Author: Bill

From Bill—The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, & the violent take it by force. We have to fight & stand strong to get God’s best. Life May seem hard but we need to press on. — Matt 15:21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the district of Tyre & Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that region came to Him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.”23 But Jesus did not answer a word. So His disciples came & urged Him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 The woman came & knelt before Him. “Lord, help me!” she said. 26 But Jesus replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread & toss it to the dogs.” 27“Yes, Lord,” she said, “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” 28“O woman,” Jesus answered, “your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you desire.” & her daughter was healed from that very hour. —There are many places in scripture that give us the same message. Persist, don’t quit, persevere, and the rewards will be great. Love Mel

Offering God the best we have to give in all we do! — Col 3:23-24 Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, for the Lord and not for men, because you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as your reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Eph 6:7-8 Serve with good will, as to the Lord & not to men, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. Col 3:17 Whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. — It all started with work! —Gen 2:15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. — Rev 14:13 I heard a voice from heaven telling me to write, “Blessed are the dead; those who die in the Lord from this moment on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them. — Our deeds follow us to heaven! — Rev 22:3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will serve him. — And we will serve in heaven! So all that said, seems to me we should enjoy whatever we have to do & do it unto the Lord & not man, for it follows us to Heaven! What great training! So whistle while you work, you will find great joy there! Love Mel

Matt 3:16 When Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, & behold, the heavens were opened to him, & he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, coming to rest on him. Gen 8:11 The dove came back to him in the evening, & behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. Matt 10:16 I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes & as innocent as doves. Psalm 55:6 I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away & find rest. — The dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit. The dove as symbol of Hope & New Life for Noah & mankind! The dove as a symbol of innocence. The dove as a symbol of flight to safety & rest! If we can get this picture in our minds, we have the ability with the Holy Spirit to find Hope, NewLife, innocence, safety & rest! Love Mel

From Bill—Trait number five for effective prayer. Again all courtesy of a John MacArthur sermon. Prayer has a moral component. TO FORGIVE. When arguing with a spouse, do you want to be right or to be happy? When praying “do you want to hold a grudge or have your prayers answered?” MT 6:14 says “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” MK 11:25 says “And when you stand to pray, if you hold anything against another, forgive it, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your trespasses as well.” We should point out that your judicial forgiveness before God is granted and assured in Christ, and this verse refers to interruptions in your fellowship and prayer resulting from us not forgiving others. So be sure TO FORGIVE. So that wraps it. Five traits for effective prayer. Prayer is powerful. If we get it right, we can change the world for God. Remember in Acts “they continually devoted themselves to prayer” & billions have been saved as God moves throughout the world. Let’s be powerful prayer warriors, way better than being pitiful whiners! Love Mel

From Bill—Trait number 4 for effective prayer is TO ASK. Mark 11:24 says “I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, & it will be yours.” —James tells us “we have not, because we ask not”. (I am going to add here to KEEP ON ASKING.) Jesus tells us here to ASK & to believe we have already received it. —James 4:3 says “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” Mark 14:36 says: “And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.” ASK in accordance with HIS will. John 15:7 says “if you remain in Me & My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, & it will be done for you.” John 16 says “in that day you will no longer ask Me anything. Truly, truly, I tell you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask & you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.” We ASK the Father in Jesus’ name. Start ASKing! Love Mel