STAND UP AND BE RECOGNIZED...

Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. STAND UP AND BE RECOGNIZED FOR YOUR FAITH! MAKE YOUR PRESENCE KNOWN BEFORE ALL THE WORLD AND BEFORE MAN. SHINE WITH THE LIGHT EMBEDDED WITHIN YOU AND GRACED BY GOD HIMSELF. MOVE MOUNTAINS AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THIS WORLD. GOD HAS HIS HANDS ON YOU AND WANTS NOTHING MORE THAN YOUR ALLEGIANCE, HONOR, AND PRAISE. THIS IS YOUR TIME, A TIME LAID BEFORE YOU BY GOD. MAKE HIM PROUD!!!! DO NOT BE ASHAMED BUT YET BE PROUD OF YOUR ABBA FATHER, YOUR SAVIOR AND MAKE HIM KNOWN TO ALL. SHARE THE LIGHT GIVEN YOU WITH ALL YOUR HEART. PRAISE JESUS!!!!

Lord help us be a light than complain about the dark!

In midst of all the pain, heartache, trials and difficulties

 of daily life, Lord help us to cast our burdens on You 

and not to miss out on Your Goodness, Mercy, Love, 

grace that gives strength to finish the day thanking You!

Lord help us to see the light around and be a light than 

complain about the dark! 

Thank You Lord Jesus Christ for everything!

Julia

Bear each other's Burdens...

Hi..

Sometimes when we are surrounded by problems and walking thro' the storm, we fail to see the cares, the pains the trials and testings people around us are in.

Or may be everything is going well and right with us and for us that we fail to see that there are people around us struggling.

Here God asks us to bear each others burdens.

The least we can do for others is pray and speak few words of encouragement.

May we always do that....!..

In Christ,

Julia

Being "STILL"

When we are in midst of the most toughest battle or in a place where there seems to be no way or sit in darkness where there seems to be no ray if hope, and God says, "BE STILL", that's the most difficult thing to do!

We may feel like it is the end, loose all hope and in desperation cry to God and He says, "BE STILL".

"Being still" may be the hardest thing to do at that point but God just wants us to be still so that He can fight our battle and we may know He is God!

Being still means being still!

It means to stop striving, stop complaining, stop murmuring, stop wondering, stop crying and just being still in complete faith in the ONE WHO ASKED US TO BE STILL!

 Psalm 46:10,"Be still and know that I am God."

Let us hold on to God's promises for us and stand firm on His Word and be still.

Julia

ARE YOU WILLING TO LET GO AND LAY IT DOWN?

HI...

ARE WE WILLING TO LET GO OF THINGS THE LORD HAS BEEN PROMPTING US TO LAY ASIDE?
MAY BE IT'S A HABIT, A RELATIONSHIP, A HARMLESS ACTIVITY THAT'S TAKING TOO MUCH OF OUR TIME?
A TELEVISION PROGRAMME WE ARE TOO ADDICTED TO?

 A COMPUTER GAME?

TOO MUCH OF NEWSPAPER READING, WATCHING TELEVISION NEWS THAT WE FIND NO TIME TO READ GOD'S WORD AND PRAY?

HAVE SOME FRIENDSHIPS TAKEN TOO MUCH OF OUR TIME, THAT WE FIND NO TIME TO TALK TO GOD?
IF GOD'S BEEN PROMPTING US TO LET GO OF THINGS ACTIVITIES, FRIENDSHIPS THAT HOLDS ON TO US...
LET'S TODAY PRAYFULLY LET THEM GO.
ANYTHING THAT COMES BETWEEN US AND GOD IS AN IDOL.
LET'S REMOVE ALL IDOLS FROM OUR LIVE.
LET OUR LORD & SAVIOR BE OUR FIRST LOVE ALWAYS.HE DESERVES OUR BEST.
LET'S LET GO OF THINGS THAT SO...ENSNARE US AND RECEIVE HIS BLESSINGS,

THE THINGS WE HOLD ON TO MAY BE HARMLESS BUT STILL GOD HAS SOMETHING REALLY BETTER, IF HE'S ASKING TO LAY IT DOWN, IT'S ONLY TO FILL US WITH HIS ANOINTING, HIS PRESENCE AND ALL THE GIFTS HE HAS TO OFFER. LET'S NOT LET GO OF THESE RICH HEAVENLY BLESSINGS, HOLDING ON TO VAIN EARTHLY PLEASURES AND THINGS THAT KEEP US FROM DOING GOD'S WILL ON EARTH.

THE STORY I READ THIS MORNING MINISTERED TO ME. HOPE IT BLESSES YOU.

I DON'T WANT ANYTHING I AM HOLDING ON TO, PREVENT GOD FROM GIVING SOMETHING BETTER.

I'M LETTING GO TO RECEIVE FROM GOD??

I'M WILLING TO LAY DOWN SOME PRICED POSSESSIONS TO TAKE WHAT MY SAVIOR HAS FOR ME. I CAN'T EXPRESS HOW MUCH THIS STORY MINISTERED TO ME.....
HOW OFTEN I HAVE STUBBORNLY HELD ON TO THINGS...WHEN THE LORD ASKED ME TO LET GO..EVER SO...GENTLY.......
TODAY I JUST WANT TO LAY IT ALL AT HIS FEET TELL HIM..
" LORD TAKE AWAY ALL THAT'S NOT REQUIRED AND REPLACE IT WITH THINGS FROM YOUR HANDS...."

IT MAY BE PAINFUL TO LET SOME THINGS GO AND LAY SOME STUFF DOWN. BUT WE NEED TO DO IT.

ARE YOU WILLING TO DO THE SAME?

YSIC,

JULIA

" GIFT OF PEARLS "(A touching story...)

The cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five.
Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them: a circle of glistening white
pearls in a pink foil box. "Oh please, Mommy, Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please?" Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face."A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll
think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself.Your birthday's only a week away and you might get
another crisp dollar bill from Grandma."   As soon as Jenny got home, she
emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies.After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs.McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents.
On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace. Jenny loved her pearls.They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere - Sunday School, kindergarten, even to bed.The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath.
Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.
Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story.

One night when he finished the story, he asked Jenny,  "Do you love me?" "Oh yes, Daddy.You know that I love you." "Then give me your pearls." "Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess - the white horse from my collection, the one with
the pink tail. Remember, Daddy? The one you gave me. She's my favorite."
"That's okay, Honey. Daddy loves you. Good night." And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.
About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked
again, Do you love me?"  "Daddy, you know I love you." "Then give me your pearls." "Oh Daddy, not my pearls.But you can have my baby doll, the brand
new one I got for my birthday.She is so beautiful and you can have the
yellow blanket that matches her sleeper." "That's okay. Sleep well.
God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you." And as always, he brushed her cheek with
a gentle kiss.
A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting
on her bed with her legs crossed Indian-style.As he came close, he noticed
her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.
"What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?" Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her
little hand up to her daddy.
And when she opened it, there was her little
pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, "Here, Daddy.It's all yours ."   With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's kind daddy
reached out with one hand to take the dime-store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a
strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny. He had them all the time.
He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her the genuine treasure. So it is with our Heavenly Father.He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things  in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasure.Isn't God good? Are you holding onto things which God wants you to
let go of??Are you holding on to harmful or unnecessary partners,
relationships, habits and activities which you have come so attached to that it seems impossible to let go?   Sometimes it is so hard to see what is in the
other hand but do believe this one thing...

God will never take away something without giving you something better in its place !

WHERE ARE MY NUGGETS, MY GOLD OF OPHIR? ~Becky Leslie

Hi Family and friends...

May this week be the most blessed week...

May we see the world through the eyes of God and not miss a sigh or tear of someone who is hurting or in pain around us. May we reach out to the lost and forgotten ones. May we be imitators of Christ. 

God is sure on the move, He will cause the Body of Christ to shine so... bright, that every power of darkness will be dispelled and overpowered!

May we be His light as Jesus was and is the light! 

Let us choose to rejoice and sing even in midst of opposition from the evil one, rejection, pain because God is with us through it all! 

He will raise us up! He is the Glory n The Lifter of our head.

Last week was so...blessed by something our daughter Becky wrote for "Kerygma", our Church weekly newsletter. 

Let us lay our all at our Savior's feet...!

Stay blessed...

In Christ...

Julia

WHERE ARE MY NUGGETS, MY GOLD OF OPHIR?

When we go through tough times, challenging situations and turmoil in our lives; it’s good for us to have something to come back to in God’s Word that will put our lives back in perspective. If we don’t have a close relationship with the Word of God and keep coming back to it to derive our strength, portion and substance from it; we are sure to end up allowing our circumstances to get the best of us. 

The book of Job has always been that source of timely perspective for me. Surely, Job went through far much than any of us have been through and his life sort of covers almost every situation a Christian could possibly walk in. Dealing with financial loss? Job did too! Mourning the death of a loved one? Job did too! Have a sickness or illness you’re battling? Job did too! Have friends that criticize you? Job did too! Have marital problems? Job did too! Have people falsely accusing you? Hello, Job did too! Don’t know when your chaos and pain will end? Job didn't either! Don’t know why God doesn't seem to be moving on your behalf? Job didn't either. You get the drift of what I’m saying. This is a great book to come back to at any time and be encouraged. 

So, getting to what I actually intended to share in this article...here’s a portion I read a few days back and have been meditating on. It’s Job chapter 22: 24, 25 (NIV): “If you remove wickedness far from your tent and assign your nuggets to the dust, your gold of Ophir to the rocks in the ravines, then the Almighty will be your gold, the choicest silver for you.” 

Since I read this, I started asking the Holy Spirit to teach me what it meant to “assign my nuggets to the dust, my gold of Ophir”. I was lead to read about Ophir in the Bible and its significance. 

This is what I learnt: 

• The land of Ophir has been mentioned a few times in the Bible but always in reference to its gold. 

• 1 Kings 9:28 speaks of how King Solomon sent ships to Ophir to bring back the best gold from there into his kingdom. 

• 1 Kings 10:11 tells us that when the wealthy Queen of Sheba came to visit King Solomon she gifted him the gold of Ophir. 

• 1 Chronicles 29:4 shows us how the gold of Ophir was brought in to build the temple of God. 

• Isaiah 13:12 refers to the gold of Ophir as a rare thing.

• In Psalm 45, David sings to the Lord saying, “at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir”.

The Lord started to stir my spirit and show me that He isn’t looking for the best that we can give him at any given point. He isn’t looking for a people who will give him a certain place in their lives. He even isn’t looking to be ‘a part’ of  our daily routines. He wants our everything! Everything. 

Church, even as we go through a month of learning from this theme “Let Us Build”, I’d like to share some hard truths about building His Kingdom that the Lord has been teaching me. If we don’t lay down our everything — our best and our worst, our firsts and our lasts, our strengths and our weaknesses and everything we consider precious and hold close to our hearts — if we don’t lay all this down and bury it in the dust, there honestly will be no “building” at all. 

The verse uses the word ‘nuggets’? Nuggets are small pieces not huge boulders. What are those small areas in our lives that are so precious to us, that we’d rather keep them in our hands than bury them in the ground? Is it a dream that we’d like to see fulfilled? Is it a relationship we’d like to have or maintain? Is it a love for money or a desire for success? Is it a need to be seen, heard and noticed? What are these nuggets that we choose to hold on to?

What is our ‘gold of Ophir’? People went on missions to look for gold in Ophir. What is our life mission? Are we on a search for significance? Is the conquest of our lives something materialistic or temporary or earthly? If so, are we willing to bury our gold of Ophir — our prized accomplishments, our unique talents, our expensive efforts, our costly callings, our lavish desires and extravagant objectives. 

You’ll notice that the verse clearly says that only when we render our nuggets useless and assign it to the dust and our gold of Ophir to the rocks, only then will God be the choicest of gold for us. 

Church, if we are passionate about building anything for the Lord, how can we start unless buried deep in the foundations are the things we consider precious? The Lord is looking to build a Church in these last days, that will stand on a foundation of precious stones that are the sacrifices made by Christians who have given their everything to Him. This last day Church will stand on a grave that has buried deep inside it dead desires, dead dreams and Christians dead to their flesh. 

Are you willing to be a part of this end time remnant? If so, ask yourself this today: “Where are my nuggets, my gold of Ophir?” 

God richly bless you this week and may you have your own revelation of the King and His Kingdom. 

In Him, 

Becky Leslie. 

Imitators of Christ....

Jesus Christ our Lord was a 'down to earth' person for sure! He came “Down to Earth” on mission from the Father; a mission of love and obedience! He was the 'Almighty One' but walked with humility on earth. His messages were never complicated and often spoke in parables that even a child could understand. He was never unapproachable, even children loved to be around Him. He was 'The Holy One' but never was 'self-righteous'. That's why He wants us to be Holy as He was Holy but never self righteous. Our righteousness are like 'filthy rags'.(Isaiah 64:6)

☆

1 Peter 1:15-16, "..but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

 We are to be imitators and followers of Christ!

Paul write in 

☆

1 Corinthians 11:1, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ."

☆

Ephesians 5:1 "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children."

Max Lucado writes like this about our Lord and Savior!

▓▒░☆ QUOTE>>The Almighty did not act high and mighty!

The Holy One wasn't holier-than-thou.

The One who knew it all wasn't a know-it-all.

The One who made the stars didn't keep His head in them.

The One who owns all the stuff on earth never strutted it! (displayed it) Never! He could have. Oh how He could have!

  He could have been a name-dropper: "Did I ever tell you of the time Moses and I went up on the mountain?"

  He could have been a showoff:" Hey want me to beam you into the 20th Century?"

  He could have been a smart-alec:" I know what you are thinking. Want me to prove it?"

  He could have been highbrow and uppity:"I've got some property in Jupiter..."

Jesus could have been all these, but he wasn't.

His purpose was not to show off but show up.

He went to great pains to be a human as a guy down the street.

He didn't need to study, but still went to the synagogue.

He had no need for income, but still worked in the workshop.

He had know fellowship of angels and heard the harps of heaven, yet still went to parties thrown by tax collectors.

And upon His shoulders rested the challenge of redeeming creation, but took time to walk 90 miles from Jericho to Cana to go to a wedding.

As a result people liked Him.

Oh, there were those who chaffed at His claims.

They called Him a blasphemer but never called Him a 'braggart'.

They accused Him of heresy, but never arrogance.

He was branded as radical but never called unapproachable.

There is no hint He used His heavenly status for His personal gain.

His faith made Him likable, not detestable.

☆░▒▓ UNQUOTE

Wouldn't it be terrible if Our Lord Jesus Christ came back for His body and we didn't 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."

Be blessed..

Julia

Our breakthrough is coming...Praise God!

WHAT IS OUR NEED TODAY?

LET US FIND THE SCRIPTURE TO BACK OUR NEED AND STAND ON IT AND THEM!

LET US SPEAK THE WORD INTO OURSELVES AND OVER EACH AND EVERY SITUATION WE FACE. 

THE WORD IS THE TRUTH AND WHEN WE SPEAK THE TRUTH WE ARE TRUTHFUL, NO MATTER WHAT THE NATURAL EYE, EAR, SEE/OR HEAR!

NOW IN THE NAME OF JESUS, LET US BELIEVE IT IS DONE AND START PRAISING AND THANKING GOD!

THOUGH OUR EYE CANNOT SEE OR OUR EARS HEAR...

OUR MIRACLE, OUR BREAKTHROUGH IS ON THE WAY...

LET US PRAISE GOD!!

"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

Rise up and march on....

Time to ..

Awake...Rise up ...March on...

Romans 13:11 "And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts."

It is sad to see so many people who call themselves followers of Christ, fast asleep in their spiritual lives. It is time to sound the wake up call. It is time to wake up, rise up, stand up and start moving ahead spiritually.

There is so much to do in the Kingdom, many lost souls to reach, and time is short. God's Word says, "Wake up you sleeper, rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you "(Ephesians 5:14) Here we see Paul appealing to the Ephesians to wake up and realize the dangerous condition into which some of them have been slipping. Time to awake and see what God is doing. We are living in amazing times. God's on the move looking our for people who are waiting on Him and seeking His face.

God is raising up an army of people who are passionately in love with Him, radically changed, filled with the Holy Spirit, move in the gifts of the Spirit, and boldly share the gospel in public places not fearing their lives. He is looking for fearlessly bold, passionately holy, physically set-apart, spiritually awake, mentally alert, upfront, and bold people, to go out and raise the dead, find the lost, bring in the back-slidden and resist every work of the evil one.

He is through with emotionally imbalanced, spiritually sleeping, compromising, double-minded, confused, beating-round-the-bush and sitting-on-the-fence Christians. Revelation 3:16, "So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

He is looking for people who will be on fire, those who have the desire to grow stronger and move higher in their faith. God's raising an army with those Satan thought he had killed and were left by the wayside! He is raising up the crushed, the scarred, wounded and the weak. They are rising from the ashes stronger, wiser, and ready to go out into battle once again in the Name of Yahweh-Jesus!

If we have slowed down or stagnated in our spiritual walk, we got to get up and get going. Its time we give up our constant spiritual highs and lows and desire for a strong relationship with the Lord! God's sounding the clarion call, "Awake O sleeper! Arise."

Are we ready to be a part of this army of God?

Let's not allow the enemy mess with us any more.

Our one and only enemy goes around the world 'like' a roaring lion seeking his next victim to devour.

Our one and only enemy is on the prowl to steal, kill and destroy,

He has nothing good in mind...

This sure is not a news that brings us joy...!

But we still have every reason to rejoice!

Because....however bad the enemy makes our situation looks like, know that God is surely 100% perfect!!! 

He is Bigger and Greater then our finite knowledge and finite plan--

As we grow up to trust in Him more, as our faith grows better every day in Jesus Christ our Lord, we will see the better and bigger plans God has for us!

Then we can lean on Him even when things right now does not look good...!

It sure gets easier with every step forward,,,

but sometime we slip and slid back too but when we have seen what God has for us we will climb back...with a renewed strength!

Our coming back can and will surely give HOPE to those who think "NO HOPE!"

Walk on...!

THE JOY OF THE LORD IS OUR STRENGTH!

JOY COMES IN THE MORNING!

THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD (not the devil) HAS MADE, WE WILL REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT

JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD IS THE GLORY AND THE LIFTER OF OUR HEADS..

So we can choose to sing through the darkest night.....

Have a blessed day!!

March on...

Julia 

Time to get off the fence....!!

Time to Get off the fence!

No more sitting on the fence or standing with one leg in the world and the other in the Kingdom.

One can't say, "I love the Lord" and enjoy stopping by at our old neighborhood to enjoy worldly pleasures we left behind...

God sure is through with emotionally imbalanced, spiritually sleeping, compromising, double-minded, confused, beating-round-the-bush and sitting-on-the-fence Christians. 

✿Revelation 3:16, "So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

Joshua declared boldly in ..

✿JOSHUA 24:15b, "...But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." 

Not only did he declare boldly who he served, he also challenged the people of Israel to decide if they will serve the living God or bow to local idols.

Joshua took a clear and bold stand and that motivated the people to make their choice.

✿JOSHUA 24: 24 And the people said to Joshua, "We will serve the LORD our God and obey him." 

In these last days, God's heating the fences so that people who are still sitting on the fence will take a bold stand and boldly confess who they serve.

Have a blessed day....and week....!!!

YSIC

Julia