The following entry is re-blogged from one of my dear sisters blogs….I cried when I read it and am so blessed to be encouraged by Robin to keep my lamp full of oil and the wick trimmed……thank you dear friend for being such a beautiful example of a Wise Virgin…..
what are you waiting for?
anticipation.
waiting and watching.
expecting something better,
something beautiful,
something that fills the longing.
i do it when i know a long awaited trip lies ahead on my calendar.
or a special dinner with friends i haven’t seen in a long time.
or a quiet date with my husband.
– – – – – – – –
i just read the final pages of my favorite book.
the book that tells my story.
His story.
our story.
and i have shivers,
and goosebumps raise,
and anticipation whelms me
as I glimpse what lies ahead for me.
a feast.
a wedding.
a homecoming.
and i am reminded of where i should be gazing expectantly.
not at my calendar.
or to any plan or vision of the natural kind.
i cast my heart, my eyes, my longing, my hopes, and my expectation to the skies.
i am a bride and i am waiting for my Groom.
He is coming soon, and even if it is a lifetime from now
a lifetime waiting for Him and being ready is a life not wasted.
Just a quick note to say hello to all of you and let you know I’ve been praying for each of you! thanks again for another really wonderful night at your house last Friday 🙂 I always come away from my time with you girls refreshed and renewed! Thank you thank you!
As promised…..here is Pastor JD Farag’s weekly prophecy update 🙂 You will hear a few things that sound familiar as we touched on some of the Syria news on Friday night….pay close attention to his take on it…..God has blessed him with some keen insight concerning the prophecies that are lining up and being fulfilled right now in the Middle East….enjoy!
Here is another resource link to more studies much like the one we went through on Friday night in regards to the Jewish Wedding Traditions and the similarities to the Rapture of the Church….this is a wonderful site! Be sure to click through all of the categories on the left side menu when you get to the home page….I am sure you will find something that piques your interests!
For those of you that may have missed my first post to all of you last week….you can find it here. There are several links to sites I use on a daily basis……for the serious prophecy student….it will keep you busy for weeks 😉
And finally…….don’t forget this weeks assignment! Ok……there is no grade for this assignment…..but alas…..let’s all try to bring ONE headline or news article to our Friday Night meeting and see how it squares up against the Bible….we are learning how to recognize the signs of the times we now live in……we are that generation ladies! TIP: keep in mind what we’ve already discussed about some of the major obvious signs….IE: Israel, Middle East, Global relations concerning countries, knowledge, weather, condition of mans hearts toward one another…toward God. Global Economy……to name a few…..
I can’t wait to see you all this Friday should the Lord allow! If not…I’ll see you all in the air!
Again today…..my awareness of my condition before the throne of God is glaring…..it seems as if I might have had enough of Him to immunize me into thinking *all might be well*…….
Ecclesiastes 1:8 ~ For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increases knowledge increases sorrow.
Have I become a true *good legalist*? Generally good….at least enough for folks to notice…….uugghhh…..sick….:(
I know for fact….that kind of religion doesn’t work…..I’ve been caught in it before…only to experience a decline in my walk with Him and my faith as well. It’s relationship WITH Him that I need and long for……
I am grateful today that He woke me up…..that He causes me to thirst…..to hunger for more of Him. But wait…..the closer I seem to get to the cross….the LIGHT……the more visible my stains become. My own wretchedness is glaring! The gap between where I am and God’s Holiness is widening! Not closing like I had thought……
I’ve broken His heart so many times….and while it saddens me to the point of brokeness….I am grateful for eyes that can now see the blackness of my own heart…..that understands a little more today…..my HUGE need of a Savior…..for being rescued by a Holy God.
This awareness keeps me coming to him….keeps me aware of my need for Him to continually rescue me….to change me…..from glory to glory…..
Can ancient prophecies about Israel be true? Is the Bible true or relevant today? I am certain that I couldn’t count how many times I’ve heard prophecy Scholars state that Israel is the Lord’s *Super Sign* as an indicator of how things will look and what will be happening just before He returns for His church…..the following video was a joy to watch and my heart about burst with love for the Lord after watching it…..enjoy!
Acts 14:8aIn Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet…
Thoughts for Today:
We know from these opening words: “In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet…” that a healing is going to happen. Why? Because there are numerous scenes in the Bible similar to this one when a cripple is healed or a lame person walks. Have you ever wondered why the Lord uses this particular illustration so frequently? I believe it is because the Lord is telling us in the form of a story that life without Jesus is like going through life, “crippled in [your] feet.”
I was speaking with a young man recently who was having difficulty in his marriage. The more I listened the more I realized the problem wasn’t his wife, the pressure of finances, or his children — those were convenient excuses. The real problem was his ‘crippled’ thought process. As we talked further about what was wrong he asked me, “How can I fix myself? Should I get counseling?” I told him Christian counseling would help a lot, but the only real solution is Jesus. He thought about that for a moment, and said “I already am a Christian, I have already prayed about this, I have already given my marriage to Jesus, and still I’m in trouble. Maybe I need something else.”
Now be honest with yourself, have you ever felt that way before: “Jesus just isn’t working, maybe I need something else?” Too often we look to someone or something else to fix us, when we should be looking inside — to Christ in us — as Paul will say — “our hope of glory.” We know we are all born with sin and if sin is left unchecked in our lives it will cripple us. Sin not only affects the emotional areas of our lives but also infects every relationship we have (marriage included), and activity we become involved in (work, sports, ministry, etc). It’s important to recognize that just because you are a Christian doesn’t mean you don’t sin anymore; rather it means you are forgiven. The real difference is you don’t have to be controlled by sin any longer — we have a choice. So what are you choosing? If you are a Christian you are fortunate because Christ’s death rendered sin powerless over you — however this is where most Christian’s fail in their battle against sin, they ! don’t replace the sin with it’s opposite.
Questions to ponder~
Here’s a partial list of sin. Take a moment and replace the negative emotion with a positive one (I’ve done the first for you as an example):
* Envy — replaced with: doing the best I can with the abilities God gave me.
* Pride — replaced with: __________________________________.
Modern psychology focuses on why we feel the way we do. The Bible answers this question simply and exhaustively — sin. Jesus is the answer, but the choice remains yours. The Lord has given us a road map through His Word (the Bible) and His example to peace, contentment, and a full life. What will your choice be?
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
And I’d like to thank all of you for inviting me to come to your home and share last night. I was blessed through and through! I came home and told my husband Bryan that the Lord was up to something VERY SPECIAL in the hearts of the precious women of your generation and especially in each and every heart I met last night! I have the distinct sense that it will be me that learns the most from our time together! It makes my heart smile 🙂 Isn’t that just like our Lord?
My heart has been full all day long and I’ve been in prayer for each one of you personally throughout my day. I will continue to keep each of you held up in prayer before the Lord as the Holy Spirit leads me….I truly cherish the privilege and my joy meter measures off the charts because I get to 🙂
A couple of you had questions after our time together last night so I am going to attempt to help with those right now:
Liz~ You asked about the *technology* verse……I looked through most of my notes and studies and found that in the King James version the word *technology* is not used….in a few other translations it is, but for my own studies I use the King James version….Daniel 12:4 But you, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. (Technology being translated or considered knowledge as well) As I was looking this up it struck me that the verse mentions that people will be running to and fro…..perhaps referring to the air traffic we spoke about last night? At the turn of the last century…knowledge exploded….transportation is just one of the areas that stands out…..the computer industry is another obvious one to me…..anymore….when one purchases a computer device of any kind….it is nearly obsolete before it’s brought home! I hope this helps…..
You and Ashley also asked about *that generation not passing before He returns*~ Here is the verse with some commentary as well…..I probably don’t have to remind you…but just for good measure….keep in mind that the Rapture and His Second Coming are two different events that happen at different times….7 years apart to be exact….in the verses below the Second Coming is what is being referenced……
Below is a brief reference to the verse that I found on one of my resource sites online called *Grace Thru Faith* authored by Jack Kelley. I use his site a lot…..
Q. Where in the bible does it refer to Israel and the generation which sees it become a state again being the generation to see the end times. In Matthew (Olivet Disclosure) I don’t see a connection with Israel becoming a nation again.
A. The verse about the final generation is Matt. 24:34. There are several statements in the Olivet Discourse that require Israel to be a nation in covenant with God at the End of the Age. The first is the reference to a Temple in Matt. 24:15 (the Holy Place) followed by the warning to “those in Judea” in the next verse. Judea was Israel’s name in New Testament times. Finally there’s the Lord’s admonition for them to pray that their flight not be on a Sabbath. Only covenant keeping Jews are forbidden from traveling on the Sabbath.
In addition, Isaiah 11:11, Amos 9:14-15, and Ezekiel 36:12 all speak of Israel being restored as a nation in the Last Days. When you put it all together you see that the restoration of Israel was the first major sign that the end of the age is upon us, and that the generation being born at that time would still be alive at the 2nd Coming. Again…I hope you found this useful…..
Below you will find a list of links to the sites I visit most often for studying and research……as we move through our studies together….I will post links to the global media sites I use most often…..
Jon Courson’s Searchlight Ministies~This is probably my all time favorite bible study site online. The site is full of archived sermons by Pastor Jon. If you look on the left side menu, you can choose to listen to sermons topically, or verse by verse. I’ve learned more here than probably anywhere.
His Channel~We thoroughly enjoy this site! Again…it’s a library of teachings that we can listen to on demand. Some of our favorites are: World News Briefing (with Chuck Smith and Don Stewart), Turning Point (with Dr. David Jeremiah), and The Hal Lindsey Report…..there are many other wonderful ones here as well. When you get to the home page….look for the VIDEO ON DEMAND tab near the top…..click on it and your library will open up.
I mentioned Grace Thru Faith above….I LOVE Jack Kelley’s site….he is a trusted pastor and his site is full of information….it has a great search engine and you can type in almost any question you have and you will find information or places to start your own research….
I can’t wait to see you all again next Friday…..until then….just know that someone will be whispering all of your names in prayer this week….thanks again ladies…..I love you all…..
My heart is full tonight! Full of gratitude for all of the Lords blessings in my life…..as I grow in my new habit…it becomes easier and easier to recognize all of these wonderful gifts and I can tell I am not taking so many of them for granted anymore……
My List continues~
91) February Sunshine in the Pacific Northwest!!!! WOOT!
92) Yard work in February
93) The sound of lawn mowers in February
94) A husband who loves to cut wood for winter heating.
95) My friend Becky and her steady friendship.
96) The joy is experienced last night at the Harriet House with the girls who joined our study…..seriously amazing women of God.
97) The fact I can still hula hoop! (More on this in a Hula update…..good news…..GREAT news!) 🙂
98) Spring…..signs of spring…..all that is spring….
99) Pinterest. I’ve found so many ideas on Pinterest that I’ve actually tried and now use on a daily basis. I will post a blog entry about the successes soon.
100) Electricity. I am listening to my dryer tumble and am so thankful for the convenience of modern technology in this home.
101) Indoor plumbing….for obvious reasons!
102) The sincere love of good family friends.
103) Pictures that invoke warm, meaningful thoughts.
104) Anointed worship music.
105) Our family meal table.
106) Neighbors that care.
107) New relationships and friendships
108) Old relationships and friendships
109) The roar of the ocean
110) The peace I find in the mountains and on the river
111) Of my daughters smile
112) Of my husbands flirty wink
113) When my husband reaches for my hand when we walk together.
114) Rest
115) Finding a purpose and knowing I am being used for service to the Lord.
116) Walking into a warm house
117) Belly laughter
118) That I am truly learning to WANT what I have instead of wanting what I don’t have….
119) That I am alive right here….right now….for such a time as this…..
120) Phone calls from our sons and their families…
121) Random text messages from friends and family to just say hi or to let me know I am being prayed for…..just wow….
122) Fellowshipping with and hearing the testimony of friends and family who have had their prayers answered.
123) Afternoon naps.
124) Gods attention to all of the details of my life….He cares about what concerns me
125) Almond/Coconut Milk smoothies with hazelnut butter…..
126) For the ability both physically and financially to be able to attend Curves
127) Kisses from my grand daughters and ahem….hugs from my 15 year old grandson 🙂
128) Being able to listen to sermons of so many of my favorite Pastors online.
129) Lying on the couch under my favorite blanket with the fire cracking, watching a movie or reading a good book.
130) Precious….sweet quiet time with my Lord….not the kind of time that requires studying but rather the kind that involves just communing with each other…..intimate fellowship….
“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
– Matthew 19:24
This sobering sermon will stop you short as an American to discover the wealth that we have enjoyed compared to most of the rest of the world…..enjoy Pastor Chan…..it will change you for sure…..are we lukewarm and loving it?
For further study~
The following teaching has been provided by: John Wesley over at Drury Writing
How does wealth hinder holiness? To list them would require a large volume, so we will only touch on a few of them.
Riches–hindrance to holiness
Hindrance to faith
Consider the hindrance to faith prompted by riches. The root of all religion is faith, without which it is impossible to please God . There are several ways to interpret the term “faith.”
(1) You may consider faith as the “evidence of things not seen” –a belief in the invisible things of God. If so, then riches hinder this kind of faith in that they tend to focus your mind on the visible and material rather than the invisible and eternal, thus making faith in the unseen difficult.
(2) Perhaps you take “faith” as meaning confidence or trust in God. What a tendency for wealth to destroy this! Having wealth tends to make a person trust in wealth. Rather than looking to God for happiness or protection, the rich trust in their riches to provide these things.
(3) Or if you take faith in the proper Christian sense, as a divine confidence in a pardoning God; riches are a deadly–almost insurmountable–hindrance to faith! Can a rich man lay aside his power and prestige and come to God as a sinner on the level with his poorest employee; with the “beggar who lies at his gate full of sores?” Can a rich man have saving faith? Impossible; unless through some power that made the heavens and the earth. Yet without humbling himself like this, a rich person cannot, in any sense, “enter into the kingdom of God.”
So however you understand faith, riches are a great hindrance to it. This is why it is difficult–almost impossible–for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. They are hindered from having faith.
Hindrance to love
Wealth is an equal hindrance to the first fruit of faith, loving God. “If any man love the world,” the apostle Paul said, “the love of the father is not in him” How is it possible for a man or woman to not love the world who is constantly surrounded with all the world’s allurements? How can this person still hear the still small voice which says, “My son, give me your heart?” What power (unless the Almighty’s) enable the rich person to honestly sing,–
Keep me dead to all below,
Only Christ resolved to know;
Firm and disengaged, and free,
Seeking all my bliss in Thee!
Wealth is an obstacle to love of God. But it is an equal hindrance to loving our neighbor as ourselves; that is, to loving all men and women as Christ loved us. A rich man may indeed love people of his own party, race, or those of his own opinion. He may love those who love him: “Do not even the pagans do the same?” But a rich person cannot have pure disinterested good-will to every child of man. This kind of love can only spring from the love of God, which his great possessions expelled from his soul. This is why it is difficult–almost impossible–for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. They are hindered from loving.
Hindrance to humility
Where does humility come from? The love of God is the source-spring of all true humility. Therefore as far as riches hinder the love of God they likewise hinder true humility. But beyond this, riches cut us off from conversations which might make us aware of our own defects, weaknesses, and shortcomings. People seldom tell a rich man what they really think of him. Without this frank and humbling conversation we are likely to grow old in our faults until we die at the zenith of our deeply rutted imperfections. The rich are seldom humble.
Hindrance to meekness
Without humility, meekness cannot survive; for “of pride cometh contention”. Jesus directs us to learn of Him and at the same time “to be meek and lowly in heart.” Riches are as great a hindrance to meekness as they are to humility. Wealth prevents an attitude of humility which, in turn, prevents meekness. Why? Because meekness increases in proportion to our own decreasing opinion of ourselves. Conversely, the higher we think of ourselves, the less meekness we exhibit. Thus, since riches inflate a person’s self-opinion it likewise decreases the Christian virtue of meekness.
This is why it is difficult–almost impossible–for the rich to enter the kingdom of God.
Hindrance to yieldedness
This Christian virtue is closely allied to meekness and humility. For lack of a better term we shall call it “yieldedness.” It is a readiness to submit to others, to give up our own will. This seems to be the quality St. James credits to “the wisdom from above,” which we translate “easily entreated;” easy to be convinced of what is true; easily persuaded. How rarely is this characteristic found in a rich person!
Hindrance to patience
How uncommon it is to find patience among the rich and powerful. Unless, of course, there is the counterbalance of long and severe suffering, which God sometimes grants to rich people he loves, as an antidote to their riches. This is not a rarity: God sometimes sends pain and sickness or other great crosses to those who have great possessions. By these means, “patience has its perfect work,” until they are “complete and lacking nothing” (James 1:4).
These are merely a few of the hindrance to holiness surrounding the rich on every side. Riches poison the soul. Riches keep the person from holy qualities like faith, love, humility, meekness, yieldedness, patience. This is why it is difficult–almost impossible–for a rich person to be saved.
Riches–temptation to sin
Not only are riches a great hindrance to holy qualities, they are likewise a temptation to unholy dispositions.
Temptation to Atheism
The greatest temptation which naturally flows from riches in Atheism–even to the extent of complete forgetfulness of God–as if there was no such Being in the universe. “Enjoy life, you deserve it. . . you owe it to yourself” is the creed of the rich. This philosophy is common and its prophets are persuasive: “you only go around once in life, grab all the gusto you can.” They presume that God (if there is one) is “watching from a distance” and all that matters is the tangible, the material; what you have and enjoy. Materialism is Atheism. Laugh on; play on; sing on; dance on: but “For all these things God will bring you to judgment!” ( ) Riches promote Atheism–living like the material is more important than the spiritual. This is why rich people have great difficulty being Christians–it is much easier for the rich to be Atheists–at least practically live like an Atheist. This is why it is difficult–almost impossible–for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. Atheists do not enter the kingdom of God. Atheists do not enter the kingdom–even those who do not claim to be Atheists, yet live like it.
Temptation to idolatry
From Atheism there is an easy transition to idolatry; from the worship of no God to the worship of false gods. In fact, he who does not love God will sooner or later love the works of God’s hand–the creature, if not the creator. To how many varieties of idolatry is the rich man or woman exposed! He is under constant temptation to “love the world” in all its branches–“the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and the pride of life” .
(1) Desire of the flesh. The rich person is under countless temptations to gratify the flesh. Understand this clearly. The “desire of the flesh” does not refer to only one desire, but gratifying all outward senses. It is equal idolatry to seek our happiness in gratifying any of these senses. Some may boast that they would never gratify the fleshly desire through sexual promiscuity or drunkenness, but they seek happiness in the sensuality of eating great feasts. They avoid unhealthy alcohol taking care of their bodies; they just keep the soul dead through their sensuousness.
(2) Desire of the eyes. Rich people are equally surrounded by temptation from the “desire of the eyes;” that is, seeking happiness in gratifying the imagination, of which the eyes are the chief minister. How do you get pleasure through the eyes? The pleasures of the imagination are those things which are grand, wonderful, beautiful, or new. Have you not found this true? Rich people have a taste for grand objects and beautiful things. . . but especially for new things. The desire for novelty–newness-is as natural to men and women as the desire for meat or drink.
Now, consider the multitude of temptations to this kind of idolatry, which naturally flow from riches! How strongly are the rich tempted to seek happiness in grand and beautiful houses, in elegant furniture, in valuable and curious artwork, in luxurious automobiles, and perhaps in that most trivial of all trivialities–expensive designer clothing. The rich of lower mentality must have every new thing which they are told is fashionable.
And the rich who are of a more elevated mind are tempted to seek happiness in poetry, history, music, philosophy, or curious arts and science. Although these things all have their use and can be pursued purely, seeking happiness in any of them, instead of God, is outright idolatry. Therefore since riches furnish a man or woman increasing opportunity to indulge these desires shouldn’t it be asked, “Is not the life of a rich person, above all others, full of great temptations to indulge the “desire of the eyes” on earth.
(3) The pride of life. Or consider how much a rich man or woman is tempted to seek happiness in “the pride of life.” The apostle Paul was not meaning pomp, or showing off, or traveling with an impressive entourage as much as the “honor that comes from men,” whether deserved or not. A rich person is sure to encounter this; it is a trap he can not escape. Why is it universally true that “if you do well” and increase in goods, “men will speak well of you.” Riches bring honor.
And who can withstand this honor and applause without beginning to “think more highly of himself than he ought to think” succumbing to the temptation of the “pride of life.” How can a rich person escape pride for this reason alone–his wealth attracts praise from every quarter? Praise is generally poison to the soul; and the more pleasing, the more fatal. This is particularly true when it is undeserved. But not only praise–deserved or undeserved–but everything about the rich man or woman tends to inspire and increase pride. The opulent home, elegant furniture, well-chosen art, expensive automobile, fine suits or dresses have an almost irresistible tendency to make the rich person think more highly of him or herself than they ought to think. Riches bring the temptation to the “pride of life.” This is why it is difficult–almost impossible–for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. They are constantly tempted to idolatry–to gratify the desires of the flesh, or eyes, or submit to the temptation to the pride of life.
Temptation to self-will.
All of us start out life with a natural self-will–a selfish drive to have our own way. Riches naturally feed and increase self-will. Employees’ jobs depend on pleasing the rich owner or boss. Friends and acquaintances work hard at obliging the rich person. The rich person’s will is continually being indulged and thus strengthened; until eventually he or she is unable to submit to either God or men. The rich inherit a great temptation to self-will.
Temptation to other sins.
Riches have a tendency to nourish every attribute which is contrary to the love of God. But they have an equal tendency to feed every passion that is contrary to the love of our neighbor. The rich are tempted to contempt, particularly to those who are inferior, and nothing is more contrary to love. Or consider resentment of some supposed or real offense. Perhaps even revenge, which God claims as His own peculiar prerogative. But at least there is anger, for it easily arises in the mind of the rich, “What! How dare they treat me this way!” Related to anger is peevishness and irritability. Are the rich guilty of these more than the poor? Experience shows that they are. The wealthy tend to be the hardest to please, considering any kind of less-than-perfect workmanship as a “cross to bear.” They are the quickest to throw their weight around and insist that things be done over again–and right this time. Ask any car wash attendant if this is true. Peevishness and irritability are exceptional temptations of the rich.
Or consider how the rich are continually tempted to self-gratification, the opposite of self-denial. Jesus “said to them all” (the whole multitude, not just the apostles only) “If any man will come after me,” (will be a real Christian) “let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) How hard a saying for those who are living the good life among their piled up possessions! But the Scripture cannot be ignored. Therefore, unless a man or woman does indeed “deny self” every pleasure which diverts pleasure in God, “and take up his cross daily,” (obeys every command of God no matter how contrary to the flesh) he cannot be a disciple of Christ; he cannot “enter the kingdom of God.”
Think further about this important idea of self-denial. How many rich people in today’s church really do actually “deny themselves and take up their cross daily?” How many rich church people do you know who resolutely abstain from every pleasure unless they know that it prepares them for taking greater pleasure in God? Who of you who are now rich deny yourselves like you did when you were poor? Who willingly endure labor or pain like you did when your net worth was nothing? Do you fast now as often as you did then? Do you rise early to pray now as you did then? Do you endure cold, or heat, wind, or rain as cheerfully as ever? Do you see one reason why so few increase in possessions, without decreasing in grace? Because they no longer deny themselves and take up their crosses daily. They no longer endure hardship as good soldiers of Jesus Christ.
“Go to now, you rich men! Weep and howl for the judgments that are coming upon you;” The “canker of your gold and silver” will be “a testimony against you,” and will “eat your flesh as fire!” What a pitiful condition! And who will help you? You need someone to deal plainly with you. But few will speak as plain to you as to one of your children or employees. No one who hopes to gain by your favor, or fears losing by your displeasure will tell you the truth. O that God would cause these words to sink deep into your hearts! You have been a friend of the church, and have given when the Lord’s work was in special need. Might we even say you love God’s work and his ministers?
Here is the word for you. You know that it is difficult–almost impossible–for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. But it is possible with God. Let your heart be whole with God! Seek your happiness in Him alone. Be careful to not cling to the dust of your riches. “This earth is not your home.” Work to use the world and enjoy God, rather than using God and enjoying the world. Cling to all the things you possess as if you were a homeless refugee. Be a good steward of the many gifts of God; so that when you are called forward to give an account, He will say “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord!”
"But if we walk in the light, as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin." -1 John 1:7
"For The Eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him."
2 Chronicles 16:9 NKJV
In His Grip Blog 