“Be not afraid to love those who seem to need it the least for I AM your reward. Some of the ways you love will not be rewarded on earth, but oh, I have a crown of righteousness stored up for 
you! Not one good thing you do on earth will be forgotten in Heaven for all these things I make note of in the Books of Heaven. You will be surprised at some of the things you thought were so small and you may even forgot about. But when you come to receive your eternal rewards, that which you thought was small was actually large in the Kingdom of Heaven. No, not one thing done in the name of love goes unnoticed by Heaven. When you love, you partner with Heaven. You open a way for a little of Heaven to be expressed on earth. So be not afraid to partner with Me in the days of darkness, hate and oppression, for love always wins. Yes, love always win for I AM love and My seed is within you!
Christ
Walk and Remain in Love – Karen Austin
“Love is a strong force that not even hate can overcome. Even death cannot overcome love. This is a truth that you must grasp in these last days for love will shield you. Love will guide you. Love will be your reward. [Song of Solomon 8:6-7 & Luke 6:35 NIV]
Be a people who refuse to let go of love, for the love of many will grow cold [Matthew 24:12]. But those who are Mine will remain vibrant and alive because of My divine love flowing through them. Where you see love, you will always see My heart and My will. Those who walk in My love will be a sign post to others pointing to Me. For the world would say, “How can you still love after all that was done?” “How can you love God after all that you have been through?” Oh, but they have no idea of the pure love between a Father and his child. It will be My love flowing in you and through 
you that will empower you to carry on.
Those who remain in love will shine bright in a world of darkness. Their light will not go out but will live on in the lives of others, for love is eternal” [1 Corinthians 13:8 GNT].
“Then the godly ones will shine like the brightness of the sun in their Father’s kingdom realm.” Matthew 13:43
Will you believe the lie? – Gary Florence
Several months ago I was sitting in church and out of nowhere I heard within side of me “You have no voice.” I knew it was a lie but it was so convincing and felt so real that I allowed it to silence me. If we believe a lie long enough it can become truth to our emotions. Week after week I would go and just be quiet not saying anything, then about 3 weeks ago I heard “If you will humble yourself under God’s arm in His timing He will lift you up.” I kept hearing this verse over and over then one day I believed the Lord said to me “You need to humble yourself and ask your church family for help.”
I grew up in a culture that asking for help was a sign of weakness. When I was younger and played sports I remembered when I would get hurt my coach would say things like “shake it off” or “rub some dirt in it.” So finally at our home group last week I shared with them what was going on in my life and asked them for help. They gathered around me and prayed and spoke words of encouragement and broke the lie off of me. Your breakthrough may be found in a little word like “help”.
There are people all around you that need to hear your voice. You may come in contact with a mother who has had one of those weeks, where all she has done is wiped snot from her child’s nose and cleaned up dirty diapers and she is wondering is there more to life than this. Is this what God has called me do to and you could be that voice to remind her of her destiny and to encourage her. There may be someone who is trying to make ends meet and pay a mortgage and put food on the table. Your voice may be just what they need to hear at that moment. Will we allow a lie in our life that tells us we have no voice and to be silent or will we allow truth spoken from someone else because we have humbled ourselves and asked for help so we in turn may speak words of truth and encouragement to someone else?
Yes you and I have a voice. So if you see yourself in me and that your voice has been silenced ask the Lord if He desires you to humble yourself and ask for help from your brothers and sisters in Christ and then see what He is about to do in your life and the lives of those around you waiting to hear your voice again.
Move of God within – Karen Austin
Many look to and fro for the next ‘move of God’. But the “move of God” that I want My people to be focused on is the “move of God” within them. Forjust as you are about to see a reformation in the world, there is also a reformation taking place within My people. I am doing a work of sanctification that must be done within those who are Mine. Those who submit to My reformation within them shall become those who will shine brilliantly in the soon coming dark days . The “union life” that was spoken of by My servant John is what I am doing in this hour [John 17:20-26]. For when you are truly one with Me, your thoughts are as My thoughts, your words shall be as My words and your actions shall be as My actions. Then I shall release great authority upon these.
Great signs shall be demonstrated by these ones because they will no longer be moved by the accolades of man. My joy will be their sole reward. Truly I say the harvest shall be great. They will run to those whom I shall cause to shine in these last days. They will cry out “Teach me of this One whom you love! How can i know Him intimately as you do? His love has drawn me, but teach me how to walk in His ways.”
I say this harvest shall quickly become a great army for Me. Their devotion to My heart and My will shall cause them to even be willing to lay down their lives for My Kingdom, if necessary. But I say they shall never be stopped! Is it not written in My Word that the increase of My government shall never end? [Isaiah 9:7].
So I say you are upon the precipice of the greatest move of My Kingdom the world has ever seen! Study to show yourself approved [2 Timothy 2:15]. Seek My face and learn of My heart. Great and mighty things are about to transpire in My Name and for My sake. If I told you of them you would not believe them! Journal entry 12/29/19.
Where will this battle find you?
The world is turning faster than we can keep up with it. At times, we aren’t even sure if we can keep our balance with all the turmoil that surrounds our lives. The world’s view of relationships, especially marriage, is becoming skewed at best. Divorce rates in the body of Christ are at an all-time high, and we as the church have no one to blame but ourselves. We are allowing the enemy of our souls to rip the very fabric of our vows of matrimony apart at the seams. Marriage is no longer viewed as something sacred or something to be cherished. It’s a checklist of possibilities that no longer hold any value in the culture of today. We laugh away divorce as though it’s no more valuable than a stick of gum or a penny we find on the street. We aren’t concerned anymore about the likelihood that we will find a lifelong mate, in whom we can place our trust, our devotion, and, more importantly, our heart. Why is this? Why aren’t we fighting for our marriages?
Putting things into perspective, though, I can say that my wife and I have been close to being casualties of this war against marriages. This battle has been a long and sometimes very brutal conflict, which has led to the death of many marriages and relationships in Christ. The enemy is constantly trying to rip marriages apart, for one of the foundations of our faith is really based on marriage to Jesus, and an understanding of what it means to be a bride as it pertains to the body of Christ, awaiting her bridegroom, who is Jesus. We watch with jaded eyes as our young people are being manipulated by the concepts and precepts of this world, who themselves are embracing a Hellenistic society where everything is permissible, and the idea of “living for the day” is being recited in volume that can’t be hushed by standing by and doing nothing. We are losing, plain and simple. We are losing a battle that should be easily won. We are losing because we want to lose. We don’t want to fight anymore. We have become so exhausted from the trials of our own lives that we aren’t willing to fight for the next generation because the scars on our backs are too deep and too painful.
There is hope, though; there is always hope. J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, “Even Darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines, it will shine out all the clearer.”
Our light into the darkness is the fire of Christ that burns within each one of us, the light of hope and the light of glory. We aren’t alone by any stretch of the imagination, unless we want to be. Why do we choose to be alone? Because we have allowed ourselves to fall sway under the influence of many possible reasons. Shame, guilt, condemnation, fear, and the list is endless as to what may influence our choices to stand and fight as a congregational team, or stand and fall as an army of one. In the past, I have often thought, “I don’t need anyone else, I can do this on my own.” That, my friend, is a lie, plain and simple, a lie we tell ourselves daily. Either we are choosing to make wrong decisions, or we are being influenced by the power of the air, or really both.
We will struggle in this lifetime; we will struggle as Christians. For us to believe anything different is to believe in a doctrine of demons. This new wave of prosperity Christianity is robbing God of His glory and robbing the believer of the true power of Jesus. Why would James write the following scripture?
James 1:2-4 “2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
Our faith must and will be tested. Our marriages will be tested, our relationships will be tested. Our belief system will be tested. Everything in our lives will be tested, so that through this testing, our faith will be established in Jesus, and not in our own strength. We cannot and will not allow this world to catch us off balance! We will stand and fight the accuser of our souls and the enemy of our Lord. We must war for the salvation of our children and our grandchildren. This isn’t a choice, this is a mandate. Do not let the blood be on your hands because you sat and did nothing, when God in His word warns us. Stay with me, folks, don’t let me lose you, for scripture will always speak in ways that man cannot.
Ezekiel 33:1-6
33 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, 3 when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, 4 then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.
Simply put, if we who know the truth, and the truth is Jesus, and his scriptures are His words, if we sit and do nothing, then the blood of the lost and the broken will be on our hands. If we do not warn those who have fallen sway under the power of darkness, we will answer for not heeding the trumpet call of the Lord.
Is there someone that you know needs your prayers? Pray for them. Is there a co-worker who you know is distraught and struggling? Ask the Lord to give you the words of comfort to speak. Is there a marriage, or better yet, is your marriage breaking apart before your eyes? Stop fighting one another, swallow your hurt, your pride, and your shame, and seek the Lord together. Has your life become cold and lonely? Do not fret and do not fear, because my friend, you are not alone in this fight. The body of Christ will stand with you. The Lord of Hosts will stand with you. I will stand with you. Believe in prayer, believe in scripture, most of all, believe in Jesus, the lover of our souls and the Redeemer of our spirits.
Mary did you know?
To me, it would be amazing to be a fly on the wall when Jesus was born. Seeing Mary holding the Savior of the world in her arms, caressing his head, kissing his face. Not only did she have the joy of having the child Jesus in her arms, but she had the privilege of knowing that He was not only coming to save her, but He was born to save all of mankind.
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
What a promise we have in Jesus. What a joy to know that those who accept Him as their Lord and Savior, have the honor of knowing that not only does His blood cover us, but He is inside of us. That the power of the Holy Spirit is active and alive in each one of us. In this day of Thanksgiving, give to Jesus what you are truly thankful for. The redeeming sacrifice of His blood, and the love of the Father for sending His only begotten Son to die for all mankind, so that we may live in Him and for Him. Blessings
Contend to be a father
You know after watching the movie “Courageous”, for the third time I can’t help but to keep running this one part in my head over and over again. There was one part that really gripped me since I heard it. It was dialog between a father and his son. One line the dad said to his son, I would say to my son and daughter, and I think every dad should take a moment to think about this.
“I did not start well as a dad, but I would like to finish well.”
My kids, your kids, they all depend so heavily on their fathers, it’s amazing the impact a father can have on a child, both negative and positive. The outcomes are apparent as you see them grow up into the men and women that they become.
I want my son and my daughter to grow, move and become the destiny that God, since their conception, has placed with in them. Not to ever lose out on what God has given them, or has in store for them, because I as a father did not lead them, nurture them, and love them as they deserve to be loved.
I am required as a father to be an example of God’s love on this earth. I have, and will fail, but I am praying that they see me leaning on my heavenly Father, and know that they can, at any time, lean on me. I refuse to allow the enemy to have my kids, and I will war and pray, I will intercede and I will never cease to place my kids before the throne of Jesus.
We are always held accountable, always watched, we are always being corrected. I as a father need to realize that this is not a game, to which the end is when they turn 18, or are married, or have a family of their own. IT’s NOT THAT EASY!!!!! I am responsible as a father til the day I go to meet my heavenly Father.
CONTEND CONTEND CONTEND and I say again CONTEND for your children, and do not let them down. To hard? I don’t know your circumstances? Shut up Frank? None of that changes the fact that I am a father…AND I AM HELD ACCOUNTABLE! Suck it up buttercup and take hold of the honor of being a father.
Grace vs. Karma
If there’s 2 words that I hate hearing Christians use it’s the words “Luck” & “Karma.” These words simply shouldn’t exist in a Christian’s vocabulary.
The Law of Karma is basically this: If you do good, good things will happen to you. If you do bad then bad things will happen to you. Depending on your religious views it will happen to you either in this lifetime or another, & what happens to you today could be the result of things that have taken place in a previous lifetime.
The idea of Karma is found in many religions, chiefly Hindu & Buddhist. Karma is actually foundational to both systems of belief, and can even be found in Wiccan & other “new age” type of religions.
But karma is not just exclusive to those systems of belief. Many Christians & people of other religions who believe in God or a “god” also subscribe to the belief known as karma. You hear it in the way they talk
For instance ever heard someone ask the question:
“Why does good things always happen to bad people? And bad things happen to good people?”
That, folks, is karma. I think most of us are guilty of thinking that way at one time in our life. Some of us are there right now & that’s why I feel that now is the time for me to address the “Law of Karma” in relation to Christianity.
To get a true perspective of karma you first have to look at it through the perspective of God the Father. The perspective we currently have of karma is through the eyes of man, and unfortunately man’s eyes never have the best perspective.
Let’s take a look at some of the things from God’s word, so that we can get His perspective on it. But before we do, let me remind you what “The Law of Karma” says. The “Law of Karma” says if you do good, good things will happen to you & if you do bad then bad things will happen to you.
Here’s what God’s word says:
“As it is written: There is none righteous. No. Not one.” – Romans 3:10
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” – Romans 3:23
“The wages of sin is death…” Romans 6:23
Ok. If karma is true, then we’re all screwed. If good things happen to good people, & bad things happen to bad people then in God’s eyes we’re all bad (sinners) people and we all deserve death. If karma is true then it’s a merry-go-round that we can NEVER get off because we’re all bad people, and we should expect nothing but the worst from God.
It’s a good thing for us that karma is not a true “law” as some believe it to be. God the Father made a way for us to get off of this merry-go-round & it’s summed up in one little word called “Grace.”
The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8-9
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
It’s by placing our faith in Jesus (the gift of God (See John 3:16)) that God’s grace is extended to us. It’s Jesus that pulls us off of this merry-go-round of works that Satan spins with his lie called “karma.”
Karma is a lie because in order for karma to be true it would have to be a law established by God, which simply cannot be found in the word of God.
Instead what we find is the law of grace. The Apostle Paul says it like this in II Timothy 1:9 (NLT):
“For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was His plan from before the beginning of time- to show us His grace through Christ Jesus.”
From BEFORE the beginning of time….GRACE. Not karma. Wow. Enough said.
What is prayer in western culture?
Sometimes I have a hard time discerning what is prayer and what is just conversation. I have been to plenty of prayer “meetings”, and they usually turned out to be a round table of people talking about their ideas and thoughts. There was no form of prayer whatsoever. Still others proclaim that this is the place to be, “We are coming to intercede for our nation”, but again, nothing of the sort happens and it turns out to be people on the microphone talking about their personal experiences and thoughts. Again, not the intercession I imagined intercession to be.
Here is my “concept” of intercession. Men and women of God coming together with a like mind and like purpose to lift up in prayer a sitution, an event, a church, leadership, our city and even our nation. That their is a continuous line of prayer, worship and praise being lifted up. That we don’t take this personal time with God to give account of the weekend I had with family or friends. It’s not an atmosphere of sharing my personal beliefs, and the many things I have been a part of. It’s about God. It’s about asking Him to move his hand in an area where only He can make the difference. Not regaling my fellow man with tales of valor and glory at the local supermarket.
Persistent widow anyone? She had a sole purpose and intent when she began knocking on her master door. She had a mind set in stone as to what she wanted. There was not going to be anything that deterred her from her purpose. We must come to God in the same manner. I cannot allow the business of the day, week or month to side track me from the greater purpose I have, and that is to be in relationship with my Savior, and serve my heavenly Father according to His will. How will I know what that will is, if I do not spend time with Him in prayer? How I will know the character of God unless I spend time in His living word?
Don’t get caught up in the hype. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted from the vision that is before you. Don’t lose the foundation of our first love, which is Jesus. There is coming a day, perhaps soon, when God will truly separate the wheat from the chaff. Which of the virgins are you?
Whirlwind of Hope 