Blog Archives - The Remarkable Blog

How do you want to be remembered?

10/31/2017

Yesterday my husband ran into a childhood friend of mine. They were at the same place of business and heard someone say their last names and took a chance that perhaps they knew one another. Fact of the matter was they did not directly know one another, they both knew me and my father. The younger man said, "Her father was like my second Dad." Yes, that is how many remember my Daddy. He took care of anyone he would. He fed many. Helped others get a car, or a house, or a job. That was just who he was. He never knew a stranger and many times in the depths of winter when no one else ventured out Daddy would take you for a ride and go deliver food to some elderly hermit he knew up in the mountains. That's how he is remembered. He was a kind man. He was my favorite uncle. He was always helping people. Yes, that is how I want to be remembered.

We always went to church. That's just what we did. When I was younger my parents went too. On Sunday mornings we would all be given money to put in the gold plates that were passed around. How did Daddy always have what everyone needed? He never talked about not having money. He never said, "We don't have enough." His vocabulary was always, "If you make it for the Team we will get you what you need." Now, there were five of us. We were all on Teams of some sort. I was the most involved. I played clarinet, and was a majorette in the band. I was a cheerleader. If we would have had swimming and track I would have done that too but I settled for FHA since we were a small country school. My brothers all played football, at least one played baseball. How did Daddy do it? Not just for us but for others. I believe it was because he never thought he couldn't. He was a hard worker and did odd jobs besides his main job. He helped others and when he needed help, he always had it.

Galatians 6:7 (KJV) "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

On the Brink, the Precipice of a shift in the Spirit.

10/30/2017

I do not usually write coming from my Prophetic. However, I feel a very strong urging to write to you, and warn you that we are on the precipice or the brink of a large shift, a sudden change. There is something major happening in the spirit realm. I urge you to pray and ask the Lord to share with you what you are to do. I feel in my own life a mandate to fast and pray. I do not know how long or a distinct reason. I only know that in my spirit I feel like we are being set up.

God is faithful to speak to us. The war is won but the battle rages and God is awakening warriors to do His will on earth. We empower the angels on our behalf and God answers prayer. What is God trying to communicate to us? To those of us that have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying?

God has already done all that He can do to empower us by sending His Son Jesus. Jesus has done all that He can do by dying on the cross for us, and now making intercession for us at the right hand of the Father. We must awaken to the urging of the Spirit and act on the directions that we are given. I believe we will see and do what has never been done before.

I believe we will dream dreams and communicate with God as we have never before, in Jesus name. Call out to Him. He is calling out to us.

Preparing our hearts for Thanksgiving.

10/26/2017

We spend so much time preparing our menus and our homes for Thanksgiving, yet we prepare very little to give thanks to God. We decide where we will eat and how and when we will visit family, yet we don't even give a thought to how and when, we will spend time with God.

I encourage you to include Christ in your plans this year. Set a place setting for the Lord and invite Him to spend not just the day with you but to spend your life with Him.

Focus on God. The Word of God is able to do what we could never do in the flesh. One person has defined gratefulness as: “Making known to God and others in what ways they have benefited my life.” We prepare our hearts for Thanksgiving by taking the time to reflect upon God’s blessings and then give thanks unto Him for those blessings. It is also an opportunity to thank others for the ways they have benefited our lives.
We prepare our hearts for Thanksgiving as we reflect upon the reasons we can give thanks to God. Take a few moments to meditate upon the following verses in Psalm 95. These verses will encourage us to give thanks to God for all that He is and all that He has done.

We give thanks to God for His Greatness. “For the Lord is a great God.” (Psalm 95:3a) God demonstrates His Greatness in all that He is and all that He does. We find it easy to lose the wonder of God as we grow older. Our faith becomes routine and ritualistic. It is time that we meditate upon God’s greatness again, and thank Him for His attributes and all that He has done.

How God honor's the office of a leader and cares for the people.

10/26/2017

Exodus 17:6 (ESV) Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.

The first time God told Moses to do something that had never been done before He did it, just as he was told. The next time God told him to do the same thing as he had done before, Moses did what he felt like doing.

How many times have we did what God told us to do because we were in a bind, and He came though for us as we did exactly as He said? Then the next time we were in a bind regardless of what God said, we did our own thing?

Moses called the people "rebels" the second time, and then struck the rock two times. No where in scripture does God tell Moses, "Degrade the people and then show off your anger and position by striking the rock." The first time however that Moses gets the orders from headquarters, he went into the house of God to pray, and received his instructions in the presence of the Glory of God that showed up when he prayed. When we have been in the glory of God, we receive more than we might ever imagine, yet so few people stay in God's presence until He manifests His presence. Many treat the house of God like a "Quick Mart" where we run in grab a few things and run out, or never stop in at all, and just complain about what they don't have.

Reading along about the second time Moses was instructed to speak to the rock, I think to myself "Whoa, Moses was mad." But, as I continued to meditate on this portion of scripture I began to think, "Moses disobeyed God, but God was still faithful to do what He said He would do." "What's with that?" I thought. Why didn't God say, "Moses you have disobeyed Me, therefore no water will come out of the rock today unless you apologize to the people, and repent to me for your disobedience?" As I pondered on this portion of scripture I realized God dealt privately with Moses. God still wanted the people to be given a drink and their livestock to be watered.

God truly loves us. God speaks to the leaders in our lives and He deals with the leaders in our lives. If they do not do right, He still takes care of us and yet deals with them. As a leader, be quick to obey and quick to repent, as our destiny depends on it. As a follower, be the kind of follower you would want to lead. Make leading you a leaders joy. God is the God of all and He is just. We can trust God to handle our problems even if our problems are people. Obey the word of God fully. This takes trust. To increase trust with someone we have to really know them, and let them prove themselves over time to us by obeying what they tell us. I will be praying for you today to trust and obey, for there really isn't any other way to be happy in Jesus.

We have authority over all the power of the enemy.

10/25/2017

Luke 10:19 (ESV) "Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you."

I studied this portion of scripture and found that scorpions were symbolic of demonic forces, and snakes were symbolic of dangers. So what the word of God is telling us is, we have authority over demonic forces, and dangers. We have nothing to fear. All of the month of November we will be talking about "No Fear" at Restoration Church International. I pray if you do not have a church you will visit us and even if you have a church you will visit our web site archive and here these messages.

From the definition above we can see that we have the power and the right to give orders, make decisions and enforce obedience. We have absolute control over the dangers, and demonic forces that, occur against us and the lives, and properties that we have responsibility over. This is "Good News" which is what the word "Gospel" means.

So why are we not seeing this in our lives? I believe it is because we doubt the word of God, and we fail to trust God. When Moses failed to trust God he called the people rebels, and struck the rock that he was supposed to speak to, two times.

When we are in the presence of the Lord and His glory shows up when we get a word or order from the Lord, we must obey the word fully. Oh, we may get water for the sake of the people, but it may cost us the privilege of entering the Promise Land ourselves.

Trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey.

Staying Put Through the Storms of Life

10/23/2017

John 7:38 (ESV) "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."

So many places in scripture speak of rivers, rain, and water. It is one thing to read about it, but another thing to experience the power of it. Driving home from Philadelphia, PA we experienced hard rains, and small rivers were being created in the roads from banks overflowing from the heavy rains. The earth gave way to the force of the waters. The Lord spoke to me and said, "So too will the earth give way to me, for I am He that makes a way where there is no way, and I will cut into the very lives of men and women and make way for my power to flow into all the earth." Needless to say I began to pray, and ask God for mercy for His people called by His name, because anything in the way of the waters will be moved unless the roots are deep.

Colossians 2:7 (ESV) "rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving."

The Lord's eyes are upon the precious things. Now is the time to build our Faith in Christ. Not when the storms come, but now! Don't wait till the wind begins to blow to start feeding yourself. Feed yourself now, so that your roots go down deep. Feed yourself now! There is an urgency in my spirit. Jezebel is arising. We must not tolerate the culture of our day, but stand firm in what we know to be truth. The wind is blowing and it is beginning to rain. He who has ears to hear let him hear.

The Good Life

10/23/2017

Almost everybody you know wants a good life. Many have spent decades working and striving to find what they call, "The Good Life". The Bible speaks clearly that we are to work as unto the Lord and even says, "If you don't work you don't eat". But God, has a much higher life than this for His people. He wanted to add wealth to His children's life, with no sorry. God has an order that creates a blessing on a person's life. Children are blessed when they listen to their parents or at least they should be. Wives are blessed when the alignment is right in the house. The head of the house is blessed when he keeps the order of God. This kind of life invites the presence of God into a home, and causes much increase in the lives of the family.

So, the "Good Life" that all men are seeking doesn't just come from hard work, although that is a necessary ingredient. Jesus said, "Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it and whoever loses his life for the gospel will find it."

God can add things to your life that money can't buy and you can't get by striving, or manipulation. Divine health, good children, loving marriages and great opportunities come to people who put God first.

Jesus said, "Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you."

May you start today giving God His first place in your life, and may He richly bless you in the name of Jesus.

The Power and Pleasure of New Experiences

10/20/2017

Learning from children is the best. Taking a different approach to my regular style of blogging today to share some of my personal life.

I have two grandsons, one is almost two, and the other just turned three. They are as different as night and day. One is a social butterfly if he is in his own environment and knows the crowd, the other is a total introvert. This little guy may not even give you a smile, even if you are his best friend, unless of course you tickle him.

I had the awesome privilege of spending an entire day with them from wake up through dinner. I realized I have aged a bit, and my physical strength is not what is used to be. However, I also learned the power and pleasure of new experiences all over again.

My little guy had never heard an electric saw before. So we had to investigate. He would not just ignore it like most of we adults would. Oh no! "Up" "Up" "Up". Every time the saw would come on he had to be lifted to look out the window, to see what was up. Finally, this "Nonna", as I am lovingly referred to got smart, and decided we would just get our jackets and shoes on and go outside and watch.

It was a wonderful experience. He wanted to get close to see, but every time the saw was started, he would grab me tight as he ran back to his safe place. I learned so much. I had never seen how a large tree is taken down with ropes, and experienced lumbermen cutting here, and then in another place so the tree would fall just where they wanted it to.

It was exciting and I admit the saw was loud, and a bit startling, each time it began to roar. Together we consoled one another and learned together. But, I learned so much more through out the day about listening to your environment, being curious, knowing where to run when I am afraid. Then, at the end of the day seeing your family together again.

More tomorrow.....

Action Step: Think about your safe place. Listen for a new sound and begin to experience something new today

Tested by your words.

10/18/2017

If you remember yesterday I shared on Anger. Today I was given all sorts of opportunities to get angry. I wasn't hungry or tired or even stressed, just angry. So I stayed out of everyone's way and stayed focused on my day. However, I will address the things that made me angry. We will have some teachable moments. That's what happens when we speak things out. The devil comes to test us to see if we believe what we say. Needless to say I won this battle. The war may still be raging but I won this battle, and I will win the next battle because the greater one lives inside of me.

We can not take back hurtful, harsh words. Words that are spewed out of our mouths are like steam from a tea kettle. You may not see them but they can burn you just as badly as a flame. Then a tea kettle can not redeem the steam. Once it is out there is no taking it back.

Proverbs 15:1 (ESV) "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."

Action Step: Get your facts and then go to the person in a calm manner and ask questions. Be prayed up and give the devil no place.

Anger~the good, the bad and the ugly.

10/18/2017

Ephesians 4:26-27 (NIV) “In your anger do not sin” : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.

1. Anger Is A Fact Of Life:
Everyone experiences some form of anger. Webster defines anger as “emotional excitement induced by intense displeasure.” Anger is a strong feeling of irritation or displeasure. Anger provides physical and emotional element that prepares our mind and our body to act. It is up to us whether we use that energy in constructive ways or abuse ourselves and others.

2. Anger Is A Frequently Experienced Emotion:
The emotion of anger is experienced much more frequently than most people would like to admit. When we begrudge, disdain others or when we are annoyed, repulsed, irritated, frustrated, offended or cross we are probably experiencing some form of anger. Dr. Henrie Weisinger has demonstrated in several research studies that most people experience the emotion of anger a minimum of 8-10 times a day.

3. Anger Is One Of The Most Powerful Emotions:
Healthy anger can provide tremendous energy to right wrongs and change things for the good. If we have been hurt or wronged it is easy for us to experience anger. The next step is that our human nature wants revenge. When we allow our anger to be in control it can easily distort our perspective, block our ability to love and thus limit our ability to see things clearly. There are enormous benefits in allowing ourselves to experience and express anger appropriately. There are also potentially devastating consequences in allowing ourselves to be controlled by our anger.

4. Unhealthy Anger Has Tremendous Potential For Harm:
Not only is anger an uncomfortable emotional state, it is also a potentially dangerous one. Uncontrolled anger can lead to destructive actions such as emotional, verbal or even physical abuse and violence. Most of us have only learned unhealthy ways to deal with our anger. When we stuff, repress, suppress, deny or ignore it we become a walking Mt. St. Helens ready to explode. When we “let it all out” and dump on those around us we can weaken trust, destroy relationships and reputations

5. Healthy Anger Has Tremendous Potential For Good:
Since we usually hear examples of uncontrolled anger it’s easy to forget that anger can have a good side. Anger is always a secondary emotion cause by a primary emotion such as fear, hurt or frustration. Anger can be a signal, an alarm, a warning sign that something is wrong, that a boundary is being violated, that we are in danger, that there has been an injustice.

Remember that anger is energy and we can choose whether we are going to spend it or invest it. While we may have minimal control over when we experience anger, we have almost total control over how we choose to express that anger. As you choose to harness and direct that anger-energy in healthy, positive and constructive ways, you will discover one of the most powerful sources of motivation available to mankind.

The energy of anger, when wisely invested, can provide greater focus and intensity and lead to greater productivity.

Martin Luther said: “When I am angry I can write, pray and preach well, for then my whole temperament is quickened, my understanding sharpened, and all mundane vexations and temptations are gone.”