Saturday, February 28, 2015

What's the Difference Between Worry and Concern?

Jean Oathout seems to think that there is a real need to understand there is a difference between worry and concern, and we need to know what it is.

Let's take Worry first.

It's the opposite of faith that things will work out okay. When we look at a problem, the first reaction may be to try to figure out how to "fix it". But is that our responsibility?

Getting good counsel will save a lot of time worrying about the situation, and can give us some advice that actually will help in solving the problem.

It's not good to keep mulling over what we'd like to have happen, and to keep thinking we have the answers.

Unless we're asked for our input, it is futile thinking, my friend.

Besides, do we actually know what's best to have happen? Do we have the broad scope of everything so we have the full picture?

Only God has that, and unless He reveals it to whoever is facing the situation, it's His secret, and He wants to handle it. We may be involved, but unless we wait on him to reveal our part, we'll only mess up what He plans.

Do we want that to happen? Not really.



Don't Worry, Be Happy
by Debbie McEwen

Don't Worry, be happy
There was a song that told us that
When we trust in God, 
it's actually what we can do

He knows what is going to happen long before it does
He always provides what we need
He will guide us

He will give us the resources and materials
that we need to solve our problems

He loves us so much that He wants the very best for us.
Therefore He sends the best solutions for us
at what He knows are the best times
and places in our journey.

Our journey in life is meant to lead us 
to learn and grow
to be the best children of God that we can be

Our job is to cooperate
to accept what God sends, 
when He sends it.

Therefore don't worry, be happy.
God will always provide.



Today’s Bible verses:



     "I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: 
      my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. (v.8) I have 
      set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right
      hand, I shall not be moved. (v. 9) Therefore my heart is 
      glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest 
      in hope" (Ps. 16:7-9). 

      "
And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and 
      the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for 
      ever. (v.18) And my people shall dwell in a peaceable 
      habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting                           places" (Isaiah 32: 17, 18).

     "Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'Therefore I tell you, 
      do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about 
      your body, what you will wear' " (Luke 12:22)Berean Study Bible


Now, let's go to Concern-



This is a heart-felt feeling. What we do with it can cause anxious thoughts and end up causing us depression, if we let it.


So, what are we to do with our concerns?
It helps to remember that God is Love and He's concerned with whatever we're concerned with.


When you find yourself concerned about a situation, and you want to help solve it, go to the Scriptures for God's answers. 


Do not wait for a critical issue to get close to God.
Seek Him daily and make a habit of drawing close
to Him 
(see Col. 3:15).

Manifest the Spirit in your life by memorizing selected Scriptures, so you can remain calm and confident that God is in control. 

Let's pray:


  "Lord, help me to examine the Bible's pages, understand its truth, and apply its teachings to my life.
   May I be as excited about Your letter to me as I am about a letter, email or a facebook posting.



The love of God for us is revealed in His letter to us—The Bible. Our Daily Bread 9/10/14

(All Google images and emphasis added)


Today’s quotes:
~ Mary Southerland - “In order to deal with depression, we must first come to a place of total and complete surrender to God and His plan of healing – even if we cannot see or do not understand that plan. The bottom line of God’s heart toward His children is always restoration and healing.”

~ Dave Branon shares this with us: "The value of Scripture goes beyond its words of power, challenge, and wisdom. Amid all the stories, teaching, and guidance this Book provides, the overriding idea is that God loves us and has planned our rescue. It tells us of His love in overseeing our existence (Ps. 139)meeting our needs
(Matt. 6:31-34)comforting us (2 Cor. 1:3-4)and saving us through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus" (Rom. 1:16-17).

Some thoughts today:
- Do not allow your hurts to cause you to react in ways that are not good. Stop trying to prevent your anger, but look to Jesus and be determined to show love, no matter what.

- Is there an addiction you're struggling with? Trust God to help you overcome it. Let Him dig up your "foundation." He will shake things up to reveal His ability to change things. 

- As you seek God, your life will show changes over time. Remember, God loves you. He'll help you press through your fears.


     How to Grow Old Together  by Richard Lee Orey

HOW TO GROW OLD TOGETHER-- 
Despite Lying, Cheating, Arrogance & Secrecy 

(This is an excellent message for us all. I do hope you'll check it out and learn their secrets...)

"Statistics tell us that in today’s America, 50 marriages out of every 100 end in separation or divorce. In second and third marriages, the ratio is higher. I’ve loved and stayed married to the same woman for over sixty-two years. Let me tell you why and how.




Having spent the first 38 years of my professional working life in a courtroom listening to the unraveling moans of domestic breakups, I know that divorce most often means that you will lose ownership of half of all the assets the two of you have acquired during your marriage..."




3/1 Sunday’s post: The Hand of God
Dennis Fisher 

3rd- Tuesday's post:  #45 Wagner's Green-Eyed Monster
C. Peter Wagner

5th- Thursday's post:  #46 Second Opinions
C. Peter Wagner

7th- Saturday's post:  Because It's True
Kim Damon


Popular post:

What's the Good of Prayer? Quoted from 
Oswald ChambersDevotions for 
MORNING and EVENING


 "It is not part of the life of a natural man to pray. We hear it said that a man will suffer in his life if he does not pray’; I question it. What will suffer is the life of the Son of God in him, which is nourished not by food, but by prayer."





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Granny's Guide to Marriage in Verse

Thursday, February 26, 2015

#44 Spirits in the Wagner House


C. Peter Wagner continues: Not only can we bring the idea of 
spirits occupying houses back from the mission field to the United 
States, but I can also tell of spirits in my own home in Altadena, California.

Back in 1983 my wife, Doris, and I hosted an intercessory prayer group in our home once a month.

One night two of the women who have gifts of discernment of spirits mentioned that they sensed a special presence of evil seemed to be located in the master bedroom.

Not too long after that, one night when I was away, Doris woke up suddenly in the middle of the night with a powerful fear gripping her whole being.

Her heart pounding furiously, she looked across the room and saw a shadowy form, about nine feet tall, with luminous green eyes and teeth.

Her fear turned into anger, and she rebuked the spirit in the name of Jesus, commanding it to get out of her room and not to enter the children's rooms.

It left.

Some weeks later we were both in the bed when Doris awoke, this time with a piercing cramp in her foot. I laid hands on, prayed for healing, and tried to go back to sleep.

In about ten minutes I asked how her foot was. She said, "The pain will not go, and I think it is a spirit."

This time I rebuked the spirit in the name of Jesus. It apparently obeyed since the pain was immediately relieved and did not come back.

Two friends from our Sunday School class in Lake Avenue Congregational Church, Cathy Schaller and George Eckart, prayed fervently for Doris and me and were led of the Spirit to go into our house for warfare prayer.

We gave them a house key one afternoon while we were working at the seminary. When they got out of their car they knew they were in for a battle since some invisible force physically prevented them from entering the patio surrounding the front door!

They decided to go into the garage where they discerned several evil spirits, one so strong that Cathy could actually smell it. After casing them out, they could easily enter the patio and go into the house.

They found spirits in three of the rooms, the strongest, predictably, in the master bedroom. In the living room they sensed that a spirit had attached itself to the stone puma we had brought as a souvenir from our missionary work in Bolivia.

When we got home we destroyed the puma as well as some animistic ceremonial masks we foolishly had mounted on our living room wall.

The next time the intercession group met, they felt the atmosphere had changed and the house had been cleansed.

(Google image added)




#44 Spirits in the Wagner House
By C. Peter Wagner
(pgs. 781-82) Regal Books



Mark I. Bubeck shares with us 
from his book (p 222) The Satanic
Revival [Let's pray with Mark:]
"May the Holy Spirit so open people
to the spiritual seeing and hearing 

of Your Word that they again will 
cry out in repentance. Thank You, 
also, that the Holy Spirit exalts 
righteousness by revealing the righteous things of Your Word. I ask Him to do that with powerful persuasion."

Today’s Bible verse: Is. 41:10 "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: yea, I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."

Today’s quote: Julie Ackerman Link - "Time after time Jesus used the disciples' mistakes to show a better way. What Jesus did for His disciples, He also does for us. And what He does for us, we can do for others. Instead of magnifying every mistake, we can turn them into beautiful acts of forgiveness, healing, and redemption."


"Jesus longs to turn our mistakes into 
amazing examples of His grace."
Our Daily Bread 1/6/15

Some thoughts today: We're not to depend upon others for our walk with God. Neither are we to look to them for our fulfillment in life.

- Remember Leah, Jacob's wife? (beginning with Gen. 29:31) 
She took care of her family, and 5 books in the Bible list her 
descendants as follows: King David, Aaron, (first high priest),  Simeon, (who was waiting for the consolation of Israel), Anna, (daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser) , and Jesus.

- Most of us are more like Leah, we've got our hurts and wounds, not necessarily good looking or talented, and ones who struggle with life. Leah did her best to build the house of Israel. With our own limitations we can be faithful too, and we can help build the house of God right where we live. We're to do our best!

28th- Saturday’s post:  What's the Difference Between Worry and Concern  Jean Oathout

3/1st Sunday evening's post:  The Hand of God
Dennis Fisher

3rd- Tuesday's post:  #45 Wagner's Green-Eyed Monster
C. Peter Wagner

5th- Thursday's post:  #46 Second Opinion
C. Peter Wagner

A popular post:   How Is God's 
Power Released? C. Peter 
Wagner continues to tell us, in 
his book, PRAYER SHIELD: "A 
fascinating story is told in Exodus 
17Many will recall the account 
of the battle of Rephidim in which 
Joshua defeated Amalek..."



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Granny's Guide to Marriage in Verse
Kindle $1.99




A great gift for someone who
needs help in their marriage


Bridal Shower Devotional
Bridal Wisdom for Women

My book in paperback $7.95
Granny's Guide to Marriage in Verse

 AuthorsDen.com
Where authors and readers come together!


Tuesday, February 24, 2015

#43 Does this Happen in the United States?

C. Peter Wagner tells us: Many of my 
missionary friends from all parts of the 
world mention how risky it has been to 
relate their experiences with the demonic 
when they speak to congregations in the United States, particularly in certain American church circles.

One of the denominations that traditionally has been rather reluctant to accept challenges to vigorous spiritual warfare has been the Southern Baptists.

I mention the Southern Baptists not to single them out for criticism but to congratulate them for hearing what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

The February-March 1991 issue of Commision, official publication of the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board, carries remarkably frank articles on the demonization and spiritual warfare.

After describing two rather startling demonic deliverances, one in the Caribbean and one in Malaysia, Leland Webb says,

   "Missionaries seldom share accounts like these with 
    Baptists at home. One reason is that these reports fall 
    outside the experience of most Christians in America."

He goes on to point out the obvious dilemma faced by those who hear such stories. If it happens on the mission field, why couldn't 
it happen here at home?

The fact of the matter, of course, is that it does happen here at home.

Like Southern Baptists, contemporary Mennonites have not been especially outspoken about demons and demonic manifestations.

That in itself enhances the credibility of David W. Shenk and Ervin R. Stutzman, both Mennonites, who tell the story of a church-planting couple in New Jersey, Richard and Lois Landis.

One of their church families became greatly troubled when their adolescent son kept waking up in the night by hearing mysterious scratching on his bedroom wall.

Pastor Landis visited his room and found it cluttered with lewd rock 'n' roll pictures, objects and literature.

The family repented, confessed, 
and cleaned out the room.

    "Then in the name of Jesus, they 
commanded the evil spirit who scratch
the walls at night to leave forever."

As a result of this simple act of faith accompanied with warfare prayer, 

    "Peace filled the room and the Holy Spirit came upon that
     group gathered with the lad in his bedroom. The evil spirit
     has never returned."

(Google images and emphasis added)


#43 Does this Happen in the 
United States?
By C. Peter Wagner
(pgs. 79-81) Regal Books




Mark I. Bubeck shares with us from his book  The Satanic Revival  (p 216) "Repentance is not some kind of emotional frenzy. Emotions are involved, but biblical repentance involves the whole person- conduct and thoughts. It requires acknowledgment that we have violated the revealed will of God. It calls us to deliberately cease sinful thoughts and actions and supplant them with righteous thoughts and deeds. only the constant ingesting of God's Word can keep that spiritual process in balance. as revival moves toward the transformation of a culture, hearing the Word of God must lead to repentance."


Pray with me: 


     Father, open our eyes and hearts to 
the needs all around us.
    May the folks who're having trouble realize that they may have to get help to pray with them to get the victory in their situation.
    Allow them to understand what it is they've allowed into their lives that has caused demon activity.
    Give Your wisdom and grace to admit where they've gone wrong in their attitudes and habits, so You can bring the deliverance and help they desperately need.
    I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Today’s Bible verse: Jer. 16:19 "O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction."

Today’s quote: Sharon Jaynes – “when we put our painful pasts behind us and obey what God is calling us to do in the present, we will experience a fruitful, fulfilling, fascinating adulthood. He can take those miseries of the past and turn them into ministries in the present. He can take our messes in life and turn them into messages of hope. God took a frightened orphan girl and used her to accomplish a great mission. He did it for Queen Esther. He wants to do it for you.”

Some thoughts today: There are two kinds of people that God has to deal with:

   -Those who believe God's fortunate to have them
   -Those who feel inadequate and have a low opinion of themselves.

- Our best is what God deserves. The size of our congregation is not what counts. We're to give our all to what He calls us to do there. Each of us is important in the kingdom's advancement. (see 1 Cor. 12:13-27)

- Jesus said that "He will build His Church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it" (1 Cor. Matt. 16:18). Our determination to support our leaders in prayer and affirmation is of utmost importance.

26th- Thursday’s post:  #44 Spirits in the Wagner House
C. Peter Wagner
28th- Saturday's post:  What's the Difference Between Worry and Concern    Jean Oathout
Mar. 1st- Sunday evening's post:  The Hand of God
Dennis Fisher
3rd- Tuesday's post:  #45 Wagner's Green-Eyed Monster
C. Peter Wagner

A popular post:   Birthing True Repentance Dutch Sheets tell us, “We must allow the Holy Spirit time to birth true repentance in [folks] through God-given revelation. 

This produces God-centered Christians, not self-centered ones...."



jean-oathout.blogspot.com   (save to check in some time)

Granny's Guide to Marriage in Verse
Kindle $2.99

 A great gift for someone who
needs help in their marriage

Bridal Shower Devotional
Bridal Wisdom for Women

My book in paperback $7.96
Granny's Guide to Marriage in Verse

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Where authors and readers come together!

Sunday, February 22, 2015

When I Go to Heaven




Debbie McEwen shares this poem with us today:

When I go to heaven
when this body is no more
I'll meet my loving Savior
He'll greet me at the door

He'll put his arms around me
He'll look me in the eye
He'll tell me that He loves me
And I will start to cry

What did I do to earn this?
Why do you love me so?
You know that I'm not perfect
But You've never let me go.

My child, it's cuz you know me
Your faith was always there
You never gave up trying
You never ceased to care

But Lord, I did have dark times
I almost did give up
It was so hard at times Lord
At times it was so rough

I know it wasn't easy
It's not supposed to be
I had to mold you into
The child that I now see

So welcome home my daughter
Come here, greet everyone
Come share in all the laughter
Come join in all the song

Your trials are far behind you
You've earned a heavenly seat
Your tears are turned to laughter
Your joy is now complete.

Debbie McEwen


Pray with me: 

     
Father, what a day that will be, when
my Jesus I will see!

    I long to have His arms around me,
and hear Him say, "well done."

    My life on earth with trials and pains will be behind me, and my tears will be wiped away!

    The laughter that I'll hear is going to overwhelm me, for I'll greet some friends and loved ones there.

    I ask for patience to finish my personal pathway that You've planned just for me. 


    I ask this in the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Today’s Bible verse: Ps. 128:1 "Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD: that walketh in his way."

Today’s quote: Cindy Sproles – “Provision comes in an assortment of methods. It’s not always cold, hard cash. Sometimes God surprises us with success or fulfillment in something we've done. Sometimes His mighty hand waves over us and lives are changed. Regardless how His methods come, it’s not for me to put my hope in man’s wealth or even in their reliability. Everything comes from Him and He gives as He sees fit. God loves to richly give and the more we lay our faith at His feet, the deeper His pockets of love.”

Some thoughts today: God builds others through your life's example, advice, and witness. Take heart, He knows their need and He wants to use your testimony and prayers to encourage them.

- God wants to use us. When others are crying out for His help, He will find someone who'll be willing to take the opportunity to be His voice, hands, and feet.

24th- Tuesday’s post:  #43 Does this Happen in the United States?
C. Peter Wagner

26th- Thursday's post:  #44 Spirits in the Wagner House
C. Peter Wagner

28th- Saturday's post:  What's the Difference Between Worry and Concern?  Jean Oathout

3/1- Sunday evening's post:  The Hand of God
Dennis Fisher

A popular post:  After Surrender, What? From DEVOTIONS for MORNING and EVENING with Oswald Chambers

“The whole of life after surrender is an aspiration for unbroken communion with God...”




jean-oathout.blogspot.com   (save to check in sometime)

Kindle $1.99

 A great gift for someone who
needs help in their marriage

Bridal Shower Devotional
Bridal Wisdom for Women

My book in paperback $7.95
Granny's Guide to Marriage in Verse

 AuthorsDen.com
Where authors and readers come together!