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You Are God's House

In a very spiritual sense, you are a "House of God." You begin your relationship with God by inviting Jesus in, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in your body, which is like  a "temple" for God (I Corinthians 6:19).  You are the house of God, and as long as He is going to live there, He expects you to take care of His place.

Haggai1:4
"why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins?

What are you doing with God's house? Are you "cleaning house" or  leaving it a "pig sty"?
Making a daily time for reading and praying will help clean your house and just running out the door and not inviting the Lord into your day, leaves you feeling empty, a basket case and your house a "pig sty."

Need a starter kit?  91.3 Hope FM is a GREAT beginning. Listen live at  http://www.whif.org/  and check out the great things happening in your community too.

Reused Pain

When you are in  the midst of pain it is difficult to see past it.
Oh, I am human, I make mistakes, I have flesh and it screams, it cries, and hurts.
I always go back to the cross because that is the only thing that is secure / stable.  I can tell you I am not stable and I am not a rock. I have to stand on the rock when my life around me feels like sinking sand. Do you know what I am talking about? When the things in our life appear to be falling apart and the only thing that is constant is Christ.
That is where I am  today; working through my pain.
I hope that today, you will decide to make a real difference in your life through throwing your hands up and saying "I can't do this anymore." I hope you scream "I hate what I am doing." I pray you will trust in what you cannot see and more so, trusting in the Creator whom you cannot touch, but is ever present.
 It is in those moments you change, you grow, and the potter can mold you in his hands.
I am a mere mortal, looking towards what is in front of me, but unable to move. I cannot move because I live in fear. I am afraid of what I cannot see. The funny thing is, I know what I need to do next and can't seem to move to the next step either.
Today, I am in a dismal place. I am in a lonely place, but I know that God is with me. He told me so and I know he is truth.
Lord, I am desparate for you today. I need you today. I need you to show up in my life. I praise you that you are an on time God. I wait for you Lord and I look for you to come. Come Lord Jesus come. Holy Spirit, I ask you to work in my life and in those around me. I trust in the Lord and I rejoice in Him.
I share my heart because that is where the Lord lives. I live not for myself, but for him.
May you go in peace today, as I will also. So let it be.

Be Encouraged

Not long ago, I was in need of an encouraging word. In a time in my life when it [life] appeared to be dismal and like that of a dessert {dry land nothing available to my hands that I needed or wanted was appearing}. 

Then I a friend grabbed her bible and read to me John 18 1-5

Jesus Arrested

 ¹ When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.

(Garden was an olive grove: Synoptic it is called Gethsemane, meaning "oil press,")

 ² Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. ³ So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.

 ⁴ Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”

 ⁵ “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.

   “I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.)

Judas being able to hand over Jesus to the Roman soldiers, Jewish servants, and the apostle isn't the success story, but that the Father’s will is being done.

Jesus is now in the hands of the Roman guards and about to be beaten, struck with many forms of violent tools, and then nailed on a cross for me and for you.  He didn’t do anything wrong, we did.

We have sinned against God and only against God. If you were the only one on the earth, He still would have gone to the cross for you to live with him in eternity.

Now, I ask you. Whom do you seek?

When you go to bed at night, what are your last thoughts on?

 Who is the last one you say good night to and thank for a wonderful day?

When you wake up in the morning, what your first thoughts on?

Who is the first one you say good morning to and thank for a wonderful day to come?

What is your outlook on life?

Do you worry about your tomorrow or the right here and now?

Are you lonely?

Are you broken?

Are you without money or a home or even food?

Matthew 6:25-34

Jesus says “ For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

 ²⁶"  Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?

 ²⁷"And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?

 ²⁸"And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,

 ²⁹yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.

 ³⁰"But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!

 ³¹"Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?'

 ³²"For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

 ³³"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

 ³⁴"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

IN 1 Peter 5:7

Living Bible:

Let him have all your worries and cares, for he is always thinking of you and watching everything that concerns you.

New Living Translation

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

What a Great God we have!  He cares about you, the minor details of your ministry, of your life, of those lives that are around you.

Take His word to your heart and know that he is going to grow His church, His family, His kingdom; with or without you. But this is how Great our God is that he cares about the small stuff more than the big stuff.

Be encouraged!  Whom do you seek?

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. II Thessalonians 3:3

You might be sitting here wondering “who is this Lord you speak of?” Who is this Jesus of Nazareth that you talk about? Who cares for me so much about the little things in my life?

You see, there is this man and his name is Jesus. He came from heaven to earth to show the way to an everlasting life passed death and he did this by dying on a cross, not of his own will but that of Father God; the creator.

When you decide to turn your life over to the one and only Jesus Christ of Nazareth and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved from the domain of darkness.

When we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and we are need of a savior, he comes into our lives and changes us forever.

I encourage you to pray these words with me and mean them with your heart and begin to really know this man name Jesus.

Dear God, I have tried to do it all by myself, on my own power, and I have failed.  Today, I want to turn my life over to You. I ask you to be my Lord and my Savior. You are the only One who can. I ask that you help me to think less about myself and my wants and desires. I want to daily turn my life over to You, to daily seek Your direction and wisdom for my life. Please continue to help me overcome my messes, my sins, and Jesus, continue to change my life forever.

Help me to do Your will and not my own. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

If you have prayed this prayer for the first time, I want you to know there is a party going on upstairs in heaven. There are angels singing, praising, dancing and the Lord is smiling and ready to go to work in your life.

I encourage you to talk to someone and call 1-888-NEEDHIM or chat at http://www.needhim.org/

You are not alone anymore in your mess! You are now a child of God and there is a benefit package waiting for you to pick up.

May God's word dwell in you richly,

Marjorie

Marriage

  I once was told "the world is your oyster and you are the pearl." this means, by his definition, that I have the opportunity to do whatever I want and become whatever I want.
  Once, I was like a caged bird and in some ways I still am. A caged bird has no where to go, is in bondage from doing what he would like to do: fly, sit on tree limb, who knows? The point is, he has no freedom.
If you have read my testimony before, you know I lived in fear and dealt with many different types of fears. Recently, I found a few more. I have a fear of marriage, a successful marriage for certain, and fear of the future.
  You see, I know what scripture tells me and I know that nothing compares to the promises
 I have from God. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and I know he will supply my every need.  My flesh thinks otherwise.
So, now that I know what my fears are, I have something to work on.
 I have something for Father God to help me change.
Do you know what happens to our physical bodies when we live in fear?
It breaks down, it brings on illnesses, it gets our panties in wad and our vital organs break down.
God came for us to have life and have it more abundantly. We live in this life thinking we don't deserve to have a good life, much less a life full of blessings from love.
God loves us unconditionally. So, why is it hard for some of us to know what unconditional love is and be able to love unconditionally? Is it a state of mind? Is it a matter of the heart? Is it a choice we make?
I am not looking for answers from you, but I am looking to God of Love to show me the answers.
I am involved with a class from the movie "Fireproof." it has struck a nerve a time or two and it has begun to raise questions for me and about myself.
What I do know, is that I want to love and know love. I want to love unconditionally, and I do not want fear, but, confidence in a marriage along with success.  Is it trusting what I cannot see? Is it learning how to deal with issues by having tools in my tool box to work on those things I can see, I can hear, and I can touch?
I want to say with confidence that I will take care of my spouse and be there for him no matter what monkey wrench is thrown at us. I want confidence to give and receive care in the daily dealings of struggles of health issues, life issues, and more.
I don't want to runaway or for the marriage to be one sided when the chips fall.
I do however want a healthy marriage, a prosperous and strong marriage. I want a partner for life, a help mate, my best friend, and more. I want to stand on solid ground when the ground underneath me shakes.

Now there are other questions that arise for me from thinking about marriage.
Am I too old? If I can do all the things I want to do, like my friends' statement earlier, will I do all the those activities on my list? Will my partner be able to or want to do the same things as I do? What if he can't? What if he won't?
Will I still go and do or will I stop and do different activities?
Is this part of the unconditional love that I need to learn about?
I am guessing the Lord still has me in training classes. I don't have the answers, but He does, and I have to be still and know he is control.

I am excited to share an evening conference with you. If you are in or near
Palatka, Florida, March 27th from 5:00pm - 7:00pm
there will be a conference on "What Divorce Taught Me About Marriage" at
First Baptist Church Palatka, 501 Oak Street.
Child Care will be provided.
For more information go to http://www.whif.org/ to the community calendar.
Maybe this conference will help both of us to put tools into our life tool box.
We won't know unless we try and go to it.

All You Need When You Need It by Lauren Talley

SHARE - A - THON

I share this story at each Sharathon because it is important to share how God moves in our lives.
Back in 1991/992 in Jacksonville, Florida, my kids were young and I was a single mother. I began listening to the Christian radio station 88.1 The Promise. They were holding their Share-A-thon and I was lead to stop in, with my kdis on my hips, and tell them how they have blessed me. I was so moved at the warmth and friendliness of that radio station.  I couldn't give at the time, a caller called in and made a one time pledge under my name.  I was very grateful that day for someone giving a donation The Promise so God could share his love with me.
Now, eleven or twelve years later, I am working in a Christian radio station. God knew that day that I  would be here working at HOPE FM today. It is because of listeners like yourself that donate that allow others the opportunity  to praise God daily, worship Him through songs, and learn from him through the programs.
God is so good isn't he? What has God done for you lately? What has he done for you this past year?
He gave me a job that I absolutely love, he puts food on my table daily, and he allows me the opportunity to be a missionary in my own backyard. He keeps me safe, he gave me new friends, rekindled friendships with old friends, came and took my dad home to praise Him, these are just a few. So how about you? what has He done for you lately?
What are you listening to good or bad song lyrics? What type of programs are you listening to? Dog's gone, lost your house, spouse is cheating on you?  The WORD says:  
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." Proverbs 18:21

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Romans 12:2

"For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was." James 1:23-24

So, what are you plugged into?  I encourage you to plug into what is good, acceptable, and perfect will of God for your life. How about starting with what you listen to? If you need a place start here and listen online http://www.whif.org/.

It will be worth it, I promise.

Joy, Peace, and Love

Have you ever felt a joy, peace, or love in your inner self that you cannot explain? It might feel like a big bubble swelled up inside, a calm sea like that in the middle of the ocean, or maybe you have this overwhelming feeling deep inside that you have a love or excitement over something that you just cannot explain. 
I woke up this morning, sat up in bed, swung my legs over the edge of the bed and before I sat them down on the ground I did this: I raised my hands to the heavens, and praised the King of Glory. I actual said "Lord, before my feet hit the floor, I praise the Lord." I thanked him for the bed I just slept in, the pillows I laid my head on, the food in my pantry, even my dirty clothes and I praised him for.
I stood up, turned my radio on, 91.3 HOPE FM, and a song was playing; again I raised my hands to the Lord. I got my coffee and again, came to read his word.
I have a joy, peace and love in my heart that I cannot explain. I can only tell that after I gave the Lord my first thoughts, my insides feel like a container full of cotton candy. It's nice to took at, sweet smelling, light and airy. Wow, almost sounds like a good cup of coffee too. It's LOVE my friend. It's JOY! It's a PEACE that surpasses all understanding.
My life sometimes feels like hurricane, tornado, basket case of craziness, and a bowl full of mixed nuts. When I give Jesus the first thoughts of my day and the time he want to spend with me, then my perspective changes. My thoughts change from worry, fear, anxiety, death into life, love, joy,and peace. I want to live life to the fullest.  Don't you want to live life with peace?  Why wouldn't you?
I ask you, what is the first thing you do in the morning? Head to the bathroom? Set up the coffee pot?
or do you give thanks to the Creator you cannot see? I'm not trying to tell you what to do in your day. I want to encourage you to look at what you feed into your mind, listen to what is coming out of your lips, and what are you listening to. 
When we pay attention to our surroundings, we have the opportunity to change ourselves. Notice what you like and dislike, then change those things you don't like. You are in control of somethings and God is in control of ALL things!
I now challenge to change one thing you do not like. It can be something you think, say, or do. Next turn it around and make your day better than yesterday and tomorrow better than today.
Start with making a list of things you don't like than make a list of things you enjoy and be thankful for them both. But remember, to look for the joy, peace, and love in it all.
Lord, I ask you help my friend to notice the good, the bad, and the ugly around him today. You tell us our help comes from you, Lord I ask you to help him in his walk where he is weak, make him strong. Thank you that you are in control of ALL things. Help us to choose to be guided by you and not carry out our own desires.  In Jesus' name, so let it be.

Psalm 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield;My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.

Pray this passage and feel your heart grow inside like a watermelon!