I think of myself as a person who sees the glass half full, and thinks that the best thing possible will come out of any situation, but, there is one thing I really cannot get past and that is a person who can look you straight in the eyes and lie. Tonight I was watching a TV show, The Biggest Loser. I love that show because you see people changing inside as the man in the mirror changes. Aside from the trainers making life hard, they are really in a great spot to do something good for their own self, but tonight I wanted to throw things at my TV because of one of the women, who turned out to be a total liar! Nothing is more insufferable than that. Everyone turned against her and now she needs to watch her back. I watched as life played out right there in front of me, which is why it angered me so much. We deal with people in our lives everyday that we have to trust. Once that trust is broken it is seldom, if ever, regained with me. I have quoted Psalm 116:11 I said in my haste, all men are liars, more than I want to admit. God forgives us, IF we ASK Him according to Romans 10:10 The word that saves is right here, as near as the tongue in your mouth, as close as the heart in your chest.It's the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to God—"Jesus is my Master"—embracing, body and soul, God's work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That's it. You're not "doing" anything; you're simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That's salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: "God has set everything right between him and me!" I can forgive, because I have to in order to be right myself, it is the "forgetting" part I have a problem with. I can't understand how a person can just "throw somebody under the bus" for any reason! Some people have the idea that their "church" life and their "work" or "social" life are all lived in separate compartments! We have to remember that when we confess Jesus as our Lord we want to live as He did, as closely as we can. Jesus didn't lie and even at the time of death didn't curse Judas and then forgave the man hanging on a cross next to Him. Now that was real forgiveness, wasn't it, as I said last week, he never had time to be baptised in water, receive the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, do a good deed, visit the sick or give in the tithe and offerings, yet he was totally forgiven and Jesus told him that he would dine with Him in Paradise that night! So if we live as our best example, Jesus, we have to forgive and remember that we cannot tell lies! Revelation 21:8

“But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”  All this came from seeing that one woman so blatantly lie on that show, sending two men who needed to be there, home. I actually cried, it was too sad.It struck me so hard I thought maybe someone who reads this needed to see it is not acceptable behavior for ANYone, but most especially someone who professes to be a Christian! Just think about it. Don't want to sound mean, I want to stretch the truth myself sometimes, but we have to remember that there are no "white" lies! Better to say nothing at all than be caught in that situation. Be blessed, pray, watch what you say! Contact me at Harolene@att.net

What happens when you feel that you have done everything you are supposed to do, like paying your tithe and giving offerings, volunteering to feed the poor and take meals on wheels, work in the nursery on Sunday morning when you would rather be sitting in the service, and then you pray and feel that you have hit the wall, no answer? I saw someone today to which that scenario applies. This person is kind and gentle and good, gives generously of their income and volunteers to help the "old folk" and anyone that is down on their luck, yet when I saw them, their eyes were brimming with unspilt tears and a look that would melt your heart. It is at times like this that I would give everything in me to be rich enough to solve the problem at hand. What do you say? The truth is so simple that it sounds cliche', it is that when you are doing good it is the devil's job to try you at every level, to see if you will turn aside from your faith so that he can devour you, soul and body. When Job was tried, he suffered the loss of his family and his properties, plus he was covered with boils! He sat on a dung heap and scraped them with a broken piece of pottery, just trying to feel better. He went from bad to worse and then his wife capped it all off by asking him why he didn't just "curse God and die"! Job was faithful in the face of losing everything and then endured all his well meaning friends, commonly referred to as "Job's comforters", telling him that he must have lived in sin or displeased God in some way or this would not be happening to him. It wasn't until Job, feeling lower than a snake's belly, actually prayed for those "friends", that is when God put a halt to all that Satan had put on him. From that point his fortune began to rebuild, he had more children, he regained his properties, he had it all and on top of that, seven times more! WOW! Satan had thrown it up to God that He had protected Job, and said "Does Job serve God for nothing? You have put a hedge around him!" That is when God gave Satan permission to try Job in whatever way he wanted, except he could not take his life. I am sure there were times that Job, and perhaps YOU, have wished you could just die to get out of all your troubles. But consider this, have you armed yourself against this enemy of your soul? Ephesians 6:12-18 And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.This was written by the Apostle to the Christian church of the day, he was giving them the best advice he could! Did you notice he encouraged them to PRAY for their brothers and sisters? Are YOU having a hard time? Does it feel like your prayers are hitting the ceiling and falling back in your face? Well, dear Reader. ARM yourself, I've said it before, I've said it again! Be Blessed, pray, pull up those armed drawers Fight!

It can be good bad or indifferent, but it does come back to you, the way a boomerang comes back to the one who throws it. Since I was a little girl I have heard my dad use this misquote, both in sermons and at the table: "Cast your bread upon the waters and after many days it will return unto you pound cake!" Well King James literally says: Ecclesiastes 11:1 Cast your bread upon the waters,For you will find it after many days. I have seen financial miracles happen all my life, from the time I was just a small girl hearing my dad cry out to the Lord for help and having it come by someone coming to the door with food, or money, to a letter in the mail. There was a time, I was eight just old enough to worry, that I heard daddy praying such a prayer. Next day a letter came in the mail that looked like it had been through a war zone it was so beat up! It was simply addressed to Harry Mushegan, Tennessee. That letter had traveled from L A, Ca., to Tennessee, to N.C., S.C. and back to Tennessee forwarded by people that thought they knew where he was. But the day it reached him was the day he needed it most, it contained the amount of money he had prayed so earnestly for. To him that was a perfect example of "casting your bread upon the waters", he made it clear to us that as He had always been a giver and a helper, in turn, God inspired the person who sent the letter to send it so that it would reach him just at the right time. It has passed on to my siblings and me, that need to give to God, not because we expected return, but because we wanted to, but the results have always been the same, we have seen God move on our behalf over and over again. I have heard people say "No good deed goes unpunished," meaning that anytime they try to do good or help something always seems to go wrong. That may be the case sometimes and I think it's a roadblock put there by Satan who is trying to deter us and keep us from being blessed. Tonight something happend that was a return after many years, something I had forgotten about, the Lord allowed me to see a prophecy come to fruition and have it recognized by the person who had received it. I used to conduct a prayer meeting on Friday night, it was a wonderful time, a time for people to come and have their personal needs prayed for, or to pray for the Holy Spirit to come into their life, or just seek a closer walk with Him. During this time a young man, 18 the time, had come for prayer and the Lord used me to give him a word. That was 33 years ago, I have never thought of it again, until tonight. This man gave a testimony of how God has prospered him in business from taking a job right out of high school to becoming the VP of a major company, not just in this city but in the world. In this testimony he gave them words, he had remembered them all these years, praise be to God Almighty from Whom all blessings flow. I had the feeling lately that nothing I had done was of any real value and I pray over what I say in this venue to you, the dear Reader, hoping that your life will be touched or changed. Not looking for any praise, just the knowledge that I am using the talent or gift that God has given me to be of service in His Kingdom, and He used this testimony to remind me of something from long ago, the bread of time and prayer and effort, returned to me the pound cake of blessing, the knowing that I had, by being a yielded vessel of the Lord, helped somebody as I passed along (sounds familiar). This is what I am saying to you for Monday, September 28, 2009: Cast the bread of good deeds, a smile, a random act of kindness, offerings to the Lord, both of your personal time and your money, and see it come back to you, and I promise you it WILL! Be blessed, pray, look for your bread!

Now you don't! There is a TV show that my grandson loves to watch, it is "Magic's Greatest Secrets Revealed", the mystery is taken out of all the tricks that we see and amaze us! As I was working in the kitchen and keeping one eye on what he was watching I heard him say to his sister "There is nothing magic, it is all illusion!" True, in that world it depends on slight of hand and how good the man performing it is. Deception and it's synonyms are: deception, fraud, double-dealing, subterfuge, trickery mean the acts or practices of one who deliberately deceives. deception<magicians are masters of deception>. fraud always implies guilt and often criminality in act or practice <indicted for fraud>. double-dealing<a go-between suspected of double-dealing>. subterfuge suggests the adoption of a stratagem or the telling of a lie in order to escape guilt or to gain an end <obtained the papers by subterfuge>. trickery implies ingenious acts intended to dupe or cheat. We recognize the Magician, but what about Satan, the accuser (and deceiver) Rev. 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. He continues today with us trying to convince us that there are other ways to God outside of Jesus! When you believe that, you are accepting a lie! Jesus warned us to be careful about being deceived in Matthew 24:4-24 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. The last line says "they shall deceive the very elect" if you believe you cannot be fooled, then you are deceived already! Jesus is the only way to God, He loves you, cares for and heals you! Be Blessed, pray, be armed with the Word, be not deceived, God is not mocked! (Thanks for your comments, email me at Harolene@att.net with thoughts, questions, ideas!)

If you have a pain on the left side of your chest, you will think you are having a heart attack and go to the emergency room.There are warning signals given to us by our body that we need to pay attention to. God has been giving us warning signals for years that His coming is near but, as was prophesied by the Apostle Peter, 2Peter 3:4 First off, you need to know that in the last days, mockers are going to have a heyday. Reducing everything to the level of their puny feelings, they'll mock, "So what's happened to the promise of his Coming? Our ancestors are dead and buried, and everything's going on just as it has from the first day of creation. Nothing's changed." He may come for you or me before He comes through the clouds for all Christians! This year He has called three people that were close to me home, they are in that great cloud of witnessess that we read of in Hebrews 12:1-3 Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!

We know right from wrong and sometimes, just choose the wrong path. It is our responsibility to, not only, search out and find the path the Lord wants us to take, but to lead others, especially our young people, to the right path! We have to do more than just tell them about the good paths, but TAKE them there, SHOW them the way!  Jeremiah 6:16-21 God's Message yet again: "Go stand at the crossroads and look around. Ask for directions to the old road,The tried-and-true road. Then take it. Discover the right route for your souls. But they said, 'Nothing doing. We aren't going that way.'I even provided watchmen for them to warn them, to set off the alarm. But the people said, 'It's a false alarm. It doesn't concern us.'And so I'm calling in the nations as witnesses: 'Watch, witnesses, what happens to them!' And, 'Pay attention, Earth! Don't miss these bulletins.' I'm visiting catastrophe on this people, the end result of the games they've been playing with me.They've ignored everything I've said,had nothing but contempt for my teaching.What would I want with incense brought in from Sheba, rare spices from exotic places? Your burnt sacrifices in worship give me no pleasure. Your religious rituals mean nothing to me." Take a look at yourself, what path are you on? Be blessed, pray!