In the midst of the crowd

Stretch our your fingertips in the midst of the crowd !!!

There we were in the midst of thousands of people. The crowd was large and loud. Being a part of the sights and sounds of Time Square, New York City New Year's Eve 2009 was indeed quite a unique experience. There was so much sound, and yet I found myself closing everything out in that hour prior to ushering in 2010. I found myself looking out over the huge crowd and asking, How many of these folks know who Jesus Christ is? Are they looking forward to a New Year in which they will have the opportunity to serve The Lord? How many of these folks are filling their empty lives with temporal things that will only last through the night, only to find themselves empty once again on January 1, 2010. How many souls in this sea of humanity are absolutely lost?

For a moment I found myself praying for each member of our family as they approached the New Year. First giving thanks for my husband of 35 years, the love of my life and best friend. Then my prayers turned to our older son Mark and his wife Katie and our younger son Michael and his wife Renee ( pregnant with our first grandchild). What a blessing they all have been.

Then my thoughts were turned to the woman in the scriptures having an issue of blood for twelve years. She was an unclean woman that thought if she could only touch the hem of His garment that she would be healed. She pushed through the crowd and believed as sh extended her fingertips just to touch His garment.

Standing in the NYC crowd, feeling people pressing in against me on all sides I could understand the disciples when they said, Master, the multitude crowd thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touch me?" Luke 8:45 They must have thought how absurd. Really Lord, who touched you?

But they should have known that the Lord would always notice those that need to be healed. He was always aware of those that came to Him, believing with great faith that they would receive. Luke 8:48 Daughter, be of good comfort, thy faith had made thee well. Go in peace.

How many times do we feel pressed in against with a great crowd of worry, stress or despair? Are we still willing to move ahead in faith, believing that our Lord will notice our needs? Do we reach out our our Father? Do we believe He will be moved by our touch? Do we really believe in faith not wavering?

In Bruce Wilkinson's book, You Were Born For This, he states, "The amount of our faith___and the actions we take as a result___can either limit or release God to act in a Miracle situation.

Usually we decide not to move ahead because fear grips us and strips us of the power and strength that the Lord promises throughout the scriptures.

Once again from You Were Born For This, " The root of fear is unbelief in our hearts. When we respond with unbelief, we are saying to God, You are not trustworthy. Therefore, if I'm faced with a situation that depends on You to come through, I won't take a risk." What if the unclean woman had not taken the risk?

Bruce Wilkinson continues, " We don't tear down unbelief in our hearts by trying to muster up courage or fan the flames of emotion. We tear it down by rejecting the lies , claiming the truth, and acting on it. Then we take courage in spite of fear... and step out of the boat.

Let's face it, unbelief is sin. We need to spend our energy rejecting Satan's lies and claiming Truths found in His Word.

Why do we try to take care of these thing ourselves? Have you ever heard yourself say: "Oh come on, this problem isn't that big. I shouldn't even bring this before the Lord. Surely I can handle this one myself. You should be ashamed of yourself. Look at these other folks that have major problems. Suck it up and get on with your life."

Reject the lies that Satan tries to put before you and take everything to Him. He wants our conversation, our companionship and our hearts.

Will you choose to extend your fingertips in the crowd and believe?

Debbie Fritz

IN THE BEAUTY OF HIS HOLINESS

Holiness…I believe this is where my Lord wants me to focus my time with Him during 2010. Of course, I want to draw nearer to Him in every way, but lately He has surrounded me passages, devotions, and Bible study regarding His holiness. I know the signs all too well. When the Lord is trying to draw my attention to something it almost always comes to me in a variety of readings and experiences.

We don’t hear as much about holiness these days as perhaps we should. In Leviticus 11:44a, God commands Israel, “For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.” And in 1Peter 1:15-16, Peter tells us that we can no longer be conformed to the former lusts which marked our pre-conversion lifestyles, “but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior, because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”

Jehovah Mekadesh is a beautiful name of God that means The Lord Who Sanctifies You. The name is often overlooked because it is not translated in the English Bible in this form. Yet there is no other name for God that more adequately expresses His nature and the requirements He places on His people. It is first found in Leviticus 20:8, “You shall keep My statues, and practice them; I am the LORD [Jehovah Mekadesh] who sanctifies you.” God inspired Moses to write Leviticus. It is often called The Book of Life. It is indeed about the walk and worship of the redeemed people. In The Names of God, Ken Hemphill writes, “At this point in the life of the nation, Israel was a redeemed people. They had been taken from Egyptian captivity and were being prepared to inhabit the Promised Land. What was Israel to be like in their relationship with God? How would they maintain their distinctive qualities as a people related to God when they settled in a land inhabited by pagan nations who did not know God? Sound familiar???? This is as relevant today as it was during the time Moses lived.

Sanctified means to be set apart. Like Israel, we have been set apart as a holy people. Sanctification suggests that we should be like God in our purity and be set apart unto Him for service. God by His very nature is holy. God’s holiness sets Him apart from all other gods. He alone is God. God’s essential attribute is His holiness. Most often we would say that love is God’s primary attribute. This is a strong argument particularly based on 1 John 4:16, “And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” And John 3:16 furthers the compelling argument for God’s love as it declares it was God’s great love that prompted Him to send His only begotten Son for our redemption. Yet, if you follow John’s argument, you will find that the redeeming love of God was to make us fit for His holy presence. God, out of His love, redeemed us so that we could have a relationship with Him.

It is not insignificant that God’s Spirit is referred to as the Holy Spirit. That is not simply a title for the third person of the Trinity; it is a clear recognition that God is a holy God—and when He expresses Himself as Spirit, He is a holy Spirit. Like David I cry out to my Lord, “Do not cast me away from Thy presence, / And do not take Thy Holy Spirit from me.” (Psalm 51:11) To spend one minute without the Holy Spirit by my side is not a thought I relish.

An old Scottish theologian, Nathan Stone, wrote concerning holiness:

“It is the balance…of all the attributes of Deity.
Power without holiness would degenerate into cruelty.
Omniscience without holiness would become craft.
Justice without holiness would degenerate into revenge.
Goodness without holiness would be passionate and intemperate fondness,
doing mischief rather than accomplishing good.
Love without holiness would become little more than anemic sentimentality; and
Freedom without holiness, mere license.
It is the holiness of God that constitutes the perfection of all His attributes.”

The final book of the Bible tells us that the four living creatures will spend eternity praising God. Their song will be, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD God Almighty.” I want to be holy like Him. I challenge you to PURSUE HOLINESS with me!

(Debbie lives in Dacula with her best friend and husband of 17 years, Sonny, and the love of their life, Bandit!)

Merry Christmas!!

Christ Bell

THE BELL
I KNOW WHO I AM
I am God's child (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15 )
I am united with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17)
I am bought with a price (1 Cor 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ. (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt 5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom. 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil 3 :20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31 -34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God (2 Cor 5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom 8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor 1:21-22 )
I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28 )
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16 )
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12 )
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13 )
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16). I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).. I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1). I am God's workmanship (Eph. 2:10)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected. (Phil. 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven ( Col 1:14). I have been adopted as God's child (Eph 1:5)
I belong to God
Do you know
Who you are?

Merry Christmas!!

Amy

He Went Before Me and Made a Way

We have spent almost one entire year meditating on the Names of God as well as who God says we are. When we began this journey, I was so excited to learn something new about our God. He has knocked my socks off. He is so Faithful, and Gentle and at the same time He is our Protector and Shelter and fiercely protective of His children.

It's that last little bit that has become so precious to me over the last few weeks. Without going into a lot of detail, I was deeply hurt by someone close to me. This wasn't the first time these choices were made and that is what hurt the most. It brought up all sorts of old feelings, fear and insecurities I thought were long gone. I found myself headed down a road that I haven't been down in several years.

Here is what I love about my God. He made a way for me to have some completely alone time with Him before Thanksgiving. It was incredible. To spend time in worship, prayer and most importantly: SILENCE.

I had poured out everything in me and then sat and listened. Do you know what I heard?

Verses. Specifically Psalm 139, where He tells us He knew us before anyone else even knew we existed. That we are fearfully and wonderfully made!

I heard Deut. 33:12 where He tells us the one the Lord love rests between His shoulders.

I heard Him saying that He was with me and FOR me and that He does not forsake those that love Him.

He reminded me to forgive that person again. THAT part was not optional. So I forgave.

He reminded me that I was treasured and protected regardless of what others said or how they acted.

Then I wound up in Psalm 138. I decided that for the next two weeks I would begin to memorize and pray verses 7 and 8.

Here they are from The Message.

When I walk into the thick of trouble, keep me alive in the angry turmoil. With one hand strike my foes, with your other hand save me. Finish what you started in me, God. Your love is eternal - don't quit on me now.

I share this with you because for almost one year we have concentrated on WHO God says He is and who He says we (Christians) are. If I had not been making a diligent effort to do that, I'm not sure what kind of mess I would be in right now.

But I'm not.

I have peace that I can not describe.

I have the desire to love this person and see complete restoration. Sure, that scares me a little and believe me I've had the "what if" conversation with God. BUT, my friend, He has assured me that He can handle whatever comes up. I am to just choose love today.

As I was reminded in my Bible study this week, weeping is okay. Just make sure you are weeping forward. That is where we are headed. No looking back. FORWARD. Right on the heels of our God. Is there any safer place?

He went before me and made a way for me.

There is no one like my God.

How I love Him.

Blessings,
Stephanie

My Everything

To fret or not to fret? That is the question.
Your hands are sweaty, your heart is racing, and your
mind is reeling out of control. What brought it on and why can’t you control this feeling? You can’t even remember what initially caused this mode of fretting. You just know your head feels like a volcano about to erupt and your entire body is facing major exhaustion.

Sound familiar? It’s called fretting. Most of us have fallen into that black hole at one time or another. Some go there daily and others find themselves completely debilitated because they choose to stay there day after day with no peace in sight.

We need to find what brought us to that place and deal with the root of the problem. If we take the time to trace the thought process back to the root, we will always find that Satan is standing there feeding us some lie. If we don’t “nip it in the bud”, Satan will enhance that lie and add others to it. He will convince us that we are worth very little. He will have you believe that others are laughing behind your back. The lies will continue to spin a vicious cocoon around your heart and in a short period of time you will become lifeless. He’ll even try and convince you that you are the only one that can control those feelings. That lie could not be further from the truth. Trust me; we must place this sin at the feet of Jesus. He is the One that can destroy it.

Last Monday I found myself ready to drop into that black hole. I had already lost hours of productive time to fretting during the day. I had even permitted him to steal hours of peaceful rest during the night. Satan loves to attack us when we should be resting. The Lord’s position regarding this sin was simple. “Debbie, give no time to fretting, wipe it off your agenda. You need to focus on Me and accomplish all that I have equipped you to produce today.”

Once I got to school the next day I went all around my room saying the name of Jesus constantly; walking up and down each row of chairs. As I touched each chair in my room, I prayed for each child that would enter my classroom that day. I called His name on my breath constantly throughout the day. He rescued me. He gave me my lesson plans for the day... and the fretting stopped. At the name of Jesus, the demons trembled.

We have so much power through Him, if we will only breathe His name and believe in His promises. That day, the names of Jesus washed over me. It was as if the Lord gave me a front row seat in a fancy movie theater. Name after name of my Savior flashed across the screen reminding me that He is and was and will always be My Everything.

You know the signs of fretting. When they begin their deceptive dance, decide what lie Satan wants you to believe. Command Satan to flee and then set about your daily routine empowered with His word, the Names of Jesus and the desire to serve Him even more boldly.

Revelation Song
Filled with wonder, awestruck wonder
At the mention of Your Name
Jesus Your Name is Power
Breath of living water
Such a Marvelous Mystery.

Debbie Fritz

"Not I, But Christ"

Galatians 2:20 says, “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.”

What does that verse mean to you? To me, it means that we have someone on whom we can depend, no matter what may come in life. We have someone who will restore us. We have someone who will love and strengthen us. When we don’t feel like we have the power or courage to go on, Christ becomes our strength and deliverer. The Christ of the Bible, the Creator of the universe, wants to be uniquely active in our lives. In Him we find everything we could ever need to make it through life.

We don’t stand alone when we walk the steps of life. We don’t stand alone when we talk about Jesus to someone we meet. We don’t stand alone, even when we feel completely abandoned. We don’t stand alone when our families are in trouble or our marriages are falling apart. God wants to help us through every challenge in life. He wants us to lay our burdens at His feet.

As I look at the challenges in my life, I can only pray to God, “Lord, I can’t do it, but You can. So please, do it.”

Debbie lives in Dacula, GA with her most wonderful husband and their 4-legged wonder Bandit.

I AM FROG!!

It seems like every time we turn around there is another crisis. Whether it be within our family, a personal friend, or the world. We all know of someone going through a crisis right now. All you have to do is watch the news or pick up a paper. What is happening? is there any peace? Well if all you do is rely on the media, you would not think so.Even as we exam our own lives, our own crisis it is so easy to be sucked into this world of despair. We do not need to do this. it will only pull us down and then we can't be who God wants us to be.

I have been learning to Fully Rely On God(FROG). This summer when I was at McDonalds I got a Happy Meal. The toy I got was a miniature beanie baby- it was a frog. His name was Jumps. I thought how appropriate..We own an moonwalk business. later I was reminded by a special friend that frog stands for fully rely on God.I had heard that before, but at that time in my life it held a whole new meaning. I know keep him in my car as a daily reminder to FROG.

God is our refuge and strength a very present help in time of trouble.Psalm 46:1 and then 9 verses later it says in Psalm 46:10, Be still and know I am God. He is there for us all we have to do is be still and rely on His strength and power. We can't deal with any our our crisis on our own - we were not made to. God wants us to rely on Him that is how He made us.

Some people believe that God only is concerned with our big crisis', but I believe He is concerned with our smallest crisis.If He knows the number of hairs on our head, then He knows ALL of our crisis and He wants us to bring them to Him and let Him handle them. He will do a much better job than we will anyway!

That is where you will find real peace. When we can truly turn everything over to Him and let Him have control. Easier said than done? I think we will find if we will surrender to Him our life will be a lot easier.

So next time you see a frog.. Remember it is just a reminder to FULLY RELY ON GOD!



Amy lives in Lawrenceville with her husband Jerry and their 3 boys and 2 dogs