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Blessing Meadows MinistriesHandling Fond Memories Without Letting Them Steal Your Joy
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CURRENT
PRAYER LIST
HEALING
IN THE LORD'S SUPPER WHAT
TO DO IF YOU'RE BROKE AND IN NEED INFORMATION
AND FORMS PRAYERS SPECIAL LIFE CHRISTIAN CENTER INTERNATIONAL DR.
ANNA'S BOOK MINISTRY
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Recently I was
remembering my hometown, Union Springs NY, and the life I had there. I missed the roads, the neighbors, the lakes,
and our house that my dad built. I missed the childhood security and lack of
feeling of responsibility. There was
always adventure around every tree, magic in every summer night, and we were
hopeless romantics! What do you expect
with a family of 5 girls? But that
reminiscing soon became sorrow and longing.
It seemed like if I could think about it hard enough, I might find a way
to bring it back! How dangerous those
thoughts were! I didn’t realize it at
first, but I had taken my “eyes” off of Jesus and put the desire of my heart on
something that was gone. Something that even
if I could bring it back, I wouldn’t be letting God have first place in my
heart. Guess
what? My body began to hurt. The illness I’ve been fighting began to get
stronger and pain took over. I was out from
under the flow of blessings of God, because Jesus was not on center stage in my
heart. Thankfully I
quickly got my mind back on the Lord. I
had to on purpose think of His great attributes, the things about Him I most
enjoy and our special relationship. Then
the pain left and my spirit lifted again. I am
observing the HUGE differences in how we live and experience the world
depending on what we’re thinking about and what we’re seeking! I didn’t
know that simply by allowing our minds to dwell on something we loved, that we
are SEEKING that thing. So what do
you do if you’re missing someone who has gone out of your life, or a way of
living you used to have that is gone?
When you look at old photographs and feel pain in your heart, because
you feel something has been taken away from you when life moved on? Pastor Stan
Glass at Life Christian Center International once said that we should put away
our photographs, and not have them hanging on the walls. They are reminders of things that we love,
but they can easily become idols and painful memories and our hearts can get
stuck in the past. We have to
EVER keep looking forward, holding our hearts to the hope that all things we’ve
lost will be restored. I really believe
this is true. All of the people we loved
will either be reunited with us or our hearts will have peace about it. The lives we
used to live we can have again, or even better.
God has promised us a mansion, and in my dreams I’ve seen that Jesus
gave great thought and care into stocking mine with what I would love
best. Why not believe He knew what I
loved about the past and will make sure I can feel and enjoy again? We’re told
so often in scripture to guard our hearts will all due diligence. Certainly we’re in danger in this area or He
would not have warned us often. Keep the
door to your heart open only to God and to hope and love. Keep it firmly in the belief that the future you
are walking into is going to be so glorious and precious, but also by fixing
our focus on Jesus we can enjoy life right now. I am about
full to bursting with love and peace this morning! I have the best life in the
world because of my relationship with Jesus. Without Him I really don't have
much to crow about but He's given me a purpose and peace that I lacked. :) I remember
those years in school, back there in NY. There were nice times, but there was
an empty searching too. I was looking for this peace and didn't know what it
was or how to get it. I tried everything the earth had to offer. (My sisters
and I even chased a boy up on top of a swing set once, trying to kiss him.)
Poor guy! Yes, the
flowers and fruits that our old land offered was nice and the years of
daydreaming and fantasies were great. But now I have a constant awareness of
God's hands around me, protecting me, supplying me constantly with love and
healing. Knowing that He's always got His eyes upon me and His angels
surrounding me! Wow! Now every
relationship that I had means so much more, and the new ones I have with all of
you help me know there's purpose and peace in my life. Thank you Jesus! And
thank you - all of my friends and family for your love! You may
think you're alone today, and you may be going through things you don't know
how you're going to get out of. But my heart is with you and Jesus is there
too! He won't let you down, just turn your faith up on high and look at Him,
and somehow He'll float you through it. I realized
today that I AM walking on water, defying the natural laws of this world. Just
the fact that I'm alive (after this sickness) is proof that I'm not living in
the old kingdom anymore! I was 8
years old when my neighbor and classmate’s mother led me to accept Christ
during Vacation Bible School at our local church. I look back on my behavior and progress over
the years and I see it took MANY years for God to carve and shape me, (and He’s
not done with me yet), but God knew what He was building even when I didn’t! So have
patience and don’t become discouraged if you still aren’t living up to what you
think you should be. Remember
that it’s incorrect to think you’re forgiven until you sin and then you are
dirty until you repent and confess the sin, and then you’re clean again until
you do something else wrong! NO! You were forgiven, once and for all, a
monumental event on the cross that took care of all sin for all time. If you allow
yourself to think you need forgiveness AGAIN, then you open yourself up to the
enemy as he tries to stop you from being of use to God, and stopping your joy
through self-condemnation. When you are
attacked tell Satan, “It is written: I
AM the righteousness of God thru Jesus Christ, because He took my sins and
unworthiness and gave me HIS righteousness in their place.” No man would be saved otherwise! Your best
behavior didn’t make you righteous, and now that you are washed clean, your
worst behavior can’t take your salvation away. Of course we
don’t allow this to be an excuse to sin, see I Peter 2:1,2 and 9: 1 Peter 2 Amplified Bible (AMP) 1 So be done with every trace of
wickedness (depravity, malignity) and all deceit and insincerity (pretense,
hypocrisy) and grudges (envy, jealousy) and slander and evil speaking of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies you should crave (thirst for, earnestly desire) the
pure (unadulterated) spiritual milk, that by it you may be nurtured and grow unto [completed] salvation, 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, [God’s] own purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
Fire and
brimstone preaching never caused a man to love God, but being aware of what He’s
done for us, His great love and mercy attracts us to Him like moths to the
light. To the
person God has forgiven much sin, much love for God will grow! Like any
garden’s living plants, nurturing and attention, feeding and watering, your
relationship will grow according to how much effort you put into it! If we would
care for our relationship with God with as much passion and devotion as we do
to the apps on our Facebook page, taking care of Farmville and the other things
we’re gathering and growing,…we would be so powerful in faith and anointing
that we’d be spending all our time healing the sick and moving mountains,
raising the dead and showing the world that God is real! God is
good. You are blessed! Feel free to write to me. Me and Jesus care for you. To God be the praise and glory! In Jesus’ name I send out this teaching and ask that the Word bless and heal all who read or hear it. God bless you all. God bless you! Keep looking back here for more updates and more
words. Visit www.lcci.us
(our home church in Albany, GA) to watch services online anytime. Also please check out Pastor Joseph Prince's website and sign up for his
free emails. He is anointed to preach the message of grace and
forgiveness, restoration to God in a way that will change your life and empower
you! www.josephprince.org Write to me here: chastityrose
(at) yahoo.com
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