Sunday, May 30, 2010

The prayerful Spirit

Good Morning Beloved,



The sun is shinning and it's a beautiful day!!!! Praise God!

I am still reading in the same book, The Prayerful Spirit, by Dr. James P. Gills, and I have told you I am taking my time with this one.... It is about learning to pray... Prayer is so important and we act like if we say thank you it will be enough... Well I am learning that just ain't so.

The chapter that I am on right now has made me stop and think.... I hope it will you too.

It is called " The Roadblocks to Prayer".

I believe we all have them. Maybe some of us more than others.... Even if you have been a believer all of your life.. I bet you have roadblocks too... I am going to talk about one of them now.. it is called worldly influences.. I am going to give you the scriptures and hope that you will search them out for yourself.... It is good we do that it's called getting into the Word. I would hate it if I told you something wrong so PLEASE search the Word.....First one is : 1John 2: 15-17.

Do not love the world. After the scripture he writes that we can never have a close relationship with our Lord in prayer if we have an affection for the things of this world. Matthew 6:24

No man can serve two masters. If we worship anything other than God our prayers are not honest communion with our Lord.

Now Beloved, I don't know how that will affect you but it sorta hit me right between the eyes!

I have to be honest here,,, I knew that scripture but did not really know that scripture.. Do any of you do that? Know a scripture and not know it?
He goes on and says it helps to recognize who hides behind the scenes trying to steal what rightfully belongs to God.. That old satan uses just enough truth in his lie to make it believable... How often do we believe that lie over the REAL truth? This goes right along with the Bible study I am doing right now... Breaking Free... we need to start recognizing the difference in the
voices we listen too... next scripture - Matthew 4: 8-10
Next Scripture : Psalms 32:7 our hiding place We need to be diligent in our prayers... Last Scripture is John 17: 15-16 . Do you start to pray and then something else pops in your head and you think about it instead? Well that is not being focused( I am so guilty) So I need to learn how to listen to the TRUE voice do you? Satan is subtle and powerful in his tactics and has little imagination he always uses the same ole, same ole so if it is broke FIX IT!.
Remember to Smile you are dressed the most beautiful you can be..
I love you all Beloved.... God Bless and have a great day in the Lord Jesus Christ...
tenderly your sister in Christ, vickie

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Missionaries

Hello Beloved,

I am just back from church where we had a guest speaker tonight. She was someone who had
to use a interrupter to speak... She gave her testimony and it was powerful ... She spoke about
how at 12 years old she felt the call of God on her life... 12 years old.... She spoke about the trials
of what she went through to get to this day. Powerful Testimony. She spoke about how she got through school... and how she met people who helped her in journey.. How she had to stand on her Faith alone... How her Faith has gotten her where she is today.
She left her home country and went to a country that was closed to missionaries and where if you were caught with a Bible ( just one) it would put you in prison for 8 plus years. And they had taken 158 Bibles in!!! ( 158x8 = 1264 years! ) and they went into this country and not only
took Bibles but took the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them!! The cost ? Is death if they are caught.. Death. Are we willing to take the Gospel into the world and risk our life ? This young
woman is willing to lay her life down to reach people in another part of the world and not only that but it is those of the Islamic belief.. She was so tiny and at the same time she was so full of courage , strength and Holy Ghost. She told us what happens to those who are caught and it was not pretty.... She is so IN LOVE with Jesus Christ and something she said stuck with me and that was the country she was in ( over 2 years) it was not the words spoken ( woman mean nothing in this country) but it was how you lived your life... We call that here the Fruit of the Spirit. As a woman she had to be so careful not to draw attention to herself but to live a life that made others around her ask WHY are you different... This young woman said that the ratio
was 2 missionaries to 1 million people. 2/ 1 million not to good of odds .. eh? She was just amazing to listen too... I am so glad that I went to church tonight... This young woman surely
blessed me tonight...as she has been a blessing to those on the other side of the world...
God is so good.. Missions are important and we need to support those who are called to this life...
Remember that when you smile you are the most beautiful you can be.
tenderly your sister in Christ Jesus.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Are You Aware, Are you Ready

Hello Beloved,

Have you been reading the news? Have you noticed that things aren't very good globally?
Weather, economies, earthquakes, people, NASA news, the sickness everywhere, crime,
need I go on ? Do we even pay attention to all of it? Loved Ones, it is the end times here we
are talking about.... It is REAL ! People who have turned off God... Not wanting Him in
anything we do, no one can mention His name... JESUS CHRIST.. This all makes me very
sad... At anytime the abomination of desolation spoken of by Christ Jesus in Matthew 24:15,
and Daniel 9:26 could be announced.. I believe we will know his name but I also believe I won't be here to put up with him either.. I am of course speaking of the anit-christ. YES, I believe all that I am saying... It is going to happen soon .. I sure hope all of you are ready when it happens...
I want you all to know how much I love you.. and as much as that is I know someone who loves you so much more... His name is Christ Jesus and He died for you... He wants to spend eternity with you... I don't know about you but I am amazed at why Jesus would want to spend time
with someone like me... I have been so many things that are sinful .. Maybe not all of them in the flesh but even in your thoughts you can sin... Proverbs 23: 7 ( first part)
" For as he thinketh in his heart, so he is."
I know I am not the only one to have done things.. No one is perfect except Christ Jesus..
Loved One, please make you calling assured today... If you think you can wait til the last minute and " get in" I am afraid you are wrong... It will be to late then..
Would you please accept Jesus Christ into your heart right now ? Not for me but for YOU.
All you have to do is ask. It is very simple.

Lord Jesus would you forgive me of my sins and please come into my heart and change me
so that I can become more like you? Thank you Jesus. In Jesus name Amen.
Now that was not hard was it? You have to become like a little child... and all that means is that you now have to start from the beginning how to learn like a little child... .. I am so happy that you decided to ask Christ into you heart.. I love it when my family grows... I love having NEW brothers and sisters in Christ.. so WELCOME to the family. You are going to LOVE our Father so much... He is Just and Fair....
Today is called the present for a reason..... Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!
Remember to Smile: you are the most beautiful you can be...
with great affection , your sister in Christ Jesus. vickie

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

To Bonny

Hello Loved One,

Thank you so much for your kind words... I hope that I can make a difference .. You make me
feel as if I am.. Bonny, life is hard and we make it harder by not making sound choices..
I pray that you will not make the same mistakes I have made.. Honey, before you make a
choice please, please pray about it and stay still so you can hear from the Lord...
You are young and bright with a future... so please dont make the mistakes of your elders... listen to them and learn ....
You are so very sweet my dear... I am so glad we have found one another... Thank you so much..
tenderly your sister in Christ Jesus. vickie

Breaking Free Part 1

Hello Beloved,

I am in a Bible study that is called " Breaking Free" and I am having to look at the things in my life that have held me in bondage.. Did you know you can be a slave to something without any one seeing the chains? I looked up the word slavery. slavery- submission to a dominating influence.
So I have been reaching as far back in my memory as I can and trying to figure out what the dominating influence has been in my life. "high places" Here is a list of some of these things:
anger, bitterness, jealousy, selfishness, self-pity, laziness, guilt, fear, low self-esteem, feelings of being overwhelmed, thoughts of self-destruction, to name just a few... These are learned behavior, so that means they can be unlearned behavior too. How? Well, that is what I am trying to learn.... How do we break free from the bonds that hold us captive? How do we let go of the pain and the hurts from our bondage? Maybe your bonds are different then those listed above. How are you going to "break" your bonds?
Well, I have learned in this study that twisted thinking is a form of pride. As you can note
by the list above I have a form of pride, called twisted thinking.... If you would read 2 Chronicles 26:1-15 , you would see that it is not a new thing..... Please read it for yourself and study it.
Don't stop there keep going and learn about the kings of Israel and what happened to them..
Read the book of Isaiah, it is about captivity.
What we are trying to do is to reach our FREEDOM.. We are not so unlike the slaves of the South,during the Civil War.... They just wanted to be free and so do we... How? by learning the truth of God's Word.... believing it and ACCEPTING it... "The saddest of captives is the one who refuses to be free on God's terms.."( Beth Moore) We have to be honest with ourselves in our inner most parts.... This is what God desires.. Absolute honesty... Can we do that?
I believe this to be the truest statement I will ever make. " JESUS LOVES YOU" and I am a
part of that statement... Jesus loves me.....
It does not matter what color you are, how much money you have or don't have, where you live, or how old you are,,,male or female, JESUS LOVES YOU!!!!!!
I think once we can wrap our mind around that and believe it with all of our hearts and know for sure, certain sure. then we can start on the road to recovery of our bonds....
Would you like to break free ? I would and I am going to keep on keeping on and trying till my very last breath.... I know that I know that I know,,, I LOVE JESUS CHRIST with all that I am..
I may not mean much to the world but that is OK Jesus OVERCAME the world..... and He loves me....
Lord Jesus today I am praying that whomsoever reads this would know that you love them and that you died just for them... that they are worth more then this world will ever let them know.. I love you so much Lord Jesus and I pray that you would be here with me today that I would have your strength for when the enemy comes... Thank you Jesus for loving me so much... In Jesus name Amen ( so let it be)
Smile: when you do you are dressed the most beautiful you can be...
In the Love of our Savior Christ Jesus, vickie

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Do You have a Choice

Hello Beloved,

It is a cloudy day out today with some more rain on the way. Thank God we have rain.
I was just getting ready for church when something occurred to me..
I am sure I have thought about it before but today it seems I need to tell you about it.. OK?

I am so easily winded these days... I know some of it maybe that I need to loose some weight but I think most of it is because for over 40 years I smoked... I quit when I was 49 years old... Now you have done the math. I started out young and tried to quit so many times probably half- hearted. but I did quit... I am so glad I did... but and as I have said before there is always a butt... the damage was done... it is the same with food.... you eat and eat and eat and you get lazy and fat... I have done that too.... I have made some pretty bad choices in my life and I have just given you two of them! I guess what I am trying to say is did I have a choice?

I know that I did... so Yes, we all have a choice... The real kicker is choosing the right way.
We have all said if I could only go back to being 16 or 20 or whatever age I would do things differently.
Well, today is the day you have a choice... You can choose to do differently today. Don't think
about in 10 years saying if only I could back ten years,.... do it today and... I am hoping that none of you have made the same mistakes I have but know that you probably have made your own kind of mistakes . It is NOT to late to change....
I know that each choice we make has a consequence that goes with it... Man if only I knew then what I know now.. would I have made a different choice.... I would like to think I would anyway..
Loved One, please think carefully today before you make a life choice... I would like us to all be
here when Jesus comes....
Smile, when you do you are dressed the most beautiful you can be...
your sister in Christ Jesus, vickie

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Balanced Prayer

Hello Beloved,

I am still reading The Prayerful spirit. I am taking my time with this one. I am trying to figure out how to pray more fervent, faithful , focused and effective.. In this book it talks about a
balanced approach. He uses an acronym : ACTS . stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.
So to have a balanced prayer life we need to ACTS.
Adoration: the act of adoring
Confession: the disclosure of one's sin
Thanksgiving: prayer expressing gratitude, act of giving thanks
Supplication: to ask humbly and earnestly

Start your morning off with the ACTS and see how your day flows. The Psalms are a good place to start learning how we can adore Him. Learn to have joy in everything, even a bad day.. I find this one hard but I want to learn so will you learn with me?
When we confess our sins we should also confess our omissions , i.e. what we did not act on.
James 4:17 ( KJV) " Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."
For assurance read Psalms 103: 12 ( KJV)
" As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us."
Thanksgiving, give thanks for everything no matter if it is big or small.
I Thessalonians 5:18 ( KJV)
" In EVERYTHING give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
We should be thankful everyday for everything . If you are having a bad day, STOP and just start thanking God for the day and give up the ugly in it.. and watch the beauty come out... It works...
Supplication; Psalms 107: 13 ( KJV)
" Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distress."
being humble is hard for us to do.. but it is what we need to learn to do.. You know we are not really " ALL THAT"
We need to learn how to do things the way they have been set before us in God' word. This is how we are to live our life.. I find it hard to do, do you? I am learning to trust and obey the Word of God. I hope along the way that you and I can help each other learn how to be the best of what God has created us to be...
Remember: Smile, when you do you are dressed the most beautiful you can be...
God Bless you and today is Mothers Day, Hug a mom.. Happy Day ahead for you.
tenderly with hugs and love from your sister in Christ Jesus... vickie

Friday, May 7, 2010

Are you like the mountain climber?

Hello Beloved,

I have started reading another book.. This one is called, The Prayerful Spirit, by James P. Gills, M.D.. I just started it but something I have read struck me so here I go again...
It is under the heading of : Pray with faith.
It states that there is no real praying to God for ourselves or for others until faith is born in the heart. Jesus tells us that when we pray , we must believe that we have received. Read
James 1 5-8. Faith builds upon faith.
Here is the story he relates in the chapter;
There's a story about a mountain climber who was falling from a high point. As he fell, he grabbed a limb and was holding on for dear life. He suddenly became very religious, and he yelled up to heaven, " Is there anybody up there? Pleeease help me!" He yelled this three or four times. Finally a deep, deep voice said, " Yes, I'm here. Let go, and I'll take care of you."
The mountain climber thought about this for a few minutes as he hung on to the branch, and then he yelled," Is there anybody else up there?'

We are like the mountain climber. We want to know whether there's anyone up there to fill our emptiness and our loneliness. We want to know whether anyone hears our cries. But we don't want someone who will require that we totally let go. We still want to be in control. Therefore,
faith is critical for us to be able to let go and let God. II Corinthians, 5:7, tell us to " live by faith, not by sight."

How many times do we act like the mountain climber? We ask for something and it is answered but NOT the way we think it should be so we ask again and again.. I think the lesson I learned from this is that when I ask ,I should ask IN FAITH BELIEVING, truly believing that it is done... Living by faith.... How are you living?
Remember to smile, when you do you are dressed the most beautiful you can be...
God Bless, your sister in Christ Jesus.. vickie

Do you believe in Miracles?

Hello Beloved,

I hope that you are well. I have something I would like to share with you that is so amazing.
I hope it will give you some hope, peace, courage, and strengthen your faith today.
I have read so many things lately and some of them state that the Holy Spirit of the early church is different then the Holy Spirit of today. I'm sorry I just DO NOT believe that.... The God I serve is the same yesterday, today , and forever. Hebrews 13:8. So I believe that if today I ask
it will be done. I have just recently seen this put into action.. I would like to tell you about it, OK?
On April 27, I was called out at 1 a.m. to go and pray with a family from our church. I did. I had a hard day that day and was very tired and had a big day ahead of me the next day also, so I was not really wanting to get up out of my bed to go, but I did and I am so thankful that I did.
I got to the hospital just a few minutes after 1 a.m. and went into the ICU Unit, found my "family" and ask if they would like to pray.. We all held hands and prayed . They were all so much in shock not because of the prayer but because their loved one was in such a terrible way.
He could not breath. They had him hooked up to monitors that measured everything, his heart, his blood pressure, his O2 levels, everything. He was on a full facial mask of O2.. His color was
so gray like people get just before they die. It was very hard to stand there and not want to help.
Well, soon the Lady of our Church and the Youth Pastor came and they went back in with the wife and I and we anointed him with oil and laid hands on him( this is also a biblical principle, James 5:14) and the nurse on duty came in and she joined us in prayer. Now I know that God works in mysterious ways and I was just witnessing one. The doctor has just left the room and
before he left he explained that they were going to have to put him on life support to help him breath.
While we were still praying it happened. The numbers on the machines started going UP! and he started gaging and coughing and he even briefly opened his eyes! Now , I know that what we were seeing was a miracle of God. It was the most wonderful blessing to witness...
He had to stay in the hospital for several days but Praise God he started to breath better and finally they took the O2 off of him.
So if you are struggling with something in your life remember please that the God of yesterday is the same God of today and forever... IF you need something from Him ask.
God is so good to us and we sometimes let the humanness of us get in the way... I am so glad that I answered that call and didn't go back to bed where I wanted too... I am very human and make mistakes so much but on this night I was obedient to the call and I am glad I was as I got to see
a miracle...
Dear Lord Jesus,
I want to pray for all that will see this note, and ask you Dear Jesus if you would watch over them today and if they are struggling with anything I pray that you would be there with them and walk through it with them... thank you Dear Jesus for my faith in you and allowing me to witness yet another miracle ... You are such a AWESOME, GREAT God.. Thank you and I do pray in the name of Jesus Christ... No other name under heaven is so Great. In Jesus name . Amen.

Loved Ones I hope that today is the best day of your life.... just remember to Smile, when you do you are dressed the most beautiful you can be... God Bless. your sister in Christ Jesus ,vickie