Category Archives: Christian Living

Reading

I’ve been reading this morning. I was determined to finish before I laid it down again. And I did. And I am recommending it to you.  The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews.

Allow me to give you an excerpt from page 160:
“Sometimes when I sit with our Father and watch the movements of your civilization as the time shifts, I am astounded at the arrogance I see displayed in your people. On several occasions, I have asked permission to teach you a lesson, but so far, His patience has greatly exceeded my own. ”

And how about this on page 103:
“My life–my personality, my habits, even my speech–is a combination of the books I choose to read, the people I choose to listen to, and the thoughts I choose to tolerate in my mind. . . . “

And page 155:
“Circumstances are rulers of the weak, . . . “but they are weapons of the wise.”
“Circumstances do not push or pull. they are daily lessons to be studied and gleaned for new knowledge and wisdom.”

One more. Page 149: “All men are driven by faith or fear . . .    Faith or fear is the expectation of an event that hasn’t come to pass or the belief in something that cannot be seen or touched.
“Faith is to believe what one has not seen. The reward of faith is to see what one has believed.”

I am reminded of something Joyce Meyer has said many times. Fear is

False
Evidence
Appearing
Real

And just off the top of my head — does this work?  Faith is

Finding
Assurance and peace
In
The
Here and now (for what will be because our GOD said so.)

17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
via Romans 10:16-18 KJ21 – But they have not all obeyed the – Bible Gateway.

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
via 1 John 4:17-19 NASB – By this, love is perfected with us, so – Bible Gateway.

Philippians 3:13-15 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;
via Philippians 3:13-15 NASB – Brethren, I do not regard myself as – Bible Gateway.

And there you have it.

Blessings to you this Wednesday. I have prayed for each of you by name, email or blog name (whichever way you have identified yourself).

ABBA, thank You for servants who write so well and give us insights and much to ponder. And thank You for Your Word that is TRUTH and able to set us free. I pray this day for TRUTH to prevail in the lives of all my people. That Truth will take hold in their hearts and minds and hold sway over our lives, be believed and will set free and transform each one in JESUS name. And as before we bring our sick and afflicted, Dori and Sheila, specifically, along with others named, asking You to heal them. And as always until it be seen we pray for the rebellious for grace and space to repent. Amen and       .

We have the God-given Right to do right in this wrong World,

Kindle the Fire

Without a doubt I am reading this verse out of context but even so I have heard ABBA’s voice and I am rejoicing in it.

14 But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the Lord: and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it.
via Jeremiah 21:13-14 KJV – Behold, I am against thee, O inhabitant – Bible Gateway.

I got ahead of myself and posted a blurb to Facebook before coming here.  I said this:

“But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings . . . ”
Jer. 21:14 in part. These words blessed and comforted me this morning.
And no not because I am wanting to see anyone ‘get what is coming to them’. Waiting for that would put me in line for discipline myself.
I am grateful that GOD is just. That He governs all and that I can trust Him to correct ME justly! And I use the word correct because for me that is what He does — JESUS has already taken ALL MY PUNISHMENT. Oh how AWESOME HE IS!!!
Just saying. Take it for what it is worth to you. ABBA rules! :)


Perhaps I can elaborate here. Truly I am grateful that I stand individually before ABBA. That He individually looks after my doings and when my doings violate His Word, He deals with me. He kindles a fire.  Praise Him for that!! And may that fire be so that it burns away and devours all that offends Him. Burns it away in the here and now. I Corinthians sheds more light on why I say that.  Look. See what I mean.

14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
via 1 Corinthians 3:14-16 KJV – If any man’s work abide which he hath – Bible Gateway.

May I heed the fire here and prevent the need for fire there!! So tell me am I alone in this? Any others see and amen this?  Just curious.

And I have something else burning in my soul too. I am as convinced of it as anything in a long while. It is this:

Praying Together Aloud in the Body of Christ will bring the revival fires that some are saying we need not only in the Churches but in America.

It is the gathering together of the People of GOD, coming together, assembling for the expressed purpose of joining voices and hearts in PRAYER that will move the Hand of GOD on behalf of this world.  Closet prayer is a MUST but it is not enough! Gathering together and one leading in prayer and others praying silently is good; there is time and place for that but if we want a Move of the HOLY SPIRIT, we will assemble others (even by telephone) together and we will speak our praise and our petitions before the Throne of GOD. Have we not read that life and death are in the power of the tongue? Have we not read that we are  commanded to speak words of life?

If we want Him to move, we will obey, we will gather together and voice our praise and our petitions to Him and He will hear from heaven and He will heal us and this land. Does He hear and answer individual, voiced only in the heart prayer? Of course He does! It is not He that needs the coming together it is us! We are edified and our own faith is increased when we hear our brothers and sisters pouring out their hearts in fervent, effective, righteous prayer before our Father.  

If you have ever heeded any word you have read here at The White Stone, hear this one: Seek and find the prayer partner/partners that ABBA has for you and voice your praise and petition to Him, together regularly and often!

This has been a long one so I shall not keep you longer.

HOLY SPIRIT, take this writing offering and administer it as You will. Thank You for miracles of healing and miracles of protection we have seen and we pray for more. We ask You to heal our sick and afflicted and to save our wayward, rebellious souls we love so much. Amen and     .

We have the God-given Right to do right in this wrong World,
Praying (PFT)!

Hear Me

Matthew 7: King James Version (KJV)
7 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
via Matthew 7:1-3 KJV – Judge not, that ye be not judged. For – Bible Gateway.

I participated, mostly as a reader, in a Facebook conversation today (Thursday). It is that conversation that prompts me to present this verse to you for this fine Friday morning.

For sure, for sure I smell the hot breath of hell every time today’s cultural interpretation of this verse is thrown as a trump card on the conversation table. Hear me! Such usage of this verse is nothing more than a ploy from the abyss aimed to silence those who know the truth about sin, hell, and eternal life.

Great day in the morning! as my Tennessee family has said.  READ the BIBLE! All of it! In CONTEXT! The WHOLE COUNSEL of GOD warns me that I better tell folks that JUDGMENT has come already upon them if they have NOT believed the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST. 

16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 “He that believeth in Him is not condemned; but He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
via John 3 KJ21 – There was a man of the Pharisees named – Bible Gateway.

Hear me! I am NOT judging them. I am telling them what GOD has already judged.  This I know, any honest soul seeking GOD will be GLAD to hear that they can be forgiven and their sins can be removed from them and placed on the LORD JESUS CHRIST giving them LIFE ETERNAL! What kind of selfish, ungrateful, unloving, unkind, poor excuse for a Christian would I be if I kept quiet and did not share this glorious Gospel at every opportunity?

A quick study of the word Judge in the Greek language as it was first written in our referenced verse can be found HERE. In summary, I understand this word to mean that for me to put a soul asunder from me, to determine, resolve and decree on my own accord apart from what GOD has revealed in His Word that, that soul is worthy of condemnation and banishment from GOD, ineligible for GOD’s forgiveness upon that person’s repentance, would put me in grave danger myself – worthy of GOD’s judgment upon me. 

Are you judging when you say a soul that leaves this world without having exchanged his sin for the Righteousness of JESUS will spend eternity in hell? How could you be? That is what GOD has already said. You are only delivering the Message GOD has commanded all His children to tell.

Are you judging when you say a person engaging in sexual intercourse with a person to whom they are not married is committing sin?  Let me emphatically say to you: No, you are not! GOD has already judged that behavior as sin. Who are we to disagree with Him? 

And sin does not stop with immoral sexual behavior. There’s lying, stealing, murder, gossiping, coveting, bearing false witness, dishonoring your parents, and on and on the list goes — All these behaviors GOD has already decreed to be sin.  We are foolish indeed to disagree with Him.

But a word of caution. A strong caution. To point out the sins of another while we ourselves are failing to obey the Greatest commandments makes us the greatest of hypocrites.

Matthew 22:37-39 King James Version (KJV)
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
via Matthew 22:37-39 KJV – Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love – Bible Gateway.

We have the God-given Right to do right in this wrong World,

ABBA, this is a sobering message and an encouraging one. One to empower us to speak the truth in love; one to give us boldness to love people enough to tell them the truth. I pray that every dear one who comes to this page to read and pray we will be so emboldened with Your Love, mercy, and truth. That we will gladly be instruments in Your hands to rescue others from the danger of hell.  And, ABBA, we come with our sick and afflicted and ask that You heal them. And please rescue and save our wayward ones in JESUS name. And, ABBA, thank You for this great day of National Prayer that we have experienced today, and, ABBA, thank You for watching over Israel and I pray for Peace for them. Amen and         . 

Permanent Record

Perhaps today’s school systems have abandoned permanent records but this morning I was remembering the phrase that was heard from time to time in my school days, not in regards to me, of course :)  : ‘this is going on your permanent record‘!

Permanent Record

It is a sobering thought. You see even if our schools or our society abandon permanent records, GOD does not. Every thought that does not measure up to His perfection, every action that is not pure in motive and perfectly executed goes on our permanent record as SIN.

Daniel 7:9-10 King James Version (KJV)
9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
via Dan 7: 9-10 KJV – I beheld till the thrones were cast – Bible Gateway.

Psalm 53: King James Version (KJV)
2 God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.
3 Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
via Psalm 53:2-4 KJV – God looked down from heaven upon the – Bible Gateway.

Matthew 5:48 King James Version (KJV)
48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
via Matthew 5:48 KJV – Be ye therefore perfect, even as your – Bible Gateway.

See what I mean? GOD keeps a permanent record and if you and I are not PERFECT we will bear the fiery stream for our imperfection – our sin.

I don’t know about you but that is HORRIBLY BAD NEWS if you ask me! The absolute worst of all bad news!

A permanently flawed, permanently bad, permanently imperfect record that cannot be expunged by any effort I make! So tell me does it get any worse than that?

But hold on! There is GOOD news! Glorious! The BEST in the Universe GOOD News!!

23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. via Romans 6:22-23 KJV – But now being made free from sin, and – Bible Gateway.

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. via 2 Corinthians 5:16-18 KJV – Wherefore henceforth know we no man – Bible Gateway.

1 John 4: King James Version (KJV)
9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
via 1 John 4:9-11 KJV – In this was manifested the love of God – Bible Gateway.

So has your permanent record been expunged from your name and placed over into JESUS? Have you been adjudicated to have received His permanent righteous record?

Yes? Then rejoice and be exceedingly glad today!!

No? Then in truth, you have NOTHING to be glad about. REPENT and BELIEVE the GOSPEL of JESUS CHRIST and LIVE! 

Permanent Record!

Who’s permanent record do you want to stand on in the Day of Accounting? HIS or yours? That’s a No Brain-er if you ask me.

ABBA, I had only an inkling when You introduced permanent record in my thinking this morning. My words will never be enough to say thank You to You so, HOLY SPIRIT, I invite You to move me to acts of gratitude. And I pray that for each who comes here to read and pray. Another precious, hurting, gravely ill child was brought to me last night via email for prayer. We are privileged to bring him to You this morning, collectively, asking that You heal him and restore him to his family.  And others, all that comes to mind in all of us we ask that You heal our sick and afflicted and that You save and rescue our lost and wayward. Thank You for saving and rescuing us; for expunging our records and replacing them with Your very Own, LORD JESUS. It is more than we can comprehend but we accept. Thank You. We look forward to worshiping and thanking You Face to face. Amen.

14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
via Mark 1:14-16 KJV – Now after that John was put in prison, – Bible Gateway.

Mark 16: Amplified Bible (AMP)
15 And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach and publish openly the good news (the Gospel) to every creature [of the whole human race].
16 He who believes [who adheres to and trusts in and relies on the Gospel and Him Whom it sets forth] and is baptized will be saved [from the penalty of eternal death]; but he who does not believe [who does not adhere to and trust in and rely on the Gospel and Him Whom it sets forth] will be condemned.
via Mark 16:15-17 AMP – And He said to them, Go into all the – Bible Gateway.

We have the God-given Right to do right in this wrong World,