Greetings sisters!
It's another good day to serve the Lord! He is our helper!
Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper.Psalm 30:10
Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.Psalm 94:17
The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.Psalm 116:6
My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.Psalm 121:2
Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:Psalm 146:5
So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.Hebrews 13:6
He is too good to us isn't He. Let us humbly serve Him and lean on Him for all we need. Surely He is our Helper and vain is the help of man. He wants us to want help from Him doesn't He as He can't really help those who don't want it. He doesn't force anyone. Without Him we can do nothing. With His help we can do much! We can do everything we need to to find eternal life through His Son!
But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.John 20:31
We have life through His name!
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.John 10:10
He came that we may have life more abundantly! That's a stark contrast to the enemy who is out to kill, steal, and destroy. He is such a God of hope!
I read some scriptures on gifts here...
Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift! I'm also thankful He is the one who gives the gift of the Holy Spirit! We trust Him alone for that and believe His promises! Those who long to obey and follow Him with all that they are, believing in His Son, and actually repent, those are the ones He gives the Spirit to. Treasure that sisters...and don't let anyone discourage you from your sincere devotion to the Lord with all your will. Keep striving after all truth and righteousness! No we won't most likely these days have all the outward manifestations of the Spirit from the book of Acts like speaking in tongues and signs and wonders but He will guide us in the truth and light and lead us to what? Holiness! And we are not alone! He is our Comforter! God is a good Father who doesn't withhold good gifts from those who truly seek Him with a pure and whole heart!
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?Luke 11:13
While we can appreciate anyone who seems to care for our souls...if they go places the scriptures do not, or think God would work in this certain way every time, then we listen to the Word over any human and trust what He says. We need to look to the Lord don't we sisters and while we do need to examine ourselves and keep rule over our flesh, we don't look to ourselves for things we cannot accomplish! No human would have any hope then! The Lord will continue the good work He has begun in us! Let us work with the Lord as we are in a covenant with Him aren't we. He does His part and we do ours which is summed up in believing and repenting. It's awesome to think about Him even caring about us and continuing to work with us. His love for His own is great.
Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified.Psalm 40:16
I was pondering on the cost to follow the Lord. We sisters may have forgotten all the depths of what we had to change to follow the Lord as it may have been some time ago. We may remember it was a large change but forgetting what it was like being back then in the midst of it. Others may be considering the cost and it may look like a mountain too. And most are not willing to even consider losing their lives to follow Him. Everything may be going well for them and following the Lord would cause great inconvenience to them and even those around them. They would have to repent of all their sins which could be many and give up their false religion if they have it even if it is false church religion and also change their outside appearance to be dressed as a godly woman with plain and loose clothing and be headcovered and repent of whatever else is not in obedience to the law of Christ. We know it is a complete change of heart and mind, a work of God, and also the actions following as fruit of our repentance and of the Spirit. It is a renewing of the mind and a new creation is born! Most can't lose a 'little' here on this earth to gain everything in eternity. It's sad but I'm just thinking how we can look back to when we were there too and how challenging it may have seemed at the time or just so much change going on in us at once but the Lord brought us through and for Him it is all worth it and He deserves nothing less. We chose life...eternal life over eternal death! We hope others do the same but one thing I realize more and more is how we cannot change anyone. It must be a work of the Lord in their heart and their surrendering of their entire will. Oh we sure can be a light and speak truth if they want it but you can't truly help anyone who doesn't want it. We know few will come.
We don't want to be the one who was not able to finish building the tower and give up part way.
And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
Luke 14:27-30
I certainly fully intend to run my race to the end no matter the cost. I'm sure you sisters do too. And there could be much growth in that time! Some of us may have fifty or more years to live if the Lord wills and some less but we all receive the same 'pay' of eternal life if we endure! We have to keep running and fighting as we haven't attained yet. One day we can rest...but it isn't now. Oh we can and must rest in Christ to keep our souls and for our salvation but He said to strive.
Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.1 Peter 4:19
It was such a glorious autumn day here...
To the glory of the Creator! And I got to refresh in the sunshine and breeze and fresh air and ponder on the things of God in some peace and quiet. It was refreshing. I would share some with my sisters if I could:-)
Good food to keep us going in good works. The Lord provides.
A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!Proverbs 15:23
We want our words to be good words to others in the faith...encouraging in the Lord and uplifting and building up, not words of condemnation and discouragement. And how can we do this? Because there is so much hope in the Lord! We can encourage others to go towards Him and keep striving on!
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.Ephesians 4:29
I love this scripture and let it truly encourage you sisters as it does me...
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:31-39
Rejoice in that sisters if you have purged out all sin from your life that you know of and are truly loving the Lord in all obedience! Go towards the hope, sisters! Keep walking in the light and going towards more light! God is light!
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.1 John 1:7
What precious promises...that His blood cleanses us from ALL sin!
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.1 John 1:8-9
And He cleanses us from ALL unrighteousness! Praise God and let's keep walking in the light and confessing and forsaking our sins when we need to.
The blessing of the LORD be upon you: we bless you in the name of the LORD.(Psalm 129:8b)
Love in Christ,
Sister Chayil
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