Good morning! 'Tis a lovely day in Nebraska. We have bright sunshine, shirtsleeve weather, and a friend's cucumbers are setting on! In her greenhouse, of course. Irene loves to garden at age 83.

I'm quoting from a new author this week. I will not tell you her name and title of the book at first--We'll see if you recognize her writing. But I will tell you at the end of the quotes from her book.

I keep asking the Lord to teach me what He wants me to know (Psalm 25:24), and He faithfully loads me with new facts and ideas every day.

Last night my Bible lay open on the table. I picked it up and the words of Psalm 142 seemed to highlight themselves in front of me.

I'm planning to memorize this Psalm. Care to join me? Choose the most meaningful translation to memorize. I chose The Good News Bible, because I love the words. Choose your favorite translation.

Psalm 142 (Good News Version)

1) I call to the Lord for help; I plead with him. 2) I bring him all my complaints; I tell him all my troubles. 3) When I am ready to give up, he knows what I should do. In the path where I walk, my enemies have hidden a trap for me. 4) When I look beside me, I see that there is no one to help me, no one cares for me.

5) Lord, I cry to you for help; you, Lord, are my protector; you are all I want in this life. 6) Listen to my cry for help, for I am sunk in despair. Save me from my enemies; they are too strong for me. 7) Set me free from my distress; then in the assembly of your people I will praise you because of your goodness to me.



Why would we need to have this Psalm in our knower? Our mystery author instructs us to prepare for criticism. Aha! Have you ever been criticized? I've even been criticized unjustly! How about you? And nobody listens to my side of the story! Frustrating? Yes! Verses 5-7 give the secret tools God provided for victory. I know they work every time, because I've tried them.

Let us know in the comments how you're making progress in memorizing Psalm 142. I'm going to post it somewhere where I'll read it a "million times a day."

Prayer for Remitting Sins

Henry Gruver

Often the Lord makes me aware that a piece of ground or a building has been used for evil purposes. I wrote this prayer to help cleanse the ground and make it useful for the Lord's purposes again. The Lord will show us when to pray this prayer if we ask Him.

"Father, according to Your Word, and in obedience to Your Word, I come boldly before Your throne into the courtroom of Heaven. I come in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, through the blood of Jesus, the body of Jesus and the mind of Jesus, which You so freely gave; and I claim the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ for every area.


"According to Your Word and in obedience to Your Word, I renounce the sins, iniquities, and the hidden works of darkness all the way back to the first thought, word, deed and gesture, and to as many generations back as need be.

"I renounce the corruption, all fetishes, curses, satanic ritual, and expression of all ritualistic practices that have defiled this ground. (House, person, area, etc. could also be used here.) I remit these sins, even unto the descendants of those generations that are alive to this day. I remit their sins and send Your goodness and labors to finish the work of redemption, and healing and reconciliation.

"I ask You, Father, to cleanse this [ground] and release it from its blood guiltiness. I ask you to return its purity and bring it back out from under the curse, and its groanings. I say to you [earth], in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, be free of this innocent blood and all records of transgressions against you. Come back and be restored into life and fruitfulness, so that you may be a blessing as you were meant to be. I release you and call in the goodness of the Lord, so that He may get glory from His own creation."

Next you ask the Father to restore His creation. Ask Him to bring back His breath of life and to move His hand over that desolate area where the ground is hard-packed and nothing grows anymore. Ask Him to cleanse that ground and let flowers and grass and trees begin to come forth and be nourished. Ask Him to let the squirrels and the rabbits and the birds come back to that area. In other words, ask Him to let life come back to the land once more.

What to you do after you have remitted the sins that were committed in an area? Then it is time to release the goodness of the Lord over the land, and over those who are currently living there. Romans 2:4, "Despiseth thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Often we are called upon to remit a person's sins. The basic pattern (let the Holy Spirit guide you.) is to remit the sins, call the person to salvation if s/he still lives, and speak Scripture over him/her. Then you release the goodness of the Lord.


"Amen, blessing and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever, amen." Revelation 7:12






Would you like to read more of the Gruvers' work? Use the comments to let me know. They are always generous with their information, if proper credit is given. List their name, title of the piece, and contact information. 

I was away from home yesterday and did not post, as I promised. I apologize. This is the fourth and last post from the review of Henry Gruver's Prayer Walking. Saturday I will post his prayers as examples for you to follow.

I hope these 3,380 words were helpful for you. Henry and Judith have produced several books and CDs. Email me at Audrey4j@yahoo.com and I will give you instructions for getting in touch with them.

Now here's #4 in the Remitting Sins summary
God is a loving, caring Shepherd, but He also has a plan from eternity past. He expects us to make His will a priority--always: Isaiah 46:9b, “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me…I say my purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” NIV


We must stay close to the Father. We must ask Him for guidance and walk with Him as closely as possible. When people or things bump into my consciousness, I ask Him what I should do. His answer is always kind, often with an appropriate Scripture, and I know what to do. God is very loving, very kind, as our Abba Father. We should never be afraid of Him, but He is not permissive. Walking with God requires diligence! We must be sold out completely to God’s will, and seek Him constantly, both through prayer and the Scriptures. God doesn’t allow wimps in His army—He wants soldiers, who are suited up, trained in the Word, and ready to WIN!

We remit, as we do anything for the Lord, at the nudging of the Holy Spirit. One day I was in bumper-to-bumper traffic on 120th Street, and all cars stopped for a light. A young man jumped out of the car next to me and ran back to talk to the teenagers in the car behind him. I felt God nudging me to remit the young man's sins. I remitted the his sins, asked for the will to God to be completed in his life, and spoke the Word of God over him. I am convinced I will meet that young man in heaven someday.

I have also sensed a tremendous breakthrough when I prayed for the land. HG talks about praying for the land. [HG has walked cities and nations all over the world. He remits sins as he goes, and prays for the land.] This is a story he told: “I can’t begin to tell you how many times I have entered into an area, begun to walk it, and heard the cries of innocent blood coming from the land. Countless times I have seen visions of the abominable acts that were committed there—acts which defiled that land…

“I was walking along the Wye River in Great Britain. As I came near the base of a cliff, I heard the cries of young teenage girls…I began making my way through the dense undergrowth, praying in the Spirit…I was hearing cries of desperation, the cries of young girls who were being brutally molested and violated…I couldn’t see what was at the base of the cliff. When I heard the cries, I honestly thought several girls were being molested right there, at that very moment.

“Breaking into a clearing at the base of the cliff, I found that the ground was packed solid, like the ground I had seen in the Devil’s Pulpit [where occult worship had taken place]. Nothing was growing there. There was a big circle of stones and charcoal from many fires.

“…At that point a vision from the Lord came before my eyes. I saw Roman legions encamped in the area and soldiers going through the villages grabbing young girls, killing some and taking others captive. They brought them to the very spot where I stood, and they abused them. Then they murdered them and threw their bodies into the river. I saw lifeless bodies floating down the river.

“The Lord said, ‘This happened back in the third century, and their innocent blood is crying from the ground.’

“’Lord’, I countered, ‘I don’t understand. What am I to do? What is my responsibility concerning this? Why would You show me such a thing if there is nothing I can do about it?’

“His reply was simple and to the point, ‘You remit those sins’.

“My thoughts were the same as some of yours when you first heard this teaching, and I voiced them to the Lord. ‘I don’t have the power to remit sins that happened way back in the third century!’

“The Lord will not get upset or humiliate us when we ask a question about something we do not understand.

“His reply to me was, again, simple and to the point. ‘Open my Word.’ I did just that; and my Bible opened right up to this passage in Romans 3:24-26. I looked down with my eyes, and there it was, ‘To declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past.’…(KJV)

“He then further explained to me, ‘You will not redeem this land back unless you take this stronghold, because to this very day, molestations and seductions and orgies are taking place around these fires. And the reason it is allowed to happen is because that innocent blood sealed a deed with the god of this world, giving him the right to take this place as one of his strongholds. Take it back, and I won’t let such things happen here anymore. You will free this ground, and not only the ground, you will free the entire creation around here. This ground will begin to be loosened up again, and life will once more begin to come forth from it. No one will come in here to commit those kinds of acts anymore.’

“I did just as He commanded. I walked over the ground, praying and remitting the sins of those Roman solders, as well as the sins of their descendants. I prayed not only for that generation, but right on down to those who were alive that very day, who were still suffering under the grievous yoke that was the result of every sin and abuse their forefathers had committed on that land.

“What do you do after you have remitted the sins that were committed in an area? Then it is time to release the goodness of the Lord over the land, and over those who are currently living there. Romans 2:4, …’Despisest thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?’

“Next you ask the Father to restore His creation. Ask Him to bring back His breath of life and to move His hand over that desolate area where the ground is hard-packed and nothing grows anymore. Ask Him to cleanse that ground and let flowers and grass and trees begin to come forth and be nourished. Ask Him to let the squirrels and the rabbits and the birds come back to that area. In other words, ask Him to let life come back to the land once more.”


God’s glory must be restored to the land. Who will follow the leading of the Holy Spirit to bring this to pass? Those who are willing to remit the sins of the wicked who have shed innocent blood, and who release the goodness of the Lord over the land.


*References: the Interlinear New Testament, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, Vine’s Expository Dictionary, and Prayer Walking, Step by Step Prayer Walking Instructions, published by Joyful Sound Ministries, P.O. Box 144, Woodbine, Iowa 51579-0144 (designated as HG when quoted).

Henry Gruver #3

WELCOME READERS! THANK YOU FOR CONTINUING TO READ.

"Which mountain have you been climbing?…Have you been releasing others? Have you been sending them forward? Have you been dispatching and transmitting and conveying and transferring and delivering them? Then you have been remitting sins! If you have been making others responsible, placing them under obligation, repressing, restricting, restraining and prohibiting them…You have been retaining them!…You can be either a blessing or a curse. Choose the blessing and live.” (HG)



How can we puny little mortals assume such a lofty position that we can “forgive” sins? We attain our position by faith in Jesus’ completed work on the cross. (Colossians 1:13, 14, “[The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in Whom we have our redemption through His blood, [which means] the forgiveness of our sins.” AMP); (Colossians 2:10, “And you are in Him, made full and have come to fullness of life—in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and reach full spiritual stature. And He is the Head of all rule and authority—of every angelic principality and power.”(AMP)


By faith we also operate in God’s declared relationship with us—we are sons, brothers of Jesus. It is our right: John 1:13, “They did not become His children in the human way. They were not born because of the desire or wish of some man. They were born of God.” ICB; Galatians 3:26, “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith.” AMP; Hebrews 2:11, “For both He Who sanctifies—making men holy—and those who are sanctified all have one [Father]. For this reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren…” AMP; Ephesians 2:19, “Therefore you are no longer outsiders—exiles, migrants and aliens, excluded from the rights of citizens; but you now share citizenship with the saints—God’s own people, consecrated and set apart for Himself; and you belong to God’s [own] household.” AMP.


Jesus’ inheritance is also ours: Galatians 4:6,7, “And because you [really] are (His) Sons, God has sent the (Holy) Spirit into our hearts, crying, Abba (Father!) Therefore, you are no longer a slave (bond servant) but a son; and if a son, then [it follows that you are] an heir by the aid of God, through Christ.” AMP; Romans 8:17, “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ…” KJV.


Don’t look at the situation, look at your position as a joint heir with Christ and keep remitting, remitting, remitting. Never give up! Just keep on remitting.


We must get rid of any conscious sin in our lives. We cannot remit sins unless we have forgiven the person whose sins we are remitting.. We have to be cleaned up and sold out, and not just on Sunday or Wednesday evening. Psalm 66:18, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” NIV We must have hearts that are dedicated entirely to God. When we do sin, confession should come quickly as the Holy Spirit convicts, and our attitude should reflect a sincere desire to be 100 percent sold out to God and His purposes.


However, we must not be afraid to move forward in what God has told us to do, because He will go ahead of us, and He will convict us of any unconfessed sin. Have complete faith that God hears you, and that the communication lines are open between you and God. By faith you can know that your human weaknesses will not hinder what God wants you to do, if you have done everything possible to clean up your life. (Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God.” KJV)


God is a loving, caring Shepherd, but He also has a plan from eternity past. He expects us to make His will a priority--always: Isaiah 46:9b, “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me…I say my purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” NIV



HOW ARE YOU RESPONDING TO THESE POSTS? IS THIS A NEW SUBJECT FOR YOU? COMMENTS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME.

SEE YA WEDNESDAY! 

#2 - Henry Gruver's Remitting Sins

What is the real issue here? Taking out strongholds in the land, or moving in the love of God for souls in that land? Is our motivation from the love of the Father for the souls? Do we love those souls? Do we want to tear down strongholds to permanently free those souls? That is the purpose for remitting sins. That is the proper motivation for engaging in spiritual warfare: Holy Spirit given love for souls.

Are you discouraged with the results of your prayers? Are you reaching the people around you, or not? Are you penetrating the hard shell so that people will repent, or do you feel like you’re wasting your time with praying and witnessing? Begin remitting sins and you will see dramatic changes in those around you.

You may want to study this list of synonyms and antonyms for the word remit, as found in Strong’s Concordance and Vine’s Expository Dictionary:

Synonyms - The Mountain of Good	Antonyms - The Mountain of Evil
good	evil
discontinue, restrain	hold, prohibit, exact
absolve, release	withhold, reserve, avenge
pardon, acquit, consign	impose duty, on tie up, retain
surrender, leave off, moderate	persist, continue, control, restrict
mitigate, desist, soften, deliver, relent	command, dominate, take revenge
convey, excuse, overlook, exempt, forward	get the upper hand, bind, sway, keep
alleviate, dispatch, transmit, transfer, relax	suppress, make responsible, repress

”Which mountain have you been climbing?…Have you been releasing others? Have you been sending them forward? Have you been dispatching and transmitting and conveying and transferring and delivering them? Then you have been remitting sins! If you have been making others responsible, placing them under obligation, repressing, restricting, restraining and prohibiting them…You have been retaining them!…You can be either a blessing or a curse. Choose the blessing.


See ya Saturday

                                                                                                               

Check Book Reviews page for
Mary DeMuth's new book

The first of Henry's books

Henry Gruver has become known as a Prayer Walker to the World. He started walking with the Lord on the Skid Row streets of Phoenix, Arizona, when he was 18 years old. Today, in his seventies, he is still walking with his God. Wherever his Heavenly Father leads him, he prays. He has walked everywhere--in the Church, where two or three are gathered together because of Jesus, on the highways and byways around the world, encouraging anyone God puts in his life. He sits among the elders of the land. (Prov. 31:23) He sits among them, walks among them, and observes and "watches unto prayer" for the Church and the world. [Back cover copy.]

I first met Henry and Judith Gruver in 1991, as they conducted prayer walking meetings in my city. They taught me the basics of spiritual warfare I use to this day. Occasionally we touch and I learn about some of the victories and challenges of their lives.

Henry has spent the past few years in Japan, prayer walking heathen temples, spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The Gruvers have published several books and produced countless CDs.  In 1999 I wrote the article below, based on the Gruvers' book, Prayer Walking--A Prayer Walker's Handbook. For a copy of this book, or any of their books and CDs, Contact Joyful Sound Ministries, P.O. Box 144, Woodbine, IA 51579, 712-647-3104



 

Remitting Sins

My Summary from Henry Gruver's Prayer Walking (1998)

          When I say “intercession,” what comes to mind? Intercession means different things to different people, but In this article it means "to make a request on someone's behalf, to plead for help on their behalf."

Remitting of sins is one of the most powerful intercession tools in our arsenal against the enemy of our souls.

          Maybe a personal story will help explain the term. Last Sunday I sat next to a woman who introduced herself as Vicki. Without warning I began crying and great sadness settled over me.

          “What is it, Lord?” I prayed. "Vicki operates in deep sadness and worry," He explained. "She is unable to pull herself free from her depression."

          "I'll intercede for her," I said in my heart. I cried in her place because she was unable to cry for herself. Vicki did not realize what I was doing but the Holy Spirit did. I believe He applied my tears to her situation and healed her as the service continued. I also silently remitted Vicki's sins, calling her to the perfect will of God.

          The Holy Spirit had me silently claim certain Bible verses for Vicki as long as we sat together in the service. Later I silently released the goodness of the Lord over her and asked our loving Heavenly Father to send someone into her life to minister to her needs.

What is remitting of sins?

          Space forbids an exhaustive study here, but please allow me to whet your appetite. You can personally do your own in-depth “dig” to discover the precious jewel of remitting that has been neglected so long.

          Jesus taught his disciples to remit sins, but Christians have not practiced it through the centuries.

          One reference to remitting is Luke 1:76-79, [Zechariah’s Song]…for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins… NIV Jesus said we would be doing what He did. (John 14:12, “…anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing…” NIV).

          You can consult Strong’s Concordance NT859 (Either online or paper copy.) It gives the meaning of remit as “freedom; figuratively, pardon; dismissal, release”. Using The King James version, this same Greek word is translated “remission” in Matthew 26:28; Mark 1:4; Luke 1:77; 3:3; 24:47; Acts 2:38; 5:31. The same word is translated “forgiveness” in Acts 10:43; 13:38; 26:18; Hebrews 9:22; 10:18. Strong’s NT3929 is referenced, meaning “a passing by of debt or sin,” Romans 3:25.

Vine’s Expository Dictionary explains remitting by using examples from the Bible.

•  Joseph did not actually restore the butler to his office and hang the baker, but Joseph, under the power of the Holy Spirit, said it would happen and God carried it out (Genesis 41:13, “And just as he interpreted for us, so it happened; he restored me in my office, but he hanged him.” NAS)
•  The prophets did not actually accomplish things when they declared that certain events were about to take place, Jeremiah 1:10, Ezekial 43:3, etc. They spoke in faith, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and God brought their prophecies to pass.
• In the same sense we declare people’s sins remitted and God carries out His promise to remit their sins.

Continuing in Vine’s, remitting is a passing over, primarily letting go, dismissal. It is also forgiveness: “deliver, forgive, (freely) give, grant.” Strong’s NT5483 is referenced in Vine’s, which means “to grant as a favor; i.e., gratuitously, in kindness, pardon or rescue.”

The last comment in Vine’s is that remitting includes, “to bestow a favor unconditionally”, as seen in Ephesians 4:32 and Colossians 2:13; 3:13.

Remitting of sins is not absolution.

“By remitting [sins of individuals] you lift the heavy load of condemnation off the people. God will still have to deal with them. They will still have to personally confess their sins and be converted. Remitting is only lifting the burden of condemnation off people so they can breathe again…then you must release the goodness of the Lord unto them, according to Romans 2:4—‘  the goodness of God leadeth…to repentance.’ When you have done that, cry out to the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers…to harvest the souls that will respond to the Gospel.

Look for another portion of Henry's teaching Wedneday, February 22. I'm posting this long article in shorter, more digestible bites. 

Does this make sense to you? A brief comment in the Comments section will let me know you are reading/responding.

I promised to post the remaining words of Kathi Pelton's article, but first a thought that's leaping around in my head.

It's amazing!!!!! We can realize we have sinned, repent and quote IJn 1:9, and God will completely forgive us. We're as white as snow because Jesus paid for alllllll our sins on the cross.

Humans may forget to forgive, forget to forget, try to spread guilt and gossip, but God dances around the throne, completely delighted in us. He sees us through Jesus' blood, as if we'd never sinned! I will not worry about people's comments-- God sees me "as pure as the driven snow,"  because I have obeyed Him and confessed my sins. No strings attached.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wordle cloud based on Kathi Pelton's article. Wordle.net

Kathi Pelton, continued.

Bless Your Nation

I am dumbfounded when I hear Christians speak about our U. S. president. I have heard derogatory words—jokes, anger and even curses over his life. How does this help? I repeat—Release God to do His will!


When you hear a believer speaking curses or making jokes about someone or something they disagree with, don't hesitate to tell them about the power of blessing.


The experience with our child involved one of the hardest choices we ever faced. Our child's destiny was threatened, as well as a wonderful walk with God, and a close relationship with us. If we had stood against the two of them, we would have lost them both. By blessing them we gained another child. God promises more people after God's own heart if all believers in our nation begin to bless our leaders.


Our generation needs more mercy, as Jesus commands in Lk 6:36. Let us make a commitment today to show mercy as our Father God shows mercy.


I speak a blessing over you and your loved ones!


Permission granted/encouraged to reprint this article and send it around the world. Post them on your website and emails. We make only one request: Keep the Elijah List website, email contact and author contact information intact.

Elijah List Publications, 528 Ellsworth St. SW, Albany, OR 97321, www.elijahlist.com, info@elijahlist.net

Kathi Pelton, author, 541-926-3250, jkpelton@scglobal.net


We need your blessings--the ones you use to bless your family, friends, anyone, whether you agree with the person or not. Help us out. Post them in the Comments.


Here's the one I use "a thousand times a day."
I remit _____'s sins, I call them to repentance, I call in the goodness of the Lord, and people who will teach them the truth.



Saturday I'll post comments by prayer walker Henry Gruver about remitting sins--An exciting concept that's been neglected by the Church in the past centuries.









 

Why do people shun church? I know--Everyone has his/her own excuse. How can we change this attitude?

Would Jesus feel comfortable in today's churches?

Someone gave me this article Monday. It first appeared on the Elijah List website. I had to share it, because knowing and practicing the principles Kathi Pelton outlines will help change our worldview, to move our thinking to more in line with Jesus' goals and motivations, to make Him more comfortable in our churches..

Bless Them?
by Kathi Pelton

"Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore." Ps 113:2

We Christians use the word blessing often. We talk about the blessings of our day, our family, our church. We pray blessings upon people we love and ministries that are doing  powerful work. We often call out "God bless you" when we leave someone's presence. Sometimes we stretch our faith and bless our enemies.

Jewish people habitually bless everyone they know and worship with. They use hundreds of blessings. All Hebrew blessings begin with "Blessed art thou." (Birkhotatah). It's often called the Shem umalkhut), which means "The Name and the Sovereignty," recognizing Adonai as King over the entire universe.

The Name and the Sovereignty

A few years ago one of our children began a dating relationship we disagreed with. I went to the Lord, seeking His counsel on how to handle the situation. The Holy Spirit said, "I want you to bless them." I began to rebuke this voice immediately. How could the Lord bless such an unhealthy relationship?

I went back to prayer, and heard it again: "I want you to bless them."

Thoroughly confused, I told my husband what I was hearing and asked him if he sensed anything. He began chastising me! Together we took a firm stand against all aspects of this relationship, but no matter how I tried, I could not hear a different message.

We prayed with our local ministry team. They heard the same message from the Lord that I had. Gradually we realized God didn't want us to stand against what was happening. He wanted us to stand in agreement with His kingship over our lives.

Although this situation went against everything we thought proper and righteous, we began to pray blessings upon our young couple. Along with out prayers we spoke blessing over them. We released the name and sovereignty of God over their lives and relationship. Without realizing it we invited the Holy Spirit to begin moving the way He desired.

The life-changing process for our children continues to this day.

Blessing Those We Don't Agree With
I repeat, we often look at blessing as agreeing with the person to whom we are releasing the blessing. But there is a difference. We are not required to agree with everyone we bless.

How did Jesus define blessing? "But I say to you who are listening, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you, pray for those who are cruel to you. If anyone slaps you on one cheek, offer him the other cheek too. If someone takes your coat, do not stop him from taking your shirt. Give to everyone who asks you, and when someone takes something you own, do not ask for it back. Do to others what you would want them to do for you." Lk 6:27-31

"If you love only the people who love you, what praise should you get? Even sinners do that! If you lend things to people, always hoping to get, what praise should you receive? Even sinners lend to other sinners so that they can get back the same amount. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without hoping to get anything back. Then you will have great reward, and you will be children of the Most High God, because He is kind even to people who are ungrateful and full of sin. Show mercy, just as your Father shows mercy."   Lk 6:32-26

Knowing this truth makes blessing people we don't agree with far easier for us, and for God. Can we agree with Him and ask His sovereign power to begin moving in our "enemies' lives? We spend spend soooo much time and energy trying to figure out our next move, thinking of strategies to see our "enemies" confounded; on how to get the prodigal children to return home. Perhaps we need to bless them!

I think we spend a lot of time trying to give the Holy Spirit counsel on how He should move and what He should do.

I have personally heard parents pray misery upon their children, to stop their appetite for sin. Why not leave the work and the how-to up to the King of the Universe. He made the children. He knows their every thought!

Let's open the way for blessings and recognize God's name and sovereignty for our straying children, our enemies, our government, our leaders, anyone we don't agree with. Even ourselves, just in case we are the ones in need of His sovereign work in our lives.

[Join us Wednesday, when Kathi Pelton continues her comments on blessing our nation, and concluding the article. You will find Elijah List information and Kathi's contact information.]

There will be a link to another article entitled "Remitting Sins" by Henry Gruver.

Use the Comments to share with me and the reading audience any blessings you habitually pray over the people in your life. (Respectful posts, please.)

SEE YA WEDNESDAY!

When I've penned my last word and appear before the God of the Universe,


He will not ask me "How many words did you write?"


But--


"What was your attitude toward Me?"



Thanx to you, my faithful readers. You continue to check in, to see if I've posted anything new. I do appreciate you. I'm trying for Saturday, February11. Since 1977 I've asked the Lord to teach me what He wants me to know. And I've been amazed. But within the past month He has taught me a huge new concept. I'll have an article, and an interesting photo or two. See ya! 

WHAT'S YOUR WORD? I HAVE TWO! 
On one of my email loops we're sharing our words-to-live-by for 2012. I chose two words, because we cannot do one without the other. My words for 2012 are stand and rest.

Our Lord has taken me on a journey the past two years and allowed me to see what's going on in some of the churches. It isn't pretty in many churches, and Christians are full of fear!!

Finally, I've been planted in a safe, wonderful church, and the pastor leads us in rest. With rest comes the ability to stand on the promises God gives us in the Word. 2 Chronicals 20 is a good example of a king who knew God so well he could leave the battle entirely in God's almighty hands. Results? Read the chapter--God did amazing things.

I've been mentoring Dr. Chen for a while. His computer crawled through the first 15 minutes after he turned it on this morning. What did he do? Panic? Complain to his roomate? No. He quoted 2 Chronicles 20:15, "The battle is the Lord's!" Our Lord works sooooo much cheaper than the computer repairman! GRIN

God bless everyone this year with rest and the ability to stand for anything by faith.

I want you to experience what I've been talking about. Email me at audrey4j@yahoo.com and I'll send you a prayer to help you rest and stand.

YOU WANT HEALTHY?

Thanx again  to all the faithful readers who check in every day, regardless. I feel almost guilty for not posting new information, but we will probably be changing gears in January. I think I'll have some GOOD news to announce then.

In the meantime, here's the most healthy recipe I know. And simple. Everyone will love it.

I've started throwing all my bananas into the freezer when I bring them home from the store. Trader Joe's has the best quality and largest size for the low, low price. (They didn't pay me to say that.) 

Wait until the bananas are "hard as a rock" before you let the kids know you have frozen bananas. Remove one of the black treasures from the freezer, and cut into 1/2 to 3/4-inch slices. Wait ten minutes,  long enough for the skin to start melting away from the fruit, but not long enough to create a mushy mess. The skin will pull off in one piece.

Pop the banana slices, one at a time, into your family's mouths. Yum! They'll think it's ice cream. No, soft candy, sorta like nougat. You can't get a stronger, brighter banana flavor.

Resist the urge to top off with dark chocolate chips. My doctor still says, "Chocolate is not that good for you."


Tell us in the comments what you are doing to make Jesus esp. welcome on HIS birthday.

THANK YOU!

I wish to thank all my wonderful readers for "checking it out" at least once a week. I pray for each of you, that you would read and follow Psalm 25:4 --"Teach me your ways, O Lord...."

I will not be posting until after New Years, when the subject will change. In the meantime, may you have a real-God (Jehovah) filled holiday, with Jesus front and center. After all, the holiday was created to worship Him. Let's not hurt His heart by ignoring Him on His day.



May love and peace be yours throughout 2012.

THERE'S A DIFFERENCE?

I was shocked last week to hear from my high school crush. Athletic star, honor roll member, man of personality, musician, actor, anything good, he won an award for outstanding performance.

George galloped his white horse across my world for four years. My country girl heart thudded in his presence. He was my brother's best friend, and he hung out at our house, where our friends gathered to do what teens did in the 50s. Without computer games and TV!

I hadn't seen George since our last high school reunion. I knew this retired pastor had kept his good looks, good health and friendly personality. He'd lived in Florida for years.

When he contacted me last week, George said his wife had died and he'd like to refresh the friendship, something like that. Thrill of a lifetime, right?

All went well until George started assuming I was going to communicate with him without aid of phone or email. Use familiar spirits, in other words. Sorcery, to be blunt about it. When I told him I couldn't do that, my back started hurting and arthritis made my hip joints creak. I struggled to remember what I'd done five minutes ago. My stomach knotted as if I had stomach flu.

Was George putting New Age curses on me? I immediately used the defenses I'd learned to keep Jesus front and center in my life, (Read more in R U Bullied?)  and returned to normal. I shut down any communication with George after explaining he operates in sorcery!

A retired pastor. Son of godly parents and grandparents. George used sorcery!

Yes! That's what God calls it. Sorcery. "Use of supernatural power over others through the assistance of demons; witchcraft." Copied from ASK online.

Millions of people send curses [and demons] to harass anyone who crosses them or causes them real or imagined harm. Friends, this is NOT Holy Spirit directed behavior!

I met sorcery head-on in the mid-80s. Chuck, the attorney I shared office space with, recommended that I attend a conference in Colorado. I refused because of a vague suspicion, based on what Chuck told me we would be doing. He returned from the conference with stories that didn't jibe with my Holy-Spirit-filled world and the Word of God. Chuck saw Jesus at the conference, but his description did not match the Jesus of the Bible.

"Oh Chuck," I said, "They taught you New Age--the demons they taught you to manipulate and send out are the same Babylonian demons that destroyed the Israelites and sent them into captivity before Jesus was born."

Chuck laughed at me, as if I'd lost a marble or two. He started causing my face to turn red. He laughed when he saw me squirming behind my desk. I experienced confusion when I tried to see what Chuck asked for on my desk and hand it to him. I forgot things and made stupid comments. More ridicule. More of Chuck's strutting and gloating.

"What can I do about this, Lord?" I prayed.

"Pray in the prayer language that Chuck will make Jesus Lord of his life." For the next few months, before I moved out of the shared office arrangement, I prayed for Chuck. I discovered my mind has a second tier, that allowed me to pray for Chuck and continue my daily duties.

Suddenly my attorney friend stumbled and mumbled through his legal duties. He expressed gratitude when I stopped my prayers long enough for him to conduct an important meeting. He begged. He groveled. He could never match the power he used with the Holy Spirit's grand power I used.

I learned to pray silently as I carried out the tasks required for my business support service. Any time I was awake, 24/7, I prayed for Chuck.

For 35 years I have asked the Lord to teach me what He wants me to know. (Psalm 25:4) You've read past posts about some of the amazing things He taught me. By His grace I've learned the difference between Holy Spirit power and the dark power wielded by the enemy of our souls.

There is no other power. We operate either in God's immense power, or we use the evil power from the wicked spheres where Satan dwells. In spite of what our modern thinkers say, the Bible is still the Truth. God's standards have not changed.

Remember, Satan tried to kill Jesus at the cross. [Jesus laid down His life; nobody killed him.] Satan thought he had Jesus beaten, bruised, humiliated and crucified, but three days later Jesus rose from the dead! Victorious! Satan's phony power failed him. He was forced to bow to the Winner! The mighty Son of God!

Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you the difference between these two powers, and help you choose Jesus' winning power every time.

This morning I re-read I Corinthians 10 and Galatians 5 to review what God says will happen to people who use sorcery. I hope you read the passages yourself.

This is serious, friends! People who think they are Christians and practice sorcery will lose fellowship with God! Anyone who uses sorcery will be refused entrance to heaven! I John 1:9 - confess your sins and forsake them!

You don't want to go to Hell.  http://spiritlessons.com/Documents/BillWiese_23MinutesinHell_Text.htm

You want to go to Heaven.  http://www.amazon.com/Heaven-Real-Little-Astounding-Story/dp/0849946158

Now you know what I tell anyone involved in sorcery, including George. His good looks, his money, anything in the whole wide world would not make up for the loss of my relationship with the God of the Universe. Read more in R U Bullied?, where three chapters are dedicated to the power and work of the Holy Spirit in a human life.

I know--I've tried to condense a book's worth of material into a thousand-word blog post. I'll respond to your comments/questions if they're respectful. Leave a comment. If I don't know the answer to your question, I'll ask someone who knows.

I APOLOGIZE--My computer took a Thanksgiving vacation without asking! Let's remove the last post and move on. If you've had the problem, you understand. If not, no words can explain.

L--, Killer Dog and Max

My daughter L-- and her dogs "made" my Thanksgiving! We wished her son Josh could join us, but he's a California resident. Need I say more?

In the meantime, think on this message from Jesus to you:

I'm crazy about you--yes, you.
I'm here with you. The battle winner, Mighty One, Savior.
At the thought of you I spin around wildly. Excited. Ecstatic.
Silent, I gaze at you. Adoring.
Past sins? I will never bring them up.
My heart is too full of love for you.

  Zephaniah 3:17                                    

WELCOME, NEW FOLLOWER, SHARON!

THIS POST IS DEDICATED TO ALL MY FOLLOWERS, AND THE FAITHFUL READERS WHO HAVEN'T FOLLOWED YET.

In honor of the special readers I'm sharing my tasty, healthy pumpkin pie! Yowza! It's good. Let me know what you think. Here goes. Ready?

Share your recipes for favorite holiday food in the comments or email me at audrey4j@yahoo.com.

HEALTHY PIE CRUST

You will not find a flakier crust! It's healthy, with olive oil and sea salt.

                      1 1/4 cups unbleached flour

                      Pinch of Stevia sweetener powder (optional)

                     1/2 teasp. sea salt

                     1/3 cup olive oil

                     2 tablespoons water or soymilk

Mix the flour, sweetener and salt together. Make a hole in the center (a well). Mix oil and water or soymilk together and pour into the hole. Mix with a fork until mixture forms a ball. Knead slightly and place in a 9-inch pie pan. No need to roll out. Press with fingers up the sides and across the bottom until crust is smooth.

OPTIONS:

Use only 3/4 cup flour and add 1/2 cup oatmeal that's been pulsed in your food processor,

or whole wheat flour. Add 1/2 cup chopped nuts if desired.

HEALTHY PUMPKIN PIE

Grandson Josh luvs punkin pie.

         Set oven at 425 degrees.

         In a mixing bowl add ingredients one at a time and mix well--

            2 eggs, beaten well

            1 can or 15 oz. fresh pumpkin

            1/4 cup honey or four packets Stevia powder**

            1/2 teasp. salt

            1-2 teasp pumpkin pie spice (or make your own pie spice--1/2 teasp ground cinnamon,   3/4 teasp ground ginger, 1/4 teasp nutmeg, 1/4 teasp ground cloves)

            1 1/2 cups soymilk or 1 can evaporated milk

         Pour into the unbaked (9") pie shell. Sprinkle with nutmeg if desired.

         Bake 15 minutes at 450 degrees, reduce to 350 degrees and bake about 45 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

         Cool and serve with real whipped cream.

**Make a test pie first to be sure you like the Stevia flavor. Some folks don't like it in baked goods. Or use part Stevia and part honey.

REAL WHIPPED CREAM

Be sure you have enough for everyone--This recipe can be multiplied as many times as needed.

Pour 1 box (8 oz) heavy whipping cream into a chilled bowl. Whip with an electric mixer or hand held rotary beater until soft peaks form. Be careful--overbeating results in butter! Add 1 tablespoon  sugar to taste. Continue beating until firm peaks form. Add 1 teasp vanilla, to taste. Keep chilled until you're ready to serve pie! Yum!

THE BATTLE BELONGS TO... ????

What do you do when the house burns, money runs out, and people spread false rumors about you? _____ Fill in your own blank if I missed your crisis, but we all agree—Bad things happen in this world. There is a fail-safe solution. Let's talk about it.

I've watched people wrap their arms around themselves and crawl into a corner when bad things happen. Two years later they're still whining about the situation. Exact date and time? They'll tell you without being asked.

Many of the people I mentor start out in whine mode, but if they do what the Bible instructs, they'll use the winning-the-battle methods God describes. Follow His three-step method, and you'll win any battle that you face, even if you're slicing onions.

Yes, onions. Today I sliced onions and put them in the freezer for next week. My eyes watered. I blew my nose. Until I spoke the winning words any Christian can use in any type of battle. The words were barely out of my mouth before my eyes dried up and I finished the job in peace. I chuckled and whispered, "Thanx, God."

I could sense His smile. "Piece of cake." His laugh rumbled through the kitchen.

STEP ONE: KNOW GOD'S WORD.

You don't need to know all of the Bible, especially if you're a new Christian. Ephesians 6:10 is a good verse for lots of situations, including this one: "Finally, build up your strength in union with the Lord and by means of his mighty power." Repeat the verse until you know it backward, forward, and upside down.

We're in a war! Put on your armor. (verses 11 & 12)

The Apostle Paul mentions the source of all our trouble. ALL?

Paul knew what we forget—My brother/sister is not the enemy. The Enemy(Satan) is the enemy. We waste our time and hurt God's heart if we blame our fellow man for our problems.

STEP TWO: STAND.

What gives us the right to stand/ resist the enemy? Not our money, not our good grades or degrees, not our nice clothes or bank account.... When Jesus died on the cross He won the battle between Himself and Satan. If we've made Him Lord of our lives, the Bible says we're in His family. We're winners! How? Jesus gives His winner standing to His entire family. Wooo hoo!

Satan lost the battle. Anyone who follows him is a loser. Satan doesn't want us to know he's a loser, and he puts up a good fight, but in the end he will be defeated and Jesus will win. Yippee Skippee!

We can allow Satan to win. How? By neglecting to use the power Jesus wants us to have. I've already said anything we need at any time has already been provided. Read the remaining verses in Ephesian 6, or at least through verse 20. You'll understand what I mean.

STEP THREE: DO WHAT EPHESIANS 6:10-20 TELLS YOU TO DO.

Get those ten verses in your knower. Then apply them.

Study 2 Chronicles 20:1-29, the story of how God won a great victory for the Israelites when defeat stared them in the face.

Sure, studying these verses will take more time than usual, but it will be worth it. When people start throwing curses, when you're being abused, when you don't know which direction to drive, whatever the crisis, call out the words—"The battle belongs to the Lord."

Let's say it all together— 
THE BATTLE BELONGS TO THE LORD!

Tell us in the comments how God helped you when you called out this verse. I call it a battle cry. Not an onion cry (grin).

Learn more in R U Bullied? Buy yours today!

THANX TO MY FAITHFUL READERS!

For some reason the Lord definitely wants me to write these blog posts, without my bio, most photos or illustrations. I omit most names and a lot of details to stay under the radar of the Google machines. Yet the readership rises!

Maybe God wants to prove that He can build a blog without help from the extra pfoo-pfoo? Beats me. So I wobble along, doing my best to obey Him. Sometimes I fall flat on my face; Other times I soar in the clouds. And God keeps on loving me, regardless.

Obedience is necessary for all followers of Jesus. (Mark 8:34). I hope you're asking the Lord to teach you what He wants you to know. (Psalm 25:4) I've been praying the prayer in Psalm 25 for almost 35 years. I assure you, you'll be amazed at what He wants you to know.

Some things I'm sure of--
|| The battle is the Lord's. My job is to praise and worship, and He will do the offense.
|| Jesus loves me intensely.
|| He will never leave me or forsake me.
|| He heals my body.
|| He will always provide my needs.
|| He gives me wonderful friends, including YOU! Thanx again for reading!

Share in the comments what the Lord has taught you that enables you to walk with Him.
Or email at audrey4j@yahoo.com.

Nebraska Assistant Coach Ron Brown's face, and his name, are closely connected with his faith. Last Friday he met with a friend, one of Penn State's assistant coaches. They discussed the high emotions and rioting associated with the firing of beloved coach Paterno, who neglected to deal with a sexual predator within his department.

Some people thought the game between Nebraska (Go Huskers!) and Penn State should be cancelled. But the decision was made to play. Brown and the powers-that-be agreed a prayer should be said Saturday before the game.  The link below shows what happened. Put yourself in this picture, as 100,000 fans and two teams quiet. Many people bow their heads, helmets and hats come off, and Coach Brown's voice rings out with petitions to the Almighty God.

Ron Brown is a role model any young person can follow without fear of having him "drop the ball." Do a search and you will find many YouTube videos and articles with his name and face, along with his consistent example of God's love and grace. God bless Ron Brown.

Tongue in cheek comment: God did answer--Nebraska won!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuIOReiCmEo&feature=related