I agree that our words absolutely reflect our attitudes, and do have an affect on our daily lives, but it has dawned on me that we are speaking of different things.
You see Therese, some times, things happen in our lives that are out of our control...sometimes we can't 'rebuke' them, we ask the Lord for healing, and HE says 'no' because He has a higher purpose. These are the times when our faith is tested. We know from God's Word that He does not have favourites. We know HE will never leave us nor forsake us. We know HE has overcome this world completely. We know, that in our suffering, we are to count it all as Joy... We Know when we are weak, He is Strong.. But, in those times, it is HARD! Not easy!
Therese, I hope and pray that you will receive blessings your entire life long.. I also hope and pray, that when you meet people who are suffering and trusting in Christ with all they have, and all that they are, that you will weep with them when they weep...and when they turn to rejoicing, you will rejoice! Our God is an Awesome God! Amen! But in times of real trial, and testing of faith, it is hard.
You are 100% right.. when we focus on Jesus and not on ourselves, it is easier.. but I am speaking of things much deeper then a sunny or snowy day!
thank you Carla for your prayer, I appreciate it, and I appreciate the fact and the truth from God's word that, Surely goodness and mercy shall follow you and I all the days of our lives: and we will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Jesus wept and we His followers should weep with and for those who deserve the weeping and again this (is my opinion), there is difference between weeping and pity party, may God our Father give you and I the discerment to know the difference in Jesus name.
You are right on this one, circumstances happen and our faith gets tested, I sure know that, because I lived it :) I am so thankful now that during those times in my life when my faith was tested to speak what the enemy wanted me to speak and it was nothing but defeat and discouragement. that I clang to the Word of God and trusted in Christ Jesus and His love and what He did for me and how His promises were my light and hope, I am so thankful to God for giving me the discerment and the courage to know the difference and follow His spirit and His guiding.
You know, I have been thinking on this for some time now, since you posted, and I would have to say, yes, God does have favorites....
However, I would like to clarify that.
I am not saying that he loves one over another, because that would not be right. However, does not your love for your children, increase, when they are obedient to you?
Yes, I think it does....and again, that is not to say that we make a difference in our children.... it is not right to love one over the other.....
however, think how it makes you feel..... when your child comes to you often....telling you how much he/she loves you.... being willing to jump at your request......not dragging their feet and kicking and screaming....
You know in your heart, that you are going to feel very good concerning this obedient child....
and the disobedient child, is going to challange you in every way, he/she is going to bring you grief....
it is going to take much fortitude on your part, to continue to love this child, in spite of everything that he/she is doing.
Is it not?
I say it is, and this is speaking from a human standpoint..... from a mothers heart, and a grandmothers heart....and from a Christian perspective.
Think thru this..... and tell me if this is not so?
So, in this sense.... I would have to say, that Yes... I believe God has favorites....
and those favorities....are those who are obedient to his will.
Did Jesus not say, "IF YOU LOVE ME...OBEY MY COMMANDS???"
Did he not say, "Who is my mother, my father, my sisters and my brothers???"
And again, what was his answer?
It was... "Those who do the will of the one who sent me, these are my mother, my father, my sisters and my brothers."
The cool thing about GOD, IS THAT WE CAN ALL BE HIS FAVORITE....
BUT, IT IS GOING TO COST US.....OBEDIENCE....TO HIS WILL.
ARE YOU WILLING TO PAY THE COST, TO BE CONSIDERED AS A FAVORITE?
I posted before reading the replies, yours included. I hope there is no misunderstanding in the words of my post, there were none meant, and I hope that I was able to say what was in my heart.
I identify with what you have said, concerning the affliction... that could not be rebuked....as I have been walking in it.....for the first time, in the 24 years that I have been serving the Lord.
I was baffled.....when prayer did not bring relief......and this caused me to cry out all the more.... I am sure you are aware of my posts of late, asking for help? If not, read thru them, I think it will help to clarify.
God does in fact, send affliction, ( I am living proof of this, and sounds like you are too ) But.... he sends it for a reason and a purpose. It is not his intent to ignore our prayers....nor is it his intent for us to suffer needlessly.
In times like this, our enemy would set on our shoulders and say things like "God does not love you...you have been disobedient... or who do you think you are? or might as well quit.....God is not hearing your prayers.... or a zillion other lies.....that he speaks to throw us off track......
However, the word of our God, says that "My sheep will hear my voice, and will not follow another " Praise God for this.... and praise God for perserverance.....on the parts of the afflicted saints.....
our suffering is not/will not go unrewarded......
out of this, will come great blessings....for each of us, and for the Body of Christ in general.
(See my recent post, The Handwriting is on the Wall )
I love you and God loves you more.... let us love one another with a fervant love....one that many waters cannot quench..
Let us be about our Fathers business......
Let us allow him to speak to us and thru us..... as a unbelieving world looks on.
God will have the last say....always. In every situation.... all we have to do is hang on..... to him.
Thank you for your responses. And you are right! Regardless of what is going on, we must keep our eyes on Christ. I know God loves me..
In the next month I am going to be undergoing open heart surgery.. Yes, right now is hard, but God is proving His Love to me. He wants me to be assured of His Love, and His protection. My heart is for Him, to Shine for Jesus. All I want to do is read my bible right now.. That is not always possible for me, but I am constantly crying out to God in this. I know God has a purpose in all this, so I am trying my best to trust in Him..... I am feeling more and more peaceful as time goes on.
Therese is right, we are to weep with those who are weeping, but there is a difference between that and a pity party.. I found out about my heart last Tuesday, and my pity party is almost over. Thank you Therese for those words, they have snapped me back to what really matters. Our lives are for Jesus... However, there are times when He wants to carry us, and I know that right now is one of those times in my life. Gayla, perhaps, this is true for you now also... It is difficult to face sickness, disease....and death is the final test of our faith...
These verses have kept me going, today and the past few days..
Psalm 33:18
John 16:33
James 1:2-4
psalm 23
Hebrews 11:1
Psalm 62:5
There have been many circumstances lately in my life leading up to this one which have been hard. (My son was just in the hospital for a week with a bone infection..now he is healing)...as I come through each thing, God has shown me how HE is taking care of everything.. He is so faithful.. My message yesterday is partially for the purpose to remind people (including myself), that when brothers and sisters are going thru a rough patch..be with them as much as you can to encourage them, pray, read God's Word with them, they really need it! I am truly understanding the importance of fellowship from this perspective also.
Dear Carla,
I am sorry my sister for what you and your family are going through, but I am thanking God for His love that is going to bring you stronger than ever, you shall live right here on earth and speak of the goodness and love of our Lord to your husband, your children and their children and they all are going to listen and call you blessed. I declare that what you are going through now is going to turn for your favor and you will have an awesome testimony and i declare that who God blessed no man can curse in Jesus name.
I appreciate the scriptures you are holding on and the one that I hold on when trouble comes is 23 especially verse 5 and 6. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
I am going to share a time in my life where my husband stayed without work for three full years. During those years, the only thing that kept my sanity is the word of God and nothing else, absolutely nothing else. Very well and with good intentions, I had family members and saved friends who would come to me and say things like: poor thing, how are you guys doing? this is horrible, it is so hard to find a job in this area, he has to settle for lot less, I know, so sad, oh, poor thing. I can honestly say that by the grace of God and only His grace that I was able to give His response to these people, the ONLY words that came out from my mouth are things like: God is faithful, God always come on time, God is never late. I held God's words very highly and did not speak anything that opposes the word and mostly I asked God to forgive me for anything I did or my husband to bring this unemployement . I never ever engaged in self pity nor I ever put my husband down, God really truly was faithful to us in those times and is always faithful. God is the One who has the final say, Yes, my husband is saved but he needed encouragement and it was hard on me to see him discouraged, I prayed so many times that God would encourage him and cause him to speak life over his situation and I waited patiently.
Yes, it is the grace of God, it is His faithfiulness to us that keep us and He certainly teach us how to fight and how to use His word, bless His name.
A Psalm of David 144:1 Blessed be the LORD, my rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle;
Love and Blessings to you too Carla,
Your sister Therese.
If you want to be one of Gods favorites, you must be willing to walk in the valley of humiliation.... the valley of suffering..... you must be willing to keep on serving him, no matter what the cost.....
He told me, that my walk with him, was going to cost me everything......
Every time something else is removed from my life...
I think of his words....
wondering.... truly.....what everything includes?
Trusting....in the face of adversity....
refusing the devils taught's.....
go ahead and off yourself... God does not hear you. (can you hear him now???
If you are someone God is preparing to be used mightly of him, in the end times, of which we now live....
you will hear that voice... be prepared.
The theif comes to steal....kill and destroy...and Gods children, (esp. the ones he is preparing for service ) are the targets of his rage. He cannot hurt God, except thru his children.
He delights in hurting or harming us in any way possible, however, the good news I believe is that before he can touch a hair on our heads, he must get permission from the Father... (like the devil did to Job ) . So, there is great peace in knowing this....
There is safety in this.... knowing that our God, always has our best interest at heart...... no matter, what things seem like, feel like, or look like..... we are the apple of his eye.... (his grafted in children ) we are special to him, we are important to him....we matter greatly to him.
Shake off anything else....for it is not from God.... but from the enemy of our souls.
Carla... I don't think I was very sensitve in my last post.. I had not read your reply until after I posted... I was still thinking on the original post.
God is faithful....and he will bring you thru. And yes... fellowship is very very good..... esp. at times when we are weakened by what we are going thru.
We can and will pray for you... and hold you up, and be behind you..... God has carried us thru soooooo much... and he is no respector of persons, what he will do for one, he will do for all... if we trust him, and I know that you do.
He went thru open heart surgery about 20 years ago.... then... God led the drs. to find a very big aortic aneurysum...... it was so big, it scared the dr, as he was just a MD... he wanted us out of his office as fast as possible.. I really think he was afraid it would burst while we were there. We went back to the hospital that had taken care of him, and they brought him thru this one too... (however, our eyes are always on Jesus...not on man.... but, we do pray asking for Gods guidance in the whole situation..... and God has never failed to honor our faith. Right now, he is recovering from his last surgery.... a twisted intestine.... (and he ran into someone today, who lost their loved one, from the same surgery )
Father God, we thank you that you know who trusts in you....and for the fact that you never fail your children.... I thank you for the faith that we need to see us thru anything that we face. I ask you to comfort Carla in this situation, giving her your peace that passes understanding, and that you guide this surgery every step of the way... I ask for the right drs. the right surgical staff.... the right hospital... and I ask for no mistakes to be made, nor shall any infection come near her. I pray that she will see you every step of the way... feeling your love all around her..... in the ones who are caring for her. I pray that all will go well....and she will come thru with flying colors, and this will be part of her testimony, of how your love carried her thru. We give you praise ahead of time, for what you are willing to do. Amen. (((((hugs)))
Let us know how you are doing..... We love you and God loves you more !!!!!
Yes - God has favorites. I know because i am His favorite hahaha hahaha J/K you all! Don't you lynch me for cracking my self up ok. hahaha
2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.”
This is the truth of the matter, you seek God and all His righteousness and hey, He will add everything else unto you.
Delight in His word and He will give you the desires of your heart.
2 Timothy 2:20
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor.
are you sure it was not an angel impersonating our Lord, i mean Joseph Smith and others claim there information came from God, Cause I know He told me I'm His favorite and He don’t lie. hahaahaha
How about this - All of us after God's own heart, are His favorite!