Thoughts

Thoughs for May and June 2011

"A Challengage to Praise the Lord in all Circumstances-as Praise is What he Desires"

"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."
Hebrews 13:15

When we don't feel like praising Him - in trials, sickness, doctors with no answers, death of loved ones, drug problems, financial problems or just whatever we encounter in our daily lives, we are challenged to give praises to God continually in spite of our circumstances.  These praises are sweet savor offering to the Lord.  Praise is a part of our worship, adoration and thanksgiving.  It is giving to God His worth or His glory.. It is expressing to God what His name means and who He is.  These are words of praise that originate in the heart and come forth out of the mouth as fruit of our lips.  God inhabits the praises of His  people.  He is dwelling in or living in our praises we are making to Him and He is well pleased.  We can look aroung us and complain or we can look around us and praise God for GOD EXPECTS US TO PRAISE Him continually.  Psalm 69:30 "I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving."  We can all find a song to praise the Lord: "...Before I ask for anything, I will thank Him for everything..."  There is a song that has been resonating in my spirit: "PRAY ON JUST A LITTLE WHILE LONGER...EVERYTHING IS GONNA BE ALRIGHT."

A Believer's life journey is a walk of faith with our Father being in charge of the road; therefore  we need to look at all the bumps, detours and road signs from an eternal perspective.  When our faith is put through the test and tried we need to recongnize that real praise is the language of people of faith.

Each day is the Lord's Day and He made it and we can rejoice and be glad in it for He knows what the day holds for us.  It is Satan's desire to sift us as wheat but we can apply what Jesus told Peter - "He has already prayed for us."  Our hearts and lips are praising Him because we know He is with us and knows how much we can bear;  therefore we really can rejoice and be glad.  I read these words form some writer who has written them  in his Bible: "I cannot do it alone! the waves dash fast and high; the fog comes chill around, and the light goes out in the sky.  But I know that we two shall win in the end-Jesus and I.  Coward and wayward and weak, I change with the changing sky.  Today, so strong and brave, tomorrow, too weak to fly.  But He never gives up, so we two shall win-Jesus and I."  In our "hour before the dawn or our midnight hour."

I am reminded of the writer who said that when we see only on set of prints, Jesus is carying us.  As youthese have been some challenging times bout our God is worthy of our praise.

Much Love

Earlean Jones

Thoughs for March and April 2011

"Forgive me Lord, for Complaining, When I'm feeling low.
Just give me a gentle reminder that it's in the Valley I Grow"

The scripture reference for this is  ll Corinthins 1:3-4a "Blessed be God....the father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, who comforted us in all tribulations that we may be able to comfort them which are in trouble."

The mountaintop experiences are great and we thank God for them, but if we had no valleys we would cease to grow.  Afflictious often cause us to seek answers from God.   Sometimes as Believers we don't grow spiritually in our mountaintop experiences as we dethrone God in our lives and forgetting to acknowledge Him and allowing Him to direct our paths.  Often times through circumstances we learn experientially that God is a provider, a deliverer, a healer, a comforter, "a way out of no way" and ever present help in time of trouble and He is working through us and for us. If we did not have the valleys, would we be calling out to Him and seeking His face?  In our valley experiences, when our circumstances overwhelm us and we need comfort and peace we go to our God.  We desire to communicate and fellowdhip with Him.  God delights in providing for our needs as He promised but He wants our total dependency upon Him and for us to demonstrate He is our all-sufficient God.  God  wants our praise and thanksgiving on the mountaintop and in the valley.  As we rest in the valley in Him we are surrendering more to Him, trusting and knowing He is unlimited in what He can and will do for us.  Our responsibility is to trust God, believe His Word and obey Him and leave the rest to Him.  Certainly as we go through these valley experiences, we learn very specifically that our God is our anchor and our rock.  We are forging a deeper relationship with Him and finding joy in His intimacy.  It is in the valley we learn the meaning of "The Lord Standing by Me".  We learn He is in the midst of the valley profiding us with everything we need.

As we stay in our Garden with Him we learn to meditate and memorize His word.  Passages of scripture become more meaningful to us as we seek to apply the truth of scripture.  It is in the valley we realize that it is God who causes us to triumph in Christ.  Christ has already been victorious and someone said we work from the victory not for the victory.  When we don't realize this we become weary because we are striving on our own to win a victory that has already been won. So whether we are surging on the mountaintop or weeping in the valley, with no understanding of the situation, stand firm trusting, and knowing our Lord has already prayed for us and He is holding and keeping us.

Loving Him and You
Earlean Jones






Thoughts for January 2011

"Starting the New Year by Cleaning Our Spiritual House"

Colossians 3: 1a-2 

"If ye then be risen with Christ ...set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth" 

The writer of Hebrews says in 12:1b...let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run the race that is set before us," we are the temple of the Living God and we need to focus on lHis house. Marva Davis reminded us of cleaning our spiritual house in her speech she gave in January 2007.  I have chosen excerpts from that speech that was truly inspiring and encouraging to my heart: This is a strong reminder of what Paul says in Philippians 2:5 "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." 

"...Let's leave behind our negative attitudes because they rob you of your joy and keep you from being strong.  A positive attitude allows God to work miracles in your life.  Let's stop looking back, dwelling on mistakes and failures of the past because they have already been washed clean by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.  Don't let the regrets of yesterday destroy the hopes of tomorrow. Let's throw out worrying because it's getting old and in the way, and keeps you from being you and prevents you from doing things God's way.  When the enemy sees that you are more determined than he is, he'll back down and you'll move forward to new levels of victory.  So stop worrying and start worshiping.  Throw out complaining.  It is based on the attitude of your heart; It's poison and prevents you from receiving all God has for you.  Let us not forget about a Precious Friend who equipped you with everything you need to be successful.  His name is God the father, the Son and the Holy Ghost...He will help you clean house...accept His mercy and forgiveness, and look forward to the wonderful plans He has for your future.  He can take your setbacks and bless you in such a special way that you will become a blessing to others. 

Don't go around talking about your problems: go around talking about your God! 

Don't go around speaking words of defeat; speak words of faith and victory.

We are so thankful that He is so faithful even when we are not.  We thank Him for His promises of victory... with the fruits of our lips we give thanks and praises to Him all the day long.  Continue to follow the example of Christ and let your words and actions bring life to those aroung you."

Thank you so much Marva for your input for this month.  This is worthy of our reflection as we embark upon the year 2011.  We are ever mindful of our overflowing cups for the year 2010 and we are so grateful to God for you being our God and we give Him the glory for being with us.  Pastor Jordan said "It pays to serve Him." 

by Earlean Jone

Thoughts for December 2010:



"God helps us face the music even when we don't like the tune for in the clouds of affliction the eye of faith can always find God's rainbow"

Psalm 34:19 reads " Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivers him our of them all." Problems, trials, pain and suffering are evitable in the sin-infected world but God is our ever-present rainbow in our afflictions. Sometimes we go through really challenging times and seemingly can't find comfort or peace.  We often struggle to hear God's voice in the midst of the pains and we feel He is not there, however we learned in our study of Job that God's silence does not mean He is absent. Remember God is accomplishing something far greater and more permanent than our finite minds can ever hope to understand.

God wants His children to trust Him and one of the lessons Job learned was that God loved Him and knew what He was doing.  God wants to bring us to and understanding of who He is and who we are in Him.  God showed Job He was powerful, eternal, self-existent, sovereign, wise, perfect and just, the Creator and could do as He desired with His creation.

Bob Sorge in his book "Secrets of the Secrets Place" talks about being with God in the secret place.  For me, this shed a new light on the passage in Matthew 6:6 "But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place..." Our Father, who number the very hairs on our head is in the secret place waiting and wanting to talk to us.  Our Great High Priest is in the throne room with ever lasting mercies.  He invites us to come boldly, with confidence to the throne of grace to find help in time of need.  I saw this song in one of our Sunday School's lessons entitled "Rejoice in the Lord" written by Ron Hamilton.  This is needful for any situation.

God never moves without purpose of plan

When trying His servant or molding a man

Give thanks to the Lord though your testing seems long.

In darkness He giveth as song,
I could not see through the shadows ahead:

So I looked at the cross of my Savior instead.

I bowed to the will of the Master that day;

Then peace came and tears fled away.

O rejoice in the Lord.He makes no mistake.

He knoweth the end of each path that I take

For when I am tired and purified I shall come forth as gold"

God made this world for His own design and purpose and we are a part of the master plan with His purpose for our lives.  As He molds and shapes us through suffering His desire is for us to be "conformed to the image of His Son and to grow closer to Him.  He loves us so much and may we bow to His will and may He give us a song in the midst of darkness.

May you be encouraged and challenged to kow our Lord more itimately.
Your Sister in Christ,
Earlean Jones



Thought for November 2010

"Intercessory Praying can be like a wildfire, powerful, spreading uncontrollably and consuming or changing all in its path." II Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and prayer, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." Prayer is a powerful part of our Christian walk and we must grasp the calling for divine intervention for our land.  Remember " the Lord watch over His word to perform it."

Many years ago the Holy Spirit was dealing with me concerning concerted, combined or cooperate praying being needed which led to this Intercessory Prayer Ministry.  The scripture that was always convicting me was ll Chronicles 7:14.  For the last few months we have been focusing on this powerful scripture in our Senior Mission study and becoming more aware of the need to pray.  It is so comforting to know that someone is praying with and for us especially when we are feeling overwhelmed and alone. 

In the Bible we have many classic examples of intercessory praying. Moses in one of his many instances of praying for his people said in Exodus 34:9 "...if I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee go among us ... and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance." Let us not forget Samuel in his response to Isreal in I Samuel 12:23 "Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you," which would be applicable for the church.

In Romans 11:2, Paul said "my heart's desire and prayer for Israel is that they might be saved." Then we have Jesus our Great Intercessor in Romans 8:32b "who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us."  These are just a few occasions of praying on behalf of others.  

All believers should be intercessors, committed to praying as we are admonished to do in l Timothy 2:1-4, "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men...who will have all men to be saved."  The fundamental need of the church is in intercession to bring down strongholds of the enemy, for unity in the body of Christ comforting and supporting others.  There is strength in cooperative praying but never neglect individual praying-time alone with God so pray without ceasing.

These have been some trying and challenging times but our God has shown us, He is able to handle all our concerns and cares; if we would but trust Him to bring peace and assurance.  In our detailed study of ll Chronicles 7:14, we are learning we need to lay aside our differences that are so nonessential and to rely on scriptures to guide our decision making and the Lordship of Jesus Christ to rule our lives.  

We want to move from an understanding of God's word to application, to doing His will. Further, we are praying that God will teach us to be willing to persevere in prayers; bowing before Him each day with hearts of humility with urgency and fevency assuming responsibility for the moral and spiritual erosion of land.  We want to become a praying, spirit filled and a witnessing church leading souls to the kingdom.  We want to be a channel through whose prayers God's blessings can come.

Praying we can be accountable to God and each others to pray.

by Earlean Jones