Devoted Sisters of the Same Heavenly Father

We appreciate even more the wonderful large spiritual family we belong to as we invest time with our spiritual siblings of all cultures and background.

Spending a day with my sister Geraldine at the Macy Flower Show at Herald Square New York.

Just the camera couldn’t do justice or capture the beauty of the abundance of the floral decorations even so the camera couldn’t do justice to the beauty of our friendship!

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Reach out to some of your spiritual siblings today and be a blessing and be blessed!

 

I am Hanging on a Branch Of the True Vine


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Dear Father,

Protect me from myself, that is my own self-confidence, for in the day of trial it will fail me.

Protect me with a confidence that only comes from my total trust and dependence on You, and my relationship to You, because of Your mercy and grace paid for by the precious blood of the spotless Lamb of God.

Help me in my daily walk, that I will not deny your presence in my life by my actions and words before the world.

Help me realize more and more that time spent with You is not a nonproductive activity but rather my very life line to the power to live for You!

Dear Child,

Draw near more and more, that I may teach you, that I may feed you manna from heaven and the water that will give you eternal life, and will refresh you daily during your pilgrim walk.

It is easy not to deny Me while in My presence in the *Holy Place, the test is when you leave to walk in the* Outer Court, where you mix with the world. It was before sinners that Peter denied Me! Walk in the *Outer Court in the strength which I will impart to you in the *Holy Place, not in your own strength and self-confidence. Self will fail you! For self must die!

Many worship Me in church but the test comes when they leave My house! It is not how high you jump before Me, but how straight you walk in the *Outer Court. Many swear their love for Me in My presence, but when the test comes in the *Outer Court, they deny Me by their actions and words!

Lean on Me and allow self to die! That I might rule and guide you in your walk!

Have confidence in who “I AM”.

                                           Thus saith Papa

John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

Zechariah 4:6  Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

Challenge: Are you battling in the spiritual realm, clothed only in the armor of self confidence in your own fleshly will-power, or are you totally relying on and yielding to the power of the indwelling Spirit?

*The Holy Place is a type of the church where priests would draw near to minister to God.

*The Outer Court is a type of the world where the priests would minister to others.

Page 153 excerpt from “Developing a Secret History with God”

This Book and accompanying Study Guide will revolutionize your quiet time with God. Available now at Amazon/ Barnes & Noble/ Walmart/Kindle Nook / Ibooks/ Lulu/ Rhema Publications/ Cl France or a bookstore near you.

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A Devotion for Palm Sunday

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As we celebrate this coming Palm Sunday, as Jewish congregations prepare to celebrate Passover, may the Old Testament types add to the dimension of our faith and understanding of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.

Having just returned from Jerusalem I stood in awe at the Eastern Gate knowing this was the gate that Jesus entered on Palm Sunday as it was the gate closest to the Outer Court of the temple.

Consider for a moment that on that same day thousands of lambs were being ushered into Jerusalem through the same Eastern gate, also known as the Golden Gate, as Our Passover Lamb. But I wonder how many who were enthusiastically waving palms, saw with spiritual eyes the Lamb of God among all the other lambs, the sacrifical Lamb who would take away the sin of the world, 

The lambs were being brought into Jerusalem five days prior to Passover, to be examined by the priests. They were to be examined for blemishes or disfigurement, as only perfect lambs were found worthy to be sacrificed for the sins of the people. It is interesting to note that the priest did not examine the sinner who brought the sacrifice, rather the priest looked to see if the sacrificial substitute was worthy.

Likewise Our Lamb was brought into the city five days prior to Passover, to also be examined. He was brought before Pontius Pilate, Herod, Annas and Ciaphas, the high priests, and the ultimate judgement was made by Pilate when he declared, “I find no fault in Him.” Praise God for our Lamb who was found worthy to be sacrificed for our sins.

As we worship this coming Sunday let us with a loud voice declare with the heavens

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain!” Rev. 5:12

 

Purge the Sediment of My Life.

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Dear Father,

Thank you for refining my life as you faithfully “pour me out” season to season, and love me enough, not to let me rest on my “lees”, but continually “pour me out” to rid my life of bitterness, that you may gain pleasure from my life. Help me be that vessel of honor, and to rely on You, and not on my works and treasures but only on my confidence in My relationship with You. My trust is in Your faithfulness, a rock that cannot be moved. Help me have spiritual insight to know the reason of the “pouring out” that I might know the bitterness you are purging, and even if I don’t see the “whys” may I just trust your workings is for my good.

Dear Child, 

Each time I “pour you out” you trust Me more, because your faith grows in that valley! Your faith in My sovereign working is more precious than gold.

Do not kick against My workings, yield, submit and rest in My workings, and you will find rest for your soul.

This is the rest you will enter into, relying on and trusting My workings, as you present yourself a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable in My sight.

Have a humble heart and quiet confidence.

                                                  Thus saith Papa

Jeremiah 48:11  Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity: therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent is not changed. 

The imagery of this verse needs explaining. In wine that is settling on its lees (that which settles during fermentation), stationary and still, the upper level becomes clear; but beneath is a bitter sediment that will muddy it again if shaken. Before the days of filters, to clear the wine it was emptied carefully from one vessel to another, but however skillfully this was done some of the lees would get across. So the process must be repeated again and again to rid it of its unwelcome taste. Moab, Israel’s natural cousins, had escaped that treatment; had not as Israel had, been sifted and purified through afflictions, with the result, God says, that her bitter taste still clung. There is thus value in God’s discipline of us, a little today and a little more tomorrow. The goal is a savor in us, a character that meets with His approval and delights His heart.

Moab remained in the old state because Moab was not purified through afflictions.

1Peter1:6-7 In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

CHALLENGE: Even through the fiery furnace of trials as we see His hand pouring us out, may we understand that His loving purpose is to refine us rather than letting us rest on our “lees” and remain in our old fallen state

Reflect This Holy Week

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This coming week between Palm Sunday and Easter morning is known as Holy Week.

The most somber and reflective week on the church calendar. Perhaps the only time, during the year, that as believers we actually reflect on the awesome cost of our redemption.

1 Peter 1: 18-19 18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

Surely we should all ask God, especially during this holy week, to take us back to the place where we first believed, to the foot of the cross. To the place where we can identify with his sufferings that we might be partakers of His resurrection. 1Peter 4:13

He was betrayed, humiliated, spat upon, mocked, abandoned, not believed, wept in the Garden in prayer until he sweat blood, denied, lashed until He was almost dead, nailed to a cross He had to carry, forsaken by His Father because He became sin for us, yet while hanging in excruciating pain between heaven and earth, He could cry out “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do!”

Isa.53: 2 -10 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin.

The level of our meditative reflection during this holy week, will determine and intensify the fullness of our joy come Sunday morning when the stone was rolled away to reveal an empty tomb. Joy unspeakable and full of glory!

He is risen! He is risen indeed!