Category: testimonial

The Test of Free Will

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Gen. 2:19-20)

We have all been created with free will. According to theological perspectives, God generally does not override human free will to protect us from our own choices. God can however intervene in circumstances and influence hearts, I know that personally because He has done it in me. Free will is considered essential for genuine love and moral responsibility. This is actually a gift from God that allows us humans to choose to love and obey God, rather than being forced to do so. We are free to make choices, just like in the Garden of Eden, but remember we are also responsible for the consequences of those choices just as Adam and Eve were. I have recently had to make a choice on to how to handle a situation based off of my free will, not a heaven or hell issue, but a moral response that I would have to live with for the rest of my life here on earth. I will say it was definitely a life altering one. This choice was going to permanently change my life, my perspective as well as my future path. On the other hand it was going to be a positive, transformative moment in my life, allowing for more spiritual growth, rest in my spirit, knowing that I had made the right choice for me. I am learning the importance of true rest, not just sleeping, but resting. I have spent a lot of my life restless, tired, worn out all due to choices I have made, that thing called free will. Free will if not taken seriously, is not free at all. The older I get the more peace means to me. Peace of mind, the restfulness of knowing I’ve made right choices regardless of the outlook of others. God tells us in (Joshua 24:15) “choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” Decide your own path. I’m choosing the path He is directing me in. I highly advise getting to know the promptings of the Holy Spirit, though God does not stop us from making bad choices, He does influence, nudge or create circumstances that will steer us toward making good decisions if we are paying attention. God is sovereign, and he does protect believers from harm, but it doesn’t mean every bad choice is blocked or reversed, so we still have to be careful when making choices. Again, it’s so important to be still and quiet and listen before making a choice. Remember bearing the responsibility of our choices whether good or bad is ours to bear. That’s the gift of free will. What sort of choices do you need to make today?

Trust In God

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:13)

Life comes with lots of questions, decisions to be made, and a lot of pondering until you finally take a leap of faith. Bold faith that God is true and His Word is truth, that He has given you everything you need through the Holy Spirit. Our goal is to overflow with confidence in God’s promises, even in difficult circumstances. There is no way my human self could ever achieve these things without the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. He causes me to overflow with expectancy, full of assurance that He is the one in control, which brings me much confidence and comfort when I am searching for the strength to move forward.

Father God, I pray for myself as well as all who are reading this that may be in need of hope today. I pray we recognize you are the source of all hope; I ask that you fill us with joy and peace through our trust in you. I pray that by your Holy Spirit’s power; You would bring us an abundance of hope, inward peace vs. human optimism. I ask that you put people in our paths today that would bring encouragement, especially for those facing loss whether in physical death, broken relationships, jobs, etc. Remove all confusion from our minds and help us to dare to make decisions based on Your truths. To speak firmly to the mountain that is in front of us and to have the strength to persevere with passion knowing we have put our trust wholly in You, Amen.

Don’t Mistake a Blessing for a Curse

Nehemiah 13:2b -yet our God turned the curse into a blessing.

If you are living in misery, you are NOT living in your blessing. If you are feeling condemned, lacking favor, desolate, unhappy, forsaken, damned, cursed or living in unforgiveness, you are NOT living in your blessing. There have been times in life I have felt all the above, certain I had missed out on or even had had my blessing taken from me, and actually I have had things taken from me more times than I can count, yet I realize the things I thought should have blessed me, were NOT the blessing at all. I also realize that God is the giver of ALL good gifts. He is the only One that can turn a curse into a blessing and I know I am blessed beyond the curse for His promise will endure and JOY, is gonna be my STRENGTH! You can find it all over in the Bible; Numbers, Lamentation, Joshua, Nehemiah, 2 Corinthians, Galatians are just a few place. Maybe you lost your job due to someone else’s actions or you applied for a job and was turned down for a reason that makes no sense to you. Both of these things actually happened to my husband a few years back. Here’s a personal testimony of mine I’ll share; I was robbed several years back. I had four of my grandchildren living with me at the time, I was also a substitute teacher at our local public school where my grandchildren attended when the robbery occurred, which is where we were at that very time, my husband was at his job as well. So the first blessing was that no one was home at the time of the break-in. When the kids and I got home the front door was still open, so I took the kids back to the car, called 911 and waited. My husband got home about the time the police arrived and they had the kids and I stay outside until they searched the house and found it to be safe to enter. When I got in there I was in shock at the things that were taken. It was EVERYTHING of mine. EVERY sentimental thing I had, an early 1900’s safe that had been in my family for years, all my jewelry, things of my childrens and grandchildrens memabillias I had been holding on for my entire life, the lamp beside my bed which the necklace I wore when we were married hung from the switch that turned it on. Right down to my clothes, including undergarments, along with some other things such as guitar and computer, etc. but mostly EVERYTHING that was gone was mine. I was devastated to say the least, because I am a very sentimental person. For the next 48 hours I was a mess, I couldn’t see how I would ever get any peace about this, I had been violated once again in my life and why? Was there a curse on my life? The questions that were going through my mind were of course due to shock and well of course fear which is nothing more than lies from the devil. After that 48 hours I heard the Lord tell me I was blessed. You can imagine what that might have been like, hearing I was blessed after all that. But this is what I heard God say as if He were standing right beside me. “He had protected my family, none of us were harmed and as for all of my belongings; I wasn’t going to be able to take any of those things with me when I leave this world, the ONLY thing I was going to be able to take were other souls and at the time the souls He was talking about were my four grandchildren that I was raising at the time.” Blessed I was; all four of my grandchildren ended up receiving the Lord as their personal Savior and were ALL baptized while in my care. When you’re not feeling blessed, give those feeling, thoughts, and circumstances over to God. God’s ways and our ways are not the same. What looks like misfortune or a curse to us, He says is a blessing. When in question, I just pray and I don’t act until I have a knowing in my spirit what will lead me to my blessing. Trust me there is a blessing. Have I ever missed it, sure, who hasn’t? Misfortunes happen to us all in some form or another, but so do blessings. Thank you Jesus for redeeming me from the curse of the law and may the LORD bless each person reading this and keep you and make His face shine upon you, Amen.

Com’n In A Shout’n

Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre! (Psalm 149:3)

Sunday morning worship is the BEST. I’m not a good singer nor do I have instrumental talent, that’s why I love Sunday morning worship, these people on stage do. They are prayed up and anointed to bring the congregation into His presence. I’m not shy when it comes to worshipping my Lord and Savior. I throw up hands, I will jump, sway, stomp a foot all the while thanking God that no one else can hear me, but Him. Now at home or in my car it’s a whole different story, I let it rip. I’m all in. I love that no matter what I sound like, to God it is beautiful and He delights that my heart is focused on Him and He thinks this is the sweetest sound ever. Isn’t that just like a father? Always seeing the best in his child even when no one else can. Sometimes I just can’t help myself, I get this beating in my heart and overwhelmed sense of gratitude, for how much He loves me. I become so humbled before Him for all the goodness He has done for me, I mean geez …He saved my life! He set my feet upon a rock, He turned my life around, broke the chains that once had me bound, brought joy in the morning after nights of darkness, delivered me from SOooo many things, healed the deep wounds within me, gave me a reason to live, He set me FREE! It makes me want to SHOUT! I feel new strength and hope once I have been in His presence through worship. That is my best description of “JOY.” Nobody can love me like that and I’m gonna let Him know! You know God doesn’t just love to hear us sing praises to Him, it is a declaration of our trust in Him. It shows Him our surrender when we will humble ourselves and worship Him. He actually views it as an act of obedience, adoration, and a pleasant offering. God “inhabits” or dwells within the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3), affirming His presence. It shows Him that Jesus Christ really does dwell within us. So if you ever see me shouting praises to God, just know God is rejoicing over it.

Practical Advice

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7)

I’m just full of practical advice like, Going hunting? You might spend some time at a gun range or target practicing first. Want to lose weight? Eat things you don’t like, you’ll eat less. Want to save money? Quit spending. Things always breaking down? Try regular maintenance. You have no peace? Stop dwelling on things that you can’t fix anyway. Don’t like what some people are saying about you? Stop saying things about some people. Don’t like the rain? Be patient it will stop. Can’t sleep? Don’t take things to bed with you that don’t belong there. Your family falling apart? A family that prays together, stays together. Clothes don’t fit? Lose weight, gain weight or buy new clothes. I could go on forever, but I have more to say regarding practical advice. There is a thing called “Biblical Practical Advice.” It focuses on applying wisdom to our daily lives. Some of the key principles would be: practicing empathy, managing finances wisely, working with diligence, maintaining patience, cultivating healthy, respectful relationships. We should be better listeners than we are talkers. Learn the “Golden Rule” do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Don’t speak disrespectfully about others. Don’t take revenge on those that have wronged you, instead show kindness whenever possible. Work like your working for the Lord. Be like the ant in (Proverbs 6:6-8), be faithful in small things, baby-steps. “I am a BABY-STEPPER.” Stop trying to impress everyone, focus on impressing the One who matters. Be patient, it builds character and it shows God is in control not you. Avoid arrogance, “Do not cast the first stone” and be honest about your own mistakes before criticizing others. Use your personal gifts to benefit others rather than for selfish gain and actively forgive others, recognizing everyone makes mistakes. Now how many of these do you think I have down? If I was to be honest, I’d say NONE. Every day I have to repent in one area or another. But, knowing all these things gives me direction on where I want to be. I can set realistic goals, ones that are obtainable. Bottom line the Bible is full of Practical Advice. It is our instruction book for life, life more abundantly. So next time you find yourself struggling in an area, open it up. Get you some good “Biblical Practical Advice” that’s also called, Wisdom.

Bread and Water

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst'” (John 6:35)

I just want to share a little about my Blog. When I began this, I really had no idea where it was going or who would read it and I was okay with that. I needed to write more than I needed people to read, what I did know was God was speaking to me. He first spoke the words Bread and Water to me. I knew right then that was the domain name for my Blog. I also knew I was a sinner saved by grace which in turn gave me a tagline; “Personal experiences and revelations of a sinner saved by grace.” A slogan; “Overflowing in grace” my life story. Lastly, my logo; a photo of a wall plaque a man from our church over 25 years ago had made for a housewarming gift for us; “Jesus Living Water.” All that I am writing about are things He is currently or has in the past spoken to me directly, whether through the written Word of God, or a knowing in my spirit, or by word or a sentence of words that suddenly come to mind, which usually becomes a title to a blog at some point. I love to take pictures, picture of all kinds and sometimes I look at a photo that I’ve taken and suddenly there’s a Blog. My Blog is an example of my life with Him, what it looks like in recorded form. Blogging is also a way for me to unleash some things that bring discomfort or uncertainty in my life. It allows me to focus on Him verses the chaos that is going on around me or even just in my mind. I have always been a person given to journaling; it is great therapy. It allows my mind time to sit in the silence, it brings a calm in my storm, and I hear the whisper of the Holy Spirit giving me that feeling of inner guidance. I am able to reflect on life circumstances and writing down my thoughts help me recognize spiritual insights. I feel a real heart-to-heart connection with God in these moments. A lot of the writings are personal, yet sincere conversations between me and the Lord and I feel that others can glean from them as I do, at least that is my prayer. This picture aside from what the woman looks like, is truly a picture of me, what I look like when preparing for writing a blog. I have my Bible, my 13 little notes scattered all around me, and I am sitting ever so intently listening. I also have days when I do not hear anything and it’s just a time of silence and waiting, reflecting or ruminating on a word, or a moment. This is my time. I don’t believe life allows for a lot of “MY TIME,” you just have to make it happen and cherish it like a newborn baby. Originally writing a Blog was my husband’s idea simply because he was aware of how much writing does for me. I thought, why not? I’d just like to say, thanks to him for knowing me so well, and knowing what I needed more than I did. I pray any and all who read my Blog will be blessed in some way and a big thank you for taking your precious time to read it.

ONE Way

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

I was at a funeral this week for a man that was given just a few weeks to live. This man had experienced hell on earth in many different ways, and he had a faith in Jesus that what Jesus did on that cross was real and it was for him, death would not win because Jesus had already conquered death once and for all. He knew in just a few short days he was going to Heaven and Jesus was the only way there. He wasn’t scared, NO fear! He knew the devil was real and he was a liar. He had the Holy Spirit living in him, guiding him through all truth, it just resonated in his whole being. No questions what-so-ever, truth is truth, believe it or not, he believed and we should too. The day of the funeral was a celebration day, not a sad day, because how could we be sad about where he was? A place we all want to go to one day. Of course he will be missed by many, but the awesome part of that for those of us that know the truth, we know that we are just going through a temporary separation and soon we will all be together once again. Our friend is not gone for good; he is in heaven awaiting our arrival. When the Pastor was with our friend shortly before he left this earth, he asked him, “are you okay?” Meaning did he have any reservations about what was about to take place. The Pastor said, “In the 20 years of being with those that are dying, I never met a person so prepared, so sure and so ready to go” and not because he was suffering or in pain, though he was, but because he was just that certain of where he was going. We would be wise to prepare ourselves for the truth in such a way as our friend did. Death is not the end; it’s the beginning of a life that we will never be able to obtain here. We will have for the first time a direct, unhindered communion with God. To actually be in His presence, the “Heaven of heavens” a place where our souls find true rest. So, the answer to the question is: Yes, Jesus is the ONLY way to get there.

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9-10)

Prayer of Salvation “Dear Heavenly Father, I come to You in the Name of Jesus. I confess that I am a sinner, and I believe that Jesus you died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead. I ask you Jesus, come into my heart and be Lord over my life. I repent of my sins, and I trust in You alone for my salvation. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

By the Grace of God

But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:10)

God’s grace has made me who I am today, just as Paul saw his conversion from “persecutor” to “apostle to the Gentiles” to be a free and wholly underserved gift of God. I to have been set free through the salvation provided for me through the precious blood of Jesus. Sin has a way of creeping in, and God has provided a way to be freed from it. Easter is approaching and I have had Jesus on my mind and just what all He endured for me to have this freedom. Many years ago, an evangelist came to my home church and his message was titled, ‘The Price Has Been Paid.” I was a new Christian at the time, so I was just learning of this thing called forgiveness of sins and how, who and what all could be forgiven. This message was so intense in how he described what Jesus went through, from the drinking of the cup, what all was in that cup, to the way to the cross and finally on the cross. By the time he finished his message I was bawling. I couldn’t believe God would allow His Son to go through all of that for me. I knew I was a sinner in need of a Savior, but I never expected my Savior would have to pay such a price as that. As a mother I have sacrificed. As a wife I have sacrificed. As a friend I have sacrificed. I have never sacrificed like that. I remember the one area of forgiveness I was struggling most in was, forgiving myself. At that time, I had a knowing that God had forgiven me, others had forgiven me, but I was hung up on forgiving myself. I felt so bad about certain things I had done in my life, but there was a part in this teaching that night about forgiving ourselves. This was the part that changed everything for me. Ivan Tait the evangelist said, “If you cannot forgive yourself, you are saying to Jesus that He didn’t pay a big enough price for your sins.” That was all it took. I knew that moment it was time to lay it down at the feet of Jesus. Since then whenever I find myself being convicted of something, I don’t hold on to it, He paid the price for me to be who I am, and His mercy and grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9). I have received that unmerited favor, I didn’t earn it, it was a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9) free to me because He paid the price. Today again, I thank you Jesus; for what you have done for me, transforming me through your power and love.

Joy Unspeakable

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

Yesterday was such a refreshing in my soul. My husband and I spent the entire day enjoying being in the elements of this beautiful nature God created for us. We get so busy just doing life that we don’t take enough time to simply bask in His presence, allowing our souls to be filled with joy, “unspeakable joy.” The trees are in bloom, the waterfalls and streams are flowing from the spring rains, flowers are budding. The forecast was: God reigns and the Son shines, it was a beautiful day. A day to be taken in with every breath, exhaling with all thanks and gratitude. There is none like You Lord. As much as I enjoyed the day, spending it with my husband riding the trails on our ATV’s, I couldn’t help but see God everywhere. I would be rolling right along and suddenly come to an almost stop in awe of His wonderful creation before me. The cliffs of the rocks and how flowers were blooming out of them. A trunk of a tree that some animal had managed to create a home for himself. The ripples in the water and the rocks how they had changed over so many years and the sound of the water flowing was so soothing to my ears, so peaceful. True joy and fulfilment can only be found in God’s presence, and I was certainly there in His presence. I knew our time of joy out there was going to end soon, but my intimacy with God is a lasting satisfaction and joy. This day was temporary, like many things we do in life, but God offers us everlasting, eternal blessings and happiness, rather than just temporary, earthly pleasure. My destination yesterday was Mill Creek Trails, my destination with God is a place of security, peace, and eternal reward, “Joy Unspeakable.”

Time Out

But He would withdraw to desolate places and pray (Luke 5:16)

Jesus frequently withdrew from crowds to pray, it was a continual practice of regularly withdrawing and praying, prioritizing his ministry over meeting every demand. I recently deactivated my Facebook for 7 days, I needed a time out. I have found that occasionally it is important for me to turn off social media to allow myself time to get closer to God. Sometimes I have things that just don’t make sense to me or my heart may be hurt or feeling like I need a little help getting through some issue, this time I was at a loss for words and didn’t know why. Proverbs 4:23 instructs us to protect our hearts, which means to set boundaries to protect our mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. So, in order for me to be the best I can be at the things God has called me too I sometimes, like Jesus need a time out to pray, to seek Him. Galatians 6:5; Each of us has to bear our own load. Our actions and choices allows us to set limits/boundaries on the things that are getting in the way of us spending that crucial “time out” with God, without feeling guilted. Setting boundaries is not unkind; it is a form of self-respect. Before crucial decisions or during high stress times, Jesus would withdraw to maintain his connection with God the Father and avoid the noise. I to have found that just deactivating social media is not enough, it sometimes requires not talking to anyone during that time too. A real sabbatical experience. You may find people that can’t understand that, but even the disciples in Mark 1:36-37 said to Jesus, “everyone is looking for you.” Peter and the others only see the needs so they don’t understand why Jesus went away to pray. Once Jesus has finished he is then able to go on and do what the Father has called him too and I too can do the same. Immediately after the time out I heard exactly what the Lord wanted me to say. My intentionality for writing had not left me, but I knew I could not write without His leading and now I was prepared once again. You see, being intentional about “EVERYTHING” in my life, means “EVERYTHING!” I matter, my health matters, my sanity matters, relationships that don’t question my actions and choices of what is best for me matters, my calling matters, most importantly what God says to me matters most. Jesus is my example, when I don’t know what to do; what would Jesus do? He took a time out and prayed, he set boundaries and I did the same. Just being Intentional.