Cry, Pray, Get Up!

1 Samuel 30:6 “David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk about stoning him.  But David found strength in the Lord his God.”

In this chapter, David and his men returned to Ziklag after being turned away by Achish and the princes of the Philistines.  They did not trust him because David had a reputation.  The Philistines knew God was with David so they refused his request to fight alongside them in fear they would fall like the ten thousands.

As the men traveled home, they probably imagined shouts of joy from their neighbors as they entered the city, squeals of excitement of their children and looks of relief on the faces of their wives. When David and his men got to Ziklag after a three days journey they discovered the Amalekites had invaded, burned Ziklag, and taken captive the women and children.

The men were devastated to the point they wanted to stone David.  The men were warriors that believed in David, fought alongside him, bled with him, ate and slept with him but none of that mattered when grief struck.  Wait a minute!  His wives were taken captive too, but the men were not thinking about him.  All they could focus on was their own pain.  Since they were hurting, they wanted to hurt him.  Sometimes miserable and hurting people will attack you for reasons beyond your control, but you have to turn to God for strength.  Do not give evil for evil or attack those who attack you.

People who know me know that I love what I do for a living.  Being a property manager is not a profession I chose but God chose me for it.  So last week when a resident spoke some hurtful words about the way most residents felt about me it took me by surprise.  She was not angry when she spoke, that is why I did not recognize it as a spiritual attack.  She spoke the words like a proven fact, but it was only her opinion.  I knew what she said was not true but I could not shake the words of hate.  My peace was disturbed and I woke up three mornings with heart palpitations.  I thought the way I felt was due to just allergies.

Every morning this week I cried, prayed, read my devotions and then got up.  I also questioned my purpose and effectiveness to the point I grew distracted and made mistakes I would not ordinarily make.  Every evening after work and for the past two weekends, I retreated to my quiet place.  Shutting out the world, I played games on my tablet, ate healthy snacks and binge watched TV.

This morning, after watching Pastor Michael Todd preach “Marked,” the Lord revealed to me the words the resident spoke over a week ago were the cause of my distress.  He then reminded me of the dream I had Wednesday morning between my alarm and getting up.

I dreamed I was in a room surrounded by women singing.  I felt myself trying to be composed but the presence of the Lord was so strong I leaned over and began to worship God in the spirit.  One of my cousin’s was there and she wrapped her arms around me and held me.  Although it was her arms holding me, I sensed the presence of my Savior.

I woke up praising the Lord in the spirit and enjoying the embrace, which I could still feel.  I got out of bed feeling free and ready to face the day.  The weight of the words had been crushed by love.

I could not pinpoint exactly what was causing the disruption in my life, even after I had the dream and God did not reveal it until today.  Attacks will come from expected and unexpected places, but do not allow the enemy to bully you.  Stay connected to God.  Encourage yourself in the Lord, cry, pray and get up.  My feelings were hurt and I reacted the way most would, but I got up.  I know I am exactly where I am supposed to be and I am not going anywhere until He tells me it is finished.

My Left Day

I am so grateful to God that I do not have many days like today. It was one of those days where nothing went right and everything went left.

I did not begin my day like I normally do, with prayer and reading scripture. Instead, even before showering, I set off on a task that had been on my mind when I went to bed and when I woke up. I thought it would only take a few minutes.

So let me first tell you about my normal mornings. I wake up on time, stretch while still in the bed and say, “Good morning daddy, good morning Jesus good morning Holy Spirit. Thank you for another day. Thank you for watching over me and Buddy (my cat) last night.” After that I open my phone, download the information from my Cpap machine and then read my devotions from Our Daily Bread and In Touch Ministries. I proceed with my daily hygiene routine, you don’t need details. LOL!

I kneel and pray, take my morning vitamins, feed the cat and I am on my way.

This morning, I said my good mornings, and thanked God. The problem began with my getting up late. I woke up on time, but didn’t get up when I should have.

Regretfully my impromptu fixation from the night before ate up more time that I had planned and I didn’t successfully accomplish anything, frustrating right? Ugh!!!

So I went bopping my frustrated self out of the house and off to the left we go!

At work, I was way too sought after, the phone was jumping, sick people dropped in, with no thought to infecting the office staff and I just smiled and prayed. One of those drop ins confessed to being sick. I stopped him mid sentence and said, “uh, excuse me, I need to get a mask.” He laughed but I was so serious. I came back looking like a surgical MD and told him to continue. Before he left I informed him to phone first to schedule meetings so that we could have time to talk and have a productive meeting. Ya’ll know what I was really thinking right? Don’t you drop by here nary other time without calling to see if I am available.

The worst of this left day… I lost my phone for a whole hour, the horror right? I had to run planned errands that didn’t know they were planned. To the left to the left… After I finished jetting all around Skibo from Cliffdale to Morganton, I headed back to the office, missions almost accomplished. I reached for my phone to call the painter and no phone.

I almost put on breaks in the middle of the highway, but thankfully I talked myself into exiting All American Highway and making a safe and legal left quasi U-Turn at the light and back to Skibo I went.

Kudos to the wonderful people at AT&T on Skibo. My personal service is with Boost, but the maintenance phone is with AT&T. I had visited them earlier so I thought the phone was there. After 15 minutes of dialing my phone, I went to Chipotle two doors down, nope, no phone. I got back in the car, mind racing frantically. I would have to back track and go to every place I had gone.

As I pulled into the parking lot of Burke’s Outlet I glanced at the passenger’s door and there, sticking out of the pocket, was the phone. For the life of me I could not figure out how it got there.

I had searched the car, but only the places I thought the phone could have fallen. Ugh again!

After each frustrating thing I prayed and asked the Lord to help me remain calm. I even quoted my 2018 catch phrase through clenched teeth, “Not TODAY Satan!”

After I got back to the office and tried to calm my stomach and my nerves by eating something, I had to acknowledge that I started my day off wrong and that is why no matter what I tried, it kept going left.

Jesus told His disciples in John 15:5, “without me, you can do nothing.” I know how important it is to seek the Lord’s help before tackling anything. I know that my day should begin with Him and not preoccupation with a task. How could I choose to ignore this?

I allowed myself to get upset and anxious about the task I was trying to accomplish, did I say I failed? After I found my phone, once again heading back to work, I repented and asked the Lord to forgive me for putting anything before Him and help me not do that again.

Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” I should have put that task at the feet of Jesus before attempting anything.

Psalm 3:5 & 6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight.” Or in my words, your day will go right, instead of left.

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL

“America the Beautiful” is an American patriotic song. The lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates, and the music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New Jersey.
“Oh, beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties, Above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed his grace on thee, And crown thy good with brotherhood, From sea to shining sea.”

The song has four stanzas, but the first one is the one I remember singing as a child.
Are children taught this song anymore? I wonder how many adults under 50 know the words to this song and honor their meaning?

Littering has become a huge problem in our nation and it not only angers me but it breaks my heart. I know you are probably saying, “Uh, Barbie, this song is not about littering,” and you would be somewhat correct. To me this song is about the beautiful land Father God blessed us with and our responsibility to be good stewards of it. America the beautiful is disrespected daily and slowly being destroyed by wasteful and selfish people.

They toss their household garbage bags, couches, TV’s computers; you name it on the side of the road as if there are not aware of available solid waste sites.
Every time I drive around Fayetteville or Raeford and see someone dumping coffee out of their car window or leftovers from their meals, I want to make a citizen’s arrest.

When I moved to North Carolina I was surprised that our tax dollars did not include trash pickup and that everyone is responsible for arranging for the disposal of everything in the household. When I lived in Illinois, we were not responsible for paying for personal trash pickup, our tax dollars took care of that.  Darn, there I go using that word, “RESPONSIBLE.” This will not be the last time, sorry.

America, America, God shed his grace on thee and crowned thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.

I do not know about you, but this portion of the song screams responsibility to me. God’s grace is not in short supply so what is missing? It is the sense of brotherhood. It is respecting someone else’s property.

Disgusted by all the trash I saw on the highways close to my subdivision I felt I needed to do something. Right before Christmas, I contacted the Hoke County sheriff’s office and was told to contact NCDOT. Before I could submit a request to clean up the roads, I needed an address close to the debris. I could not use mine, so of course day after day I would pass the trash on the way to work and then back home. By the time I reached my destination I had forgotten. Last Sunday I chose an address so I could submit the request.

Today, I stopped at the Dollar General on Brock and noticed the area around it was clean. As I pulled out to turn on to Wayside, I saw the orange bags. NCDOT had come through, the roads were clean. I do not know if it was due to my request or if it was just time for the scheduled clean up, either way Wayside and Brock are no longer trashed out.
It may not seem like much, but I feel good about speaking out for the beautiful land God has blessed me to enjoy.

America Land of the Free?

America, the land of the free, the home of the brave.  For generations people have dreamed of living in America.  Many even sacrifice all to journey to the promised land, the place where they hope for opportunities, a good life and a chance for new beginnings.  Those who dare to leave home, family and friends dream of freedom, being able to thrive as well as live in peace.

I believe every one shares the desire for freedom from a toddler learning how to walk, talk and read for the first time to the elderly individual who finds themselves moving at a slower pace.   My own personal desire for freedom has taught me that  true freedom comes from believing in and accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  That freedom teaches responsibility and stewardship. That freedom brings families together, not tear them apart. That freedom compels us to love everyone, period!

Freedom in Christ allows all who believe in Him to enjoy life under the protection of the Almighty, Eternal LORD. It compels believers to care for others without expecting recompense.

That freedom causes those who have never even heard of Christ to feed those who are hungry or clothe the naked. Why? Because Father God has placed in each of us His essence, His DNA if you will. It is that thing inside of us that compels us to reach out to others. You can’t get away from it but you can ignore it and refuse to obey it. The essence of God calls to us every day to do something to make this world, the lives we touch better.

Man’s flawed illusion of freedom is dangerous. It teaches selfishness and devalues the importance of stewardship and commitment. Mankind was given a mandate by God to take care of this earth as well as the commandment to love one another.

Love…God’s love is true freedom. I’ve heard people say love does not cost us anything but that is not true. The God kind of love (Agape) costs you your vanity, selfish desires and independence. When you love God’s way you put others before yourself. You appreciate this beautiful earth by taking care of it, not raping it of all its resources. Not sucking all the life from it and ripping it apart.

Somewhere between instant foods, microwaves, cell phones, snap chat, instagram and Facebook, humans have lost touch with humanity.

Instant gratification, the search for eternal youth, and the lust for wealth have distracted people from the things that matter to God…life.

Only through catastrophes, shocking abuses and financial disaster is mankind reminded of who we are. Once things calm down, justice has been served and the emergencies are over it is back to dysfunctional business as usual.

How many of us witness the atrocities of this world and say nothing? How many reach into checking and savings accounts to help those affected by disaster? I’ve heard this most of my life, if you do not stand for something, you will fall for anything.

I agree that America has lost some of her glory but it has nothing to do with who crosses our borders and everything to do with the condition of our hearts, values and beliefs. To whom much is given, much is required. America thrived for centuries because many slaved, fought, sacrificed and died for her.

What are we going to do to preserve their legacies?

Mountains

While driving to work one morning, I had to pull over and take pictures because the wonders of the sky demanded it.  I live in a rural town that is flat and abundant with fields of corn and cotton but that morning as I looked at the sky, I felt as if I lived high up in the mountains.  The longer I drove; I experience euphoria at such a surreal view.   I was amazed!  The clouds looked like strong, powerful and impenetrable mountains.

A thought came to me, “How often do we look at events and situations in our lives and see mountains that aren’t really there?  How often has the enemy of our souls caused us to fear with false images?

Pastor Tony Davidson teaches fear is, “False Evidence Appearing Real.”   False evidence appearing real can paralyze us, cause us to procrastinate or even doubt God.  False images and lies can prevent us from following the path Father has set before us and can hinder his purpose in our lives.

In the year to come, situations, challenges and tests will come your way.   Take a good look at each of them as they arise.  Do not put your faith in what you can see.  Believers walk by faith and not by sight.  Faith is a very powerful weapon against the enemy and without it we cannot please God.

Pastor Davidson also taught FAITH is “Father’s Assurance In The Heart.” Father sent the Holy Spirit after Jesus’ resurrection as an assurance that He will do exactly what He said He would do for us and in our lives.

John 14:27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

Are you facing mountains or clouds that will swiftly dissipate?  No matter what you face, God is able to see you through.  He loves you and has a good plan for your life.  May your 2018 be everything God intends.

 

You Do Not Live Here Anymore

Depression came to my door last Wednesday, as it’s done from time to time in the past 30 years since I was delivered from depression. It tested the knob but found the door locked and sealed by the Holy Spirit.

Also as in the past, it did not come alone. Depression never traveled alone, with it came anxiety, fear, torment, lies, paranoia, and suicide.

The enemy started the attack with lies trying to make me open the door. When the lies didn’t work, anxiety stepped in and began to fill my heart with dread and imagines of defeat and disaster filled my head. I began to feel myself slipping. I’m going to lose my job, my home and my car is going to break down. I’ve been to so many doctors this past year, I’m never going to get better.

Torment, which was peeking at me through a window began yelling out my weaknesses. Knowing how private I am, it illuminated all the things wrong with me, telling me that when people found out they would not want to be around me. Paranoia and fear took turns, whispering that people were planning my destruction and that I should not trust anyone. Wave after wave the attacks kept coming. My emotions were out of control, but I knew they could not be trusted.

I am grateful that I never have to fight those spirit bullies on my own. As they, all took turns bombarding my mind and trying to pry open the door for depression, scriptures began to flood my mind:

Philippians 4:6 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (NIV)

Philippians 4:7 – “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (KJV)

A line from a William Murphy song, “We Set Our Hope” repeated in my mind repeatedly, drowning out the lies and taunting. It was taken from Psalm 27:13, “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.”

As I was thinking about sharing this, I was reminded of something Jesus said in Matthew 12:43-45 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”

Those spirits keep coming back thinking they will find my house unoccupied, but each time they discover they are wrong, my house is filled with the Holy Spirit. I cannot stop them from popping up and they may never stop coming, but each time my answer will be the same, “You Don’t Live Here Anymore.”

I know that He who began a good work in me is faithful to complete it. I’ve also learn my limitations. When I stress, don’t eat right, and don’t get enough sleep, I’m vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy.

I am so grateful for my mama who constantly reminds me to take better care of myself, stop working 24/7 do something fun and rest more.

As I get older and as I go deeper in the Lord, the attacks don’t last as long. I used to stay in bed and cry for days. Last week I cried out to the Lord I praise and thanksgiving. I quoted scriptures until I fell asleep. When I woke up the next morning, I felt revived, restored and ready for the day.

As far as I’m concerned, depression and all its companions can stay homeless. As for me in my house, I will serve the Lord.

Carefree

I recently got my passport after years of promising myself that I would do so and like a child who had just received a new toy, I was exciting about getting the chance to use it.  Life doesn’t often bring exciting things my way, so after getting my passport I decided to do something I’ve never done before, go on vacation, out of the country alone.

I booked a trip through Expedia and spent an amazing time lying on the beach and lounging around one of the pools of the Barcelo Resort and Spa.  I was greeted in the lobby with a fruity drink was just what the doctor ordered.

I got the chance to witness carefree living at it’s best.  Watching the locals prepare for their day had become my favorite thing to do after breakfast. I sat in the La Fuentes restaurant watching how the men on the beach took time to wash their boats preparing to compel tourists to select their boat for a fishing excursion or tour. The boats had interesting names, one that quickly comes to mind is the Jack Sparrow.

I also got the chance to see young people being trained in the hospitality industry. Their ages ranged from pre-teens to teenagers. I was impressed with the trainees attire. The young men wore white shirts, black slacks and shiny black dress shoes.

The young ladies of a similar age group wore either all white or white blouses, black skirts and comfortable black dress shoes.

The youth appeared to take their training very serious. They were somber and attentive as they gathered to listen to the adult in charge of training.

Each morning I also watched the resort’s employee go about their morning preparing to address the needs of the guests. Everyone met you with a smile and appeared to be eager to serve. If anyone hated their job or didn’t want to serve, it was not obvious. I only know a few Spanish words but that did not affect the way I was treated.

I was in Puerto Vallarta to relax, unwind, and be reset by my heavenly Father. I need a healing for my mind, body, and soul.

I had no idea how He would do this, but later I realized the Lord uses many tools to meet the ends of His children. Watching the locals was one tool He used on me.

Another was watching a dog and little girl romping and chasing each other on the beach. It wasn’t until I felt my heart fill with joy as I watched them playing that I realized my Father had done it again. I had no idea watching a child and dog run back and forward on a beach could make me feel so good.

I don’t know if the dog belonged to the little girl or if it was by chance they met on the beach. What was obvious is how quickly they became friends and began to enjoy each other’s company.

I watched them until my lunch plate was cleared away. Inspired by their romp, I went back to my room, put on my swimsuit and went to the beach to enjoy some carefree time of my own. I must have achieved my goal because I spent the afternoon on the beach. That night I slept like a baby.

Battling insomnia for fear of not waking can wear a person out. It can also affect job performance and cause paranoia. I was suffering from all that when I planned my trip a few months ago. “Proverbs 24:10, If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small.” My strength was at zero.

Never having traveled alone, let alone to another country I was a bit hesitant about the trip, nevertheless desperation took over and the need for getting away overshadowed any reservations I previously had. I was also excited about getting a stamp in my brand newly acquired passport.

I’ve never been carefree. I have no idea what it is like to live a carefree and stress free existence, but I can now say I got the chance to see it up close and personal and loved it.

My trip is over and one thing I brought back was the desire to seek the elusive carefree experience as much as possible. Everyone deserves to be carefree sometimes. Life is too short to spend it stressed out and at the beck and call of jobs every day. If I die in my sleep tonight the work will be picked up by someone else with no thought to my demise.

So I’ve decided to take carefree breaks. I’ve also decided to stop being so hard on myself. I’m reminded of a scripture as I wrap this up. Psalms 23:3 He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.

If the Lord allows, I would love to go back to Puerto Vallarta next year.

Psalms 18:1 I love you Lord; you are my strength.

One On One

The 2017 Christmas Season is here. This has been a year of devastation, natural disasters, a government gone wrong and our media reduced to tabloid reporting, focusing on feelings instead of facts and getting caught in verbal battles. So many senseless murders this year, many people displaced from hurricanes. The latest… the proverbial straw, the death of that precious 3 year old’s death here in NC. I got lost in the sorrow, so I cried out to Abba God for our nation. Why are we going on as usual? How are we going on?

This has also been a challenging year for me healthwise. Aging is not for punks y’all, lol! I know I should be preparing for the festivities of the season, but I find myself withdrawing so I can be alone with my Savior. This Season should be about Him, not Kohls, Jared, Toys R Us, Macy’s and Belks.

My soul was so heavy today I needed one on one time with Abba, Jesus and Holy Spirit. The Lord is restoring a balance in me. My Spiritual fathers, Kenneth Hagin Sr. and Dr. Charles Stanley fed my spirit and soul today. I’m grateful for the post of Rhema’s 1996 Winter bible church service. It sparked a hunger in me. I went searching for some soul food. I turned from natural food, and feasted on the word brought by these men of God. The Fire, Anointing and Power filled my room…filled me, thank you Jesus, hope is restored.

Abba is also preparing me for my annual consecration next month. I’m excited about 2018. My latter shall be greater…

When was your last 1 on 1? When was the last time you hungered for His presence? He will fill you if you seek Him.

Love Without Borders

Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international medical humanitarian organization working in more than 60 countries to assist people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe.

What compels men and women from different lifestyles to leave the familiar, what’s safe and comfortable?  There are many reasons, but the most common I’ve heard is they believe that is what they are called to do.  I am grateful to them and salute them for their selfless acts of love.

You may wonder, what in the world does doctors with borders have to do with my topic.  All I can say is I woke up one morning and the words “Love Without Borders” were resonating so loud in my spirit, I had to get up, and them in my notes on my LG.  The words that were coming to me so rapidly, I hardly had time to wake up fully.

After I began to write, the idea of doctors without borders came to mind.  I didn’t know anything about it actually and the first time I heard of the organization was on one of my favorite television shows, “Chuck.”  His sister Ellie and her husband, “Mr. Awesome” were planning to become doctors without borders until Ellie found out she was pregnant, or something like that.  The episode is vague, so all you “Chuck” fans, don’t shoot me down if I got this wrong.

Anyway, that is what the Lord brought to mind and I believe the he impressed upon me that as humans, created in his image and likeness we are suppose to love without borders.  No matter what our nationality is, how were raised, what we faith we believe in/don’t believe in, or how much or little education we have.  The Heavenly Father’s original plan for his creation was that we love each other unconditionally.

If you do not believe me, watch young children interact with each other.  They do not care what color a person’s skin is, they don’t care about politics, what size your bank account is or whether the other person’s ancestors were slaves or slave owners.  They do not care what your favorite football team is or who your favorite mega preacher is.  Children love without borders.

Yes, they may fight, bite, scratch and even take each other’s toys because they believe everything belongs to them, but they also forgive quickly and reconcile just as fast as long as so-called adults do not interfere with them.

“Except we come as a child, we cannot enter the Kingdom of heaven,”.  Jesus said that. (Mark 10:15)   What does he mean by that?  If we are going to enter the Kingdom, we must be stripped of everything that would stop up our flow of love for our fellow man.

Everybody wants to go to heaven, but not everybody operates in or believes in the commandment to love.  Jesus also said in, John 13:34-35, “So I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other…  (You see that period there?  That means we do not get to pick and choose whom we love. All who follow Christ are to obey his commandment.)  The scripture continues, “Just as I have loved you, you should love one each other.  Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

Love is mentioned 759 times in the entire bible, 499 times in the OT and It is mentioned the most in the book of Psalms.  In the NT, it is mentioned 260 and it is mentioned in the most is the book of John.  Our Lord and Savior wanted his followers to know how important love is and the significant role is has regarding our acceptance in the Kingdom of Heaven.  I’m not talking about the place, but the position.  The kingdom is peace, righteousness in the Holy Spirit, (Romans 14:17), something every believer can have now, you don’t wait to die to get it.  In order to partake in the kingdom, love must flow freely.  Roman 5:5b, “For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”

How do we love without borders?  We allow the Holy Spirit to teach us.

 

Spots and Blemishes

I purchased a toilet seat to replace the plastic one that came with the oblong toilet I purchased several months ago.

I wondered why the new seat was so inexpensive at the time I bought it, but since I am used to getting good deals I didn’t think it might be defective. After I opened it the package I saw the reason for the price. There was a tiny nick on the seat, revealing the wood.

It may not have been noticeable to others, but that was the first thing I saw after I put it on and it’s the first thing I see every time I enter the bathroom. I am going to paint that tiny spot because its stands out and it reminds me that I purchased defective goods.

I believe the Lord pointed that small imperfection out to me because He purchased damaged goods as Well with the life of His son. Jesus is coming back for a church without a spot or wrinkle. Just as the defect in the toilet changed the value of the toilet, a church that is not complete may cause the bride of Christ to be viewed as defective.

Just as I plan to paint that spot, our Savior has washed his bride with the water of the word (Ephesians 5:26) and yet covers her in his blood.

Any person in the body, which refuses to be cleansed and covered, is illegitimate and will not be allowed to remain. The price Jesus (Yeshua) paid on the cross is too high for him to ignore nick, spots, and blemishes. They stand out in the Kingdom, become a distraction, and hinder unbelievers from accepting the precious gift of salvation.

We must be careful and not try to cover ourselves as Adam and Eve did if we sin or should I say when we sin. (Genesis 3:7) We must admit our fall, repent, and submit ourselves to our Heavenly Father for restoration, whatever that looks like. It is different for each individual.

I’m glad I can go to Father for deliverance and healing because I don’t want to be a blemish or spot on Christ’s beautiful bride.

I’m also grateful the washing and cleansing of the church is the responsibility of our Savior. He is the author and finisher of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2)

We can’t mess it up, praise God! The bride of the Savior must be ready when he returns.