Friday, December 23, 2016

Sister Betty Jo On Receiving & Giving Blessings

"So the blessings that you receive, let me tell you they are all from God, and with no strings attached."


 Receive Your Blessings, And Give Them As Well

Praise the Lord everyone!! You are a blessing whether you know it are not. There are many who do not know that they are blessings to people. They didn’t even think they could be. This title came to me in a positive way, Receive Your Blessings, And Give Them As Well. I don’t know about you, but I’m thankful and grateful for (all) my blessings; and knowing that the blessings that I have received during my journey, have been a teaching given from Jesus Christ Himself.

When I sit and think about John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life, I realize that I have read that scripture just as I have read many others, over and over again. This time, I went so deep into it that I said to myself, This God has done something that no other would have done for me.

He gave me a blessing, and I didn’t even know that was what it was. I asked myself why would He do such? Did He not know that I didn’t love Him, or how I was living, and how I cared only to please others? The answers to these questions that I was asking were a mystery. He came back with the answer in John 3:17, For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

He wanted me to know that I was blessed by a gift called Salvation. And He wanted me to take this Word of blessing, and give it to others. Whether they accepted the blessing or rejected it was not to concern me. You still keep sharing it, is what He said.

So the blessings that you receive, let me tell you they are all from God, and with no strings attached.

He does what he does because He Loves us (all). You may hate Him…He still Loves you…You may use His name in vain…He still Loves you…You may be ashamed to speak of Him to your friends…He still Loves you. You may try to stop Him, but you can’t…He still Loves You.

His blessings are still spreading, and spreading. And those who are receiving them, are spreading and spreading them to people who do not know that they are to become blessings also. That man, that woman, that boy and girl do not yet know that they are to become blessings in return. Praise the LORD!!

So, receive your blessings, and give them as well. Those of you who have testimonies of what Jesus Christ has done in your life, tell It! Keep it real! Don’t allow the devil to stop you…his a liar, deceitful, and a hater. There is no love in him.

Jesus Christ Is Agape, A Blessing!



Sister Betty Jo is a strong woman of God who loves sharing her relationship with The Father, and what Christ has done for her. She lives in TX, and enjoys spending time with her daughter and granddaughters. She is a crafter and folk art painter, and likes cooking, especially trying new recipes.

This is what she has to say about her relationship with the Lord,

" My Life Has Not Been The Same since I Was Diagnosed With Lupus Some Years Ago. My Life Has Changed Quite A Bit, But Lupus Does Not Define Who I Am. I'm Blessed To Have Jesus Christ as my Savior. Also Loved One's & Friends Are My Blessings.

I Am A Bible Believing Christian. I don't like religion. I'm in love with Jesus Christ, whom I have a relationship with. I will Follow Jesus Christ, and not man. He will direct my feet into the right path. It isn't about how good I think I am, or what I think I can do for Him. I cannot work my way to Heaven, nor pay Him to take me. I'm blessed through SURRENDERING my all to Him. He has forgiven me of my nasty Sins.  

I am in a Intimate Relationship with a man who gave His life for me. He loved me that much that He laid His life on a cross that was put together by man. My life has not been the same after I gave Him my heart, and my life. That is True and Honest Love.


No matter what I looked like, or the life-style that I was living that wasn't pleasing to Him, He still accepted me with open arms. He said to me at that moment..."your sins have been forgiven." That was a Promise that He has kept ever since. Halleujah!! My first and Only Love!! His name by the way is Jesus Christ. Amen!! Don't Give Up! Push On! Amen!! "

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Draw Nigh To  Hope

Sunday, November 27, 2016

POETRY: Wonderful Words


Wonderful Words

 

I study your Word.

It's lovely to me,

Though sharp, and cutting, and true.

 

It brightens my path,

And straightens it too.

It turns my gray skies to blue. 

 

~ SJHolland ~

Sunday, November 20, 2016

Let Us Say Grace For This Meal


Dear Lord:

We thank you for this food, and all of the blessings that you have given us.

Protect our systems from any hurt, harm or damage,

through any poisons, toxins or impurities

that may be present in this food.

 

 

We thank you for all of the things that you are doing for us,

and the ways that you have helped us when we were unaware.

 

Help us to have better diets,

and teach us the things that we need to do to be healthy. 

 

 In Jesus' name.

Amen.

 

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Images: Pixabay.com Free Images

Saturday, October 29, 2016

How Can I Control My Anger?


When you feel anger coming on, pray, 


"God, right now, I need your peace. Please soothe my mind. I feel you replacing my anger with patience. I thank you for this gift of quiet.

Let your restraining, healing hand be upon me today, Lord. Help me to meet every situation calmly and with control."

 


Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Philippians 4:6 (KJV)

Don't worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart.
Philippians 4:6 (GNT) 

Do not be over-anxious about anything, but by prayer and earnest pleading, together with thanksgiving, let your request be unreservedly made known in the presence of God. 
Philippians 4:6 (WNT) 

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
Philippians 4:6 (NLT) 

Don't worry about anything. Instead, tell God about everything. Ask and pray. Give thanks to him. 
Philippians 4:6 (NIRV) 

Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. 
Philippians 4:6 (MSG)

How many times has God told us, in His Word, not to worry, but to turn worrying thoughts into prayer? Stop what you are thinking and doing right now, or at any time of worry, and tell it all, tell the truth, just as you were thinking it, to God.

It takes a lot of effort and practice to defeat useless, persistent and harmful anger. Whether it has a valid reason or not, most of the time it can't help us, or anyone else. It can easily destroy, rather than build up. Most of the time, it is bad for our emotional well-being, bad for our physical health, and bad for our spiritual growth. So, you've got to defeat it, with God's help, if you sincerely want to be healed, and be a help to others. You can do it, with God's help.


Scriptures: BibleStudyTools.comBibleStudyTools.com
Images: Pixabay.com Free Images
Anger Prayer: Triumph Over Life's Toughest Problems, Norman Vincent Peale, A Guideposts Outreach Publication, GuidepostsFoundation.org
 

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

James McDonald On What Is Prayer

James McDonald Said:

Prayer is the process of getting spiritually ready to receive what God already wants to do.


Something to think about, huh? If you want to learn more about praying effectively and what it means to obtain what you want and need through God, listen to his message.

Some ministries of James McDonald:


Image: Pixabay.com Free Images


Saturday, October 15, 2016

Just How Large Is The Sea Of Galilee Anyway?


Was reading about Jesus' 5th sign, walking on the waves on the Sea of Galilee, John 6:15-21. When the sea is mentioned in the Bible, I often forget that most of the time it is referring to a massive lake, rather than a body of water like the Pacific or Atlantic ocean, or the Mediterranean Sea. In verse 16, it says that "And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea" (KJV).

I remembered that this is referring to a relatively small land-locked body of water. I wondered, Just how large is the Sea of Galilee anyway? I realized that because they knew very little, if anything, about the topography of the Earth, this massive water feature would naturally be a sea to them. So what is the area and some interesting facts about this water area with the 3 names?

I thought that there were only 3 names that it is known by:
  • Sea of Galilee
  • Sea of Tiberius
  • Sea of Gennesaret
According to BiblePlaces.com, it is also known as:
  • Sea of Chinnereth
  • Ginnosar
  • Bahr Tubariya.
This site states that this sea is "more properly designated a lake," and that it is "13 miles long and 7 miles wide." I am not good at judging distance, but that doesn't sound very large to me. I think Lake Gennesaret is smaller than I thought.

Wikipedia, my fav place to do research (though it is not academically accepted), states that Lake Chinnereth "is approximately:
  • 53 km (33 mi) in circumference,
  • about 21 km (13 mi) long,
  • and 13 km (8.1 mi) wide
  • area is 166.7 km2 (64.4 sq mi) at its fullest,
  • and its maximum depth is approximately 43 m (141 feet)."
It doesn't seem very deep either. I wonder how there could have been waves so scary, on a body of water this size, so as to terrify the disciples, some of who were experienced fishermen? Do you think Jesus whipped up those waves to build their faith? At one point on shore at least, the opposite shore can be seen, showing how small the lake is. And when they got into the boat, they traveled from Tiberius to Capernaum, which would be north, along the coast. I don't know how far out they had to go to reach a navigable depth before they turned north, but it seems that they could not have ever been out of sight of land.

An interesting mystery! But, where Jesus is there are mysteries galore, and revelations, lol. Wikipedia states that The Sea of Galilee was also called the Sea of Minya.


Sources:
Wikipedia
BiblePlaces.com
King James Bible

Image: Wikipedia