Loved and Protected

What does it mean to praise God with a sincere heart? It means to admit He is Creator, sovereign over everything, to submit to His leadership, and to give Him His due, our sincere adoration.

So why do I claim it has amazing power? If we read God’s Word we see over and over how praise altered the course of history, from the Old Testament clear through to the New.

Remember Joshua and the battle at Jericho? In a powerful and visible object lesson to us, the Children of Israel were to march around the city seven times then beat on their pots, blow their trumpets, and shout to the Lord in praise. And what happened? They didn’t raise a single hand in the battle except to obey that command, and yet the walls tumbled, leaving not a single stone upon another.

There are myriad other examples, and Scripture goes so far as to say: Send the praise team first, send the worshipers first, before the troops that go into battle. Now I can’t imagine what the praise team thought knowing they would be willing targets of the enemy, unless God protected them, but that’s how powerful praise is. Sincere praise is one of our most powerful weapons of warfare.

True praise and worship do change the course of history, but they serve another purpose that’s just as important. They have the power to change us on the inside, allowing God to be exalted, taking His rightful place, as our Protector and Provider. And when we do that, He touches our hearts, filling them with comfort, confidence and even boldness that can’t be obtained from any other source.

We have incredible power when we exalt our God. During the tough times that come upon us, we need to use such a powerful weapon. And allow that praise to build our faith.

If we keep our eyes on Christ, praising Him and praying in the spirit at every opportunity, we will by the power of the Spirit of God, change the course of history, and hide ourselves in the secret place. Our perspective will be God’s as we see through His eyes, exactly what is important. We cannot get such perspective anywhere else.

Be encouraged, children of God, for He is all-powerful, and we are His tools. We will see great things as we continue in praise without faltering.

Hallelujah to our King of Kings, for His is coming soon!

Because of His great love,

Nancy

Have you noticed how easy it is to get off track as a Christian? How easy it is to fixate on certain aspects of our relationship with God, and neglect others?

Our day is known for grace. And though grace is a good thing, I see something happening that isn’t so good. I call it “gracing out.” This happens when we forget that the God we serve is the same one who struck down sinful men with a single word. Who sent a ball of fire to consume Sodom and Gomorrah and destroyed the earth with a flood. He’s the same God who said, “Be ye holy, for I am holy.” Our God is a good and gentle God, a tender-hearted Father to those who love and serve Him with their whole hearts. But He is something else entirely to those who take Him for granted, and continue on in their sin.

He is a God of judgment. Scripture says God does not change, so the God who opened the earth to consume Dathan and Abiram in Genesis, is the same God we serve today. We dare not take lightly His grace and mercy, for He can become our judge in an instant.

I don’t know about you, but everything I see reflects His hand of judgment on our nation. The terrible winds, driving rain and thunderstorms, drought, flooding, fires, tornadoes, economic downturns, job losses, power outages–all these things are ongoing and unusual, and they portend worse things to come.

And why shouldn’t He judge us? We have removed His name from our courthouses, schools and money, and have flaunted our sin in His face. So how dare we think we won’t face judgment?

Before this is over, the Bible says every knee will bow and confess that He is Lord and there is no other. We are now standing at a crossroads, one a narrow, steep path that Scripture says the righteous walk on. The other is the wide way, full of men going in the wrong direction. And time is very short, I believe, until we will see God, whether we believed in Him or not, and we will be forced to look Him in the eye, and be judged for what we have done in the flesh.

It’s time to bow down, body, soul and spirit, hook, line and sinker withholding nothing, because if we are not His, we will have chosen our course, apart from Him.

The time is now to search our hearts, making Jesus Lord over every nook and cranny, cleaning out the secret compartments that hold sin, repenting, putting them under the blood, and forsaking them forever. For even we as believers will be judged for what’s in our hearts, and nothing will be hidden in the end.

I can’t even imagine the shock and dismay some will face believing they were saved when God says, “Depart from Me ye workers of iniquity. I never knew you.” Those who held onto secret sin, who had their own agenda, those who preached another gospel, who promised prosperity in exchange for cash, will be judged.

Scripture says men will say, “Haven’t I preached in Your name? Didn’t I minister to the hurting and heal the sick and give money to the poor?” And Jesus will say, “Depart, and be cast into outer darkness where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

You see, He knows our hearts and can read our motives, and if they are impure, it won’t be a secret from God.

We dare not take for granted the marvelous grace of God any longer. We must worship Him in spirit and in truth, and do right, for time is short and judgment is at the door.

Let him who has ears hear the Word of the Lord!

Because of His great love,

Nancy

What does it mean to listen to the voice of the Spirit? How can a spirit speak when it has no body, no audible voice? All human beings are made up of body, soul and spirit, and as Scripture says, “Deep calls unto deep,” with the voice of the Spirit speaking to our spirit.

When God’s Spirit speaks, however, it’s only to hearts that are tuned to hear, who are either searching for God or already in a relationship with Him. Others will fail to hear when He speaks, because His voice is not welcome. John 3:20 says, “For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.” When the Spirit or the Word speaks and sinful men receive it, it demands repentance. Because this is so they avoid it at all costs.

Once we are born in the spirit, we are children of God, and have new and sensitive spiritual ears that hear when He speaks–that is, if we are not too distracted by the things of the world, to hear His still, small voice.

So what does it sound like? It’s an overwhelming sense of something that we cannot deny, though, of course, it isn’t audible with human ears. And if we are listening, we may not, at first, grasp His message, but if we don’t ignore Him, but listen, He will confirm His message so that we know He has spoken.

So what is the Lord speaking to you? Are you open to His voice? Have you already decided to obey or to disobey? Have you already given Him an ultimatum? A true follower of God will choose before hand to obey no matter what the request.

The thing about the voice of the Spirit is that He always has our best interests in mind. He speaks to protect, convict, and move us in directions that are for our good. So what does that mean in our day? It means that as times get tougher and the rules no longer favor Christians and righteousness, we will need to listen to the voice of the Spirit, merely to survive and even more if we are to be bold, witnessing while there’s still time, to others, who may be ready to listen for the very first time.

If we think of it, we are tremendously privileged to be part of God’s amazing plan. He doesn’t really need our involvement, but has chosen to use us. I find that truth incredible. What more could we desire than to be part of the plan of God, a useful tool in our Master’s hand?

There’s no more time to ride the fence. It’s time to choose whose side we are on. Let’s get back to the basics, loving God with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength, for that is where we will find fulfillment and be blessed.

Because of His great love,

Nancy

As bad as the news is these days, I’m amazed to see that I’m not terrified and in a panic. Of course, those tendencies are still there, but as long as I run to my secret place, with God, and dump all those fears, asking Him to replace them with peace, I can go on, putting one foot in front of the other, doing the next thing, knowing He’s in control.

This year He’s clearly proven Himself again and again, making a way where there was no way, from a human viewpoint. He’s listened to me, lifted me up, and worked out every detail of our lives. This is a good thing, because it only reinforces what I’ve always said I believed–that He’s sovereign and on top of every situation. It’s built my faith, so that when things are hard I can trust Him again.

My good friend Gideon Mudenyo, a pastor/evangelist in Kenya, can probably testify with even more power, because God is doing an amazing work amid famine, drought, death and destruction/ civil war. In His latest note to me he said to keep praying, because things are desperate, but no matter what happens, Jesus is still worthy of their praise. Isn’t that an incredible testimony? That in the middle of terrifying situations, He is still God, still sovereign, and is working among them to win souls and give hope where in human terms, there is none.

It sounds to me like a worldwide economic crash is coming, and of course, I hate as much as anyone else to believe that, but if it’s true, we are wise if we prepare our hearts and minds, placing our trust on the only One who can help us–God.

He cares that we are frightened, but again, He says 365 times in His Word, “Fear not.” He is in control even when things look out of control. He has ordained the circumstances that plague mankind now, as a judgment for unrepentant hearts that have been warned time and again.

So now is the time for us as believers to seek Him with all our hearts, souls, minds, and bodies, and practice talking to Him, dumping our junk in His lap, and receiving His peace. We must be ready to hear and obey His voice when He speaks, because He may ask us to do things that do not seem logical in the least. But He always knows exactly what He’s doing, and we would do well to get behind Him, and in so doing, save our very lives until the end.

I did hear something the other day that encouraged me. Franklin Graham, the son of Billy Graham, said he believes we only have to look at Scripture to see the pattern regarding whether we will be here for the Tribulation. He said that in every situation, God always removed His own to safety before releasing His judgment and wrath. Before burning Sodom and Gomorrah God removed Lot and his family. Before flooding the earth, He removed Noah and his family. And He will remove us before He pours out His wrath.

Because I had never thought of it in those terms I immediately had to agree with him, because God’s Word is the model for how He operates from the beginning of time until the end. We can count on that.

But now is the time to begin praying fervently for the salvation of those we love, for sharing the gospel and giving God our very best. While there’s still time.

Because of His great love,

Nancy

Every time we take communion, we do it “In remembrance of Me.” From the beginning God knew we would be easily distracted and rather forgetful, so He repeated those words over and over in Scripture–for our benefit, not His. Why do I say that?

We can all see what’s happening. The powers that be are pushing for a one-world government that will, ultimately open its arms and embrace the Antichrist. It won’t be an easy time for anyone on earth, and though Christ will draw near to His own, it won’t be easy for believers either.

During times like these it will be important for us to remember Him, and His promises, the stories in Scripture that clearly remind us of God’s tender love, protection and provision. Over and over He instructed the Children of Israel build monuments of twelve large stones to, especially in their minds, mark the place, staking a claim to memories of God’s power moving in their lives.

You and I are going to need to be fully grounded in our ability to believe God for answers and direction when the times comes, so we need to submerge our hearts and minds in His Word, to sustain us.

What else is there? It doesn’t take a genius to see that, not just the US, but the entire world economy is going down, leaving us all scrambling for answers. Those who refuse to bow down to God, will look for and demand answers from men and government, setting the stage for one world government and end times prophecy to unfold.

But you and I as Christians who love Jesus need to refuse those things, asking for discernment and courage, because we will be swimming against a very powerful tide, one that no longer welcomes us or sees us as wise.

But we know better. We know that time is running out, and Jesus is coming soon. So we need to redeem the time, for the days are evil. Get into the Word, study, meditate on it, and memorize it. He that winneth souls is wise. Let him who has ears to hear, hear the Word of the Lord!

Because of His great love,

Nancy

Philippians 2:2, and v. 5: “Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus.” 

We often hear the term ”the mind of Christ” used these days. And though it’s not specified in exactly those words in Scripture, the meaning is clear. It means that we who are mere mortals can approach the throne of God and ask Him to allow us to see things as He does. Incredible, isn’t it?

But it also comes with great reponsibility. We must submit our hearts and minds to Him and let go of our preconceived notions and expectations, letting Him replace them with His insights and wisdom.

Do we do this easily? I believe that’s the rub–the main reason why more people aren’t willing to yield themselves completely to God. They think they’re giving up their autonomy, the one thing we humans grasp tightly with both hands until the day we die.

The thing is, we don’t realize that when we submit to God we’re giving up nothing but tattered rags in exchange for riches untold–the riches of understanding and discernment that God offers so freely. He wants us to be equipped to deal with the world and the devil, and He wants us to come out victorious in the battle. But often we are shortsighted and can only see what we’re losing, which, in the end, is not lost at all, but is only strengthened by God’s presence. God doesn’t take away our autonomy as much as He merges it with His will and purpose for our lives, strengthening us in our inner man to be effective, doing exactly what we’re meant to do. And in its own way, that fulfills us.

It’s much like a little child who is trying to use a piece of equipment he is unfamiliar with and hasn’t the skill to use. When he does it himself the end product is never satisfactory and he is repeatedly frustrated But when his father comes along and sets him on his lap and the two do it together, not only is the end product a masterpiece, but they have fun being together, working in sync to make something special happen. And in the process the child learns new skills that will benefit him as he grows older.

Going it alone is also dangerous because without God we as humans, are powerless against the wiles of the enemy. And lest we think otherwise, the devil’s influence is not limited to those who believe he exists. In fact, he is much more effective when people deny his existence. Subterfuge at its sneaky best.

Seeing and discerning with the mind of Christ will be ever more vital as time passes and things get tougher. Especially since the devil is unleashing all he has on the world, knowing his time is short. Scripture says he deceiver will do his best to confuse and fool us all, even the elect, if possible.

That makes it all the more important for us to draw near to God, repenting of our sin, and making Jesus the reason we live, giving Him first place in our lives. If we want to come out on the side of heaven and God, we absolutely must not neglect doing the things that will get us there.

Jesus is coming soon, so let’s make haste to do His will.

Because of His great love,

Nancy

I don’t know if you saw it, but the Taxpayer Tea Party of April 15, 2009 was a great success. It gave me new hope to see over 650,000 US citizens in 800 cities and towns taking to the streets with their signs, standing up for their rights, and saying, “Enough is Enough!”

Shawn Hannity and Newt Gingrich both spoke, Newt in New York City, and Hannity from Atlanta, saying that this is just the beginning, that we must not merely hand over our futures and those of our children and grandchildren to big government.

It gives me hope to see that, whether the media likes it or not, there are people who still believe our Constitution is worth salvaging, and they will not take no for an answer. The signs that said, Taxed Enough Already! spoke volumes, but it’s up to us to keep the momentum going, rather than it just being a flash in the pan memorable event.

And lest we think otherwise, the issue is not just about money. It’s about the right to keep and bear arms, to speak freely about our sincerely held religious beliefs, and to have the freedom to say no to ideologies that go against our consciences. It’s about the kind of bondage into which this government wants to sell our children and grandchildren. And to that we should put our foot down and say NO!

Shawn Hannity said they ran the numbers, and it this budge goes into effect, it will cost future generations (EACH ONE OF OUR CHILDREN) $122,000 in new taxes every year for the rest of their lives.

One Washington lawmaker who is a physician, said on Fox News that if Obama’s laws go into effect, whether they like it or not, all physicians will have to perform abortions on demand. He said he would go to jail before doing an abortion, and apparently that’s what it’s come down to. It’s time to say NO!

It’s time to get angry about the loss of our freedoms. It’s time to speak up instead of staying asleep and letting someone else worry about these things.

It’s all at stake here, people. So it’s up to each one of us to pray asking God to show us how we can make a difference.

Newt Gingrich said that every one of us should write our senators and congressmen, and tell them to: 

“Vote NO to Obama’s $4 trillion budget. Vote NO to big government. Vote NO to big bureaucracy. Vote NO to big taxes. And if you can’t do that, before 2009 is over, I will find someone else who can.”

And if we all get on the bandwagon, we can influence our lawmakers to listen or be forced out of office.

So write, fax, or email your lawmakers and speak your mind. If you and I don’t do it, there’s no doubt we will have done our part to sell our children’s future down the river. And I for one do not want to be responsible for that.

What about you?

Because of His great love,

Nancy

I suppose that depends on who you ask. These days many of us have believed another gospel, because it promised we’d get whatever we want, whenever we want it. To those for whom that has not happened, God probably seems incapable.

But the truth is that God is sovereign. He doesn’t take orders from His subjects. We are His workmanship, His creation, and the creature does not dictate the way it’s going to be any more than the clay tells the potter what it wants to be.

So is there anything too hard for God? Absolutely not. If we examine Scripture we see the one ingredient necessary for God to meet the needs of His people. Their hearts had to be repentant, and they had to bow down, giving Him control. Once that happened, no matter how bad their situation, God drew near to them and worked things out for their good.

I think that’s what Scripture means when it says we must be like little children before we can enter the kingdom of heaven. We must see Him as we would a Dad, the one who loves us most, and has only our best interests in mind. And we must love Him in return, with everything that is in us.

Instead we think we know best and try to call the shots then wonder why things aren’t going our way. Now I’m not saying that if we bow our hearts to God He will do whatever we ask. He will listen and take our requests under consideration, but in the end, He will do what is best for us, whether it feels like it or not.

The thing is, we often don’t believe He has our best interests in mind. He often allows things that are painful and difficult. But when those situations arise, they are merely opportunities for us to go to Him with our struggles. Do we do that? Often we do not.

Many of us just get angry and walk away from God, instead of drawing near and asking for direction and comfort. Is it any wonder that we are fearful, living in doubt regarding the power of God?

Like a rebellious toddler we throw tantrums, telling God He isn’t doing it right, when we should be crawling up on His lap, laying our head on His shoulder, and letting Him minister to our needs.

As our Creator, He knows us inside and out, and has a good grasp of how to deal with us and our needs. Yet we are suspicious and untrusting, because He lets us go through pain.

Will we ever see Him for who He is? The Creator of the universe, the One who spoke the world into existence and hung the stars in place. The One who fashioned us from mere dust and blew into us the breath of life. The One who loved us so much that He planned before the beginning of time, how to go on to Plan B when Plan A didn’t work out due to our sin.

And on and on it goes, without end, right? Sorry, but it’s time for a reality check. The day of grace is ending when He will say in essence, “Now it’s time to fish or cut bait. You’ve known the truth–its very words are written on your hearts. I’ve given you every chance to repent, but still you walk away. I’ve proven My existence through nature and inscribed that, too, on your heart, and yet you deny Me at every opportunity. I have blessed you with rain and freedom and the chance to live in the very palm of my hand, but you slapped it away and refused My loving advances. So now I will give you exactly what you asked for–your own way as well as judgment like you’ve never seen before. And it will make you regret the day you were born, but just as you wish–you will never have to see My face again. So take heed, the time is short. Jesus is coming soon! What will you do with Jesus?”

It’s time to wake up and realize we aren’t in charge. God is. He loves us with an everlasting love and is totally committed to us, but He will not force Himself on us nor wait for us forever. 

So, lest we regret the day we were born, let’s humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and take our place in the beloved while there’s still time. Because, in the end, there’s nothing too hard for God.

Because of His great love,

Nancy

The word “sin” has fallen out of favor, and no doubt, will be even less well received once the new social order is in place. But sin is a reality, and no matter how much we whitewash it, in our hearts we cannot deny the truth, for Scripture says our hearts condemn us. It goes on to say that the earth declares the glory of God, and all men see evidence of it and know it in their hearts, whether they admit it or not. So we are all without excuse.

Just because we deny something is true, does not make it any less so. Remember the story of The Emperor’s New Clothes? The emperor spent a great deal of money paying custom clothing designers to make him a new wardrobe, and everyone in town got on the bandwagon, as the emperor, who had been deceived, modeled his invisible new clothes while actually parading around in his underwear. Everyone oohed and aahed, agreeing that the expensive new clothes were the most beautiful they had ever seen, while the children, who hadn’t learned to play the game of political correctness decried his state of undress.

The time is here when it will be politically incorrect to speak God’s Word, or condemn sin as sin, but that doesn’t make it any less true. In fact, sin is more blatant and those doing it more unrepentant and arrogant than ever before. And the thing that makes it so attractive is that it appeals to exactly what our flesh desires, having every evil thing we want whenever it suits us, while never being called to account for it.

But that’s not what the Bible says. The Bible says, “Today is the day of salvation,” and “The soul that sins shall die.” How much more clear can He say it?

So will we continue to admire the emperor’s new clothes or tell the truth about what’s to come? Eternity is a long time and hell is a terrible place in whish to spend it. Our government may forbid us to preach, but each man’s heart bears witness with the truth, if he has ears to hear. Let us not waiver in speaking the truth–the world is dying to hear! And Jesus is coming soon!

Because of His great love,

Nancy

Not long ago the Lord showed me that as a nation we’ve been lulled to sleep and can’t be roused. We’ve had to fight for almost nothing in our lifetime, since our freedoms were a gift from our forefathers.

But I learned an interesting thing recently in that regard. We own and operate a Bed & Breakfast called The Nestle Down Inn in the heart of the beautiful Missouri Ozarks. We’ve redone it in the past few years so that it’s quite upscale now, but early on we priced it low especially for modestly paid pastors and full time Christian workers. But we noticed that while it was priced low, people didn’t value it very much. When we first upped the price people were much more inclined to appreciate it. We were astonished to learn that truth. It seemed strange that value should be determined strictly by cost.  

In fact, in Scripture King David wanted to offer a sacrifice to the Lord, so he asked to buy a threshing floor where he could worship, and the owner offered it to him free. And do you know what he said? He said he would not offer the Lord that which cost him nothing (see 2 Samuel 24:24)–for the very same reason mentioned above. As humans, we have no capacity to value what doesn’t cost us dearly.

So will we give it all up without a fight? Apparently. It’s happening as we speak. I pray that we wake up and repent of our personal and corporate sin and draw near to God, because we’re going to need Him to get through what’s coming. Our relationship with Christ is one more thing to add to the list of what we’ll probably have to fight to hold onto. But it may take that to prove to us what we really have.

I know I sound like a doomsayer, but Scripture backs up such proclamations. Jesus is coming soon, and before He does, He’s going to shake the earth, the church, and each of us personally to find out what we’re made of, and whether or not we are truly His.

Our God is holy, and anything less than holiness doesn’t make the cut, not now, and not ever. So if we want to live in sin, we might as well cut the ties and forget the title, “Christian,” because it won’t hold water in the end. He says His bride must be spotless, with a pure heart. Can we claim that the way we live now?

Let’s draw near to God with pure hearts, asking Him to speak to us, to lead us, and to make us shining lights upon a hill, because if we don’t do it, who will?

Because of His great love,

Nancy