other grow stronger in faith, just as you are already doing."(Easy-to-Read Version).
Age is just a number. You decide. Many runners that we would consider Senior Citizens completed the race. These athletes were not the last to cross the finish line by any means! They were ahead of most and in the pack. One runner was 84 years old. Yes, 84! He completed 13.1 miles the half-marathon goal. Are you encouraged yet? You should be, or perhaps ashamed as I was that I am not doing better. Our bodies are amazing creations of God with far more potential than we realize. God intended our bodies to last forever just like our spirits, but sin entered the picture and these bodies began to die. Genesis 5:27 says, Methuselah lived 969 years. Moses was 120 years old when he died, and Caleb said, "So here I am. The Eternal has spared my life these 45 years since He spoke this to Moses while Israel was in the wilderness. Here I am today, 85 years old, still as strong today as I was when Moses sent me into this country, able to fight and able to work."(Joshua 14:10-11, Voice). Change is required. But as the great prophetess, Whitney Houston once sang, "I believe in you, and me!"
Love and prayers, Cynthia
Sunday, September 10, 2017
Pure Heart
Happy Sunday!
Praying that you are well and enjoying this Sunday! I'm headed out to our International Faith Conference!(http://conference.billwinston.org/) It's almost like a Faith Family Reunion with powerful speakers and sessions all week. A man once told me that people, and I believe he was referring to me, use religion as a drug. I have to admit I was offended and hurt for a while until I realized it's working for me! My relationship with Christ is not a religious activity. I go to work religiously because I want that paycheck. I truly enjoy the Word of God. I enjoy reading it, hearing it, and studying it. If this is my drug of choice, I will NOT need any intervention! This life in Christ is wonderful. There are no adverse reactions or side effects with this drug. I will not go blind, have suicidal thoughts, or grow any additional toes while taking this medicine. This drug has taken me through unbelievable sorrow, loss both physically and emotionally, and hard times and poverty. When I look back, and I only look back for perspective not longingly, I see that this drug has worked, is working, and will continue to work for me. My name is Cynthia, and I approved this message! LOL!
Dr. Matthew L. Stevenson III continued his series, "How to be a Hero: A Revelation of Biblical Heroism", "Keeping Your Heart Right". People sometimes think they need to have it all together before they can minister to others and be a Hero. Your life is an instrument in the hand of God. He wants to use You to help others! You don't have to be perfect to be a Hero! Your don't have to be debt free to be a Hero! You don't have to be 40 pounds lighter to be a Hero. There are numerous scriptures that speak about the heart. The Bible tells us it is possible to have a hard heart, an evil heart, and a deceitful heart. Of course we don't think that applies to us at all! Matthew 5:8 says, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."(KJV). The purity of our hearts will determine what we SEE in this life! When our hearts are pure, we have the ability to see God in any circumstance. How can we keep our hearts pure? Great question! So glad you asked! Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."(KJV). Another translation of this scripture says, "Above all else, guard your affections. For they influence everything else in your life."(Living Bible).
Mathew 15:17-20 says, "Don’t you understand that whatever you take in through your mouth makes its way to your stomach and eventually out of the bowels of your body? But the things that come out of your MOUTH—your curses, your fears, your denunciations—these come from your HEART, and it is the stirrings of your heart that can make you unclean. For your heart harbors evil thoughts—fantasies of murder, adultery, and whoring; fantasies of stealing, lying, and slandering. These make you unclean—not eating with a hand you’ve not ritually purified with a splash of water and a prayer."(Voice). Watch your mouth!
Love and Prayers, Cynthia
Praying that you are well and enjoying this Sunday! I'm headed out to our International Faith Conference!(http://conference.billwinston.org/) It's almost like a Faith Family Reunion with powerful speakers and sessions all week. A man once told me that people, and I believe he was referring to me, use religion as a drug. I have to admit I was offended and hurt for a while until I realized it's working for me! My relationship with Christ is not a religious activity. I go to work religiously because I want that paycheck. I truly enjoy the Word of God. I enjoy reading it, hearing it, and studying it. If this is my drug of choice, I will NOT need any intervention! This life in Christ is wonderful. There are no adverse reactions or side effects with this drug. I will not go blind, have suicidal thoughts, or grow any additional toes while taking this medicine. This drug has taken me through unbelievable sorrow, loss both physically and emotionally, and hard times and poverty. When I look back, and I only look back for perspective not longingly, I see that this drug has worked, is working, and will continue to work for me. My name is Cynthia, and I approved this message! LOL!
Dr. Matthew L. Stevenson III continued his series, "How to be a Hero: A Revelation of Biblical Heroism", "Keeping Your Heart Right". People sometimes think they need to have it all together before they can minister to others and be a Hero. Your life is an instrument in the hand of God. He wants to use You to help others! You don't have to be perfect to be a Hero! Your don't have to be debt free to be a Hero! You don't have to be 40 pounds lighter to be a Hero. There are numerous scriptures that speak about the heart. The Bible tells us it is possible to have a hard heart, an evil heart, and a deceitful heart. Of course we don't think that applies to us at all! Matthew 5:8 says, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."(KJV). The purity of our hearts will determine what we SEE in this life! When our hearts are pure, we have the ability to see God in any circumstance. How can we keep our hearts pure? Great question! So glad you asked! Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."(KJV). Another translation of this scripture says, "Above all else, guard your affections. For they influence everything else in your life."(Living Bible).
Mathew 15:17-20 says, "Don’t you understand that whatever you take in through your mouth makes its way to your stomach and eventually out of the bowels of your body? But the things that come out of your MOUTH—your curses, your fears, your denunciations—these come from your HEART, and it is the stirrings of your heart that can make you unclean. For your heart harbors evil thoughts—fantasies of murder, adultery, and whoring; fantasies of stealing, lying, and slandering. These make you unclean—not eating with a hand you’ve not ritually purified with a splash of water and a prayer."(Voice). Watch your mouth!
Love and Prayers, Cynthia
Sunday, September 3, 2017
Anywhere But Back
Happy Sunday
Praying that you enjoyed the last week and are ready for a new week! Today is and was a great day! I encourage you to be YOU! God created you to be a blessing to everyone you come in contact with. You are a HERO in the lives of others. What have you done to change someone else's life forever?
Before I went to my church today, I watched All Nations Worship Assembly's 8 am service. Dr. Matthew L. Stevenson III continued his series, "How to be a Hero: A Revelation of Biblical Heroism" with the subtitle, "Anywhere But Back". Exodus 13:17-18 says, "When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt. So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle."(NIV).
It's important to be led by the Spirit of God. Human beings can be led by many things. We can be led by our emotions, led by our fears, or led by the opinions of others. If we are honest, there are decisions in our lives that were BAD decisions. If we trace the decision making process in those instances, we are bound to find that we did get a feeling that the choice we were making was not the right choice. Our ancestors would say, "I should have followed my First Mind"! God understands this completely. He constantly encourages us to change or thinking, and renew our minds so that we will be empowered to make Good decisions. Romans 12:2 says, "Don’t change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but let God change you INSIDE with a new way of Thinking. Then you will be able to understand and accept what God wants for you. You will be able to know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect."(Easy-to-Read Version).
God never takes short cuts. In this scripture, we see the reason behind His decision to take the Israelites the long way around to the Promised Land. He knew that their minds had to be renewed to their new freedom status. Taking them from slavery straight into battle with the Philistines would more than likely have caused them to fear and return to Egypt. Do you remember Gilligan's Island? It was a Situation Comedy from the late 1960's. A group of tourists go on what should have been a 3 hour boat tour from Honolulu. A storm comes up and the tiny ship is stranded on a deserted and uncharted island. I think of this often when I think of how long it took the Israelites to get to the Promised Land. It should never have taken more than 40 years to get there. But this scripture can encourage us that the detour was part of God's plan. Now don't go too far to the left and try to blame God for your sixth marriage to that psychopath! That was not his fault, BUT he can surely weave that into your testimony and allow you to help someone else avoid that pitfall.
Compete with yourself! Don't compare your journey, your life, and your progress with anyone else! When you are being led by the Spirit of God, he may take you the long way around. If you compare your journey with the journey of another, you will be tempted to become depressed, distracted and frustrated. Dr. Stevenson encouraged us to "choose our battles wisely". Everybody's emergency is not your priority. Read that again! Everybody's emergency is not your priority! A true Hero will not go back! We have to determine we will go anywhere but back! Be focused on forward! We cannot change the past, but can change our future and the futures of others. Going back requires no faith. But moving forward requires that we walk by faith and not by sight!
Love and prayers, Cynthia
https://www.facebook.com/allnationswa/
http://allnationswa.com/
Praying that you enjoyed the last week and are ready for a new week! Today is and was a great day! I encourage you to be YOU! God created you to be a blessing to everyone you come in contact with. You are a HERO in the lives of others. What have you done to change someone else's life forever?
Before I went to my church today, I watched All Nations Worship Assembly's 8 am service. Dr. Matthew L. Stevenson III continued his series, "How to be a Hero: A Revelation of Biblical Heroism" with the subtitle, "Anywhere But Back". Exodus 13:17-18 says, "When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt. So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle."(NIV).
It's important to be led by the Spirit of God. Human beings can be led by many things. We can be led by our emotions, led by our fears, or led by the opinions of others. If we are honest, there are decisions in our lives that were BAD decisions. If we trace the decision making process in those instances, we are bound to find that we did get a feeling that the choice we were making was not the right choice. Our ancestors would say, "I should have followed my First Mind"! God understands this completely. He constantly encourages us to change or thinking, and renew our minds so that we will be empowered to make Good decisions. Romans 12:2 says, "Don’t change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but let God change you INSIDE with a new way of Thinking. Then you will be able to understand and accept what God wants for you. You will be able to know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect."(Easy-to-Read Version).
God never takes short cuts. In this scripture, we see the reason behind His decision to take the Israelites the long way around to the Promised Land. He knew that their minds had to be renewed to their new freedom status. Taking them from slavery straight into battle with the Philistines would more than likely have caused them to fear and return to Egypt. Do you remember Gilligan's Island? It was a Situation Comedy from the late 1960's. A group of tourists go on what should have been a 3 hour boat tour from Honolulu. A storm comes up and the tiny ship is stranded on a deserted and uncharted island. I think of this often when I think of how long it took the Israelites to get to the Promised Land. It should never have taken more than 40 years to get there. But this scripture can encourage us that the detour was part of God's plan. Now don't go too far to the left and try to blame God for your sixth marriage to that psychopath! That was not his fault, BUT he can surely weave that into your testimony and allow you to help someone else avoid that pitfall.
Compete with yourself! Don't compare your journey, your life, and your progress with anyone else! When you are being led by the Spirit of God, he may take you the long way around. If you compare your journey with the journey of another, you will be tempted to become depressed, distracted and frustrated. Dr. Stevenson encouraged us to "choose our battles wisely". Everybody's emergency is not your priority. Read that again! Everybody's emergency is not your priority! A true Hero will not go back! We have to determine we will go anywhere but back! Be focused on forward! We cannot change the past, but can change our future and the futures of others. Going back requires no faith. But moving forward requires that we walk by faith and not by sight!
Love and prayers, Cynthia
https://www.facebook.com/allnationswa/
http://allnationswa.com/
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