Power Of Mold

Key Scripture:  “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels (motives) of the heart. Then each one’s praise will come from God.”  1 Corinthians 4:5

Power Point:

I hate mold. Actually I am allergic to mold.  A few months ago, I was viewing a house, which had been freshly remodeled.  Things were looking pretty good.  We went into the basement and it looked beautiful. There was crisp white paint on the bead-board siding and my favorite color of yellow on the walls. Well, I thought, this could be a keeper.  Then I began to wheeze. Then I smelled the mold.  In fact it was so strong that I had to get out of there very quickly. What was not immediately apparent became obvious very quickly.

      This morning I decided to fix some hot buttered toast. I knew the bread had been there for a few days but I examined the top piece and saw nothing but bread. Unfortunately, it burned so I had to go back for another slice.  Because I had checked the first one carefully, I only looked at the top of the second slice.  Looked good.  I toasted it and when I took it out, flipped it to put it on the plate. There it was, live and in living color.  Three large circles of MOLD! Another piece of toast went in the garbage.

     We all have mold that tries to worm its way into our lives.  No one is exempt.  Recently I have had to deal with some mold that I didn’t know was there.  A reader informed me that a person in their church was sending out the “Power UP!” under their own name.  It was a very big issue because that

person was on staff at the church and needed to be a person of great integrity.  When confronted with the truth, she denied everything.  She said that she was the writer/ghost writer of these Holy Spirit written messages. Mold invaded my space. I have spent the last week in much prayer, asking the Lord what He would have me do.  What I understand is that the “Power UP!” is not the main issue here.  The importance of integrity and honesty on a church staff is the issue. After having corresponded with some of the believers there, whose hearts have been broken over this problem, I am firmly convinced that God is on the move to answer their prayers to “expose any lies or deceptions”.  The mold is being exposed in order to be removed. Mold is always destroyed when it is placed in the bright light of the Son.

     Dear Readers, I hear from you all the time that you send my emails or copies of the blog to your friends and family.  I LOVE that! You cannot imagine how humbling that is! It blesses me to know that I heard from the Holy Spirit something that would bless and encourage you, and  that you were so blessed and encouraged that you wanted to share it.  The difference is that this woman was taking what was anointed for your encouragement, from the Holy Spirit, through me, and taking credit for it.

        Of course, The Lord is already turning it into a GOOD Thing on the way! 

11.   It has made me aware of the need to be more legally protected.  I sense that something large is looming on the horizon and that this is His way of preparing for it. 

22.  I have met via email and phone two wonderful women who bless me with their wisdom and their heart for their body of Believers- and who know how to war in the Spirit.

33.   I have been blessed by the friends who have come along side me with fervent, powerful prayers for the situation, especially for this precious church.

44.   I have felt peace beyond understanding and have stepped back to simply gain wisdom and strength and joy in His presence, while His Mighty Men and Women of Valor intercede.

     As a result of all this, I’ve learned the value of “setting my mind on things above and not on things on the earth.”  When we look at Jesus; when we “set” our face toward Him-that which is there to destroy and distract us becomes very, very small.  We become “hidden with Him, in God.”  That is a very good place to be don’t you think?

      Blessings to each of you!  I value and treasure each and every one of you who has been so faithful over these last years. Thank you for reading and thank you for sharing, and thank you for encouraging me with your comments. 

Love,

Suzanne

Power Of Knowing

Key Scripture:  "That you may really come to know-practically, through experience, for yourselves-the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge, for yourselves, the love of Christ."  Ephesians 3:19, Amplified Bible Power Point:

     You've probably heard the phrase "He (or she) is a real character!".  Usually that's not a good thing. Yet character is the thing we most rely on in our Heavenly Father isn't it? Some of the definitions of "character", are "fine, excellent, high grade, superior."  Other attributes that are important are kindness,generosity and loyalty.

      We NEED Him to be fine, excellent, high grade, and superior, don't we? We need Him to be kind and generous, and loyal to us.  We need Him to be someone we can rely on. We need to know that He's there for us. We need Him to keep His Word.

     I heard Graham Cooke say that eventually you move past faith to "knowing".  It took me a minute to process that, but I could see that it was a great nugget of truth.  We begin our Christian life constantly trying to walk by faith, pushing through barriers; not knowing but going. As time passes, we have thousands  of opportunities  to know Him. We've been through storms He's calmed, and walked through deserts where He's provided water, and opened doors of hope. We've come to realize that it is His nature to "be there" for us in any situation; that somewhere, somehow, He has a plan that will make even this thing work together for good. Because He IS good.  Because He IS love.  Because He IS full of grace and mercy.  Thank You Jesus!

      When you first became a Christian, you knew it was a wonderful

experience but I imagine that, like me, your walk of faith began in total darkness. You probably realised that something was different but you had to take the first step in darkness. Proverbs 3:19 says, "The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines more and more-brighter and clearer-until it reaches its full strength and glory..."   As life has evolved, and you have set your feet firmly on the Truths of Who God IS and What He has promised you, the path becomes brighter. You know that you know that you know that He is good, and that He keeps His Word. You just have to keep your little feet moving on the right path. You can do that because there is not a doubt in your mind that He will keep you safe. You just know.

     You know without having to "work up" faith, because you have a history with Him.  I was telling someone the other day about a situation in my life that is difficult right now. The Lord began to remind me of several instances in my life where the situation was exactly the same and He had kept me safe, and He had done it with kindness, grace and faithfulness.

     Beloved, at some point we have to come to the realization that God IS faithful. We don't wonder about it.  We don't worry about it.  We just know.  The decisions become easier to make because we know He's giving us wisdom to make them. We know that something good is on the way. We've seen Him in action. We have a history.

     Phillip asked Jesus to "show them the Father".  Jesus replied, "Have I been with you so long and yet you have not known Me?"  If you're still struggling to walk by faith, perhaps its time to remember what you know.  Knowing is the result of Faith that has grown into total trust in the character of God, because you have a history together.

      What you hoped for is now solid ground for you to walk on. The path is becoming brighter with every step. The Truth of God's character propels you forward.  You know that whatever He is going to do, it will be done faithfully, kindly, and with excellence.

     Go God!

Power Thought:

You will be like a well watered garden

Is your faith growing into knowing Him?

Copyright(c) 2014 Suzanne Roberts, Unpublished Work.

Power Of Blessing

Key Scripture:  "I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing."  Genesis 12:2

Power Point:

     Everyone likes to talk about being blessed don't they?  I know that it makes a difference in my outlook when I remember that God intends to bless His children. He's removed the curse from their lives so that they can live a blessed life. One of the meanings of the word "blessed" in the Old Testament is "adored".  When God told Abraham that He would bless him, He also meant that He adored him.

     In the New Testament, Jesus gives us a wonderful picture of what "blessing" looks like in Him. In the Greek, blessing is defined as "happy, supremely blessed, a condition in which CONGRATULATIONS are in order"  It is a description of the the joy and satisfaction that belongs to a person who knows Him. The Amplified Bible puts it this way: "Blessed, happy, enviably fortunate, and spiritual prosperous (that is with life joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation) regardless of their outward conditions."  I guess you could say that describes an abundant life.

     God's word says we are blessed.  Sometimes its hard to feel blessed isn't it?  I heard TD Jakes the other day with the perfect words to remind us that in the middle of the muddle, blessing may not feel like blessing.  Here is what he had to say:

" Remember that God says, "I SWEAR I will bless you" because sometimes it looks like I'm going to KILL you. Sometimes its going to look like I'm digressing on My Word.  Sometimes its going to look like I'm a liar.  Sometimes its going to look like serving Me doesn't work. Sometimes its gonna look like trusting Me didn't pay off, and sometimes it's gonna look like you're going backwards instead of forward. And sometimes things are gonna get worse before they get better. Sometimes the wrong people are going to leave you so that the right people can come into your life.  Sometimes you have to digress in order to make progress, BUT, I swear I'm going to bless you!"

     God promised David anointed him to be king- and then sent him back to the field to shovel sheep dung.

     "When you're shoveling sheep dung, remember, I'm going to bless you!

With every shovel remind yourself-don't quit, don't give up, don't collapse, don't faint at what you're going through, though it seems remedial and disconnected.  When it's all over it's going to work for your good. I swear I'm going to bless you!

     You don't have to FEEL blessed to be blessed.  You have to stand on what you believe and then bring your feelings into alignment with what you believe."

     
I couldn't have said it better myself!  BE BLESSED!

Power Thought:

Will you live your life today as though "CONGRATULATIONS are in order"?

Copyright© 2014 Suzanne Roberts Unpublished Work

Did you know that "It's Time To Power UP!", the book is available on Amazon.com.?

Power Of Nothing To Work With

Key Scripture:  “You prepare the way for the Lord. Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”  Isaiah 40:3

Power Point:

     Being prepared is an admirable trait.  I always admire it in someone else.  I’m not so sure they can always admire it in me.  I can promise you one thing though; when Jesus returns for His Bride, I intend to be prepared!

     If you look around your community you might find that people were not prepared for the economic downturn we have been experiencing.  Now they are wondering what they can do to prepare for the future. I don’t mean to minimize that concern in the slightest but I’d also like to remind us all that we have options and opportunities that the government cannot provide. As Christians, the government is not our source of supply, nor the hope for our future.

     Recently I was chatting with the Lord and He said, “Suzanne, why are you preparing for lack?”  WHAT!  I thought He had me confused with someone else.  I replied, “Lord, what do You mean? I trust You.”  “You do- to a degree.  But the news from the world is all bad news. It has begun to permeate your conversations with others.  When you do that you don’t give Me anything to work with.”  I was confused, as you probably are right now.  Gradually, the more we talked, the more I began to understand what He meant.  If my eyes are on my bank account or my monthly bills, or if I am worried about the future, then I am preparing for lack.  So are you.  If the words of our mouths are the Words of God’s promises, then the words of the world cannot affect us.  But if we continually speak doom and gloom over our futures then God has nothing to work with.  We’re not offering Him faith to reward, we’re offering Him doubt or fear. He needs our faith filled words, our agreement with His promises, in order to give Him something to work with.

      Psalm 23 is a veritable treasure trove of what we have when we have Jesus in our lives. Let’s take a quick look.

-The Lord, Jesus, is our Shepherd. When we allow Him to, He will guide us through the valleys.

-He says that His children will not lack. He prepares a table filled with whatever we need in the middle of the worst storm or wilderness experience and then invites us to dinner, while Satan has to watch us feed on God's faithfulness.

-While the world is constantly looking over their shoulders in fear, we are continually being followed with the mercy and goodness of God.  He’s always got our backs!

 -Jesus has anointed us with the Holy Spirit and power. That means that God has uniquely equipped to bring heaven’s supply to earth.

     Beloved, the government will never satisfy the longing in your heart to be safe and secure.  Only God can do that.  And He has every intention of doing exactly that if we’ll just give Him something to work with.

Power Thought:

He know the plans He has for us. They're really good plans and He's excited to see them come to pass. Are you prepared for that? Are you giving Him something to work with?