Month: December 2020

Some thoughts from yesterday…God is so good.

Holy Spirit, please open our eyes to how wonderful you are and how much You desire for us to live close to You always. You are so amazing and we praise You for how beautiful You are and for your matchless power that sets us free.

For far too long, Annie and I lived in the devil’s reality. We worried, had tremendous fear, anxiety, heartache, and all the rest of his reality up to our eye balls. Satan’s reality will steal, kill and destroy you.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ephesians 6:12

I often think that people think I’m not living in reality when I say some of the things God shows me or lays on my heart. All I can say is that life doesn’t get any more real than when you begin to do the Word, when you begin to follow Jesus in ways you never thought you could or would.

While I was walking today (12-30-20), the Holy Spirit said, “You can praise and thank me for Covid, for the Tri-Lateral Commission and all the rest,” just like Merlin’s books and My Word state. Immediately, I had a joy that was not my own. What a blessing it is to know Jesus!

How do I trust in the Lord with all my heart (Proverbs 3:5)? By praising Him in all things.

Praising and thanking God in all things will teach you how to live free from your own understanding. I promise you.

God inhabits fear, worry, care, dismay, anger, uncertainty, whining, my own understanding, self-pity, focusing on my hurts, etc? No, He inhabits the praises of His people. Begin to praise God and watch what He alone can do as He lifts you out of fear, worry, care, dismay, anger, uncertainty, whining, your own understanding, self-pity, focusing on my hurts, and all the rest.

God’s plans are still being carried out. His Word will come true and we can praise Him for that and experience His Presence with us no matter what. When I praise Him, all of the resources of Heaven are immediately at attention and are released into me and the situation in a way I can’t fully understand. I just need to be obedient to praise Him. The rest is up to Almighty God, to my Father.

God, You’re SO GOOD to me! I’ll sing it through eternity…

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark 

Note: While we may not agree with everything a particular church or Christian group teaches or believes, there are times when we can be blessed by something outside the realm of our current understanding of God.

I’ll get an anxious thought, from time to time, and begin to get in my own understanding about it. If I feel overwhelmed and feel care beginning to weigh on my spirit, I’ll ask God for His help. That’s when He reminds me to cast ALL care on Him. I can feel the relief of giving Him the “care” the thought tried to burden me with.

We have such a faithful God who tells us to cast all our care on Him. He takes our care and we’re free to trust Him with it. Praise You, Jesus.

for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
1 Peter 5: 5b-7

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

I hope you’ll view Jonathan’s short clip below on the big picture and the tests in our lives. It’s excellent.

If you’re not born again, there’s no guarantee things are working out for your good. There’s no guarantee there is a redemptive problem and a redemptive purpose in every problem. If you’re born again, every problem can be redeemed. In the life of a believer, everything (“good or bad”) has a purpose. This is what Romans 8:28 is all about.
^{By Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn (Edits mine)}

So come on, let’s go!

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

Praising God at all times is the best way I’ve found to live. Keeps me in a posture of humility and surrender before Him. Thank You, Jesus.

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10

He hath made every thing beautiful in his time:
Ecclesiastes 3:11a

who does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number.
Job 5:9

God bless you all. ☺☺♥♥

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

7 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 NLT

So come on. Let’s get out there and find all of the wonderful things the Lord has in store for us. All it takes is faith to be planted by His never-ending river of favor as He works all things together for our good. We can rest in our faith in Christ. ☺

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

I had a really neat dream last night. God was showing me more about how He is the Author of Life and how fun and wonderful Divine Romance is – I woke up with one of His thoughts about how to love my wife even more. His ways are re-mark-able.

He wants so much to show us Life, and He has such a wonderful plan for marriage. He is always moving in the lives of those who seek Him by staying willing to listen to all the beautiful ways He enhances Life.

He is so incredible, and ever expounding on and expanding the lives of those who will open everything in their life to His blessings.

Seeing Life through His eyes…I can only imagine how much better Life gets. And to think He’s going to show me. Wow.

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

I’ve often wondered what would happen if the audio Bible was played through hospital loud speakers. Would patients, staff and family members be ministered to in powerful ways?  Would there be new treatments?  Would it bring hope to so many? Would patients walk out healed?

I saw the following in a John Ankerberg email I received today.

“Many schools in South America and in areas of Africa have a “Bible hour” in their public schools. Although this seems like a very foreign idea to those of us in North America, it is considered normal in these areas and provides a wonderful opportunity for kids to learn about Jesus Christ. Audio Bible devices, such as the audio Proclaimer, are incredible tools for these schools, with the dramatized recording engaging the children in their heart language, making them feel like they are in the story. The children are impacted by hearing the Word of God, then share with their parents and families, often creating a ripple effect within the village or town. Our partners have seen whole communities changed by an audio Bible being played in the local school. Would you consider helping us place more audio Bibles in these schools?”

The Lord Jesus bless you and keep you
The Lord Jesus make His face to shine on you and be gracious unto you
The Lord Jesus lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace
And I put the Name of the God of the children of Israel on you and bless you in Jesus’ Name, the Name that is ABOVE every other name.

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

Annie talked with Steve today. He works for one her company’s sub-contractors. They talked about what’s going on in the world and how wonderful Heaven’s going to be. She told him about the book, “Imagine Heaven” that she’s reading and how incredible and timely it is that God brought it to us. Ann told Steve it’s going to be so much fun in Heaven as we all share what God did in our lives while on earth. Steve said, “I don’t have any stories…”

Then, Steve told Ann… Years ago, a little girl was in the hospital dying. She was scared. No one in her family knew Jesus. Her mom called Steve’s Pastor, “We’ve never been to church, but our little girl is dying. The Doctors said she won’t make it through the night. She’s really scared. Can you come to the hospital?” Of course the Pastor drove to the hospital and sat with the little girl. He told her about Jesus and his love for her and her family. The little girl made it through the night.

The next day the doctors were dismayed. Her vital signs had changed – she went home a couple days later. The cancer was gone. The next weekend the whole family was in church. They all got saved. Steve played the drums and the little girl loved to stand close and watch him play.

A few months went by – the cancer came back – the Pastor again sat with the little girl in the hospital. But this time she wasn’t scared. She sat up in bed, “Pastor Richard! Do you see them?! The Angels are here!” and she stepped into eternity. The family is looking forward to a joyous reunion together in Heaven. So is Steve.

We all have stories…

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

The world, even a lot of churches and Christians, is filled with those who do not know how to guard their heart.  And their lives show this.  Their thoughts and conversations are filled with worry, doubt and fear.

Diligence – Careful and persistent work or effort

Today, it’s especially important that we guard our heart with Jesus and not with all of the anxious thoughts of the world flying around today. I really believe that Jesus leads us one step, one moment, one day, at a time with His wisdom and peace. This is how I keep my own heart from being troubled.

There was a time when I didn’t know how to guard my heart and I was filled with anxiety, worry, frustration, bitterness, and all the rest. This is about the time when Jesus introduced us to using His Word in our everyday lives. Jesus makes the difference.

Guard your heart above all else (with all diligence), for it determines the course of your life.
Proverbs 4:23

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
John 14:27

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

The Armies Of Heaven

Remember, one angel wiped out over 180,000 of the enemy. It’s not known how many one angel can dispel on your behalf. In the end, no enemy can stand against those who belong to the Lord.

That night the angel of the LORD went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. When the surviving Assyrians woke up the next morning, they found corpses everywhere.
2 Kings 19:35

And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever.
2 Chronicles 20:21

The Hosts of Heaven are with those who love Jesus. Always remember this.

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

Call fear’s bluff. Live by faith in the Son of God. You win every time.

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Hebrews 11:6

God wants us to be able to live by faith. He rewards our faith, He backs up our faith. He’ll deliver us as we trust Him with everything. Think of all those in the Bible He delivered because they chose faith in God.

Bible times have never really ended for those who choose to have faith in Jesus. We’re living in Bible times, folks. We’re being asked to live like those who chose Him in the first days of Christianity.

What an adventure He’s called us to. So exciting and wonderful.

The Lord bless you and keep you
The Lord make His face to shine on you and be gracious unto you
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace
And I put the Name of the God of the children of Israel on you and bless you in Jesus’ Name, the Name (that fills us with faith) that is ABOVE every other name.

Faith is living ABOVE with Him in His almighty dwelling place.

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

In the 80s, popular Christian songwriter Keith Green’s “No Compromise” album cover pictured Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego not bowing their knee to the king’s edict. They would not give into his command. They did not fear him. They chose to bow down to nothing and no one but their God, the true God. Don’t bow your knee to fear in any form. Don’t do it and watch God cover you like He did with those three (see Daniel chapter 3).

What are we rehearsing? What are we choosing? What posture am I used to living in and reacting from? Is it fear or FAITH?

Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh (Yes, fear will come and try to make us bow to it. The question is, what will we do when it comes?). For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
Proverbs 3:25-26

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work (of faith) in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Philippians 1:6

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death (fear), blessing and cursing: therefore choose life (faith), that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
Deuteronomy 30:19-20

What are you choosing each day?

Be not afraid!

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark