Kingdom Reality Check

The Holy Spirit has been ministering to me about Kingdom Reality. We already know that this world operates in complete opposite direction as heaven. On that same premise, we need to understand and remember that as things become more evil down here on earth, anticipation and excitement is underway in His Kingdom for the Ultimate Celebration!

I truly believe that each believer’s Home-going has an Ultimate Event Coordinator that is setting things in motion that will make each soul rejoice upon their arrival! Sometimes I think a death (I like to think of it as a “Bon Voyage'”), is prolonged, in part (because there could be so many reasons) for those details for their event! So one can only try to imagine what frenzied and awesome preparations are being done to prepare for ALL THE REST OF US to come Home ALL AT ONCE! “Prepare the horses!” “Prepare to sound the trumpet!”

The ONLY way to spiritually and emotionally survive what is happening and what is to come here on this earth is to be Kingdom Sighted! THAT is the true reality and the only reality that ultimately matters!

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The Perfect Gift for Daddy

The Perfect Gift for Daddy
By Linda Hamby Thorn

Squealing with delight, little Chloe jumps up, trying to catch the fluttering butterfly. The bright rays of the sun and fluffy white clouds floating above cause her golden blonde hair to shimmer like satin. Big, almond-shaped eyes and a dimpled smile are framed with light, rosy cheeks. She’s about four or five years old and is the apple of her Daddy’s eyes. He is standing under the shade of a dogwood tree, just on the outskirts of the field of flowers that Chloe is playing in. Because He’s within ear-shot, she knows she’s safe to run and play to her heart’s content, and play she does.

Taking a moment to stop and brush a curl away from her brow, she looks and sees the most wonderful thing she’s ever seen. It’s a flower that has fuzzy little “wings” all over it. “Oh, Daddy would love this!” she thinks, as she bends down to pluck it between her chubby little fingers. She turns toward the sun as she straightens up, holding the delicate little treasure up to observe it. The sun beams between the little feathers that are in the shape of a perfect ball. As a gentle breeze blows through her hair she notices that a few of the feathers release themselves from their
friends and take flight. Never, in her whole life, has she seen such magic! A flower with a ball of fuzzy wings that can fly!!! Her pink lips are form a circle, “Wow!” she exclaims, eyebrows raised and eyes wide.

Quickly, she turns toward her Daddy, not really able to see Him in the shade, but knowing He’s there, right where he said he would be. Holding the fuzzy, magic ball of wings in front of her, she runs toward the dogwood tree! Lifting her knees up high, as to be able to run through all the flowers of the field, she realizes that every step that brings her closer to the Dogwood tree also results in more and more fuzzy wings taking flight. Just a few yards from her Daddy, she suddenly stops and looks behind her just in time to see her fuzzy friends flying off in the breeze. They seem to be giggling and chasing each other as they effortlessly ride the wind. She turns her head sideways, trying to figure out if she should be sad or happy when the thought occurs to her that they are just having fun, just like she is. “Besides”, she thinks, “there are plenty more on the stem.” The smile returns to her face and she turns back, running toward her Daddy.

As she gets closer to the shady area, she can make out his white smile and white clothing in the shade. Meeting her on the edge of the field, she jumps into his open arms, both of them filled with love and delight in each other. Squealing and laughter fill the air as the spinning comes to a slow stop, followed by a long snuggling hug. Suddenly Chloe pulls up and away from Daddy’s chest and smiling, says, “I have a gift for you, Daddy”, and holds out the magic flower. Her smile quickly turns into a pout and tears start to well up in her eyes as she realizes all she has now is a little green stem, all the feathery friends having deserted their home for a ride in the wind.

Before one tear can escape her long, dark lashes, Daddy instinctively knows the story of the empty stem. “Hey, there, now, now, Chloe, don’t you cry! I LOVE this gift! Why, it’s the perfect gift anyone could ever give me!” he says with a smile, gently sitting on a stump and placing her on his knee. Looking up at him with a confused look on her face, she blinks a tear away and says, “Really?! But Daddy, it’s all gone, they’re all gone! The magic flower had little fuzzy wings all over it and now they all left and went on a ride with the wind,” she says with a little sad pout.

Looking down at the green, lonely stem, Daddy takes the gentle stem from Chloe’s fingers and holds it up as if it’s a scepter. “This, my dear child, is the PERFECT gift! Yes, indeed! Once upon a time, there was a King and this king loved everyone in his kingdom very much. His kingdom was made up of all kinds of gardeners. Some gardeners grew vegetables, some grew trees, and yet others, flowers, and all of them are important. But the most important job in the whole wide kingdom is the planting of the seed! Now, this little magic flower is the perfect gift because every fuzzy, feathered friend that caught a ride with the wind has attached to it a tiny little seed. If they stay ON the stem,” he says, as he looks at the stem, then back to his precious, brown-eyed little girl, he continues, “then how will they ever get planted?! So see, you did the right thing! You brought back proof that every little fuzzy, feathered friend that carried a seed has been set free! Set free to ride the wind and be planted wherever it decides to land!” he finishes his story, setting her down. “Oh. Okay!” she says, reaching up to hold his thumb, and He her little hand, they begin to walk home together, both of them content with the day that Chloe spent in the field of flowers.

The sun has begun to lower, causing the shadows to be long. A beautiful, golden hew graces the entire scene, filled with blooming flowers and dancing butterflies.
You see, Chloe is a princess and her Father is the King over the Kingdom of Lively Flowers and Seeds and the story is not necessarily a “fairy tale”, but rather, it is an allegory of the Kingdom of Heaven. If you want to know more, you can read it in the Word of God, known as the Holy Bible, the best-seller of all books, of all time.

“At the same time came the disciples to Jesus, saying, who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child to him, and set him in the middle of them, and said, Truly I say to you, Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whosoever shall receive one such little child in my name received me.” Matthew 18:1-5 American King James Version

Cats, Dogs and Denominations

Cats, Dogs and Denominations

In a perfect world, people wouldn’t “fight like cats and dogs”, (and cats and dogs wouldn’t fight). I’ve been enjoying watching Prissy, our poodle and Sophie, our cat, interact. Well, they don’t really interact much, not yet anyway. Sophie is actually larger than Prissy is and somewhat chubby (which makes her even more cuddly) and Prissy is like a Paris model, pretty and all bones.

To my chagrin, they are BOTH scared of each other! When I’m all comfy in my spot on the reclining sofa, they’ve learned they can BOTH get in my lap to get luvs. They even get close enough to touch each other, back to back, of course, while taking turns stealing a curious glimpse at their “enemy”.
There’s been numerous times that I’ve witnessed misunderstanding between the two. Like today, both of their favorite balls wound up inches apart from each other. I playfully told Prissy to go get her ball, knowing the cat was right beside it with her own ball. Prissy’s eyesight isn’t what it used to be so Sophie’s gray and cream fur sort of blended in with the dark corner. All Prissy could see was the neon green tennis ball. Prissy tore out after it and before you could say “fir-ball”, one white and one gray streak shot across the room in opposite directions! It was hilarious!

Then I get an epiphany: Prissy and Sophie are like some of God’s children! They’re both my pets, that I love and enjoy but because of their differences (like DENOMINATIONS), they have preconceived judgement about and AGAINST each other! In a perfect world, my pets would love on and play with each other. They don’t realize how much joy they are missing out on, not only with each other but with and FOR me!

That’s one of many things that is going to make Heaven so wonderful! The only “label” we’ll ALL have is “CHILDREN OF GOD”! I just know Abba Daddy will (finally) be able to watch his children love on and enjoy each other, because then, we WILL be in a perfect world!

Linda Hamby Thorn

 

The Battle For America

JudyPink.com

Back in the 1980’s, I was just going about my business, when suddenly the Lord dropped on me what I called a “prayer burden”. I subsequently had encounters in the Spirit that were the most profound of my life. I was drawn into prayer and He taught me how to wait on Him, until He prayed through me. This was all new to me and I was like a little child, learning to obey. One of the things at that time that I was stirred to pray for was for the church to repent of it’s complacency. That’s a whole different topic, but not for this post.

The other thing on my heart at the time was to pray for the United States of America. Many things have taken place in my life since then, but still there is the call to pray for this nation. We have just returned…

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Trust, Pray, Seek, Find

Do you need to hear from God today?! Offer up your concerns to Him, even your disappointments, anger, your every thought to Him! (He knows it all anyways, but he also knows when its turned inward and when its turned and RELEASED to HIM!)
Okay, now that you’ve done that, get your bible out, sit down and focus on God and all you’ve just offered up to him. Pray for Holy Spirit to guide you to the Scripture you need right now, open the Word with expectation and seek until you find what you need
I don’t suggest that this be the only time you get in the Word, nor do I believe we should treat God and his word like a genie, waiting to be “rubbed” so we can get out “three wishes”. But if we are sincere in our hunger for encouragement and direction, I’ve found God always comes through for me and this is one way that works for me.
I have a friend who God gives a scripture to, then she’ll look it up and it’ll be just what she needs at that moment. Bottom line is this: trust God and search, then you will find.
As an example, I’ve shared a comment to my Facebook post regarding a problem I was facing this Christmas season (2014). I was heartbroken that my soon-to-be ex daughter-in-law was keeping my grandchildren from me (and my son), not for any other reason other than to control and manipulate. Notice how God met me in the midst of my great concern of my grandchildren!

“God is so good! I sit down to eat breakfast, open my bible, see a note that references Genesis 50, turn there and read THIS: (verse 21) ‘Now therefore, do not be afraid. I will provide for and support you AND YOUR LITTLE ONES….'(Amplified Bible, my emphasis).
Yes, this is Joseph talking to his brothers, but TODAY Holy Spirit used this passage to speak to ME! Thank You Jesus, and thank you, friends, for your prayers!!!”

This has happened to me numerous times! And “God is no respect of person” what He’s done for me he’ll do for YOU!
So, if you need to hear from God:
TRUST God enough to be real with him.
OFFER up your worry, anger, even disbelief, and every thought, as a prayer.
SEEK an answer in His Word.
THANK Him when you find it.
I might add, SHARE with others and remember that He heard and answered so that next time, you’ll be ready!

The Perfect Gift for Daddy

The Perfect Gift for Daddy.

To Be (Spiritual) Or Not To Be (Religious) – THAT Is the Question

I’ve often heard people say “I’m not religious, I’m spiritual”, and in every single case it was said by those who are very worldly.
I initially thought, Well, me too! I’M spiritual! I don’t look to religion or rituals to get me to heaven, so I’m not “religious” either.

But my lifestyle was diametrically opposite of those that quote this as their mantra, so I looked up the meaning of the word “religious”:
“adj. Having or showing belief in and reverence for God or a deity.”. So I AM religious after all!

The Bible says “Even the demons believe in God” (James 2:19) But it also says that “Faith without action is dead”, (James 2:17). So now I have a clear picture of how to describe what I am; I am a religious person who is very spiritual!

One of my bibles is an Amplified Bible that describes the full, English version of the original Greek and Hebrew words. The full meaning of the word “believe” (as in John 3:16) is “to rely on, adhere to, and trust in”, something Satan’s demons do NOT do! They merely know and acknowledge that God exists.
Is that what YOU want your relationship with God to be?!
If you truly believe (rely on, trust in, and ADHERE to) God then your ACTIONS (choices) would SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES!
Sexual immorality, profanity, drunkenness, rage, and unforgiveness are commonplace in so many people who profess to be “believers” in Christ Jesus.

It’s time to start doing a self examination of our actions and choices and “choose this day” on who you will follow! (Joshua 24:14)
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

What is YOUR choice?! What do YOUR actions say about your relationship with God?!

“’Come now, and let us reason together,’ Says the LORD, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.'” Isaiah 1:18

I promise you this, your spirituality will be OUT OF THIS WORLD FANTASTIC!!!!

The Dance

I’ve always loved to dance, even as a child. Though formal dance lessons weren’t a possibility, being the oldest of what would eventually be six children, I still loved to dance to the radio or record player. As a teen, a friend and I would sneak out to the country where she would meet guys and drink and I would dance, at the risk of “being grounded forever”. As a young adult, I would go out dancing and I loved every minute of it. Moving to music was exhilarating.

Later on, I married a ballroom dance instructor and he taught me how to dance and later we taught ballroom dance together. We would take groups of adult students to the historic Peabody Hotel’s ballroom in Memphis, TN and dance to such bands as the Glenn Miller band. Dressed in flowing gowns and glittered, strapped, professional heels, I would dance up a storm! We were even asked to perform spotlight dances for the annual fundraising ball of the Symphony Orchestra in our town, where we would practice until we had dances that would awe the crowd with the precision of our feet and sweeping twirls, dips, and even lifts, ending in throws of applause.

Then my dance partner, teacher, and husband decided it was time for him to move on, leaving me with a spinning head of apprehension and two children. As this new season began, I and my children were devastated by the emptiness that we were left with and I ran to the only person I could, my Savior and best Friend, Jesus! It was then that the most marvelous dance began!

When I taught ballroom dance, I had taken notice there were several parallels in dance and walking with Jesus. The most obvious was that we must let our Partner lead! That requires trust, which is something that could be hard to do once one has been hurt. When Jesus and I first began this part of my journey that I now call our dance, I kept looking down at where my feet were going, which is one of the first lessons about dancing; one must always look up, in her Partners eyes, because “nose follows toes”. This is easier to do once you’ve learned the steps and how to follow your Partner’s lead, which are little, subtle moves. Studying is paramount to learning the different dance moves and knowing which dance goes with which beat of music, much like God’s Word.

The proper dance hold is not to just become limp and lifeless, for your Partner to pull you around like a rag doll, oh no! One must hold their head up, their frame straight, and hold their own arms up, using your right hand to hold His left hand and gently embracing His right shoulder with your left hand, and He supporting your back with His mighty right arm. In other words, we must do our part in the dance, which is to be willing to be teachable, practice what we are taught, and trust your Partner!

This dance of ours has had it’s ups and downs, I must admit. There have been times when the dance was moving so swift and there were so many twirls and turns that I became confused and my head would spin. That’s when He would squeeze my hands to get my attention and have me look in His eyes, which was an anchor. Then, no matter how fast my world was spinning, his intense gaze into my eyes told me I could trust Him because I was in his embrace and the music and dance would eventually slow down where I would be able to catch my breath and rest with my head on his chest.

I don’t know what will come next, but whether it is a fast-paced cha-cha or a slow rumba, I know that I can trust my Partner to not lead me astray, that He will always have my best interest at heart and THIS dance Partner will never leave nor forsake me!

LET THERE BE LIGHT!!! JOHN 1:5

I’ve sat under Robin’s ministry several times and this lady is ON FIRE for Christ Jesus!!!

Robin Kirby Gatto

LET THERE BE LIGHT!!!

1 In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. 2 He was present originally with God. 3 All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being. 4 In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men. 5 And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it]. JOHN 1:1-5 AMP

OH I SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO LOVE THESE HOLY SCRIPTURES HERE OF JOHN 1:1-5!!

THE POWER OF THIS TRUTH AS IT IS REVEALED TO YOU BY THE POWER OF GOD’S HOLY SPIRIT IN UNDERSTANDING, KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM WILL CAUSE YOU TO BE UNSTOPPABLE!!!!

ALL THINGS HAVE COME INTO…

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The Pointing Fingers and the Fig Tree

The Pointing Fingers and the Fig Tree
By Linda Hamby Thorn

As I tend to do, I got my bible out and asked the Lord where he wanted me to read at that moment. After a short read in the old testament, I found myself reading Luke 13. “Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them–do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
I don’t recall ever reading this before, so (as I tend to do), I asked Holy Spirit what this means and this is what I got:

Jesus is teaching that we must be careful when it comes to judgment by outward appearances. Just because a brother or sister is obviously suffering through consequences from their sins, don’t think for one minute that their sins are any worse than your own. It could be that you just haven’t crossed that bridge yet! Instead, we are best served by getting down on our knees and praying for that brother or sister and their loved ones (who always suffer too, usually out of no fault of their own), and then praying for our own souls! As John Bradford said, “But for the grace of God, go I.”* We all have the fleshly tendency to want to do the very things we are not supposed to do and also do not want to do the very things we should do, every single human being on earth, no matter how far we’ve come from where we once were, we are not “there” just yet. (Romans 7:14-25)

The bible I was reading from that day has the subtitle of Luke 13, verses 1-9 as “Jesus Call the People to Repent.“ Immediately following this, Jesus tells the parable of the Fig Tree (though I found it interesting that it was not subtitled at all in this bible):

Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down. Why should I use up the soil?’ ‘Sir, the man replied, “leave it alone one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”

I then turned the page to read the rest of the parable, only to find this was it! There was no “rest of the story!” It reminded me of some movies or books, where there really is no ending, just a gapping question of “WELL?! WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?!” But I know God doesn’t do anything without a reason, so, again I enquired of Holy Spirit and this is what I got:
The end of the story depends on the Fig Tree. Each person who finds themselves without producing fruit for a substantial period of time will deserve to be cut down, but the vineyard Keeper (Jesus) begs for more time from the Father. However, there does come a point when one could find themselves cut down and put in the fire, so don’t be too content to just take that first step in asking Jesus into your heart and then walking away to do your own thing! Oh, he WILL pursue you! He WILL “dig a trench” around you, cutting you off from outside influences, closing doors, ending unhealthy relationships, turning what seemed sweet into sourness. He WILL put up blockages, take things and people away, to the point that you HAVE to either curse God or turn to Him!!!

Then it dawns on me, THAT is the reason why there is no distinction between verses 1-5 and verses 6-10! The first is a true, life example of people they’ve seen suffer because of their sins and the second is a parable, but both instances end with a “call to repent”.

I’m so thankful that our God is such a loving and generous God, that Jesus is the Vineyard Keeper of our souls, and that he goes the extra mile to help us produce fruit! And just in case you aren’t sure what “fruit” the bible is talking about, here it is for you:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.…” Galatians 5:22-23

And here is what good fruit ISN’T:

“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians :19-21

The Word of God very clear on what choices of behavior WILL NOT INHERIT the Kingdom of God! If your reaction is “Ouch!” then I highly encourage you, no I DARE YOU to humble yourself (wherever you are) and repent right this very moment! Ask God to make a way out where there seems to be no way out, then do what you CAN do (or stop doing what you know you should not be doing) and see what happens. He will hear you, he will help you. It may not be easy, but nothing worth doing ever is, and you will not be alone! Jesus said he would never leave your nor forsake you and HE doesn’t lie. If you’re not plugged in to a church, get plugged in! Don’t be so picky, don’t point fingers, and don’t be judgmental, finding a body of Christ is not about them having the right music (it’s to praise GOD, not to entertain YOU), the right building, the perfect preacher, teacher, greeter, etc. It’s just about you obeying God. So long as they preach and teach from the Word of God, the Holy Bible, that’s all that matters right now. God may have you at one church for a season or for the rest of your life, don’t worry about that right now. Just ask God to lead you to the right church, get plugged in and start with repenting and turning away from your sin.

And pray; pray for yourself, for your neighbor, and pray for me! Now, go, do and be the light you were created to be!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bradford