Happy 4th of July - God Bless America

Michelle, our granddaughter, is always drawn to the water fountain.

Even the flowers are getting ready for the 4th of July.

"Hey, Don't Make Me Come Over There"

Nehemiah 4:2  "Sanballat was very angry.....saying in front of his friends and the Samaritan army officers, "What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they are doing?  Do they think they can build the wall in a day if they offer enough sacrifices?"

I feel like I'm at school watching some bully on the layground...who acts real tough when he's in front of his friends...but when Sanballat starts with the "Do they think they can build the wall in a day if they offer enough sacrifices?.... I took a step back...just incase a lightening bolt comes down from heaven...The things we say when we are angry...oy vey!  Then Tobiah adds That stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it!"  Sanballat might have his friends...but Nehemiah and the Jews have their GOD! And so do we.

Now, we can't control what people say to us or about us...but we can control how we respond...and that's a key message in this chapter.  This is a spiritual battle and the battle belongs to the LORD.  The enemy wants us to respond in the flesh, but God wants us to respond in the spirit.  Nehemiah refuses to take the bait.   Instead of getting into a conversation with the enemy, Nehemiah turns and prays to God:  

"Hear us, O God, for we are being mocked."  

Nehemiah could have chosen to respond differently:  "Hey, don't make me come over there!"  Or, "Guys, can't we all just get along?"  But he chose to pray...and I wonder if  Proverbs 9:7-8 came to Nehemiah's mind as he prayed?  "Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse. Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you;  rebuke a wise man and he will love you."  This we do know...God heard those prayers, answered each one...giving Nehemiah wisdom on how to respond every time and He will do the same for us.

Father, help me to remember that yo have not called me to fight all the evils of this world.  You are my commander, and you lead the battle.   Help me to be like Nehemiah and always go to you first.  Keep me awake and watchful, never letting my guard down, for my enemy, the devil, never rests.  In Jesus name, amen.

Standing in Him,

Sharon

Shall We Gather at the River

Isaiah 43:19  "For I am about to do a brand-new thing....I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."

Those "rivers" are underground rivers...deep inside our soul God will water those desert places in our lives.  

I’ve had a love for rivers, lakes and oceans as long as I can remember. One of the things that I love to see is how bodies of water seem to give life to the places they touch. Fish and plants abound just under the surface. Streams and rivers nourish trees and lush growth all along their path...even when a stream flows through a dry, dusty ground, a patch of greenery is found on both sides. The ground is blessed because ~ where the water flows ~ life appears.

But there is another river – a river more awesome than any other I know. This river is different because it doesn’t depend on rain or melting snow to fill it. The water that this river carries is no ordinary water. The Scriptures call it the Water of Life and it flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb – Jesus Christ.

Revelation 22.1-2 "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations."

I love God’s river. It brings life! Lush growth springs up along the path where God’s river flows. Life to our souls that were once dry, dusty and dead because of our sin. John 7:38 "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."

One day, God is planning a reunion at the river in Heaven. You and I will be gathered with the saints of all time. Those who have gone ahead – our loved ones – will be there, the Prophets and Apostles we've been reading about will be there. What a reunion – we will gather at the river in Heaven – the river that then will flow from the throne of God and the Lamb. "No longer will there be any curse. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads.

Blessings to you,

Sharon

Hungry Souls

Isaiah 58:10  

 "And if you draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy 

the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and the darkness 

around you will be as bright as the noonday."

The LORD isn't asking us to "feed the hungry" with just physical food.  He is asking us to give of yourself...draw from our soul and give to the hungry.  It's certainly much easier to hand someone some change or a McDonald's gift certificate and feed their hungry mouths.  But that won't meet the need of the hungry soul...Only the Bread of Life, Jesus, can truly satisfy.  As we decrease and allow Jesus to increase...His light shines brighter through us...lighting the darkness all around us.

John 6:35  "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that 

comes to me shall never hunger; and he that believes on me shall 

never thirst."

Giving spiritual food to others will not only meet their spiritual need, but it will continually meet ours too.   Have you experienced that?  You are sharing the Word of God with someone and as the Word leaves your mouth you hear it in your own ears and it waters your own life...your soul.  Isaiah 58:11b "...You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring."   

 Funny how that works...when 

we give we receive back...if we give 

 with the 

 right motives, with 

the right 

 

heart.

Jesus is the light of the world...and as we walk in obedience to Him, His 

light shines through us and upon us...providing light for our path and for 

all to see and receive.  

 

"For God, who commanded the light to shine out 

of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light of the knowledge 

of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

2 Corinthians 4:6

"Arise, shine; 

 

​​For your light has come!  

 

​​And the glory of the LORD is risen 

upon you.  

 

​​For behold, darkness as black as night covers all the nations of 

the earth, but the glory of the LORD rises and appears over you.  All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance."

 

 Isaiah 60:1-3

Blessings on your day,

Sharon