How Sweet The Sound

Seeking and Saving that which was lost,

Giving His Life, An Awful Cost.

Came to this Earth to set me free,

Dying alone on an old, rugged tree.

Rising again after three days,

Over Death the Victory!

Give Him ALL the Praise!

Someday He's coming to claim His own-

Will you be ready, if He calls you Home?

What appointed time will you at the Judgment be?

The one for reward, or White Throne Verdict see?

All souls are called to His Great Salvation-

Not all sinners have answered His Invitation!

Forgiven and cleansed you can FOREVER be

With His Amazing Grace -

that SAVED A WRETCH LIKE ME!

In the Book of Life, is your name written down?

The choice is yours to make-accept His

AMAZING GRACE! HOW SWEET THE SOUND!
~M.H.

A Few Good Men

The Bible says in Proverbs 3:27 "Withold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it." I want to give "honor" to "a few good men" I know this Father's Day week.

The first one is my father-in-law, that is in Heaven with the Lord. He has been gone for 7 years now, but we think of him daily. He was a preacher of the Gospel and loved the Lord. He raised my husband to know the Lord, and to trust in Him, and stay true to His Word. The Lord used him even on his last trip out from his home two weeks before he passed away to win his cousin to the Lord! So glad that I can be called one of his "youngins"!

The next one is my Granddaddy. He has always witnessed for the Lord. He drove a gas truck for the same company for over 40 years, and from the time he was saved, gave out tracts to the people on his route. He is the one that taught me the importance of handing out tracts to people, because this is what the Lord used to speak to him for salvation. There is no telling how many people have been witnessed to over those years and read those tracts! I remember him giving me boxes of tracts we would have to fold, and I would always want to help. He gave me a lot of them, and I remember taking them to school in the fourth grade and handing them out to my class. Boy, have things changed in schools since then! To this day, the importance of leaving tracts everywhere I go, is still with me. So thankful that I have learned to "speak" for the Lord even when it is the written Word that someone reads!

The last person is my Daddy. He has ALWAYS loved all five of his children, and made SURE we were in church. Not just taking us to church, but teaching us at home about Jesus. He has always told us "It's ALL about Him (Jesus)", and that it's all about having faith. Not faith in a collective term, but a real trust in the Lord and His Word.  We were taught to always trust in the Lord, His Word, and to pray and seek His face for guidance. Anyone that knows my Daddy knows that he has always BOLDLY stood for the Lord, and didn't really care if you liked it or not! Not out of pride, but what the Bible calls holy boldness! He has always witnessed for the Lord and kept it before those that were lost, including his own family-out of love and concern for them. Many times through the years, I have had different people tell me "you don't know how lucky you are to have the parents that you do and for how you were raised." Not sure why they think we have all took it for granted, but I KNOW what a blessing they are from the Lord and it's not "luck". It is God's grace and blessing to have been placed in the family I have been in. No family is perfect, that's for sure, mine included, but any family that puts the Lord in the center of their home will have His blessings, grace, and guidance. My Daddy has always said that the Lord could have given us (his kids) to anyone, but he thanked the Lord for giving us to him. Well, I thank you Daddy for loving us, praying for us, and for always telling us the truth. Thank you for all of the road trips we would take, going from church meeting to meeting, and giving me the chance to soak in all of the messages I heard. A price can't be put on that, and I will always remember it. Every time I read this verse, I think it describes you as well-Acts 11:24" For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith; and much people was added unto the Lord."
I love you.

From Pillows to Pillars

 

 

 

 Have you ever had a friend make a promise they didn't keep? Have you ever failed to keep a promise you made, even though you started out with full intention of doing so? Even though we may be guilty of doing this, thank the Lord He NEVER will!

In the Bible, we can see this clearly displayed in the life of Jacob.

 

Jacob, whose name means "deceiver, or trickster" lived true to its meaning. He deceived his brother Esau and father, Isaac, to steal the birthright and blessing that should have gone to Esau by tradition. God had ordained Jacob to be the one to receive these (Gen.25:23), but NOT by Jacob's methods. As a result of Jacob's sin, he had to flee from his home for his life. Jacob headed for the home of his uncle, Laban. On the way there, Genesis 28:11 says he " lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set;". There is ALWAYS A CERTAIN PLACE that the Lord wants us to be. HIS PRESENCE is where He would give Jacob the promise that He would fulfill throughout his life. Jacob was unaware of this when he "took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep." vs.11. God had to get him to this place so that he would hear the Lord. We need to get in HIS PRESENCE where we can hear what the Lord has to tell us. The Lord uses circumstances in our lives to get us to where He wants us to be.  If Jacob had never left home, he would NOT have been where the Lord could give him the Promise.

 

"And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west , and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy see shall all the families of the earth be blessed. AND BEHOLD, I AM WITH THEE, AND WILL KEEP THEE IN ALL PLACES WHITHER THOU GOEST, AND WILL BRING THEE AGAIN INTO THIS LAND;FOR I WILL NOT LEAVE THEE, UNTIL I HAVE DONE THAT WHICH I HAVE SPOKEN TO THEE OF." Gen.28:12-15. The Lord made Jacob a PROMISE that He would give him the land that he was on, bless his family and it would spread across the earth, and that HE WOULD NEVER LEAVE HIM OR FORSAKE HIM!  What a promise He gave Jacob in His Presence that Jacob gave the name of Bethel to-which means "the house of God."  Jacob took the stone he had used to put his pillows on, and set them up for a pillar, and poured oil on the top of it, vs 18. Jacob saw that the stones he had rested  on were those that belonged to the Promise he had just been given. He set them up as a pillar or monument, to remember this promise. We need to do the same. We need to make pillars, or reminders, of the promises that the Lord has made to us! This will help us remember the promise, and to remember our promise to serve the Lord. Just as he had rested ON THE PROMISE, SO CAN WE! Our Rock, Jesus, is the stone that we need to rest upon! This Rock is our reminder of the Promise that He has given to us as well! He is the Promise! The oil that Jacob annointed the stones with, was a picture of the Holy Spirit. The Promise was given, salvation and leadership, and was SEALED WITH THE SPIRIT to be his GUIDE, JUST AS HE IS OURS! (II Corinthians 1:20-22). We need to remember the Promise that the Lord has given us of Salvation, that He will "never leave us, nor forsake us!" Hebrews 13:5.

 

After Jacob started out to serve the Lord from that day, but like many of us, he drifted from serving the Lord wholly, and also reaped the problems he had sowed from his earlier days. He was tricked into marrying the wrong woman, and taken advantage of by his father-in-law for profit. Jacob left this place of promise and following the Lord, only to reap troubles. God spoke to Jacob in a dream again to warn him, and call him back to where he needed to be, Gen.31:11-13. He specifically reminded him of the pillar he had built of the stone he had laid on. The Lord did so to remind of HIS promise to Jacob, but also to remind Jacob of his vow to serve and follow HIM! The pillar was the reminder of the promise! When we have left off of following the Lord, we need to look back to the PILLAR, or promise!  Jacob heeded this call and turned back to the Lord. He knew he had to go back to where He left off following the Lord. He went back to Bethel, but on the way there He wrestled with a "man", which actually was the Lord, come down from Heaven, in what is called a "theophany," Gen.32:30. Jacob said he would not let Him go except He blessed him, Gen.32:26.This is where the Lord gave him another promise to change his name from Jacob to Israel. The old man was to be left in the past, and the new spiritual man was to lead. But, after this still, Jacob turned to Shalem and not Bethel. He was going to serve the Lord, but in his own way. God did not bless this, and Jacob suffered more trials through his family as a result, Gen 34.The Lord called Jacob once more to Bethel. 

 

The last time the Lord called Jacob to Bethel, he went. Gen. 35:1&2 says he made his household put away the "strange gods" from them, be clean, and change your garments. He had made a decision to follow God wholly, and to rid his home of all worldliness. He wanted to be sanctified for the Lord to use and bless. Verses 10-15 of the same chapter tell of where the Lord reminded Jacob of the Promise again. This time, it says Jacob called his name Israel as well, vs.10, showing he would now walk in the Spirit. This was demonstrated in vs.14 where he erected a new pillar this time. THIS TIME he poured a drink offering over it AND anointed it with oil. The drink offering showed that we was emptying himself, giving his life fully to the Lord. The oil was still the symbol of God's Holy Spirit being His guide. To live a consecrated, Spirit-filled life, we MUST DIE TO SELF! We have to empty ourselves of our wants and desires, and make them the Lord's own! "Delight thyself also in the LORD;and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Psalm 37:4. His desires will become our own when we wholly follow Him. The Holy Spirit as our Guide gives us peace, that passes understanding (Phillipians 4:6&7.) He will keep our hearts and minds through the Lord Jesus, giving us comfort through the "anointing."

 

In order to hear the Lord speak to us, we have to be in His PRESENCE. This is where we got HIS PROMISE. We need to make Pillars to remember the Promise. Only after doing so and POURING out ourselves to Him, can we have true PEACE and comfort of His Spirit. God help us to make our Pillows of stone into Pillars of Stone!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Stay IN the Closet!!

 

 

No, I'm not talking about the one that you're probably thinking of! I mean your PRAYER CLOSET! "But thou, when thou prayest, ENTER INTO Thy CLOSET, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."

 

Prayer is a vital part of our Christian walk. We need to pray daily. Too often this is the first thing that we let slip in our lives. Jesus had a lot to say about it as well, and made sure He spent time in prayer (Luke 5:16 & John 17.)Just as He is our example for all things, we should follow in His footsteps of prayer as well.

 

First, WE HAVE TO HAVE A PRAYER CLOSET, or a set time of prayer. We should "Pray without ceasing." I Thessalonians 5:17. Does this mean that we should sit and pray and do nothing else? No. The apostle Paul meant that we should be continually in an attitude of prayer. Of course we have our daily lives to live, and would not be able to sit all day long in just prayer itself, but we HAVE TO PRAY in order to do these things! We should start our day out with prayer. "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are NEW EVERY MORNING: great is thy faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22&23. We should thank Him every morning that His compassion doesn't fail and that He woke us up, and gave us another day! We need to know what He will have for us to do during the day ,to work for Him, and the path we should take. How can we know this if we do not talk with our Lord to get His thoughts or help for us? Can a soldier go into the battle not knowing the battle plan, and orders from the Captain Himself (Hebrews.2:10)? Even if it is just a few moments to kneel and pray before going to work or school, we need to thank Him and ask for His help and guidance through the day. Then, as situations arise throughout the day, we can "continue INSTANT in prayer" (Romans 12:12.) We can quickly pray for our next step. Prayer is not about quantity, but QUALITY! Jesus wants us to pray out of a sincere heart!

 

 Secondly, we need to pray for others, and let them know that we are praying for them. "Bear ye one another's burdens..." Galatians 6:2 , "Confess your faults one to another, and PRAY ONE FOR ANOTHER, that ye may be healed. The effectual FERVENT PRAYER of a righteous man availeth much!" James 5:16. The Lord Jesus did this as well. He told Peter , "But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not:" Luke 22:32. What an encouragement to be told that the Lord Himself was praying for you! Well, Peter is not the only one that Jesus has prayed for-HE IS PRAYING FOR YOU AND ME, EVEN AS WE READ THIS! AMEN! What a comfort to know that our Saviour Himself is at the right-hand of God the Father praying, and making intercession for us! (Hebrews 7:25 & 26). He is in the presence of God FOR US RIGHT NOW! (Hebrews 9:24). Just as He let us know HE LOVES US, and is praying for us, we should give this encouragement to brothers and sisters in the Lord as well. But, not to just the heirs of faith, but the lost as well! Pray for their salvation and let them know that you are praying for them! "But I say unto you. Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and PRAY FOR THEM which despitefully use you, and persecute you;" (Matthew 6:44). Jesus did the same in the garden when He prayed "Neither PRAY I for these alone, but them also which SHALL BELIEVE on me through their word." John 17:20.

 

 

Lastly, we should BELIEVE when we pray! We must have faith in our Lord to hear our prayer and anwer them when we make our requests! "But without FAITH it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." Hebrews 11:6. If we don't believe that God can and will supply what we are asking of Him, we probably won't have the faith to open the door of blessing when He gives it to us! It is true that God will bless us INSPITE OF OURSELVES-"If we believe not, YET HE ABIDETH FAITHFUL: He cannot deny Himself." II Timothy 2:13. But, He wants us to do so in FAITH! Acts 12 gives us the account of Peter being thrown into prison, and the church without prayed "without ceasing" for him. The Lord sent an angel in the night and freed him. He left the prison and went to the house of Mary, John Mark's mother,"where many were gathered together praying." vs.12 Peter knocked on the door, and a young girl named Rhoda came to the door. When she recognized his voice, she was so excited that she didn't open the door! When she told the others, they told her she was CRAZY! She "constantly" told them it was so! "But Peter CONTINUED KNOCKING; and when THEY had OPENED THE DOOR, and saw him, THEY WERE ASTONISHED! vs.16. When the answer they were praying for came to their door, they didn't see or hear it! When the one that did hear it told them, they still didn't believe. How many times do we do the same thing! We can't see the answer of blessing for the obstacle! When others try to help us see it, we still deny it! But, Praise the Lord that just as Peter continued to knock, Jesus does too! "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice, and OPEN THE DOOR, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me!" Revelation 3:21. We will be astonished at His grace and blessings to us as well if we have the FAITH to open His door of blessing!

 

May the Lord help us to stay in His closet of prayer. May we pray without ceasing for His guidance, pray one for another and the lost, and have faith to open His door of blessing! Until He knocks on the closet door for us to open it, STAY IN THE CLOSET!