settingatthepoolofgrace

Fishing is a very important trade, in many regions of the world it is the main source of employment; a great food source, and a great pass time.   It is considered by many a very relaxing sport, as well as a good time for reflection. Some fishermen feel the best time to go fishing is in the twilight hours when it is still dark.

For some, the earlier the better your chance of a good catch. Some don’t really care if they get a catch , they just enjoy sitting on the bank of the river or pond with pole in  the water.  Is fishing one of the sports you enjoy? Some of us are considered fishing enthusiast, experts in the sport.

To get a catch you must use the right type of bait to attract the fish and the best equipment to get the job done.  The lures, reels and rods used are all important to a successful outcome.  Where you fish is also important, it determines the type of fish you can catch.  Some like to fish in the river, some the ocean, some in stocked ponds and some in the fish market .

Th greatest fisherman of all times, Jesus Christ; commissioned his followers to become fishers of men.  He laid the foundation in the twelve, who then took his message to a sinful world. It was from this beginning Christ’s church was born.  Through the years the enemy, Satan; has tried every way he could to extinguish the light of Christ’s church and his message to the lost.

Yet, the Love of Christ still penetrates the hearts of the lost bringing regeneration and restoration.  This world is the fishing hole, you who have chosen to follow Christ are the fishermen; it is your commission to cast your line unto the lost of this world, which is your testimony of deliverance.  It is the Light shining through you that will light the way to the Master Fisherman.

The message of his Love, Death, and Resurrection will open closed eyes and soften harden hearts through the Holy Spirit.  Do not get discouraged if you loose your catch, everyone will not be accepting of your message.  The dark waters of this world still holds them tantalized by it’s enticements.

We must remember some men like the darkness because their deeds are evil. No matter how much you show the love of Christ, there will be those who choose to be lost.  Don’t give up hope, continue to Cast Forth Your Line.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace.

Have you ever been walking with  someone or talking to someone when you are interrupted by someone you don’t recognize? you say to your companion, ” do you know him?” Only to be told ” no I don’t”.

For some reason you can’t understand, that person stays on your mind.  You are puzzled by why you didn’t recognize them, where they may have known you from, or should you have known who they were.

In life we meet so many people in passing, they become just another face in the crowd of many faces in our memory.  To have an impression of someone we will remember requires time spent in their company.

We must build memories, relationships, share in each others lives and lean on them in time of trouble. There will be times we meet people we don’t know and who don’t know us, but ; are attracted to us for various reasons.

Some are attracted to our smile,  to some our friendly disposition, some to our physical appearance, and some to our intellect. When you are approached by someone you don’t know, care is required.

We are told to be “as wise as serpents, but  harmless as doves”; every smiling face is not coming to you for a good reason. Remember “Satan, himself can appear as a Angel of light. Be careful you are not deceived by the outward appearance.

Be ware that no one gains your confidence to your own destruction. The disguise the enemy uses are many, he is very subtle in his approach to any one he seeks to entangle in his web.  He will use strangers, family,  and long time friends.

No one  is exempt from his desire to ensnare us in sin, the attacks may seem harmless in the beginning; a little gossip, a few lies, a broken trust, some misrepresentation of someone’s character and taking from others without permission.

If he can get us to participate in any of them we have opened the door for him to enter our lives.  Can you recognize him? Do you know who he is? can you see through his cunning deceptions? or has he convinced you he doesn’t exist?

These are questions all who wish to escape his grasp need to ask themselves.  We must be alert at all times, ready to cry out ” get thee behind me Satan.”  When temptations come, we must not open the door.

However, if you feel you are not strong enough to resist the temptation; there is one name you can call on that is above every name. You can call on Jesus the Christ, at his name the enemy will flee.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace.

 

Yesterday I sit in my window watching the rain gently falling on the grass.  I remembered how wonderful and refreshed I would feel when the rain touched my face as I walked home from school on a rainy spring day.  It seems the passing of time erases the simple pleasures found in nature when the pressures of life close in on you.  You get caught up in the day to day hustle forgetting the beauty that surrounds you.

The sun shining from behind the clouds after the storm, the amazing colors of the rainbow, and the sweet smell of flowers floating on the summer breeze.  The flowers lifting their heads to the sky opening to salute the Creator of all things.  The foliage drinking in every tiny drop of rain that touches it’s breast.  Even the rivers and lakes open wide their arms to accept new life.

The magic of the rain consumes my thoughts and I realize how awesome the love of God really is, he provides everything his creation needs.  When we are willing to accept his gifts, everything works in harmony because we are in his will.  The rain reminds me of his tears falling from the sky.  Tears of a Father for his wayward children who have forgotten how much they are loved.

Tears that will bring refreshing and new life to the broken and lost.  Tears the restore the souls of all willing to bathe in them.  The Father is waiting to welcome his children home, wrap them in his arms, and place his love in their hearts.  The rain is slowing to a drizzle, the sun is peeking from behind the clouds; the thought comes to mind, God is smiling.  The rain has stopped.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace.

I recall there was a song titled, “Love on the run”, sometimes it seems our relationships fall into this category. The one we think we love won’t give us the time of day, while; the one who expresses love for us, we don’t give the time of day.  Then there are those who pretend to love us, things go well for a time but; soon the pretense comes to an impasse that can’t be ignored.

The truth is revealed which sends you running away from that relationship with a broken heart. A healing is necessary before you can think about investing in a new relationship. From time to time we deal with circumstances that cause us to with draw. We run from the problems we can’t seem to solve.  We get news about our health, news we are not willing to accept.

Our response is to run from what we don’t want to face.  Life will keep us on the run from one catastrophe to another when we are not willing to face the consequences of our actions. we keep running with no place to find rest. Like a hamster on a wheel we go round and round going nowhere.  Are you on the run? Is there something in your life that has you running on the wheel of life like a hamster?

Do you feel there is no relief from the circumstances you are facing? Has the arms of love rejected you? Are you tired of running with no end in sight? With God all things are possible, Jesus has opened the gateway to the Father to all who are weary and seeking rest. When we give our hearts to him we can remove our running shoes.  He will take away our burdens giving us peace.

However, if we need to endure the burden that we learn from it or it teaches another; he will be with us. He will never leave us alone.  We don’t have to question his love for us, he has demonstrated  his love through his sacrificial death and resurrection. His love is changeless, nothing we do can separate us from that love.   He is always available to us, we are the one’s who run from him.

He will never force us to yield to him, we were given the gift of choice; therefore we must choose to submit to him. we don’t have to be victims of life’s rat race, a way of escape and a resting place has already been prepared for us.  If and when you are ready to stop running, make the choice that leads to life abundantly.  Let Jesus the Christ be your resting place.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace.

The imagination of children is a wonderful thing, they can imagine having magnificent adventures.  They walk on the moon, catch stars from the milky way, and visit planets beyond our world. Some even have imaginary friends; these are usually children who don’t have siblings or have trouble making friends with other children.

They are inventive making rhymes and games as they play. As a child my favorite games included Jacks, Pick up sticks, Jump rope, Marbles, Hide and seek and Tag. There were times a large group of kids played and times when only two or three came out to play. Everyone looked forward to play time.

On a hot summer day it was not unusual to see kids playing everywhere; the moms and dads would be playing checkers, chess, or cards.  someone would have music playing; the games would continue until day gave way to night.  Spending time with others meant talking, laughing, good food and much fun.

we didn’t have I pads, game boys, smart phones or computers; we only had each other.  Our communication was face to face.  Today; kids don’t have the fun we had as children, their imaginations have been limited by technology which only requires their hands, eyes, and ears. Face to face communication is almost extinct.

Talking to each other has been replaced by texting, families are drawn in opposite directions; play time is over.  As we all know technological advances are very helpful in our society, yet; side affects of these advancements seem to separate us rather then unifying us. We have very little physical or vocal interaction with each other.

There is an app for everything our daily life requires, we have lost balance.  There must be balance in life, how do we get back to spending time together?  Technology has replaced play time; we must increase our prayer time.  The prayers of a righteous man avails much, prayer changes things.

Through prayer we can unify our families and communities. When we sincerely repent and turn from doing the wrong things our Father which is in Heaven will hear our prayers, provide our needs, and grant the desires of our hearts according to his will for us.  When we surrender our lives, homes, children and communities  to his caring, loving hands; he will restore  the joy of childhood to our hearts.

His love will draw others to the light that will emanate from a heart that is connect to his heart.  He will restore balance to our lives, no matter if you are young or old; play time will begin again.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace.

 

He was already running late for an appointment, I should’ve ironed this shirt last night he thought as he plugged the iron into the outlet. The spark from the outlet startled him, he knew he wouldn’t be ironing his shirt, there was a shortage in the connection.

Most of us have  had this type of experience at one time or the other, it seems to happen at the most inopportune moments. No power is the result of a break in the connection. Sometimes the fix is simple, you turn on the switch; no light.

You replace the bulb then try again, there is light. There are times; however, when a more intricate solution is necessary. You do everything you can think to do without success, you must seek the help of a specialist.

Life  has a way of making you feel like your power source is depleted, you have no connection; your batteries are dead.  You become so involved with trying to make things work out you feel like you’re in a maze, running into one dead end after another.

This is how  the enemy keep us blind sighted, he bombards us with confusion and chaos ; He really doesn’t want to give us time to clear our heads or recognize we have a endless supply of power at our disposal.

Prayer is the connection to the greatest power source available to man. Constant prayer produces a continuous flow of power.  The enemy will do whatever he can to cause us to break the connection;  he uses our family, friends, and even our enemies to cause shortages in our connection.

Because we are but dust there will be times when we fall prey to his devises, but; we must not give up when we fall. Our Father will never give up on us, we just need to reconnect to the power source through repentance and prayer.

Keeping a close connection to Our Father through Jesus the Christ will strengthen us against the enemies  attacks and remove all the shortages in our lives.

My revelation as i sit by the pool of grace.

 

For many years I’ve been told how unlucky Friday the 13th is, this is the day you don’t want to walk under a ladder, beware of black cat’s crossing your path and please don’t break any mirrors. It seems that Murphy’s law is in full affect on this day.

The mystery behind the origins of this unlucky day has puzzled generations; although it is not clear how it came to be, many today still believe Friday the 13th should be cause for concern. There are time we all have a tendency to say are lucky or unlucky.

When something happens to bring us unexpected success we say we are lucky, but; when something happens that causes us difficulty we declare it to be unlucky. Luck is defined as “success or failure brought by chance rather than through one’s own ACTIONS”.

The operative phrase is ” by chance”, it indicates things that are not in  our control.  Many of us live in this mind set, we fail to recognize our lives can be without the “chance affect”; we have access to the all knowing, all seeing God of Creation through his son Jesus the Christ.

when we choose to align our will to his will, we are given through his Holy Spirit the gift of forethought in all matters that concern us. When we listen to the directions given by the Holy Spirit we can be assured of a  successful out come, but; we must be willing to obey instructions.

We cannot allow self to think  to change the path we must take, we should maintain an attitude of gratitude for the leading of the Holy Spirit; there must be no room in our lives for luck or any obstacles that would deter us from our path. Trust and obedience are mandatory when we choose to walk with Christ.

No matter what circumstance we may face, we can be assured it will work out for our good. With Christ at the helm of our lives our ships will never be off it’s designated course. The sea’s may be rough but our sailing will be smooth, the rains may pour but we will be sheltered and when the darkness of this world tries to invade our lives, his love will dispel it’s affect with light that can’t be extinguished.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of Grace.

In life we suffer a great many catastrophes, some which never  really happen; they exist only in our minds.  We must remember we were not given the spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.

In life there are those we love who always make their choices without fear, they seem to be fearless. They cast a shadow of power, they are always showing their love for family and though we may not always believe it they are of sound mind.

For everyone life is like an equation, the choices we make while trying to solve the problems life presents to us results in the pluses and minuses that affect our life journey. To know the Will of God is the greatest knowledge.

To find what is the Will of God is the greatest discovery, but to do the Will of God is the greatest achievement. The common denominator in our search is Love.  Love that holds a family together thru adversity and confusion.

Thru pain and heartache, love that is understanding and forgiving, love that is not abusive but tender and caring; above all love that is unconditional. That is the love the Creator has for his creation and wants all his children to possess.

Death is not a period but a comma in the story of life. Those we lose to her we will have the opportunity to see again if they rest in Christ our redeemer. We must strive to be at peace within ourselves, this is the result of being one with our Father God.

The peace of God which passe all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. When we have to say goodbye to those we love; remember the joy shared, moments that can’t be erased by time.

When there are moments the tears seem to be endless, remember life is not a problem to be solved; but a gift to be enjoyed. The day is soon coming when the dead in Christ will rise and a great reunion will take place. We must prepare our selves for that great day.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace

In fourteen hundred ninety two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue; that’s what I was taught in school. This person who was noted as a great explorer from Europe  was said to have discovered America or so I was told by history teachers. Unfortunately, they left out many important facts about this man they revered.

Was he a hero or villain? the people he found on the land his feet trod received him as a friend. It was not long before their blood covered his hands, the land was covered in red from the blood the native people shed. Those who survived were turned into slaves then sent to another land. This is how the colonization of America began.

One group of men who thought they were more entitled then other men, forced their will on those who were weaker; they demonstrated brutality in-stealing fear to conquer and enslave. This nation’s history is steeped in hate and fear, it’s greatness achieved from the sweat and tears of those forced to serve her. Just like the Israelite’s in Egypt, the enslaved peoples of other lands built the foundation on which this nation stands.

Time moved on nothing stayed the same, now voices cry in the streets; make America great again. Many feel they are better than others that inhabit the land and wish to once again control the weaker man. The sins of the past have reared their ugly head, reminding us that racism is not dead. The enemy changed his strategy lulling us to sleep, making us believe we had accomplished between all men true peace.

No one can read the heart, unless the darkness is washed away by sacrificial blood; the enemy still has control of what you do and say.  War is again raging, the enemy is attacking with full force; he has removed the restraints and the blood of the innocent now flows. Those who should protect have become a tool of his bidding, children in school fall prey to his attacks and places of worship are not exempt.

Evil is spreading across our land like the blue ocean kisses the sandy shore. I challenge those who know the truth to lift your banner high, stop just silently standing by; speak the message of Jesus Christ who lives inside. Don’t be afraid to answer the call to battle, we know the end of the story, in Christ we have the victory. We must not wave the white flag of defeat, but wave the blood stained garments of our redeemer.

He gave his life for our release from the chains of darkness, It’s time for us as a people to take a good look within. No matter who you may be, we are still one people; the enemy will not discriminate he hates all God’s children. You have only two choices, to do what is right or to do what is wrong; Only when God reigns in the heart of men will this nation again stand strong.

In God we trust, we know his word is true must be the song that resonates within; we are all his children even if we choose not to serve him. ” Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in His ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands; happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.  Psalm 128: 1-2

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace

 

 

He was a reproduction of his father, made in his image. He was given total control of all his father had made. He was to tenderly care for all creation, but he needed help; his father saw his need and from his side removed a rib making him a help mate.

Now he had something more, a part of himself encased in the flesh of another; his heart entwined in the heart of his mate. They were two joined together as one living in a paradise. A test was needed to see if the man would remain loyal to his Father, unfortunately; he failed the test by allowing his mate to cloud his judgement.

Because of his disobedience he lost his home in paradise. In his new role he became provider and protector for himself and his wife.  He was to soon understand the heart of the Father and the magnitude of his love for his children.

As he held his first bundle of joy in his hands his heart was flooded with love for the tiny baby boy his eyes feasted upon. He was now a father, in his heart of hearts he pondered what being a father would mean. He realized to be a father is:

Forever seeking the Masters will

Always striving to be the very best man he can be

The example he sets for his children will be the example his God set for him

Helping others in need without expecting reward or gain for himself

Ever kneeling at the Throne of Grace that he may be strengthen and renewed

Reverencing always his Creator, standing in faith, persevering through

tribulation and having sacrificial love for his family

The love that the Father has for him resonates throughout his being as it never had before, he  understands the Father loves him unconditionally just as he loves his son unconditionally.  No mistake or weakness he may have is enough to change the Fathers heart towards him.

Our earthly fathers are not always what they should be, however; we all have a Heavenly Father who loves us unconditionally, he can be trusted with our hearts, he gave himself for our salvation and is constantly expressing what the Love of a father should be for his children.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace