Thursday, April 27, 2017

DELIGHT IN THE LORD

Psalm 37:4 KJV
Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
HAPPY Thursday Sisters!!!!
HAPPY Today!!!!!
Today's a great day! And, it's a great day to keep our hearts and minds focused on eternal things. It's not good for life to pass us by because we are so absorbed in things that are beyond our understanding or fixing. Do what you can and do it heartily unto the Lord. The Lord commands us to trust Him and acknowledge Him in ALL our ways. In return, He promises to direct our paths. Let's lean not on our own understanding. We MUST trust God. Challenging times are upon us. Desperate times call for increased prayer and supplication unto God.
Dearest Sisters,
The Lord promises to give us the desires of our hearts if we delight ourselves in Him!!!!!! There are many voices in the world that offer false promises and false hope! Sadly, deceptive voices have increasingly crept into churches and Christian circles. We can only discern lying voices by abiding in God and daily rehearsing His truth.
We live in a culture wherein people seek after genies, shamans, witches, and wizards for a stroke of "luck" or for fulfillment of desires. Others obsess over horoscopes, tarot card and crystal ball readings, or palm readings in their quests to have their fortunes told. Many folks perform chants, rituals and spells in order to summon beings and "guardian angels" to grant them wishes or to keep them protected. An astounding many posses "magic" trinkets, charms, and amulets that are thought to ward off evil and welcome good. 
As born-again believers, we never need help from the dark side. As born-again believers, we never need tricks, charms, white or black magic, wizardry, or hocus pocus to bring us good fortune. Consulting witches is forbidden by God. Consulting the dead is also forbidden by God. 1 Samuel 28 records King Saul's forbidden interaction with a witch and the dead. Saul paid a grave price for disobeying God. 
Ladies, we have J-E-S-U-S!!!!!!! His anointing makes the difference in our lives. It's ALL we need. We need to maintain a strong relationship with Jesus. Knowledge of Christ alone won't save us or ever help us. Even demons know of Jesus and tremble at the sound of His name. Sisters, we NEED a solid, loving, intimate relationship with Christ. Perilous times are upon us. We REALLY need Jesus; He is THE way, the truth, and the life.
During his earthly ministry, Jesus couldn't physically be in more than one place at a time. But, the Holy Spirit, came to followers of Christ after His departure. The Holy Spirit remains with us. He is our comforter and guide; gratefully, He dwells within us. The Holy Spirit is EVERYWHERE with us. The globetrotters among us can grasp "everywhere" from an international perspective. 
Sisters, ALL we need is Jesus!!!! Worshipping Jesus plus anything else is NOT sincere worship and devotion unto the Lord ! I knew a "Christian" lady that kept a Buddha statue in her home. Buddha statues are presently stylish and trendy. In AMERICA!!!!!!!!! Many non-Christian AND Christian, progressive, modern, chic homes are "home" to Buddha. Nearly all American stories with a "home furnishings" section carry Buddha statues. Yikes!!!!
I inquired about the Buddha in the "Christian" lady's home. She told me that when she prayed, she expected Jesus or Buddha to answer. She felt that having Buddha would ensure an answer to those prayers that God didn't answer. Sigh!!! She believed that keeping a Buddha altar meant double blessings, double protection, and double prayers answered. Sigh!!!! I was heartbroken.
Sisters, sisters, sisters, the aforementioned "Christian" lady's model is very, very dangerous and terribly bad for us or any Christian for two main reasons. 1) God always answers our prayers and He doesn't need our assistance. 2) Any prayer that is simultaneously offered to Jesus and a false god will NOT be received in Heaven. 
Have you ever tried sending a letter with two separate forwarding addresses on it? Probably not. We can't have two receivers, in two different towns, recieve the same tangible letter. Misdirected mail with two forwarding addresses can not be successfully delivered by the USPS. Likewise, God does not answer prayers uttered to false gods. No way! Not now! Not ever! A person can not serve two masters. The Lord is faithful to His faithful children.
Dearest Sisters, the Lord promises to give us the desires of our hearts IF we trust in Him. Christians don't need luck. Christians don't need Buddha statues in their homes. In fact, we don't need anyone or anything else to fulfill our desires when we have the God of Heaven and Earth as our Father. Truthfully, no one or nothing else can fulfill our desires.
Ladies, when you are in need of something where do you turn? When your kids are in need of something where do you direct them? When your family is in dire need to whom do you call? As humans, moms, daughters, sisters, aunts, homeschool teachers, coaches, business women, and volunteers, we will encounter challenges and profound need. How we handle our neediness and how we work through our challenges is our testimony. Do we help or harm ourselves and our kiddos by where we turn for help? 
I'm a Creole girl. I've encountered pagan mystics, paranoid miracle seekers, and panicked middle agers descend on New Orleans in search of spirit guides, signs, wonders, hexes (to place on their enemies), and good times n' good fortune. Countless people visit "The Big Easy" to find themselves by losing themselves in the dark, devilish realm. 
Many seekers visit the notorious, haunted St. Louis Cathedral in search of apparitions and others visit the tomb of Voodoo priestess Marie Laveau to conjure her demonic power. Ghost, Voodoo, vampire, and cemetery tours are offered in abundance by professionals and street hustlers. Voodoo dolls and Gris Gris bags are peddled all over the French Quarter. Opportunities to patronize Voodoo priests, soothsayers, channelers, and fortune tellers abound. But, tapping into the dark realm is no good way for anyone, let alone a Christian, to obtain the desires of her heart. 
Black magic has attracted a cult following to New Orleans. But, there is also a widespread, pervasive attraction, fascination, and nationwide addiction to the "dark side." Far East and New Age religions are part of the "white magic", "dark side." Folks near and far are chasing the forbidden as they seek to fulfill their heart's desire. Some think it's all fun and games or light-hearted sampling but Satan never lays traps that don't ensnare.
Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel, was once infertile; the Lord shut her womb. Can you imagine her misery and perhaps her shame? She was taunted and bullied by Peninnah, Elkanah's other wife, who was a mother of sons and daughters. 
Hannah was "in bitterness of soul," (1 Samuel 1:10). Yet, she continued to faithfully go up to the temple to worship and sacrifice unto the Lord. She faithfully served her husband, Elkanah. 
Hannah served the Lord and her husband with a perfect heart and willing mind. While she was bitter in soul and desperately needy, she did not turn away from God or her husband. She didn't emasculate her husband. She didn't retaliate against Peninnah. She didn't gossip. She didn't seek to fulfill her desires by her own plans and schemes. Remember, Sarah did. And, in the aftermath, she was sorely disappointed with her decision
Hannah was wise. She consistently and constantly brought her requests before God. She wasn't led astray to seek after false gods. Hannah trusted God with her heart and her deepest desire. She single-handedly trusted God to fulfill her and meet her needs. 
Hannah prayed. And, she prayed. And, she prayed some more. Hannah was mistaken as a drunk, by the priest Eli, because of her unusual but sincere "real and raw" prayers and pleads. While praying, Hannah's lips moved but her voice was not heard. Hannah was heartbroken. She cried out to God. She bare her soul to the Lord. She persistently petitioned the throne of God. The priest Eli blessed her. And, she worshipped God and waited on His answer.
Hannah was bitter but she was full of hope. If not by hope, Hannah could not fiercely petition God with a heart of great expectation. While patiently waiting for God's answer, Hannah faithfully and obediently abided in the Lord and served her family. 
In due time, the Lord found mercy upon Hannah. He opened her womb. Glory hallelujah! Please read Hannah's Song of Praise in 1 Samuel 2!!!! It's a wonderful song of thanksgiving to God.
The Lord truly gave Hannah the desire of her heart and richly blessed her. Hannah's firstborn son, Samuel, was blessed with an appointment to minister unto God's people as a priest. And, although Samuel lived away from "home," God blessed Hannah with several other children that remained at her side even after they were weaned (1 Samuel 2:21). The Lord blessed Hannah with far more than she imagined and with far more than she asked for because she faithfully delighted in the Lord. 
Dearest Sisters, the Bible is the world's greatest love letter. Each book and every chapter is full of hope and promise. The Bible is full of real people that had real needs just like each of us. Every historical account points us, Christians, to Christ and our sincere need for Him. We can't successfully or effectively live without the Lord. Furthermore, the Lord is a faithful rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. 
God is consistently loving, faithful, and compassionate from Genesis to Revelation. I pray that we carve out time daily to study the Bible which is our daily bread and thirst-quenching fountain of life. 
The Lord will provide for us. His failure rate is 0.00 %. Our faith is increased as we study God's faithfulness throughout time. Let this truth sink in your heart TODAY: 
The Lord will give us the desires of our hearts IF we delight in Him!!!!!!!
Allow the Lord to prove His love. It's His great pleasure to woo His bride.
Happy Thursday!
Love, blessings, and hugs to you and yours!

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