And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

 (Mark 5:25-28 Luke 8:43-48 Matthew 9:20-22 )  

The woman with the issue of blood,  so clearly defines, and demonstrates,  how to obtain the healing power of God, by the grace of Jesus Christ, through faith that produces wholeness.

Faith is powerful by way of Jesus, and all that have great faith, without any doubt at all, deep in their hearts, will experience the Sovereign power in Jesus Christ’ name.

Trusting in the LORD, and allowing ourselves to surrender to His will, and adhering to His Word, which in essence is His voice…makes us “whole.”

TRUST— The ability to establish a full accord of yielding and acknowledging that CHRIST exists, and that by believing…we will survive and maintain the cord of LIFE, which abides in Christ, our Vine.

The woman with the issue of blood went looking for Jesus. She pressed through and overcame obstacles.  She pressed through the crowd. She wouldn’t take no for an answer. She fought the good fight of faith. She kept her focus on Jesus. She demonstrated her faith, trust and confidence in Jesus by her determination. And so, she was healed…after many years…made whole.  

FAITH-  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) For we walk by Faith not by sight…(2 Corinthians 5:7)

The individuals in the Bible are there for us to understand and learn from the inspired Word by the LORD.  This woman with the blood issue, went searching and looking for Jesus. She knew if she found Him, she had only to “touch His hem” and she would be made whole.  

She didn’t sit around saying, “woe is me” nor did she wait for Jesus to find her.

No. She went in search of Him.  

She was trying to seek His face, with all of her heart.

 She went to Him with all of her heart, she believed…she trusted, and she was made whole.

Faith, Trust and the LORD, go hand-in-hand.

The heart is love.  Love is the heart.  And, God is the heart of Love.  

Trust Him, Seek Him, Love Him…and have faith that you will be made whole.

Listen to His voice through the Word.  And Keep believing.  He is real, and He loves us as no other can or ever will.

Amen.

Hebrews 4:12 States that “the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

While ministering to a 91 year old woman my heart ached so much so due to the awful state of mind she is in.  Emotionally, and mentally she is drowning in a sea of depression and anxiety.  She is so bad she could barely grasp or comprehend that which I was saying.

Clearly, she was in turmoil and angst that defied any lifeline that was being cast her way.  I tried so many things as I had in the past with her, which worked, i.e.; “Scripture passages, praying over her, building her up in the light of love of the LORD”  nothing touched her this time.  It was a sad thing to hear and my heart ached for her heart that was filled with pain.

I look to the LORD for all things, and ask for His wisdom and guidance in everything I do, so I wait upon Him to do His will.  There isn’t anything I could do at this point, nor prior because He is in control, but at least prior to this point she was responsive overall.

So now, I realize something I’ve said so many times before concerning faith and love of God.  When someone of faith tries to connect to someone who is down and miserable, it truly hurts.  And, all I could think is “imagine how much God must ache to see His children in pain if I’m having difficulty seeing and hearing this beautiful lady swimming in a sea of despair.

I will continue to check in on her and pray about what I could do at this point in service to the LORD…and I trust He will guide me as He always does.

So..I came away with this today in meditating about this woman’s circumstances, which I will not go into at this time, that a heart of love will ache for a heart that’s hurting.  But, during the hurting, God is watching all the while, caressing us with His grace and His love.

What ever happens to this woman, will be up to the LORD.  But until such time, I will continue to build up this lady, and encourage her, and pray that the light will shine in through the dark tunnel she is in.  I trust in God and know He already is working on a plan, and it will be for the good of this sweet 91 year old lady.

Until then…I will wait upon God, and trust in Him fully.  And, as always…to God be the Glory and the Victory, no matter what.

Amen.

 Proverbs 3:5-8

King James Version

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

⁶ In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

⁷ Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.

⁸ It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

Isaiah 41:10

‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

God clearly identifies His role as “protector” in so many places throughout His holy Bible.  He tells us to have no fear, and be of good courage because “I go before you” and that “My right hand of righteousness will hold you up.”

This is two examples of His promises for His children, that means “us.”

When we place ourselves in His mighty capable and loving hands, therein lies our “sanctuary” and our inner peace.  It’s like lying down in a bed of comfort and joy.  It’s a complete and utter surrender of acceptance in all aspects of our life.

Speaking for myself, the more time I spend with my Father the better I feel, and my desire and intimacy for Him grows exponentially with each session I “chat” with Him.

The bonds and ties to the Father are inexplicably undeniably real when one “hears” His voice, and adheres to His will.

It’s self assuring and almost “jarring” realizing the promises of our Father.  To understand and embrace those promises is a life filled with confidence and a life filled with light.

To understand that He will never let us down is a dream tantamount to our existence initiated by our Creator…our very own Father of lights.

The aspirations of dreams merely exist in our minds, but the fruition of those dreams are gifts from our Father.

He is the One and only who can bring us to see the “way” and show us “the way” all the days of our life.

When we graft onto the Vine we are promised a self satisfying and nourishing life filled with growth and protection all the days of our life.

Now, that’s not to say there won’t be “storms” along the way, but the rainbow always comes out at the end of the darkest storm.

The rainbow, another promise from our Father.

His covenant and His heart, extended to us, over and over again.

How amazing is that?

“Father God thank You for Your love, Your Word, and Your Promises, all of which are given freely to us, Your children, thank You for the light, in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Deuteronomy 1:30
‘The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes,

Psalm 136:16

To Him who led His people through the wilderness, For His loving kindness is everlasting;

Deuteronomy 31:8
 
“The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Joshua 1:9

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Rejoice always,

pray without ceasing,

18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

The scripture which tells us to “pray with supplication and thank the LORD no matter what” is certainly a reality in which all those of us with faith adhere to.

The LORD and He is in control, and it is His will that is the best outcome for us, no matter what.

Sometimes, even the slightest “switch” in plans can have an impact in your life, something in which we have “no control” — because we are NOT in control…our FATHER is.

Think about all the times in your life where things seemed to be a mere coincidence and the outcome was changed greatly in your favor.  With faith, there are NO COINCIDENCES.  It’s God’s will that prevails.

There is no such thing as luck.  Again, God’s Will, be done.

Pray no matter what you’re feeling.

Sing praises to Him regardless of the situation, both good and bad.

Praise Him in the morning…in the evening…in the afternoon…in the wee hours of the morning.

Sing His praises, for He is worthy of all praise and adulation.

Today…give thanks for all things…and pray from your heart, which is the basis for all things pure and simplistic, yet be steadfast in your dedication to the LORD.

He is with us always.

He will never leave us nor forsake us.

He will go before us.

He will uphold us with His right hand of righteousness.

His promises are GOLDEN and guaranteed…

Isn’t that alone enough for Praise all day long without ceasing?

Praise God and His works!

“Father God, I praise Your name, now and always…all glory and honor are Yours, You get all the victory now and always, no matter what, I thank You in Jesus Christ name, Amen.”

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 
Philippians 4:6

Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.

                                                   Psalm 55:17

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But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

1 Peter 2:9

“Many are called, but few are chosen…”  Our Father would probably more than likely want that to be, many are called and many are chosen, but that is not the case.

So many fall into the clutches of the world, and hence, thereby, corrupted by the pollution of sin, that dominates, and permeates, every crevice of this God-made Universe.

However, there’re the remnant few that at are adhering to His calling.

These are the those who are propelled by His word, and bring it forth to all those who are in the dark, and plant seeds of love, of Jesus’ ministry. But, it is up to God to water the seeds.  And, some will produce fruit, and some will not.

We can show others His goodness, and we can shine His light through our actions, and choices, all the while standing in the parameters of our faith. This can include going outside the “comfort zone” at times.

The LORD calls us out of the darkness into His wonderful light.

The question: Will you respond to His call?

We have a purpose and calling for our lives.  Before we were even in our mother’s womb, it was pre-ordained as to our purpose in this lifetime.

We’re basically passing through here as “temporary Residents: to fulfill our purpose, according to His will, before taking up residence in our “permanent Home” which of course is Paradise, where we shall dwell with our Father for all eternity.

God speaks over and over again through His people, and has done so throughout the ages.  Many of His people do not recognize it, mainly because we are distracted by the “sounds of the world.”  It can run interference in “hearing” our Father’s voice, which of course is primarily through His word.

God wired us to communicate with Him, and wired us to listen to Him.

Again, the question: “Are you listening?”

The main way of listening to the LORD is through His word,  Faith is the willingness to follow His commandments, irrespective of the circumstances, which is called a leap of faith.

And how does faith become deeper,   by hearing the word of the LORD.

With faith, as Jesus said in discussing the parable of the”mustard seed” it can grow into the biggest of trees, and if we see a mountain and say “move” the mountain will move.

This parable is of course witness to our faith…because if we really believe in our hearts, it will happen.

Accepting the “calling” on our lives takes diligence, and applying it to circumstances takes dedication, trust and a heart filled with love for the LORD.

We were created for His pleasure and purpose.

It’s up to us to bring it to fruition.

Listen, He’s calling…

Amen.

The Chosen Stone and His Chosen People

4  Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,

5  you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

6  Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,
“Behold, I lay in Zion
A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,
And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”

7  Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient,
“The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone,”

8  and
“A stone of stumbling
And a rock of offense.”
They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.

9  But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

10  who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
Living Before the World

11  Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, 12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.