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Who Has Seen the Wind? Good Afternoon, When I was a kid I use to love this one poem. And recently it has kept creeping up in my head. I thought it to be strange to remember something I read from a collections of books that set on my grandparents' bookshelf, but for whatever reason this one poem has stuck in my mind. I started to wonder how can I apply it, what does it mean............truly it is just a silly poem. Well if you spend enough time thinking about it, certainly it will manifest itself. The name of the poem is Who has seen the Wind? Who has seen the wind? So like I was saying I have been literally repeating the first stanza of this poem for days. Who has seen the wind, neither I nor you..................? What does it mean? I did a search and this one poem is cited on several sites. This poem was written some time before 1894. Here it is 2009, and it is still generating curiosity. What is this poem? It has been on my mind to talk about faith. Faith is a great subject, nice and broad. Faith is something everybody wants, but few achieve. Faith is the substance of things hope for, the evidence of things unseen (Hebrews 11:1). Evidence of things unseen?? We cannot see wind. Wind is felt, it is something that we experience when the weather conditions change. Sometimes wind is breezy, sometimes dry and arid. During the different seasons wind changes it's effects. In May, we say that there is a nice spring breeze. But when hurricane season roll around that same breeze, might bring tornados and hurricanes. Wind is a mighty powerful source of energy that can change at the drop of a dime. However, it demands attention. Though we cannot see it, we can experience it. We know that it is there. But when the leaves hang trembling the wind is passing thro. Visible it may not be, but impactful it is. Us as trees. Now I can interpret the wind in all sort of ways, it could be our issues, it could be the enemy, it could be God. The wind changes but the tree for the most part stay the same. Our faith should be like the tree, our faith should be strong, it should be resilient, it should survive regardless of the strength of the wind. The wind should be able to kick our butts but our faith (the tree) should remain unchanged in it's position. Now after Hurricane Isabel, the trees around here took a beating, but for the most part they still stand erected. A category three hurricane was not strong enough to destroy every tree. Even in those areas that experience category 5 storms, trees still stand. Isn't that amazing??!?!?!?!? Isn't that the most fascinating thing anybody bought to your attention today!!!!!! A category five storm cannot destroy all the trees. Someone told me the other day that the trees in California that were affected by the fires still stand erected. A pine tree ( I think that is what was said), cannot release it seed from the pine cone unless the temperature is extremely hot. Those trees have to experience extreme heat in order to multiply. Our faith.................our faith should be able to outlast temperature, weather conditions, and climates. Regardless of what is transpiring, our faith should be able to sustain us. And if you do not believe me, go to biblegateway.com and put faith in the search engine. Pages and pages of scripture will pop up on faith. We cannot see our faith. We cannot see the faith of others. We can witness it!!! The poem gives two examples of the tree reaction to the wind. First is the trembling leaves, and secondly the bowing of the head. We will take a beating at times, we sometimes will tremble with fear and other times fall over. There will be times that our physical shell cannot take it anymore. Our physical shell will say it is over and done with. However that thing in us, embedded in our spirit.......faith..............will encourage us to continue on. It will give us the will to go on when the course is a hurricane, a tornado, a 20acre fire in the woods. Our faith says to us I will come through. And I know believing in that undisclosed deliverance date is torture. I know that when you are broken because of life, and there seems to be no recovery in site, faith is the last thing you want to hear about. But if you have lost everything, what else do you have to lose. Faith the substance of things hope for the evidence of things unseen............. Oh to become a witness?? Oh to see faith in action. Strangely enough you can only feel it, you can only allow your gut to touch it. Others cannot see, they can only be around you and say "man that person has loads of faith". You can't explain it, you can't demonstrate it......................you can only exemplify it in your walk, your actions, your thoughts, your life. And when I say walk I do not mean hopping, skipping, and jumping. I mean the way you carry yourself with courage when others will run and hide. When I say actions, I mean always talking the high road instead of the low road. When I say thoughts I mean how you visualize your situation. And when you combine those three things, there is your life emerged in faith. The substance of things hope for the evidence of........................ Erica H. Petty @April 27, 2009 Mary Got the Picture By Erica Petty Good Evening, There are three accounts of Mary in the bible, first she appears with Martha and she sits at Jesus feet intently listening to Him teach . Martha is complaining, and Jesus tells her that her worry and concern are in the wrong place (Luke 10). The second time Martha and Mary had lost their brother. He had died. Martha went out to greet Jesus, but Mary stayed behind. When Martha told her Jesus wanted her, she left quickly and went to Him, and cried at His feet (John 11). Lastly, Lazarus, Martha, and Mary are having a dinner for Jesus. Mary brought in a pint of very expensive perfume, she poured the perfume on Jesus' feet, and wiped it with her hair (John 12). After reading and rereading these passages of scriptures, an image of Mary came to mind. I thought to myself she must have been the youngest child, she was naive..............innocent, and finally her heart was completely opened to Jesus. Mary was a student, a worshipper, and a servant. Mary recognized that she served a purpose in times when women were purposeless. So with that said, this story................about Mary, brings me to one thing.................fulfilling your purpose. Mary first appears as a student. Luke 10:39 says that Martha had a sister named Mary, who was sitting at Jesus' feet and listening to Him teach. In order to learn you have to listen. Learning is not a possibility if you are not willing to be open to what someone is telling you. It would simply be a waste of time. I can only imagine that Mary was sitting Indian style in front of Jesus with her eyes lifted up. Hanging onto every word that came from His mouth. She was receiving every single thing that was said. I don't believe that Mary was trying to ditch work, but she so needed to hear Him, she needed to become knowledgeable of the Word. Her thirst and hunger needed to be fed and watered. Mary recognized that it was her opportunity to be taught in a time where teaching wasn't available to women. Jesus tells Martha, Only one thing is important, Mary had chosen the better thing, and it will never be taken away from her ( Luke 10: 42). Mary was a student trying to connect to the Master's plan, trying to receive the word................... trying to find her part in the big picture. After Lazarus death Mary sobbed. She was evidently upset, because her brother was gone. I am sure she was hurting because the dear brother she loved so much was no longer, but I also cannot help but wonder if maybe he was her sole provider. Perhaps Lazarus was the head of their household, and he took care of his sisters.................I don't know. Mary was grieving, because when Jesus first showed up she did not go and greet him. She remained at the home. I don't believe as a snub to Jesus, I don't believe she had given up hope in the Savior, but only because her lost was so great. However when Martha returns and tell her that Jesus is asking for her, she got up quickly and went to Him. He wasn't outside the door, but she went to the place where Martha met Him. She went to Him and fell at His feet. She cries to Him that if He arrived her brother would not have died. She fell at His feet? Mary still recognized Him as Jesus even though He did not arrive in time. There is no mention of her falling at the feet of any of the other Jews that came to give her comfort. She still revered Him for who He was. I don't believe she fell at His feet to plea for her brothers resurrection, but to only signify that He was still JESUS. She worshipped Him, even in her lowest moment. When Jesus saw her crying, He was upset and troubled. Jesus felt her trouble, He remember the girl who listened so intently to Him at her home, the girl who shun work to receive His word. And though she was in deep grief, she found time to still worship Him. Lazarus was alive and well, and it is six days before the Passover feast. To celebrate Jesus and what He has done a dinner was given. Martha served food and Lazarus broke bread with Jesus. Mary comes into the room with a bottle of expensive perfume. Perfume that should be sold. It was made from pure nard. Perfume that probably was the best of it's day, but instead of soliciting it on the streets for retail markup she pours it on Jesus' feet, and then she cleaned it off with her hair. How humbling? How heartfelt? The whole atmosphere in the room must was at a standstill, the music stopped, the eating stopped, the excitement stopped...................and everything amounted to this one moment. Perfume valued more than the bathing of someone's feet, was being used on this Jew. Perfume she probably could have made a good penny from she used to serve Jesus. She used to serve the feet that traveled many miles to share the good news. She used the perfume on the feet that walked many miles to offer the bread of life and hope. Her whole entire life amounted to this one instance, the pouring of expensive oil on His feet and using her hair as a towel. Though Mary is only mentioned a few times in the bible, the person she was speak magnitudes. We can all learn something from Mary. How do we arrive at our destination?? We must take on a Mary attitude. We must become students, worshippers, and servants. We have to learn the word of God, we have to learn humbleness, diplomacy, kindness, gentleness, and acceptance. We have to learn how to connect to the Spirit that resides in all of us. We have to worship Jesus for the Savior that He is in all things. We have to overcome our grief about what hasn't happened. We have to turn away from all the ifs, buts, and ands. We have to stop blaming Jesus when things don't pan out. Through the good, the bad, and the ugly we should just worship Him. We should acknowledge that in all things He is working it out. We must know He is the God of possibility. Finally we have to always have a servant's mentality. Stop worrying about me me me!!!! View the world around you, and focus on the needs of others. Give to others, love others, help others. Even in our bad times always know that someone else is worse off. Be a pillar of strength for someone else, tell someone else about what your God is doing for you!!!! Serve others!!!! Learn.........Worship............Serve. And in these three things you will start fulfilling your purpose. Taking a backseat to your needs open doors you would not believe. Learn His WORD!!! Worship God in Everything!!! And always have a mind of service!!!! God Bless, Erica @ March 25, 2009 Lazarus Had to Die By Erica Petty Good Afternoon, I am home sick today, I have an awful cold and feel terrible. I was watching TV, and trying to relax when life started running through my mind. Between the coughing and blowing my nose, my unemployment situation started to work on me. It is actually quite strange, because I seldom give it any thought, but today it started picking. I have only one defense and that is God. In times of trouble, I only know how to seek God. As sadness tried to consume me, and worry tried to invade my otherwise peaceful mind, I had to call on the one name that is above all names. I wasn't sure where to pick up from yesterday, do I go deeper into Lazarus or Mary................I wasn't sure?? However, something came to mind. Yesterday a new employee started at the daycare. When I entered the room I was introduced as Erica, the happy one, the one that is always happy. Silly as it may sound, I was flattered. I was flattered that this woman sees who I am. I am happy. And it does sound extraordinarily sappy................happy. Who in their right mind...............is always happy?? I have asked myself, perhaps I need medication....................happiness isn't a reality............is it?? A continual state of bliss cannot be a possibility?? Ecclesiastes 3:12-14 (New Century Version)12 So I realize that the best thing for them is to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live.13 God wants all people to eat and drink and be happy in their work, which are gifts from God.14 I know that everything God does will continue forever. People cannot add anything to what God has done, and they cannot take anything away from it. God does it this way to make people respect him. We are all familiar with the Ecclesiastes 3:1, there is a time and season for all things. When my mind started messing with me, this was the first scripture that came to me. It was the first thing that stuck a spear in my thoughts of unemployment. I opened my bible up, and started to meditate on the above. I started thinking about Martha, Lazarus,and Mary again. Lazarus death and rising was a timing thing. Lazarus didn't have to die, but he died for the glory of the Father. If Jesus arrived on time and healed him, it would have been just another healing. Sure Martha and Mary would have rejoiced, they would have thanked Jesus profusely. My brother is well again. However, to make a bigger statement Lazarus had to die. Lazarus had to be no more in order to glorify God. When he died people could not add or take away anything. Yes, they said if you had got here in time, but Lazarus health had nothing to do with the people abilities. God did it the way He found fit so they might glorify Him. I feel awful right now, but reading God's word and watching it come alive makes me well. It makes my spirit sing and rejoice. Lazarus had to die. Martha had to get busy cleaning her house. Mary had to seek the Savior. I had to lose my job. You have to go through whatever it is that you are experiencing right now. Why?.............To glorify God. Dictionary.com defines glorify as to treat more splendid or excellent than what would normally be considered. Otherwise, not regular praise, but splendid praise. The type of praise that makes you run around the room. The type of praise that you can't contain inside. The type of praise you have to share with someone else. To glorify God is larger than your normal audience you might consider. Haven't you seen Joyce Meyer do her little church person thing, the weak clap, praise the lord in a religious sort of attitude way? But glorify is another whole level, it is like going from zero to sixty in the matter of seconds. Lazarus had to die. John 11:44 (New Century Version) 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with pieces of cloth, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take the cloth off of him and let him go." If you will please imagine this..................living in a grave for 6 months, not a physical grave, but a situation that has you trapped. There is no way out................well it is, but you are having difficulty focusing on that one way. So you toss and turn, you whine and complain, you kick and scream. You try everything to only find out, your way doesn't work. One day after exhausting every possibility you start to seek God. You start to pray. You start to read and plant your feet into His word. You start to praise. Everything is getting worse, but suddenly there is a commotion. A clamor. Your ears are opened and you hear "COME OUT!!!!" You stand up, and your problems are still squeezing you in, but as you move towards the voice the reigns starts to loosen. You come closer and closer to the voice, and you are able to catch your breath, and all of the naysayers around you who laughed and called you names are humbled. They are humbled and start glorifying the King. That is all He wants. Just our praise. Just our admission of what a Glorious Father He is. Four days in the grave, four. Everything shut down, no more breathing, no more blood flow, nothing. Lazarus was dead. He was no more. But Jesus still showed up, because death is no match for Him. Your situation, job, marriage, children, unemployment, family, friends, neighborhood, health, life...............no match. NO MATCH!!!!! There is a time and season for all things. God wants you happy, He wants you to have overflowing joy. And I know His time table can sometimes be a pain (it's been ten months), but not one day has He forgotten about me. He is mindful of me constantly, and He is also mindful of you. He hear your thoughts and know the plans He has for you. He knows our impatience and He says hold on Lazarus. He says Lazarus I am coming, because His timing is right, it is perfect. One day you will hear take the cloth off and let him go. You are not dead, situation maybe, but you live. And God being the faithful Father that He is will be true to His word. God Bless, Erica H. Petty @ March 9, 2009 Got Those Martha Days! By Erica Petty Good Afternoon, Mary was alive, Martha was busy, and Lazarus was dead. This has been on my mind for a few days now. The dynamics of these three. Each scripturally serving a purpose. As you are fully aware of, I am obsess with the ideology of life right now. I cannot get it out of my mind. Not the average "good" life, but the life that we receive when we accept Jesus. The life we come to know when we lay down our wants and needs and pick up the true desires placed inside of us long ago. Living the real dream. So what is it about these three that got me so sucked in? Well just those three things, alive, busy, and dead. We have all heard of these words before, they are pretty much everyday terminology...................alive, busy, and dead. However, like I said earlier, each person delivered a spiritual message...............they served a larger purpose. Let's start with Martha. Martha was busy, and rightfully so. She had to prepare the home for the reception of Jesus. I mean Mary was just sitting around all googly eyed. Mary wasn't helping!!! Plus Martha could not possibly allow Jesus to come to her home and the dishes aren't down, the rugs aren't swept, the food not cook. Come on it is Jesus for goodness sake. Martha was right for feeling panicky over the situation. WWJT ( what would Jesus Think)?? He probably will say that is why you don't have a man Martha, you don't keep house well. Martha was busy. And even after that first meeting with Jesus, a couple of books over, now she is busy questioning Jesus...................why, why, why. Martha was busy, she was distracted, and let's just say doubtful. Can any of you relate? Can any of you identify with what Martha might of been going through?? Is it wrong to want to make sure everything is in order, and when things aren't to question it?? Was Martha really wrong?? Lazarus couldn't hold on, he was sick. I am sure he tried to wait Jesus out. He is a healer and all, and surely if He shows up in time Lazarus will be made well. But he couldn't wait, he was sick, and therefore he died. Mary and Martha sent men out to find Jesus, to tell Him that the one He loves is sick. Didn't it mean anything? Yet, he still died. Lazarus was wrapped tight and laid in the tomb. What a tragedy, I mean considering Jesus really wasn't that far away, what was it two miles. Did He even try to make it on time. Everyone knew this, everyone had witnessed Jesus "The Healer". Lazarus was His friend, but He didn't show up. I guess He had bigger fish to fry. Mary.................oh sweet Mary. Jesus is coming, He is coming to our home. I am going to be in His presence. I am so excited. Just like a school girl tickled over the new boy in school. He looked my way, and I blushed. But you have to hear Him speak, it is invigorating, it is exhilarating.................He promises life. He promises this wonderful, beautiful blessed life. He brings me joy. Even when her brother died, she mourned his death, but when Martha announces that Jesus is here, Mary quickly gets up and rush to Him. She fell to His feet and wept. Mary hurt, but Jesus came. He showed up..............still. He didn't forget about us, He didn't forget about Lazarus. Where do you fall?? As you read the words, who do you become?? Are you the doubter, the protagonist, the person who questions everything? Are you so busy taking care of everything you are missing out on everything?? Martha wasn't a bad person. I think she was a good person trying to do the right thing. And if I shared a home with my sister (Jennifer) and I was cleaning and she was sitting yeah I would complain. I understand where she is coming from. Perhaps Martha wanted Mary's help so she too could enjoy Jesus visit. However, Martha didn't see the Big Picture, she didn't see that Jesus came to share, she only saw that her home wasn't prepared. She wasn't able to sit down and simply enjoy His visit. Even when Jesus came after Lazarus death, Martha was consumed with questions, so many that she couldn't hear what was being said. She tells Jesus I know that even now God will give you anything you ask, but when He replies Your brother will rise and live again, she responds with I know in the resurrection. Did she not consider what she had already said,did she not believe what she told Him. Was she so busy questioning how the Savior moves, that she could not hear what He said?? I am sure we all have our Martha moment, so wrapped up in our own world we forget to hear God. Even when He answers us, we sometimes fail to recall. We sometimes forget what He has promised. In 1 Kings 19, Elijah hears God not in the wind, or the earthquake, or fire but it was a small still voice. If Elijah was busy searching for God, he may have not heard Him. He may have missed Him. When Elijah heard God he covered his face and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Elijah had the perfect opportunity to deny hearing God, to much commotion. Elijah could have become involved with climate control, but he didn't. He didn't let events dictate his attention away from God. Martha believed, there is not doubt in my heart that she believed, but she was distracted. If she was on that mountain instead of Elijah she would have missed it. God doesn't come to us the way we assume He will, God doesn't care about our activities we do to prepare for Him. God isn't into our rituals of preparation, you know got to wash the dishes first, and sweep the kitchen floor, give the kids a bath, brush my teeth and put in my retainer. Aligning everything perfectly before giving Him your time, doesn't work. I find myself praying during odd times of the day, I seek God while I am doing normal everyday activities.................I don't wait for the perfect time, when all is perfect in my home. And sometimes out of the blue, I hear God calling to me...... I hear that small still voice and I stop and listen. I don't question or blow it off, but I receive it. Maybe you only know how to be Martha, I don't know. But I do know that in order to reach the Big Picture destination that our Martha ways have to be put down................we have to take off the yoke. We have to seek God with a honest heart, and not just a clean home. We have to ask and receive, and not ask and question. Perhaps today is the start of the rest of your life, the start of something new. Possibly realizing that God is bigger than your needs and desires. Yep, your needs and desires. Put God first..............put Him first. to be continued....................... Scripture references: John 11 and Luke 10 God Bless, Erica H. Petty The Toothe Fairy Didn't Show Up! By Erica Petty Good Morning, I was in the car with my two and two of my sister's kids on Saturday. They started this in-depth conversation about the tooth fairy. Jason started by telling how he lost a tooth that week and when he woke there was no money and the tooth was still there. However, Mommy (me) found the crumpled dollar hiding halfway under his bed. My niece Joy told that one time before the tooth fairy left her five dollars. My sister's explanation for such a large sum of money for one tooth was that the tooth was very difficult to get out. Of course my other niece, Jewel had to put her two cent in and told that when she lost her last tooth she found $2.00 under her pillow the next morning. Jason finished the conversation by telling that he put the tooth under the pillow again the following night, and the tooth fairy still forgot to pick up the tooth therefore when they (cousins) get to his house do not touch the tissue containing the forgotten tooth. I was bubbling over in the inside...............I mean this tooth fairy chick is serious business and obviously she is not very consistent. My sister made up the story about the tooth, because when my niece lost another tooth, she received $1.00 and wanted an explanation to why the discrepancy. I guess my sister and I both aren't very good tooth fairies. Interestingly enough as they spoke of the tooth fairy I started thinking about our "arrangement" with God. We sometimes put things on our pray list and complain about the results. It seems as if what we think we should get does not meet our expectations. That morning when Jason found nothing under his pillow I could only hear a loud yell from his room......."Mommmmmmmmmmmmmmyyyyyyyy!!!!" I forgot, simply I forgot and when I heard the yell I had to think quick. So I rushed into his room and drop the dollar just right to calm his panicking heart. I told him that the tooth fairy had difficulty getting the tooth, because he is such a difficult sleeper and she placed the dollar the best that she could. He must had knocked the dollar on the floor. What a scam, but he bought it and that is the important thing. Do we buy what God is telling us?? Do we get satisfaction from every little blessing?? Honestly.........no, we don't. We do not get satisfaction because the end result sometimes do not alleviate burden, pain, disappointments or failures. If we take it to God in prayer, then He must remove all outstanding situations from our path. However, God does all things according to His timing and His will. God's Perfect Will has us in mind. It does not stray from the path specifically designed for you. Perhaps you will have an abundant blessing today, but some of your pain and sorrow will remain with you. It doesn't mean that God is a halfway God, it means that God is true to His word and in that we must be true to Him. We must still offer up praises and worship God who comes through regardless of our preceptions. Isaiah 49: 23..............Anyone who trusts in me will not be disappointed. Is it that elimination of what we suffer gives God more of our praise?? Holding on................keeping...........just a smidgen of life hassle will be a testimony of what God has done. I don't want to be just a regular Christian, I want to be a Christian with a story to tell, I want to be a servant of God that can tell you what God is capable of, I want to be the one shouting how I overcame when overcoming was not even on the forefront. Jacob wrestle with God all night long. He wrestle and in the end he was blessed and his hip was broken. But do you think Jacob would return the blessing to have his limp removed?? No, because his blessing was so much larger than his limp. The limp was only a symbol of what Jacob endure to receive his blessing. He gave up a perfectly healthy hip to receive his blessing. Afterwards Jacob didn't complain or even focus on the hip, but looked forward to the blessings of God.
Was Jacob disappointed?? I think not, bum hip and all. In this life, every blessing may not be what we were expecting. His perfect will has nothing to do with our perfect expectations. Jason expected for his tooth to be picked up, Joy expected $5.00 each and every time a tooth was lost...................things did not turn out as they expected, but they still were blessed. We have to stop looking at His gifts to us as objects to meet our standards. Our standards no way no how compare to His admiration of us. He made us, He has prepare a beautiful life for us, and He wants to give us the world. However none of it is based on a pain free without glitches infrastructure. We need to stop expecting prefect gifts, because His will is prefect. Even when your hair is gray ( and some of our hair is already there), He will still take care of you. He made you and will provide for you according to His prefect will. God Bless, Erica H. Petty @Feb 4, 2009 Promise Giver By Erica Petty Romans 4:18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be."[b] 19Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. 20Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. Good Morning, Here is a thought to ponder..........................................how dead is your situation really?? There is something so exciting about Abraham..................Abraham had probably the deadest situation around. There was no possibility in what God promised ,and for lack of a better word, the tools Abraham and Sarah were working with were caput. How is it that something that seem absolutely not possible come to be?? Against all hope. In the Amplified version it says that Abraham did not weaken in faith when he considered the impotence of his own body. He did not weaken in faith in response to what his body was telling him. What is it today that is weakening your faith?? What is it that have you all disbelieving and stuff like that?? In Romans 4:17, it says to call the things that are not as if they were. It also said that He (God) gives life to to the dead and speaks of the nonexistent things as they existed. What are you calling alive?? What are you speaking life about?? One of my favorite scriptues is Proverbs 18:21, there is life and death in the tongue. All through God's word, He tells us to stop whining and complaining about every little thing. God tells us to stop sabotaging His plan with what ifs and buts and start claiming victory in His name. God word tells us to succeed with the blessings He provide. Joyce Meyer always say to stop that stinky thinking. Stop thinking like such a loser!!!!! Stop condemning yourself, when the scripture says that we are free from condemnation (Romans 8:1). Do we thrive on broken promises?? Or do we know that there is no promise God will make that He will recede on?? Start calling those things that aren't as if they were!!! Abraham believed that he will be the father of many nations, without doubt, without wavering faith. Abraham did not doubt for a moment God's promise. He never ever once called God a liar. Abraham kept his hope,when all was hopeless. His body was 100 years old, and Sarah was 90 and had been barren for years. It wasn't a situation that they had frozen embryos at the Jones Institute. She wasn't a young chick with the hope of fertility treatment healing her infertility. But God made a promise and Abraham spoke it. Speak those things that aren't as if they were!!!! God is pouring something so great and wonderful inside of you, but you got to start calling it as if it were. You have to start saying I am well, I am prosperous, I am successful, I am I am I am because my God told me so. There is no excuse to be defeated, there is no reason whatsoever to fail miserable. There is no excuse to wallow in your own demise when you have a God that is saying get up from there and go. Go, Go, Go!!!!! Stop looking behind and look forward, seek what it is God is working out in your life and speak it. Romans 4:20 says that Abraham was strengthen in his faith and gave glory to God. Start giving God His glory and His rightful praise. Start thanking God for the breakthrough you are about to come up on!!! Start telling everyone what your God is about to do to turn your life around. Abraham was fully persuaded that God had the power to do what He said He would do. No doubt, only belief, only praise, only admiration of a faithful God. Folks God is a promise keeper, it is only us that are promise destroyers. Today is the day to start speaking like a child of the King. Today is the day to start calling things the right way, the God way. I am blessed, say it and mean it!!!! I am free!!! I am well!!! God is pouring into me something so great I just got to shout!!! Call it with all sincerity and with rejoicing faith. God is the promise giver!!! He is the One who will make you the parent of many nations.................... God Bless Erica H. Petty @Jan 15, 2009 Start a Riot! By Erica Petty Good Evening, Let me tell you about Halloween......................I was arrested 4 times!!!!! Not literally, but for those eight minutes it was like an eternity. Our church had a Harvest Festival, and for the cost of $1.00 you could lock someone up for 8 minutes. Well the teenage girls that I often tease and joke with thought it was hilarious to put Ms Erica behind bars. My son and his cohorts tried their best to bust me out and bribed the prison guard with candy and hot dogs. Some of them even got toss in jail with me for their riotous acts. It was all in fun, and we laughed hard, but for a second I stood there holding tightly to the gate. I started to think about Paul and Silas. I shook the gate to no avail, but Paul and Silas stayed in my mind. Acts 16: 23After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. Paul and Silas must have been considered a serious threat, I mean not only were they beaten badly, but they were put in the inner cell and their feet were fastened. I would assumed that this type of treatment was only for the extraordinary criminal minded. Perhaps the criminal that was beyond reproached and a suicidal death wish for those who encountered them. Paul and Silas must have been considered bad news. However the torment that they endured did not cease their Praise of God. It seemed to only elevate their level of worship, it seemed to add fuel, when their tanks should have been on empty. In the middle of the night, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. They must have been effective witnesses, because the other prisoners were listening to them. The other prisoners must have been shocked, they must have been sitting in a state of disbelief. I am sure that when they entered the prison the last thing coming from their lips was a hallelujah for the Most High God. But here were two that regardless of the torture they endured they were singing and praying to God. And with all of this commotion it must have stirred up something in that prison that night, because suddenly there was a violent earthquake that shook the foundations of the prison and all the prison doors flew open and people were set free from chains. The Message version said that Paul and Silas were singing a robust hymn to the Lord. The other prisoners could not believe their ears. Here is a new phrase for you.......... torment praise. what exactly is that you ask??? Torment praise is the praise you send up when surely your situation cannot get any worse, it is where the only thing left to do is praise. I am of the belief that we conceptualize prison as a place where bad people go, but oh no.............it isn't...............the truth be told prison is a place that we frequently visit and reside for days. Prison is a place where God's people pay tribute too. Oh you might say, that is crazy talk and to a certain degree I do have to agree with you. However there is a part of me that have spent time sentenced to a prison term and all I had to do for early release is to praise my God. All I had to do was offer up a Shout of Praise. Oh why oh why do we spend time suffering when there is an escape route?? While reading Acts 16, I envisioned what it looked like, I imagined how they were shackled and tormented. Then I could see how the ground rattled and shook, how the other prisoners must have been holding onto the bars for all dear life. And Paul and Silas standing there with a sheepish grin, because they knew that the Spirit swept in and shook things up. What an amazing illustration of us as people sentenced to our lifetime of torment!!!! A sentence that we do not have to serve, a sentence that can be rebuke by a Shout of Praise. Imagine if you will being flogged by your health, your job, your marriage, your finances, your children, anything that is beating you down. There you are heavy, and downcast, basically being dragged to the ground. But wait a minute you stop, and you call the name of Jesus. All of sudden those burdens become slightly lighter, so you say it again but this time a little louder, and the more you say it and the louder you get you start to become bold and glorify His name.................suddenly you break free from your chains and you are jumping and shouting because you have been set free. Isn't that excellent imagery?!?!?!? Yesterday I heard Praise Until Something Happens, I had previously heard pray instead of praise. But be it pray or praise, we only need to move forward to claim our victory. Nobody has ever been victorious sitting in a chair crying the poor little old me blues. I want victory in Christ..........not want......... I will have............. I will have victory in Christ, I will overcome all things because His word told me so. People we have to start claiming it, we have to start covering our lives with Praising Him. Tell God how good and awesome He is, tell Him about the wonderful work He is doing, tell Him how you stand in awe of Him. Tell God something good!!!! Paul and Silas didn't let their situation get the best of them, they just praise Him a little louder. Do you want to see something happen?? Just Praise Him until your prison walls come tumbling down!!!! God Bless, Erica H. Petty Witnessing the Unexpected By Erica Petty Good Afternoon, Dec 29, 2008 - Have you tested God to see if He is true to His word?? The one thing that I absolutely despise doing is trying on clothes. I go shopping and pay. I do not like going into the dressing room, getting undressed, and putting on an outfit to find that it is ill fitting. I just don't like it!!! I always buy to big with the hope I will shrink it in the wash. Most times I wash and wash only to discover the fading color or worse...........stretching. What I hope the article of clothing to become, rarely meets my expectations. It has been my experience that people sometimes feel the same way about God.......................they try Him on, it isn't a good fit, they don't like it, and it is eventually determined that He just doesn't meet their expectation. It has also been my experience that people watch for God in other people lives, with the hope of witnessing something bigger than expected or responding irrationally when something falls apart. Daniel 6: 16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions' den. The king said to Daniel, "May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!" I wonder what was going through King Darius mind.................I mean earlier in chapter 6 of Daniel it said that he was greatly distressed and made every effort until sundown to rescue him. King Darius must have known about God, He must of had some sort of awareness of who God was..............I might even go as far as saying that King Darius had witnessed what God was capable of. The king didn't want to give the order, it seems that he might have been bullied into throwing Daniel into the den of lions. He couldn't let the bystanders and riot starters be denied bashing God. He could not let chaos unleash, because Daniel worship God. Perhaps somewhere down the line the people had tried God on, didn't like the fit and decided that God didn't meet their expectations. Let squeeze God out, and glorify the king. King Darius went alone with it, but I am not completely convinced that he was a willing party member. So he throws Daniel in the den and tells him, "May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!". Now take note, he didn't just say may your God rescue you, but he said your God that you continually serve rescue you. There is an old saying, "you can't worship two gods". The problem is we do. We worship God on a good day and the world on a bad day. The question that we need to ask our self is are we serving continually the same God. From our perspective, is God the same yesterday, today and tomorrow?? When this decree was past Daniel worship God three times a day, his worship did not stop. Daniel relationship with God didn't change, what he felt and believe to be true of God remained the same therefore he was able to serve continually. 19 At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions' den. 20 When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?" King Darius could not sleep, I believe that he was miserable because he knew that Daniel was a man of God. See people around us may criticize us for what we believe, they may poke fun of who we are, but often it is because they know the truth. They know that what we speak and say about a living God is 100% truth. King Darius knew that, he knew that Daniel's worship was truth. So he hurried to the den at the crack of dawn and he called to Daniel. I bet he was nervous, his stomach was doing cartwheels............what have I done, oh my, this is a man of God. I am sure he is devoured. But he found something he wasn't expecting, he found a living Daniel, he found the unexpected in the expected, and I am almost sure he found God that day. 21 Daniel answered, "O king, live forever! 22 My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king." My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions. Did you know that there are people who are waiting for you to be swallowed up by the lion. There are folks who are waiting for you to drown, waiting to see what your God might do. Will your God throw you a rope, or swim out to the middle of the ocean to save you??? People are watching and waiting for your destruction so they might see what God is actually capable of!!!! 27 He rescues and he saves; King Darius was overjoyed and wrote to everyone of every nation and language. He tells what God had done. Wouldn't it be awesome if someone witness just from seeing what God is doing in your life?? Wouldn't it be awesome for someone to find the unexpected in the expected??? Wouldn't it be awesome for someone else to find the Living God because you were rescued?? He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. There is no limitation when it comes to God..............failure is not an option. God is able, capable, and proven over and over again. God is a God of hope, and everlasting love!!! God is truly the Great I am. King Darius was transformed that day when he ran to that lions den, his eyes were opened and he received a new type of honor and praise. The decree was passed to give him all the glory, but on that fateful day, God changed it around. Don't ever be afraid to be used by God and let others witness because of you. I Just Got Engaged!!! By Erica Petty Dec 12, 2008 - Genesis 4:13 Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me." Good Afternoon, As I have shared with you all before when I crash.................. I crash. Whenever I become overwhelmingly overwhelmed..............I come down hard from my perpetual world of bliss. Well, on Friday, I crashed, I was overwhelmed to the nth degree. I was upset. I prayed to God, I pleaded with God......."Help me........talk to me......", and I became agitated when God didn't speak, when God didn't show up and discuss how I was feeling. This was Friday night, and come Saturday morning I was still in a uncomfortable agitated state. As I was doing whatever it was I was doing, God spoke and into my spirit He poured............I will never give you more than you can bear. Honestly.................that upset me even more, because it didn't seem like a reasonable explanation for what I was feeling. So, I continued on with my day and was now feeling like a crybaby because I was challenging God's comment. I was not believing in what I knew was true of the Lord. That evening as I drove to the Outback to meet my family for dinner and I heard this song on the radio by James Fortune, I'll trust you. In the song it says lift your hand if you trust Him. I couldn't muster the energy to do so. A lot of different things happened in the first chapters of Genesis, God made the world, place two people in the garden of Eden, kicked them out, Eve delivered twins and one of the sons murdered the other. This stuff is what makes good television, but it isn't TV, it was real life. I wonder if Eve was overwhelmed, I wonder if Eve felt as if the world was on her shoulders. I believe as women, because of our hormonal superiority, we sometimes take the small things and carry it as a large load. However the Lord says that He will not give you anything to large to carry. Isaiah 54: 1 “Sing, O childless woman, To carry a load can be equated to that of pregnancy. It is heavy, burdensome, and an awful inconvenience. I say women who never known pregnancy, not motherhood, are not missing anything. In Isaiah 54 it says "Sing, O childless woman, you who have never given birth!" Break into loud and joyful song............. Oh what could this mean?? What is so satisfactory about being barren?? The person not consumed with burden could be considered barren. The person who has not fallen prey to life events, could be considered a childless woman. Those who remain ignorant of pressing situations, could break into loud and joyful song. It is only those of us that give birth to life inconveniences, and troubles that give way to labor. We give birth to our pain, we nurse our problems, we raise our tribulations. However scripture says O childless one celebrate being barren, celebrate not birthing our problems. The scripture continues on, and now all of a sudden the person who is desolate has more children than the person who lives with her husband. That doesn't make sense.............I don't get it............but wait. Stop seeking literal explanations from the scriptures, and listen to what it speaks. The one who lives with her husband, is not a man and wife living in poverty and a whole house of kids, but it is the person who marries their problems, their situations, and birth unhappiness, discord, and misery. It is the one who remains desolate, the one who remains unmarried to her situation that has more happiness and joy. Over the weekend even in my sadness I still had a spirit of knowledge. I still knew God is a God who gives no more than one can bear. I didn't only know it, because He told me, I know it because I believe in a loving and kind God. Situations does not determine God's passion for you..............situations determines our passion for God. Burdens will come and go, but those of us believing in a God that provides know that regardless of the situation it will never be bigger than our God. In the Book of Job, the devil was certain that if he could destroy Job enough then Job will stop believing in God. Surely if Job was to marry his problems, and those problems consumed him, certainly God would be out of the picture. Job's burden was definitely more than probably any of us can bear................but God knew better. He knew better for Job, He knew what could be put on him. What is it that God can put on you, and you will still love and seek God with admiration?? I am sure not what Job endured, there are different levels of endurance for each and everyone of us. However the fact still remains that we need to stop marrying our situations and giving birth to sadness and unhappiness in our lives. Our problems are in no way bigger or badder than God. In Job the devil told God that he had been wandering the earth to and fro. I am sure as he searches not for his next victim, but his next incident for each and everyone of us God is saying "no, that one there can not bear that," or is God saying, "certainly, that one can take on the world". God Bless, Erica H. Petty What are you expecting? By Erica Petty
Good Morning, Dec 1, 2008 - Saturday I was with my dad and he handed me this book. A customer had given him this book about twenty years ago. When he handed me the book to read something out of, I frowned and told him it was old and dirty. See my father is a mechanic, and the book had been most likely hanging out in the garage where there is grease and dirt. But my dad had read the book several times, and had studied it. My father reads a lot of books about the science of the mind. Well this book, like I said was old and sort of falling apart, because he had read it that much. I went to the table of contents to review what the different topics were, and came across a chapter called As a Man Thinketh ( something my dad quotes often). I started reading and was immediately drawn in, because it said that we never think of our vital processes, breathing, heart beating, or living. Something is driving us internally to generate these functions. Now these books refer most times to the subconscious mind, but up until this time I was wondering where is God in all of this. Saturday it finally dawned on me, the subconscious mind is God that lives in us, it is the Holy Spirit that drives us to live, think, and function. continues...On Tuesday, one of my friends at the daycare showed me a book she is reading called The Wigglesworth Standard by Peter J. Madden. Now I don't know if you know who Smith Wigglesworth is, but simply put he was a great man of faith. And as I browsed through some of the pages, I wanted to steal the book from her ( at least keep it for a few days) because there was such a powerful message. What I was reading was so profound, that as I read the Holy Spirit came upon me.................it was just that powerful. I scribbled down several things with the hope of sharing it with you, but there was one thing that just did it for me. Now you might read this and say what is the big deal, but please bear with me. In the last paragraph of the Prologue it said " Wigglesworth was not surprised. He had expected the result." So what? Right? And anyhow what was he expecting? Erica, what got you all Holy Ghost filled with that?? He had expected the result!!!! HE HAD EXPECTED THE RESULT!!!! Now I am not going to tell you what the result was, but I will tell you it involves a man with stubs and a pair of size eight black shoes. Now I say all this, to bring you back to one of my favorite topics...............FAITH. But today, I will not address it about if you are believing. We are past that stage, we are on a brand new page. What I need to know, are you expecting the results?? Are you expecting to see a change in your situation, condition, or position?? What are you expecting?? Matthew 11: The blind see, Where is it that we fail in our faith?? The answer is so simple I think we rarely recognize that we pray with belief but we get up off our knees without expectations. I remember when I was pregnant with both of my kids I was absolutely miserable. Pregnancy was awful for me, but I knew when it was all said and done I would have a baby. I was expecting in nine months a birth. There was no doubt in my mind that at the end of such a horrific pregnancy a child will be born. I expected it!!!! The scripture asks, "Is this what you were expecting?" And it must be true, at least for those who couldn't walk, hear, or had ailments of the skin because when they went to the Lord they were healed. They expected when they made His acquaintance they no longer would be lame, a leper, deaf and in some cases the families expected when Jesus showed their dead would live again. Count yourself most blessed if this is what you are expecting!!! Jesus is saying, "if you not only believe but expect these things in my name so it be unto you". Mark 2:4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. What was the expectations of the men who lowered their friend down through the roof?? Now this was no ordinary attempt at healing, this was an extraordinary attempt at healing. They didn't walk up to Jesus and lay down the mat, they went up on the roof, dug a hole in it and then lowered their friend down. That's incredible, that is something that is simply unbelievable.............that they would go through all that trouble for something that might not work. But oh no, if they went through all that they must have known it would. They must have expected a healing on that day. When I first opened this message I spoke of the book my dad gave me to read. We don't think about breathing, or the blood running through our veins. We don't anticipate if our hearts will continue to beat. We expect these things to happen. When I place one foot in front of another................I expect to walk. When I open my mouth.................I expect to talk. When I open my eyes..................I expect to see. When I pray about something............I expect....... None of these things require me to think, or pondered, or anticipate what will happen. So why doesn't our faith work in the exact same way, why is it that when we tell Jesus something we are not expecting for it to materialize??? Expectation is truly what it is all about!!! Expecting results and not hoping and praying that Jesus might come through. God Bless Erica H. Petty Road to Redemption By Erica Petty Good Morning, Redemption? What comes to mind when you hear that word?? I always think of being saved................I think of Jesus on the cross. Redemption?? Dictionary.com defines redemption as, deliverance, rescue, deliverance from sin, salvation. Rescue? Have you been rescued, or need rescuing, or are in the process of being rescued?? Redemption, deliverance, salvation are such huge words, but rescue seems miniscule compared to such biblical terminology. Another one of our favorite cartoons is Go Diego Go, and he has a rescue pack. When Diego gets into a jam he ask his rescue pack for help. There is this little song that says something like "Rescue Pack, Coming to the Rescue" ( yes you can almost ask me anything about preschool television and I can tell you or sing it). So I suppose the real question here is where do you go for rescuing..............do you travel with a rescue pack strapped to your back in case of an emergency?? Matthew (NIV) 2: 9After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east[e] went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When I read this today, it stopped me. It stopped me dead in my tracks. I was flipping through a bible someone shared with me, the bible properly named Walking with Jesus. I was reading the intro, and came somewhat interested in what might unfolded in the pages. I say somewhat, because the book itself is a NIV version, therefore I am aware of how that particular version is written, I didn't expect anything to jump out. Strangely enough I was reading Matthew, when only a few minutes earlier I told the person sharing the book with me that I was particularly fond of Luke. The intro stated that Jesus called twelve disciples to walk with Him. These disciples thought they understood where their journey with Jesus would take them. However, Jesus often left them puzzled, but they continued to walk with Him. Their expectations were not fulfilled. But in the travels, and through the lessons, and witnessing the healing they discovered what it meant to truly follow Jesus. The introduction ends with one sentence and it says " As you read this story, you also are invited to discover what walking with Jesus means and to take hold of the life that is truly life." What hooked me about that scripture..........not that they heard the king, or they went on their way but how this one star they had seen in the east went ahead of them. One star that was seen traveled ahead of them. Prehistoric GPS?? I think not, but a guiding light leading in the right direction. A light that says follow me, I will show you were to go. Isn't that what redemption is all about, following a guiding light, going in the right direction, being saved from a traffic jam. In the Message Version it says that then the star appeared again, the same star seen in the eastern skies. That tells me that they saw it, perhaps lost sight of it but when they resumed their travels that same star reappeared. That same star came back into view. Quick question.............. Did you know that God is a forgiving God?? That God offers salvation?? That when we lose our way, if we look up we will see the star again, that we are able to get back on track. See the way to the One and Only Son never disappears, you can look away, but the star that shines and offers redemption is never far away. It shines bright, and it summons "FOLLOW ME!!!" Matthew 10: It led them on until it hovered over the place of the child. They could hardly contain themselves: They were in the right place! They had arrived at the right time! I have an excellent sense of direction. I can go anywhere and figure out how to get there and how to get back home. That is a gift from God. That is only God ordered instruction. But there is something better then my ability to travel by map or follow a GPS, it is Jesus as a shindig star always offering a way home. Jesus beaming bright in the sky saying "come home my children'. The wise men followed the star and it led them on until it hovered over the place of the child. Imagine like a bright Vegas Billboard screaming "Here I am, Come on In!!!!". The wise men excited, they could barely contain themselves. They were in the right place, they have found the King, they have found the baby that Isaiah had prophesized about in the Old Testament. We have arrived!!! We have found the baby!!!! The next time you are lost look up into the sky, look for the shining star and if you look hard enough you will find your way home. Redemption, deliverance, salvation, or perhaps you just need to be rescued. The twelve disciples set out on a road of discovery, a road that initially lead to disappointment until they opened their minds to the Living God. They found out what it meant to truly follow Jesus. Jesus invited them to discover what walking with Him was truly about, what taking hold of a life that is true life meant. Finally the disciples arrived, they were in the right place, they had arrived right on time. The same hold true for us, a light, a shining star that hovers over the SON, and we too can shout we have arrived. God Bless, Erica H. Petty What’s Love Got to Do With It? By Erica Petty
Good Morning, Nov 18, 2008 - I have been praying for an extraordinary God experience, I mean I have been praying for something BIG. I have been on the lookout for God. God, show yourself!!!! However it isn't that simple, telling God to reveal Himself in some sort of super out of this world sort of way just doesn't happen........... or does it. Today was a typical Monday, my throat was scratchy, my head and belly sort of hurt, and I didn't want to get out of bed. I managed to get myself together, and get to the daycare. I like the people I work with, we joke and laugh, pick fun at, and since it is a church we can openly discuss God without someone's religious feelings getting hurt. I actually wasn't thinking of my prayer today, like I said I wasn't feeling my best. During conversation today someone said to me that she would like to know more about the bible. I asked what did she want to learn. I am no bible scholar, but as Ming Ming from Taylor's favorite cartoon Wonder Pets says, " I am an expert amateur". I told her I would help, but at that time I couldn't come up with a place to start, I couldn't think of any particular direction. Later that day, as me and another friend chatted, she tells me that she is very much in love with her husband, regardless of how mad or upset he makes her. Actually I forgot about that comment, until I read the above scripture. See I spent the morning, studying lots of scripture. I had a message that I truly wanted to share with you, but while I was with Taylor in the bathroom I came upon this. Taylor has started potty training, and as she tore toilet paper into tiny pieces to entertain herself as she sat I read an article in Today's Christian Woman about when devotional isn't enough. I was all into the article it was light, refreshing, telling of one woman's journey of acquiring "quiet time" with God. The alleged BIG God experience. However in her quest she found that big experience when she gazed upon her children playing in the park and her heart flooded with how much she loves them, then God quietly whispered in her ear, " the love you feel for them is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how I feel for you". It was after reading that, I realized that to learn the bible learning about God's admiration of us would be key. As I already said that later in my day my friend told me no matter how angry her husband makes her, she still was deeply in love with him. I got to thinking, isn't that what our love for God should reflect. Regardless of how angry we get at HIM, shouldn't we be still crazy in love with Him as the first day we met Him? Shouldn't our love always overshadow our anger?? From Genesis to Revelation one thing always stay the same, and that would be God's undeniable love for us. He loved us from the beginning, no matter what............. God still loves. In Ephesians 3:18 Paul writes that you may have the power to understand how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. God's love is a limitless fountain of admiration and favor. God's love for His people is endless. There is no other love like the love of the Father. Ephesians 3: 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, In the message version it says God can do anything, you know- far more than you could ever imagine, guess, or request in your wildest dreams. Wow!! If you never knew God and met Him for the very first time today...................... how would you respond to that? How would you accept the most powerful love you would ever know?? How would you receive such a love?? The truth is, even those of us who have known God forever forget that awesome type of love He has for us. We forget that His love is immeasurably, that because of that love He can do anything in our lives, He is capable of doing things that you could never imagine in your wildest dreams. Your Wildest Dreams, cannot fathom the love of God. I chat with the church secretary often, and the one thing she says that I love is that " God is sweet on her". God is sweet on her!!! What a declaration that we all need to be reminded of. Not to long ago I told you guys I had read this book called The Shack, the main character spoke of his wife and how she always affectionately referred to God as Daddy. Daddy?? The main character thought it was odd, considering he had a poor relationship with his own father. But think about it, Daddy and Father does have different meaning. Daddy signifies a small child snuggling up to his/her father, it is more endearing, more loving, it is simply a child having amorous eyes for his/her father alone. Even at 38 I still call my dad, Daddy, because I think he is great and I know he loves me and wants the very best for me. Not that a person who says father, thinks less but saying daddy just tells a different type of relationship. What is your relationship with God?? Is it a loving relationship? Or a tumultuous one?? Have you learned that God is completely and totally crazy about you?? Boy, He sure does think you are special. The Supremes had a song called River Deep, Mountain High and the chorus says something to the extent oh how I love you baby baby if I lost you oh how would I cry. Diana is talking about some pretty great love there, but are we feeling the same about God?? Are we feeling if we lost Him we would be devastated..............God is. God is deeply hurt when we leave Him, when we fail to return His love. I asked God for an extraordinary experience, but I realized something today................ everyday living for Him and allowing Him to work through me is extraordinary. What He reveals to me everyday is beyond my wildest dreams. And why?? because He is sweet on me.............. God Bless, Erica Assumed Peace By Erica Petty Good Afternoon, Nov 10, 2008 - I just came from my favorite shopping place..........Food Lion. I stop there almost everyday, you know to pick up Pepsi or bread or just to see what is on sale to tempt my taste buds. So today, like every time when I visit, I scan the gossip magazines. It is a really bad obsession. Now I don't flip through the magazines ( unless something is really juicy on the cover), but I read every little word on the cover to get the lowdown on celebrities and their superstar lifestyle. I read the cover of Star and I forget the name of the other, then Soap Opera Digest ( I don't even watch Soaps), and then depending on if I am next I will scan the cover of the fashion magazines, followed by home magazines. Like I said it is a bad obsession. Well today the gossip rags hot topics were Lindsey Lohan and Angelina Jolie. Lindsey discusses her relationship with Sam ( her significant other/ woman) and Angelina bone thin checks into somewhere (she really needs to start indulging in fried chimi-chungas with a dollop of sour cream). However as I read the covers today I felt sad, I felt bad. I felt like spiritual warfare has come into these celebrities lives' and won the battle. I felt as if Satan has proven himself to be a truth teller in their lives'. Matthew 10:29-31 (Contemporary English Version) 29Aren't two sparrows sold for only a penny? But your Father knows when any one of them falls to the ground. 30Even the hairs on your head are counted. 31So don't be afraid! You are worth much more than many sparrows You are worth more than many sparrows!!!! You account for something in the eyes of the Lord. You are somebody. I don't know these women struggles or poison for that fact, but I know that their lives' plastered on front of a magazine seems to be crumbling. I see the enemy having his way. Angelina, an absolutely gorgeous woman with seemingly a good heart. She adopts kids from different part of the world and gives them a home. She seems to give love and nourishment to her kids, but her physical form seems to be falling apart. Her physical being seems to be taking a beating. Perhaps the media lie, maybe it is all an untruth, but from the looks of it all it seems to be real. And we are not even going to talk about Lindsey. However I see people like this everyday, I see people who do not know their worth in the eyes of the Lord. I see people who feel as if they are worth only that penny. Think about these stars and what their net worth says and then think about what their physical appearance says. Disheartening?? Matthew 10:34 (New Century Version) 34 "Don't think that I came to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. Do you know a delusional person?? A person who's reality does not match the rest of the world?? Maybe you are that person, maybe you are the person who lives a life completely different then the rest of society. That is what celebrities do............... they live a life that regular folks aren't privileged to live. I am not saying that money and buying purses that cost the price of my house is bad, I am just saying that when you live differently then your perception of the world is different. Jesus came to bring life, even to the privileged, the sad, the disheartend.............the outcast. Jesus came and He lived amongst thieves, murders, tax collectors, prostitutes.................He made His home amongst sinners. The problem was the alleged "saved" didn't have a clue, they didn't understand that the person who called HIMself the son of God was living with yesterday's trash. It seems as if the assumed peace He was bringing was actually rocking the boat. People were disturbed, because His behavior did not line up with what they believed God to believe. As a matter of fact, they probably thought that those sparrows were worth more then the thieves, murders, tax collectors, and prostitutes. However, Jesus came not to bring them peace about what they believed, but to bring a sword. A sword of repentance, a sword of deliverance, a sword of acceptance. Matthew 10:38-39 (New Century Version) 38 Whoever is not willing to carry the cross and follow me is not worthy of me.39 Those who try to hold on to their lives will give up true life. Those who give up their lives for me will hold on to true life. I do not know what Lindsey and Angelia beliefs are. And I can say the same for many of you that are reading this particular message. I come as a servant of Christ, hoping and praying that my small knowledge of the WORD will give you hope and a new lease on life. To come to Christ there is no previous experience needed, there is no desired past history requirements that need to be met. It is only a willing heart that bleeds out in order for HIM to bleed in. Psalm 149: 6 says that may praise be on your lips and a double edge sword be in your hands. May your heart be pierced with the WORD, because this sword that we speak of will penetrate to divide the spirit and soul, joints from marrow. It cuts deep inside. There are things in life that we must let go of, there are things in life we must release into the Master's hands. As that sword cuts into our life............we die to ourselves......... and receive a new life. We receive a life worthy of carrying the cross and at that time we will live a true life. God Bless, Erica H. Petty Decide and Obey By Erica Petty Good Afternoon, I lied. I said last week I was going to start reading more of the New Testament (N.T.)............well I lied. I tried, I really did, but something always draws me right back to the Old. Though the New Testament talks alot about faith in our travels, the old testament talks a lot about journeys. It is my belief that people such as Abraham, Moses, and Noah had a lot more tenacity than New testament key players. The people they fought against were just plain old stupid, while the N.T. folks were just foolish (maybe I have that backwards). It was almost as if the N.T. got the law down, and forgot about God. continues...Do you ever find yourself there? You know in that place where you do the right thing, but you forget about God?? I was reading Deuteronomy today, and I found something very interesting. Well not so much interesting, but something that we often need to be reminded. My friend said to me earlier today, as we were chatting, " God is a gentleman". I wasn't fishing for any scripture references after she said it, but God being who He is felt the need to lead me to a supporting word. I didn't even disagree when she said it, I know it is true. So like I was saying I was flipping through the pages and read the last part of Deuteronomy.........interesting..........flip up a few pages read some more............... more interesting..............flipped back more. Deuteronomy 31: 21 .................I know what they plan to do, even before I take them into the land I promised them. Hmmmmmmmm. Talk about pressure in making the right decisions. In Deut. 28, Moses tells the people about what blessings are coming their way. "Obey the Lord" , he says. He tells them obey so that the blessings will come and stay with you ( key word: stay). He goes into all the ways that they will be blessed. He tells them in the city and in the country. If Moses was speaking to us, he would be saying that we will be blessed in Hampton Roads, and in the US. We will find favor wherever we go. You will be blessed when you come in and when you go out. Whatever comes up against you, God got it. So in essence, Moses is saying be good, follow God, and blessings will rain on you. Man that sounds like a good plan, that sounds like a pretty good deal. Moses goes on and furthermore say that you will be the head , not the tail, on top, not the bottom. Then he says it one more time, but you must obey the commands of the Lord. As we go into verse 15, the what if comes up. If you do not obey, you will be cursed. The Lord will send you curses, confusion, and punishment in everything you do. Now here is where the idea of God is a gentleman comes into play. Many today believe that tsunamis, hurricanes, wildfires are all caused by a mean and hateful God. A God that has become so enraged with His people that He is sending death angels out to destroy the land. But could it be that God, who loves us so much, steps aside. That God bows out of our way to let nature takes it course. The scripture says, " I know what they plan to do". Could it be that God allows the worse to happen, because we have become so adamant about charting our own course?? Deuteronomy 28:47-48 (New Century Version)47 You had plenty of everything, but you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a pure heart,48 so you will serve the enemies the Lord sends against you. You will be hungry, thirsty, naked, and poor, and the Lord will put a load on you until he has destroyed you. Key word stay. Obey so that the blessings will come and stay with you. What happens when we walk out on God?? What happens when we turn our backs?? Abandonment!! Dictionary.com defines abandonment as forsake utterly, desert. Strangely enough we expect the prosperous life when we are outside of God's will, we expect for God to keep loving on us and pouring us tall glasses of favor when we have left Him. God steps aside to allow us to work through our mess and we get an attitude with Him. We can't have it both ways, though some of us believe that we can. Obeying is such a demanding word, no wonder we want an escape clause, but if obedience guarantees a better life why are we all in a pickle?? Why are we mad, because God wants us to hear Him, God wants us to heed to His direction, God wants to shows us unconditional love, God wants to nurture us back to health, God wants to turn our mess into a prosperous life..................... Deuteronomy 30:11 (New Century Version) 11 This command I give you today is not too hard for you; it is not beyond what you can do. Yes God wants obedience, but He also wants you to stop playing dumb. Stop acting like you don't know what is best by trying to do what is best. Give Him all of You, give Him yourself and stop playing childish games. I don't want God to be a gentleman in my life. I truly would prefer that He just slap me around a bit, I am tired of learning the hard way. I want my blessings for keep, and not staying a while until I figure out my next dumb move. And by no way I mean this is all about me, this is all about any of you who have been taking the wheel because you know a better a way. What God ask from you is not beyond what you can do. It isn't beyond what I can do. In Deut 29, it says that you don't really understand what you see with your eyes or hear with your ears. Are we that ignorant? Or are we just stupid?? The commands are simple, not complicated. Obedience guarantees a better way of living life. God knows your choice, but have you made up your mind?? God Bless Erica H. Petty Completely and Absolutely By Erica Petty Oct 28, 2008 - Romans 12:1[ Living Sacrifices ] Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God this is your spiritual act of worship. Good Morning, I have a very important question to ask you guys today. It came to me the other day, and I just haven't been able to get my mind off of it. There have been several things that have occurred this weekend that makes me reflect even more on this question. Saturday, I attended a baptism and heard an extraordinary testimony and today we had a guest preacher that spoke a word that, to say the less, got me fired up. I suppose it was Friday when God put something on my mind that I believe is imperative to share. I want to ask the question, but God wants you to think about your answer. Friday, it came to me "who are we worshipping the God with the big G or the little g????" Are we worshippers of the little god or are we true believers of the BIG GOD?? Do we know that there is a God who art in heaven, or are we pacifying our friends and families with the yes I do know of Him, yes I am acquainted with Him....................yes I attend Sunday Morning services. As many of you know, I have spent my whole life in church. Yesterday I saw one of my old church counterparts, I haven't seen her in probably 15 years. Every Sunday we sat on the back pew and scribble notes to each other............... that is what we chuckled about when she asked what I was up to now. I don't volunteer that I write devotionals, it seems to be one part not me and two parts of perhaps somebody calling me out on what I use to be. However I was feeling particularly bold yesterday, and I told her. Her eyes wide with amazement, laughed at what we use to do, and finally saying I would like to receive them. At the age of eleven I went to the altar with my friends to give our life to Christ, I went because that was what everyone else was doing.............it seemed right, but as soon as next Sunday rolled around we resumed our normal Sunday morning routine. I was active in church, very active. One time me and that one friend went to a convention in the mountains somewhere for a week, attended meetings everyday about church and God. But even with all the church influence I had, I still didn't know about God with the big "G". In August 1998, I was scheduled for surgery and the night before I rolled over in bed and looked to my right to find the face of Jesus smiling gently at me. Initially I was alarmed, but when I saw the face of peace staring at me with gentle eyes and love I gazed back until the image faded. Still to this day, I don't know why that happened..............but it was real. God with the big "G" is very real. God is God all by himself, and there is nothing that He cannot do. Even with that there are people all across the world who don't know GOD. I have shared with many of you before that when my grandmother was at the end of her Alzheimer's disease she sung continuously unto the Lord. So much that I think it drove all of us a little crazy. I at the time still knowing the little "g" god was perplexed, it didn't make sense that a person who was completely and absolutely out of their mind still knew God. Completely and absolutely gone, she was in a world all of her own.....................but no she wasn't because where she was GOD was with her. She sung to Him from sun up to sun down. How is it that a disease that can destroy your mind cannot destroy your knowledge of a Living God. There are people walking around with all their faculties intact and do not know GOD, there are people who are completely and absolutely vacant of who and what GOD represent. That person might be you, or your spouse, or parent, or child, or friend, or coworker................anybody that you might know. And it isn't the one who is clearly obviously walking around in the dark, but it is that person that sits next to you on that pew. It is that person that scribbles notes to you in church saying is it over with yet, it is that person that might be always saying "I'm blessed" or "bless you". There is no identifiable difference between the person who worships the God with the big g or little g!!!! You might think that you know, but you can't tell. It might be some tell tell signs, so small clues, but only God knows who the little "g's" are. Hebrews 12:27-29 (New International Version)27The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. 28Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our "God is a consuming fire." Are you worshipping God with reverence and awe?? Are you consumed by a fire??? If I could rewind the hands of time, every time I would have heard my grandmother singing I would fall prostrate in front of the Lord. I would stop what was happening and sing with her. I would have then started having a relationship with GOD. And it wasn't to soon after her death, I started searching for God, but if I only knew then what I know now I would have sung so loud with her that my family would have thought we were both completely out of our minds. I know that this is different than what I normally write, but I hope someone heart is touched today. I pray that this message will touch your inner most being and you will know a true and real relationship with GOD................. so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe and be consumed by the fire!!!! God Bless Erica H. Petty Shout with a Voice of Praise! By Erica Petty Psalm 47:1 Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. Good Evening, Oct 21, 2008 - How can we sustain our faith?? How can we continue to believe when everything around us is telling us differently?? There is a song the Praise and Worship team at church do often, it is called Shout. I believe it to be a powerful song, because it makes a statement about what we are doing while we roam the wilderness. I would say that faith demands praise. Successful faith requires unshakable boldness!!! There should be boldness in our praise!!! There should be a certain level of resilience that reflects a broken situation but not a broken spirit. Faith can exist in the most downtrodden person, but magnified faith can only be seen in the person that praises through trails, tribulations, and downright torture. Psalm 48:4-5 says that Kings joined together and came to attack the city. But when they saw it, they were amazed. They ran away with fear. Your situation and problems are the kings that have joined forces to destroy you. They are on the prowl to kill and destroy. But it is your level of faith you offer with your praise that makes those kings shrivel up and shrink away. It is your aptitude of praise in your current situation that will amaze and make your problems run away with fear. Psalm 49:5 (New International Version) 5 Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround Why should you fear when evil days come?? Especially if you are faith filled and spewing out praises every chance you get...............I mean if you got all of that going on then why in the world would you fear. Fear is a defeatist type of attitude, oh you sick...........be scared, oh you lost your job.........be scared, oh your spouse abandoned you..........be scared, oh your children have ran amuck.........be scared. Almost anything that life throws your way commands a resistance to fear, it demands a defeatist attitude. Something in my life failed, so I must shiver with fear. I must shriek of terror, because I do not know where my next meal, next dollar, next whatever is coming from. Evil days will come, if you haven't experienced them yet, just wait. Evil times are coming to a theater near you, but our response to those times are elected. We elect to be sad, downcast, and fearful. Perhaps you are saying right now, but Erica you don't understand. You have every right to feel that way since I am not living your life, but I know a God that tells me not to be afraid, I know a God that tells me to believe and trust in Him, I know a God..........that.....wants me to celebrate Him because I laugh with Him in the face of the enemy. Shout with a voice of triumph Shout with a voice of triumph, shout with a voice of praise, shout unto God for the victory Hey Hey Give the Lord a shout of praise. Shout to God, Praise God for what is going to be done, Shout to God to place Satan under your feet. Shout to God to slap Satan down from where he is trying to stand over you. Shouting, Believing, Praising shows the enemy he no longer has free reign over your life. And you might say, the devil don't have any control over my life, but stop looking at the devil as an evil spiritual being and start recognizing him for what he represents. The enemy is spiritual destruction, financial hardship, broken marriages, broken homes, drug addiction, suffering, pain, agony, loneliness, sadness, unhappiness, car don't work, job don't pay enough, children ain't acting right.......... these are the things that the devil represent. Psalm 149 says Let those who worship Him rejoice in glory. Let them sing for joy even in bed! Psalm 150 continues and say that let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Do you have breath?? Are you praising the Lord when you lay down at night?? Show your faith with a shout of joy!!!! Shout in the face of your adversity and praise what your God is doing!!!! Jesus has conquered, satan is defeated, The enemy is under your feet!!!! No longer be down, act on your faith, and praise your God for always coming through!!!! God Bless, Erica H. Petty Don't Be Afraid! By Erica Petty Good Morning, My children are stuck on me like white on rice. They do not and will not allow me out of their sight. Fortunately, Jason is somewhat outgrowing his clinginess, but Taylor is still holding tight. The truth of the matter is that I am not that great of a mother, I am good, but the way they act you would think I was the queen of all mother's. It is probably because I don't enforce bedtime, I always buckled ( I hate to see them sad), I give Jason potato chips and cookies in his lunch (his daddy said I shouldn't), I give Jason an allowance and he doesn't do a thing to earn it, I let Taylor have Mimi ( pacifier) when she isn't suppose to have, I take Jason to eat fast food on Friday and Saturday ( Tracy's against that too)...................so like I said I am not that great of a mother, I'm good to my kids, but sort on the spoiling side. Strangely enough, even though I don't enforce what is best for them, they still think I am quite the "mommy catch", I don't lose my motherly crown just because I give a little. Luke 5: 8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man! Peter is probably one of the bolder biblical characters. He stands out, he shows off, and he is just real with it. However, in this particular scripture it seems to be a different Peter. Maybe a softer and vulnerable Peter. I was watching TD Jakes one night and the show was showing different clips and in this one particular clip he spoke of Peter. Peter's character, the person Peter was. As he spoke I started thinking about this one verse, because it says a lot about Peter's reality of who he felt he was. "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" Could you possibly be that honest with yourself?? Can you put out there what you are? Peter was telling Jesus to go away, he was telling Jesus I am not worthy to be in your presence. Can you get a mental picture of Peter falling to his knees, he is humbled, he is in the presence of the Savior. Then he tells Jesus you don't want to be around me, I am not good enough, I am not worth your attention, I am bad. Actually that probably took a lot of boldness on Peter's behalf, to be so honest. Peter didn't have to tell it, oh course Jesus already knew, but Peter told it. Peter was completely honest about who he was. 10: Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” Don't be afraid!! From now on you will be fishing for people!!! In the previous message, I spoke from Ezekiel and how when you are at your lowest point God says "live". Fast forward to the New Testament, and Jesus stands before Peter and He says "I don't care about your past, Live!!". Do you think Jesus was saying don't be afraid of Him, or was He saying don't be afraid of what you have done?? Don't let life's mistakes keep you from achieving what I have for you. I believe this is the attitude that we often take, we have done so much wrong, or we have fallen so miserably, or we have let years past under our feet, that we are sure that God can no longer use us. We get to a particular stage in life,and no way no how are we of any use to God anymore. We tell God it is to late, we are not able, we are not capable, we are not worthy of receiving HIS blessings. We spend hours and hours telling God what we are not able to do. But God says "Live", and Jesus says "Don't be afraid!". We spend more time allowing life events to dictate our future. We spent time regretting and remorsing over what we did wrong. Even when we hear Jesus calling to us and instructing us where we to go, we freeze and think that it could not possibly be Our Savior. In Luke 1:37 the angel stood before Mary and say that Nothing is impossible with God. I have to remind myself of that often, I have to say Erica all things are possible with God. Do you know I have applied for I don't know 30 jobs, and I have had two calls. Two Calls!! And I say, it must be me, but I don't understand, I have one college degree and another incomplete degree, I have experience, I am smart, I am talented......................but no one is interested in hiring me. Then I get this jolt of reality and I'm reminded "Am I not God, am I not the Savior, am I not able to do all things!!" How dare I put our God on the witness stand, when my place is there, When I should be the one sitting there telling about what my God is about to do for me. Sorry, took it to another level there. But I hope you see, I hope you know that whoever and whatever we are, God says "Live", God says all things are possible through Him. After the angel spoke to Mary, she said "I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be unto me as you have said." A teenage unwed mother......oh wow this is another whole cans of worms, but I am going to give you the short version. Mary could have said I am nothing, I got this man and he isn't going to believe me, God women get stoned here for stuff like that........but no. I believe Mary looked up to that angel with innocence on her face and faith in her heart, and she said Let it be unto me as you have said. Her situation didn't matter, and neither does your. God has great plans for you, He wants to pull you our of the mud, clean you up, and allow you to live. He wants you to do great things. So Don't be afraid, the next time the enemy reminds you of where you been, what you done, what you haven't done, your age, your finances, your marital status....whatever the enemy finds fit to remind you of, tell him "With my God, All Things are Possible!!!"" God Bless Erica H. Petty Live!!! By Erica Petty Good Morning, Have you ever heard the saying what is done in the dark will come to the light?? I have always fancied this particular saying, because it is the truth. Anything that is done in secret................. will eventually reveal itself. However all things done, is not always for us to know. Especially when it comes to people former lives. Former lives are just that, former. It is amazing how we find the worst person ever impossible to overlook, but God loves them anyhow. You know that's right don't you?? God loves surpasses any pass offenses. I suppose that is why the new saying is What's done in Vegas stays in Vegas. What you don't know won't hurt you? Maybe that should be, what you don't know you can't pass judgement on. In John 8, Jesus tell the people he without sin cast the first stone. In that day and time a woman who commited adultery was punished by stoning. She would have been stoned to death. But on this particular day Jesus says, "Hey, who is here without sin?" When He looked up from the ground, everyone was gone. Ezekiel 16:4-6 (New International Version)4 On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. 5 No one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, for on the day you were born you were despised. 6 " 'Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, "Live!" Live!! Isn't God awesome?? No matter what our situation might be, where we are, or what we are doing God says "Live!" Do you realize that God could have taken you at anytime, but He said Live!!! Okay one more time....... He said LIVE!!!! That is so awesome to me, because when we were deep in sin He said "continue on ...LIVE!!". When no one else was interested in saving you, when no one else was interested in being around you, God said LIVE! I don't know about anybody else, but that excites me so. Not that I ever was so deep in sin ( from my prespective), but what He could have taken me out for, He didn't, He wanted me to Live!! There has been a lot of talk about Revival lately in church, and initially I wasn't clear on it. But the more I heard people talking about it and I started learning about it, I see the urgency for it. Did you know that there are people who do not know that God says to LIVE!!!. Now I know I keep saying the same thing over and over again, but I cannot express enough the importance of this verse. Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood.............. Now we know that the bible has alot of symbolism, so literally God isn't strolling down the road and oh behold a person naked on the side of the road rolling around in blood. But this is a fallen person, this is a person who has somehow moved away from God and picked up a residence in Sin Valley. This is a person who no longer desired to walk with Christ. But God being the God that He is didn't allow death, but said " You may be down and out, you may be living in a life of sin, but I wil have mercy and grace on you. I offer you my salvation!!!". Ezekiel 16:8-9 (New International Version)8 " 'Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign LORD, and you became mine. 9 " 'I bathed [a] you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you. There is this song and of course the name slips me, but it says when you are way down God will lift you up. When you are down, God will lift you up. And in case you don't understand that, when no one else can throw you a rope long enough, God has a rope that can reach you. And not only will He throw the rope to you, but He will climb down and lift you up. Isn't that what this scripture says, when I saw that you were old enough, I spread the corner of my garment over you. I bathed you in water and washed the blood from you. I annointed you. In the depths of you, He came and lifted you out. He washed the dirt off of you, covered you, and blessed you. He gave you His solemn oath, He promised never to abandon you and entered into a contract with you that you are His. God thinks so highly of His people, that He rescues whereever you are. God never leans over to Jesus and says oh she deep in it now, I don't travel those roads, not a good neighborhood, too many shady people. No God goes on rescue missions, when you call His name. When you are sinking and all alone, when you know there is no one else to turn to, and you say Lord help me. He comes, He saves, and He says Live!!!! Live!!!! Live!!!! No one else offers us that guranteed. No one loves you like the Lord. Not your spounse, your children, not even your mother and let me tell you people my mom loves hard. But God, the lover of our soul, will come to us and pick us up. He sent His only begotten son to die for us. He offers us the blood of Jesus to wash our transgression clean. And He says to us Live!!!!! God Bless Erica H. Petty
What will happen if we submit to God's authority? In Summary... By Erica Petty
Good Morning, 1 John 4: 4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. The demise of mankind will be our need to be greater than what we are. Everyone is so motivated to shoot for the stars. The pressure on today's youth is on the border of obssessive compulsive disorder. You must make it, you must be successful, you must be rich, you must have it all, you must you must!!!! Honor students flunking out of school, because they can't get a satisfatory score on the SOLs. Kids under attack, because they don't meet the minimum dress requirement, live in the right neighborhoods, have the right friends, live with the right parent, drive the right car. It is all insane!!!! The chaos of today is the future that we are giving to her children, to our grandchildren, to our.................. But is this the promise given to us by our Lord? Is this the future God wants us to look towards?? Perhaps the enemy does, but God doesn't look for material success as a reward. The lyricist for the song I surrender all writes All to Jesus I surrender, Humbly at His feet I bow, Worldly pleasures all forsaken, Take me Jesus, take me now. Worldly pleasures all forsaken......... Yeah, got to give it up. Going through the process of what will happen if we submit to God's authority we learn several things. I personally believe that it cannot be met with success unless we humble ourselves before the King. After reviewing every stage of this, the main theme was being humbled. There was several other things to be learned, but the primary lesson was in order to get through we must humble ourselves. The obsession with "stuff" has equipped us with the inability to become humbled. Dictionary.com defines humble as not proud or arrogant, but modest. Let's see if this really applies:
Crazy..........right?? If I am not submitting then it must be something in my character? If I am still walking around with my chest puffed out and arrogance on my face than I am not leaning on God. Humbly at His feet I bow. Just for a second imagine coming face to face with Jesus, what would you do? Strangely enough everyday we do come face to face with Him. Be it a person or a situation, there is daily contact. It's not the picture that you imagined, but there is an instance that if you remove the environment it would be just you and the Lord. As you are standing there, what would happen inside of you. Especially if you have been doing your own thing, doing it your way, obessessing about the way of the world. What would happen? Since I am writing I can only speak for myself, and I feel humbleness would consume every ounce of my body and spirit. When life gets hard, or even when life is going well, our heart should be in a constant state of humbleness. In Luke 7, a sinful woman stood behind Jesus at his feet. She washed His feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. Kissing His feet many times and rubbing them with perfume. Humbleness. All to Jesus I surrender All to Him I freely give; I will ever love and trust Him, In His presence daily live. The words of that song are so beautiful. Have you surrendered? Are you planning to surrender? Know that He loves you dearly, in and out of Him. That is what makes Him who He is. He has the ability to loves us regardless of where we are at. However there will come a time when His love will not save us, it will come a time that if we don't love Him back He will have to leave us. I surrender all, I surrender all; All to thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all....... God Bless Erica H. Petty What will happen if we submit to God's authority? Part VI By Erica Petty
Good Afternoon, Do you glorify the Lord when you are being obedient? Or perhaps do you send up praises when He tells you NO??............... Yeah, I didn't think so. Glorifying God in the process of going through is hard. Most likely it isn't until we get to step four that offering up praises becomes a little easier, and even then it is difficult. However, our praises are recognition of what God has done, what He is doing, and what He will do. By offering Him less is telling God we aren't believing in His promise. It is saying, I can't celebrate you until you completely bless me. Think about how are children are with us? How when we correct them, make them obey, and tell them no, they are not very fond of us. However when we reward them they think we are the coolest thing ever. I bought dip to go with the potato chips tonight that we are having with our sandwiches. When I tell Jason this, he will thank me profusely and think I am super cool. It's only dip, but it doesn't matter, because I have done something fantastic and for that Jason will praise me. So when I got to thinking about glorifying His name it wasn't hard, it wasn't hard because there is one person that sticks out. There is one person that was a man after God's heart.
Jesse offered up seven other sons, but they weren't the one. Jesse must have thought I have these strong sturdy sons, but they must be kidding. David an adolescent, he tends only to the sheep. He is not worthy of being anointed. However God saw differently. God saw something in David that no one else had seen. Jesse had left David at home, but they said to him send for him, for we will not eat until he gets here. When he arrived Samuel took the oil and poured it on him. Not dab, not flick, but poured the oil on him. Almost like he was bathing him in it. And from that day on, The Lord's Spirit worked in David( Samuel 16:13). David had no choice but to glorify the Lord. He had no other mind than to praise the Living God. At that point David must of known God had great things planned for him, he must have known God was about to do a powerful work in him. How do I know?? As you move forward in the scripture, and Jesse sent David to deliver food to his brothers in battle he hears Goliath. Goliath this big giant, 10 feet tall. David this itty boy, still a youth hears Goliath spewing names against Israel and David says:
David was bold in the Lord. How dare this uncircumcised Philistine defy the armies of the living God. The NLT says it like this: who is this pagan Philistine allowed to defy the armies of the living God. How dare they!!!! Who do they think they are???? This is the attitude we should take, this is the attitude that says this is MY GOD, and HE will come through. This is the One, The LIVING ONE, and He will PREVAIL. There is no other like MY GOD. You speak against Him, ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh noooooooooooo, not having it!!!!! David goes to Saul and say I can do this. And while all others were trembling with fear, David goes forward and with the toss of a stone slay Goliath. Are there giants in your life?? Are there giants that need to be taken down?? There was no doubt in David's mind who God was, his disposition commanded God's presence. Others must have been standing there in awe when what was thought to be a silly kid, took down the giant. But he didn't take it down alone, he took it down with the authority he has in Christ. Let me ask you this.............. if you could knock down your giants with a stone would you??? Now what's stopping you?? The stone people is the word of the Living God!!!!! The giant is the enemy, the giant is all the bad stuff that the enemy feeds us with daily to make us think we are smaller than what we are. But the stone, the stone.............. the solid Rock is what crashes that giant into a million pieces. In Samuel II David gathered 30,000 men of Israel to bring the Ark of God back. It was work , they struggled. David took it to Obed-Edom house, left it there for 3 months, went back got the Ark, and as they carried the Ark six steps, David offered a sacrifice, and David danced with all his might before the Lord. David and all the Israelites shouted with joy and blew trumpets as the bought the Ark of the Lord into the city (2 Samuel 6). When they first went to get the Ark there was problems, but when they returned they took on a new attitude. I believe while they waited David was still. David was still before the Lord. He was obedient, He release the hold on that Ark, He heard God say NO not now, and then when he returned to Obed house he saw the Lord's plan unfold in front of his very eyes. It was at that moment he had no other choice but to celebrate and dance in front of the Lord. And even though it was a struggle they press on and celebrated the Lord all the way. David danced with all his might and they got the Ark home. In our struggles we have to dance, we have to cheer, we have to celebrate our Savior. Knowing that God is on our side, that God is working things out, that God is going to come through. Cheer so loud the people next to you think you lost your everlasting, holy mind. But they will see, doubters will see the power of the Living God. God Bless, Erica H. Petty We will see God's work unfold in front of us? By Erica Petty What will happen if we submit to God's authority? Part V
Good Morning, I know that all of you have seen either part or in it's entirety The Ten Commandments. I am speaking about the really old one that plays yearly on local television, the one with Charleston Heston. Now I don't recall ever watching the whole thing, but there is one scene that stays in my mind. It is the scene when Moses approaches the Red Sea and holds up his walking stick. Then the sea starts to split and dry ground is revealed. That is like the coolest thing ever, especially since the movie was made in 1956. Who would have thought that technology was that advance back then? However it is a powerful scene, because it shows God awesome power. Not only his awesome power, but his work unfolding in front of skeptics. When I wrote number four, I wasn't sure of an example of God's work unfolding in front of us. I knew that it did, I know that it is a constant, but I wasn't sure of where to go in the bible. I said God..............WHO? Before I could blink an eye I could only see that sea splitting in two. I am a big Moses fan, when I think of biblical characters outside of Jesus I think my favorite is Moses. And that's tough, because there are soooooooooooo many awesome people in the bible. But Moses take the cake for me, there is just something about him. If Moses was a movie, it would be classified as action packed. From the beginning to the end of his life Moses had a lot going on. So anyway, I kept thinking about the Red Sea, and though I had read Exodus before, I had to go back and find how God's plan unfolded. Exodus 10: 1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these miraculous signs of mine among them 2 that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the LORD." Here we go people, the Lord tells Moses this is what I want you to do, and this is what's going to happen. Even though I want you to go and ask the King to release my people, I will harden his heart. And I am going to do this so that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt with the Egyptians. He then ends it with so that you may know that I am the LORD. Isn't that what God always wants us to know............. He wants us to know that He is God. As He is working all things out, through it all we should know that He is the Great I AM. No other god, no other king, but He himself is the Great I AM. Moses was a receiver of what God's intention was, he was an integral part in the events. God instructed Moses on what to say, who to say it to, and what to do. Therefore Moses was able to watch God's work unfold in front of him. Moses went to the king several times, before the Israelites were released. They traveled not on the quickest road. They traveled on a road that lead to the Red Sea. God was aware of this, but sometimes in order to get to the promise land we have to take the extended route. Exodus 13: 21 By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. As they traveled on their way to the promise land, God lead them by a pillar of cloud during the day, and a pillar of fire at night. They were able to travel regardless of the time of day, God was always in front of them. Does that speak to you? Did you realize that God always goes before us leading the way? It doesn't matter the time of day, because God has the road mapped out for us. Imagine if you will, yourself in those times. You following a pillar of cloud or fire. It sounds so ridiculous, but because you know God it makes prefect sense. Perhaps today that pillar might be in the form of a small voice in your ear, or a friend, or a word in the bible, but God leads the same way today. He leads as a light amongst us. Exodus 14: But Moses answered, "Don't be afraid! Stand still and you will see the Lord save you today..... Don't Be AFRAID!!!! Being scared is common, especially when you are not sure where you are going. The Israelites saw the Egyptians coming after them. The Egyptians on one side and this huge sea on the other. They were between a rock and a hard spot................but don't be afraid. Don't let circumstances dictate to you fear, dismay, doubt in a living God. Stand still!!! Stand still and see with your own eyes the Lord saving you today. Hallelujah!!!!! Praise Be to a Living God!!!! No need to doubt, because there is a rescuer by means of the cross. God wants to show you something today, but He needs your attention, He wants to reveal a word, a message, a road to you, but He needs your trust. Moses trusted God, and because of that God shared with him, He talked to him, He encouraged him, and at that moment when all seemed to be a lost Moses commanded God's people to BE STILL, and see the Lord save you today...................................... God Bless, Erica H. Petty We will learn the word NO! By Erica Petty What will happen if we submit to God's authority? Part IV
Good Morning, One of the hardest definitions to comprehend is the one for NO. We like to make NO flexible, we want to bend it to fit our particular lifestyle, we want NO to mean just not yes. That means there is still a possibility that things will work according to our liking. NO????? My toddler doesn't like the word, and my eight year old son is not to fond of it either. Taylor's answer to everything is no, even when she means yes, she still says no. However, the reality of it all is that No is inevitable. We are going to hear it. We will hear it from our friends, family, spouses, children, employers, doctors.......... almost any and everybody. God tells us NO, He tells us NO quite frequently, but we still press on. We bargain and reason with God, hoping that as we appeal our case He will have a change of heart. We tell God, we have been obedient, we have release hold of our situations, but still NO?? Unfair God, I have done what you said, but still YOU say NO!!!!
The bible didn't even get past chapter two before we are confronted with that awful word. God told Adam that he was not to eat from the tree of knowledge. Partake of any of the other trees, but that one was forbidden. Adam was content with that, he accepted God's command. It is when we get to Genesis three that the command was challenged. It was denounced. Eve tells the serpent what God said, she was fully aware of what God had commanded. However the serpent being craftier than any of the other convinced her otherwise . Oh come on he says, God knows that tree will make you smarter. The enemy inscribing upon Eve's heart that God really don't think that much of us, he wants to keep us stupid. Isn't that the perception sometimes when God doesn't let us have our way?? Do we first think well He must have something better for us? NO, we don't think that. We just think that God is being a meany and not giving us our fair due. However, God NOs are about the larger picture, it is about the bigger plan, and it isn't about immediate gratification. NO is preparing us for something better. Adam and Eve had the life, but in the attempt to defy the word no they ate the fruit. They ate the fruit, we sometimes eat the fruit. God has promised us an abundant life, but it does require us to understand that NO means NO. If we received everything that God promised right away, there would be nothing to look forward to.
The woman told the serpent that not only did God say not to eat from the tree, but also not to touch it. Sometimes we do just need to keep our hands in our pockets. No means not to sneak a bite or to pick it up and examine. It wasn't meant to be ours, it wasn't meant to be in our possession. And boy do I know that just isn't right, but I also know that God's reasoning is just. He has a better plan folks, one that is everlasting. Our plan is for the here and now, but does not sustain a life beyond this Earth. Our inability to accept no can affect us not only now, but for generations to come. If you don't believe me keep reading Genesis, read what the punishment was. You didn't bear unconsciousable pain in labor because that baby has a big head. Oh no............. you bear pain because Eve defied the word NO. What is the old saying a hard head makes a soft behind?? Don't let your rock of a skull get you into a predicament that you can't get out of!! No means no, it isn't flexible, it isn't bendable, and it doesn't mean just not yes. God Bless Erica H. Petty What will happen if we submit to God's authority? Part III By Erica Petty
Good Morning, Quick what is the difference between adamant and resilience? Now which is better? Adamant is being certain that something is right, it is the approach you have taken forever and the approach you will continue to take. Resilience is bouncing back.............knocked down and get back up...........trying a different approach. Not letting the bumps and bruises hold you back, but believing that a new way might work better. The difference between the two would be the old cliché you catch more flies with honey. Adamant people usually are demanding, insistent, persistent, and all over just kind of nerve wrecking. While on the other hand the resilient person is normally humbled, seeking guidance, continue to soar regardless of the situation, and sets a positive example. The adamant person is one which would hold onto a situation so tight the palms of their hands bleed, but they will not let it go. That person is the one hanging off the edge of the cliff determine still to do it all alone. So I guess that brings us to the question............. which are you? Are you the stoic adamant or the humbled resilient? I have an adamant one year old, she is adamant about almost everything. When asked how old she is, she says three. When you correct her, she still says three. She is adamant about not giving up mimi ( pacifier), she loves it so she gave it a name. When we are driving she ask from the backseat "Mommy where is mimi?" I answer, and she continues until I buckle. When she wants her diaper changed, she tells me that she stink stink, regardless of what's inside. If her brother has something she wants, she is adamant that it's her. Her whole toddler persona is adamant about everything. If you look at scripture you will see several examples of each. You will even see people turning from adamant to resilient. Let's take for example Moses. Moses was tending to his father-in-law sheep, minding his own business when God called him. I am sure Moses was content, and this order that was given was way larger than anything he could phantom. He determined that he could not do the job God told him to do. Moses told God that he could not go to the king of Egypt because he did not speak well. Moses was adamant about his deficiencies. However alone the line as Moses accepted the commands of the Lord he transformed from a person adamant about what he couldn't do into a resilient person that could do. Another example would be Jonah, ducking and dodging, avoiding God's calling at all cost. Jonah's cliff was the belly of a whale for three days before he decided to change.
Ruth had lost her husband, brother-in-law, and father-in-law. There was nothing left. Naomi tried to encourage Ruth to return to her people......... her sister-in-law did................. Ruth was determined to hang in there with Naomi, I suppose she was downright adamant. However she was adamant in a resilient sort of way. She knew they had nothing, but also she knew Naomi had even less. She was old, she had no husband, no sons..... she knew her mother-in-law needed someone. There was no other sons for her to marry, but she knew if they stuck together then they would be alright. They didn't even worship the same God, but Ruth was willing to worship Naomi's God. Where you go I will go, your people will be my people and your God my God. She even went as far to say if I should be separated from you then may the Lord deal with me severely. Ruth could have returned to Moab, returned back to her family, returned back to her gods, but she stuck in there with Naomi. Naomi adamant about what she didn't have, what she had lost, but Ruth didn't let the have nots hold her back and was resilient. Everything was against them, nothing was going for them, but Ruth didn't let those things allow her to abandon Naomi. Instead they came up with a game plan, and in the end she married Naomi's relative who was very well to do and gave birth to a son. Not any son, but a son that was the grandfather of David. Her resilience blessed her, not only with a well to do husband, but placed her in the genealogy. When all things were a bust, she let go of everything that she knew of. She could of held on, she could have become bitter, she could have returned home but Ruth let it all go. Ruth was obedient to the needs of her mother-in-law, the story doesn't tell us that, but I believe that Ruth understood how damaged she was, and she stuck in there when all others would have jumped ship. She didn't worry about her pain, the lack of a man, and no children. She let all of that go. And she became resilient, she was humble, she seeked the guidance of Naomi, she soared even when there was nothing, and today she lives in the bible as an example of what happens when people let go and let God work everything out.
There are things that you might need to let go of today. There are things that might be holding you back. Have you seen a bird flying with, for lack of a better word, road kill? What happens when he releases it, he flies higher. God wants to take you to another level, but He can't, because you are holding onto something so tight that it is weighing you down. Be resilient in the Lord today, let go of your situation and fly. Allow God to be God, and allow God to take you to a completely different level. Release your road kill, luggage, and wal-mart grocery bags, because it is only weighing you down. God Bless, Erica H. Petty What will happen if we submit to God's authority? Part II By Erica Petty
Luke 22:41-44 (New Living Translation) 41 He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” 43 Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. 44 He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.[a] Good Morning, Are you always willing to do what you are told or do you put up some sort of resistance? Do you travel the proven road, or a new one you created all by yourself?? Dictionary.com defines obedience as the trait of willingness to obey, dutiful or submissive behavior with respect to another person. Becoming dutiful in the effort to please another is difficult. I remember as a kid I didn't like going to my dad's parents house, my grandmother was strict and felt children should do as they are told without bending. On the other hand my mom's parents let me do pretty much anything, there was no rules of the land there. I did spend the majority of my time at my mom's parents, but the few times I had to go to my dad's parents it was horrible. I couldn't do my normal whatever I wanted. I suppose there it required obedience that I wasn't willing to yield to but I did. Everywhere you go, rules exist. Especially if you go to many of these other countries their laws and rules are a lot stricter than the ones we have here. Doing something here in the US may get you 5 to 10, but in another country it could get you life or death. Obedience is required, and it isn't an option. Father, if you are willing, please take this cup.......................Have you been there? Have you been in that place where things are just so overwhelming that whatever you are going through you ask the Father just take it away? Yet I want your will to be done, not mine................ However Lord no matter how much I am suffering, let it be what YOU want. Forget about my desire, forget about my wants, forget about what I think I need.................. This particular scripture is the first glimpse of the burden that Jesus carried. It seems He was ready to give up. He has done everything. but the people still was not receptive. He knew what was to come. God I see it, but I don't want to go through it. However, I want to fulfill your plan.............so be it. Obedience?? Could Jesus not be obedient and fulfill such a demanding prophesy? Could He had ran, perhaps hid?? Jesus was obedient to his Father, and knowing what the outcome was He didn't change, he remained steadfast in His obedience. He prayed more fervently,.......................he was in such agony that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood. Imagine that. The agony of what to come was so much that his sweat fell like great drops of blood. He was in great dismay, but still obedient. Where does your obedience stop? Are you willing to sweat blood in your effort to be obedient?? Lord your ways are not my way Yesterday I told you about the song with Kirk Franklin and Toby Mac. It is a struggle taking place, because the lyrics shows a person fighting to resist and God taking control. But what I want you to take note of here is where it says It's like I'm fighting for my life, You hit me with another right. Have you been knocked down by God?? Are you in a fight for your life?? Fighting to obey!!! Resisting what it takes to let God be God. See if we are fighting for our life than we haven't committed to God. Once our lives have been given than all there is left to do is celebrate. Even once we step across that threshold we do have days of struggle, but the knocked down dragged out fight is over with. Yes I want your will to be done, yes I want to follow you, yes I want to be obedient to your word. Oh my Lord, I want to be obedient. Even when things get rough, I want to go to you in prayer and no matter how much agony I am in, I will still obey you, I will still praise your name. Can you say that?? Will your sweat turn into drops of blood, because as you call out His name in obedience you are releasing your will?? You win. (uh huh!) The last verse of the song says, You win. I have to surrender, can't do it on my own. You know what is best, so I am going to stand right here. You got me. God got you!!!! Release your will, and allow His will to be done. God Bless Become Sightless By Erica Petty Good Morning, I have so much to share with all of you that I am not even sure where to start. God is doing an unbelievable work that I cannot explain. He is moving, because their are people lives that need to be touched. As I was driving home from church last night, I went over several God related victories in my mind. The radio was playing, and Jason was inquiring what was discussed in my bible study class. When I told him we talked about Abraham, he became excited and told me I like him. Talk about joy!! He couldn't tell me exactly who Abraham was, but he knew he heard about him and that Abraham was a great bible character. He even told me that it isn't the Abraham that was the president, it is the bible one. That child of mine has such a passion already for God, that I am unsure that I can keep up with him. He prayed that the rain would stop so we could go to Bible Study, it did around 6:45 . He told me God stopped the rain and made the flooding go away. Jason didn't doubt the awesome power of the Lord. So as we continued home last night, I told Jason that the song playing I absolutely loved. It was a song from Kirk Franklin's latest CD, it is a collaboration between him and Toby Mac. Jason asked, what did the song mean. I explained it to him once, he didn't understand, then I broke it down and he said he got it. The song kept playing in my mind, and I knew that I had to share this song with all of you. But not only share but discuss what this song commands. A few weeks ago I managed to get through START, that format was already laid, but today there is no pre-made format. The song is I am God. And as it played over and over in my head, I had to ask myself what would happened if we are still and allow God to be God?? There is no one word answer to that, because in our stillness things start to stir up and everything that we were familiar with starts to transform. What will happen if we submit to God's authority? Part I
Isaiah 29:9 (New International Version) 9 Be stunned and amazed, blind yourselves and be sightless; be drunk, but not from wine, stagger, but not from beer. The reason we are not still is because we never want to be caught off guard. We need to always be kept abreast of what is to come. God warns Jerusalem , He tells them shut themselves off and wait for Him. God tells us the same, He tells us to be patient and know that He is God, know that He has all this covered. Be stunned and amazed!!!! Know that what is to come is something that you could never ever phantom. Last night when Jason started praying for the rain to stop so that we could attend bible study, I caught myself explaining to him that we need the rain. I didn't want him to be disappointed if we did not go. However God corrected me as He always does, and warned me not to stifle Jason's faith in Him. I shut up, because God told me to. But as I bathed Taylor and the rain stopped.............. I was stunned and amazed. See we can't control everything, especially weather. God has weather, bad road conditions, job situations, long lines at the grocery stores, cars breaking down, empty wallets, children acting up, so on and so on, and most importantly us under watch. Last week I wrote and said that God has us on His mind, with that said because He is so mindful of us, He knows our innermost being. With all that information why can't we let God be God. Why do we think we know more? Do you know that God knows things about you that you don't have a clue about? Did you know that He is working on something so awesome in your life right now that if you did know you would mess it all up?? Did you know that you have untapped gifts, talents, and potential because God said it isn't time to use it yet??? With all of this information, there is no reason we should have to struggle with the STILL concept, we should rejoice and celebrate because in our stillness God can do His work!!!!! Proverbs 27:7 says that when you are full, not even honey tastes good, but when you are hungry, even something bitter tastes sweet. When we think we know everything, every turn, curve and bump in the road we don't want to hear from anyone else. Especially God, but when we are starving for intervention because we have wrecked on our road we look under every rock and crevice hoping for some insight, good or bad. We should hunger for God's word, God's direction, God's blessings, but in order to sometimes stir clear of the wreck we are heading for we must be STILL. We must stop, wait and listen for the word of the Most High King, we must know that as the winds blow and the thunder screams that the Great I AM is creating a sunny day. Blind yourself, be drunk in the Lord's promise, and stagger with disbelief because He is working on your behalf. One more scripture, Proverbs 28:14, Those who are always respectful will be happy, but those who are stubborn will get into trouble. Have your stubbornness got you into trouble? Have your unwillingness to allow God to work things out for you got you into a pickle?? Yeah, I know it has because I have been in so many pickles I could own Vlasic. Be stunned and amazed at how your stillness allows God to work in your life!!!! Do you know why I am not pressed about a job? Yes I want a job badly, but I don't worry or fret over it. The reasoning being is that through college and since I have started working I have done exactly what Erica wanted to do, every job decision was based on Erica. I never consulted God. This time I have said God it is up to you, and because of submitting to His authority I will come upon the right place. Again I say be stunned and amazed, blind yourself to your road and take a right onto God's intersection. It's a great place to be, that brings rejoicing and celebrating. And all it cost you was your submission and stillness. God Bless Erica H. Petty What's in your Bank Account? By Erica H. Petty Aug 11, 2008 - I have two things on my mind, and though one begets the other I am not sure where to start. I know it is something that should be shared, but I am not sure how. I know it is a word from God, because Saturday He gave me one part of it, yesterday morning before church He gave me the second part of it, and during church He confirmed it. So I know without a doubt that it must be shared. Do you know people who are emotionally bankrupted?? I mean, people who have no spark in their eyes, zip in their step, or a smile in their voice?? People who seemed to be just going by, depleted, empty, and barren. And I am not only talking about the unsaved, but I am also talking about the save. I am talking about people who just don't have any enthusiasm about themselves at all. Perhaps they are going through a bad time right now, or maybe since childhood they have learned not to have expectations, or it could be that is just their disposition. I am sure that most everyone reading this have heard me joke about my husband during praise and worship. I don't know maybe he is having a fiesta on the inside, but on the outside it is clearly obvious it doesn't do a thing for him. If you were a new person coming to our church yesterday, you would say that man appears to be emotionally bankrupt. He comes across as not being interested in the process. It bothers me bad, it does, I mean it kind of drives me crazy. It interrupts my praise sometimes, because I am busy trying to figure out what in the world is his problem. But this is how he is with everything, the only time I have seen him really excited is when the kids were born. Not even on our wedding day, did he sport a huge smile. I guess I smile enough for the both of us, but that isn't the point. The point is my husband just don't have a lot of excitement about him, and because of that it drives me a little batty. Jeremiah 33:2-3 (New International Version) 2 "This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it—the LORD is his name: 3 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.' This is why I find it near impossible to be down, He made the earth, He formed and established it. He has set things into motion, He has breathed life into everything. Do you think that He will make the earth and want everything existing on it to be dead?? I think not!!! Think about it, if you established something what would be your expectations?? If you establish a company....... let's call it Self Inc., what would be your idea for it? How would you want Self Inc. to represent you?? Now are we that type of representative for God?? And furthermore, would we want our representatives seeking our advice if we are moping around?? Call to me and I will answer you............. Not Emily Ann, or Bobby Smith, but I will answer you!!!! And not only will He answer you, He will tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. So let's see here, He formed and established the earth and all in it, plus if I call Him He will answer me?? Now what does that have to do with being emotionally bankrupt?? Well if you are seeking God and focusing on Him, there is no time to be depleting your emotional bank account. If you are calling on God, and He is telling you wonderful things how could you possibly find it in your heart to be bankrupt?? Psalm 139 says I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Not mediocre, not okay, not average, but wonderfully made. Emotionally bankrupt?? And here is a thought, if I am fearfully made then the devil should be afraid of messing with me. But he's not, he's not because we are walking around like we lost our best friend. We open up the portal for the devil to step right in and do his dirt. The devil don't mess with us, we invite him into our lives, we welcome him into our families, we allow him to direct our relationships, we let him lead us on our jobs, he doesn't have to mess with us, because we are offering him full reign in our lives. Oh Erica, you are talking crazy, but I speak truth. The truth of the matter is our accounts are depleted, because we focus more on the bad in our lives than the good. We don't shout hallejuah for waking up breathing, but we will shout darn blast it when we stump our toe. We spend countless hours worshipping what is going wrong, instead of sending up praises for what is going right.
The other disciples had told Thomas they had seen Jesus, but he didn't believe. So Jesus reappeared a week later. Thomas had told the others unless he see the nail marks in His hands he would not believe it. When Jesus reappear before his very eyes, Jesus told him come and see the marks, come and put your finger in the hole.....Stop doubting and believe. Stop doubting that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. Stop doubting that the Lord formed and established the earth and everything in it. Stop doubting that the Lord want you filled and joyous. Stop doubting!!!!! Allow God to make deposits into your emotional bank account!!! Allow God to fill you will His sweet spirit!!! Allow God word to penetrate your steel exterior and receive!!! Allow God!!!! There is no longer a reason to walk around sad, depressed, angry and mad at the world. It is your season to rejoice and celebrate. No longer be bankrupt, but filled!!!! Be totally and absolutely filled!!!!! What is a Man? By Erica Petty Lyrics from 'Friend of God' Who am I that You are mindful of me Aug 05, 2008 - I am sure that we all have heard the song I am a Friend of God. What a great song, not only are we His children, but also He is also our friend. Last night after I got home with the kids from bible study, I told Tracy I was going to run to the grocery store. When I returned home, Tracy said to me "do you want to hear something funny?". I said yeah, and then he preceded to tell me something that Jason had said while he was saying his prayers. Tracy was tickled that Jason said " God, I hope you had a good day." I didn't laugh. Tracy looked at me strange, wondering if I had left my sense of humor at Food Lion. He started to explain the humor in Jason’s prayer, but I still didn't laugh. Tracy said that it was funny because God always have a good day, He is in charge of everything, He must have a good day everyday. After some thought I finally said I understood what Jason was saying. Perhaps God doesn't always have a good day just because He is in charge of everything. Come on he says to me, you can't possibly believe that. Yes I do, I believe that God looks down on earth and His heart is breaking because of His children turning away from Him. God sees us, and experience our lives. Psalm 8: 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? Did you know that God is mindful of you, that He cares for you?? Did you realize that?? The point that I was trying to make to Tracy was that God feels our pain, experience our suffering, and knows our ups and down. In the same way our very good friends are aware of our state of mind, so is God. If your best friend knows that you are going through a trail, that friend takes on some of your pain. If your friend is aware of your troubles, is your friend out having a party? No, if that person is really your friend he or she is right there with you. And if that person isn't with you, he or she is still mindful of the situation, they are still concerned in their absence of what you are going through. Perhaps their day is not ruined, but their day will experience a crinkle. The song says who am I that you are mindful of me.............. who am I that God will bear my burden and answer my call anytime of the day or night. Just like a friend who is concerned, so is God. Is it true that you are thinking of me? In and out of crisis’s do you still think about your friends? Do you share in their triumphs and trails? I know I do, I am there for the good and the bad. But their is one who is there more than any other, and that is God. Sometimes you don't have the energy to talk to a friend, but with God no talking is necessary, because He sees and knows all. God is mindful of you, he cares for you, and oh man the way that He loves you is unexplainable. God, our Lord and Savior got you on His mind. That is something to shout about!!!! As you look back over your life, and think of the times you have abandon Him, abused Him, didn't love Him................ He is still mindful of you. We serve a loving and compassionate God that loves us. It's amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can also contact Erica Petty at Erica@TidewaterCrossSection.com!All written content posted on TidewaterCrossSection.com may be copyrighted and is solely owned by the contributing writer. No work posted on TidewaterCrossSection.com may be used, reproduced or copied in anyway without the permission of the individual writer. If you would like to use any of the work posted on TidewaterCrossSection.com, please contact the individual writer directly. Thank you for your interest! About Us | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | ©2008 TidewaterCrossSection.com |
