Wait upon the Lord

The Lord promises to give us the desires of our heart.

Are we willing to wait for the promise?

"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength."

The Bible Never Crashes!





I Remember having such a great time in Sunday School. My favorite part was memorizing scripture. We used to have old fashioned Bible Sword drills, and I promise you, no IPods, Pads, or any other electronic device was near to lead us directly to the verse. We had to "Search the scriptures."

I suppose it really doesn't matter if the book is paper or electronic, what really matters is are we hiding the word in our hearts? 



Preteens rejoicing in the Lord.

It's time to get happy about living for God! Sometimes people forget that the "joy of the Lord is your strength! JOY. When life presses in on us, we have a difficult time coping with the circumstances that were never meant to harm us but to make us stronger and better able to stand against whatever the devil may throw at us. He is the accuser of the brethren, first and foremost and the father of lies. When we listen to him, instead of listening to the Lord, we invite failure and depression to reign in our lives. Our lives would be so much more joyful if we took the time to be thankful. Giving thanks has become a lost art, I'm afraid. But the Lord tells us, "in everything give thanks." That leaves no situation uncovered. Thankfulness rewards its giver with the peace that passes all understanding, and the hope to continue moving forward when life happens, and everything seems to unravel all around us. Taking life in syllables, helps us to be assured that Jesus Christ the author and the finisher of our faith is in complete control, and he hasn't lost any sleep over our situation. He is not fearful, because he doesn't give us a Spirit of fear; he is never weak, but promises us that when we are weak, he will become our strength; and he loves us unconditionally, because he has a vested interest in our salvation. He died for it. gm

Reminiscing to Appreciate Today

It seems like it was only yesterday that I couldn’t wait to get up to go to my first day of first grade. I was in Mrs. Langston’s class and she always had a ready smile when we greeted her. It wasn’t that long ago when the greatest concerns I had were how many pieces of first grade artwork I could show my sister’s boyfriend before she rescued him.
It was only yesterday that I climbed into the top of an oak tree and put my foot in the rope knot and jumped: Tarzan had nothing on me as I barely missed the picnic table below.
It was only yesterday that we were convinced that a monster lived in the little shack across the ditch bank at our school. It took months to convince us otherwise; we played cautiously avoiding even a slight glance towards the shack.
It seems like only yesterday when we lost the tournament because our team captain didn’t know how to play Tic-Tac-Toe. We were really upset with him because we answered all of the questions that were asked. When we went to the gameboard to claim our square, he didn’t have a strategy to give us the most chances to win. We had study guides filled with the questions, answers, and Bible references. I can remember pouring in knowledge from those books memorizing great portions of it. Like all sports, however, winning isn’t always the one with the most points.
I suppose that it’s easy to place blame on others instead of taking responsibility for our own actions. We had the Bible knowledge, and we were prepared to go to battle; but, in our zeal to win—we forgot to remember the reason why we were studying. Being a part of the team means that you work together. Teams are unified. They set a purpose to exist, and spend a lifetime fulfilling that purpose.
It seems like only yesterday that I began my journey with the Lord. It has been a marvelous journey and I am truly blessed. They are truly winners because they have learned the Word of God, and I want to encourage them to continue studying the scriptures.
“Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart...Trust in the Lord with all thine heart: and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear the Lord, and depart from evil.” (Proverbs 3:3-6).
Let’s worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness -gm
http://www.thepentecostalsofgreenville.com/

In Quiet Confidence we wait on the Lord

“Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city” (Acts 18:9-10). Sometimes we feel that we are alone when we are faced with difficult circumstances and that God is not listening to our cries. There have been times when we felt abandoned by the Lord for a season. Job must have felt that at times, but I have good news for you, today: God is still on the throne and he does care. He does know that we are struggling and he is well aware of our plight in this day. Why do you think that he calls us to pray? It’s not an exercise in humility. It is because we must build up our most holy faith by praying in the Holy Ghost. We have a weapon of prayer that we may not fully realize that we have. Many times we come before God with our petitions because it is required of us, but God desires us to come before him because we want to fellowship with him. He knows our every need and that he will be able to meet our needs when we learn to humble ourselves and pray.


“Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually,” (I Chronicles 16:11). I admit it: we often get too busy to stop long enough to seek the Lord. We are constantly rushing throughout our day at such a break-neck speed that it isn’t any wonder that when we finally do, be still, we crash from exhaustion. Is this all really necessary? Or, is it a trap by Satan to rob us of our inheritance in Jesus Christ? If the enemy can stir up a troubled sea, he will succeed in distracting us to the point that we could fall away. How can we cope with the distractions of life? We can’t move away and become a recluse? We must live in this world and lift up a standard against those who don’t have the same beliefs as we do.

“It is better to put trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man” (Psalm 118:8). We can have all of the latest gadgets at our disposal, but gadgets break, get lost, and we are left with nothing; however, if we look to the Lord, he promises that we can trust him.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). We don’t always understand the things that the Lord allows for us to go through. How many times have you questioned God’s direction? In times when we are unsure, and everything seems to be going in the opposite way from how we envisioned it to go: remember, God has a plan and a purpose for each of our lives. We can trust him to work it out for our good, even when it doesn’t seem good. Let’s acknowledge him and put our trust in him. He knows the way through the storms of life.

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). We can have faith in God. When no one else listens, we can go to the Lord in prayer, and he will listen and answer every need. He will put us at peace in the middle of intense battle.

“And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing” (I Thessalonians 4:11). Finally, let’s work together in unity and do what the Lord has called us to do. He has called us to worship and prayer. He has given us his blessing, and in quiet confidence we can overcome.

May the Lord richly bless you and your family in the coming years. -gm

I can do all things through Christ

Do you ever feel like the Lord is calling you to do something, but you just don’t feel qualified or equipped to do it? Maybe you feel afraid to be successful so you keep thinking about all of the reasons why you can’t fulfill God’s will. For me, Doubt has stopped me cold when I let my thoughts convince me that it is impossible to do what God is calling me to do. I am serving notice on my own fears today: I may not be the most talented, skillful, or prepared person for the job that the Lord is calling me to do, but no one else will be able to do what the Lord has called me to do, so I might as well, Just Do It! I can either dwell on past failures, or I can build a future. The choice is mine.


Paul admonishes us to “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. [The Lord continually offers us opportunities to be successful: he opens effectual doors for us.]

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me….

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians4:6-13; 19).–gm

Why "Dancing in the Lily"

Why Dancing in the Lily? My sister was praying and she saw me dancing in the spirit. I was worshiping the Lord with all of my might, I would bow low and then lift my hands in praise and adoration. She asked the Lord, where I was at because it looked like a gigantic bowl. The Lord took her up above the bowl where I was worshiping and she saw that I was dancing inside of a lily. She heard Consider the Lilies playing, and the Lord said that whatever I put my hand to on that day, that he was going to bless it. If I seek his face and continue to put him first in all things, that he was going to give me the desires of my heart. When she came to herself she called me, and said that whatever I was doing, that the Lord was going to honor it. At the time that she called, I was working on my memoirs.

It is only a reminder that God is faithful and that if you pray,

he will answer your prayers in his will and time.

He knows the plans that he has for you, and he will do it.

Living life sometimes includes dealing with delays and distractions. Never give up.

Keep pressing towards the mark, and the Lord will go before you.

Consider the Lilies

Written by: Joel Hemphill

Verse I

Consider the lilies they don't toil or spin

And there's not a king with more splendor than them.

Consider the sparrow they don't plant or sow

But they're fed by the Master who watches them grow

Chorus

We have a Heavenly Father above

With eyes full of mercy

And a heart full of love

He really cares when

Your head is bowed low

Consider the lilies and then you will know

Verse II

Now may I introduce you to this friend of mine

Who hangs out the stars and tells the sun when to shine

And kisses the flowers each morning with dew

But He's not too busy to care about you.

The Child You Were Then

Lives filled with pain and uncertainty
Come to my classroom every day.
Will the children be forever lost
Or will they struggle and find their way?

What about the laughter in the halls?
Does it hide the tears that go unshed
Until the still of the night in a secret place
When they're finally alone on their bed?

Through the pages of book and time
We find ourselves reaching for something more
Shall we lose our place and find
That we wander but find yet another closed door?

If we focus on just today
The moment we're given in hand
Will the breath of life that we breathe
Restore and strengthen us again?

In every room of every school
Lives and wills will be changed
Will they be forever broken by too hard rules,
Or will teachers find compassion to mend?
Children who are hopeless, crippled, and sad
Who may not ever have both a mom and dad
Who look to you as their only friend
Even in defiance of the rules you won't bend.

What will you do when their tears finally fall
Give a shoulder for them to cry on, when they call?
Help them to tear down the walls that they frantically build
That shields them from the hurt, the pain, the guilt?

For every child, don't be too quick to judge
The color of their skin, clothes, or hair.
Inside protecting walls that they build
May be the soul of a child who greatly fears.

Embrace today, the challenges you face
Don't take it for granted--you're abundantly blessed
When you look at that child who's in your care,
Remember how you found your way, and just be there.