New Year - New Birth

I take care of my little 2 1/2 year old granddaughter Monday thru Thursday and sometimes on Friday, She loves to say NO. If she doesn't want to do something, she will say "No". She loves to stay in her pj's and when we need to go somewhere I have to convince her to change into her clothes and get out of her pj's. She knows what she wants to eat and there is no changing her mind if she wants it (without a battle).

As I was thinking about her and my grandson today, along with my kids from children's church, I thought about how they will say "No" also. I love how children can express themselves today, in my day of growing up saying "No" wasn't even an option. But the feeling and message was also that I wasn't important, what I thought or had to say didn't matter. I just needed to obey and go along with what I was told to do. In both instances I believe it is unbalanced. My feelings and thoughts should have been taken into consideration, just as our children today need to learn to obey and that "No" even with tears and a tantrum we must stand our ground and they must obey.

I am a child evangelist. I was born to evangelize children. To tell and teach them about Jesus and their Father God. I was born to share the gospel to children and lead them to the Only One that can save them from this world.

It's 2 days before 2017, what a glorious time to evangelize your own child. To begin to disciple them into God's kingdom. You may have them in a Christian school, and take them to church, but are you discipling them Monday through Sunday? I have planned for our Sunday service to be a celebration of the New Year and New Birth as children of God. John 3:16 is wonderful and glorious; however, it's just one scripture in the Bible. Jesus said so many wonderful things, there are so many exciting stories of God's power and greatness in the adventure of the Old Testament. Jesus said we are to be "More than Conquerors." We can't be, if we don't know what Jesus conquerored for us. Our children will not conquer this world and all its evils if we don't evangelize and disciple them.

Evangelizing: The World or You

The world is doing a great job evangelizing our kids. The world knows where the true consumer market is - "CHILDREN".  Parents will spend $$$ on toys, and gadgets, Disneyland, movies, and fun for their kids. We as Christians need to be better evangelists to our children. Entertainment is at an all time high in our children's lives. "He that loves pleasure shall be a poor man." Proverbs 21:17. Satan and his trickery wants our kids to love pleasure so he can keep them in bondage to lack and poverty, or the feeling of lack when they don't get that toy.

As a parent or grandparent the greatest $$$ spent is a Bible for your little one (as long as you read it to them and they read it). You purchase toys and such as your child grows, it should be the same with a Bible, its not a once in a lifetime purchase, it should be a continual birthday gift as they grow older. My daughter when she was really young (5-6) had a Bible and she would mark it up with her highlighters, you could barely read the pages, scribbling actually. Then (7-8) a new Bible and the markings would be less. By the age of 12 to 13 her Bible was highlighted with scriptures that meant something to her, a treasure she packed in her bags when she moved to Michigan to live in her God ordained life.

Our little ones know who Mickey Mouse is, Pokemon, superheros, the songs to Frozen and such. Do they know who the 12 Disciples are and their names? Do they know God made the World? It is not automatic. They must be taught of the Lord. Who better to teach them day in and day out than mom and dad, grandma or grandpa, aunt and uncle.

They are NOT to young

Don't think they are too young. First, the Bible says that little children will lead us, that we must become like a child to enter the kingdom of heaven.  Second, we did a series during our Wednesday night services "Jesus' Disciples" ages 3-10, one of our 3 year old girls could name the most disciples. We didn't rush. God's Word is too vital, too precious to rush through. One of our little boys who is also 3, always remembered "Thomas" because he loves Thomas the train, but now he also knows about Thomas the Disciple.

Our Responsibility

Being with my little granddaughter the responsibility for me as her grandparent is to make sure Jesus is a focus for part of her day. I put Utube on the TV and put on Yancy Kids, she is so anointed to write songs that are fun and put the Word of God in our kids lives. I love it when my granddaughter sings, "Super Wonderful God." She knows the words to many of these songs. The B-I-B-L-E, one of her favorites. As we ride in the car I will put these songs on through Spotify and when a song finishes she will say, "another song, another song".

More importantly is that her parents make Jesus a part of her and my grandson's day.  The greatest gift or parenting you can give your children is a lifestyle filled with Jesus!

Now is the Time

Now when they are young before the world has time to influence them and then you will be praying them out of the devil's clutches. Now is the time! No matter what age, begin this year. Begin and continue even through the distrations and distruptions, through the challenges. Anything worth anything comes with a cost.

I have on my Teacher's Pay Teachers store a free resource. Go to my Teacherspayteachers page and download your free January 2017 Bible Reading Calendar. Begin the year off right. I will be updating it monthly with a new Bible reading plan for that month, its just a click away. If not just begin somewhere. But begin!

We are all to be evangelist to children.
Susie

Are You Different?

This morning during my time with the Lord, going through my tagged scriptures, reading and speaking them I know that I have seen and said this verse numerous times, but today this verse stood out and I saw something or noticed something I hadn't before.

We are living in the last of the last days. Whether you acknowledge that or not doesn't really change the truth that we are closer to Jesus' return than we were even yesterday. So how we live this life God has given all of us, no matter who or where we are our life matters. Our eternity depends on how we live, and other lives are depending on how we live.

Hebrews 12:14 "Follow peace with all men, and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord."

This scripture tucked into the Bible in this chapter of Hebrews. As I spoke these words what stood out was "holiness."  We don't hear that word said very much or even at all these days. We say that God is sovereign, God is in control, God is love, grace. But holy we don't hear that and even less we hear that we need to be holy. One of the synonyms for holy is blessed, we use that word often, we want that word "blessed" to be what our lives are filled with we expect it and consider it automatic as a gift for being a Christian, yet nothing with God is automatic. Everything requires us to respond.

Holy in the scripture means - sanctified or "so separated."  When I looked up the word Holy in the Strong's Concordance and Vines Dictionary it said, "so separated." As I saw those words it stopped me, I am to "follow peace and holiness without which I shall not see the Lord."  This verse so powerful, so important, so vital to my and others eternity was tucked behind the Hall of Faith chapter of Hebrews 11. Two things "peace and holiness" without these I (and others) will not see the Lord.

Stop and just let those words seep deep into your soul. I could be serving in church, sitting in church every service, But if I am not following peace (with all men) and holiness I shall not see the Lord. and others will not see the Lord in me.

Follow = pursue

Peace - hospitality, kindness, love, joy, - with people, yet live a so separate life. No offense or offensive. All men, which includes my husband, family, etc. Those we do get offended by or can be offensive to so easily.

So we can say this verse like this:
"Pursue peace (hospitality, kindness, love, joy with all people, don't get offended and don't be offensive and live a so separate righteous (a life in right standing with God) life, if not you will not see the Lord (and others will not be able to see the Lord either)."

As I pondered on the implecations of this verse I thought about my sister. She has always been persecuted by her husband and children because she pursued a so separate life unto the Lord. She would obey the Lord no matter what it cost her, she's denied herself, her wants, and desires. I've seen her cry because of the rejection of her children and her now ex-husband due to the choice to live a "so separated" life. I have also seen how God has "blessed" her. Having nothing, I mean no clothes, no home, to abundance of clothes, a home filled with everything she loved. Time and time again I have watched her give up what God said to and then He lavish her with love and blessing with something better.

I am gaining understanding of this verse. I want the world to see the Lord and accept Him as their Lord and Savior. Then I need to pursue peace (be hospitable, kind, loving, gentle, not easily offended nor offensive) and live a so separated life (to be in the world but not part of it) to be so different (but not a weird different) don't participate in the things the world does. Then people will see the Lord.

 Living a so separated life means I diligently seek what God says to seek. Living a so separated life means doing what God says to do.

When we chose to live like this the Lord is seen. People see the Lord. They may not verbally acknowledge but they see Him. They may reject Him, but they see Him.

I determine to Pursue peace with all men and to live a so separated life so I and others will see the Lord. How about you?

Love you enjoy this life God has given you. It may not be easy, it may not be like anyone else's life, but its yours. Pursue peace!

Susie

Seek First The Kingdom of God

Today during my quiet time with the Lord, again He never ceases to bring my thoughts higher to His thoughts.

I am working on my "Prosperity Faith Muscle" do you know that you need to work out your faith. You need to train your faith and work it out to get muscle in certain areas. Areas that you study and they become not just head thoughts or head beliefs, but actual beliefs and heart faith. That produce results. You can have all the head knowledge about a certain faith subject, but without it being rooted in your heart and you actually have opportunity to work out that "faith" in that area it will not produce the results you are looking for.  Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God Romans 10:17 says.

So let's say you need healing. You will need to hear and hear and hear some more the Word of God in regards to healing until your healing faith muscle is strong, then  your healing is manifested. Then when a symptom hits your body again, you just flex that muscle and again that healing is manifested. Whether you believe me or not is up to you, but I have proven this time and time again.

1. Had a cough every year that would stay for months, tried all the cough syrups, went to doctor (don't discourage doctors they are needed and required) but nothing helped. Coughing and miserable. Embarrassed when I went out. Then I began to hear and study  the Word of God about healing. I began to "pump my 5 lb. weight" of "By Jesus' stripes I am healed." I said this every time I coughed. I would whisper it under my breath time and time again. Within 2 days that cough was gone. It tried to come back the next year, but I immediately hit it with "By Jesus stripes I am healed" again every time I would cough, stayed maybe 2 days. The next year, same thing, "By Jesus stripes I am healed." Left within a day, the next year - coughed 3 times, left, the next year - didn't even bother to show up. Healed! Hallelujah.

2. Knee problem, this was a fight. Severe pain, going to doctor, getting pain medication, but then listening all night to scripture being read to me about healing. Confessing, "By Jesus stripes I am healed, whole, nothing missing, nothing lacking." I wore the brace, I used the crutches for 1 day because after that day I didn't need them. I continued to do my normal schedule. At night the pain would be excruciating, and I would stay up and pray and listen to the Word of God, praise and worship music, and I would only say, "I am healed of tendinitis. I have been redeemed from the curse according to Galatians 3:13." I am healed whole. I quit the medication after a few days and just worked my faith muscle. After the healing was manifested every so often the lying symptom of pain would show up but immediately I would say "by Jesus stripes I am healed made whole nothing missing nothing lacking. I have been redeemed from the curse so curse get out and leave now." The last time I dealt with this I said all the previous but then I added, "and don't come back in the name of Jesus." And it obeyed. Hallelujah.

Now I am building my "prosperity" muscle. I always have struggled financially. But these last 2 years have been severe. I am determined to eliminate this part of the curse out of my life. I am Abraham's seed according to Galatians 3:16. So I am to be blessed. I am God's child and the Bible says, "The blessing of the Lord makes me rich and He adds no sorrow with it." Proverbs 10:22.

So I am working out to buff up my faith muscle in prosperity. I am done with not enough, with insufficiency, with lack, and poverty mentality. I'm done with worrying about what I will eat and what I will wear.

Today the Lord showed me - when you think about what I will eat and what I will wear, It is the lowest form of poverty. God wants us to lift our sights higher, to see ourselves prospering, and have more on our minds then such a low standard of our needs. I want to dream big. I want to believe big. I want my faith to be so strong that I can believe to be a blessing to others in need. I can be God's source of supply to someone in need. I want to be in the place where God will show me a need and I will be able to meet it because He has given me such an abundance of supply.

I will have it. I have it now in Jesus Name. I call those things that be not as though they were. Just as God called "Light to be."  I was made in His image, to do the things that He does. Jesus said, "Greater works will you do because I go to My Father."  I want to do those greater works. I can't do it if I'm thinking about what "I" will eat, what "I" will drink, what "I" will wear. No, No, NO. But I have to start now lifting those prosperity weights and quit thinking about me, and my, and I.  It's time to believe for the More than Enough. I am More than a Conqueror. I have Conquered lack, I have conquered debt, I have conquered insufficiency, I have conquered! Why? Because Jesus has overcome the World and so I can too in HIM. I am MORE THAN! and so are YOU.

What do you need? Begin to lift those faith weights in that area. We will not turn back. We will not draw back. We will run towards our Goliath's and not only defeat them, but CUT THEIR HEADS OFF!

Jesus' blood and sweat conquered everything including the devil and demons (Colossians 2:15)We are More than Conquerors through Jesus Christ our Savior. I hope He is your Savior.

We got this because we got God!
Susie

Creating Something From Not Enough

"When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great crowd come unto Him, He saith unto Philip, Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" And this He said to prove (test) him; for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip answered Him, "Two hundred pennyworth (denarii) of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little." One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto Him., "There is a lad here, which has five barley loaves, and two small fish: but what are they among so many? and Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place,. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when He had given thanks, He distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were sitting down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they wanted. When they were filled, He said unto His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost." Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten." John 6:5-13

God is our Source. He is our only Source. He uses things of this world to provide for us, but He is our ultimate Source.

Here Jesus creates something out of little. As we have been discussing on this blog how God "speaks" to create. The Bible says our words bring either life or death - the power of our tongue. Our tongue has the power to bring life, sufficiency, more than enough, exceedingly abundantly more than we ask for. Or our tongues brings forth death - lack, poverty, insufficiency, not enough, sickness, etc.

1. There was a crowd of 5,000 men not including woman and children which you know there must have been
2. Jesus and His disciples had money to buy bread
3. Philip spoke "Two hundred pennyworth (denarii) of bread is not sufficient. How many times when we get our paycheck do we look at it and compare it with our bills and obligations and say, "this is not enough." I can't count the number of times  my words have stopped the sufficiency. I see it now so clearly. Jesus couldn't send Philip to buy bread because Philip's words had set in motion his faith or should I say his lack of faith, in regards to purchasing bread - its not sufficient for them to even take a little were his words. Jesus didn't even respond to Him. Philip's words stopped Jesus from responding, with instruction and blessing. Jesus couldn't work with those words that Philip had put in motion. Jesus can't work with words of doubt or unbelief.
4. Andrew comes and says, "A boy here has 5 barley loaves and 2 small fish, but what are they among so many?" Andrew, suggested the 5 loaves and 2 small fish, he knew they were not enough, but he didn't say it, he said, "what are they among so many?" Andrew's words though they were not full of faith, they left room for Jesus to respond and work with.

There are so many examples in the New Testament of this type of thing happening. John 1:11-20, read this account, the words Zacharias used were not words of faith. "Whereby shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years." Then in John 1:26-34. Mary, asked "How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?"  Although their words were similar, there is a difference in tone. One came from the avenue of doubt - unbelief. The other from a question to get understanding.

Our words matter. I realized that if there was any insufficiency in my life, I had brought it with my words of fear and unbelief. Looking at our paychecks and saying there is not enough. It's not enough, we don't have an sufficient amount to pay what needs to be paid. Has stopped Jesus from responding with blessing, it would go against God's word to bless unbelief. The Bible says that unbelief is evil and Jesus cannot bless evil.

"Take heed, brethren, lest there be any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God." Hebrews 3:12

It says, Jesus already knew what He was going to do. Jesus already knows He will supply, He will make our money multiply exceedingly abundantly above what we need, our words of faith can cause our payheck to go exceedingly abundantly farther than we think. Jesus did it in these scriptures. We need to get our words in order so He can respond and provide until we are filled to as much as we want.

I love how verse 13 says, "Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above  unto them that had eaten.
These same words are confirmed as a witness in Ephesians 3:20: "Now unto Him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us."

 "Power of life and death are in the power of the tongue. And those that love it will eat its fruit." It could be good fruit or it could be bad fruit - its up to us.

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." Proverbs 18:21.

I've been eating of the fruit of my tongue. Looking at the paycheck and thinking and saying, "It's not enough." We won't have enough. Doubt we will be able to do what is needed. Instead of bringing our "little" to Jesus and saying what He says. "The Lord is My Shepherd, I shall not want." I shall not lack any good thing. Psalm 23:1

2 Corinthians 9:8: "God (Our Supernatural Provider) is able to make all grace (favor and blessing) abound toward you (me); that you always having all sufficiency in all things may abound to every good work." 

God always does His part - now we or I need to do our (my) part - don't speak insufficiency, Don't speak not enough, don't speak lack or poverty. God already knows what He will do. We need to know that also. We need to not just know it - we need to know that we know He makes ALL sufficiency abound towards us.

"Lord, forgive me for my words of death to my circumstances. I repent of them now. I turn from that way of talking and I say, "Lord, my Supernatural Provider, you cause all grace to abound towards me, that I always have all sufficiency in all things may abound to every good work. Thank you Lord for the supply and taking my little and doing exceedingly abundantly above all I could ask or think. I will gather up the fragments of each and every paycheck. Our paycheck supplies for first of all giving You Lord the tithe, and then sowing our seeds that You have provided into our storehouse (church),  then it is distributed to the  multitude of bills and debt to bring debt freedom and current in all things, and we have exceedingly abundant leftovers of money. Thank you Lord for your grace and blessing. in Jesus Name Amen."

Don't just say this once, continually say it throughout the day. When your mind wants to go sideways to fear and doubt. Open up your mouth and stay on the Way and speak what God says. Give God something to work with. Give God something to respond to hourly and daily. Even when it manifests and we are walking in exceedingly abundance keep those words going.

Let's watch our words - make sure we are speaking God's Words, God's Life to every situation in our lives. The power is in our tongues! Wow!

Susie