Angela’s Thoughts

Again, I wake up … feeling the overwhelming power of God!  It never ceases to amaze me how much He loves us and desires to commune with us.  We were made to worship Him!  To find our way back to that precious relationship that was lost way back in the Garden of Eden.

I have to testify about more of the awesome things that God is doing at POK.  I know it is happening other places, but this is where I am at and what I am part of… what I am experiencing.

Where to begin?  Well, lets start with the Whitehead family.  I had already mentioned previously about little Kevin (being baptized) and then Tony Jr. (being filled with that precious gift of the Holy Ghost)… I want to go back to when we first really got to know Tony Sr.  Last year around July/August, he began to come to our church regularly.  I would ask about his family, and he said, “They won’t come.”  I remember having a conversation with him and agreeing with him to pray for his family.

Tony Sr. had been baptized 12 years ago, but had never experienced the infilling of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues.  This was something he had been seeking for… for a long time.  On December 15th, 2009 … we had Rev. Mark Shutes with us, missionary from the Baltic Republics and Belarus.  After a powerful sermon… he called those to the front that desired healing and salvation.  Tony Sr. came right up to the front, he knew it was his night!  You could just tell.  God filled him with his precious spirit… talk about a man on FIRE!  Tony Sr. is on FIRE with the Holy Ghost!  The following Sunday was our Christmas Service… Tony Sr. walked in with almost his whole family.  He had the biggest smile on his face!  He introduced us all.  And then because his grand-daughter wanted them to sit on the front row… they ended up filling up the two front rows.  Tony Sr, Myra (his wife), Marty (Son), Chasity (DIL), Aimee and Emily (Grandkids), Tony Jr. (Son), Michelle (DIL), and Toni-Michelle (Grandchild).  Tony Sr. was beyond happy.

Over the next few weeks, they began to “visit” again.  Tony Jr., Michelle and Toni-Michelle came on the 3rd of January.  God moved in a mighty way.  Then they attended our Discovery 101 Dinner on the following Tuesday.  Michelle began to ask all kinds of questions… one was, “Why can’t I stop the tears?”  Looking back, I now see God was drawing her to intercessory prayer… Michelle began praying for her family too.  On January 10th, Michelle was the first after Tony Sr. to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  On January 15th, Toni-Michelle received the gift of the Holy Ghost.  On January 17th, Tony Jr., Michelle and Toni-Michelle were all baptized in the beautiful name of Jesus.  At that service, the whole family came again, and also brought friends, Troy and Tonya.

On January 19th, Emily Whitehead (the granddaughter) received the Holy Ghost during Children’s Church.  On January 30th, Kevin Raymond – the grandchild of Michelle Whitehead, as well as another grandson, her son, Keith,  and her mother, Linda – were baptized in the name of Jesus at a church in Ionia.  Kevin is the little boy I wrote about in a previous post, that told the Pastor that he wanted to be baptized in Jesus Name… their church doesn’t normally baptized that way, but he baptized everyone in Michelle’s family that day in Jesus Name. During all this time, Tony Sr., Tony Jr., Michelle and Toni-Michelle have all been at every service, included groups and the Bible Study Training Seminar.

Then on February 7th, the whole family, as well as the friends – Troy and Tonya, come again to see Emily baptized in Jesus Name.  On February 14th, I wrote a post about Tony Jr. receiving the Holy Ghost.  Then on February 21st, Chasity, the other daughter-in-law, received the Holy Ghost.  God has been working mightily in this family!  Now… we come to last night… Bro. Rod preached an awesome message on Salvation.  There was a atmosphere of praise at the altar call, then it turned into a hushed reverence to God.  God began to work… Marty is seeking more of God, please pray that he receive the Holy Ghost.  I believe it will happen next week, if not sooner.  But as he was praying, there was a chain of people behind him. Chasity was directly behind him, then Myra had her hand on Chasity but praying for Marty, and Toni-Michelle was behind Myra praying for Marty.  I looked over at Myra (Tony Sr. wife), and oh, you could see God all over her… she just needed to open up that mouth and speak it.  As soon as I laid hands on her, she began to speak in that heavenly language!  Ahh… So beautiful! God was working on Troy and Tonya,  Tony Sr. grabbed Troy by the hand and drew him up to the altar… they began to pray with him, and he was also filled with the Holy Ghost.

This is now 8 people filled with the Holy Ghost and 8 people baptized in Jesus Name since January 10th … that are related or friends with one family!  Just waiting to see what else God has in store!

Now can you see why I am on FIRE!  This isn’t only about 40 Days of FIRE!!! This is about God changing lives!  This FIRE will not fizzle after a program is finished… it will only get stronger!  Thank you, Jesus!

There have also been many prayers answered… healings, finances being blessed and relationships restored… Our God is awesome, and so very personal! 

Wow. Tonight was amazing! From prayer force on… there was such expectancy in the air… you could have touched it with your hands! (or so it seems!) I feel like I am floating on the air! My God is more than enough! He is awesome! He is magnificent!

Prayer force was amazing! Pastor talked on not being luke warm… But HOT… on FIRE! We began to worship and praise God! Shortly after prayer, I was called into the kitchen! Along with Pastor and other ministers, we prayed for a lady that had been fighting depression for years. On the floor in the kitchen, God delivered her! You could feel the difference in the room as peace came over her, it was flooding the area and the name Jesus was being sang and praised over and over until she began to speak in that unknown language! Talk about beautiful!! And that was just the beginning!

During praise and worship, we sang “We Declare Your Glory in this Place” and then “Shake the Foundations with Praise!” … it got to that part about “This is what we’ve come to do, tear down strong holds, break the chains, bind the devil in JESUS name!” I got so excited, because we had already watched as this sweet lady allowed God to take over her life and be released from a bondage that she had lived with for so long. The place started to explode, the next thing I knew Bro. Tony (Sr.) was getting Bro. Kevin and Bro. Mike and telling them, “Tony Jr. is getting the Holy Ghost tonight… Go pray with him!” Tony Jr. had already been marching around the church with his hands raised and glorifying God. How could God not continue the work already started? Sure enough, it didn’t take long before Tony was speaking in that beautiful language! AHHHH… I wish there were words! I wish I could express how glorious it was!

Next I look over, and there are some of our young adults, who had been struggling with things lately. God began to move on them as well! HA! Boo Devil! These are God’s children!!!! Called and Chosen for such a time as this! Already Claimed and dedicated unto God! Your hold is not as strong as you think! HA! Woot! God refilled each of them with his spirit!!!!! Can you tell I’m excited!

Pastor had fell before church, here at home, on some ice. His back had been hurting him during the service! I don’t know if he told anyone, but the men of the church began to pray for him and he was healed immediately! Another testimony!

After more praise and worship and just basking in that glorious presence, Pastor was dismissing for the evening. We knew that our neighbor was coming with a friend to be baptized. She had called earlier in the week to see if we had a baptismal available. Her friend is very sick and has been told that he doesn’t have long. He had been asking to be baptized. Pastor told Rosemary that he would baptize her friend. They came at the end of service… but it was still ON FIRE! We prayed for him, that God would heal his body… and then he was baptized in the precious name of Jesus! To see the peace that came over him as he came up out of that water…AMAZING! There seemed to be a strength there that hadn’t been there before. He said, “I have never experienced anything like this in my life!”

God isn’t finished yet…. expecting more… Revival… JUST LIKE THE DAY OF PENTECOST!!!

Last Sunday, our church embarked on a program called 40 Days of Fire. Already in one week we have seen some amazing things happening. I just want to recap on a few of those so that I don’t forget them!

Aunt Debbie had another stroke 2 weeks ago, she is now in a home were she can receive the therapy and treatment she needs to get better. Pastor visited with her on Thursday, and at that time, she still had no feeling in her left side. The doctors have told her that she will not regain use of her left side again. But as Pastor began to pray for her, she started to say, “Ow, Ow”… she was feeling pain in her left leg. Her smile is beginning to lift on the left side. Our God is able!!!! Also, there is a sweet lady, named Marge, who is Aunt Debbie’s roommate. Pastor prayed with her as well, we are expecting God to work in her and her husband’s lives while Debbie is there.

A lady that was visiting our church, came and decided to take on the 40 Days of Fire challenge. She has had difficulty being able to go to sleep at night without the help of medication for a long time. She told the friend that invited her the next day at work that, she read Acts 1 and fell asleep afterward and slept peacefully all night. This has continued as she is reading the Bible before she is going to bed. She is excited about what God is doing in her!!!

Little Kevin (7 years old), the grandson of a lady that attends our church was dedicated last week at a church in another city. It is one that doesn’t baptized in Jesus Name. But after Kevin was dedicated, he told his mom that he wasn’t done yet. He proceeded to take off his shoes and tell them that he needed to be baptized. He got into the water and told the minister that he had to be baptized in Jesus Name. So the minister baptized him in Jesus Name. His great grandma, uncle and brother were also baptized in the precious name of Jesus. Since then, Kevin has had such a change in his life. Family is recognizing that something is different about him… We are waiting to hear more good reports from this family.

Those are just a few of the testimonies of what God is doing during this 40 day Fire walk! I’m excited to hear more and post as we get more news.

Today, at our leadership training meeting… Pastor had already told me that he was going to do a short lesson but really felt that we needed to just pray after that. Turn the session into an all out prayer meeting. Well, God acted before he even got to his lesson. We were talking about these miracles that God is doing in and through our church. The excitement was rising, and before you know it we were in that all out prayer meeting. The Lord spoke to us through tongues and interpretation. He said (in part), “You are afraid of pain, You are afraid of persecution, but look at me. I am your God. I want to take you deeper. I want to take you to another level. I will lead you. (to basically allow Him to cut away any ties that we have that aren’t of Him) to follow me.” It was beautiful. Hearing each person in that room feeling the weight of souls and feeling that call to intercession, sacrifice and boldness in Him.

After Pastor asked if anyone had anything else to add… what they might feel God is speaking to them, or to everyone. Bro. Rod talked of how right before Pastor began to interpret he saw a vision. No words… just a vision of sand, then rocky road and then pavement. As Pastor started speaking of “I want to take you deeper, I will lead you, follow me,” Bro. Rod felt that the sand was where some may be. It is hard to walk through sand, then some were on the rocky road where it is easy to slip and sprain an ankle, but how that God wants to lead us to that pavement. This is the path he wants to lead us to. Completely trusting Him…

Whoo… I get chills just thinking about it. God is so awesome! He loves us so deeply and completely. That He would come in our midst and minister to our lives. Each person getting something for themselves out of the same message… out of the same prayer meeting. He is personal and knows where each of us are. How awesome and beautiful is that? Amazing Love!

Well, I must get ready for church, but I believe that great things are in order for our service tonight! I want complete healing in my body… but if not, then He is still God! He is still able!!! I am in His hands! (Aren’t we all, really?)

While so very excited about what God did yesterday in our service. Seeing many that entered our doors for the first time… Seeing arms outstretched and lives being changed… Today, my heart is so heavy. Heavy with the burden for souls. Souls that have walked through doors of churches and have not returned again. Souls that are afraid of commitment. Souls that are undecided as to what is Truth, or accepting that there is a Truth. Souls that are seeking… desiring that someone will show them the way. Souls that are hurting from past failures. Souls that are struggling even though they seem fine… within them there is a battle warring. Souls… even my own, that are asking… What more can I do?

I feel such an urgency… but at the same time a loss at what steps to take because there is so much to do, and so little time. I am amazed that at such a wonderful time of year, a time to worship the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords… that people seem to forget so much. They become so engrossed in the trimmings and trappings of the Holiday… Oh, Where is Christ?

My Jesus, I can’t live without You! I am awed at Your very presence that You allow us to dwell in… It brings desire and dreams rising to the surface, prompting me to move… to do… something! Lord, I pray that I can be all the I need to be for You. I pray that my life reflects You. I pray that those who are seeking will find You. Lord, I pray that the deception that many live with will fall as scales from their eyes… Let them see Truth. Let them desire You. Stir them to the deepest part of their heart. Oh, God! Let us desire after You, Your ways… Your will. And let us not be so caught up in the life around us that we forget the real meaning of this celebration.

What more can I do? Show me! Change my desires if they aren’t after You. Make me to wake up early to fall to my knees and seek Your face. Keep me constantly checking my spirit… and aligning myself with You. Lord, You are ALL I need. You! Jesus!

“I believe in the Big Bang theory; however, my definition of Big Bang is that when God spoke the words “Let There Be…”- His voice thundered time, space and light into existence in the combination we know as the Universe; the reverberation of that echo is what astronomers know as the cosmic microwave background.

And that , my friends, if you read all three of my status updates… is why God is awesome and we are just pretenders of greatness. Sure we are “echoes” of eden but…our Father is the source I love science and that it keeps pointing back to the God of Wonders.” – Julia Bucy, Facebook status updates.

I too love science and how time and again… it keeps proving that there is a God beyond our comprehension.  I’m fine with there being unanswered questions… His ways are higher than ours?  Would you really want to serve a God that you understood EVERYTHING about Him?  If so… where is the FAITH in that? 

Miracles happen because of FAITH and because of a God who will work in ways beyond our understanding!  For example, I had a cyst, it was surgically removed, and then it appeared again… my husband and I prayed that God would heal me because I did not want to face another painful surgery.   After we finished praying, we looked again, and my scar had just grew about 1/2 inch to an inch longer and the cyst was gone.  Do I need to understand how it happened?  No!  But it happened and I am thankful!  And to think, the God that created the heavens and the earth… also takes time to listen to my requests. 

I think I would rather live by FAITH and continue to watch what marvelous things my God will do! 

This was written about 5 years ago for our Mother’s Day Service.  Each year, my husband has me speak.  (This version is long, but I wanted to keep all my notes… this was an easy way to do it.)

Hands of my daughter, myself, my mother and Mamaw.

Hands – What comes to mind, when you think about hands?  The things that came to my mind were… gentle, soft/rough, soothing, reassuring, caring, loving, blessing, understanding, … hurting, discipline, and release.

I have so many memories.  My Mamaw is a beautiful “Lady”… in the fullest sense of the word.  I remember riding in the car with her and Papaw.  I was the smallest so I would end up in the middle of them in the front seat.  If Papaw’s driving seemed reckless to her in any way, she would grab my leg, with her hand and squeeze.  I remember fighting with others about who sat in the front seat… I didn’t want my leg to have nails dug into it.    But it is a memory that will always stick with me.

Mamaw wore dress gloves on her hands for as long as I can remember.  She loved hats, gloves, purses and shoes.  They were part of her “signature” dress, if you will.  Anyone you talk to that ever knew her, would say something about her appearance.

What makes hands beautiful?  Close your eyes and think of someone close to you… your mother, a loved one.  Can you see their hands?  Isn’t it amazing that you know what their hands look like?  It is not so much that they look beautiful, but it is because of what they represent to you that they ARE beautiful.

Now, think about what it is that makes them beautiful to you.  What have they done for you?  How have they touched you?

My Mother’s hands are beautiful to me.  Besides all the motherly things they represent, my mother’s hands are beautiful praying hands.  I remember one day when I was sick in bed, wasn’t able to go to school.  I was in a lot of pain.  Mamaw happened to be there, and her and my mother came in the room, laid hands on me and prayed for me.  It wasn’t a sweet little prayer, it was intercession.  These two women KNOW how to pray.

We had a little guest room.  It had a twin bed, a sewing machine and a chair.  I would hear my mother praying behind that closed door.  Often.  Daily.  She knew where to take her problems, and she knew personally the God that she served.  Every morning (unless she was out of town), while I was in school, my mother would pray with me before I walked out the door.  She or my dad would also pray with me, every night before I went to bed.  What an example!

My mother’s hands were there for me in two of my most difficult moments.  First when my daughter, Kelsea, was born.

Mamaw and Kelsea's hands

My mom was right beside me and when they lost Kelsea’s heart beat… my mom was there to pray.  Second, was in 2003, when I was in the hospital.  I remember holding my mom’s hand as she sat beside my bed… praying for me.  One evening, while I was staying at their house after coming home from the hospital, I was sitting on the bed, with her beside me praying until I got through to what I needed.  Not by words, but by what I saw… through her actions, my mother has shown me how important it is to pray.

Now you ask… What does praying really have anything to do with our hands?  Most of us don’t even fold our hands when we pray, but we lift them up in praise and we clap them in worship.  This is where Proverbs 3:27 comes in for me… “Withhold not good to them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.”

Dear Lord, it’s such a hectic day,
With little time to stop and pray,
For life’s been anything but calm
Since You called me to be a MOM.

Running errands, matching socks,
Building dreams with wooden blocks,
Cooking, cleaning, finding shoes
And other stuff the children lose.

Fitting lids on bottled bugs,
Wiping tears and giving hugs,
A stack of last week’s mail to read
So where’s the quiet time I need?

Yet, when I steal a moment, Lord,
Just at the sink or ironing board,
To ask the blessings of Your grace,
I see then, in my small one’s face,
That you have blessed me all the while
And I stoop to kiss that precious smile – Author Unknown.

We hold the most precious gift in our hands… physical as well as spiritual hands.  Think about this… It is within our power to either withhold it or give it. Hands often express how we are feeling – open and receiving or pushing away.

I believe the most beautiful hands are praying hands. If we could just see the wonderful things we could bestow on those around us.

• Matthew 7:7 says that we should ask, seek and knock
• James 5:16 says “The prayer of a righteous man is effective and powerful.”
• I John 5:15 says that we should pray for those that are committing sin.
• Matthew 21:22 says “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
• John 15:7 says “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.”

This is only a sampling of the open-ended promises about the effectiveness of prayer.  Prayers of blessings, prayers of protection and healing, prayers for leading and guidance for their lives, God’s will that none should perish, prayers of Salvation.  Prayer changes lives!

It doesn’t just affect those around us!  The more we pray the closer we get to God.  Remember closing your eyes and thinking of a loved ones hands?  In John 20, Jesus had appeared to the disciples, but Thomas had not yet seen him until verse 27 – Then saidth he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands… and be not faithless, but believing. 28 – And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. As we get closer to God, we will no longer see His hands as scarred and bloody, but they will become beautiful as we recognize that He is Lord and God as Thomas stated.

Prayer changes lives.  My mother still prays for me.  I am so thankful for that.  But, I feel I can’t express to you enough how important it is to have your own prayer life. I would beg you to put a goal in your mind… to change this world…starting with YOU.

• Set aside time to pray, start out small each day, then you will see that it grows.
• When you don’t have the desire to do it, pray for the desire.
• When you don’t believe, pray for your faith to grow.
• Be sincere and honest before God.  He already knows how you are feeling and what you are going through.

And once you make your way to Him, He will also see in you beautiful hands, beautiful because they are:

• Blessing Him.
• Creating a relationship with Him.
• Caring about how He feels.
• Becoming willing to be used for whatever service He need of.

Poem…

The things I never told you I’d like to tell you now;
Of feelings held contentedly inside my heart to swell;
Of thoughts and dreams, wants and happiness too;
A Mother’s prayer to finally share with you.

Lord, govern their lives as you have mine,
Touch them with Your sweet divine,
Make them happy, guide their paths,
Tickle their funnybones, let me hear their laughs.

Dry the tears sliding down their faces,
Hold their hands when the love heart races,
Make them stand tall when the burdens are great,
Prepare them to carry the loads of fate.

Heal the hurts and sufferings of their spirit,
Make them listen until they hear it;
That sweet song of yours that will touch their soul
And carry them forward until they are old.

Lord, let them see the meaning of life,
Protect them from the evils of strife,
Gently guide them in the path of your ways,
I pray, Lord, I pray for them everyday.

I know, Lord, that I fell short many times.
In my guidance as “Mom” there were crimes,
Times that I failed to help them see
The beauty that you have bestowed around me.

Please make things right, Lord, once again,
To help them to see the meaning of friend
And loved ones that hold them close to the heart
With a Mother that loves them, never apart. – Author Unknown.

More than anything in my life… I want my daughter to think of me when she is my age, as I think of my mother… as having beautiful PRAYING hands.  To know I did everything I could by prayer and intercession, when there is nothing else to do… I want to pray!

Excuse my ramblings… but some times I just need to speak out! 

Lately, I feel like I have been fighting for my life.  It feels like every side is being pushed, prodded, and sanded – to smooth those rough corners.  There seems to be so much happening, so many needs – urgent needs – all at one time… how can I possibly be there for everyone?   I can’t.  Unfortunately, there may be expectations that would be placed upon me to do and be what I can not be.  But I can pray!  I can be there spiritually!  I can walk in Faith in my prayers and request that God meet these needs and intercede on their behalf.

Because of the chaotic ground shaking situations that have come my way.. and to those around me, I see miracles are about to break forth!  We just need to stand firm.  We just need to keep our focus on the goal and not the circumstances and issues that surround us until we get to the goal.  We just need to be persistent… show our true desires to God, and allow Him to be God!

I don’t profess to be a prophetess, but there are signs that follow those who believe (Mark16:16-18).

¹⁶He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

¹⁷And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

¹⁸They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

They SHALL…

I believe… with every part of me, I have been baptized… I trust and know my God.

They SHALL.     Puts a smile on your face, doesn’t it?  It does mine.

What is following you?

Me?  I’m ready for those miracles to break forth… to bring God glory and honor.  To reach souls through the testimonies of the saints… He heals!  I am living proof!  I should not be here, I should have died in 2003.    But I’m still here!!!!!  I am a walking, living, breathing testimony of the healing power of God.  Only by His Name, only by His grace and mercy!  I am still here.

Amplified Version.

¹BUT AS to the suitable times and the precise seasons and dates, brethren, you have no necessity for anything being written to you.

²For you yourselves know perfectly well that the day of the [return of the] Lord will come [as unexpectedly and suddenly] as a thief in the night.

³When people are saying, All is well and secure, and, There is peace and safety, then in a moment unforeseen destruction (ruin and death) will come upon them as suddenly as labor pains come upon a woman with child; and they shall by no means escape, for there will be no escape.

⁴But you are not in [given up to the power of] darkness, brethren, for that day to overtake you by surprise like a thief.

⁵For you are all sons of light and sons of the day; we do not belong either to the night or to darkness.

⁶Accordingly then, let us not sleep, as the rest do, but let us keep wide awake (alert, watchful, cautious, and on our guard) and let us be sober (calm, collected, and circumspect).

⁷For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are drunk, get drunk at night.

⁸But we belong to the day; therefore, let us be sober and put on the breastplate (corslet) of faith and love and for a helmet the hope of salvation.

⁹For God has not appointed us to [incur His] wrath [He did not select us to condemn us], but [that we might] obtain [His] salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)

¹⁰Who died for us so that whether we are still alive or are dead [at Christ's appearing], we might live together with Him and share His life.

¹¹Therefore encourage (admonish, exhort) one another and edify (strengthen and build up) one another, just as you are doing.

¹²Now also we beseech you, brethren, get to know those who labor among you [recognize them for what they are, acknowledge and appreciate and respect them all]–your leaders who are over you in the Lord and those who warn and kindly reprove and exhort you.

¹³And hold them in very high and most affectionate esteem in [intelligent and sympathetic] appreciation of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.

¹⁴And we earnestly beseech you, brethren, admonish (warn and seriously advise) those who are out of line [the loafers, the disorderly, and the unruly]; encourage the timid and fainthearted, help and give your support to the weak souls, [and] be very patient with everybody [always keeping your temper].

¹⁵See that none of you repays another with evil for evil, but always aim to show kindness and seek to do good to one another and to everybody.

¹⁶Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always);

¹⁷Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly];

¹⁸Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].

¹⁹Do not quench (suppress or subdue) the [Holy] Spirit;

²⁰Do not spurn the gifts and utterances of the prophets [do not depreciate prophetic revelations nor despise inspired instruction or exhortation or warning].

²¹But test and prove all things [until you can recognize] what is good; [to that] hold fast.

²²Abstain from evil [shrink from it and keep aloof from it] in whatever form or whatever kind it may be.

²³And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).

²⁴Faithful is He Who is calling you [to Himself] and utterly trustworthy, and He will also do it [fulfill His call by hallowing and keeping you].

²⁵Brethren, pray for us.

²⁶Greet all the brethren with a sacred kiss.

²⁷I solemnly charge you [in the name of] the Lord to have this letter read before all the brethren.

²⁸The grace (the unmerited favor and blessings) of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) be with you all. Amen, (so be it).

As I sit here and read this, it causes me to examine myself… again.    Isn’t the Word of God like that?  Constantly peeling back the layers we have built up around us… going deep to the heart, where it caresses or pierces at our inner most being.

I feel at a loss for more words … I just need to go and talk with my Jesus!

… “The grace (the unmerited favor and blessings) of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) be with you all. Amen, (so be it).”

The Bible has many scriptures, especially when you read from the KJV, that are poetic, and unless we take time (individually – ourselves) to study them out… we may miss their real meaning.  One scripture I have heard over and over, always thinking I fully understood the meaning… but WOW,  Today in prayer, I began to feel the need to study it.  I’m so thankful I did!

“The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” KJV

The wind (pneuma – Christ’s spirit, the Holy Spirit) bloweth (pneo – to breath) where it listeth (thelo – to will, be resolved, to desire), and thou hearest (akouo – to hear, to attend, be noised, be reported) the sound (phone – a sound, tone, musical instrument, a voice, a sound of uttered words, speech, of a language, tongue) thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so (houto – in this way, in like manner) is (esti – to be, come, must need) everyone (pas – all, any every) that is born (gennao – to be born, begotten) of (ek – after, out of, from, by) the Spirit (pneuma – Christ’s spirit, the Holy Spirit).

The other morning, I was reading in the book of 1 Kings, where Solomon begins his rule and how that God allows him to build the House of the Lord.

In 1 Kings 3 :5-15, God said unto Solomon, “Ask what I shall give thee.” Solomon asked for an understanding heart to discern judgment.

1 Kings 4:30 “And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.”

I Kings 6:11-13, “And the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying, Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father:  And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.”

Then in 1 Kings 8 Solomon blesses the Lord, and blesses the newly built house of the Lord.

I Kings 9:2-7,  “That the LORD appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon.  And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.  And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments:  Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.  But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:  Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people:”

As I was reading this, I began to think about how Solomon was considered such a wise king… but his wisdom didn’t save him, or even keep him from making wrong choices in his own life.  Twice, God appeared to him to let him know that He (God) would bless His house and the children of Israel… if they would only do as He asked.  You would think that in all that wisdom, he would have understood that.  But after reading chapter 11, verse 4 … you see that there is a vital difference between him and his father, David.  “The heart.”

1 Kings 11:4, “For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.”

I think at times we become so caught up in finding wisdom in situations that we get to the point where we loose our “Heart.”  We focus so much on the next step and the direction we are supposed to be heading, that we don’t enjoy the moment we are in, and praise God for what He is doing, and has already done. We don’t just magnify and glorify God for who He is!

This last weekend has been another building block in my life.  We had our Michigan Matters Ministry Training Conference, and I found some answers to questions that had been taunting my mind.  I found a renewed certainty… God is with me.

Seeing such a anointing of God in our services, and the desire that Michigan has for reaching souls… and then we attended the “How Sweet The Sound” Finale in Detroit, where there was a spectacular outpouring of the anointing of God.  To the point where I stopped, raised my hands and felt my soul cry out… “This is MY God! This is Who I serve, There is NO Doubt!”   It was such an amazing experience, to see the FIRE from Heaven fall in that arena, that my soul cried out to magnify and glorify HIM.  My feelings were not to disregard someone else’s faith in God, but to affirm my own.

Wisdom is needed, knowledge is needed… but it has to be hand and hand with Heart.  And if I had one without the other, I would want the Heart after God…because my faith in Him would bring about direction.  I don’t want to be like Solomon, where I had so much wisdom, but couldn’t follow after God.  He built the House of the Lord, but also built temples for other gods for his many wives.

How do we get there?  How do we get from building the House of the Lord (our temple – given to God) to a point where we settle for building other temples here and there…. pushing down the walls of the once sacred and holy place in our life?  We all want knowledge and understanding, but what good will they do if our “Heart” is not fixed upon God.

When Solomon blessed the House of the Lord, his heart could very well have been in tune with God.  I believe that it probably was, but I also see that God warned him of the choices that stood before him.  That there would probably come a time when there would be a choice… Every day, we need to take time to acknowledge God’s place in our heart.  The longer we take between those moments, the farther we get from Him… is that how Solomon found himself building houses for other gods?  He began to spend more time with all his wives and their gods, that he eventually pushed the ONE TRUE God out of his life completely?

I don’t know about you, but I want to make the right choices.  I want to have wisdom in my dealings … and I believe that will come with having a “Heart” like the Heart of David… one that is perfect with the Lord!