Posted in Hiding His Word

Thy Word Have I Hid in My Heart – Philippians 4:7

Posted on by Melissa Lynne

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The Holy Spirit offers a means of letting us know the will of God. He guides us through His peace. Philippians 4:7 says:

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Peace – a state of mutual harmony between people or groups; cessation of or freedom from any strife or dissension; freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, obsession

Keep – to hold or retain in one’s possession

The Greek word that is translated “keep” is “phroureo.” It is used in the New Testament in a literal sense of a military guard stationed at the gates of a city to prevent invasion or to keep the inhabitants from fleeing in fear and being captured and killed by the enemy.

“Phroureo” is also used to describe the activity of the Holy Spirit in watching over and guarding believers to preserve them so that they may attain the blessings by doing the will of the Father. That is how it is being used in this verse. It is a “spiritual warfare” kind of word.

Before I became a Christian, I would describe my inner condition as fearful (or full of fear). I was generally scared of almost everything. People, finances, family, and my future. I was afraid of what was, what ifs, what could be. I was never at peace and had no idea what peace was like. I knew others who did not live that way, but I felt this was who I was meant to be and I needed to just come to terms with it.

Some people are bound by spirits of fear and will not be at peace until they are free. Deliverance from spirits of fear seems necessary for some to be able to really know the peace of God. I was one of those.  The day I received Jesus Christ as my Savior, was delivered of fear, and baptized in the Holy Spirit, everything changed instantly. At 46 years old, I was at perfect peace for the first time in my life, and it did surpass all of my understanding. I could not even explain peace, but I knew it immediately. It was a brand-new experience for me.

Within a few years of experiencing peace, I became somewhat adjusted and familiar with the peace of God, so I didn’t think a lot about it unless it disappeared. I don’t mean that I necessarily became over-anxious again. I just became aware that I was not feeling the peace of God at that moment. When that happened, I would stop what I was doing and pay serious attention to the Lord who would then show me what to do or what not to do. The guiding and the peace always hinged on the attention I gave.

Over the years, there have been quite a few decisions that I made as the Holy Spirit “guarded” me with His peace. For that reason, I truly have come to trust His peace. I wish I could say I have always stopped in my tracks and given  my full attention when my peace disappeared. I can’t say that at all…but I can say that I have always regretted not heeding the peace of God. Thankfully, we can learn from mistakes and forgiveness is real. Thank you so much, Jesus!

Posted in Hiding His Word

Thy Word Have I Hid in My Heart – Psalm 37:23-24

Posted on by Melissa Lynne

D300F698-C069-4F5D-810E-0EFE69A4999A“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.”‭‭ ~ Psalms‬ ‭37:23-24‬

Just like a giraffe has a higher vantage point than the turtle, our Father whom we trust in has the ability to see farther and beyond our present vision and circumstances. God sees where we are, what we need, and where He wants to take us. When we fall He picks us up and makes a way for our restoration. He is a God that loves us so much that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die for you and for me. He gave us the Holy Ghost to be our counselor and mentor. He gave us His Word so that His will and plan could be always before us to guide our lives. He gave us prayer so that we always have direct access to Him.

His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts though we should desire they be, looking more and more like Jesus every day. His ways, thoughts, plans and view are eternal. Through relationship with Jesus Christ given to us by our surrender to and confession of Jesus as our Lord and Savior we too can have life eternal. We too can be guided step by step, hour by hour, day by day….knowing this – ordered steps are eternal steps.

Order our steps today, Lord, and help us to see things from Your eternal point of view.

Posted in Hiding His Word

Thy Word Have I Hid in My Heart – John 17:3

Posted on by Melissa Lynne

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“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” -John‬ ‭17:3‬‬

know – to perceive or understand as fact or truth; to apprehend clearly and with certainty. To have established or fixed in the mind or memory. To understand from experience or attainment. To be able to distinguish, as one from another.

——-

Whether we have been saved and following Jesus for years or just this day decided to surrender to Christ as Lord and Savior, that decision was the start of a brand new life!

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. – 2 Corinthians 5:17

When Jesus called His disciples, He called them to leave everything they knew and to follow Him. In much the same way, He calls us to follow Him with every part of our lives. The original disciples gave up family, work, friends… Their entire worlds changed because of their relationship with Jesus Christ and this new life.

As a new Christian, our relationship with the Lord is like the seedling of a tree that has just been planted. We have to learn the areas where we must nurture our relationship like a gardener would nurture a new seedling. We must also protect it. Sometimes that involves watering and feeding, other times pruning, and every now and then even covering it up to protect from harsh elements…but it will always require attention if the relationship is to continue to bud and produce fruit. As we mature our roots get stronger and we become more comfortable with what is required. We can handle the harsh elements better, however, the need for attention does not lessen or change. One of the added dangers in this stage is that what is required can become so familiar and comfortable that instead of giving attention we do things by rote.

Really knowing Jesus Christ and having that intimate relationship with Him takes attention but it also takes action – hard work. Prayer, fasting, reading and studying the Word, giving, sharing the Gospel, worshiping, loving and caring for others. Many times we are called to make sacrifices, to give up things that distract and cause us to take our eyes off of our Savior. We read in Matthew 10:38 that knowing is nothing without the following!

“And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.” – Matthew‬ ‭10:38‬‬

I am sure it wasn’t easy for the disciples to give up all they had and all they knew to follow Jesus.  They were real men living real lives just like each of us. And it won’t always be easy for us either. Every day we must make a choice to fully follow Jesus Christ and live with Him and for Him no matter the costs. We must choose to give up what is necessary to gain life eternal and to really know the one true God.

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” -John‬ ‭17:3‬‬

——-

Jesus, show us the things in our hearts that hinder our relationship with You. Show us the path to take and help us to truly be a follower and one that loves You above all others and not someone with just knowledge of you. We want to really know You, Jesus…and not just know things about You. Help us to seek You with our whole heart and to die daily to our own will and plan that we might be in Yours…in Jesus Name. Amen!

Posted in church

My Church! This is Awesome!

Posted on by Melissa Lynne

Biblically there is no such thing as my church or the local church. We are all part of THE CHURCH-THE BODY OF CHRIST. Fruit of having my church is that we focus only on MY and OUR and we only focus sometimes on building this church. And we want to build the Kingdom but the only way we can see to do that is to build this. How can this attitude not bring division?

God is saying that my church of America has become a narcissistic church. Narcissism is a morbid love and admiration of self. Comes from Narcissus (Greek mythology died from hopeless love of his own reflection in water and was transformed into a daffodil). Church has become so self focused and enamored with ourselves that we died. We are irrelevant and in many ways dead. We are changing nothing in our nation. Thing about daffodils is this…they are beautiful but they have NO FRAGRANCE. Says in 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 how we are supposed to bring forth the fragrance of Christ. No one can say if they are honest that the church in America has mirrored to the world the reflection of Jesus Christ for when they smell us the fragrance they smell is of Him.

Sometimes in our thinking everything we do for God has to flow out of the local church to build the local church. Because we only focus on the local church we only focus on our success.

Not against corporate worship but against an, in some ways unbiblical human centered, need based, self centered organization that is the focal point. Something that was built to satisfy people, not God. Doesn’t mean you don’t have nice facilities it means you don’t focus on the “sheep pen.” It is just a place where God houses His people to help them extend His Kingdom into the earth. Becomes much more than a gathering center, becomes a sending center. The goal is not to be how many we can gather, but how many we can send. Yes we will have facilities but facilities will be used for the vision, vision won’t be to have the facilities. They are to equip the church, not to draw or impress people to build a church.

Never in the scripture is the standard for success built on speed or size. Our responsibility is not to help build a local church. Our responsibility is to help extend the Kingdom of God into the earth.

We don’t go to church to worship. We are the church so we gather to worship and we worship everywhere we go every day.

We don’t go to church to pray. We are the church so we pray everywhere, everyday.

We don’t go to church to be taught. We are the church so we gather to equip and disciple so that we can send and equip and disciple elsewhere and we disciple nations. As a church we are to gather but we are also to send.

We don’t go to church to be pastored and to be ministered to. We are the church so we pastor everywhere and minister everywhere.

We don’t go to church to fellowship, build relationships, etc… We are the church so we fellowship in many places and we not only gather but we are the church so we pastor everywhere and we minister everywhere.

We don’t go to church to get people saved and healed. We are the church so we save and heal everywhere we go and then people can get saved and healed more than two or three hours a week.

We don’t go to church to minister our gift. We are the church so we minister our gift everywhere we go.

We don’t go to church to build up the church. We are the church so we build up one another and He builds the church. That is what He said…”I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH.” No verse in scripture anywhere that says a person is supposed to build a church.

We don’t go to church to hear from God. We are the church so we hear from God all week, anywhere and everywhere.

Posted in Quotes

Quotes that Speak To Me

Posted on by Melissa Lynne

I didn’t write it, think it, or say it but I sure do like it and want to remember it…

The man/woman that loves to voice the things he/she has given up for God, has yet to fully and truly count those things as rubbish for the sake of knowing Jesus.

Beware of anyone who sacrifices Isaac in public. For these are private matters between the heart of God and the heart of man. (hard one!)

Good Word from Barbara Yoder — Why are you waiting for someone to give you a position? Go out and do the works of Jesus. Feed the hungry, care for the ophans and widows, heal the sick, help people, release the kingdom everywhere you go. Don’t wait for someone to notice you, your gift will make room for you. Until you release it, there will be no room. You create the room. 2/11/2010

In His presence the things that seemed big to us become so insignificant. We wonder why we let the devil fight us over that thing, make it so important, and magnify it so much. When we’re in God’s presence, the things we think are so insignificant become big. He shows us His true concerns. – Ruth Ward Heflin 10/18/2009

SAFETY is the greatest risk of all…because safety leaves no room for miracles…MIRACLES are the ONLY sure thing in life!!!! 10/18/2009 Pastor Sammy quote during sermon

When you are worshiping you look into His face, and you are changed from glory to glory. We become like that which we worship. We become like Him Whom we worship. Ruth Ward Heflin

A fellow facebooker wrote this on Reinhard Bonnke’s wall and I love it: What caused John Wesley to rise daily at 4:00 a.m. to pray and then go out in the fields to preach Christ to the dying multitudes? What caused him to preach the gospel even when churches barred their doors to him and crowds hurled rotten vegetables in his face? John Wesley had a passion for souls.
What caused David Brainard, though racked with tuberculosis, to weep in prayer for lost Indians in early America until the snowy ground was stained with his own blood? He had a passion for souls.

What caused John Knox, who led his whole nation to Christ, to rise in the middle of the night and cry, “Give me Scotland or I die!” John Knox had a passion for souls.

The very reason Jesus shed His own blood was for lost souls. It is the reason why He cried out,” My God, my God, Why have you forsaken Me?” If we lose this I believe we lose our purpose. May God the Holy Spirit give us a passion for the lost. I can’t wait for the day that I am completely set ablaze!

-Dylan Lupton

and I, Melissa Flood, say to that ” ME TOO DYLAN”

Steve Chase wrote on his status “One of the costs you must consider in following Jesus Christ…you don’t get to choose what that cost will be.”

Following God’s will for our life is a pattern of hearing God, doing what He says, and then waiting to hear God again, and then doing what He says, and then waiting to hear God…”
The pursuit of revival, before the fire or the extreme presence of God is there, before the weighty grace of God is upon us, will require us to change. If we want to experience revival, we must do now what we’ll be doing then. Change comes before the fire is lit.
John Burton http://www.praytherevolution.com

Faith is not a feeling! If you can feel it, it is not faith. Bill Winston
Will just keep adding, so check back soon…

Posted in Hiding His Word

Thy Word Have I Hid in My Heart – Psalm 55:22

Posted on by Melissa Lynne

Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. ~ Psalms 55:22

Study and Meditation

Cast – to throw or set aside, hurl, fling, to part with, lose, to shed or drop

Burden – that which is carried; load; that which is borne with difficulty

Sustain – to support, hold, or bear up from below

Suffer – to endure; to tolerate or allow

I am to give my entire burden to the Lord, not just part of it. Casting means throwing it off, not only slipping it off, laying it down gently and walking away. Sounds to me like there is aggression or a type of violence involved in getting rid of burdens.

——-

Recently, I heard a lady speak of the turmoil going on in her life. She described her emotional state “like waves tossed to and fro.” Sounds like a lot of moving, doesn’t it? Anxiety and fear can cause emotional instability, and when you are unstable, you are more likely to say things and make decisions that you will regret later.

In light of this description, I remembered James 1:5-6. In the first part of the passage, he advises us to ask God for wisdom.

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

But then, he gives a warning:

“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”

So this lady’s description of her emotional state like “waves tossed to and fro” tells me that she is wavering. In other words, doubt is ruling her mind at the moment. Boy have I been there!

Today, in particular, I am tired, so I have been vulnerable to this kind of emotional reaction regarding some burdens I carry. Instead of casting them to Jesus as I should have, I have laid them down carefully, and because of that I can see them. I am tempted to pick them up again as if I can now do something about them. I can feel myself begin to waver under the heaviness and I know if I keep my eyes on those burdens before I know it I will start to react with fear, anxiety, and worry. Such a vicious cycle.

Today though my prayer has been Lord change me! If the burdens are always a part of life, Change me God! I am just tired of these things in me, honestly. I felt that old mindset rise up and I looked toward the burdens as is my habit but then something rose up inside me. It was the Spirit of the Lord, and as though He were carrying a great big stop sign, He brought those feelings to a complete halt by commanding,

“Stop!”

And then He said,

“I don’t want you going down this road, no more than you want to. I want you to get into My Word for ALL of your reactions and turn from this road down a hidden path. And when you are safely on this path, I want you to seal every step in your heart by writing it all down.”

The path was hidden by many, many bushes full of  huge thorns. I saw them as the burdens surrounding the entrance to keep people from going down this little trail that was just barely traveled.

His care for me and His value of this hidden path He has sent me to, surprised me!

At that moment, with His touch and His leading, I set my mind on the path of faith. I determined that I will be single-minded. I will trust the situations of my present life to God no matter how I feel or how it looks to my natural eyes or to others.

God also reminded me of something important during this experience: Faith is a supernatural act. If you limit your mind to the natural (only what you can see, hear, feel, or think), then you narrow the options that God has to work on your behalf. But if you elevate your mind to the supernatural through faith, then you are able to take action based on complete confidence in God’s care for you and your journey.

Prayer

Help me, Lord to cast all my burdens on You. Not just today but every day and minute by minute if necessary. Help me to not waver in doubt but to trust both the old paths and the new paths that are all your path for my life.  Change me, Lord. It is my prayer. In Jesus Name! Amen!!!