Don't Be Deceived

 Happy Sunday!

"Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God."(Philippians 4:6 Amplified).

How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time.  LOL!  It may seem funny but there is a great wisdom in that saying.  The Bible can seem overwhelming and complicated, but it's not!  Just take it one scripture, and one revelation at a time. Jesus said, "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."(Matthew 11:30 KJV).  The Easy-to-Read Version of this same scripture says, "Yes, the teaching that I ask you to ACCEPT is easy. The load I give you to carry is light.”

If Jesus said we can do it, or accomplish it, then we most certainly can!  We can live in health, and wealth if we accept His teaching and apply it in our daily life!  Job said, "I have not refused his commandments but have enjoyed them more than my daily food."(Job 23:12 Living Bible).  Don't miss this!  Job said he enjoyed the Word of God more than his daily food! The Word had priority in his life, and he valued it more than eating! 

We are in a battle.  Not against other human beings. Our enemy is the Devil and his cohorts.  The Apostle Paul said, "For our fight is not against any physical enemy: it is against organisations and powers that are spiritual. We are up against the unseen power that controls this dark world, and spiritual agents from the very headquarters of evil."(Ephesians 6:12 Phillips).  Each day we can choose to fight with the weapon we've been given, the Word of God, the Sword of the Spirit.  Or we can allow the Devil to run over us and get the best of us.  How does he fight us?  So glad you asked.  The ONLY weapon the Devil has is Deception.  Just like he deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden, he comes to us with lies, and half truths.

Adam and Eve had EVERYTHING good!  Think about it!  They had no mortgage, no electric bill, no student loans, no illness, no property taxes, and no insurance payments.  BUT the enemy came and made them think they were missing out on something.  He convinced Eve that what GOD said couldn't be true.  He tricked them into thinking they could be like God, when in fact they were already like God. Genesis 1:27 says, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."(KJV).

The way to be anxiety free is to Trust the Word of God!  Agree that He loves you, and love Him back.  Jesus said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments."(John 14:15 KJV).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Expect BIG

Happy Sunday!

"My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my EXPECTATION is from him."(Psalm 62:5 KJV).

What are you expecting?  Are you expecting prosperity?  Can you see yourself helping others financially?  Are you expecting healing?  Can you see yourself well and doing the things you love?  Do you expect to be happy and full of joy?  Can you see yourself strengthened and encouraged, lifting others out of depression and despair?  We get what we Expect!  Hebrews 11:1-2 in the Message Translation says, "The fundamental fact of existence is that this TRUST in God, this FAITH, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd".  We are probably more familiar with the KJV Version of this scripture, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."(Hebrews 11:1 KJV). 

Acts 3:1-3 says, "One day Peter and John went to the Temple area. It was three o’clock in the afternoon, which was the time for the daily Temple prayer service. As they were entering the Temple area, a man was there who had been crippled all his life. He was being carried by some friends who brought him to the Temple every day. They put him by one of the gates outside the Temple. It was called Beautiful Gate. There he begged for money from the people going to the Temple. That day he saw Peter and John going into the Temple area. He asked them for money."(Easy-to-Read Version).  The KJV Version of verse 5 says, "And he gave heed unto them, EXPECTING to receive something of them."(Acts 3:5 KJV).

Peter and John didn't give him any money although it was customary to carry money to the temple for offerings, and to give to the poor.  Peter took authority in the Name of JESUS, and commanded the man to rise up and walk!  "And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God."(Acts 3:7-8 KJV).  Don't miss this!  A man who had been crippled ALL of his life is now immediately healed, and is walking, leaping, and praising God!  The man expected money, but received far more!  That's the way God works!  Ephesians 3:20 says, "Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do FAR MORE than we would ever dare to ASK or even DREAM of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes."(Living Bible).

I pray that you EXPECT Big Things this week and receive them! 

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Say What You Want

 Happy Sunday!

"You will live a very long life, and your body will be strong until the day you die."(Job 5:26 CEV).

Read that scripture again if you need too!  The Word of God is so wonderful!  He thought of everything!  BUT it only works if you believe it, and speak it!  Proverbs 18:21 says, "The tongue can speak words that bring LIFE or Death. Those who love to talk must be ready to accept what it brings."(Easy-to-Read Version).

Brother Kenneth E. Hagin once told the story of going to pray for a young man that was in Intensive Care. He prayed and prayed, then he heard the Lord say, "Stop praying for him!" He was shocked!  He asked, "Lord, why would you say that?"  The Lord told him, "There are other things in motion here." He was puzzled but he stopped praying. The 39 year old young man died.  At the funeral, the family members mentioned how the young man always used to say, "I won't live to see 40."  He'd said it so much, and for so long it came to pass.  Ouch!

Your spirit and your body hear your words and respond to them.  It's important to only say what you want, and base what you say on the Truth of God's Word.  You can choose Life by choosing to speak the Word.  Have you ever heard a recording of your voice and thought it sounded strange?  When you speak you hear it in your inner ear and outer ear, but a recording only picks up one aspect of this.  You hear what you say with double impact!  So what are some good things we can say?  Great Question!  I'm so glad you asked.  Psalm 92:12-15 says, "But good people will grow like palm trees; they will be tall like the cedars of Lebanon. Like trees planted in the Temple of the Lord, they will grow strong in the courtyards of our God.  When they are old, they will still produce fruit; they will be HEALTHY and FRESH. They will say that the Lord is GOOD. He is my Rock, and there is no wrong in him."(NCV).

Deuteronomy 34:7 says, "Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eyesight was SHARP; he still walked with a SPRING in his step."(Message).  In Joshua 14:10-11, Caleb gives his testimony, "Now the Lord has kept me alive for 45 more years—as he said he would. During that time we all wandered in the desert. Now, here I am, 85 years old.  I am still as STRONG today as I was the day Moses sent me out. I am as READY to fight as I was then."(Easy-to Read Version).  Psalm 91:15-16 says, "He will call on Me, and I will answer.  I’ll be with him through hard times;  I’ll rescue him and grant him honor.  I’ll REWARD him with MANY GOOD YEARS on this earth and let him witness My salvation.”(Voice).

Ephesians 3:20 says, "God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working WITHIN us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us."(Message).  God's Word will remain forever. 

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Don't Criticize Them

 Happy Sunday!

"At the edge of the beautiful land God had promised them, they didn’t trust His WORDS, so they refused to enter."(Psalm 106:24 Voice).

Have you heard the colloquialism, "the pot calling the kettle black"?  It means one person is criticizing another person but they are also guilty of the same thing.  Jesus used this example, "It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor."(Matthew 7:2-4 Message). 

It's easy to read the Bible and criticize the Children of Israel.  We think that we would never do what they did.  If we had been there we would have marched right in and taken the land. At least that's what we think!  They got to the edge of the Promised Land and listened to the 10 spies with an evil report.  That generation died in the wilderness because they didn't trust GOD!  But are we trusting God?  Are you trusting God?  OR are you listening to the naysayers?  If CNN, FOX, or MSNBC say that there is a shortage of Honey Buns are you racing out to the store to stock up?  OR do you know that the Word of God says, "God can give you everything that you need, so that you may always have sufficient both for yourselves and for giving away to other people."(2 Corinthians 9:8 Phillips).  Don't miss this!  Rather than thinking with a scarcity mentality renew your mind with the Word of God!

If the doctor says you only have three days to live, do you melt into a pool of tears on the floor?  OR do you proclaim, "I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord."?(Psalm 118:17 KJV).  Don't judge others so harshly!  Take a look in the mirror of the Word to see what you really are like.  Trust God and His Word.  Don't miss your Promised Land!  Don't miss the beautiful life He has planned for you!  Jeremiah 29:11 says. “I have good plans for you. I don’t plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future."(Easy-to-Read Version).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

3 Things in Hell...

 Happy Sunday!

"Don't be afraid of people. They can kill you, but they cannot harm your soul. Instead, you should fear God who can destroy both your body and your soul in HELL."(Matthew 10:28 CEV).

I watched a great sermon last week on YouTube entitled, "3 Things In Hell That Should Be In Every Church" by Evangelist Tiff Shuttlesworth.  The title was enough to peak my interest.  What in Hell could we possibly want or expect to see in church?  Great Question!  I'm so glad you asked.

Luke 16:24 says, "And he CRIED out and said, Father Abraham, have pity and mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame."(Amplified).  The first thing in Hell that should be in every church are TEARS.  I'm a cry baby.  I keep paper towels with me at church.  Just today I cried when we sang, "God Bless America"!  There should be tears in church.  Tears of repentance, tears of humility, tears of brokenness, and also tears of joy.  Tears should be the norm in our churches.  If we have these tears in our churches we will not lift up our eyes in Hell, "where people will cry and grind their teeth with pain.”(Matthew 8:12 Easy-to-Read Version).

The second thing in Hell that should be in every church is PRAYER.  Perhaps, you remember that churches used to have Prayer Meetings each week.  When I was growing up in church, the Deacons would take their time in prayer to start every service.   Luke 16:27-28 says, "Then he said, I PRAY thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment."(KJV).  The rich man prayed in Hell. Don't wait to pray when there is an emergency!  Pray regularly!  Stay ready, and you won't have to get ready!  Remember, "The earnest prayer of a righteous man has great power and wonderful results."(James 5:16 Living Bible).

The third thing that is in Hell that should be in every church is a PASSION for the LOST.  The rich man begged Father Abraham to send someone back to warn his five brothers.  He found out that Hell is a real place, and he loved his brothers enough to want to keep them from coming there.  We should do everything in our power to keep people from ending up in Hell.  We should tell those we love that Jesus paid the price for our sins and made a way for us to spend eternity in Heaven.  John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."(KJV).

Love and prayers, Cynthia