Good fear and bad fear

After reading certain passages in the Bible last night, and then this morning, I began to think about fear. When most people hear the word 'fear,' it doesn't bring good or pleasant thoughts to mind. Perhaps the word 'fear' brings back memories of scary, intense moments in your life when you didn't know what was about to happen or what you were going to do about the situation you were in. I can certainly remember moments of great fear that I have had in my life. Fear is commonly known as a negative thing. Fear is probably best described by the dictionary:

1. a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.

2. a specific instance of or propensity for such a feeling: an abnormal fear of heights.

We know that this type of fear just described does not come from God. He does not want us to be afraid!

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
II Timothy 1:7

God does not want us to be afraid! This negative type of fear I'm talking about can take away the ability to think clearly and use good sense. Fear can mess with your mind and cause you to see images that aren't even there. It is a spirit - the spirit of fear. This type of fear is not of God, and can be overcome by the power of the Holy Ghost! Revelation 21:7 says "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son." It's our choice to overcome. God gives us the promise of the Holy Ghost, which we can have if we but obey His word. The Holy Ghost helps us to overcome come these things; We just have to let it. The next verse, Revelation 21:8 says "But the fearful, and the unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."

We can't make it to heaven with the spirit of fear.

GOOD FEAR

However, there is a good type of fear in the Bible, and we cannot make it to heaven without this type of fear: That is, the Fear of God.

Dictionary definition:

3. reverential awe, especially toward God: the Fear of God.

I Chronicals 16:30 - Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved.

Deuteronomy 4:10 - ...Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.

Deuteronomy 5:29 - O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!

The reason so many people willingly sin is because they do not fear God. God is our creator and, therefore, He is our judge. Just because you may not be punished right away for sin does not mean that you won't be punished: "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." Ecclesiastes 8:11 When we truly fear God, we will stay clean, and repent when we fall. If we don't sin, it will be well with us!

Psalm 19:9 - The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

In conclusion:

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."

That's why we need to love the Word of God. It contains His commandments for us to follow. When we obey in faith, we are blessed! God is not just expecting us to obey, but He promises it will be well with us. He is leading us to eternal life! He will bless us! Don't fear the devil, Fear God!

Well that explains a lot!

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Thankful for the privilege

Last night we had good church, and I got to spend some time with some friends who came to visit. It was a good night! This morning I woke and felt so weighed down and discouraged. I guess that's just how life is sometimes, up and down. No, I'm not one of those super moody, emotional people, but that's just what happened this morning. I decided to get up and read the Bible. I read in Luke where Jesus was talking about the Comforter that was going to come. (The Holy Ghost inside us) Just reading that alone was a comfort to me! All that discouragement went away. I'm just thankful for the privilege of knowing God and having hope in my life. Sometimes we get to thinking we have it so bad, but there are so many people out there in worst situations than us, and without God. And even if we have it worse that some of them, God is with us. I've heard it said "My worst day living for God is better than my best day in the world." I'm thankful today for God in my life. In the last days, which are the days we are living in right now, the Bible states that people will be unthankful. I don't want that to be me! I am thankful!

Books

I have been in the mood to read more these days! I've been finding interesting books on some of my dad's many bookshelves and reading them. I learn a lot and a lot of them have really helped me! So here's the first book that I enjoy reading:
The Bible, of course! It just comes alive! I see new things everytime I read it. It has guided me on the road of life and has helped me to live for Jesus. I am thankful for God's Word!

Wellsprings - Thoughts from Genesis. Excellent little book! You can probably find this one through the Pentecostal Publishing House. It's almost like a little devotional book. Short thoughts, but very good!

Character Is Destiny. I have not read this one yet but I want to! It was recommended and I have heard good things about it.

A Prophet in our Time - The Life Story of T. W. Barnes. A sister in our church bought this book at West Coast Conference last year and loaned it to us. I loved this book so much I just couldn't put it down! Bro. Barnes is passed away now, but there is a website on the side of my blog that sells his books and preaching still. Awesome!

Verbal Bean: Prayer. I happened to come across this book at just the right time. I really needed it! This book taught me so much more about prayer and really helped me out. I would definitely recommend reading this book!

A.S.K.

This past Sunday in Children's Church, God reminded me of something so simple, that I tend to forget so easily.

The following verse was read: Luk 11:9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

I memorized this verse when I was just a little girl, but it stood out to me on Sunday. When you look at this verse in the amplified, it reads like this:

Luk 11:9 So I say to you, Ask and keep on asking and it shall be given you; seek and keep on seeking and you shall find; knock and keep on knocking and the door shall be opened to you.

If we are right with Him, He hears us the first time we pray! But sometimes God is just testing our faith and wanting to see how much we really want our answer. You may have been praying for something for a long time, but don't give up - just keep on asking, seeking, and knocking. And believe! This is something I struggle with sometimes. I find my self praying for something without having the expectancy that God is going to answer. Unbelief is a sin that we must turn from. Read the end of Hebrews chapter 3 and the beginning of Hebrews 4. We see that some could not enter in because of unbelief. God help us!

Luke 11:9 goes right along with Heb 11:6: But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

If you do not have faith, you cannot please God! If we have to diligently seek Him, that means we'll be praying for something more than once or twice. God wants to see how much you want it and how much faith you really have. Keep on praying!

1Jo 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

1Jo 5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

This is so very simple, yet at times so very hard for us to grasp! That's why Jesus wants us to be like little children. If you tell them you'll give them something, they just believe you. If we know that He hears us and we're praying according to His will, we HAVE the petitions we desired of Him! It's just a matter of time before he answers.

Read Acts chapter 10 about Cornelius. He was a man who feared God with all his house, gave much alms to the people, and was always praying. And this man was not even saved! I believe he was looking for more. God spoke to him in a vision and said, "Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God."

Because of his persistence, salvation was brought to him and his house. We don't know how long he had been praying, but his prayers and alms went as a memorial before God. I read the book "Prayer" by Verbal Bean, and the first chapter is called "Current and Memorial." He talks about how some prayers are the kind answered right away, and others are memorial prayers. They're stacking up. If you've only made 3 car payments, it's probably not 'paid in full.' It takes time!

I'll end with this thought, that I also got from Children's church. You can learn a lot there!

Ask

Seek

Knock

Just keep on asking with faith that God will reward your diligence!

Have a blessed day!

Taking Action against bill SB 48

9/16/11 9:44AM Edit: When I tried to publish this post for some reason an "error" came up. It tried to stop me twice! I had a feeling that was going to happen for some reason. Hmm...

I recently found out about a bill that has been passed in the state of California; bill SB 48.
This bill is worth fighting! You can do whatever you want, but I'm going to be a part of stopping this from going through. The way it can be stopped is to get enough signatures on a petition and, with prayer of course. There is an agenda being pushed that needs to be stopped, and it won't be stopped unless somebody fights back.

What it does

"SB 48 will use all social science curriculum, including history books and other instructional materials, to teach children as young as five not only to accept but also to endorse transgenderism, bisexuality, and homosexuality. SB 48 has been misrepresented to the public and passed as a bill aimed to end bullying. But whatever the stated goal, the actual provisions of the bill say nothing about bullying. Instead, they regulate the content of classroom instruction. SB 48 requires all public schools — including charter schools — to include positive discussions of the sexual orientations of transgender, bisexual, and gay Americans in all social science courses. The sponsors have repeatedly asserted that SB 48 mandates this provocative material for California students in all grades from K-12.
SB 48 will take effect January 2012 unless its implementation is stopped. Under SB 48, public schools would begin supplementing current instruction with pro-transgender, bisexual and homosexual materials before textbooks are revised. However, once we collect the necessary amount of signatures, implementation of SB 48 will be halted until the people vote on the measure. In other words, schools will not be required to supplement instruction with additional pro-transgender, bisexual and homosexual materials because the bill’s fate will be undecided."

This is WRONG! The Bible still calls this a sin, and curriculum like this will change the mind sets of young children. And no, I'm not singling out homosexuals! If a guy and girl are shacking up and living together outside of wedlock, that is sin too. Lying is sin, cheating is sin, drinking is sin, etc. But with this bill they will be forcing the belief on young children that homosexuality is "ok." This bill will take effect January 2012 if it is not stopped with enough signatures by the end of THIS month. If you would like to be a part of stopping this from going through, you can. You must be registered to vote in order to sign, or, if you want to collect petitions you can do so if you are capable of being registered to vote, (eg. at least 18, no felony's, etc) even if you are not registered to vote.

There must be enough signatures on petitions that get to the Capitol by the END of THIS month! We do not have much time and need to take action NOW!

Click HERE if you would like to sign a petition or help distribute petitions. You can also read more about the bill at the website. Scroll down, and on the right hand side under the column that says "Take Action!" you will see a link that says "Sign a petition." You can click there to download a petition to sign, and print out more to have other people sign. You'll want to make sure there are no mistakes and everything is filled out correctly! If God be for us, who can be against us! We can make a difference!

In a world that is getting more evil everyday, we need to get closer to God everyday and take a stand for truth, or else we ourselves will fall into the mindset of the world and it's ways. I'm not interested in going in the ways of the World, but in following the Word!

12 Years!

12 Years ago today I received the precious gift of the Holy Ghost! Thank you, Jesus! He has kept me all these years. I have had my ups and downs, and I while never be perfect, but I press toward the mark!

If you have never received the Holy Ghost and you feel empty inside, it is what you NEED! What so many are searching for, yet don't know it. When the Spirit of God comes to live inside of you, it helps you to do the right thing, and leaves you with peace and joy on the inside. The world can't give it to you, only Jesus can. Acts 2:38-39 says "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." You can have it! It's for you and your children and all those that are afar off! If you want to know more, leave a comment.

To God be the glory for the things He has done.

10 years - Remember.

10 years ago, September 11th, 2001, our country was under a terrorist attack. Never forget.
God Bless America!

UNITED WE STAND!

A must read

Coco Kifle just wrote a post on their blog called "Just Passing By." He did such an incredible job! Take the time to read it. It made me want to cry. In a good way!

Click here to read his post.

Virtual Piano

Click here to play a virtual piano!

Prayer Request

As some of you know, there has been major flooding going on back in some of the eastern states. Some of my family members live in Binghamton, NY, the area where my dad is from. My uncles (his 2 brothers) live there, and the places where they work were both completely flooded. The flooding has forced many people to evacuate their homes. My dad's mom passed away a while back and her house is for sale, but is in danger of flooding. If it gets flooded, it will cost my dad and his brothers more money, which is not good for any of them right now! So please keep this house, and my family, in your prayers if you have a chance. I have heard of fires that burn everything except for one house, because somebody was praying. God can do the same thing with a flood and put up barriers around this house. I believe it!
Flood wall

Streets and sidewalks under water

The bridge over the river. I have been over this bridge before, and now it looks like you can't even use it because it's partially under water. My Grandpa's old house right next to the river had water flowing through the second story yesterday....

Thanks for the prayers!!

New CD to listen to

My friend, Denae Abbott gave me her new CD, and I love it! Thanks, Denae! It's called "In The Sanctuary," and she wrote all of the songs on the CD. Every song is beautiful and anointed. I'm thankful for people who are talented and don't let it go to their head, they use it for the glory of God and not their own.

If you haven't got this CD, I would get it! The songs will bless you; There are messages behind them all. Beautiful!

Wants vs. Needs

If anyone is feeling kind, I like these pillows. My birthday is the first week of November. Just saying!


Of course I don't need them, I just want them.....

But seriously. I saw these on eBay yesterday just looking around; No, I'm not a shop-a-holic! I was just looking, didn't buy anything. As I was looking at things and later at the store with my mom, God showed me something, again. It was a reminder, for it's something I can easily forget.

Many people are spending money - going out to eat, shopping, buying buying buying, even in our down economy. It's not that they even have the money to do it, but people are empty and depressed, and they are trying to take care of that problem by getting things they want. But there's a problem, it never seems to be enough for them, and they keep going out and doing the same thing, never ever getting their need met. Just their wants.

Walking through Barnes N Noble and then Target, (my dad had a sweet tooth so we went and got him some cookies) I saw so many strange looking people. I can look back to my childhood or even just a few years ago, and it wasn't the way it is right now. People everywhere are covered with tattoos, peircings, their hair is dyed wild, and a lot of them you can't even tell if they are male or femail at first glance.

I thought of the condition of our world, and what many of these people must be feeling inside when they go out to Barnes N Noble or Target like I did. I have the Holy Ghost, I have hope for tomorrow, the hope of heaven! I have peace inside of me - but they don't. I felt so convicted looking at all these people without hope and on their way to hell. I need to reach these people, I need to be a better witness. I know it's more than inviting people to Church, I've got to take it out of the church to them so that they will want to come. This is my goal, is to be a witness.

It doesn't matter how long I have been in church, what postiton I have, or what I am involved in: If I don't pray, and if I don't witness, I'm not pleasing God. They are so many verses in the Bible that show the heartbeat of Jesus. He is not willing that any should perish! This is OUR job, the world is OUR mission field! Take it personal! I'm determined to be better at reaching these people, with the help of God, before it's too late.

He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.

Proverbs 10:5

A Preacher On The Fence

My dad recently share this poem with me, and it gives me the chills just reading it! Before you read, I just want to say I am thankful for the preachers that are NOT on the fence! They have helped pull my soul from hell. We need a preacher to tell us what we need to hear, and not what we want to hear. I have seen preachers on the fence that won't take a stand, and I fear for the souls of the people they are leading. If your pastor takes a stand for truth and preaches to you what you need to hear, you ought to thank God for Him everyday! And so should I!

From out of the millions on the earth

God often calls a man

To preach His Word, and for the truth

To take a loyal stand.

'Tis sad to see him shun the cross,

Nor stand in it's defense

Between the fields of right and wrong -

A preacher on the fence.

Before him are the souls of men,

Destined for heaven or hell;

An open Bible in his hand,

And yet he dare not tell

Them all the truth as written there;

He fears the consequence-

The shame of heaven, the joy of hell-

A preacher on the fence.

Most surely God has called that man

To battle for the right,

'Tis his to ferret out the wrong

And turn on us the light.

He standeth not for right nor wrong,

He feareth an offence,

Great God, deliver us from him-

That preacher on the fence.

If she should stand up for the wrong.

The right he'd not befriend;

If he should boldly stand for right,

The wrong he would offend.

His mouth is closed, he dare not speak

For freedom or against.

The most disgusting thing on earth-

A preacher on the fence.

-Author Unknown