Then the Holy Spirit will touch your heart and soul. This past week I kept seeing the verse in Acts 4:13.Especially one part of the verse.
”And they recognized that they HAD BEEN WITH JESUS”.
Another translation says......
“Then they began to understand the effect that Jesus had on them simply by spending time with Him”.
Peter and John spoke with BOLDNESS about Jesus to anyone. This day they had been talking with the religious leaders. Leaders who did not like the name of Jesus. They told Peter and John not to speak about Jesus. Peter and John said, “we cannot keep from talking about Him”. After warning them two more times Peter and John went to the other believers and rejoiced together and prayed.
Did they pray for protection? NO. They prayed for more BOLDNESS.
Two things hit my heart this week.
1. Believers are known by the time they spend with Jesus. Is He always on our mind? Do we dig deep into that well of His love and compassion? Do we feel that response from Him as we tell Him we love Him? Are our steps ordered by Him?
2. Peter and John said to the leaders in verse 19, “is it better to listen to you or to God”? Are we so hampered by worrying what others will think? I will say that I have been many times. It hurts to think about it. He is the Holy One Who humbled Himself and came to earth to save me so I might walk with Him here and spend eternity with Him.
As I shared the word BEEN it led me to these two thoughts. There is really no option. Is it my heart's desire to spend more time with Him and to be bold?
Time with Him is purest joy. So love Him with all your heart, soul and mind.
If you want the whole story read Acts chapter 3 and 4.
“A clean heart is a free heart. A free heart can love Christ with an undivided love in chastity, convinced that nothing and nobody will separate it from his love.” - Mother Teresa
In biblical usage, the term "purification" refers to a certain rite in the external worship of God. Purification seeks to remove legal uncleanness so that the purified individual may resume normal activity in society
There are 28 verses in the Bible that point us to the word purity.
Are our thoughts and actions pure? Are they clean from judgment, hate, and discord? Are they from a beautiful place within our hearts or are they tainted from the darkness that can overshadow our very existence? Do they weigh us down or do they give us the passage of amazing freedom!!
I do believe it’s a daily struggle!!! Our human DNA makes us work really hard to achieve even the slightest improvement towards purification... It’s a moment-to-moment decision... Do we have the strength to withstand the temptations and harshness of our troubled world ?? Or do we join in the chorus of discord and lash out with our thought or remorse??
What is a pure heart? How do we attain one? And if get close to having one is it sustainable ??
I can only share my thoughts and my flight to freedom experience...
As we try with all our strength to obtain this status we will find that it is not achievable without God... We must surrender our ties to things of this world... We must give Him our heart and ask Him to help us become better humans each and every day...
He knows our heart better than we can ever imagine. He sees every thought, every action, every word that is spoken...
I can say as we travel closer to His heart we will begin to understand Him.. and our desire will be to please Him ... We will learn to listen to that so small voice from within ... And They will guide your thoughts, actions, and our hearts. This process is getting you ready for the most amazing journey we could ever aspire to travel...
Into our Savior's arms... where the purest heart can be felt within our yearning souls...
It’s Him, It’s always Him!!!
He holds all the answers!!! He has traveled this road before us !!
And He knows we are forever a work in progress!! And yet He loves us anyway!!!
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 1 John 3:2-3
What is this magnetic pull you have on my heart? What is this love I feel so deep in my soul?? I yearn to hear you whisper my name forevermore you are my beloved and I am yours.
Beloved is a quaint and lovely name for someone.
It is used 60 times in the Bible.
We have lost this name over the years in the church. We have gone after other things. How to start a small group. A better way to save souls. The best way to study the Bible. How to draw people into a beautiful Church.
All this time we should have been seeking Him. The one who loves us so. Seek me and find me if you seek me with all your heart. When He comes, he draws all men to Him? His beauty and love open the door for His presence among us.
Repent of seeking everything but the one who is worthy to be sought. The Beloved who comes when we call. The one who will shower down on you all the love you have ever wanted. He longs for us. His presence above all else will set our soul on fire. He will envelop you in His arms. He will hold you close. He will never leave you.
Seek Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Do not turn aside from this until you find Him. You will never be alone. All you will need to do once you have found Him is to just get quiet for a moment and say, Jesus, I love you. He is there so willing to whisper to you how much He loves you and desires you.
He delights in you and one glance in your loving eyes, and He is undone. His love for us is so strong. Yes, in His presence is where we want to be. It is where we belonged since we were a child. Loving Him.
I will ask, Father “Teach us how to love like you!”
Meaning of taught past tense: taught; past participle: of the word teach. To show or explain to (someone) how to do something.
We located 79 verses in the KJV Bible.
Are we open to learning? Are we so full of self that we have forgotten the art of listening? Or are we so distracted with technology, and life that we can not turn our focus to God for longer than a few hours, on a Sunday morning? Can we turn off our outside stimulation long enough to hear His voice, see His wonders and learn something new? He is such a wealth of information! And He is so willing to share it with those who are hungry to know more...
Throughout history, we can study many cases where He gave them the knowledge to learn and experience many life lessons.
If we travel back to the beginning of time... To the time of Adam and Eve’s creation ... We find scriptures that teach us that they were made in God's image.. However, they were not born as an infant they were created as an adult in physical features. However, I believe they had to be taught everything... They were not created all-knowing... God Himself had to share His knowledge of how to survive in this new amazing world He created for them called Paradise ... I am sure it was an amazing time... Much like children they must have had the excitement of discovering new things!!! The couple forged ahead and grew in knowledge with each new day. But we all know the story. They acted like children and tested God's authority and disobeyed His rules ?? I believe that many of us today display the same behavior. They allowed ungodly voices to distract them?? They were enticed by a distraction that held hollow earthly promises .. They showed weakness and fell into its snare. And as you know they ate the forbidden fruit which lead them astray?
There does seem to always be a deep price to pay for actions that go against the teachings of God... Harshly they were banished from everything they grew to love.. They gathered the lessons they had been taught and traveled out into a scary world. Where life trials became more difficult than they had ever dreamed... I am sure they yearned to return to the once beautiful simplistic life they had grown to love ...
But even in the most difficult times, there are lessons to be learned... Do we become bitter? Or do we ask for forgiveness? Do we silence our minds and humble ourselves before our Creator?
God may have banished them from the garden but He never banished them from His heart.. He still loved them even after their fall from His Grace..
However, because of their human weaknesses, God laid out a plan to save all future generations.
He orchestrated the biggest visual aid just to teach the greatest lesson to all mankind. He gave the world the most amazing gift!!! .. He gave us a piece of Himself... We call Him Jesus... born as an infant... He needed to learn all that God required of Him.. He was taught by the greatest teacher of all time! He was taught by the Creator of all things! Our Heavenly Father ..
The difference between the two historical stories is Jesus made the time to listen... He spent many hours getting to know God’s heart. He grew in His knowledge of The Father and shared it with the world...He learned and obeyed the rules... He loved His Father so intimately His obedience came naturally... He never wanted to disappoint His Father...
His life reflects the wisdom that has taught many life lessons to all generations .. God filled this willing vessel with the knowledge to complete His mission on earth. Together they blazed a path for all mankind to receive redemption. They taught us the valuable lesson of what it means to be chosen as a child of God.
We recognize that there is a price to pay for this knowledge... but what is the tuition for such an amazing degree??? And are we a willing vessel to learn such wondrous things from God? These life lessons do not appear the same to all students...
They are taught by the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit... They come to us through many resources... we have the basic knowledge... of Reading, Writing, and Visual aids...They know how to stimulate our individual mind, our heart, and our souls... and the biggest lesson that is the most common thread throughout all people and lessons is to love... To love Him !! To Love Him First...
He has placed such amazing value on our individual lives... He has never given up on us !!! Not since the beginning of time... He was even willing to sacrifice His own life to prove just how much He loves us...
The question becomes can we sacrifice the time to study Him? Can we commit to removing all distractions and spend the time to truly get to know Him intimately? Can we live a life that will make our Heavenly Father proud? What would we sacrifice to prove we love Him with the same passion that He loves us??? Just how good of a student will we become? Will you pass or fail? Will you do your homework?? After all your future for eternity depends on it...
If you need special remediation call Him... He has all the answers !!
It’s Him, It’s always Him...
Jesus continued,“It has been written by the prophets, ‘They will all be taught by God himself.’If you are really listening to the Father and learning directly from him, you will come to me. John 6:45
"Eclipse of the light of heaven, eclipse of God - such indeed is the character of the historic hour through which the world is now passing" ~ Martin Buber
Meaning of a Lunar Eclipse: an eclipse in which the full moon passes partially or wholly through the umbra of the earth's shadow.
There are 9 verses in the Bible that point us to the word Eclipse.
This is such an amazing event. I wanted to capture the moment. However, I fell asleep early... and I did not prepare my camera to capture the beauty or significance of such an amazing moment in history...
In my deepest state of slumber, I suddenly woke up ... at exactly 1:39 ... give or take a few sleepy moments… And as I became aware of my thoughts. I remembered the Lunar Eclipse... I grabbed my iPhone and my jacket in hopes that I could catch a glimpse of this once-in-a-lifetime event...
As I stumbled to the back porch ... My eyes began to focus on the illumination I could see in the blackened sky directly in front of me... I was mesmerized for a few moments, and I felt God woke me up at this very moment so I could witness His lunar creation ... I attempted to capture the image with my iPhone... But I could not capture the true essence of its beauty. I knew as a photographer, I could get much closer to the moon and document this moment in time. I grabbed my work camera and zoom lens. I stood on the back porch of my home in Triune, TN. And as I brought the viewfinder up to my eye I witnessed the breathtaking view. I indeed knew I could capture this beautiful moment.
The sky was dark but clear, the air was cold and crisp and the stars twinkled. As I stood watching the moon shadow dance with earth in the vastness of the universe that God created...
I stood there in my PJs, staring into the illuminated dark sky, as tears began to roll down my cheeks...
I could only ask myself, what kind of mind creates such wonder???
It’s Him! It’s always Him...
As the sun began to usher in the morning. My curious mind wanted to know more about this Godly phenomenon. I needed to understand the Heavenly connection. And then I found this…
Did you know that some scientists and scholars have discovered, That there was a partial lunar eclipse that occurred on what we now know as April 3 in 33 A.D., the day some think Jesus died?
I do believe that scripture confirms that there is a heavenly connection to all events that happen in the Heavens and Earth. I feel these events tug at our souls...
The question becomes do we sleep during these events...? Or are we awakened from our slumber… just in time to stand ready, gazing into the night sky. In hopes of witnessing prophecy being fulfilled!!!
And as we stand there in awe... we can only whisper…
He's here...
“The sun will be turned into darkness. And the moon into blood. Before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. Joel 2:31
“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” ― Ernest Hemingway
Mark (letters, words, or other symbols) on a surface, typically paper, with a pen, pencil, or similar implement.
There are 91 verses about writing in the Bible.
Writing has never really been something that interested me... I became a photographer so I could capture the beauty of life with just one image... And that seemed to satisfy my need for creative expression...
But one day that all changed! It changed just as fast as the shutter speed on my camera could capture the moment.
I am still not sure why but God decided to give me a story to share that could not be fully shared without the heartfelt expressions of words... So, He freed my once bound heart ... and filled it with a LOVE that I could not contain!!! Tears began to flow, and I found my voice... and a pen.
I started this amazing writing adventure by writing love letters to Him... I found a richness in Him that was not of this world. I am not truly sure how it happened, but I fell in love with Him? I was not accustomed to sharing my spiritual heart on such a deep personal level... Where did these bottled-up feelings for God come from?? How do you express this heavenly relationship? Photography? Writing? Music?? He knew me better than I could ever know myself... He knew how to reach places in my soul that I never even knew existed ...I found that He was teaching me the art of the written word because He used this art to create a masterpiece of wonder!! Many call it the Bible! He has used this tool to communicate with His children for centuries...
Why would He not touch my heart and plant the desire to write within me? Why would He not use writing as communication tool to talk to my heart ?? I am not sure if He meant for me to share this gift with the world or was it a personal gift to help me find my way back to Him. Interesting enough I have found many of His children began the art of writing because of their own journey with Him.
He knew!!! He knew that my heart could not keep these words bound in my now freed heart! I had this burning desire to tell the world how amazingly wonderful He is!!! There is no way I could keep the gift of Him a secret!!!
Sharing Him brings such peace, joy and love to my soul...
Whether it’s in an image of a delicate rose, a smile from a beautiful child... or any subject matter... I always see Him!!! All my writings point to Him!
And well the music? I will admit I am not a musician, but I am a music lover ... And I have found He speaks to me through the lyrics and songs.... And when all 3 collide ... I am done!!
He WOWs me like no other!!
It’s Him! It’s always Him.
I still write love letters to Him everyday ... many call them prayers... I call them Heartfelt.
Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So, you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man Proverbs 3:3-4
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also, he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation21:5
In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35.
Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Matthew 24:44
The meaning of tell to communicate information, facts, or news to someone in spoken or written words. “I told her you were coming."
There are 652 Verses About Tell from 48 Books.
If you had the news in your heart that could change the world, would you want to share it!!! Would you want to shout it from the mountain tops? Or would you let fear dominate your mind and sit on such amazing news???
Well, I must share my heart!! Don’t ask me why. It truly is way out of my comfort zone, but I have grown in so many ways these last three years... I found a love that rocked my world!! And He gave me the strength to discover who I am... And I am no longer afraid to shout His name from the mountain tops .. I no longer care what others will think??? I will tell you; I love Him out loud and proud...
He has shared so many things with me!! But I must open my heart and tell you some amazing news!!!
He is coming home!!!
Have you ever given it any thought that our world is also His home? The home He grew up in.... He was born here. He grew up learning about what it’s like to live as a child, a teen, a man...He was baptized here. He performed miracles here. Many loved Him. Many misunderstood Him. Many feared His heavenly connection. He made many memories while walking here on earth.
We have all experienced that warm going home feeling. We seem to get that feeling because our memories and people we have grown to love live there.
Can you image what a celebration it will be! It will be heard all over the world and beyond... Every media channel will share the news!!! Many believers are readying themselves for such an amazing home coming!!! Hearts will dance. Songs of praise will fill the air... and our souls will feel His presence and be filled with that heavenly love that can only come from knowing Him. ...It’s a love that our souls have longed for.
Will you join me in organizing this amazing celebration?? Will you help me shout from the mountain top... Let’s gather our hearts, Let every soul ready themselves for the most amazing celebration!!!
Tell the world that He is coming Home!!! Keep your eyes fix
to the sky for the most amazing phenomenon that man can ever witness!! Whether you are earthly bound or heavenly found!!! Look just beyond the clouds!!! He is the brightest star in all the universe!! And He is coming sooner than we may think!!
It’s Him! It’s always Him!!!
Sing to him. Sing praises to him. Tell of all his marvelous works. 1 Chronicles 16:9
Revelation 1:7 (ESV) Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail[a] on account of him. Even so. Amen.
We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
And the sunlight clasps the earth, And the moonbeams kiss the sea. What is all this sweet work worth. If thou kiss not me? Percy Bysshe Shelley
Meaning of Kiss : to touch with the lips especially as a mark of affection or greeting kissed his wife goodbye. to touch gently or lightly wind gently kissing the trees. 1 : To salute or caress one another with the lips. 2 : to come in gentle contact.
The word kiss appears in the Bible approximately fifty times..
Close your eyes and think of the word kiss... Do you see a parent tenderly kissing a child goodnight?? Do you see friends greeting from a place mutual love? Or do your thoughts drift to a more romantic gesture?
I have heard and read in the Bible our goal is to acquire an 'intimate” relationship with our Heavenly Father, His beautiful Son and the amazing Holy Spirit.. So why is the word kiss not discussed or shared??? Why does that word go unspoken??
The first divine kiss apears in Genisus 2:7 ”And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breathe of life; and man became a living soul.”
The kiss of life!!
I can only imagine.. But wait that amazing moment still happens with each new life at birth...
We all feel that first kiss as we come into this world.
That is when a miracle happens. God’s very lips softly touched ours and the warmth of His sweet breath penetrates and inhabits our tiny lungs... And new life began..
The kiss of life... from God to our soul is a bond that seals us to Him from within.. It’s a union that can never be broken or taken away.
But sadly many of us with time forget this beautiful moment and Our First Kiss from our Creator becomes distant memory.. But there is Hope...
He waits patiently, He whispers our name.. He romances our hearts.. and He gently stirs that romantic place in our soul..in hopes that we will remember that innocent intimate moment and return to Him...
In the stillness of our busy lives, we can still feel Him today... Every intimate moment with Him is a kiss from heaven.. We can feel His breath against our skin.. We can feel His lips gently touch our lips and our heart skips a beat.. These moments can give us goosebumps.. make tears flow and leave us breathless ..
Is this love a new exciting feeling? Or is it our soul reacting to a precious memory that happened so long ago ? Has our soul waited for Him patiently? Has our soul yearned to hear Him whisper our name?? Has our soul craved to be romanced by the one who gave us life?? I say of course!!! Our human mind just did not understand this bond... It was a soul connection that sealed His name upon our hearts for eternity!!
“The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” Job 33:4
I'm Late, I'm Latefor a very important date,No time to say hello, goodbye,I'm late, I'm late, I'm late. - Disney Alice in Wonderland
Meaning of late doing something or taking place after the expected, proper, or usual time.
We were not too late, we were able to find 75 verses about the word late.
I do believe we all have a date with destiny.. We may not have it circled on our calendar. We may not have set a reminder on our phones... But life shows us that we all have an experation date..
I urge you don't be so caught up in the daily traffic of life that we suppress the urgency we feel tugging at our souls...
Life is a beautiful but fragile gift... I urge you to stop for just a brief moment.. And think of tomorrow.. Will you be blessed to live another hour? Another day? Another year? Why do we always feel that we have enough time to get things right with God? Do you have the ability to see into your future? I have not run into one person that truly has such a talent!!!
So why do we procrastinate on the most important decision of life? I am not here to point a finger. Trust me I have walked in the procrastinator’s shoes...I thank God that He made it clear to my heart that I needed Him...I feel so blessed that it was not too late ...
He gave me a gift of time. Allowing me the opportunity to discover who He is... To fall in love with our Creator is the most amazing spiritual adventure we will ever have the privilege of experiencing in this lifetime.
What an amazing gift!! Was I late!!! Yes!!! Did I listen to His voice ?? No!! He has been tugging at my heart for a long time.. But I was so busy with life I did not listen... It took an act of God to get my attention!!
If I have one regret in life.. Is that I did not know Him sooner. It's to late for me too turn the clocks back and re-live my Life... But it's not too late for me to make up the time that I have lost not knowing Him.
I have found with Him in the center of my life... All life has become richer and has taken on a deeper meaning.
With His gentle guidance, we began to understand our true purpose. Our appreciation for life, love and the world around us seems to exponentially grow... We began to focus on a future that goes beyond this earthly existence...
I can not place the urgency in your heart...I can only pray that you find Him today... Because tomorrow may be to late.. Without Him in our life the word hope becomes flat,dull and void...
He is our hope, He is our greatest love.... He is our future... Why do we procrastinate on receiving the greatest gift we could ever receive in any lifetime? Earth bound or heavenly found?
Don't be a procrastinator... Don't be late! Circle the time in your calendar.. Set the reminder in your phone to spend time with Him every day... Tomorrow may be too late...
Your destiny hangs in the balance!!! Invest in your spiritual future.. It's not too late..
It's Him, it's always Him.
But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.Isaiah 40:31
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord' (Romans 6:23). Don't delay any longer, for you don't know how long you may have.
“There was a star riding through clouds one night, and I said to the star, 'Consume me.'”- Virginia Woolf, ‘The Waves’.
Meaning of cloud ..a visible mass of condensed water vapor floating in the atmosphere, typically high above the ground.
We located 49 passages that refer to clouds in the Bible.
Have you ever laid back in a soft green meadow with your hands clasped behind your head and spent the time away watching all the beautiful clouds go drifting by??? I see an Angel... look that one looks like a Lion ... and yet another looks like a Dove ...
Have you ever dreamed of sitting in heaven perched on a weightless soft cloud? What are these beauties?
I found that when we try to understand them we are pointed to a few different ways the word could be used. Scientifically speaking they aredescribed as tiny water drops or ice crystals that float in the air above Earth. Water on land or in the ocean evaporates, turning from a liquid to a gas called water vapor.
Then we know how technology has taken over our world.. and many of us that own a mobile phone have a cloud storage account ... But what does the Bible say ?? Come with me as we try to turn the pages and lift the mystery of the cloud...
There are many references of seeing or pointing us to look to the clouds for our Heavenly Father or Jesus His son... I do believe it gives us an understanding that they reside in a Heavenly realm. And as I close my eyes and clasp my hands behind my head I see the beauty of the symbolic cloud... Look there He is !! I see His face... I see His amazing Son... And I see His loving heart slowly drifting towards mine...
Look towards the Heavenly realms ... and open your spiritual eyes and heart... Be ready to witness our Savior's return...It is written in the “Book” ... And it will be a glorious monumental time for all mankind...It will be the beginning of a new adventure with the most amazing Creator of all the Heavens and earth...
It's Him, It’s always Him.
Be ready to be WOW’d!
And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. Mark 13:26 ESV
Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven. Matthew 26:64
Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.1 Thessalonians 4:17
