settingatthepoolofgrace

Confidence is defined as: 1. the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something, firm trust. 2. a feeling of self assurance arising from one’s own qualities.  Each day we find ourselves above ground, we face new challenges; they may happen in our homes, work place, or in our community interactions.  Many times they require us to rely on others to assist in meeting the challenge.

we then as ourselves who can I trust? we have to trust them before placing our confidence in anyone we extend our hand to for help.  Our relationships are built on how much we invest in each other.  Each experience we share teaches whether or not we can trust those we have relationship with, can we be firm in our belief they have our best interest at heart .

Then we must answer the question, can they stand firm in the belief we can be trusted; do we have their best interest at heart?  Some  are developed based on what each brings to the other, what can you do for me being the force that drives the relationship.  The attitude of fair exchange is the mind set, you can be confident whatever you do for me, I’ll do the same for you.

Children have confidence in their parents love for them, that  their needs will be provided; whatever they might be.  Our employers place their confidence in us, that we will perform the requirements of the positions we fill.   The circumstances of life can change or shake one’s confidence.  When parents separate, the children pay the price. One parent or the other chooses to opt out of the relationship.

The other parent bears the responsibility of the children, the absent parent fails to see the importance of supporting and maintaining the relationship with their children because of the anger they hold for the other parent, confidence is lost; brokenness the results.  The president of the company calls you into his office, i’m sorry but we must replace you; your work is not up to par anymore.

Though the circumstances of life change there is one relationship we can be assured is changeless, our best interest is in his heart.  I’m sure that God who began a good work in us, will carry it on until it is finished on the day of Christ Jesus.  You can have confidence in his strength, God is our refuge, he will give us the confidence needed to serve him.  I read something that spoke to my heart I would like to share.

Nothing apart from God can save or make us whole,Jesus is the answer; without him at the center of our lives we will struggle with having confidence.  God’s word is filled with strength and courage if we place our confidence in Jesus the Christ.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace

Recently I viewed a movie entitled “do you believe?”, it covered the lives of strangers whose paths crossed through life circumstances.  Each of them had to face this question and make a life changing decision. Some decided their lives didn’t have to stay the way they were currently living them; caught up in crime, lost and alone,  and filled with unbelief and doubt.

She didn’t believe there was a God, her life was perfect just the way it was; it was not until she saw the love of God coming from someone she was persecuting, risk his life to save hers something changed.  He had walked a thin line between doing what was right and what was wrong for a long time, the influence of someone he loved was to powerful to say no; I’m not doing it.

Then there was one who felt all alone, pregnant and living on the street; saw unconditional love through strangers willing to help another stranger.  Doubt and fear make strange bedfellows, both are strong; when they infiltrate our lives they embed themselves as the roots of trees hold fast to the soil.  They lock us in a cage, we become the hamster on the wheel going round and round in circles.

Afraid to leave what is familiar no matter how harmful it might be to us, No matter who we are;  we will be faced with and be required to answer the question “do you believe”?  Do you believe love can cast out fear? It is written perfect love cast out all fear, in fear there is pain, he that fears is not complete in love. Maybe you’re a doubting Thomas, it is said one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

That person must not think he will receive anything from the Lord, he that comes to God must believe that he is God.  Thomas didn’t believe when the others told him Jesus was risen from the dead, he only believed what he could see and touch.  When he saw the Master for himself, he declared him to be his Lord and his God.  Jesus encouraged him to not disbelieve, but to believe.  To believe what is not seen comes of Faith. Faith is the assurance of thing hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Father God has given to us power,love, and self control; not the spirit of fear.  We therefore are to walk by faith and not by sight.  Jesus admonishes us to have faith in God, he says whatever we ask in prayer; believe that we have received it and it will be ours. Finally he says to us “let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God; believe also in me.  By the end of the movie everyone affected by the dilemmas of life had made a choice.

Sacrifices for love were made by those who chose to believe, faith was found by those who chose to believe and some were set free because they chose to believe without any doubt or fear.  The word of the Lord is right and true, he is faithful in all he does.  His desire is that none should perish, but; he can’t make our choice, we must freely choose.  When you are faced with this life changing question “do you believe”?  What will your answer be?

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace.

 

 

The pagan festival of Samhain is what we call Halloween, all hallows eve; meaning hallowed evening.  The custom was to dress up as Saints and go door to door. For satan worshippers this is the most important day of the year.  Samhain ia a celebration of the end of harvest season, basically the end of summer.  Supposedly on this day  the souls of the dead could mingle with the living.

This was another pagan practice that was brought into the church and a christian twist was put on it, making it easy for the conversion of pagans into the christian faith.  It was also believed following this celebration on November 1; demons, witches and evil spirits roamed the earth plaguing  mankind with their evil pranks.  The people would disguise themselves as witches and demons to avoid the pranks.

So much for superstitions, the truth of the matter is evil spirits are always present; Satan never sleeps capturing mankind in his web of deceit is his constant goal.  He is a great imposter and can impersonate anyone, even the  loved one who you miss and desire to see or hear from after they have departed this life.  The living know that they shall die, but; the dead know nothing, neither do they have part in anything that is done under the sun.

There will be a day of the dead when all who sleep in Jesus will hear his voice and come forth from the grave, this is the first resurrection; eternal life with Jesus the Christ and God the Father.  However, only those who have surrendered their hearts, who walk in his statues, and obey his Holy Spirit before their life journey has ended will reap this reward; many will be called but few will be chosen.

Beware of the deceiver, he is a roaring lion seeking whom he may destroy; he is relentless in his pursuit.  while celebrating certain events on the surface may seemingly be harmless, there just maybe pitfalls beneath the surface that lead to the enemy of mans soul.  The word says ” study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth.

Lean not unto your own understanding but be lead by the Holy Spirit in all things.  Those who fall prey to the enemy will also come forth from the grave, the second resurrection; they will share in the reward of the Evil one.  Their day will be one of total extinction, the old earth will pass away and a new earth born in which evil will never rise again.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace

The pen of Elizabeth Barrett Browning asked the question”how do I love thee ?”, let me count the ways;  she gives an account of her hearts longing for another. She declares her love encompasses the breath, smiles, tears, of all her life; everything she is entwined in her love for this person.  Let us examine the subject of loving, first ask yourself what is love? “For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son,that whosoever believes on him should not perish but have everlasting life”.

This says Love gives and sacrifices, is not selfish or self centered; next consider who do we love? Each of us are part of a family circle; parents,siblings,  and extended family members; the natural assumption would be that we love them all. Unfortunately, that is not necessary true.  Remember love is willing to give or sacrifice for those it loves.  In many family circles Love is questionable, not exhibited or conditional.  They say it was love at first sight, only death could part them.

She was sure she couldn’t love anyone as much as she loved him, he was so sure she would be with him until they were old and grey. Could their declarations of love survive the trials of life? Would their love prove to be true?  Love requires action ” there is no greater love than a man lay down his life for his friend”, real love will give everything it has; withholding nothing.  It is slow to anger, quick to forgive; recognizes when it is wrong and seeks reconciliation.

Life holds no guarantees, we often think we have time to tell those important to us how we feel, correct wrongs and express our love.  Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, today is all we have; if we miss the opportunity today offers we may not get another opportunity.  Father God gave us the definition of love; Love is long suffering, is kind, does not envy, is not puffed up, seeks not it’s own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, rejoices in the truth.

Love beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things and endureth all things; love never fails.  How do you love? Are you following God’s directions for love? Is the love you exhibit unconditional or contingent on what you can gain?  Jesus, our example of what love is teaches us how we should love each other.  He was our earthly expression of God’s character, which is Love; all creation began from the love of God.

When we yield our hearts to Jesus we invite love into our lives, thus love shines forth; it cannot be contained and will reach every heart open to receive it.  Now that we have completed our examination, answer the question;  how do you love?  Jesus is the only way to the Father where love abides.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace.

I have heard it said many times and read it in the word of God, yet; I still need to know what it really means.  How to be in the world, but not of the world is the question?  So I started my journey to find the answer to the question.  It was a rainy Spring day, sitting on my porch in my favorite chair; the world passed in review.

Somewhere a war or two was raging, hate seems to get stronger everyday, death is working overtime, and no one seems to really care.  Nature is showing her displeasure with mans treatment of her land; fires, storms, vanishing rainforests, animal species are disappearing and seasons can’t remember who they are.

Fall thinks it’s Spring, Winter thinks it’s Summer and time can’t wait on them to transition from one to the other.  The warmth of tears on my cheeks interrupted my thoughts, is this what our world has become?  My heart was breaking, had I been so absorbed in living my life I hadn’t noticed the changes?

The news was so depressing I stopped listening, my listening wouldn’t change anything that was happening anyway.  Is this what it means to be in it, but; not of it? or must I keep searching?  Has your life been impacted by a self reflection?  Have you recognized in yourself how attached to the world you are? How important worldly things are to your everyday activities?

Do you see it as a positive or negative impact? Sometimes life comes at us so fast we don’t give these types of things any consideration.  It’s only when we still ourselves we recognize our dependance on worldly things, do we have them or do they have us? Are we consumed by the delicacies of this world?

The Creator has charged us not to conform to this world, but; be transformed by the renewing of the mind.  To entertain pure thoughts, follow the example of his Son, and walk in obedience to his Holy Spirit.  He has instructed us to delight ourselves in the Lord and he will give us the desires of our hearts.

When the mind is transformed the glitz and glamour of the world loses its attraction, we begin to seek fulfilment from a greater source; our thoughts and actions begin to reflect love, selflessness, sacrifice, and service to others.  we are in harmony with the Creators plan for our lives.

We walk in his truth, delight to do his will, study his word, and share his message with others.  The answer is clear now, when we are in Christ and Christ lives in us; we are in the world, but not of the world.  We are just passing through on our way home.

My revelation as i sit by the pool of grace.

The battle had been raging for days, it seemed victory was hopeless, the troop heard their commander say ” No surrender, No retreat”.  Can you imagine how many soldiers might have thought it prudent to surrender rather than to sacrifice their lives.  Yet, the choice they made to serve compelled them to stand their ground; even unto death.

The trials of life can bombard us so hard we think we are in a war, sometimes it appears we will not survive the onslaught.  It sees when we overcome one obstacle, a greater one confronts us.  We often entertain the thought of waving a white flag in surrender to the problems that conquer our attention, consuming our every thought.

We find ourselves entangled in the grip of worry  and stress, no relief in sight. Yet, we continue to struggle trying to find solutions to the problems that plague us.  We resolve ourselves to “No surrender, No retreat”, even though we don’t  see victory.  Surrender often means we give up, throw in the towel, and face the fact we have lost the fight.

However, surrender can mean rescued, reinforcement, revitalized, and rewarded.  I can see the puzzled look on your face, but; if you consider the answer to all the problems we face in this life can be found in Jesus the Christ, it becomes clear.  To relinquish the worry and stress of this life, we must surrender our problems to him.

He is our strength and shield from every danger.  Letting go can be very hard for some of us, we need the control; without it we are lost. To let go and let God is a foreign concept, but; should we let go we will experience joy and peace beyond belief.  Jesus becomes our burden bearer, we are rescued.

He relieves the worry and stress, we are revitalized and when we commit to serving him we are rewarded.  Life will continue to hurl obstacles our way but we will face them knowing the victory is ours through our Lord, Jesus the christ. We can rest safely in his loving arms.

If you desire to be free from the trials of this life there is only one thing you need to do, SURRENDER.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace.

After raining all morning, the sun was finally shining brightly in the sky; no sign of morning showers could be seen anywhere.  In the eastern sky a beautiful rainbow displayed its colors. My thought was drawn to the wonder of Creation, no matter how hard man tries he can’t start nor stop the rain; cause the sun to rise  nor set and he can’t change the seasons of the year.

The beauty and power of nature reveals man’s weakness and helplessness before the God of all Creation, he spoke and what was not;  became visible.  In his words was the fulfillment of his heart, all that is or was or will be had it’s beginning in him.  You and I were the fulfillment of his desire for companionship, each of us has an emptiness that is only fulfilled when we are connected to him.

Until we make this connection we try to fill our incompleteness with all manor of things.  For some it’s possessions, for others it maybe wealth, and for some fame; these don’t totally fill the emptiness, something is still missing. Man was created to share the joy of the Creator and all he created through a relationship with him.  That relationship was dissolved by deception and beguilement, man was blinded to his purpose in the plan of his Creator; a void in man was thereby created.

The Father’s heart was left with a emptiness from the fall of man, but; his love for man wouldn’t allow him to forget their relationship.  As by one came failure, by one came restoration; this one became the bridge back to the fulfillment of  the creation to his Creator.  Those who have found this bridge and reconnected to the Father are obligated to lead others who are languishing in darkness.  The emptiness in God and man will be filled when this reconnection is completed.

This raises the questions,”have you given any thought to how much the Father misses you?” “Are you busy trying to fill your void with things?” ” Has the pathway to the bridge been made clear to you?” Last but not the least, “have you accepted the emptiness, making the darkness your friend?”  The heart of God still misses you, no other can fill your place in his heart.  You are  an intricate piece in the puzzle of creation and the fulfillment of his heart.

A blood atonement was made that you could escape the darkness and once again walk in light and love.  We must love not the things of the world, we must guard ourselves from those things that consume and keep us blinded from truth; the desire for power, wealth, and possessions. If we seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, all these things he will give us according to his will; he alone knows what is for our best good.  We are not to put anything unclean before our eyes, as we behold; we become.

When we take our eyes off the world, the path to the bridge of restoration will be seen, no longer will the darkness have power over us; if we chose to be restored.  The highest fulfillment can be found in the Love of God for his children and Jesus the Christ for his church of which we become members when restoration is our choice.

My revelation as i sit by the pool of grace.

Influence is defined: the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself.  Each journey in this life is influenced by its experiences, many came to the Americas; the new world to escape the influence of their persecutors on their lives.

Those unable to escape became prey to the devourer.  In the new world they found new beginnings, established new homes for their families, adopted influences that benefited their growth and healing from the negative influences they left behind.  Unlike those that came voluntarily, many came to the Americas in chains.

Stolen from their homeland and striped of the influences of their ancestors, the influence of the taskmaster became their constant companion, families were separated; husbands from wives, children from mothers, and siblings from siblings. They were beast of burdens, scorned and hated; mistreated and reviled.

Over time they accepted the subjugation that influenced their daily lives, self hate was a bi-product of the influences they endured.  Who they were when their feet first touched the soil of the new world had been totally changed into who others thought they should be, the influence of those in power had replaced their identity; giving them new names.

The family structure was changed, they were captive in a hard environment of slavery and hatred. Their labor was of no benefit to them, yet; they worked tirelessly for the benefit of those with the power to subdue them.  Time changes everything, however; some influences may have long lasting effect on those who have these types of experiences.

A child who never experienced love will not know how to express love when it becomes an adult. A life indoctrinated with hate, will only have hate to give to those it comes in contact with; these emotions may lay dormant for long periods of time. We try to conform to the standard of morality required to maintain peace for all, unfortunately; what is hidden in the dark corridors of the heart will come to light.

Darkness refuses to stay hidden, it will eventually reach out to contaminate whatever it can, of this darkness hate is the strongest influence; it engulfs everything in its path, it causes the unthinkable evil to be perpetrated on the unsuspecting victim.  It has no exceptions, anyone can become a victim; rich and poor, good or bad, and Black or white it consumes them all.

As children we are taught the difference between good and evil, but; that difference is taught from the perspective of the teacher and what has influenced them.  All good and perfect gifts come from above, from the Father of light and love.  His name was Lucifer, the light bearer; he was created perfect until his self exaltation caused him to see himself greater than his Creator.

Pride caused his fall from grace he became Satan; the deceiver, father of lies and murder.  All those who fall under his spell are infected with evil. Under his influence man has become lost and confused, he has lost sight of his Creator; greed, power, injustice, pride and selfishness has replaced him. They are blind to his blessing in their lives.

One would think love has gone on vacation from the world; the innocent are dying daily, families have become more isolated from each other by their devices, and parents have become obsolete to their children; their council considered inadequate.  Although darkness seems to be running rampart, there is still hope; darkness can be dissolved by the infusion of light.

When light enters the heart, it is influenced by the love of the Father taking its rightful place in the life of man once again.  This is the first step in mans restoration from evils grasp.  Now ask yourself, who is influencing your life?

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace

There were twelve, his constant companions; they were his personal choice, everywhere he went they went. His love for them was without measure, his heart entwined with theirs; they didn’t understand just how much he really loved them, they just knew he did. Each one was different in personality,  profession, and social standing.

Many were fishermen, some educated, some worked for the Roman government, and one was thought to be a thief.  You could say they were a rag tag group of misfits, but; in truth they were a circle of love, with all their faults; love was the dominating factor. They all shared a very unique relationship.

Life is about relationships, not all relationships are the same; they are as different as the people in them.  The journey starts when we are born, we become part of our parents circle of love. Our first circle could be small or large depending on the number included in the circle; mom, dad, grandpas and grandmas.

Then there are circles that include  siblings, aunts, uncles, great grandparents and some are exceptional because they include great, great grandparents.  Whether the circle is small or large the common denominator is always love.  Some of our relationships may be considered dysfunctional, sometimes on and sometimes off; still love is the glue that holds them together .

There is an old saying” teeth and tongue may fallout, but they still need each other”.  It’s the same with our circles of love, we may not always agree with each other;  the love we share requires reconciliation and forgiveness one to the other.  Each of us belong to a personal circle of love composed of special relationships.

We have been given a special invitation to join the greatest circle of love man can experience. The love offered surpasses the love of mother, father, sister or brother.  It is a love that thought we were worthy enough to die for, knowing we are imperfect beings he still offers unconditional love.

He is blinded to our inadequacies and human frailties, he looks at us through the lens of his heart, a heart of love; his name is Jesus.  To show the love of the Father into the world he came.  He gave the greatest sacrifice shedding his blood to save our lives. He is our light and our salvation, so why should we be afraid; when we accept his invitation we can abide under the shadow of his wings.

Although there are many in his circle of love, without us it is incomplete; join with me as I join with him.  He still has room for many more.

My revelation as i sit by the pool of grace.

Crystal glasses, fine china, stained glass windows and hearts are just a few things we think of as fragile. Most of us understand fragile means handle with care,easily broken.  Special care is required when dealing with articles that are fragile.  How often do we think of the heart as needing special care?

The word teaches,”the heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; the ear of the wise seekth knowledge”. “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?” “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”.  we must know what comes from the heart defiles the man.

Evil thoughts, murders, thefts, lies, and adultries come from the heart; well, do you think the heart is so fragile now?  If you ask the young girl who has lost her first love, she would say “yes” her heart is broken. If you ask the man who is widowed after 50 yr of marriage, he would say “yes” his heart is mourns.

We all have encountered what would be considered a broken heart in our lifetime; sorrow, disappointment, and even judgemental people can cause heartbreak.  We can be grateful heart break is not permanent, we have a Heavenly Father who searches the hearts of men; we know that all things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to his purpose.

He has a healing balm that restores the heart, for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  When fine china or crystal glassware are mishandled it can result in breakage, they can’t be repaired; but must be replaced.  Unlike these the heart is mendable.

Jesus is the balm that mends the broken heart, restores it’s joy, erases pain caused by      sorrow or disappointment, and renews the spirit within us. His heart of love reaches out to our heart of brokeness, in him we are made whole again. Yes, the heart can be fragile, but; through the love of Jesus the Christ we can fortify our hearts with love.

Love that strengthens, love that forgives, love that sacrifices, love that speaks truth and love that honors the Creator; by this we please our God who loved us so much he gave himself for us.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace