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December 9, 2012

T’was The Night Before Christmas – Not

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T’was The Night Before Christmas

Twas The Night Before ChristmasT’was the night before Christmas and all through the house… Brings back all kinds of memories.

No one could have convinced me that I would ever decide to not celebrate Christmas!  There would be no one on earth who could have persuaded me, even with 1,000 bullet points.  Not my family, not my friends, not even my husband could have dared to keep me from celebrating what I saw as the most glorious of holidays, at least, not willingly!

After all this occasion was celebrating My Savior, My Life Giver, My Helper, My Friend, My Redeemer, and My Everything’s birth; and I loved every part of it!

The night before Christmas was to be no more for me, but it didn’t happen overnight. It was a process which I will try to handle with care.

There I was one starry evening, sleeping away, probably with visions of sugar plums dancing in my head. I had a very unusual dream.

In the dream, I saw Santa, like I had never seen Him before.  Santa was evil in my dream, and he was taking worship from My Lord.  It was a very vivid dream, and it woke me up, that’s how frightening it was!  I asked the Lord about it, and He began to lead me down a path I never thought I would go.  This path was leading me out of Christmas, and no more stockings would be hung.

I had no inkling of not celebrating Christmas, but I knew for a fact I needed to forget Santa. I threw everything I had about Santa into the garbage can.  For me to get rid of all the Santas was quite a task.

After all, I was the same person who had purchased a figurine of Santa bowing down to Jesus in the manger for my mom years before.  Now, Santa was like the plague to me. Santa was no longer a merry dude with a little round belly.

Funny how it works, I began hearing from all sorts of places how bad it was to lie to your children period – any kind of lie, even cute little surprise them lies. Lying to them about Santa who is so much like Jesus, and then telling them that  Jesus is real, but Santa is made up. This was really getting to me. The Lord was clearly opening up my shutters!  These thoughts had never occurred to me before.

I really thought that was the worst of it, Yeah! All of that behind me.  Now, I will celebrate Christ’s birth, but NO MORE SANTA!

A few years later, as I was preparing for Christmas, I believe I heard another strange thing from the voice of my God.  He asked me to not celebrate Christmas at all one year.

I agreed, of course. My thoughts were, Oh, I get it, guess He must want me to fast Christmas.  Well, if I could convince my children, we could make it through. They knew about fasting, and the benefits of obedience to the Lord, but this was going to be a tough one, or so I thought.

Actually, I think the kids handled it better than me, and I really believe my husband was completely delighted, I had always called him a bit of a Scrooge!  Was I the only one struggling with this?  Okay, the Lord wants me to fast Christmas this year, and then, it will be over, and I will get back to all the Christmas cheer!  Surely this holiday season would go by more rapid than eagles.

When what to my wondering eyes did appear, more reasons for not ever celebrating came to my ear.  First, it was shocking how many people the Lord brought upon my path to confirm His wishes through teachings, conversations, or personally.

It was like every Christmas tradition was being smashed to bits. The Lord was confirming to me over and over again His wishes for me and my family.

The whole origin of this celebration was becoming suspect, in spite of myself. One thing after the other began falling in my lap. Preachers whom I respected were confirming what I felt the Lord was telling me in my quiet times.

Everything I thought was so precious about this event, was dashing away, dashing away, dashing away all! It was amazing, how the Lord began to put the pieces of a puzzle in place when I was able to listen.

Am I saying that you should decide to not celebrate Christmas?  I don’t really know.

All I know is, as dry leaves before the wild hurricane fly, the Lord has led me down this path. I have decided to not celebrate Christmas, and there is no turning back, no turning back!

Charleen

October 31, 2012

Why I No Longer Celebrate Halloween

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Do You Still Celebrate Halloween?

It’s the time of year to celebrate halloween. I USED to think of halloween as good family fun. My church would even have a haunted house as a fund raiser during this time. How do you celebrate halloween?

To celebrate halloween, I would dress up in some ugly garb to scare all the visitors who came by. I looked something like a type of spider woman. It was nothing like the Spiderman we all know and love today.

After I became a born again Christian, the Holy Spirit began to guide me into a very different direction regarding this seemingly harmless celebration.

Why do we celebrate halloween? Where did this whole idea come from?

Celebrate Halloween History

Around 2,000 years ago, the Celts had a festival commemorating the end of their year on October 31st. They believed on this night that a door between the living and the dead was open. They believed this door allowed spirits of the dead to mingle with them, to possess people, and to cause all kinds of trouble.

The Celts offered food and drink to aid the spirits, or sometimes ward them away. They dressed up in outlandish costumes and roamed the neighborhoods.

Other strange customs involved moving gates and fences, women dressing as men, men dressing as women, as well as other trickeries now associated with halloween.

The Celtics honored the dead during this time. A central bonfire was always lit to honor the pagan gods. Fairies were believed to roam the land as beggars asking for food. Those who did not give were punished by them. This lines up with our modern practice of “trick or treat”.

Today, as a way to celebrate halloween, many of these same practices continue at neighborhood halloween parties.

As you can see, halloween’s history is all pagan.  This celebration of darkness has only gained more and more evil practices. Today, witches still gather to celebrate and sacrifice offerings to pagan gods on that night.

In a recent article on Crosswalk.com, a former witch commented,  “Many kids get their first exposure to the occult with horror movies at halloween parties. After the initial exposure to the occult some children are attracted to the occult because of the power it offers them.”

Celebrate Halloween No More?

Another self-described former “eclectic witch,” said in a recent interview, that when he first came to faith in Christ, the reason he hated halloween so much was because of his sensitivity to the occult symbolism associated with it.

He said, “As the costumes got more and more grotesque and more celebratory of darkness, it bothered me a lot. I knew what was on the other side and I knew it was real.”

As my conviction grew about this issue, I knew I could no longer celebrate halloween. I knew that I could “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” (Ephesians 5:11).

I then began to wonder should Christians celebrate halloween. There isn’t anything about this that honors the Lord. Is this just a playful or harmless fun activity?

I strongly urge you to take a good look at this.

Once my eyes were opened, there was no turning back for me. The Lord continually confirmed His desire for me to have nothing to do with this, over and over again. Despite much opposition from others and acting as if I was the loco one, I knew it wasn’t going to be a part of my life.

Lord, guide us into all truth by your Holy Spirit.  May we have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but may we expose them.

Charleen

P.S. Why do you still CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN? I invite you to take a look at some fun and powerful ways to celebrate the Biblical feasts by clicking the link above.

October 30, 2012

The Glory of Man – How Can A Wife Honor Her Husband?

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The Glory of Man?

I was made for the glory of man?  This was the question I began to ponder over 21 years ago as a new bride. Whenever I spent time alone with the Lord, He would continually show me these scriptures about the glory of man found in 1 Corinthians 11:7-17! The Gloryof Man

I grew up in church, and I never remember hearing anything so strange. Weren’t each of us made for God’s glory?

In verse 7, we read “For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God,but the woman is the glory of the man.”

It goes on to explain this in verse 8:”For the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.

This may be very difficult for many women to stomach. This passage is saying our God-given calling is related to the fact that we were created FOR man. Our purpose in pleasing God is directly connected to the glory of man.

“For this reason the woman should have a symbol of authority on her head because of the angels. Nevertheless, neither is the man independent of the woman, nor the woman independent of the man, in the Lord. For as the woman came from man, even so man comes by the woman; but all things are from God.”

“Judge for yourselves: is it proper that a woman pray to God uncovered? Does not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man has long hair, it is a shameful?”

“But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her, for her hair is given to her as a covering. But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither do the churches of God.”

As I began to meditate on these verses, I could see clearly that my purpose on this earth was extremely important for the men in my life to bring glory to my Creator. I was not made for God’s glory, but for the glory of man.

The Glory of Man Question

I was now faced with discovering how I could bring glory to man?

I had no idea the kind of opposition I would receive. Because I believed this, many friends and family members thought I was putting myself down. Nothing could be further from the truth.

First off, this verse is not about whether you need to wear something on your head. I believe this is where the church has gotten off on a bunny trail, and missed the whole point.  Paul says there is no set command in the church regarding a head covering in verse 16.

Amazingly, as the Lord always does in my life, He began confirming His Word to me through many Bible teachers. Even with all the opposition, I was convinced this is what God’s Word was saying.

How do you adjust your life knowing this truth?  Now, instead of it being all about my agenda, it is about my husband and the men in my life fulfilling their destiny. It is about the glory of man.

It is about me assisting them to do all that the Lord requires so that they can bring Him glory!

Walking Out The Glory of Man For A Woman

How can you do this and live a rewarding life?

1) Meditate on His Word and ask God what He wants you to do. Investigate this whole idea, don’t just take my word for it.  You will do much better with things when you hear from Him yourself.

2) Find ways to bring glory to the men in your life by encouraging them, assisting them, praying for them, and submitting to them.

3) As you are led, spread this truth to others, and

4) Exercise your faith daily! Everything that is not of faith is sin. If you can’t get your faith wrapped around this, then don’t do it at all.

As you begin to bring glory to man, the men in your life will bring glory to God. In this, you will be acting as Christ in laying down your life for another.  The rewards on earth and in heaven are exceedingly abundantly above all you could ask or think!

Charleen

P.S.  Seeing THE GLORY OF MAN fulfilled in the lives of your husband and sons is an awesome thing. Discover another powerful way that you can step into the fullness of God’s grace for your family at the link above.

October 16, 2012

What Are Tears of Joy To An Ecstatic New Grandmother?

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What Are Tears of Joy?

What are tears of joy when you have the awesome privilege of holding your newly born granddaughter? I thought for the first time that my tears of joy might be out of place. What Are Tears of Joy

I have been so thankful for the Lord’s amazing blessings in my life, seeing Him move on my behalf, and on behalf of others.  I realized how often that my response was crying with those so-called happy tears, or tears of joy.

It really wasn’t till the early morning hours of the birth of my newest granddaughter, that I began asking myself what are tears of joy.

I was headed to this wonderful event, being filled with joy and tears, or was it joy with some leftover pain mixed in?

Was this a clever masquerade of joy that I was feeling?  Was this not the real thing, like wanting to drink  a Coke and settling for a Pepsi?

The enemy had ravaged our son, trying to steal his joy over and over again.  We had seen the Lord’s kindness restore everything the enemy had stolen from him. He was now getting blessed with the great gift of his very own baby girl.

My son’s words when he discovered his wife was expecting were, “God must really love me to give me a child.” What a liar the enemy is, and what a Kinsmen Redeemer our God is!

What Are Tears of Joy
Life Experience

As I was driving, and crying, I heard the Lord’s still quiet voice saying, “Charleen, no need to cry, laugh, and be full of joy!” I thought I was full of joy.

As I looked up, I saw the moon smiling at me with a double wide grin. My Father in heaven was giving me a picture of what He wanted on my face. Not tears, but a huge smile, happy, joyous, and illuminating!

What are tears of joy? I couldn’t bring myself to cry after that, but I could only laugh out loud all the way to the hospital.

The Bible does tell us that “those who sow in tears will reap in joy”. I had certainly done more than my share of sowing in tears.

The word for joy in Hebrew is “rinnah”, meaning gladness, joy, proclamation, rejoicing, shouting, singing, or triumph.

It struck me that this meaning was so far removed from anything like weeping, which is the way I have shown my joy most of the time.

What Are Tears of Joy Meaning

What are tears of joy? I began wondering where the expression “tears of joy” came from. I could not find any agreed upon source for this expression. What I do know is that it is not in the Bible.

I am not saying that we can never cry when we are happy. I am saying we might need to look a little closer at our feelings connected to any tears of joy.

I did this on the miraculous morning of my granddaughter’s birth, and I discovered the Lord had more joy for me than I was capable of experiencing!

I decided to do a word search on the Biblical words for joy and found 27 words meaning joy. What are tears of joy? Not one of them referred to weeping or crying.  In fact, all of them described a jubilant and obvious expression of joy.

It seemed to be like the kind of response you might have when your favorite football team has just won a game. Expressions with leaping, loud shouts, singing, and dancing are more the picture of what pure joy is.

Why don’t you try my theory out next time the Lord does something amazing in your life.  Instead of tears, try jumping up and down, dancing, singing, leaping, or shouting.

I really believe your joy will be multiplied, and you will begin to experience the fullness of the joy that Christ paid for us to enjoy!

Charleen

P.S. WHAT ARE TEARS OF JOY? They no longer have a place in my life. For more ideas on how to truly celebrate God’s blessings in your life, join us at the link above.

September 30, 2012

Bible Scriptures About Faith – Are You Really Walking By Faith?

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Bible Scriptures About Faith

Bible Scriptures about faith should be at the top of your list when it comes to God’s Word. I say this because Jesus puts such a high priority on where our faith is. Bible Scriptures About Faith

Have you ever really thought about the meaning of faith?  The Bible Scripture on faith in Hebrews 11 gives us a definition: “Now faith is being sure of what you hope for, certain of what you do not see.”

So, how many of us are sure of what we hope for, or certain of what we do not see?  How many of us stay focused on what God has promised, instead of letting the  circumstances hitting us in the face get us discouraged?

This is a real challenge for me, but I have given this faith journey in my life a lot of attention. If we struggle a lot with trusting the things going on around us instead of God’s Word, then we are not really walking by faith.

When God promises us bread, are we expecting a stone when the pantry is bare?  Will Jesus find faith from you when He returns?

Powerful Bible Scriptures
About Faith

One of my favorite Bible Scriptures about faith is found in Luke 18. Jesus is sharing a parable about a widow who pleads her case before a judge. Jesus is instructing His disciples on the value of prayer and not getting discouraged.

This unrighteous judge showed the widow favor because of her boldness and persistence. Jesus gives us some insight into how faith works here. He tells the disciples that their Heavenly Father will certainly give them favor if they act like this widow.

True faith involves being bold and not taking no for an answer. Jesus finishes with a cutting question in verse 8: “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

This Scripture about faith is not about begging God, as many people may think. It is about trusting that God hears us and is setting things in motion on our behalf, no matter what the circumstances may be. That requires us to get our hearts established on Scriptures about faith.

Let’s look at some Bible Scriptures about faith found in the chapter 10 of the Book of Daniel that clearly illustrate this. An Angel tells Daniel that his prayer was heard from the first day he made it, even though he had been praying for 21 days. He tells him, “I have come in answer to your prayer.”

Yes, from the first day we ask IN FAITH, He already starts the wheels in motion to see our request come forth.

When we read the New Testament, we see endless accounts of how faith made people well, and how a lack of faith hindered miracles. Since the church’s beginning, faith was a major ingredient, and faith is the only way to please our Heavenly Father, Yahweh.

Bible Scriptures About Faith and Unbelief

Will we raise our standard of faith and choose to stand on Scriptures about faith?

The opposite of faith is unbelief. In Hebrews 3:19, we are told what kept the Israelites from entering their promise, “So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.” Unbelief is the most grievous sin to God.

We see more Bible scriptures about faith and unbelief in Mark 6:4-6. Jesus was not able to do much in Nazareth because the people there had trouble believing in Him.

Let’s judge Him faithful who promised, and make a commitment today. We must learn from the lessons of the Israelites and from those who lived in New Testament times, to be a people who walk by faith and not by sight.

Charleen

P.S. My prayer is that these BIBLE SCRIPTURES ABOUT FAITH will strengthen you. I invite you to exercise your faith in some special promises made by our Heavenly Father at the link above.

September 28, 2012

Using Scriptures About Authority To Deal With Our Enemy

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Scriptures About Authority

There are Scriptures about authority that we must become established on to deal a crushing blow to the enemy of our soul. Before we look at those Scriptures, let’s ask ourselves some questions about what is Christian authority over our enemy. Scriptures About Authority

Should we ever get bullied around by the devil?  Didn’t Jesus defeat the devil, and seat us in heavenly places with Him?

Why then are we allowing sickness, fear, sin, torment, addictions, failure, or insecurity to keep us from the victory we should be experiencing?

Did God promise that He would never lie to us? What is the work of the devil? Does it look like the Body of Christ understands what is church authority when it comes to dealing with the work of the enemy?

One of the meanings of the Greek word for authority is superhuman strength. Do we really have this?

God gave us superhuman or supernatural ability, and what are we doing with it? We should be walking around like the “Incredibles” family in a spiritual sense!

Scriptures About Authority Answers

Let’s get started using some Scriptures about authority to answer these questions above.

Since Jesus defeated the devil, should Christians ever get bullied?

Luke 10:17-19 fully answers this question. Jesus tells His disciples and every Believer after them that they have been given power over the enemy and nothing should be able to hurt them. The case is closed.

Were we seated in Heavenly places with Him?

For this answer, we will look at one of the Scriptures on authority found in Ephesians 2:6. Paul tells us that God our Father “seated us with Him in the heavenly places because we are united with Christ Jesus.”

The next question was has God lied.

The easy answer is found in Numbers 23:19 where it says this,”God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”

The final question to answer was related to the nature of the work of the devil.

Let’s look another one of the Scriptures about authority in Acts 10:38. It says that Jesus went about doing good and “…healing all that were oppressed of the devil.”

This clearly tells us the work of the devil is oppression. This means to put in bondage or to be weighed down. This Scripture also speaks of the authority that Jesus had over the enemy’s works.

Scriptures About Authority Centurion Style

We must begin to exercise our authority as the Body of Christ!

Jesus’ response to the centurion gives us the best picture of authority and how we should be living.

This passage from Scriptures about authority is found in Matthew 8. Jesus marvels at the great faith of this centurion BECAUSE HE UNDERSTOOD THE CONCEPT OF AUTHORITY.

Jesus tells the centurion in verse 13:”Go; let it be done for you as you have believed. And the servant was healed at that very moment.”

This is one of the most powerful Bible scriptures about faith. This suggests that when we honor our authorities, when we understand our authority, and when we exercise our authority, it is extremely pleasing to the Lord.

What can we do to understand and use this authority in Christ?

1. We must meditate on scriptures about authority.
2. We absolutely need to submit to, and honor the authorities placed in our lives.
3. We should begin to exercise our authority BY FAITH on a daily basis.

Resolve today, to be a person of centurion faith. If we do this, we will not only do the works that Jesus did, but we will also please our Heavenly Daddy. For we know that without faith, it is impossible to please Him.

Charleen

P.S. These SCRIPTURES ABOUT AUTHORITY speak of a deepening relationship with God our Father. I invite you to learn about some additional powerful ways that you and your family can draw closer to the Lord at the link above.

September 25, 2012

What Is A Craving To Baskin-Robbins Compared To The Word of God?

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What Is A Craving?

What is a craving when we have to decide every day which one we will feed better, our bodies or our spirits? What do you find yourself craving the most often? What Is A Craving

Having a special craving for food or craving sweets is something we have all enjoyed or payed for at some point.

The definition of craving something can
easily be described by the feeling you get for a pint of Baskin-Robbins ice cream, or a Starbucks’ mocha frap, or a hot fudge sundae, or even a romantic get away with your spouse.

While these are not bad things, isn’t there something else we need to be craving on a regular basis?

What Is A Craving From God?

Recently, when I was worshiping, I heard the lyrics to a song which said, “All I want is you, All I crave is you.”  As I was singing, I asked myself the following question. Is all I crave You, Lord?

Though I am sincerely passionate about the Lord, and though my favorite thing to do is to worship Him, I realized I had other cravings.  I hated the results of my self examination.

I believe I heard God’s Spirit telling me to replace any craving I had with time in His Word. Heeding the Lord’s most perfect advice, I decided that when I had a strong desire for anything, I would replace it with time spent in His Word.

1 Peter 2:2 advices us clearly about this when it says,”Like newborn babies, you must crave the pure spiritual milk of the Word so that you will grow up to His full   salvation.” Now don’t just pass over that word “crave” again.

What is a craving for His Word? Is our desire for His life-giving Word stronger than the things we want from this world?

I thought of all the people caught in bondage to all kinds of cravings. The list goes from food and pornography to cigarettes and money, from chocolate to video games, and from sex to gambling.  None of these things can truly satisfy you.

What is a craving to the world? These cravings can often lead to addictions! Statistics show that people’s cravings are painfully ruining their lives.

In 2010 there was an estimated 22.6 million Americans over the age of 12 that were current or former illicit drug users. It has also been reported that 76 million people have been exposed to alcoholism somewhere in their family. 72 million Internet users visit pornographic web sites per year.

I wonder what the stats are for those who are addicted to His Word?

84% of college counselors agree that Internet Addiction Disorder is a legitimate disorder. Forty-one percent of people who play online video games admit that they play computer games to escape from the real world. This addiction is associated with a very strong desire to seek new sensations.

The Real Answer To What Is A Craving?

There is only one thing truly worthy of our cravings. There is only one thing that can fully satisfy our deepest desires. When we truly long for the pure milk of His Word, everything else will come into its proper place.

Then I believe we will be able to enjoy His blessings and His benefits without falling into  bondage, or even go down the path toward the evil addictions of the tempter.

In closing, Proverbs 8:11 says this:”…for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.” Nothing we desire should compare with our hunger for His Word.

Lord, help us to desire the sincere milk of your Word above all, and make this our only craving!

Charleen

P.S. WHAT IS A CRAVING when it comes to walking with the Creator of your soul? Discover these exciting ways to walk in God’s Word and satisfy your sweet tooth at the link above.

September 20, 2012

What Is The Joy of the Lord When We Are Programmed To Complain?

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What Is The Joy of the Lord?

What is the joy of the Lord to a society that seems to take pride in complaining. People think that you are wimpy if you don’t make a complaint about every little offense. That makes for a lot of grumpy and joyless folks. What Is The Joy of The Lord

Have you ever wondered if the joy of the Lord is my strength, then why am I not more joyful? From the looks on some of our faces, you would never know we have a victorious King who made complete provision for us.

Have we allowed that complaining, whining, and criticizing side of our nature to take over when any little roadblock gets in our way?

If joy is our strength, then, I guess that means we are really weak! Are we acting like we know that Jesus paid the ultimate price to give us victory in every situation?

What Is The Joy of the Lord?
God’s Word

In Nehemiah 8, we get a picture of what is the joy of the Lord. Nehemiah has the people  gathered together reading from the book of the law as the Lord had commanded them.

As they did this, the people began to understand the law and it caused them to weep. They really came to know God through what was in His Word.

Nehemiah told them not to be grieved, for the joy of the Lord was their strength. Their response was awesome. They celebrated by eating, drinking, and having a ball! They knew how to make a joyful noise to the Lord.

What is the joy of the Lord when things seems to be stacked against us? Are we stuck with falling into aggravation, sorrow, fear, or disappointment when things don’t go our way?

I believe we must choose to believe that God is operating on our behalf when things look impossibly hopeless, or even terrifying.

We can do this because we have a Heavenly Father we can trust through the promises in His Word. That’s a lot to be joyful about. Isn’t Jesus, Yeshua, the Word who became flesh?

We’ve got to get God’s Word living in us so richly that His Word comes out when we are squeezed by our circumstances. Spend time soaking yourself in scriptures about joy.

God didn’t leave us as orphans, but sent His Holy Spirit to live in us! We have the same power that rose Christ from the dead living in us!  How can we do anything but be joyful?

What Is The Joy Of The Lord Scriptures

What is the joy of the Lord? Let’s look at some scripture verses on joy.

I love this scripture on joy found in James 1:2-3 that tells us to:”Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Our response nasty trials should be joy because those trials exercise our faith which leads to endurance. And if we endure in faith and joy, we will lack nothing. If we can stand firm in our joy, we will find victory continually.

Psalm 16:11 tells us that in God’s presence, there is fullness of joy.

Jesus tells us in John 15:11 that when His words abide in us, our joy may be full.

Also, we are told in Galatians 5:22 that joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Let the Holy Spirit have His way.

What is the joy of the Lord? I love thinking of Abraham, who believed in God’s promise of being the Father of many nations when he had no son. God told him to look at the stars and believe. He was strengthened to receive his promise.

I wonder what we could see in our own lives, if we would choose joy, instead of complaining, and exercise our faith in trying times.

Choose joy and find great strength in the One who created you, and supplied your every need.

Charleen Ecuyer

P.S. WHAT IS THE JOY OF THE LORD when you are stuck in a current of complaining? Look into these fun celebrations to bring your family into the fullness of God’s joy at the link above.

September 12, 2012

Learn How To Not Fear Death and Stand in Victory

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How To Not Fear Death

We can learn how to not fear death by believing we truly have victory over death. I will show you how to strengthen that belief in your victory over death. How To Not Fear Death

Do you ever experience the fear of death?  Have you ever been driving in your car, and realized how close a mac-truck came to almost hitting you dead on?

What is the fear of death? Ever have a really unusual pain in your body, and start worrying that it might be some rare cancer that will check you out?

Some of us are able to quickly dismiss that fear of death and dying, and go on with our lives. Many are not so fortunate, and end up becoming gripped with fear.

How To Not Fear Death Scriptures

The question really comes to this – Should you be experiencing fear at all? I’d like to suggest that death has been defeated, and has no sting, or can bring no worrisome trouble.

In 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 it says,”O death where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Old Testament version of this scripture is seen in the book of Hosea prophesying what was to come. If God’s Word is infallible, this should be like a fact to us. When will we take God at His Word?

In Hosea, the Hebrew word for death is “maveth”, meaning opposed to life. The word is “thanatos” in the Greek and means the power of death! Therefore, we can surmise that we do have victory over anything opposed to life, and over the power of death.

By growing strong in God’s Word, we can learn how to not fear death. The scripture in Hebrews 2:14 says it all. “Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil…”

Who shared in our humanity? Who has the power of death? Whose death destroyed him who holds its power? We know how to not fear death through Jesus.

I believe when Jesus was on the cross, He spoke clearly for all to hear, “It is finished!” I find it truly amazing that there are so many scriptures in the Old Testament where God is promising to redeem us.

We then see the fulfillment of these promises in the New Testament. I really love it when the great patriarchs of old spoke by faith of this already being accomplished for them. Should we not gather up enough faith after all we know?

How To Not Fear Death Step

Most things that make us afraid have something to do with dying.  Think about it. Why are you afraid of heights? Why are you afraid of spiders or snakes?

Why are you fearful of flying?  Remove this fear of death, and watch as those other nagging fears disappear. You can practice how to not fear death. Exercise your faith in the victory Jesus gave each one of us and tell the spirit of fear to leave you, now!

We must take a different view of death. Where is your sting? Yes, we have victory over death’s sting. It cannot hurt us.

We must stand against the enemy of death in every way possible, never yielding to its power over us or our loved ones. If we lose the fight, we can trust that the sting of death has been removed. Those whom we warred for, are beginning their grand adventures in paradise.

I believe victory over death was provided on the cross, just like healing, redemption, forgiveness, and salvation were.

The Lord is waiting for His Bride to know how to not fear death and take its stand against that last enemy of death. After all, He paid the full price for this to happen. Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Charleen

P.S. Now that you know HOW TO NOT FEAR DEATH, your next step is to learn how to celebrate your victory at the link above.

September 10, 2012

Do You Know How To Seek God And Expect To Find Him?

Filed under: Charleen's Kitchen of Life — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 8:03 pm

How To Seek God

While it is extremely important to know how to seek God, it is just as important to expect to find Him. Have the faith to find Him every day of your life. How To Seek God

All of us who are Christians have heard the scripture in Jeremiah 29:13 which says,”… seek Me and find Me when you search for me with all your heart.”

How many of us really believe if we seek God we will actually find Him?  If we truly believe this, why are we chasing after entertainment instead of trying to seek first the kingdom of God?

Finding God Himself has got to be the most amazing find of our lives.

It occurred to me that people spend millions of dollars at archaeological digs. Excavation is a tough process of removing one level of earth at a time. The area must be cleared, mapped out,and then the slow process of the dig begins.

Every bucket must be sifted through in this extremely tedious operation. During this process, time and effort and much patience is required. All this to find old, smelly dead or ancient artifacts.

I realize there is value in this effort, but I believe there is a treasure so much greater to be mined. Will we spend the time, money, and effort learning how to seek the kingdom of God?

We have also heard of the ridiculous government waste found in projects seeking the importance of a frisbee, or a pickle.  How do these things compare to gaining wisdom in how to seek God?

How To Seek God Personal Time

During one of my quiet times with the Lord, I became overwhelmed by His presence and His love.  As I was reading Psalm 11, this passage stood out in verses 4-5 : “His eyes behold, His eyes test, His countenance looks upon the upright in heart.”

The only way we can qualify as being upright in heart is through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

But it was as if I could feel His eyes penetrating me and making me whole. It was a bit like Superman looking at me with His laser eyes. I could sense something was being healed in me.

As I continued to study the scriptures on how to seek God, I became overtaken with His great love for me and for us all. In many places the Bible, we are instructed  to seek God first above other things.

How much better off this world would be if we spent time learning how to seek God first in our lives, hearing His thoughts, feeling His love, and getting His plan for the day!

How To Seek God Encounters

Are you ready to have an encounter of the ultimate kind?  Get ready for something more amazing than any outrageous vacation, any Clint Eastwood movie, any Super Bowl, any adventure park, or any decadent dessert.

Here’s how to seek God by following these steps consistently.

1.  Set aside 15 minutes a day to spend with God, and make sure it’s time when you are sharp.
2.  Draw close to God by singing worship songs TO HIM, and reading and meditating on His Word telling Him you love Him and want to be closer to Him.
3.  Make sure you mix this up with listening to what He has to say and telling God that you love Him with all your heart.
4.  Consider other things you have sought after, and the cost your were willing to put into it, knowing this is the greatest treasure you will ever find!

As you follow these steps on how to seek God, you will find your self seeking this special time alone with Him more and more.  When you seek Him, expect a supernatural encounter.

You will discover your time searching for Him and finding Him to be a priceless artifact worth the digging!

Charleen Ecuyer

P.S. Practice HOW TO SEEK GOD for yourself and discover some exciting and fun ways to help your family seek Him at the link above.

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