1 Thessalonians 5:^16-18Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. (Message)

Being a single parent for all those years was financially challenging. When people lent a helping hand I was thankful. There were many times I'd ask God where the next loaf of bread was coming from as my pay check or the child support would be a few days away. And I'd go home to find groceries waiting for me, or a check in the mail. Much of this was given anonymously. It did cause me to rejoice and be thankful. I helped me know God really did want to take care of us.

There were times though when being thankful was a challenge and that was when we were given junk. Someone would think we should want the stuff of theirs that was really ready for the trash. Then there were the times people did what wasn't needed and were infuriated because my thanks wasn't ebullient. I tried to be polite but my heart obviously wasn't in it. Looking back I realize those people did it for their own gratification not out of love. There strings attached to what they did.

What brought me to musing about this is our current economy and how it is effecting my husband and me and my kids and their families. The President made no secret that he planned on redistributing wealth. So that brought me to thinking about the attitudes of some in the "minority" communities and I had to wonder about some things. Will those who have felt disrespected, insulted, held down and kept back (and many have been) then do the same and worse to those they perceive to be the enemy? Will they realize that not all people of a different "race" are their enemy and that they never were?

At the same time as things get financially challenging will we, who are not a minority, have an attitude of gratitude for what we do have? Do we have it now? Will we fall into the trap of resenting any one who seems to have more? Will we curse our leaders and forget to pray for them? Will we continue to speak life and blessings and find true joy in Jesus? Will Christians come together in His Spirit and forget racial barriers? What kinds of strings will be attached to a helping hand?

And what about our faith? The persecution of the church is growing. Will we stand strong for Jesus no matter what?

There is a refining fire coming to our hearts. God wants us to be pure in heart so we can see Him. If we allow Him now access to all of us, not hold one thing back, then it will not be nearly so traumatic.

Regarding God...Jesus

Regarding God:

A good parent always lets the child know what is expected. They let them know what pleases or displeases them; what will harm the child and what is safe. The good parent's desire is for the child to grow up strong physically, emotionally and morally (body, soul and spirit). Unfortunately we human parents are not perfect and we make many mistakes. On the other hand, God is perfect. He created human beings in His image and let them know what would keep them safe, what would please Him and the consequences of going their own way. Adam and Eve had the choice of eating from the Tree of Life or the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Up till the time they ate of the Tree of Knowledge they lived in peace, actually surrounded and clothed in the Glory of God.

God is not a man that He should lie and when they sinned they suffered the consequences. They were cast out of their perfect garden, not because God hated them, but because He hates sin and it will not be in His presence (holiness). But at the same time God told them He would make a way for their restoration. That's in Gen. 3

This fact angers many people who want to know about a mushy warm fuzzy love, His love is more than that. And along with His love God is also holy. No one seems to want to deal with that. For years I sure didn't. His attributes are infinite and He is true to all of them.....

After the sin man then began making up his own idea of who God is, what He is like, what he will do and not do and what pleases or displeases him. He began making up rules by which he wanted to lived. My kids would try to make up the house rules, I wasn't amused. Discipline followed. It is not unusual that we want to set ourselves over authority, Lucifer tried it and became Satan......

History

As I begin writing this in less than 2 hours Barack H. Obama will be inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America. It is historic. He is the first black man elected to this office. He is also somewhat of a puzzle. Is he liberal? Middle of the road? Is he really a believer in all Jesus did and said?

We have a choice: If we pray we can have a new day with beautiful skies, or we can speak curses against him and have it very gray. Our prayers need to be things like: Ephesians 1:17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to Barack Obama the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of President Obama's understanding being enlightened; that President Obama may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us (President Obama) who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

I keep coming back to something prophesied by Kim Clement (I am copying and pasting it here--it won't let me change the font, colors, size, etc. sorry)

Prophesied on July 27th, 2007--Harrisburg, PA:
Rejoice, please, for God said, "You shall see fires through this Nation, but holy fires. You will see an intervention and Me going into the media and taking the streets of this Nation." Why? God said, "You have prophesied the wind and now you shall reap great, great, great rain," says the Lord. "You will reap great whirlwinds and they will come."

One more thing, the Spirit of God said, "Rejoice in this that you hear tonight. For even as you understand that the fires I speak about will burn out dross and put in the White House a man who will then be transformed into a righteous believer." God said, "Do not fear, for I will Not allow this Nation to fall on their knees in unnecessary humility, but in humbleness of mind. And I will take the fire and destroy your enemies. Your time of peace has come, but more than this--your time of prosperity has come, America," says the Spirit of the Living God!

"Pray, pray, pray for America. Smile saints, smile for 2008. For who I place in your White House, shall know the Spirit of God in a way. A very unique thing I will do. I told you before, there will be joy and celebration. For the man I place in the White House, shall not be filled with My Spirit when he goes in, but when he settles down, I will baptize him with fire and the Holy Spirit."

We must pray for this man. If you would like to know about the numbers of this presidency 44, you can go to philoslogos.org and they have on-line books. Go to E.W. Bullinger's page and then his work on numbers. It is eye opening.

Prov. 21: 1The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD;
He turns it wherever He wishes.

THOUGH............YET

As the world turns......not that isn't what I was going to say but it made me laugh.

Our world is turning and continuing on and people are seemingly more upset and worried and fearful. Yet God is still on His throne, His Word is still true and He will accomplish all He has said.

And we have decisions to make regarding all that is going on. Will we allow all the destructive forces of hell to get at us or will we choose to walk God's way.......

This Thursday a women's meeting with a special Prophetess is to be held at my home. The attacks to stop this are mounting, including trying to give me a cold, BUT GOD . . . I am praising Him today and thinking about praise and thanksgiving. Peace that I did not have when I woke up is starting to spread through me.

All that let me to thinking about how we are to do everything without grumbling or complaining and how God inhabits the praises of His people. Then the term "sacrifice of praise" came to me and right after "sacrifice of thanksgiving". And of course that brought more thoughts and questions. Graham Cooke talks about lamentation being the highest form of praise because everything in us is crying out for some terrible reason. For him it was when his very dear friend was murdered in Ireland and the last thing he wanted to do was praise or worship God and that is how he found out about lamentation from a personal perspective. In Job we find, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him..." Though the stock market crashes and I have no money I will praise Him because His plans for me are good and not evil...if that happened could we say that and mean it? Though the men in Washington give more money to corrupt executives and want all my pay check to pay for it.....would we praise God? Though______ you fill it in and see if you will say Yet will I praise Him???? My prayer is He will strengthen me to say that.

Psalm 107
22And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing (KJV)

The word "sacrifice" means to slaughter and in the OT an animal was slaughtered. The sacrifice of thanksgiving went along with the sacrifice of peace (Lev 7). But Jesus shed His blood for us. There is no need now for the blood to be shed. Yet, our "flesh" must die.

When I am really emotionally upset the last thing I want to do is praise or be thankful; I want to wallow and make someone suffer (sure not Godly), yet if I focus on who Jesus is, what He has done, or what He is doing I'm offering my flesh and my ways up to be killed off and speaking out all the good and wonderful things about Jesus I find peace. There is only good to be said about Him. Phil 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things". He is the only one who fits this description. All He does fits this description.

The enemy of our souls hates us with a white hot hatred. BUT GOD's love is stronger, more powerful and it is victorious. It is imperative that we focus on Jesus..........He does inhabit our praises.

THE DAY AFTER THE ELECTION

We are still being called to walk in love; to pray for those in authority over us; to bless and not  curse; to remember that righteousness and unrighteousness don't walk together; that we answer to God first and that His love for us never changes, His mercies are new every morning and GREAT  IS HIS FAITHFULNESS.

 24 “The LORD bless you and keep you;

 25 The LORD make His face shine upon you,
  And be gracious to you;

 26 The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,
  And give you peace.”’

I keep hearing God telling me to TRUST HIM.  And He brings me to this Psalm to help me remember who He really is:

Psalm 93

The Eternal Reign of the LORD
 1 The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty;
  The LORD is clothed, 
  He has girded Himself with strength. 
  Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved.
 2 Your throne is established from of old;
  You are from everlasting. 
   
 3 The floods have lifted up, O LORD,
  The floods have lifted up their voice; 
  The floods lift up their waves.
 4 The LORD on high is mightier
  Than the noise of many waters, 
  Than the mighty waves of the sea. 
   
 5 Your testimonies are very sure;
  Holiness adorns Your house, 
  O LORD, forever.

The days are getting darker and no matter who wins the election a lot of the world is already in chaos.  In Orissa, India Christians are being slaughtered and that is not the only place it is happening.  He is our light and our salvation and we must remember, know, grasp who He is.

BE ENCOURAGED