Be Filled with Holy Spirit

A really great 11 minute teaching on being filled with the Holy Spirit and how to understand what that means is located here.
Nisa really explains the concept in a way that is simple to understand and also shares some of her own experience.
Often people are confused, scared, or just never taught on this subject, but it is so important. Taking this step will add so much to your faith, and life as a follower of Christ Jesus. He never meant for us to live life figuring life out of our own. Instead He desires for us to rely constantly on His great power, profound wisdom, and supernatural guidance, warnings and love. Being filled with Holy Spirit is not only a one time event, but every day we can ask for a fresh infilling and great dependence and measure of His love and faith.
Be blessed!
http://www.xpmedia.com/video/10683/be-filled-with-holy-spirit

A Light Has Come

Arise, shine, for your light has come,

and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.

See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.
Isaiah 60:1-2 NIV

When you look and see darkness all around, even
thick darkness, look up and trust in this promise.
It is then that the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
His glory will even appear over you.

See another translation:
Arise, shine; for thy light is come,
and the glory of Jehovah is risen upon thee.
For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth,
 and gross darkness the peoples; but Jehovah will arise upon thee,
and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
Isaiah 60:1-2 ASV

I believe wherever we go, if we are filled with Jesus,
His light and glory can shine through us and even be
seen on us. People who need hope, who need help,
who are wallowing in gross, thick darkness, are
brought into our path.
Choose to shine, draw close to
Christ, He will heal people through you.

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden."
 Matthew 5:14 NIV

"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."
1 Corinthians 12:27

God Provides More then Enough!

I love God's character. He is not a just enough, or almost enough, kind of God. He is over the top, flowing over, more then what we ask for. He surprises us. When we are going through a time of trial, struggle, or not enough, we need to hang on and trust Him. Let our heart depend on Him more fully to develop our faith, trust, and character. His promises are always true; more true then what we are experiencing. More true then what we see with our eyes. Trust the Lord, and watch Him do more with your life and your family then what you could have imagined. I know He has done that for me in so many ways and He is continuing to do that. I believe and put my trust in Him no matter what is going on in the world.

"Come to Me" Painting by Chelsea Carbonell

Contact me on Etsy.com for information about prints of this painting.

"The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil."Joel 2:24 NIV
"I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing." Ezekiel 34:26 NIV
"Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity." 2 Corinthians 6:2 NIV
"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38 NIV
"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." Ephesians 3:20 NLT

Search the Bible at Biblos.com

Here Comes the Sun

here comes the sun. . . do do do do. . . here comes the sun and I say, its all right. . . .

The sunflower in my garden today made me want to start singing the most wonderful Beatles song ever: Here Comes the Sun. This brave sunflower was starting to bloom on a day with rain and thunderstorms. I hope my attitude can be as strong and joyful as this through trials.

"Always be joyful." 1 Thessalonians 5:16

Prayer for the Nations

Today I was led to pray some Psalms out loud- Psalm 116-118. Psalm 117 is one I prayed over many nations just by changing the word "nations" to "USA, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Moldova, Indonesia, Guatemala,. Haiti." It is a simple but powerful prayer from the Word of God.

Praise the Lord, all you nations;

extol him, all you peoples.

For great is his love toward us,

and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.

Praise the Lord. Psalm 117

Your will be done and Your Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Guide Me in Your Truth and Teach Me

Reading and listening to current news is enough to put anyone's emotions and head into a tailspin. What if? What is happening? Why? I can't believe that would happen, or how can anyone be so cruel, or greedy, or fill in the blank. God highlighted Psalm 25 to me a couple weeks ago and I have been meditating on the depth of promise and truth.

"No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse, teach me your paths; guide me in your truths and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long." Psalm 25:3-5 NIV

God this is my prayer, please show me your truth. Protect us, your are our God and I choose to trust you with my life. I choose to trust you with my family. I want my hope to be in you all day long and not to be afraid or focused on what is in this temporal world. Make my focus on the eternal not on what is passing away. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

His Hallelujah Lasts Forever

Psalm 111:10 in the Message Bible says, "The good life begins in the fear of God- Do that and you'll know the blessings of God. His Hallelujah lasts forever." In the Amplified Bible the last part of the verse says, ""A good understanding, wisdom, and meaning have all those who do [the will of the Lord]. Their praise of Him endures forever."
What does this look like? As my mind was exploring this verse I imagined all of history, people's voices intertwining in the heavens. The picture was voices going up all the praise meeting together in a great flow, a great river of sound and praise, every "Hallelujah", every "Praise you Lord" coming up together never fading, a constant reverberation in the heavens. Every praise literally lasting forever, a great swell of adoration; coming to crescendos as chosen times in history. The dedication of Solomon's temple, the birth of Christ, the Resurrection of our Savior, being just a few but also the greatest. Imagine every praise, starting with Adam, King David's Psalms, Deborah, Moses' Mother when he was saved from the Nile, the small sounds of a joyful child, the singing of choirs, the voice of Jesus Christ on Earth, reverberating forever in the heavens, eternal. The words of saints throughout history, many names, lives, and faces forgotten by all on earth going on forever in the ears of our Lord. The "thank you God" of George Washington, the prayers of my 6 year old son, the dying breath of an old woman meeting her Lord, and the "Amen Jesus" of my one year old. The promise of Psalm 111 is that every praise of the righteous endures, resonates, forever; for the rest of eternity. Praise the Lord!  

Confirmations: The Extravagant Love of God

Last week during prayer meeting at church I kept getting the feeling I was supposed to read part of Isaiah 54 over one of the woman there. I felt compelled for half of the meeting, so at the end I did it. I  said the whole chapter was for her but this one part I needed to read over her as a blessing. With tears in her eyes she said that God had pointed her towards that scripture and she had just read it that very morning! Later the same day I checked my email and the Daily Grace Inspiration from Joseph Prince Ministries was on Isaiah 54 too! Wow.
Now this isn't a new chapter to me. I often will write Isaiah 54:13 in baby shower cards. "All your children will be taught by the Lord and great will be the peace of your children." The whole chapter is so beautiful and poetic. It shows the heart of God in such a extravagant way. His love is amazing, personal, and bountiful. He has compassion on those that suffer, and has a great future even for those who feel unloved or unlovable. Read it here Isaiah 54.

We are the Branches

This is a passage I have had in my heart since I was a child. I had to memorize it in school and always thought the metaphor was interesting and beautiful. Last night I saw it in a new light.

The Vine and the Branches

1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. John 15:1-9 (New International Version)

Last night as a crawled into bed I read it again and it seems to me I had new eyes. I have never seen it like this before. I pictured in my mind Jesus as a huge vine with so many branches. Each one of us is a branch when we accept the Lord as our Savior. God the Father has His clippers though. He wants His vine to be fruitful- He is a skilled and good gardener! I want to be part of His garden. I don't want to be the branch that gets snipped off! I want to be covered with sweet fruit. I want to further His Kingdom, to spread His love and light, to be a spring that turns desert and wasteland into a fruitful garden. How do I do this? How do I do this when I am surrounded by this world? When I am tired, when I have so much to do, when all my children are crying and demanding all at once. Jesus said it. "Remain in Me." "Apart from me you can do nothing." Apart from His grace I can do nothing of eternal value. Fix me to you forever dear God and Savior.