Tomorrow is July 4th! Happy Independence Day! What an appropriate day to share this message that the Lord has put on my heart! I hope this is a blessing to you! I believe it will be, because I believe in the God who stirred up my spirit to write to you today! I pray that this message from the Lord is as fragrant to your soul as a Stargazer Lily has filled my kitchen with the fragrance of one bloom! I pray that this message from the LORD is as vibrant to your soul as glasses heighten our vision to details; and as fog lifts from the ground to reveal details that already there, but awaiting to be seen!
Just a quick note: This post was ready for me to edit, when I walked into kitchen for a cup of coffee and I perceived a pleasantness in the air –Then, it was like the lightbulb went off in my mind to remember that there was a Stargazer Lily bloom in my kitchen window! I knew this bloom was strong enough to fill the air! We can perceive God’s peace in this way –yet, we can also become aware of the presence of the LORD in the power of HIS Spirit who brings this calm and peace to the very air that we breathe! Below is a picture of this flower that my husband picked yesterday!
Good day to you; and I am so glad that you have joined me! I believe the Lord has brought this message to you. But what do you believe? Will you read this with me? I don’t believe it is by accident or by chance that this message is before you in this very moment. I believe it is by the grace of God –but it matters what you believe. Today, the Holy Spirit of God has stirred up a message in my heart for you –that, I believe God will use to stir up what God has already put in you.
In my heart of God, I truly believe I am honoring what I tweeted yesterday: “When we take our emotions and opinions out of the equation we see the true power in the Grace of God. Let us speak G R A C E and Hear God.”
Will you stay with me a little while longer to see what the Lord will do?
In this world there are things that come at us that can settle our faith down –Words of fear from a doctor is at the forefront of my mind! I believe in God and I believe in Science –God has given us our ability to discover things about HIS Creation! However, sometimes science seems to speak louder to us than God! This is where faith comes in! Who will we ultimately seek to believe?
What are the things that get in the way of your faith?
In this life, as we go along through trials and challenges, we can grow stale in our faith. Doubts can become more believable than faith? Anger can become an easier choice than peace? Frustration and confusion can be easier felt than the assurance of our faith in the calm of the storm. These things can take a toll on us if we don’t stay in the Word of God, but why is this so important to discuss right now?
We hear Christians say that God looks at the heart –and everything is a matter of heart. But, what is the heart? Let’s take a look!
The human heart is the center of our entire circulatory system! This heart carries blood throughout our entire body! But there is another heart that God speaks of –the one He is concerned with. What is this heart? This heart is our spirit! Our human heart will die, but our spirit heart lives eternally –this is the heart that matters to God.
1 Samuel 16:7King James Version (KJV)
7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
What is it that you have a need of today? Did you know that you already have available to you & even within you, all you need to survive well? In this world we will have trials! Our first need is life with God through Salvation. Perhaps, you need to meet Jesus? Whether we know Jesus already; or are still seeking our relationship with God, all we need is already prepared for us by God! If you need to meet Jesus, God is already waiting on you to come to Him! –So in either case of your heart –You already have all you need, but perhaps you just need your spirit stirred up?
Acts 14:9King James Version (KJV)
9 The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, 10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.
Dear Friend, it is God’s appointed time for the spirit of the Lord to increase your faith –this is why I am up this morning writing to you; for the glory of the Lord and for the benefit of you, God’s child whom HE loves! God’s spiritual hand is on you to Restore you and strengthen you; and make you strong, firm and steadfast in your faith! Your consecrated faith!
Consecrated faith is that part of the heart of who you are in what you truly believe that is set apart from this world to honor and glorify God!
God honors faith and faith pleases God –without faith, nothing is possible, but with faith all things are possible through Christ who gives us our ability to know God’s will that with God nothing is impossible to Him who loves the Lord!
Find time for yourself to stir up your gift of faith! Faith comes by hearing and hearing comes from the Word of God! You have talents from God living in you –but have they become stale? God has revealed to me that the Spirit of the LORD is stirring up our spirit! The Spirit of the LORD is moving our heart –the core center of whom we are in Spirit! As the heart pumps blood to accommodate all our physical needs; the spirit reaches every aspect to equip us with the power of God in our life –God living in us –to meet our every single need! No matter how small or big a trial –there is power available to us from Heaven and the purpose is to glorify God; as we can honor God in all that we do!
Stir up your faith – As the Bible tells us in Jude 1:20 NIV: “But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit …”
God is moving the heart of those who believe to walk by faith –not by sight! If our faith stays still, it gets stale and weak, but we have the ability in Christ Jesus! We have power given to us from God in Christ Jesus! We have the mind of Christ in Christ Jesus –But we have to stir up our mind of Christ! We have to stir up our gifts and talents from God! We must remind our self who we are to God –and whom God IS to us!
God is our Father –and the Bible says in Luke 11:11: “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?” I am here today, because the Lord has stirred up my spirit to write to you and remind you of who you are to God! God loves you!
Have you ever heard your voice read God’s Word out loud? How did you feel when you heard your voice speaking the Word of God? Will you do something for you? Will you find a quiet place and read God’s Word out loud? What do you hear?
Faith comes by hearing –and hearing comes by the Word of God! Have you ever listened to your voice read God’s Word?
To paint a picture of how God is raising up our hearts to believe –Imagine a can of paint that has been on the shelf for a long time and has not been stirred up for a while! The paint settles to the bottom of the can –in a way that God can settle to the bottom of our priorities in our life. Our faith in our living God works like the paint from a can –stirred up, the paint covers the wall; on the shelf, the paint separates from the other stuff. What we have to do is stir up the paint –and see what a difference it makes! And, so it is with our faith in God! Sometimes we can grow stale in our faith!
God is stirring our hearts (spiritual hearts) –God is stirring our spirit to believe by faith! And, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God!
Will you read God’s word out loud to hear your voice speaking God’s Word? Listen to what the Lord has to say to you! This is powerful!
There are so many messages the Lord has put on my heart to share, but today all my heart is raised up to say is that God has so many messages to speak to you! If you believe already, you won’t be surprised, but you will be A M A Z E D!!!
My inspiration come from my study in the book of EZRA Chapter 1-7. As I read from God’s Word, the Holy Spirit raised up the words: “the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing …
As you read this incredible message from God, you can learn how God wants to apply His message to your life! God wants to stir up something in you! God wants to make active what He has already given you –by HIS WORD!
We go through tests to have a testimony! Learn how God raised up the spirit of the people to do the work of God in Ezra 1:5 –those whose heart God had moved! These people were called to build the House of the LORD! And, so are we! We are the body, God IS the CHURCH, Jesus is the head and our body is the temple of Christ –the Holy Spirit is the center of the Church who guides our spirit to do the will of God for the good of God’s family and the honor and glory of God’s KINGDOM come through Christ Jesus our Savior and Lord!
As I am getting older, my vision is blurry. This particular morning there is a beautiful fog covering the earth –as far as I can see! I found my glasses and put them on –and now I am amazed at the details that are there to see that were before just a blur. Reading God’s Word out loud to hear –is like tilting our head up and down to see the difference glasses will make in our vision! It brings such excitement to my soul to see like seeing for the very first time! Yet, will I go to the effort to put my glasses on every time I look to see something beautiful that is already there?
God’s word is waiting on us to be heard –not seen! Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God! Like that paint can, has your faith been stored on a shelf and grown stale? Open God’s word and experience the LORD raising your heart and stirring something great in you! God will raise up a cheerful you –and this JOY is the power of God in all you do!
In closing, today and as we read in the book of Ezra, things come up against those who were doing the will of God –but read on, because God had a purpose in stirring the spirit of Cyrus –that he made a proclamation and also wrote it down! This is very important knowledge for us today too! We see in history that God’s will was done in God’s perfect time –which we can read the testimony of all the LORD has done! (Remembering that in Chapter 4 the building of God’s house stopped for a time …. BUT READ ON Ezra Chapter 6, because Darius finds the decree of Cyrus!)!
Ezra 6:21-22King James Version (KJV)
21 And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the Lord God of Israel, did eat,
22 And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy:
For the Lord had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.
God bless you my friend. If you would like to meet the Lord of my life, He is the Son of God, who I know by the Name of Jesus the Christ the Son of the living God. Do you sense God moving your heart to pray? Just tell God what He already knows about you and allow God to stir up whom He made you to be! God loves you my friend and God is God and God will do as He pleases. It pleased God that His Son was qualified and willing to conquer death! Will you believe that the same power of God that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power of God that raises you in your Spirit to live a life being made holy? Yes, you are worth it all to God and yes, God can make you holy –step by step in your heart all the way to Heaven!
We are here for you in the love of Christ if you need a friend in Christ. We will add our holy faith to your holy faith and we will give God the glory and honor forever and ever MORE!
I hope this is a blessing to you!
If you have questions; or need prayer, write me, my husband or the Pastor: karen@hopeintoday.com
Love in Christ,
Karen Rowe
The Train Whistle, Sounding the call of God’s Love
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