Woman, Thou Art Loosed

Luke 13:11-13"And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could not in no wise lift up herself.  And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, "Woman thou art loosed from thine infirmity".

And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God."

Imagine for eighteen years this woman saw nothing but the feet of others and her own feet.  She saw dirt, muck and mire!  She saw the dust of scrambling feet without the sight of what brought the scrambling feet.  She felt the warmth of the sun without seeing the full brightness of the sun.   She heard the thunder of the clouds crashing together but did not see the union of these clouds.  She heard laughter but could look upon the faces of those that laughed.

Have we not been "bowed together" with our own infirmities? 

Infirmity = Strong's Concordance = weakness, disease, frailty, impotent, to understand a thing, to bear troubles and trials

Another woman in the word that was healed by faith.

Matthew 9:20-21"And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: For she siad within herself, If I may but touch His garment, I shall be whole."

This woman reached out and touched the hem of his garment.  The garment was the Prayer Shawl with the fringe or tassles.  The tassles was symbolic of the law which had the Name of the LORD within it.  She knew if she could but touch the law or the Name she would be healed.

When we are burden down, bowed together with infirmities, or diseased with natural afflictions, and though we have a desire to do well but cannot due to our own feeble weakness we must reach out and touch the hem of His garment, or His Name.

We have been bowed together and all that we can see is the dust of rejection of others towards us, harmful words, physical and mental abuse, scorn, all that we can see is the muck and mire of this ground made ugly with the dung of others upon it.  Spit and animal dung upon the ground that she crawled to get to her healer.  Would we dare go to the extreme to but touch the hem of his garment?

What encouragement we gain from her testimony of healing!  She had not been able to look up at the face of the healer, she could not look into his eyes, she could only but see his feet.  Though her desire was incredibly strong, yet she could not stand straight nor even look up due to her "infirmities".

But both women could hear! 

Romans 10:17"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

She could not look upon the face of the healer, but she had heard of this healer in the city.  She had heard of the great miracles he had performed.  She knew in her heart that if she could but touch the hem of His garment she would be healed due to her hearing the word of God.   The Word of God brought to her first faith, that brought her to action to the crawling on the ground to the healer and then reach out and touch His garment.

And immediately she was made straight, and glorified God! 

and was made whole from that hour!

Matthew 9:22"But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.  And the woman was made whole from that hour."

Was it not the woman that serpent went to first in the garden? Ladies, we must be set free from those things that has us, "bowed together".  We are as these two women if we strive to do it "our way"....let the Word of God bring to us faith in the healer and be healed of our infirmities, our issues of blood.   Blood is symbolic of life, and issues is the "flow" so our flow of life without the healer's touch is but diseased.   How dare we think or believe that we are "wise" without the All Wise One dwelling within us!  How dare we thing or believe that we have "understanding" without our eyes of understanding being enlightened by the Holy One that Reveals. 

Let us reach out and touch his NAME and be HEALED of all those infirmities, all those things that "bowed together" in our lives.

We can experience the "immediately" and the "wholeness from that hour we are touched"

I am encouraged this morning as I humble myself to crawl on the ground covered with the spit and dung of others so that I may reach for the Hem of His Garment.  Set our determination like concrete.....I shall not be moved....I am going forward .... I may not see what I need to see but I have heard the Word of God and my faith is increased! 

Unstoppable by the Power of Faith in the Word of God!



Photography Evidence of Yesterday's Advents

I watched a documentary on Martin Luther King on the Fox Channel.   What a passionate man he was, what  peaceful determination he had, a sacrificial life given, and to expose himself brave enough to die for justice, for equality for a people that were discriminated against!  I was but a mere young one at his time, but today his message of hope, is still clear for all mankind! 

Equality for all mankind!

Black or White

Rich or Poor

Healthy or Sick

Man or Woman

Adults or Children

Truly a man of courage and divinely appointed

Remember when this was the normal appearance of the American family?

Boys looked like boys and girls looked like girls!

I found a book that I used to look at, I could not yet read, when I was but four years old, wow 50+ years ago for me.  The copyright of this book is 1962.   It pages mesmerized me then and I still today I enjoy viewing the pictures found in this book.    "Bible Reading for the Home".   I snapped a few pictures of the pages to share with you!

The Sunday Look

The Casual Look

I love this past generation, with its wholesomeness, when girls and boys were separated by appearances, when girls learned to be ladies, and boys learned to be men.   A time when manners were important, Yes Sir, No Sir, Excuse Me, Thank you! 

In this past generation, God and reading the Bible, and prayer were not considered, "religious activity",  "old fashion" or "not necessary".  It was a part of, for the most part, every American home across the land from California to the New York Islands.  I am not dramatizing that the "ideal" environment for I was brought up in this time, there were plenty of heartaches as there is today, but the level of rebellion, the level of blasphemy was not to the degree of acceptance, as of today's time!  Almost every home had a Bible, and family prayer, a rare oddity in today's time!

I remember sitting for hours viewing the pictures in this book, and this is one of those pictures that always always and I mean always captured my heart.  Oh I so wanted to meet this King surrounded by heavenly angels.  And I Have!

It appears the Red Bird is stating to the little bird, "We gotta talk"

Two Red Birds out by my Cedar Tree with its bird feeder filled to the brim.  You would have thought it to be Sunday morning with all the dressed up pretty birds that came to fellowship and feast on the banquet of seeds!

I was joyous to notice the sweet lil Chick A Dee visiting my bird feeder.  I am so thankful for the beauty of life that the Lord has blessed me with here at my new home now for almost two years!

How time flies when it is a pleasurable ride!

Mr Red Bird

I was so happy when my two little deer Bambi's showed up!  I said a quick thank you prayer that they had made it through Deer Season with all those hunters out there with their guns.

This is the border I purchased for my front walkway.   I thought maybe it would be to fancy for the country charm look but actually it blended well.  I am very pleased with it.  It appears black in this picture but actually it is a dusty brown to match my brown window shutters, that I had put on last year.

I found this yard ornament at Ross Department store and I thought how cute he is.  I had discovered him last year and thought no I'd better wait on buying him, then I went back and he was "gone"...oh I was saddened by his disappearance....but my sad was made glad when I found him lurking on the shelves of Ross Department store once more.  THIS TIME HE WAS MINE HE CAME HOME WITH ME!  He is a flower pot, there is a small tin pot attached to him to put some flowers in:  I had put some silk dry Ivy Leaves in it but a windy storm came and took it away!  :0(

And  of course what is a day without my Abby Girl?  Boring, Empty, Lonely!!!!  She adds so much joy to my life.  Another prayer going up to the Lord for the small pleasures that He has so carefully decorated my life with!

And here is my bright yellow shelf I purchased and now is painted black and on the wall.  I have yet to complete all the arrangement etc on my walls that encase my bed, but I was so excited to get the shelf and it painted that I had to put it up ....it is so much fun making this house "mine".

Still so much hard work to be done, but it is coming along.  It is not anywhere close to the beautiful home I left behind in Poteau OK, but my life is anything but what it was while living in that beautiful home.  Sometimes peace and happiness comes with a cost!   ;0) See my elbow on the bottom right hand side.... ! I just noticed it! 

My dear sister in the Lord, Cindy, at Ladies Praise Night.  I had snapped a couple other shots of everyone but sadly this is the only pic that was not a bit blurred!

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I hope you enjoyed my photo adventure of my week and weekend!  Our church cancelled meetings today due to extreme illness among the members, so my friend and Linda are headed out to visit the Church of God In Christ across town.  So looking forward to the fellowship of my brothers and sisters.  I know we will have had church when time to go home.... my black brothers and sisters in the Lord know how to "worship" in song!

Have a most blessed SondayJBR says, Just Be Real,  and let us dance and sing before the LORD today!

Carnally Minded is Another Word for Death!

Roman 8:7"Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."

I've read this a million times or two and I never truly saw "neither indeed can be"....isn't that amazing how you can know scripture, read it daily, and then one morning you go OH! When did God insert that portion?  

Read verse six: " For to be carnally minded is death: but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."

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One of the key words for me is "subject".    We understand that this subject is the same as put under, submit one's self unto, put in subjection under

The one definition I truly relate to is:

to submit one's control

to arrange under, to subordinate

2) to subject, put in subjection

3) to subject one's self, obey

4) to submit to one's control

5) to yield to one's admonition or advice

6) to obey, be subject

Oh how I have struggled with being submissive to the authority placed over me!

Carnal mind = Our reasoning

Most of you know that I believe that we are a threefold being and that we have five senses and three channels of these five senses.  At the time man became disobedient, our five senses became corrupt: 

Chart from book Threefold Nature of Man

Body Soul Spirit

Eye Imagination Faith

Hand Affection Worship

Ear Memory Reverence

Nose Conscience Hope

Mouth Reason Prayer

When Adam Female < she became Eve "after" she sinned>  chose the sermon of the serpent in the garden, these fifteen senses became corrupt, which  makes up  our carnal mind, the Human Will piercing straight through these senses.

He man and female both were called Adam!

Genesis 5:2"Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called "their name" Adam, in the day when they were created."

Now if you have any other version for the most part, that I have discovered, it has done away with this scripture and restructured it to say, "human beings".

The carnal mind is the corrupt imagination, affection, memory, conscience and reason which corrupts our faith, worship, reverence, hope and prayer.

The only way for these five senses to become pure again is by walking a crucified path.  In other words as Paul stated, "I die daily"...we must allow our own corrupt imagination that brings forth a corrupt faith, to be destroyed by Truth. 

 How? 

Example of our corruption:

 Our imagination weaves an image before our eyes of faith and we will put our faith in that image, being our own ability, our own wisdom and understanding, our own knowledge to justly judge a circumstance, situation or a people.  

Or

Our affections longs for attention, praise, and exaltation, before others and due to this corrupt affection we seek to worship mankind's opinion of us. 

 Ladies, we say we do not care what other's think, but yet when we dress, when we apply makeup or adorn ourselves with the golds and silvers of this word we are doing it more for "them" than "ourselves"...if you deny it then you are deceived!  I used to argue to the "hilt" on this one but finally God opened my eyes and I saw clearly ... just how deep the desire for man's approval of me , was layered within me!

He is merciful...layer by layer and still continues to deliver me from the corrupt desire!

We as little girls were taught to seek a natural beauty....how many times did we hear, you princess, your my beautiful little girl,  how pretty she is, or what a looker she is?

Okay back to the main thought of this blog....I keep rabbit trailing!  :0)

Therefore the only way to be free of the "carnal mind" is to allow the two-edged sword to come in and cut the head of the corrupt source off.

Hebrew 4:12"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sowrd, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and the spirit and the joints of the marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

There ya go, the threefold man:  soul spirit and body

This power has been given to us by the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The nail being "truth" must be driven through the head of deceit to destroy it.

Jeremiah 17:9"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

I must, you must realize we can no longer claim to be the wise one of our lives.   I must, you must realize that we have a corrupt nature within us, a corruption inherited from Adam and Eve from the Garden. 

If you will allow me to state, the forbidden fruit was "independence" from the authority, from the rule of the LORD.   Mankind has drawn it out to be an apple because spiritually speaking an Apple represents understanding.  In Hebrew the word for knop means apple.  And where do we find "knop" we find it on the Menorah or the candlestick in the Old Testament Tabernacle.  Before there ever was a Holy Bible with sixty-six books, you had the Menorah, or candlestick with sixty-six bowls, flowers and knops.  And we all know that the Menorah or candlestick represents  the pure mind of Christ.  It was the only piece of furniture in the Old Testament Tabernacle that was pure gold, all other furniture was mingled with woods which represents humanity. If I will accept the LIGHT of TRUTH, or the PURE MIND OF CHRIST then my carnality is destroy by the LIGHT ~ flip a light switch on and watch it swallow up the darkness! Same goes spiritually for us!  The natural things typify the spiritual!!!!

Therefore, knowing this, that our carnal mind in its own tenacity will never submit therefore it has to be destroy by the Word of God which brings death to the corruption and then brings healing to us by giving us Resurrected Life.

"Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." 

Before His Throne Boldly

Psalm 89:14"Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face."

Thought of my morning:  If I dare be bold enough to go before HIS THRONE boldly then I shall also know that I shall also face the Just Judge and anything within me that is not of HIM shall be condemn and sentenced to die!

For His justice is of righteousness

For His judgments are holy

Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne.....AND mercy and truth shall go before thy face:

Mercy = that which pushes back what we deserve!  We are never righteous enough, holy enough that we can enter before His Throne...it is only because of His Mercy that we have that avenue made available through and by His Holy Righteous Begotten Son, Jesus Christ!

If I dare to come before him in my own might and power "pride" then I shall experience tremendous incredible death ... for I am but corrupt without the covering of His Son.

Even still, as we "boldly move forward to His Throne" we "MUST" remember it is by HIS MERCY only that is pushing back His Just Judgments of my condition that I may enter before His Throne and receive HIS Grace:

Grace = that which I do not deserve!

Each time I kneel to pray, each time I petition Him of His Will for this or that, each time I stand before Him with uplifted arms, each time I choose to speak to the God of the universe I must know that it is only by His Mercy that it is all made possible!

I can never enter before His Throne without Mercy going before me to make away for me to enter boldly before the Throne of God!

How incredibly ignorant we are to even think we warrant such a degree of Mercy... never ... are we worthy.....never!!!

It is the path of the Blood of Christ that leads us to this place of incredible amazing love for us!

Oh thank you Jesus for your Blood ~ thank you thank you

His Mercy making a way for Grace to come in abundance to each of us each day as we kneel to pray, to study, and to fast.    I do not know about you but that brings me to my knees with a heart of gratitude, rivers of joyful tears flowing as a mighty river.   

This habitation is His Foundation which means established, prepared, provided, confirmed, ordered, fashioned.

Justice and judgments are the foundation of His Throne!  Then it is correct to say, Righteousness and Holiness  "is" the authority that reigns. 

Truth shall be the faithfulness of the throne....it shall be the reliability of the throne ... it shall be the divine instructions of the authority that reigns

Now let us go before His Throne Boldly..

Hebrew 4:16"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in the time of need."

Do you know what this boldly means in this scripture?   I did not!!!!  I had my own thought of boldly...without fear without trembling without dread or with much confidence....let me share with you the original root meaning of this "boldly"....oh I love studying God's Word.

Boldly -Strong's Concordance - after or behind

Does that not set your feet to dancing, your arms to waving towards the Heavens, your mouth making a joyful noise?   It is after the "MERCY" that goes before me that I enter "boldly" ...

I go in behind "Truth and Mercy" ....that is what makes the way for me to the Throne of the Just Judge....or else I could never enter before the LORD of the Most High God!

Oh time has captured me this morning I must be off and prepare myself for my 40 minute drive to the office today.  I do hope you have enjoyed and have been enlightened as I have this morning by the visitation of the Holy Ghost to impart "wisdom understanding and knowledge" to me today!  I with much joy share this awesome treasure with you my brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Lynda Randle-With out Him

I grew up with this song, and today I stand with up lifted arms and declare with great joy and boldness without HIM I would be nothing, without him I would be drifting as a ship without a sail.....I tried to walk a season of my life without him.....I drifted far from peace, joy and happiness....He is everything to me, He is my life, He is the breath that I breathe, He is the my everything!  I shall never try it alone again!   I am poor and needy without HIM, he makes me rich with Heavenly Treasures!

Morning Thoughts

Rapture Ready?

Luke 21:34-36"Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.  For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.  Watch ye therefore, and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."

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As I was praying this morning the thought crossed my mind, " cares of this life "! 

I immediately started evaluating my "cares" and their priorities in my life.   The scriptures, which is the inspired Word of God through a willing anointed vessel, instructs me to take heed of the cares of life that will come upon me "unaware".

Realizing that the cares of this life, you know the responsibilities we have to our family, home, employer, utility companies, church,  hobbies, blogging, all these things are "cares of this life", how easily they can become like a sponge in soaking up our time that belongs to God for studying, praying and fasting.   We can be so "overcharged" that we do not give him Praise that He is worthy of, we do not take time to express gratitude or thanksgiving for the very breathe He breathed in us today, that we may live another day, a gift from God to have the privilege of exalting Him one more day!  Surely we may look up and ask self a question as when was the last time I attended services, paid tithes, or went to Wednesday night service, or prayed or fasted. 

The cares of this life captured us as the snared laid carefully cunningly before us, due to us not taking heed, watching, or praying always!

Per the scripture it is obvious the only ones that will make the rapture are those that take heed, that are watching and praying always!  Nothing is more important than being prepared for that glorious day!  NO-THING

Have we turned a deaf hear to the Word of God? 

James 1:22"Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."

Many times because we hear the word and agree with the word, we become confident that we are obedient to the word. Wrong!    Our biggest enemy is self?  Self seeks its own pleasures and satisfactions.   Well I do not think the Word means to "pray always" how can you do that?  Do we see the carnal reasoning setting a snare before us?   A person's thoughts and actions will always be a result of the abundance of his heart. 

Cares of this life will rule over our minds, consuming our heart with everything except spending time with Jesus Christ.  How many good intentions have we had to go spend quality time in prayer, or declaring a fast from the pleasures of this world, but never just never got around to it?  This reveals the dullness of our heart and the unawareness of our mind.

We are commanded as the children of God to walk as children of light.

Ephesians 5:8"For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:"

We are to take heed to the type of music we feed our soul, the television programs we feast upon as the "daughter of darkness" projects the thoughts and ways of the world of darkness before us and we call it "entertainment".  We do not even flinch any longer at a actress walking across the screen dressed in her undergarments.  There was a time that we would have been absolutely shocked by the nakedness before us and would have turned the television off.   It is a common thing now and we are calloused to it's ungodliness.  The songs  and or television programs will have sexual connotations, that we fancy and it will lead to lascivious thoughts and affections, that you may not admit to yourself let alone others but these songs, these television programs can reveal their "snare" in our dreams while our conscience mind sleeps. 

It takes more than just a confession of believing in Jesus Christ to make the rapture!  It is not an easy journey before us to be Rapture Ready!  For we have an enemy that lurks around, sneaks upon, sets snares, and deceives us constantly with the pleasures and satisfactions of this life that appeases our hunger and thirsting within.    Paul stated, " Put ye on the LORD Jesus Christ" and "make no provision for the flesh"!  That means turn off that "DeGrasse Series" or "Vampire" or "Big Brother" or those Songs of darkness that takes you anywhere but in the presence of the LORD and put on the Light of Jesus Christ.  Boring you say!  Then that statement alone would reveal to us the condition of our heart!  We are or have been taken captive by the snares set before us and we are held as a prisoner of darkness, hate and death.  Yes, a Christian....a lukewarm christian....!  A lukewarm status will keep us grounded upon the blowing of that trumpet!

Good news for us that desire to go all the way with the Lord!  Some are so content to stay just within the courtyard experiences, but there is a remnant that wants to go all the way and those that do, will walk a crucified life before God and the world!

A Christian does not put Jesus on all at one time, but he must be awake and watching for "every opportunity" to lay hold of Christ's Nature:  Praying and Fasting are two examples of opportunities.

Many are deceived by false doctrines, doctrines of devils, and their own fanciful notions of the Word of God and its meanings.  If we do not know truth, it cannot and will not set us free.

I know many of you are as I am, and want to be Rapture Ready!  Paul stated, in II Timothy,

II Timothy 4:6-8"For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.  I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."

If I or if you are loving his appearing, we shall not fear it, we shall not tremble with a tormenting fear....but we shall rejoice with thoughts of rapture unto our Lord and Saviour!

To those that refuse to heed God's warning and instructions, sorrow will come!  Some "will" choose the world; therefore, God will leave them with their choice.  Some "will" not take heed and watch and pray, and will be captured by the cares of this life.  Sadly they shall miss the return of the Lord in the sky!

My pastor stated, "God took some time to send the flood, but He took only a moment to shut the door of the Ark."

I want to be one of those that heeds the warnings and instructions of God.

Kodak Moments!

Received yesterday these pictures of what I am calling Kodak moments!  Always and I mean always have your camera ready for you do not know the moment it is a Kodak Moment!

The little guy sure looks like he is trying to be one of "them" so he can get his chomps on that meat!

NO WAY!  Seriously!  Reckon' which one was given the ticket for being at the wrong place at the wrong time?

You're not going anywhere I need your body as an electric blanket, brrr it is cold!

Yes dear, remember, we are pretty!  Just think " Trend Setter"

NO words necessary!

No matter rain or shine, when ya gotta go ya gotta go!

Thank you all that took time out to post a comment on my blog yesterday!  I was feeling very ill and this morning when I signed on I saw that there were so many special love tracks across the pages of my blog.  Thank you for your prayers and good wishes!

Feeling somewhat better today!  Now to make up the eight hours of work....my company does not offer sick pay....so off I shall be to earn a few of those dollars I lost!  Dang sometimes it is the bummer being the poor working girl!  :0)

Truly though, I am thankful for employment....just wish they had sick pay ....

Have a wonderful Tuesday good people!