Let's Play Cards!

It was quiet that day, the guns and mortars and land mines hadn't been heard for some reason. The young soldier knew it was Sunday, the holiest day of the week. As he was sitting there, he got out an old deck of cards and laid them across his bunk.

Just then an army sergeant came in and said, "Why aren't you with the rest of the platoon?" The soldier replied, "I thought I would stay behind and spend some time with the Lord." The sergeant said, "Looks to me like you're going to play cards." The soldier said, "No, sir. You see, since we are not allowed to have Bibles or other spiritual books in this country, I've decided to talk to the Lord by studying this deck of cards. The sergeant asked in disbelief, "How will you do that?"

"You see the Ace, Sergeant? It reminds me that there is only one God. The Two represents the two parts of the Bible - Old & New Testaments. The Three represents the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Four stands for the Four Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Five is for the five virgins. There were ten but only five of them were glorified. The Six is for the six days it took God to create the Heavens and Earth. The eight is for the family of Noah and his wife - their three sons and their wives - the eight people God spared from the flood that destroyed the Earth. The Nine is for the lepers that Jesus cleansed of leprosy. He cleansed ten, but nine never thanked Him. The Ten represents the Ten Commandments that God handed down to Moses on tablets made of stone. The Jack is a reminder of Satan, one of God's highest angels, but he got kicked out of heaven for his prideful and wicked ways and is now the Joker of eternal hell. The ueen stands for the Virgin Mary. The King stands for Jesus, for He is the King of all kings. When I count the dots on all the cards, I come up with 365 total - one for every day of the year. There are a total of 52 cards in the deck - one for each week in a year. The four suits represent the four seasons - winter, spring, summer and fall.
Each suit has thirteen cards - there are exactly thirteen weeks in each quarter. So when I want to talk to God and thank Him, I just pull out this old deck of cards and they remind me of all that I have to be thankful for."

The sergeant just stood there. After a minute, with tears in his eyes and pain in his heart, he said "Soldier, can I borrow that deck of cards?"

--from November/December 2009 issue of Connecticut Cruise News

I Saw Jesus

I saw Jesus last week. He was wearing blue jeans and an old shirt. He was up at the building we call our church; He was alone and working hard. For just a minute he looked a little like one of the people who regularly attend our church. But it was Jesus, I could tell by his smile.

I saw Jesus last Sunday. He was teaching a Bible class. He didn’t talk real loud or use long words. But you could tell he believed what he said. For just a minute, he looked like my Sunday School teacher. But it was Jesus, I could tell by his loving voice.

I saw Jesus yesterday. He was at the hospital visiting a friend who was sick. They prayed together quietly. For just a minute he looked like the guy I saw at the worship gathering last week. But it was Jesus, I could tell by the tears in his eyes.

I saw Jesus this morning. He was in my kitchen making my breakfast and fixing me a special lunch. For just a minute he looked like my wife. But it was Jesus, I could feel the love from his heart.

I saw Jesus this afternoon. He was cutting the grass in the community where I live. He was smiling and waving at everyone who was driving down our street. It made me feel special even if it was only for a moment. For a minute, I thought it was just another person we paid to keep our community clean. But it was Jesus. No one else has that much joy.

I saw Jesus tonight. He was sitting out in the street looking for someone to help him. For a minute he looked like just another homeless person. But it was Jesus. I could tell by the look of sincere suffering in his eyes.

I see Jesus everywhere. Taking food to the sick, welcoming others to his home, being friendly to a someone who needs love and for just a minute I think he’s someone I know.

But, it’s always Jesus. I can tell by the way He serves.

May someone see Jesus in you today.

A Breakthrough Prayer for Taking Thoughts Captive

A Breakthrough Prayer for Taking Thoughts Captive
"Lord, I pray that you would help me understand the enemy's strongholds in my life. Please help me to close all open doors to the lies of the enemy. I want to see breakthrough prayer and have victory in my thought life. Show me any false beliefs that are contrary to your Word. Show me when I trust my own thoughts rather than your Word. Help me not to become captive to Satan's schemes. I want to develop a stronger lifestyle in meditating on your Word. Show me any area in my life where I have embraced a lie instead of your truth. Show me when I am listening to the enemy instead of you. Make me aware of what lies I am entertaining when I get into negative emotions. Help me to see patterns of false beliefs. Bring revelation of the enemy's strongholds in my life. I choose to take captive every thought to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). I choose to believe your Word. I choose to listen to you on a daily basis. Teach me to think about what I am thinking about. I don't have to let Satan outwit me because I am not unaware of his schemes in my life (2 Corinthians 2:11). I thank you that there is no falsehood in you. 'I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws... I hold fast to your statutes, O Lord; do not let me be put to shame. I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free' (Psalm 119:15-16, 30-32). In Jesus name, amen."
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold (Psalm 18:2).

- Debbie Przybylski, Intercessors Arise

PRAYER PROCLAMATIONS FOR YOU TO MAKE!

I am anointed by the Holy One of God. I am His chosen vessel. His presence goes before me and dwells within me.
Jesus Christ dwells in my heart by faith. Greater is He who dwells within me than he who is in the world.
The favor of the Lord is upon me! He has anointed me to proclaim the Good News and to set captives free. My life is set apart to give God glory!
The best is yet ahead for me and my family! God is for me--not against me. Together, we make a great team! His plan, purpose and destiny for my life shall be fulfilled.
The enemies of my soul shall become like grasshoppers in my own sight. I shall enforce the triumph of Christ over the powers of darkness and Jesus shall be magnified through my life!

The Time of Favor has Come!

Confess this over your life daily and in every situation:

FAVOR SHALL COVER ME AND SURROUND ME LIKE A SHIELD.

For you, O Lord, will bless the righteous;
With favor you will surround him as with a shield.
(Psalm 5:12)

- from Pastor Lendell Ballenger's Prayer for the Day

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Let's talk about God talking. Every day we go around crying "God has forsaken us. He doesn't answer our prayers. He doesn't speak to us the way He did to the people in the Bible. They must have been extremely special. More so than me." Baloney! This is a cop-out. A "reason" not to exert ourselves spiritually.

God speaks today the same as He did 2,000+ years ago. Back then a lot of people spoke to God and He responded. The only differences between then and now are the listeners and the external noises.

Two thousand years ago people wanted to hear what God had to say - if not directly from Him (out of fear), then from His prophets and priests. They actively and regularly (daily) sought His presence. They didn't sit around and wait for Him to seek them (as many people do today). Nor did they want to hear God rephrase their own thoughts.

Two thousand years ago there were the sounds of nature (wind, sheep, birds, etc.), peace (people talking with each other, praying, laughing, etc.) and fewer Satan worshippers, witches, atheists, etc. God spoke in a quiet, gentle, assured voice (see I Kings 19:12).

We speak loudest when we are trying to convince ourselves or others of something. But God is God He doesn't need to convince anyone of anything. He knows what is. God still speaks in the same voice.

Only now there are the sounds of destroyed nature (machinery, factories, traffic, etc.), strife (people arguing & screaming, guns, bombs, etc.), distractions (TV, radio, movies, computer, video games, etc.) and the growing population of Satan's followers, witches & atheists loudly denouncing God. There is so much noise we can barely hear ourselves think.

Plus people - Christians - have become arrogant and lazy. We sit around and wait for God to come to us and request an audience with us. We wait to hear God speak our own words & thoughts. We wait for Him to shout above the noise. And then we cry "Why can't we hear Him?".

He's still talking. Yet we say "He must have forsaken us. We're not special enough. He doesn't answer our prayers. He never speaks to us. It must not be for today. It must be a thing of the past."

Who the heck are we to expect God to seek an audience with us? Who are we that He should raise His voice so our tiny ears can hear Him? God is speaking to us - right now - the same as He did to Samuel, Moses and Ezekiel. We're just not listening the same way they did. Instead of us being so arrogant that God should shout above the worldly noises and our own distractions so we can hear, we should be humble enough to tune out the world, turn off the distractions and strain our ears so we can hear His constant, steady, quiet voice.

Too Much of a Good Thing

There was a wonderful lady who was deeply concerned with helping others. Out of this concern came the need to get involved. She realized that the best place to start was in her own city. One of the greater problems in her city was the growing number of people with little or no food. She began by making donations. This quickly led to her asking for donations from co-workers and neighbors. These she would take to the local missions and food banks. Soon she began working in these places. This grew to the point of her using her own kitchen to prepare food for the hungry. She would awake early in the morning to start cooking and continued late into the night. She then began delivering this food to the people personally, often staying hours to minister to or counsel them. Her every thought was to help these people.

They found her in her own bed. Apparently she had died in her sleep. She was a shadow of a human being - barely skin and bones. The autopsy confirmed that she had died from prolonged starvation. She was so busy feeding others, she neglected to feed herself.

Be very careful. Always check yourself spiritually. Don't be so preoccupied with feeding others spiritual food that you neglect to feed yourself. Otherwise you will shrivel up and die - spiritually. Don't be so laden with spiritual anchors to help secure others to the Rock that you fail to check your own, making sure that the constantly shifting tides haven't loosened it from the Rock.

A Rose By Any Other Name

You hold in your hand a piece of fruit. Inside that fruit there are orange seeds. Will the outside be red, smooth and shaped like an apple? Or long, thin and yellow like a banana?

No, of course not! The skin will be a bumpy, orange rind!

So it is with the seed of the Lord. If you truly have the seed (His Spirit, His Word) of the Lord inside you, then your outside appearance will not be that of a worldly person.

If your feet are pointed north, but your eyes are looking south, you may think you are reaching your destination when you are actually going in the opposite direction. If you continue walking in this manner, most of the time your eyes will turn in the direction of your feet - not the other way around. And you may possibly get hurt...or hurt somebody else.

So it is with the Lord. Your eyes (heart) may be on the Lord, but if your feet (actions) are turned toward the world you are going in the wrong direction and will never reach your goal of accomplishing God's will in every area of your life. Nor will be able to answer the call He has on your life and fulfill your true prupose. You will probably get hurt. You will probably hurt others. Eventually...your eyes will turn in the direction of your feet...then where will you be??

First Love - What Will You Choose?

Rev. 2:4 - Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

I don't know about you, but I've heard this scripture preached numerous times. And usually the context is how we usually abandon our first love and move on to others. Rarely do any of us stick with - and marry - our "first loves".

But this morning, the Lord showed me a whole different meaning to "first love".

Think about ALL the times you were (or thought you were) "in love". With each and every one - it starts out the same. You're passionately "in love". The other person can do NO wrong. They have NO faults whatsoever. Nobody can convince you that this isn't THE greatest person on the face of the earth. They don't have to do anything - give you anything. But if they do, no matter how insignificant, it becomes the greatest treasure you ever had. They could pick up a rock in the street, scrawl your name on it, give it to you and all you can see is a gem greater than the Hope Diamond. You absolutely adore them. As far as you're concerned this is THE one and nobody can say ANYthing at all to make you doubt that.

However, as time passes, and you stayed with that person past this "fairytale" state (whether you marry or not) you start noticing things...differences. You start listening to other people's opinions...thoughts...impressions. You start looking for faults...questioning their motives...accusing them. You begin to doubt your feelings...your future. You start expecting them to give you things...do things for you...and when they don't...regardless of how viable their excuse is...you begin to doubt their feelings for you. At this point, most people bail - regardless of whatever commitment they may have made. Nothing the other person can say or do matters or can change your mind - you're moving on. Some move on physically. Some physically stay, but move on emotionally.

If you're one of the very rare and few who sticks it out past this stage, you realize that nobody's perfect. You look at yourself and see your own faults. And you CHOOSE to stick it out. You CHOOSE to work at it. You realize that true love is deeper than you ever imagined. You also realize that you can still have that wonderful "fairytale" love...but you have to "work" at it...continue "courting" each other...spend time with each other. You look into their eyes and somewhere from deep within that familiar "fairytale" feeling comes bubbling up.

That's what God showed me this morning. Now before anybody gets their feathers ruffled - I am in NO way saying that God is not perfect or that He has flaws or faults. Nothing could be further from the truth!! But as "new" Christians we have that "fairytale" love and acceptance of the Lord. We just want to be in His presence. We don't expect ANYthing from Him - salvation was more than enough. People call us "radical"and we just fluff it off - "they just don't understand". You look at flowers blooming and gush that He did that just for you. Nobody can say anything to make you doubt your faith or your future. His Word is golden. And you will NOT accept anything the world has to offer any longer - it's ALL God or nothing.

But somewhere along the way - for whatever reason - many of us start listening to the "popular opinion". Start "toning down" our faith to a more "acceptable" decible. Flowers are just weeds that popped up because seeds happened to be scattered there by some passing bird. We start looking for faults and flaws - in His actions...in His Word. We question His motives. We start expecting Him to do things for us...give us things. We try every "10 step program" to get health...prosperity...and then get frustrated and angry at Him when it doesn't work. When adverse things happen to us or around us we accuse Him of letting us down or deserting us. We start looking to the world for comfort...entertainment...advice. At this point, many walk away. Not to the point that they denounce Christ (although some do). But rather they let it become a "marriage of convenience" - no longer do they read or study God's Word...church becomes a duty they perfom once a week for appearances sake....worship is merely the 3 songs they are obligated to sing at church on Sunday.

But the Lord wants you to know it doesn't have to be that way. But you will have to CHOOSE for it not to be. You will have to CHOOSE to stick it out. You will have to CHOOSE to work at it. That means spending time with Him...in His Word..in His presence...in worship - when you don't "feel like it"...when it's not convenient...when it's not popular. Close your ears to the world's "political correctness". Turn to Him for advice...comfort...love. And you will look on Him - in your thoughts...prayers...worship - and somewhere from deep within will come bubbling up this feeling that is so familiar...and sweet!

Do it today...as His return is nigh! I love how The Message Bible puts it:
Rev. 2:4-5 - "But you walked away from your first love—why? What's going on with you, anyway? Do you have any idea how far you've fallen? A Lucifer fall! Turn back! Recover your dear early love. No time to waste, for I'm well on my way to removing your light from the golden circle."

Trusting God

When you really, truly, fully trust God 100% - you can't be a "doormat". Because what others think about or do to you really won't matter. You're able to freely give of yourself and your resources because you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God will completely take care of you - physically, emotionally, substantially.

If you feel you have to "hold back" in any area at all - to avoid being taken advantage of - then you don't fully trust God yet.

Prayer

How much time did you spend with God today? Prayer is the key that opens the door to God. It allows God to release His power. Sure, He can do it without us. He's God. He can do all things. But He instructs us in His word to pray without ceasing. Prayer is a powerful tool. He calls us to pray for our enemies. Prayer lifts up nations and can win wars or end wars. The bible says we must humble ourselves before the Lord and earnestly seek Him, if we don't then we're doing this on our own, out of our strength and those attempts are great but limited and futile because aside from God we can do nothing. Is this why our nation is in desperate trouble, dyre times because God's people have been distracted and because we bought the lies of the enemy and let our minds become clouded with the things of this world? We are God's people we are the watchdogs, we have the truth and we have the biggest guy in the fight on our side and we can help heal our land. This is a promise from God. He says test him in these things. He is faithful and true. Please make prayer a driving force in your lives it will take you places you would never go otherwise. Take just 5 minutes a day and begin there. 5 solid minutes and ask God to lead you in prayer. Make a list of 10 things that you can pray for and ask God to show you on the list what to pray for. Before you know it you will have built a life of prayer. A house isn't built in a day but one brick at a time upon a solid foundation. Don't forget God today. He wants to spend time with you, He loves you. He is our Daddy. Don't plan or live your life penciling Him in. Rather live your life based on Him and pencil in everything around Him. He needs to be the center of your universe, after all He created it. Remember prayer is the key that opens the door. Walk through the doorway and see what He has planned for you, you'll be amazed!

Submitted by Joe Szogedi

The Little Things

So many times I've heard people say that God doesn't care about the little things in our lives. They admit He cares about the big, important details. But they imply that He's too busy or has too many other details to deal with to be bothered by the little things. C'mon!! God is omnipotent!!! He is omni-present!!! How can He possibly be too busy?? He's the Creator of time!! He loves us SO much that He allowed His only Son to be beaten beyond recognition and then killed and THEN go into hell! If He's going to go through all that just so He can have fellowship with us restored, then wouldn't He also care about the tiniest of details in our lives?? Here's an example of how awesome He is and how much He cares:

Today I had to go to a meeting at my son's school. I did not eat lunch before I left. By the time I got back I was pretty hungry. I was standing in my kitchen and said, out loud, "I need to eat something. What will I eat?" No sooner had the words left my mouth when there was a knock on my door. My son opened the door and there stood a friend of mine holding a microwave container with homemade Puerto Rican pork and rice!!! A tiny detail in my life. And it wasn't like my cupboards were bare and I was at risk of starving. As my daughter puts it, "He answered the prayer before I really even prayed." That happened to her Friday. I had run into KMart to get a gift for a baby shower the next day and a Diet Coke for a get together at a friend's house that night. I was whipping past the aisle with the drinks, I felt the Lord tell me to grab a Fuze (special drink she likes) for my daughter. When we got to our friend's house I gave it to her. She started giggling so I asked her why. She said she was kind of disappointed that her brothers had "special drinks" (they bought for themselves) and I had a Diet Coke but she didn't have anything and should have gotten something for herself. But God provided it! Small detail. A year or so back we were without a vehicle for about a month. I was getting rather frustrated about the situation. One night I was in my driveway "venting" to God and simply said "I can't even get my family a gallon of milk!" Down my street drives a friend and asks if I need to go to the store! Small detail. Our lives would not have ended. Our safety or well-being was not on the line. These were small details. But God cares SO much about us that He took care of them. He cares that much for you!

The Child of The King

One day, not so very long ago,
Laid the child of the King
Beaten and bruised, in the street, in the cold.

Beaten and torn she laid there and bled,
Ashamed and dismayed by the life
She had led.

She's lost sight of the palace in which she should grow
As she wandered away to the
Bright lights of the world's show.

She squandered her rank and dismissed her Father's rule
As she danced the devil's dance,
Becoming it's fool.

The King roamed the land and desperately sought her
Until He found this filthy waif
Who resembled His daughter.

She cringed at His sight
And turned away from His hand:
"What must He think of this damsel now damned?"

Tenderly, gently, He lifted her in His arms.
Carrying her boldly away
From further harm.

Disregarding her stench, ignoring her shame
He rejoiced as He carried
The child with His name.

He cleansed her filth.
He bound her wounds.
He bathed her in perfume.
He dressed her in silk.

Proudly He gave her the riches she'd never owned
As He restored to her
Her rank and her home.

Feeling unworthy, she turned to flee
She stopped in her tracks as
She heard her Father's plea:

"I have given mercy, let no fault be found!
Her sins and her shame are the west from the east!
This is MY child in whom I'm well pleased!"

Never doubt for a moment
That this story is true.
For the child in this story is me and is you.

Finally Obedient

At the beginning of this year, 2009, God instructed me to start this blog. It was (and is) a place to share all the wonderful things He has shown, told, and taught me - either directly or through other trusted servants of God. I knew I would be sharing prophecies as well as revelations received through His word - both rhema and logos.

Unfortunately, I was not immediately obedient. I'm sure nobody else can relate - wink, wink, nudge, nudge. Don't get me wrong - I was excited about this new "project" He had given me! I immediately thought of wonderful reveleations He had given me through the years that I would share here! And prophecies! I felt honored! So what happened? Why is my first post coming on the last day of April - with 1/3 of the year already behind me?

Simple - the devil's sly distractions! Since this was from God and for God, it had to be PERFECT...didn't it?? Well thought out and planned, right?? Didn't want to embarass God! Didn't want to embarass God...then what would I say??? How should it look??? What would I call it??? Every detail became an all-important detail that would either bring glory OR shame to the Almighty Himself! I thoroughly researched all possible blog sites - after all picking the "wrong" one could potentially tarnish the name of God, right? Everytime I sat down at the computer there were more details that MUST be worked out to the utmost perfection -wouldn't want to embarass God, right?

I had pushed faith...and God...aside...and put ME in charge. My zeal to please my Lord had become my chains. The power and glory of God's "name" is not dependant upon me or my actions or inactions! God loves me! And His grace is sufficient for me...especailly when stepping out in obedience to Him. He just wanted me to do what He asked. I didn't need to perfect it. It was perfect when it left His throne room! Nothing I can do or say can make it any more perfect or acceptable. And He can more than make up for any mistakes I might make.

For thousands of years there have always been those who received His words and those who didn't. The acceptance of His words has no bearing on the validity of those words or their perfection. It is solely due to the state of the heart of the one reading or hearing His words. And it is the same today and will remain the same until Jesus' reign on this earth is completed. With all my heart I would desire that every person who lays eyes on this blog would receive His words and let them transform their lives! And it is His desire as well! But the plain truth of the matter is that there are some who will not. Some will discard these words. Some will walk away bewildered. But it will not be because I, somehow, missed a detail or didn't plan enough or prepare enough. And it will certainly not be because God is not the Almighty, all powerful, sovereign, Lord of Lords and King of Kings - worthy of all glory and honor! It will simply be a matter of the heart.

So...here it is. I truly hope that each time you "visit", you walk away with a better understanding of God...of yourself...and your relationship with Him. And are changed - for the better.