A Joyful Day at the Baby Office

My grandson is having a busy day in the baby office today, but as you can see he's going about things with a lot of joy.

Anyone who has read my blog for very long knows that joy is one of my favorite subjects in the Bible- I did a post just a few weeks ago on  Joy Bubbles , and  I think with all thats going on in the world, its good for us to be able to keep focused on this very important source of strength!!  Here are some more  JOY verses to brighten your day:

You will show me the path of life;
 In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
                           ~Psalm 16:11

My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
       with joyful lips my mouth will praise you.
                                             ~Psalm 63:5

Therefore with joy you will draw water From the wells of salvation.
                           ~Isaiah 12:3


Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
                          ~Luke 15:10

And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."
                          ~John 16:23-24


And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

                          ~Acts 13:52

...for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

                          ~Romans 14:17

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

                         ~Galations 5:22

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

                         ~Philippians 4:4-7 

Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. 

                        ~1 Peter 8-9 

And finally, a wonderful prayer & a psalm of praise for all of us:

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

                        ~Romans 15:13 

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
      And to present you faultless
      Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
       To God our Savior  Who alone is wise,
      Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power
      Both now and forever.
      Amen. 

                 ~Jude 1:24-25

                 

Smith Wigglesworth ~Holy Spirit Fire

Smith Wigglesworth was one of the most delightful, sold out to Jesus men of God the world has ever seen! He was part of the early Pentecostal movement and during his ministry he saw thousands of people saved, baptised with the Holy Spirit and miraculously healed. Born in England in 1859, he was a plumber to trade, with no formal education at all- he began working 12 hours a day at age 7 to help support his family. From an early age he devoted himself to winning souls to Christ on an individual basis, but it was in 1907 at age 48 when he was baptised in the Holy Spirit that his worldwide evangelistic and healing ministry began.

Wigglesworth was known as "the Apostle of Faith" because absolute trust in God was a constant theme in his life and messages. I first became aware of him because Kenneth Hagin referenced him in many of his books on faith & healing. Smith Wigglesworths works in print are all originally taken from sermons preached and lessons taught at various locations around the world. I very rarely read a "devotional" book, but I love the compilation of messages that have been put together in Whittaker House's Smith Wigglesworth Devotional



My copy of the book is FILLED with highlighted passages- many of the quotes I have already used on the blog are from here, and many more I could mention..one of my other favorites:

"I believe God wants something to be in you that could never be unless you cease to live for yourself. God wants you to live for Him, to live for others...The Holy Spirit came to thrill you with resurrection power, and He came so that you would be anointed with fresh oil that overflows in the splendor of His almightiness. Then right through you will come forth a river of divine anointing that will sustain you in the bitterest place. It will give life to the deadliest formality and say to the weak "BE STRONG" and to them who have no might "The Lord of Hosts is here to comfort you". Possibility is the greatest thing of your life!"

~Smith Wigglesworth

This book is available through Amazon.com, and below you will see a selection of other Wigglesworth works available as well... if you click on any of the links from here to make a purchase, a percentage of the sale comes back to help support my blog~ I decided to enroll in their affiliate program, but only plan to review books here that I REALLY love so hopefully it wont seem spammy when I do similar posts:)

A Joy Bubble Moment

It seems as though the whole world has had a tough couple of weeks, so I thought a smiling face and a few rays of sunshine were in order!

Its been foggy and cloudy and generally "driech" (Scottish word Ian taught me:) here the past week. Friday afternoon we coming back from lunch with our grandson in the back seat when the sun FINALLY came peeking out for the first time in days. Aidan was almost asleep, but when we turned the corner and the sunshine hit his face he giggled and squealed with joy...I think we all felt that way! I had to snap a photo- pardon the quality, my cell phone is a cheapy, lol.

This was a fine example of one of those Joy Bubbles I talked about in a post last year. Joy is always there- the scripture below is an example of the foundation of joy that cannot be shaken- but sometimes it needs a bit of help getting to the surface.

I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel;
My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.

I have set the LORD always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will rest in hope.

For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:7-11

God did NOT send that Earthquake

...and I get indignant that anyone would try to claim He did!!

God is not in the business of sending judgment on people in this day and age...there is a vast difference between the Old Covenant and the New and better Covenant we have with Jesus the Messiah.

There is also a vast difference between a curse and a judgement- which 99% of the people who are upset with Pat Robertson missed..he didn't say that God sent the earthquake, but it sure got twisted up that way in the reporting. Not saying I agree with him talking about it like that, just saying he didnt say what they said he did...

I know there are a lot of people who may disagree with one or both of the above opinions, or have questions about why I believe this way. Rather than go into a long discourse here in the post itself, I invite you to comment, ask questions, or reply with your opinion- politely please! I will answer, I love debate- its healthy for our faith to "reason together" about things like this.

I plan to do a follow up post in a week or so with scriptures and afterthoughts, but for now please add your two cents to the conversation.

ALSO: see my post Dont Blame God for more info and links to a couple of good Bible teachings on the goodness of God.

PS Yeah I know, photo has nothing to do with the post~its one of the photos I took of the delightful fairy frost that we had here last week (meteorologists called it hoar frost, but I think it was fairies;)...just wanted something soothing and peaceful to go with this slightly heated rant.

Rays of Grace: A New Etsy Friend

As some of you may know, I am a jewelry maker by profession, with shops on Etsy, ArtFire and many other fine craft venues.



Recently, I was delighted to be featured in a treasury on Etsy and even more delighted to find this wonderful new photograpy shop featured right next to me.

Susan from Rays of Grace is a great photographer & includes some of my favorite Bible verses on her Faith Art prints.



With the sale of these prints, Susan says: "100% (yes ...100%!) of the profit from any Faith Art sale will be donated to missions. My current focus is: Breaking Chains - a ministry that rescues girls sold into slavery in Mexico."

She also features some of her work on Notecards, the next thing on my shopping list after I recover from Christmas;)


You may click on any photo to be taken to that item's listing or click on: Rays of Grace on Etsy to go to the shop itself:)

PLEASE NOTE: as with all of my original photography here on this blog, Susan's photos in this post are her original artwork and may not be copied or reproduced without permission.

The Great Adventure

"God has a plan beyond anything that we have ever known...tomorrow should be so filled with holy expectations that we will be living flames for Him. God never intended his people to be ordinary or commonplace. His intentions were that they should be on fire for Him, conscious of His divine power, realizing the glory of the Cross that foreshadows the Crown."
~Smith Wigglesworth

What an amazing adventure-learning to live in the power of God, learning to walk not only in the path He has set out before me, but in the exact footsteps He has ordained- therein lies success! Here are some verses along these lines:

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD,
And He delights in his way.
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the LORD upholds him with His hand.
~Psalm 37:23-24

O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself;
It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
~Jeremiah 10:23

But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God).

And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires.

If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.]
~Galatians 5:16,23-24 (Amplified)

Our beloved Heavenly Father promises to teach us and guide us into this great adventure..all we need to do is learn to listen and follow and walk in that which He has already provided.
Selah:-)

Note:
Some good teaching series about this general subject can be accessed at no charge at the links below:
How to Fulfill Your Destiny by Andrew Wommack
The Power of the Holy Spirit by Andrew Wommack
The Spirit Led Life by Keith Moore
Hungry For the Holy Spirit by Keith Moore

Now THAT'S Empowerment

In the fascinating world of internet self-improvement you don't have to look far to find someone offering help "empower" you with life changing insight, a daily positive outlook or a maybe even a new marketing plan.

While the idea of empowerment is good in theory, most of the people offering to package it up and sell it to you are missing the ultimate source of true power. Jesus said it plain and simple: "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you" (Acts 1:8a). In fact, it was so important that Jesus commanded his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they were baptized in the Holy Spirit to receive this power!

As Christians we all have God's mighty power within-when you were born again you became a "new creation" in your spirit (2 Cor 5:17, Gal 2:20)- but we must choose to "walk in the spirit" (Gal 5:25) and "not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of (your) mind" (Rom 12:2).

Paul spoke of this when praying for believers:

For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;(so) that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.
~Colossians 1:9-11

The Amplified translation points this out clearly in the prayer Paul prayed for the Ephesians:

May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality]. ~Ephesians 3:16

In his Life for Today Study Bible, Andrew Wommack higlights a very important point that sums up why I dont believe in "self-empowerment":

"Paul's prayer is a sermon in itself on how to walk in the fullness of God. The first thing Paul mentions is the Lord strengthening us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Many well-meaning Christians fall quite short of what God wants them to be and what they want for themselves, because they are trying to live for God instead of letting God live through them (see note 1 at Ro 7:15). The key to all victory in the Christian life is learning how to depend on the Holy Spirit for our strength (see note 14 at Ga 2:20)."
—Andrew Wommack's Life For Today Study Bible Notes, Note 5 at Eph. 3:16

As we begin a new decade, I am spending some extra time meditating on these glorious truths. It is delightfully amazing to me that our beloved Father would come and live inside our spirits, that He would make this power available to us!! I know God has paths set out for me to walk in. I am "His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that (I) should walk in them" (Eph 2:10). I know He is concerned with every part of my life~ from the mundane daily chores, to being excellent in how I conduct my earthly business, and all the way to how I let the rivers of living water flow from my innermost being to bring His Kingdom to the lives of those in need around me.

I want to wish you all a Happy and Blessed New Year, and encourage you to join me in learning more about "the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe"!!

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." ~Ephesians 3:20-21