WE ARE CHRIST'S FRAGRANCE...

The Bible says we are the aroma (fragrance) of Christ. Let's spread that fragrance around!

2 Corinthians 2:15, : For we are to God the aroma of Christ, among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.




Wednesday, May 29, 2013

May we hem our lives with prayer...

May we hem our lives and families and homes in 


prayer so that it doesn't fall apart..

He is our everything!


When in our times of deepest need, distress and pain let us lift up our eyes unto the hills from where comes our help!
Let's put our trust and hope in Him alone!
For those who believe in Him will never be put to shame!
Hallelujah!

Proverbs 29:25, ".......whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe."
Isaiah 49:23, "......... those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”
Psalm 31:24, "Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord."
Romans 10:11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”

Sunday, May 26, 2013

"Redeeming the time,......


Ephesians 5:16
"Redeeming the time, because the days are evil."
Time lost is lost forever!
Its said " A person who wastes 15 mins every hour, will waste 25 years of his life if he lived for a 100 years."
It's also said, "A man who sleeps 8 hrs a day and lives to be 75 yrs has actually spent 1/3rd of his life sleeping."
And other than this 8 hrs of sleep, how much time we waste doing, seeing and reading things that do not help us or edify us in anyway.
At the end of the day we finally we have no time for quite times with God, prayer and Bible reading or this is just a quick affair.
It's said "Time" and "Tide" waits for no man.
~Sometimes we look back at wasted opportunities to serve God.
Instead of looking back, we can start right now to live as Christ wants us to live.
~Let's not waste our time in useless pleasures.
When we come to the final hour and stand face to face with God, we will regret for so many hours wasted in self-gratification.
....Have a blessed week....
Julia

•*¨*•☆☆FOOTSTEPS IN THE DARK☆☆•*¨*•¸



Micah 7:8 "....when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me."

•*¨*•☆☆FOOTSTEPS IN THE DARK☆☆•*¨*•¸
~Unknown ~
I do not hear your footsteps
as you approach me sitting in silence
my eyes glazed, staring out the window
at the early morning newness.

I do not hear your footsteps
as a tear runs down my face
overwhelmed with oceans of emotion
as I whisper a prayer to you.

I do not hear your footsteps
as I lift my words to you
hoping with my heart and soul
that you will hear my desperate words.

I do not hear your footsteps
as I feel a comfort sweep through me
like a warm breeze in the spring
or a blanket wrapped around me in winter.

I do not hear your footsteps
as I begin to feel a strength
from deep within it grows
and I know I am not alone.

I do not hear your footsteps
but I feel your presence there
now knowing I'm not alone
I can feel your loving rush through me.

I do not hear your footsteps as I end my silent prayer
but, as I stand to face whatever the day will bring
I know that your footsteps will never walk the other way...
I had to write this after sitting at the kitchen table this morning. It was quiet. The hour was early and the world was still sleeping. I looked out the window and felt the need to pray. As I did, my eyes misted with tears and although frightened, I knew that I was not alone. I wrote this small poem/prayer to convey the feelings I had, but know that the words do not do it justice. I don't know if any ever will. It's my hope that when you are in need, you "hear" the silent footsteps of God, coming to your side and comforting you like a child. For that's what we all are, to me.
No matter what your age, we are children of God who will never be abandoned by our Father -- no matter what !
~unknown~
•*¨*•☆☆☆☆•*¨*•¸
" Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to an all-knowing God."
( Corrie ten Boom)

" WHILE WE WORRY ABOUT HOW FAST WE GROW, GOD IS CONCERNED ABOUT HOW STRONG WE GROW."

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Soar like an Eagle....


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 Eagle is an amazing bird. 
The Bible says in Psalm 103:5 and Isaiah 40:31 that He renews our youth and strength like an Eagles!

♬♬Psalm 103:5 "..who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."
♬♬Isaiah 40:31 "but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."


It's said,"An eagle’s eye is probably the sharpest of any animals, with four to eight times the resolving power of a person’s eye. It can spot a rabbit nearly a mile away, from an altitude of 1,000 feet. It can also sight fish swimming below the surface of the water."
They are called the lions of the sky. Bald eagles carry some 7,000 feathers from head to tail. Their feathers are lightweight, hollow and flexible, yet very strong. The eagle’s feathers protect the bird from inclement weather, including excessive heat, cold winds and snow. Due to their sophisticated feather system, this bird is able to regulate its body temperature simply by changing the position of its feathers.
Did you know the eagle's wings were designed for soaring? It's said, "The bald eagle has a wing span of 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 feet. They are not created for short flights."

Eagles wings are strong and powerful. Eagles are noted in the Bible for their strength, power, swiftness, endurance and for their loving care of the young...
God's Word says in,
♬♬Exodus 19:4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.
♬♬Deuteronomy 32:11 "like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them aloft."

Let's soar....
Julia

Keep moving along....



Someone wrote..
"Trusting God may not make the mountain smaller but sure will make the climbing easier."
Some of us are so weighed down by our burdens and keep grumbling most of the time.
Let's hold on to God's promises and keep moving.
I happened to read a blog,
Posted by Susan,
which is an imagination of a writer as to what God would say to some of us who are carrying a heavy burden, that slows our spiritual walk.
Be Blessed...
YSIC,
Julia
Keep Walking Along

I know the heartbreaks that sometimes alight on you when you least expect them. Expected or not, they hurt. But even when you feel your heart is breaking, you do know that troubles melt away, and that, relatively speaking, your worst trouble is always the present one. Even in the moment of heartache, you know that your seeming cause isn't really all that bad. You've had as bad or worse, and you know that there are many in the world who would be glad to have your troubles.
Maybe what hurts your heart isn't worthy of all the attention and woe you pour on it.

Yes, it is easy to say that it doesn’t matter all that much. It’s easy to say the heartache you feel will go away.
I am sorry for any pain you feel. I am sorry that too often the pain seems to come from those you love the most.
I am sorry that you feel heartache at all. I do not make light of it, yet I must tell you that you are the cause of your own suffering.
When you carry a suitcase, and it gets too heavy, you put it down.
Will you treat troubles in the same way?
When you have a full trash bag, you tie it nicely and put it in a barrel or out at the side of the road.
 Can you not do that with your heartaches as well?
Please do not keep heartache to you.
When it rains, you know it stops.
You do not have to anguish over the rain. You didn’t want the rain, yet it rained. So now dry yourself off. Getting wet isn’t the end of the world, nor are your heartaches.
And your heartaches are not the end of your happiness. You will know happiness again. When your heart is breaking, you think that heartache is the theme of life when, all the while, happiness is.
I gave you a dowry of happiness.
I did not pack a bag of grief for you.
What if this recent unhappy thing that happened is actually a good thing? What if you heard something you needed to hear? You didn’t want to hear it, yet, right or wrong, it could still be something good for you to hear. At the very least, it puts you now at a stepping-off place. Turning a corner is not a bad thing. A deep change in your perception may be hard for you, yet it can still be good.
You are finding out the metal you are made of.
You are made of stronger stuff than you knew. Your backbone is straightened.
When you let go of your sense of dismalness, you will know you have climbed a mountain. You were in the valley. Now you can climb another mountain and rise to a higher peak from where you can see further and more clearly.



You are really all right.
Your feelings matter to you very much, of course, but the extent to which you let your feelings matter may not be necessary. Holding feelings that damage you or another certainly isn’t what you want.
Often in life, the thing to do is to simply shrug your shoulders and keep on walking along.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

He knows, He sees, He feels and He understands...



Let us never ever think our Lord Jesus Christ doesn't know our pains and understand what we go through.
Bro. John writes>
quote>>
He has worked in the hot sun with sweat pouring off His brow. 
He has felt the pangs of hunger and thirst. 
His feet have been caked with the dust of many Judean roads, 
His back has felt the whip, and His hands have felt the nails. 
His cheeks have felt the hot tears course down them. He’s known the betrayal of friends and has felt the stares of contempt and hatred. 
And He has felt the sting of death of family members and friends. 
<
Whatever trial or test you may be facing right now, He knows. He understands.
 And He is praying for us and He is with us!
Be blessed...
Julia

Monday, May 20, 2013

Press on...do not quit...breakthrough on the way...



Is the road bumpy?
 Don't stop...
Can't see what lies ahead?
God will make a way, where there seems to be no way....
Is the Night dark(it's meant to be so)?
 Don't quit...Light will break forth soon...
Has the wait been long?
 Hold on...your answer is on the way...
God is watching, our God is faithful and He is a God of surprises.
Many battles are lost at the discouragement and disappointment.
~The Payment due may be on it's way.
~The apology may be in the making,
~The healing will come,
~Restoration on the way,
~The job contract getting ready
So...don't quit.
Remember..."QUITTERS NEVER WIN AND WINNERS NEVER QUIT."
ISAIAH 40: 31.."but those who hope in the LORD 
       will renew their strength. 
       They will soar on wings like eagles; 
       they will run and not grow weary, 
       they will walk and not be faint."
Hold on and don't give up.

YSIC,
Julia

Will we be like Him?



When Our Lord Jesus Christ came back for His body will we look like Him?
EPHESIANS 5:1, "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children"
May the Holy Spirit help us to reflect Christ in all we do and say.
May Christ's all loving, never failing love govern our hearts and minds.
Our Lord is Holy and He will come back of a spotless and blameless bride and God's faithful to complete the good work He started in us and perfect us so that the day we see Him we will be like Him.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
☆1 John 3:2
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is."

Sounds of Summer~Author unknown


Summer is a wonderful time of the year
It makes people ecstatic and brimming with cheer
When we rise in the morning with the sun shining so bright

We listen to the birdies melodies with so much delight
The trees are so attractive amid their leaves so green

While the grass obtained its color from its long winter dream
The flowers are multicolored of red, white, yellow, pink green and blue 


That radiates in various aromas for me or for you
The squirrels are in a frenzy rousting about
While listening to the children as they frolic and shout 

There's swimming and hunting and fishing galore
While the beachcombers are at leisure on the dry sunny shore 


The fish are forming schools in the deep blue sea
Avoiding the obstacles they encounter from you or from me

The wildlife are enjoying their freedom at bay
In hopes that no predators will stand in their way
The butterflies are dancing their way through the air
As the warm gentle breeze blows softly through our hair

The stars are brightly shining on the serene summer night ...
While the campfires are crackling with the moon oh So...Bright 

Summer is a season to cherish its fantastic! Its divine
Creating a world without summer simply wasn't God's design.
~UNKNOWN~
PRAISE YAHWEH for HIS BEAUTIFUL CREATION!!!

You are worthy in His eyes!



Sometimes we confuse our self-worth with how others treat us. But we need to know that we are worthy of extravagant love - the kind of love that motivated Jesus to die for us.
Our identity in Christ makes us His precious, prized possession. Because we are created in His image and we belong to Him.
We are all loved by the God of this Universe, who sent His only begotten Son JESUS CHRIST to die for all man kind.
Each one of us his children are precious in God's sight!
Have a blessed week,
Julia

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Being a good Samaritan....


We were wounded, lost, backslidden, struggling one day but our Lord found us where we are and reached out in love....
We see people who are wounded, hurting, lost, backslidden even today...
how do we react?


A COLLECTION OF ATTITUDES FROM
THE LIFE APPLICATION STUDY BIBLE.

To the Lawyer the wounded man was a subject to discuss.
To the robbers the wounded man was someone to use and exploit.
To the religious men, the wounded man was a problem to be avoided
To the Samaritan, the wounded man was a human being worth being cared for and loved.
To the innkeeper, the wounded man was a customer to serve.
TO JESUS ALL OF THEM WERE WORTH DYING FOR.
Jesus used the story of the good Samaritan to make clear what attitude was acceptable to Him!

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

He refines us so that we are whiter than snow...



Someone said..
"Troubles are like a washing machine.They twist, turn & knock us around but in the end we come out cleaner."
 I guess it's right!
If we see the trials of life as a refining and strengthening agent we sure will come out not just cleaner but stronger!
Let the trials we face not break our heart so that we  become bitter and give up. They may seem to  break us down but only to build us up so that we can be all that God intended us to be as better, refined and stronger individuals.
Even our God sometimes permits us to walk through fiery tests, not to burn us but refine us, so that we come out as gold! 
Zechariah 13:9
  "This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”
Malachi 3:3
  "He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the Lord An offering in righteousness."

Psalm 51:7
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Be Blessed,
Julia 

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Nothing is hidden from God....


God's Word says...
Psalm 33:14,"from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth—"
and...
Hebrews 4:13 "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."
Our God watches over all who live on earth, so we His children sure can keep no secrets from our God, He is El Roi, The God who sees you and me.
Since we have a God who watches our every step and move, it's better we confess our wrong doings and not dismiss or deny it!
When we confess and repent He forgives!
Is there any place to hide from God?
Job 34:21 “His eyes are on the ways of mortals;
he sees their every step. 22 There is no deep shadow, no utter darkness,  where evildoers can hide."

The Psalmist knew there was no place where his God could not see him and so he wrote...
Psalm 139:7 "Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
 if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
 if I settle on the far side of the sea,"

Thank God...He watches over us!
Be blessed..
Julia

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Reject a divisive man (Compiled)


Titus 3:9-11
Avoid Dissension
9 But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. 10 Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.


(Notes: Paul is telling Titus as well as the other church leaders on Crete to stand aloof so that he will avoid foolish unprofitable and worthless speculations. Those who taught these things listed below not only polluted and corrupted the churches but, by their sinful lifestyles hindered the credibility of the gospel. How does this type of leaven corrupt the church? The NT gives several effects of false teaching -- It unsettles the soul (Acts 15:24), shipwrecks faith (1Ti 1:19), leads to the ruin of the hearers (2Ti 2:14-note), produces ungodliness (2Ti 2:16-note), and spreads “like gangrene” (2Ti 2:17-note).

2 Timothy 2:16 But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.

(Notes: Paul is commanding young Timothy to
turn yourself about so that you will avoid worldly, empty talk. Continually place yourself at a distance from it and stand aloof from it. It is unprofitable for the things of eternity and in fact actually leads to ungodliness!)


Acts 25:7 And after Paul had arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him which they could not prove;"
(Notes: Acts 25:7And when he was come>>
Into court:

the Jews which came down from Jerusalem;>>
along with Festus, perhaps the high priest with the elders, and Tertullus the orator, as before:
stood round about;>>
either the Apostle Paul, or the judgment seat; the witnesses and accusers were to stand, as well as the person accused;
And laid many and grievous complaints against Paul; which they could not prove;>>
for his moral conversation, both before and after conversion, was very strict and conformable to the laws of God and man; and yet as pure and inoffensive as he was, he was not exempt from the calumnies of men; and these many and very grievous; but it was his happiness, and to his honour through the grace of God, that his enemies could not make good anyone thing against him.)
Romans 16:17-18,
I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.


(Notes: Watch Out for Those Who Cause Divisions
The first command in verse 17 is to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles or stumbling blocks. “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles.” So it is clear from this command that Paul is concerned about unity. He wants to promote unity. Watch out for those who cause divisions. These are enemies of unity. Watch out for them. I don’t want them to have that effect on you.
Avoid Them
The second command in verse 17 is to avoid these people. The last phrase in the verse: “Avoid them.” Stay away from them. Now the reason I said these two commands sound contradictory is that the first one is driven by a passion for unity: Watch out for those who cause divisions. And the second one is, in fact, a call for division. When you spot such a division-causing person, divide from him. Avoid him.
The Dividing Line of Doctrine
What is it then between these two commands that helps us see how they are not in fact contradictory? It’s Paul’s reference to doctrine. Verse 17: “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught.” The issue here is not the same as in chapter 14 where Paul is dealing with different convictions about non-essential things. There he said, in verse 5, “Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” There was no talk in chapter 14 about avoiding people. The whole point was to help the strong and the weak Christians live together in mutual respect and understanding.

But now here in Romans 16:17, the approach is dramatically different. Here Paul says: Avoid them. Divide from them. Why? Because they are promoting doctrine contrary to what they had been taught. Now Paul’s response to this could have been: Well, nobody has all the truth, and everybody has a piece of it, and unity is more important than truth, and so don’t divide. And we would say: That impulse would not be all bad, would it? Unity is a good thing. Paul cares about it. His first command is: “Watch out for those who cause divisions.”)

Thursday, May 9, 2013

What God thinks about us is what matters...



Can someone who has not spent a day with us know us better than God does?
Then whose report will we choose to believe?
God’s for sure!
Let's believe in the One who lives in us.
I choose to believe in the One(Jesus Christ my Lord) who saved me 32 years back!
For He knows me inside out. Nothing is hidden from Him.
He knows my entire past that was spent without Him and He forgave me and remembers it no more!
He has watched my every step after I chose to follow Him and was there to pick me up when I fell.
He never ever left me, He is still working on me, I know the day I see Him I will be like Him!
So it’s what our God says or think that really matters!
He loves each of us with an everlasting love!
Let's walk in the love and fear of the Lord!
Keep serving the King...let NOTHING separate you from His love!
Julia 

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Life is not always a pathway strewn with flowers....



Hi..
God did not promise....
Pathway strewn with flowers,
A life free of pain,
Skies always blue,
A bed of roses,
Only sunshine with no rain,
Only joy & not sorrows,
No heart breaking incident...

But He has promised.....

Grace for the trials,
Light for the way,
Strength when we are weak,
A lift when we fall,
His undying love,
His presence with us at all time!
To mend a broken heart..
This gives me the courage to keep walking this narrow Path...
What about you?
Our God's with us not just when life is easy and like a walk on bed of roses, but also through our darkest, worst, painful moments and when the path is not easy!
When we walk the difficult path let us remember this verse,
" For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39) 
Be Blessed..
Julia

Friday, May 3, 2013

Quench not the Fire...


Let us live worthy of the calling for the One who called us is Holy(1 Peter 1:15) and live a chosen, victorious, conquering, and loving life filled with the power and the fire of the Holy Spirit!
We who are called by His Name are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that we may proclaim the praises of Him who called Who out of darkness into His marvelous light(1 Peter 2:9)!
O Lord Jesus Christ, let Your Fire fall on us, baptizes us with fire(Matthew 3:11) and help us not to quench the Spirit(1 Thessalonians 5:19) nor grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom we were sealed for the day of redemption(Ephesians 4:30).

If our Savior lifted us out of the pit of sin, He is faithful to present us blameless and spotless to His Father.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it."
Our Lord mends broken vessels...and He is a does total makeovers to completely messed up souls...no one is beyond repair to God.
May we be an yielded vessel in His hands, so that He can make us into the vessel of His choice...

Have a blessed day...
Julia