Will Your Faith Stand?

Jennie Heberg

Mon, September 05, 2011

Will Your Faith Stand?  by Jennie Heberg (August 26, 2011)

PICAYUNE Item (Women of Faith)
 — Just imagine you’re a 15 year old living a life that affords you the best your country has to offer.

Your parents have seen to it that you are well established in the best learning facilities available but first and foremost have seen to it that your life is rooted and grounded in a great faith in The One True God, Jehovah. You attend services regularly as a family, there is a habit of prayer in your household and God is sought in every area of your life.

God has given you great wisdom in all things in your life and you’ve been equally blessed with friends who are blessed just as you are.  You are of royal blood, living in the palace.

There comes a particular day that all your physical security is destroyed.  Your entire country is overthrown by another and everything to which you’ve grown accustomed is completely gone.  You, along with many of your friends, approximately 70 who also live in the palace and are of royal descent, have been kidnapped, physically unharmed, and taken to this foreign country who, in an instant, was solely responsible for turning your world completely upside down.

Your family’s safety is utterly unknown to you.  As the next few days go by you realize that the King has chosen you and three of your close friends to serve him. You’ve all been chosen because of your station in life and because you are well learned in academics, sports, and wisdom.

You’ve aligned yourself with your friends and have become the lead person in your group acting as the spokesperson.  In the first 30 days of your ‘imprisonment’ you find that you will be expected to attend classes to learn the language and customs of this new country you’ve been thrown into.

The King’s Top Chefs will be preparing all your food consisting of every delicacy, pastry and drink available to that of only the ‘rich and famous’ however you’ve been raised not to partake of these things simply due to your belief in God and His standards.  Not only would these foods be unhealthy for your body the meats prepared had been offered up to idols and you’ve been raised to love and  honor the One True God, Jehovah.

 The reasons you are so proficient in your studies, sports, and wisdom is that you honor God, Jehovah in every area of life not allowing foods offered to idols to be eaten.  Instead, you have lived on ‘whole foods’, health foods if you will, vegetables, grains, whole wheat and water.  You present your desire as a challenge that if you and your three friends can eat these things for ten days of the 3 years required that you will prove that you all will test better than any others in the program. You are given the  permission to do so by the man who has been set as Supervisor over all.

At the end of that ten days you and your three friends prove that your God’s way is best. When tested the four of you prove to be 10 times better than any others in every matter of wisdom and understanding that the King consulted you about. This happened simply because you four trusted your God, Jehovah.

As time goes on you four are put to the test over and over; every time you see the hand of your God, Jehovah deliver you from extreme circumstances. Your faith stands strong against all your enemies throw at you and you prevail. This is due to your lifestyle, the fact that you pray, listen to what God, Jehovah directs and you find favor and are friend to many.

The 15-year-old we speak of died in the country he was taken to, living to be second in command of the conquering country, a friend to the King. This young man lived to be over 80 years old before going to meet his God face to face.

This King he worked for came to see the hand of God work in so many ways that at the end of his life he also went to meet his God, Jehovah. The influence of these four, especially this 15-year-old young man, had such a profound influence on their surroundings, community, supervisors and ultimately the King of the country that God, Jehovah gave him great favor on earth.    

Now I ask you again, will your faith stand?

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Hannah... Jennie Heberg Mon, September 05, 2011 Hannah... When God is with you you’re never alone! – by Jennie Heberg (May 13, 20ll) Picayune Item - Women of Faith PICAYUNE — As I sit here drinking my 2nd cup of Hazelnut coffee my sweet husband and son blessed me with on my birthday a few weeks ago, I’m reminded of Hannah, the mother of Samuel. In reading I Samuel 1:1-8 and 10, we see the story behind Hannah’s pain and desire. I say her pain because in her life, although greatly loved by her husband, she had a great yearning for a child. As we’ll see in these few verses, her husband walked in his proper place as the spiritual leader of his household just as God had commanded. He prayed regularly for the love of his life, Hannah, to be blessed her with a double portion. He loved her greatly. His love, written of here, lets us know that he was very tender with her but really didn’t understand why a child meant so much to her. He did not know why he wasn’t enough to fill her desires. Some things that come to mind about the character of Hannah are: Her love for the Lord; her great desire to become a Mom; and her willingness to offer her very best to God for the benefit of others. Let’s read the next little bit of the story together. In verse 11:  “Making a vow, she pleaded, “Lord of Hosts, if You will take notice of Your servant’s affliction, remember and not forget me, and give Your servant a son, I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life and his hair will never be cut.” The reason for the hair not being cut is part of the Nazarite vow. As she continued to pray in the secret place of the Temple and not to draw any attention to herself, the priest noticed her and misjudged her thinking she was drunk. She responded to him with the reason of her being there in verses 15-16: ‘I’ve been pouring out my heart before the Lord.  Don’t think of me as a wicked woman; I’ve been praying from the depth of my anguish and resentment.” Wow, would you look at that! She openly admitted to the Priest that she resented that the Lord had not given her the greatest desire in her heart. How many of us actually will admit this to ourselves, let alone to the Priest or Pastor? Yet, in the next verse (17) he spoke a blessing upon her stating: “May the God of Israel grant the petition you’ve requested from Him.”  He didn’t even know what she had petitioned of the Lord. Upon leaving, she was filled with faith that God had heard her cry and it was deeply settled in her heart. As you read along in the rest of the chapter you’ll see that God did grant her the request she placed at His feet; she, in return, fulfilled her vow.  Look in verse 27, where she says, “I prayed for this boy, and since the Lord gave me what I asked Him for, I now give the boy to the Lord.  For as long as he lives, he is given to the Lord.” What an awesome sacrifice for her to give her son to the Priest to be raised in the Temple.   As time passed, Hannah and her family annually made trips to the Temple to sacrifice to and worship the Lord. They brought gifts to Samuel, and received blessings from the Priest Eli. Hannah received three more sons and two daughters from the Lord as Samuel continued living in the Lord’s Temple, living his life in service to God. The Lord, as a result of Hannah’s desire, prayer, faith and the fulfillment of her vow, blessed many through Samuel.  All this year we’ve focused on the scripture, Luke 1:37, where the Angel of the Lord appeared to Mary and replied in part to her question “How can this be, since I have not been intimate with a man?” by saying “For nothing will be impossible with God.”  In this account of Hannah’s answered prayers, we can see that she firmly believed this response from the Lord’s Angel. She believed that there was nothing impossible with God. In her petition and obedience we see the fact that what you make happen for others God will make happen for you! You’ll have everything God has created for you to have and everything God has created for you to be.  Being a Mom was the greatest desire Hannah held in her heart next to her love for her God and her husband. Upon her obedience He gave not one child but five more after Samuel. What God has called you to petition Him for? What has called you to be sacrificed to Him to bless others and to walk in as a witness and testament to His abundant grace?  Seek Him, love Him, and see His hand of blessing. It will touch not just your life, but all those you touch that you may not even know about. ©

This World Is Not My Home

Jennie Heberg

Mon, November 07, 2011

So many things about this have been stirring in my heart during this past week and especially today.
At this time there are people in my life who are truly enduring trying times.  Some are losing things they've worked years for, i.e., homes, vehicles, jobs.  Some are experiencing much, for lack of a better word, tribulation, as close friends, family and seemingly everyone who claims to be Christian friends or ministers just do not fulfill their promises.
I've thought of losses I've experienced and I've seen others lose over the years.  First I started thinking of so many who are experiencing job losses, then the memories of so many who lost homes, properties, businesses, etc. as a result of various hurricanes, tsunamis, etc.  Now, just yesterday earthquakes hit in OK.  I'm also reminded about fires that have brought losses of homes, businesses and even lives.
The things that continue to come to mind are:

• this too shall pass
• any house can be made a home by the people who live in it
• this world is not my home
• no weapon formed against me cannot prosper
• this too pass
• this world is not my home
• my heart is the home in which the Holy Spirit lives

I know you see that I repeated some statements.  Yes, the Lord will remind us over and over of the things He wants us to really get.
Get this, this world is not your home.
Get this, this too shall pass.
Get this, this is not an event unto death.
Get this, if you look to the Lord and walk with Him knowing that He'll bring you into His place for you, you'll see more blessings than losses.
My heart's hope is that we will, yes me included, have a greater observance of His plan and not always looking at the plans we've made or are making.  I pray that you'll all look to Him, knowing that he has great plans for you, lavish plans, plans so great you cannot even fathom that He has them in mind for you.  As you walk through this water, fire, trouble, you will come out unscathed but filled with the experience of His peace, His love, His guidance, His direction, His ability in you to relate to someone else who is troubled.
Be blessed, knowing that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.
Job had to let those voices around him be silenced before he could truly focus on God.  I encourage you to do the same.
In His Service,
Jennie
Mt. 6:33

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The Fruit of the Spirit Is JOY Jennie Heberg Tue, March 06, 2012 Galatians 5:22-23 The Joy of the Lord  ~ Notes for Body, Soul & Spirit Life Group~  ~ 2/14/12~ Jennie Heberg Gal. 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, JOY, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (NKJV) This the description of Joy from The American Heritage Dictionary: Joy n.  Intense and especially ecstatic or exultant happiness. The expression or manifestation of such feeling. A source or an object of pleasure or satisfaction: their only child, their pride and joy. This intrigued me when looking up the dictionary definition of Joy: Related Words: amusement, be in heaven, be pleased, beam, beatification, beatitude,bewitchment, blessedness, blissfulness, caper, caracole, carol, cheer, cheerfulness, chirp, chirrup, clap hands, cloud nine, crow, crow over, dance, delectation,die with delight, ecstasy, ecstatics, enchantment, enjoyment, exaltation, exhilaration, exuberance, exult, feel happy, frisk, frivolity, frolic, fun, gaiety, gambol,gleefulness, gloat, gloat over, glory, go into raptures, heaven, high glee, high spirits, hilariousness, hilarity, intoxication, jocularity, jocundity, jolliness, jollity,joviality, joyance, joyfulness, joyousness, jubilate, laugh, laughter, levity, lilt, merriness, mirthfulness, overhappiness, overjoyfulness, paradise, purr,ravishment, rejoices,revel, romp,seventh heaven, sing, skip, skip for joy, smile, sunshine, take great satisfaction, tread on air, triumph, unalloyed happiness,whistle      >                                                                                                              The fruit of the Spirit of God is Joy in our lives as we walk in His joy, so before we talk about the Joy in our lives let’s look at the Joy of God for us.  Many people have no idea that God truly takes Joy in them.  That is the farthest thing from their ability to accept, that God would take any Joy in them.  Yes, He created man which includes both male and female.  We are the female species of man.  He created us!  He has a plan for each one of us.  See Jeremiah 29:11 from The Message  I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out - plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.  We know that God is Love, however let me also say that just as God is love, He is also each one of these ‘fruit’ of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23.  In saying that God is Joy, let’s apply this statement to our lives as His daughters.  God is Joy, and we can never know true Joy apart from Him. One statement A.W. Tozer has been quoted as saying confirms God’s Joy for us. ·         “Sometimes when we get overwhelmed, we forget how BIG God is.” (Aw Tozer) Often the overwhelming things in life cloud our vision of God’s ‘bigness’.  Yes, He is so much greater than any need, desire, goal, vision, or any other thing we want for our life.  Although He has called us to spread His Word throughout the earth He realizes fully that we will have challenges.  Therefore His joy will manifest in us all the more as we walk through these challenges holding tightly onto His hand. Let’s take a look at the heart of Father God. Keep Asking, Searching, Knocking Matthew 7:7 "Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 What man among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! (HCSB) ·         Proverbs 23:25 HCSB Let your father and mother have JOY, and let her who gave birth to you rejoice; Let’s look at the heart of a couple of  Moms who want to Joy over their children in our presence and we’ll all, I’m very sure, Joy with them:  Now I’ve asked a few ladies to share a joy about her child or children and to limit it to one or two minutes. (LOL)  Laura Quiros Debbie Fleming Christina Stiers Thanks ladies. Comment….Thanks, how many of JOYed with them; could relate, etc.? Now let’s look at how the Father God Joys over us. ·         Zephaniah 3:17 (HCSB)   17 The Lord your God is among you, a Warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will bring [you] quietness with His love. He will DELIGHT in you with shouts of JOY." ·         Over the past several weeks I’ve had this verse rolling around in my spirit.  The Lord MY God is with me, in me, and is the One, the Warrior, who saves me from all the works the enemy would like to use to destroy me.  He will rejoice over ME with gladness, and will fill ME with His peace and with His love.  He will delight in ME with shouts of joy.  This ‘delighting in me with shouts of joy’ makes me think of the way David danced as the ‘girls with tambourine’ in a twirling, leaping, full out dance of abandon.  I believe fully that the Joy Shouts that He delights over me, even surpass that visual we see in David.  2 Samuel 6: 14 David, ceremonially dressed in priest's linen, danced with great abandon before God. You Moms, who have daughters that twirl, skip and leap, and even squeal when excited. Magnify that times a thousand or more.  That is the Joy the Lord has in us.  Some of us have boys who do that, too. Lindsey Campbell  shared this one day and I knew you needed to hear it tonight.>So many people focus on the fact that we must pursue God, which is true, but we often forget that God is also pursuing us. He wants us and needs us for His plans, too    He has been chasing us and sends the Holy Spirit after us in such a way that nothing can stop His JOY and presence from overtaking us and seeing His arms wide open so that we can walk out of a lifestyle not pleasing to Him but can walk in His JOY and His DELIGHT and His Kingdom.                                                                                                     ·         Not one person is replaceable. He loves us all. The first example of God’s Joy over His children comes when we begin reading the Bible.  In Gen. 1 and 2 we’ll see His Joy as He puts the glitter, bling, and signature on His phenomenal Arts & Crafts Project, mankind.  26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 29And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 30 Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so. 31Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (NKJV) Gen. 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. 8 The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.  > 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." 18 And the Lord God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." > 21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. 23 And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man." 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.  < I believe this brought such joy to God that far surpasses anything we can think or imagine.  We’ll see, though, in the next chapter that some time passed and Adam & Eve were presented with a challenge.  The devil twisted the truth around and Eve became deceived into thinking what he was saying was right, with Adam there they took his bait, hook, line and sinker.  Gen. 3:8 says,  And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. <  Let’s look again at this:  Gen. 3:8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day ,,, It seems to me that ‘hearing the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day’ was a very common occurrence, just as He desires us to walk with Him daily.  However, I do believe that Adam & Eve saw Him in a greater level of glory than mankind has been able to since their sin until Jesus arrived.  Praise the Lord that Jesus came on the scene to restore that joy!  Now we can walk like Jesus did.  Let’s look at Job:  We might not think of God’s Joy over Job in light of the rap the Book of Job has gotten over the years.  But let’s look at a few verses. Job 1:1 HCSB There was a man in the country of Uz named Job. He was a man of perfect integrity, who feared God and turned away from evil.  Here we see an example of Job’s character and life statement. ·         Job 1:6 HCSB One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. 8  Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil."  ·         Job 1:22 HCSB Throughout all this Job did not sin or blame God for anything. ·         Job 2:1 HCSB One day the sons of God came again to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them to present himself before the Lord. ·         Job 2:3 HCSB Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil. He still retains his integrity, even though you incited Me against him, to destroy him without just cause." The Warrior is a Child lyrics come to mind during this time in Job’s life.  I’ll just highlight a few lines of the song Twila Paris released in the early ‘80s, so yes, it’s before a lot of your time.  Let the words speak to you.  1> Lately I've been winning battles left and right But even winners can get wounded in the fight People say that I'm amazing Strong beyond my years But they don't see inside of me I'm hiding all the tears Chorus> They don't know that I go running home when I fall down They don't know who picks me up when no one is around I drop my sword and cry for just a while 'Cause deep inside this armor The warrior is a child 2> Unafraid because His armor is the best But even soldiers need a quiet place to rest People say that I'm amazing Never face retreat But they don't see the enemies That lay me at His feet They don't know that I go running home when I fall down They don't know who picks me up when no one is around I drop my sword and and cry for just a while 'Cause deep inside this armor the warrior is a child They don't know that I go running home when I fall down They don't know who picks me up when no one is around I drop my sword and look up for a smile 'Cause deep inside this armor Deep inside this armor Deep inside this armor The Warrior is a Child ·          Job 42:10 HCSB  After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his prosperity and doubled his [previous] possessions.  42;12  So the Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the earlier… ·         Look at this statement by Job.   Then restoration came to his life and was even more than his earlier days.  Look at this statement by Job just prior to his restoration.  Job 42:1 Then Job replied to the LORD: 2 "I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. 3You ask, 'Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?' It is I. And I was talking about things I did not understand, things far too wonderful for me. 4 "You said, 'Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.' 5 "I  had heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. 6 I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance." (NLT)   However, he also confessed that he, ‘had heard about God before, but now’, after the sifting, the confrontation of the challenges, attacks thrown at him, the process of meekness, Job had an epiphany or revelation, ‘I have seen you with my own eyes’.  He and God had developed RELATIONSHIP with one another.  This is very important in the Christian Journey.  RELATIONSHIP! The Joy of the Lord had been revealed to Job through all the severe events in his life. Now, if in Job’s life God danced over him with Joy and demonstrated His unfathomable love, peace, strength, etc. etc. etc., how much more can we accept our Father God’s Joy over us? We can be sure that there were times during Job’s life that he was disappointed with God especially as we read the book of Job and his commentary with his friends.  Although his friends told him not to question God, he was told by God that his friends did not speak correctly.  God answered all his questions and more when the right time came. ·         God JOYS over you so much that He is okay with you being disappointed with Him sometimes because He knows as time passes you will see just how much He JOYS over you and has a plan. All those things that do not make sense right now will make sense at the right time.  That time, although it may seem long, will, just as the Bible states in so many cases, come suddenly.  All of a sudden, there it will be!  Now let’s look at Jesus!  Praise the Lord that Jesus came on the scene to restore that JOY!  Now we can walk like Jesus did.  We must realize the enemy, the devil, wants to stop us in our tracks just as he did Adam & Eve and tried to with Jesus.  Jesus has left us the Holy Spirit to lead us in all things.  This is what God, the Father, said about Jesus in the presence of those listening. God’s Joy and Delight were of such fullness for Jesus to the point that in Matthew 3:17 we see, And there came a voice from heaven: This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him! In saying, I take Delight in Him, God is saying I JOY over Him… remember Zephaniah 3:17.. Peter later testifies of this very moment in time while preaching.  He was so overwhelmed with the presence of the Lord during the time of the Father God’s confirmation that yes, His Son was here, that no matter what else happened afterward, when the Lord sent the Holy Spirit and he was filled as with fire shut up in his bones, he lived the rest of his life doing all he could to bring as many as he could to a relationship with Jesus, God the Son, by following the leadership through the Holy Spirit.  2 Peter 1:12-21 2 Therefore I will always remind you about these things, even though you know them and are established in the truth you have. 13 I consider it right, as long as I am in this tent, to wake you up with a reminder, 14 knowing that I will soon lay aside my tent, as our Lord Jesus Christ has also shown me. 15 And I will also make every effort that after my departure you may be able to recall these things at any time. The Trustworthy Prophetic Word 16 For we did not follow cleverly contrived myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; instead, we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. (Now, here’s the account from Matthew) 17 For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, a voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory: This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him! (Now, this is a 2nd account that Peter experienced with Jesus) 18 And we heard this voice when it came from heaven while we were with Him on the holy mountain. 19 So we have the prophetic word strongly confirmed. You will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dismal place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. 20 First of all, you should know this: no prophecy of Scripture comes from one's own interpretation, 21 because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, moved by the Holy Spirit, men spoke from God. This statement was made by a pastor: The darker the background, the brighter the light!  Brilliance of light, the light of Jesus, shines out above the darkest times in a life lived for the Lord.    I was reminded of it when reading the above passage: …You will do well to pay attention to it, as a lamp shining in a dismal place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts…. 19b We, as Christians, have need to be tamed, trained and tempered.  The pride, arrogance, the me, me, me, of our lives must become meek, it must become disciplined by God’s Word.  The only way to do that is through God’s JOY over us.  In the end, we will be much more visible as His own.  Relationship is developed during the meeking process and the Joy of the Lord is evident. ·         Reba Beebe shared on facebook one day: "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." Matthew 5:5 Meekness is not a sign of weakness-it is strength under control. If someone is talking about you- do not respond in anger- rise above and fly with the eagles- be calm, cool and steady.. Do not give them your power- keep your strength and your tongue under control. I’ll close with this thought:  Let’s look at Psalm 37:4> Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. (NKJV) Definition of Delight > Webster’s Dictionary transitive verb to give great JOY or pleasure to intransitive verb to give great JOY or pleasure to be highly pleased; rejoice: usually with in or an infinitive noun great JOY or pleasure something giving great JOY or pleasure Old Poet. the power of pleasing Taking this verse, Psalm 37:4, with Zephaniah 3:17, Delight and Joy walk hand in hand, therefore, I am sure that as we Delight ourselves, Joy ourselves, in the LORD, He will place His desires in our hearts, and in the end we will walk in the Joy of the Lord, the fruit of the Spirit of Joy will reside, make its home in and always live in our hearts no matter what challenges may come our way.  We will walk with His Joy over us at all times. Let’s pray! ©

Armor of God

Jennie Heberg

Sun, May 06, 2012

 ‘Armor of God’!

 Eph. 6:10-18

10. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

11. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

12. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

13. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

14. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

15. and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

16. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

17. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

The above passage has been very alive to me in much more power in the past few weeks.  However over and over in my heart has been the memory that God had said back in the Old Testament that He would be our ‘rear guard’.  I’ve heard so many say that all the action in dressing for battle that is listed in Ephesians leaves the back uncovered.  Research reveals that the armor Paul referred to in this passage covered the back, front and sides as it would go down over the head and arms and clamp shut on the sides under the arms.  God has us so covered in so many ways we know nothing about.  Look at this with me,

Isaiah 52:12 But you will not leave in haste or go in flight; for the LORD will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard. 

Also in Isaiah 58:18 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

All the things taken together shows us that when we walk in His power and strength nothing is impossible.  Remember when we are wearing His armor He is the warrior and the One who wins the battle!  We are now to battle in the Spirit and not in flesh.  As people we usually see, think and hear this as a physical battle.  Trust me, it is not. We are told clearly in Scripture, that no matter what we see, He has it covered.  Recall when in 2 Kings 6 Elisha was at peace no matter how many there were in the king’s army. I recommend you read the entire chapter but look closely at these few verses.  There is a spiritual battle, yes, most definitely.  But greater is Lord and His army than any force we may be. 

See here:

15. When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked.

16. "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them."

17. And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariotsof fire all around Elisha.

We are everything with Him.  We can do all things in Him.  As we stand and believe in Him we will see the enemy blinded to what God sees, blinded to who we are in Him, blinded to the things God wants to accomplish in and through His children.  We are stand strong in His mighty power.

In His Love and Service,

Jennie

Isaiah 43:19

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Head to Toe Husband Prayer

Head to Toe Husband Prayer

Head to Toe Husband Prayer

For the past several weeks the Lord has been keeping in my heart the need to lift my husband up in prayer. And as you might know I've been pondering it but not acting on it as a strong commitment. Now, after feeling that I was supposed to encourage this friend or that friend to do so, (hard head that I sometimes am) I finally realize that although this directive may well have been for some of my friends, it is definitely for me first and foremost. I asked Carl today to forgive me for not being as supportive of him as I should be and for being too negative of late. His facial expression was, as I'm sure you can expect, one of surprise and verbalized his assurity that he didn't think I'd been that way. Nevertheless, I know that I've failed to act on the call the Lord put into my heart and even tried to externalize it to others rather than taking this directive seriously to heart and making it a personal commitment. I now do commit to lift him up daily to the Lord and trust that God will move in ways that no attitude I may display will.

The "Head to Toe Husband Prayer" that I've shared with others is as follows: (Please use to pray for your husband daily and you'll see God move mightily on his behalf.)
Dear Lord, I pray for my husband, Carl, from Head to Toe.

• His Head - That he will look to You as Lord of his life. (1 Corinthians 11:3)
• His Mind - That he will have the mind of Christ and think as the Holy Spirit would lead him and not the flesh. (1 Corinthians 2:16)
• His Eyes - That You will keep his eyes from temptation and that he will turn his eyes from sin. (Matthew 6:13; Mark 9:47)
• His Ears - That he will hear Your still small voice instructing him. (1 Kings 19:12; Psalm 32:8)
• His Mouth - That his words will be pleasing to You. (Proverbs 19:1)
• His Neck - That he will humble himself before You and be strong, courageous, and careful to do everything written in Your Word so that he will be prosperous and successful. (James 4:01; Joshua 1:8-9)
• His Heart - That he will love and trust You with his whole heart. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Proverbs 3:5)
• His Arms - That You will be his strength. (Psalm 73:16)
• His Hands - That he will enjoy the work of his hands and see it as a gift from You. (Ecclesiastes 3:13, 5:19)
• His Feet - That You will order his steps and that he will walk in Your truth. (Proverbs 4:25; Psalm 26:3)

In Jesus' Name, Amen!
(I received this prayer months ago at the bottom of an article from Sharon Jaynes whose weekly article I subscribe to.)
One thing I purchased in 1/1/2000 at a Christian bookstore in VA Beach, VA is Praying God's Will for My Husband by: Lee Roberts has been a mainstay for praying for Carl when I don't really know what to pray. A statement printed on the back of the book is "Unless your husband has your constant prayer support, he cannot become all that he should be." (by Lee Roberts) has really struck a cord in my heart today.
Please continue to lift up your husband to the Lord. If he is going through difficult times the Lord will allow you to go through things together in a much more healthy way. If there is difficulty in your marriage the Lord will fill you with a new love for him and allow you to see him with a whole new and much more healthy outlook. If you have given up on him ever coming to a saving knowledge of the Lord or if his walk is not what it once was your committed prayers for him will make the way wide for him to come to that saving knowledge and bring him back to his first love. You will also develop a greater and deeper love for him and will be able to encourage and support him in many more ways in his life. If you are not married and long to be with the man God has for you when you commit to pray for that husband the Lord will honor that as well.
Stormie Omartian, in her book The Power of A Praying Wife, says "Worrying about your marriage changes nothing...Praying about it can change everything."
I pray that you'll join me in praying for your husband as I pray for Carl.

In His Love and Service,

Jennie
Matthew 6:33; Isaiah 55:12

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2012 ~ New Year, New Beginnings, a New Thing  -- Isaiah 43:19
Posted 1/1/12:
  Over the past several days I've been pondering some of the challenges, blessings, dreams, etc. that I experienced over the course of 2011. During this time I've come to the conclusion that I need to choose to continue to walk in a purposeful manner at the onset of 2012. I've continued to come up with a churning in my spirit man of 'New Beginnings', hence the reference to Isaiah 43:19 ~ See, I am... doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. ~
As I've allowed all these things to resonate in my heart, mind and spirit, I've decided to begin this page (on facebook) today with plans to add to it continually in 2012 as the Lord gives me things to post. In reading many posts of my friends, acquaintances, etc. I'll be sharing some of their nuggets but will be sure to give credit to the writer/s.
I look forward to seeing and hearing the things the Lord will do as a result. I'm sure I will grow in spirit and truth as I continue this endeavor.
My prayers will certainly be with you all.
~~~
The initial post above to a new Page I created on 1/1/12 on Facebook has truly seemed to be a breakthrough place for many friends and their friends.  I'm very excited to see what the Lord will do in and through Hand of Hope Ministries in 2012, in my personal walk with Him, in our family life in our city and surrounding area.  I would love to challenge you to not only look on this pivotal year of 2012 with a wish to others as 'Happy New Year' but with a heartfelt challenge to everyone you see to have a 'Decisive and Purposeful New Year'!    We are looking forward to continuing in the same direction the Lord has been leading us in over the past year and a half with a heart to see New Beginnings as we expect new doors to open.  Some doors we may have knocked on before, some we have not, but we will continue to knock with new expectation of their opening.  Please be in prayer for us in our ministry as we boldly proclaim, declare and decree the timing of the Lord to establish our ministry in a visible presence in our community.  We are currently seeking the right place in our town to house Hand of Hope Ministries Community Church.  We are seeing huge mountains in front of us in the natural, insurmountable obstacles in front of us, but God!  Our spirit man is full of faith and boldness expecting God to make that way in the desert and see our land flourish in the wasteland.  Praise His name, faith is being built in us in a mighty way.  The Lord is faithful and will perform.  I invite you to pray in agreement with us that the Lord will open the doors for the ministry He has placed in us.  Thank you so much.

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