God Will Keep Him Whose Mind Is Stayed On Thee

I was getting to know a couple who have highschool and younger children. Upon listening to them and asking a couple questions, God revealed to me, he (the husband) was being tormented by demons. We discussed what that could mean and I prayed for them much during the week. A week later, at the next housechurch, I revealed to the group how God answered my questions on how to stay humble when His glory comes.

Principalities and Powers Of the Air            .

When i started studying Revelation a couple years ago, I began using my imagination to put pieces of the puzzle together. What if there are more principalities in the realm around us than there are people on the planet at this time? All I know is they are more common and dirversified than I ever realized. They are not to be feared. Being released from the grasp of past sin and many principalities has me also aware how simple deliverance is. For the most part, the process of being freed from them is simple. The difficulty is being willing to recognize them in your life and part of bondage/ captivity Jesus wants to release us from.

Revelation Expands

One January Winter afternoon, as I walked along my neighbor's driveway to give care for their rabbits while they were on vacation, I looked across a wooded area and on the ground of this grey dreary day, I spied a large colorful orange. Upon inspection, it looked in perfect condition, uncompromised. I peeled it. It smelled OK. It tasted OK and I thoroughly enjoyed this juicy orange. As I walked back along their driveway I heard God say, "I can even provide fresh citrus." To which I replied, "That's good because I would get tired of manna."

Two days later, I was walking down a path in my neighborhood that I seldom had reason to take, but I had parked my car down on the street. Halfway down I found myself turn around and look back to see another, much smaller orange, about 8 feet from the path. I went back to get it and continued on my way. After reaching my destination of the home of a client, I took that small orange and put it into my large coat pocket. God said, "If you take that orange into the house you will have to share it with those 4 children." To which I said, "If I don't feel like sharing it I can just leave it in my pocket." About 15 minutes in their home and I was upstairs playing with the kids so my friend could get ready for the arrival of her midwife. I didn't make a conscious decision to share the orange, I just remember sitting on the end of the bed with this tiny orange in hand, starting to peel it and 4 little drooling, bright eyed faces waiting eagerly as if anticipating a candy delight. I divied out one teeny, tiny slice to each and then 2 to me and another to each and then with one section left, I held it up and asked, "Who should get this one? Me?" To which one of the little boys grabbed the slice, hesitated for any objections, and without any, he quickly put it in his mouth. This was a delightful experience.

Upon leaving their home, God said, "I will use you to feed many."

'Well, that's cool,' I thought.

I am learning I seldom truly understand the interpretation of all God says to me and recently I had the thought of the position I may have in the next life of feeding many. Until now, I just envisioned myself speaking to a rock to become bread and passing it around. Since the death of my husband, I have eternity future frequently in my imagination of possibilities.

All we do here, whether a big or small action, has consequences for loss or blessing with our existence on the new earth.

26 Years of Prayer Finally Answered

My husband of 26 years died last month and I have been having the most intimate thoughts of love with the Father for my late husband. I loved him so much and truly respected the intensity of his love for God, me and our children and those whom God put in his path. He often came home beaming with a story of how he had brighten someone's day who was having a real bad day. Tom loved people, every stranger was a person he could engage in conversation and then cheer them up.

I am relieved and satisfied that Tom is dancing with Jesus and at peace in every way. Now I am beginning to see the depth of my love for him in the years of prayer invested for his life and healing. I never saw the the answer to my prayers until he was in the hospital dying. I felt the glory of God all around him and His grace abundantly over my life. I have not had one day where I have not praised God that Tom's broken heart is now completely healed. I never realized just how deeply I loved him until these past few days. I could have shown him more respect while he was with me but I did my best and I can hear Father God say, "Well done Carmen. You are my faithful servant." It is amazing how the painful memories keep fading and deeper revelations of the intensity of his love for me and our children keep coming. But most of all, these past 3 years Tom lost almost everything of material value and he still proclaimed, "I know this was all God's will and I know He loves me," and he continued to serve the Lord.

"Tom, you made me proud. You will be missed. I look forward to our dance in heaven. You are at the top of my dance card." Carmen

The First and Second Resurrections

Revelation says, ''Blessed is the man who endures to the end." He will take part in the first resurrection. Those saints will reign with Jesus for 1000 years while Satan is bound. After that, the second resurrection. I hope I get to hang around long enough to be considered one of the tribulation saints, be part of the first resurrection and reign with Jesus while the saints who went into the grave before lie asleep until the second resurrection. I am constantly exercising my imagination of all that could take place especially if I am priviledged to suffer through many days of the tribulation.

I know the grace of God is sufficient for all situations. He will be glorified.

"Contend For Your Family"

This past year was highlighted most thoroughly by prayer and experiencing the reality of prayer with Father God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. In December 2008, I heard God say, "Contend with
Me."

I asked, "How do I contend with the Almighty God?"

"Contend for your family," was His reply. It amazes me I stopped asking Him questions for greater understanding. Ask, Ask, Ask must become my motto.

Well, I faltered through trial and error, contending for my family. And I am beginning to see much fruit in each of their lives. The last leg in our family tree yet to see results from this prayer vigil for my family is with my marriage and for inner healing of Tom's broken heart.

"Father God, we are created from the dust of the earth and our days are filled with futility and vain endevors. Occassionally, You remove the plank from my eye and I see clearly enough to keep quiet and hold my words. Yet, You require I answer You and give you my strong arguments of all that is in my heart."

"Reveal Your will that I might pray accordingly. Show me, Your servant, what it is You desire of me and what it is You would have me pray."

"Create in my marriage a clean heart and a right spirit. Restore unto us the beauty of Your glory for the ashes of years of conflict, pride and bitterness."

"The glory due You for accomplishing this would be tremendous in the communities of our home town and the town we invested the first 13 years of our marriage. When the many hear of Your great exploits in our marriage, glory and honor and praise will rise to Your throne on such a grand scale and I promise to go to each church fellowship to testify of the great healing and restoration You purposed on our behalf. All glory and honor is Yours and we will take none of it to ourselves. Many will marvel and many will dedicate their lives to You anew when their eyes behold our healed lives and marriage sanctified in the glory of Your Holy Spirit."

"In Jesus' name, AMEN."

10K, 25K or Will Jesus Ever Return?

We must run the good race with all diligence and not lose heart. All the parables in Matthew that refer to the end of the age and the return of the Son of Man have one thing in common. The return of the master, the coming of the Bridegroom and the thief, all tarry. It is after the master had been gone a very long time that the servant he had put in charge said to himself, 'My master isn't ever going to return,' and he began beating his fellow servants, etc. All 10 virgins began to fall asleep, and after the wicked slave buried his talent (life) the Word says, "After the master had been gone a long time..." And since day after day nothing every happened to merrit it anymore, the homeowner stopped locking his door. He probably said to himself, 'No thief ever comes and probably never will.' Locking the house and being prepared for such an event was unnecessary. Lulled with eating and drinking or celebrating a new marriage, etc., the homeowner doesn't think twice about checking the door before going to bed, or (as is the practice in our household) doesn't lock the door behind himself upon entering the house.

It's not a very popular position to hold about the truth of the return of the Son of Man but it is most likely all the exhortation given to the church to remain alert and be on guard is because the day and the hour of His return is much later than any of us bible believers have dared to imagine. But think about it. Laying aside all the indoctrination of what can and cannot be, laying aside all fear or insecurity, isn't it possible all the warnings and parables we are given about the last days and the end of the age and the return of the Son of Man are because things are not going to play out as neatly and easily and swiftly as our hunan natures have conjured up?

Needless to say, I am running this race as one who has trained for a great marathon, not knowing if I will see the finish line at the end of 10K or 25K. I am running the good race, fighting the good fight as if I am to endure the greatest of all tribulations before meeting Him in the air upon His return to separate the sheep from the goats. I don't want to fall short of enduring to the end because I trained for a 10K race only to quit because the finish line is not crossed at that point in time.

He who endures to the end shall be saved.