Super Bowl

At this typing the Super Bowl is nearly done. Perhaps the commercials have rivaled the game. I understand this year’s Half Time Show was considerably tamer than Janet Jackson of years passed and was it Beyoncé last year? I missed both of those. But I did see tonight’s. I’ll try to be wise and harmless here – made me sad and then I marveled at the Grace of GOD. His marvelous grace as He looks over planet earth and does not annihilate us. Oh what a gracious and slow to anger GOD He is!

The Budweiser commercials were indeed heart warming; just flat-out made you feel good. I suppose we should surmise from that if we drink their product it will make us feel good. And did you notice the caveat?   This was my Facebook response to their plea to us.

Cleaning the dishes, hearing Budweiser advise their consumers to drink responsibly and I thought has it ever occurred to them to produce, promote and distribute a product that alters the senses so much that they would release a warning to not imbibe too much all the while wanting to sell more and more so they make more money is the height of hypocrisy and irresponsibility.

So where am I going with all this? I’m not sure. Perhaps I’m just soap boxing this evening. And perhaps I am marveling at how corrupt we humans are and GOD keeps on loving us and keeps on giving us opportunities to change our minds and allow Him to change our lives for the better.

And behind the scenes of the Super Bowl was the Sex Trafficking. I do not have words that could even come close to delving low enough to depict the depravity, the perversion, the heinousness of the souls of those who operate and support this abominable business.  Here is an excerpt from an article; I hope you will use the link below and read the whole article:

Sex-trafficking has evolved into a lucrative business in the US and around the globe. The industry grosses $9.5 billion annually in the US, and an additional $32 billion worldwide. Trafficked women are constantly moved throughout the country so as to avoid drawing the attention of law enforcement officials.

Sadly, many of the women enslaved by the practice are children. Estimates project that there are between 100,000 and 150,000 underage sex workers currently active in the US. On the whole, these women do not enter into the profession willfully, but are lured and kidnapped by pimps and massive sex rings who enslave them in the practice.  via The Ugly Truth Behind The Super Bowl And Sex Trafficking | Elite Daily

The good news is there are organizations out there doing everything they can to rescue as many of these children/women as they can. One such organization is Shared Hope International. I hope you will check them out. Another organization is Pearl Alliance an arm of Messenger International (John and Lisa Bevere) . Let us all pray and seek ABBA for His direction as to what He wants us to do personally. Perhaps it is only to become informed and pray. Perhaps it is more. Let HIM tell us and let us be faithful.

Perhaps there are more Organizations out there working to rescue women and children from this damnable industry; if you know of others and would like for me to post them here, please let me know.

For now let me wrap this up. The Super Bowl has been over now for a while and it’s sleep time. I am grateful for a comfortable home, clean sheets, and a loving husband.  Others are not so fortunate. 

Thinking of them on this 34th day of 2014,

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

via Matthew 25 KJV;CJB – Then shall the kingdom of heaven be – Bible Gateway.

ABBA, I am listening for Your Voice and watching for Your Leading. I pray I will not fail to obey You and I pray You will encourage and provide every resource needed for those out there on the front lines working with You to rescue those enslaved. I pray for others to come alongside and help. I pray You will move me to help however You choose. And I pray for our Readers here, that they will receive Your encouragement, Your comfort, Your love and the many gifts and provisions You have for them and, ABBA, in YESHUA’s Mighty Name there are some close at heart that I am asking You to heal and there are others, again close to heart, that are suffering and I pray for Your Way of relief for them. Thank You for hearing and thank You for answering.

And we in agreement say Amen.

For me to personally pray with you, send me an email.

Kathie

Fresh Again

Surely I knew this. Surely I have seen it before. But today it is fresh again.

16 You did not choose me, I chose you; and I have commissioned you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last; so that whatever you ask from the Father in my name he may give you.
17 This is what I command you: keep loving each other!

via John 15 KJV;CJB – I am the true vine, and my Father is – Bible Gateway.

It’s a popular doctrine in Christendom: when two of us agree and ask (pray)  in JESUS’ name then we get what we prayed for.  Right? I mean we like that doctrine and we readily accept it but are we right to believe it as I just stated?  Based on today’s fresh again, I think not necessarily. I think there is a condition to the ask what you will in HIS name and we will receive. And I think if we do not meet that condition we can agree all we want, but we do not have a guarantee that we will receive.

So what is the condition?
I’m glad you asked. Read again the Text.
What has He commissioned us to do?
Bear Fruit. Fruit that lasts.
What kind of fruit lasts?
The kind that receives an eternal reward. (I Corinthians 3:14-16)

Am I bearing such fruit? Perhaps reading verse 17 will clarify.
What does it say?
Do I love people? (John 13:34-36).
If I am not loving people, especially my brothers and sisters with me in the Christian Faith, then I can be sure that I am not bearing fruit that lasts. I can be sure if I am not loving others I am not demonstrating Galatians 5:21-23.

Yikes! All this could be depressing; a real downer! Because I can tell you right now I DO NOT LOVE PEOPLE PERFECTLY ALL THE TIME! I do not always bear good fruit that will last! There are some days, I am a REAL STINKER by anyone’s standards, especially mine!

But today I have hope! Today I am encouraged! Why? Because He has again shown me this Scripture. He has again reminded me what He requires of me. This means He is NOT done with me and today I have the opportunity to do well in His name!! That is good news! Today I am assured there is hope for me that I can bear good fruit that will last and I can be trained by the HOLY SPIRIT to love as He has commissioned and the day will come when I can be assured that when I ask in His name I will receive!

Please, please take this little nugget with you today: If the HOLY SPIRIT of GOD is still speaking to you, if a little light has come on in your heart today as you have read His Word, that is a SURE PROMISE that HE is NOT finished with you. Today you can lift your will to HIM and start again!!

Blessing Friends on this 6th day of 2014.

Kathie

Right

Is there anything harder in this Christian Life than giving up your right to want to hurt someone who has hurt you especially when they did it knowing it was hurting you but did it anyway?

I am in the process and it is wildly hard.

The mind plays and plays the evil they did; moreover, you told them to stop, even explained the pain and they kept on and finally, you are stuck paying the consequences for their sins.

As I said is there anything harder?

And so you pray and you work remembering Scripture and you pray more and at some point, you surrender your right to want to hurt them because you know that is what is best for you and that is what JESUS desires for you.

Does it make what they did right? Does it cancel their sin? Absolutely not!

Does it make what they did any less malicious? Absolutely not!

Does it mean they will not reap what they have sown? Absolutely not!

Does it mean I will not rejoice when what goes around comes around? Actually yes it does! That is how I know forgiveness has come.

Does it mean when I think of what they have done to me, I will hurt less? Yeah, actually it does.  ONLY JESUS can work a miracle like this!  And I’m looking for a miracle. James 5:16 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

16 Therefore, openly acknowledge your sins to one another, and pray for each other, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

via James 5:16 KJV;CJB – Confess your faults one to another, and – Bible Gateway.

Ephesians 4:32 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted; and forgive each other, just as in the Messiah God has also forgiven you.

via Eph 4:32 KJV;CJB – And be ye kind one to another, – Bible Gateway.


Kathie

Let and Let Not

I picked up John 14 to read this morning, preliminary preparation for Sunday, and I am stopped at the first five words.

“Don’t let yourselves be disturbed.

via John 14 KJV;CJB – Let not your heart be troubled: ye – Bible Gateway.

As you may know this is Yeshua speaking to His Disciples and obviously He is speaking to me and I hope to you this morning. I suppose I could see this as a choice; I can choose to let not that or this disturb me and I am certain that is true. There must be a choice because I have done both – Let and Let Not. And having a choice theology feels good; we like that free will thing. Free to Choose.

But for the Disciples and for me this morning I am sensing more. I think I hear a Loving Command here. As in you are My Disciple so don’t let yourself be disturbed by this and that because I AM here with you.

I like choice. But I think I like this command more. It’s personal. It’s the Voice of the Savior speaking to one of His Own.

Perhaps you’d like to listen and see if you hear a loving command beyond a choice.

Joyous Celebrating of the Savior’s Birth!
Kathie

Do the Math

36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

via Mark 8:35-37 KJV;CJB – For whosoever will save his life shall – Bible Gateway.

What shall it profit a man, a woman, a family if they gain everything they desire in this life and lose their eternal souls to hell?

What shall it profit a man, a woman, a family if they get every material thing they desire in this present life and yet they have no peace, no joy, nor wholeness of being?

What shall it profit a man, a woman, a family if they have all the trinkets the media flashes before them but they forget, reject, turn away from the GIFT of Eternity – JESUS, the CHRIST?

And what is profit anyway?  This was interesting:

Profit (accounting), the difference between the purchase price and the costs of bringing to market via Profit – Ask.com Encyclopedia.

And this one:

d. The amount received for a commodity or service in excess of the original cost. via profit – definition of profit by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia..

Perhaps we are asked to ‘do the math’. Perhaps ABBA is asking me to do the math today; not so much for myself in regards to my eternal destination – that has been settled – but for others? How much are they worth to me? How much are they worth to you? And who is they? Any soul the HOLY SPIRIT brings into our sphere of influence today? Any soul HE opens a door of utterance to whom we can speak a word of encouragement, a word of warning, a word of hope.

I’m glad I woke up this morning with ‘what shall it profit’ calling to me.

Thank You, ABBA, I need this. I pray HOLY SPIRIT that I do not allow this message to be unprofitable to Your Kingdom work today or my own soul.

Joyous Celebrating of the Savior’s Birth!

Kathie