Every morning, before I start my day, I open my Bible to read the Word. This morning I read Psalm ch. 9, and these words really spoke to me. 

'But the Lord sits enthroned for ever, He has established His throne for judgement, and He judges the world with righteousness, He judges the people with equity. The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble, and those who know Thy name put their trust in Thee, for Thou, O Lord, hast not forsaken those who seek Thee. Sing praises to the Lord Who dwells in Zion! Tell among the peoples His deeds! For He Who avenges blood is mindful of them, He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.'  vs. 7-12

The following is a picture poem I wrote and painted a long time ago. I have probably shared this before, but it continues to speak to me daily.

Love one another as I have loved you

 This story is a true story about something that happened in my life some years ago.

The other day a neighbour's cat came to my house crying for food. At first I sent it away.  'It is not my responsibility', I thought, 'It belongs to my neighbour'.  The plight of the cat got worse and she grew thinner and thinner until I felt I had to give the cat some food.  It didn't matter whose cat it was, she was starving.  Maybe the owners couldn't afford to buy cat food, maybe they were feeding it a food which it couldn't eat, or maybe they just didn't care about it.  Whatever the reason, I had let the fact that it was someone else's cat blind me to the fact that it was starving.  I had food to give it, we have three cats of our own, and it had to be fed or it could starve to death.

God spoke to me through this incident. He brought me to realize how easily I could have looked the other way and tried to justify myself by saying 'The problem is not mine.'  The truth of the matter was that the problem was not mine until I was made aware of it.  The cat had come to my door and I as a believer know that the cat does not really belong to my neighbour, it belongs to God.  'The earth is the Lord's and the fullness therein.' (Psalm 24).

Sometimes we are reluctant to share what we have, not only the material things but also the spiritual things, because we think it will cause a loss to us. However, the Lord tells us to give and it shall be given to us (Luke ch. 6 v.38).  Whatever God has given to us is to be given out to others where there is a need, we need not fear that we shall suffer through our giving.  In fact we are more likely to suffer through our lack of giving, especially where sharing our faith is concerned. If a plant was to be put in a vessel that did not have any holes in the bottom, water being poured into it frequently would soon cause the plant to rot.  If there are holes in the vessel the plant will take what it needs through it's root system, and the excess will flow out, keeping the plant healthy.

However, no gardener will add water to a plant that is already saturated and in danger of rotting because the water hasn't been allowed to drain away. So let us make sure our vessels have holes in them, and that the 'water of the Word' that we have been given will be shared in this world, just like the widow in 1 Kings ch. 17 shared her bread. Let us all try to be like the widow woman who trusted the Word of the Lord so much that she gave to Elijah when he was in need before she took for herself and her son.  It is by our works that we show faith.  Let us share both the things that we have in this world, and also our faith, through the BREAD OF THE WORD.  God is faithful, 'the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail' according to the word of the Lord for the widow woman, and neither will it for us. For the Lord knows what things we have need of before we ask.

A CHILD IS DYING IN THE STREET

IT CRIES ALOUD FOR BREAD

DO YOU GIVE OF WHAT YOU HAVE

OR WATCH IT 'TIL IT'S DEAD

A WORLD WAS DYING IN IT'S SIN

IT DIDN'T ASD FOR 'BREAD'

GOD COULD HAVE GIVEN PUNISHMENT

HE GAVE HIS SON INSTEAD

Yes, let us love one another in the same way that God loved us.

When the Lord is the 'gardener' we need not fear that He will neglect to 'water' us. Proverbs ch. 11 v.35 says 'The generous man will be prosperous. And he who waters will himself  be watered.' 

A child is returning home

The scriptures say that in the end times many shall fall away from the faith, and that is just what is happening in these times. I believe Jesus  will be returning soon to take up the remnant, and that it is so important that we repent on the things we may have done wrong and turn back to having God's ways and thoughts. The following is a poem I wrote some time ago regarding my thoughts on this.

A CHILD IS RETURNING HOME

The Lord looked down from Heaven
and said to His angels one night

'There's an empty house in Jerusalem

that needs to be filled with my light'

My Father says 'Make this house ready

a child is returning home

Go, welcome him into my sanctuary

and tell him no more will he roam

Tell him his Lord has redeemed him

and not for the good deeds he's done

but because the Father has loved him

and he trusted upon His Son'

So come, let us make this house ready

and fill it with goodness tonight

for a child that was lost has come home again

to be blessed by the Father of Light

 

Something from nothing

You make something from nothing

Lord I know this is true

for You took the old 'me'

and made something brand new

You turned pain and sorrow

to laughter and joy

saved what Satan was trying

so hard to destroy

Now my life is complete

while I'm standing in You

and each trial and temptation

You carry me through

I can see as my training

for the work I must do

as I tell of Salvation

God's grace brought me through You

If only

If only I could speak a word

to everyone who's never heard

If I could tell them why You died

then Jesus - I'd be satisfied

If I could touch a troubled heart

with words of life that I'd impart

and see the turmoil being stilled

then Lord - my life would be fulfilled

And if I'd see a broken soul 

crying out to be made whole

I'd tell them, Lord, of Calvary

and how you came to set us free

But just to do this simple thing

to sing the song I want to sing

I must have Your authority

for only You can set men free

So Father grant this power to me

that captives might have liberty

anoint with oil this mortal head

then by Your Spirit raise the dead

 As a believer, and part of the body of Christ on earth our duty is to spread the gospel to as many people as the Lord leads us to. The following are a poem and a song that I wrote some time ago that reflects how I feel regarding this.

Lord take us to the prisoners

Lord take us to the prisoners

Lord lead us to the ones that are bound

Lord take us to the weary

give rest to their souls

cause the lost to be found

Lord take us to the injured

Lord lead us to the ones that are lame

Lord take us to the helpless

give sight to the blind

by the power in Your name

Lord take us to the thirsty

Lord lead us to the ones that are dry

Lord take us to the lost ones

and open our ears to their pitiful cry

 You are my God

You are my God, you are my king

You are my prince of peace

You are my everything

You have the power and the authority

to bring down each stronghold and principality

and I worship, and I worship

and I worship You my Lord

You are the chosen One of the great I AM

You are the Holy One of the risen Lamb

You are the Prince of peace

and the king of kings

and I worship You

and I worship You

Do not fear

I feel led to repost something I posted a few years ago.

After Gedaliah's death at Mizpah, the remnant that was left of the people who had been at Mizpah wanted to return to Egypt because they were afraid of reprisals from Babylon.  They asked Jeremiah to ask God the way they should go and what they should do.  Jeremiah said he would ask God.  They became afraid while waiting ten days for an answer.

 

Sometimes when we ask God for direction when we are afraid, if God does not answer us straight away we make our own decisions as to what to do.  Then, when we are shown what to do by God through the Holy Spirit enlightening the scriptures to us, the fear that has built up while waiting has taken over.  They were warned that if they went back to Egypt whereas then they put it 'they would not see war or trumpet or be hungry' then the very things they feared would destroy them. This can be true in our own walk with the Lord to the promised land.

When we lived in a previous house I split an opium poppy plant that I had bought into two separated pieces and put the pieces in two pots with compost in them.  One piece quickly grew leaves and several buds, the other had none,  and when the first bud flowered it was of a red-orange colour, not salmon pink.  Then the other plant started to grow small but lighter coloured leaves and buds that eventually opened out into pink flowers.  I wondered if the plant I originally bought had been a combination of two plants.  I have since purchased two other plants that appeared to be a mix of two separate plants in one pot, a Christmas cactus and  a fuchsia, both of which have red and pink flowers.

The Lord has also been showing me very strange happenings.  A sculptor balancing rocks that seemed to defy gravity, and a dog walking on a tightrope.  I believe He has been answering my prayer to Him to help me in any area of unbelief I may have regarding His promise to heal me completely from something I have had for some years, and His supernatural ability to do this. 
If I find these things done by man hard to believe, then am I letting my reasoning cause doubt regarding God's ability to heal me even though I have experienced it in the past.. The problem with the carnal mind is that it has limits to what it will accept as true, particularly as the spiritual enemy is in the carnal mind questioning constantly God's instruction to us.

In Genesis ch. 4 vs. 3 and 4 we are told that:-
'In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favour on Abel and his offering,'
Cain later killing Abel reminds me of how the preaching of the doctrines of man, represented by the fact that Cain grew things of the earth, can spiritually 'kill' those who are true believers, represented by those who keep sheep (shepherds), who are spiritually brothers of Christ as stated in Romans ch. 8 v. 29:-  'For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers'.

In the Bible the word 'Babylon' means 'Confusion, mixture.'
Chaldea means ' demons; or as robbers,' and it reminds me of the spiritual enemy robbing the church of the truth, causing the church to become confused.
 Genesis ch. 11 v. 31 and Genesis ch. 15 v. 7  say that God called Abraham, a Chaldean, out of Ur of the Chaldeans so that Abraham would follow God to the land that God had promised to him and his descendants, and that is what I believe God is calling us to do, to come out of all the spiritual confusion of the demonic spiritual enemy into the truth. 

Galatians ch. 3 vs. 6-9 read:-
 ^'So also Abraham 'believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.'
 Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham.  Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: 'All nations will be blessed through you. '  So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.'
 Satan can appear as an angel of light.  through our fears he can dissuade us from following the Lord's instructions. 
I had something come up in my comments section from a site I did not know saying that it was on a post called  'recovery'  (which I have not put up on my blog), it really encouraged me to continue to believe in my 'recovery'.

When I went down for breakfast a few days ago I turned a Christian programme on the television and a man was saying 'God told me to go to the doctor'.  I can honestly say that I do not see in the scriptures where we are told to do this. Why would that Word give instruction about the laying on of hands for healing, but not about the going to worldly physicians?
Even 'though Jesus was the Son of God, we are told that He learned obedience through the things He suffered (Hebrews ch. 5 v.8), and I believe this also applies to us. Even though we have become children of God through being born again of God's Spirit, we still have to learn obedience.  We are first 'babes' in Christ, feeding on the 'milk' of the Word. Then we 'mature' in Him as we are given the strong meat of that Word.

That was as far as I got in adding to the draft post.  Last night I could not sleep for thinking about why I had started writing it and how I was going to end it.  I definitely had a feeling that I was to put this post up now.  In the early hours of this morning I fell asleep and had a dream.  It was an answer to my question.
 In the dream I was given a plant that was broken in two parts at the root. I put the two parts of the root together and, holding them firmly together, put the whole plant in a pot of soil.
I knew that I was being shown that a believer and the Lord are joined as one through the 'root' of the Spirit and that I must not allow anything to separate me from the Word being enlightened to me by the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus said in John ch. 14 v. 15:-  'If you love me, keep my commands', and that is not the ten commandments, it is the Rhema Word spoken to me daily, not just being a 'hearer' of that Word but being a 'doer' of that Word to prove it true. I say to Jesus:- 'Lord, I endeavour to stay rooted in Your precious Word, continuing to trust in what You instruct me to do.  Thank You Lord for being my strength in my trials.'

How strange is this! The Fuchsia is called Salou.  I looked up the meaning of the word and one of the answers on the internet said :- 'The numerical value of Salou in Chaldean numerology is 2.' It reminds me of God calling Abraham, who was a  Chaldean to follow Him to the land that God had promised to him and his descendants, just like He is telling me to follow Him, and not to separate from Him.


As Philippians ch. 4 v. 13 states:-

I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.