Journey to the Cross and Beyond

*All Scripture herein is quoted from the One New Mine Bible.

On Friday, May 3, 2019, as I was having my appointed time with the Lord, He opened my eyes to a new view of our walk in Christ. He has shown me that Salvation is a journey and not a destination. So walk with me as I share with you this Journey to the Cross and Beyond.

All of mankind has been in bondage in a spiritual Egypt of the soul since the fall of Adam and Eve in God’s Garden. Each of us is shackled by those things which keep us from knowing, serving, and loving Our God. Yet, deep in our heart of hearts, there is a small remembrance of God, even if we have never heard of Him or His boundless Love and Grace.

One day, as we are going about our normal lives, we may find we are in need of someone to rescue us, so we begin seeking as we hope for release from our sorrow and despair. We hear of God’s mighty acts and matchless love. This brings us to a crossroads, a choice to make a change in our lives, and we begin to trust. He has taken us from Egypt and started us down the pathway to Calvary.

But our faith in Him is weak and we may wander from His path into the Desert of Sin. This is a barren land, lifeless and dry. It contains many pitfalls and fills our hearts with dread and fear. Thus wandering therein we drag around the chains of our past, even though God has broken the locks asunder in order to release us from them. But there is a mountain on the horizon … it is Sinai.

Gradually we come to the foot of that mount and learn of our sin as God’s law opens our eyes. Having found some rest and relief in this new knowledge, we long to continue our Journey to The Promised Land, that Eternal Garden of God. So off we trod once more.

On this journey there are many hills and valleys and a few places which seem barren and lifeless. As we travel we find that time spent in the valleys are times of spiritual growth, for the watering of God’s Holy Spirit floods through our souls. As we leave the valley, we ascend to the mountain heights. Once above the trees, beyond the rivers of life, we find hardships on the way to the summit; rocks and downed trees which block the path and pits that we must find a way across or around, each with their lessons to learn. The tallest of these mounts we all must climb; for it is Golgotha, the place of Jesus’ cross. It is here that we make the most important choice of our lives. That choice is to leave behind the sins of our past and all of the burdens that we carry, everything that hinders our walk with Jesus, at the foot of His cross and continue on in His life everlasting.

Once we have laid down those sins and burdens, we pick up Jesus’ cross. We never walk alone, nor do we carry His cross by ourselves; for He walks beside us, carrying the biggest share of the load. We can read this in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take yoke upon you, and learn of Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Though we are not physically in God’s Eternal Promised Land, we are allowed entrance to it within our spirit. We can experience its reality therein whenever we choose. This is done when we lift our voices in praise and worship the Lord, as the Psalmist noted in Psalm 100:4, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; and bless His name!” For when we are saved, He begins within us and we in Him. There He will remain in residence unless we choose to walk away from Him and in the wilderness; leaving Him outside our hearts and lives. For He has promised in Hebrews 13:5 b, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Since I allowed Jesus into my life, I have wandered from Him many times. Yet after each season of wandering, I have once again climbed Calvary, repented of my sin, laid my burdens at Jesus' feet and taken again my place beside Him, carrying is cross, yes sharing His yoke, once more. Allowing Him to share all of my thoughts and fears. He once again gave me His rest and renewed His Spirit within me.

Today I long to stay on His Heavenly Highway, though I often make time along the way to climb Mount Zion, entering into His Heavenly Temple/Throne Room to give Him praise. This is the place in which King David danced in worship before the Lord in his complete praise and adoration of Him as the Ark of the Covenant was brought into Jerusalem and into its new tabernacle on Mount Zion (2 Samuel chapter 6).

To recap, we each start out in bondage to our sin. We learn of our sin at the foot of Mount Sinai where we learn of God, His law and our sin. After we climb Mount Calvary lay down our sin at the foot of His cross and enter into His rest, His spiritual Promised Land, also called Heaven. ON our journey we experience trials and tribulations which produces growth within our Spirit. And Jesus is our victory in each and every one. We are allowed entrance into His Throne Room at any time by our songs of praise and thanksgiving. While there we are refreshed in body, soul, and spirit by His living water … the Wine of His Holy Spirit.

So, it isn’t a choice between Sinai or Calvary. No, both mountains are necessary in our Christian Walk. It is a choice for Love and Life, of Worshiping and Service or Death/Eternal separation from God. By to love God, we are also choosing to keep His law as is written in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep My commandments.” And again in verse 21, “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love Him and manifest Myself to him.”

His commandments, which are deeper than the Torah that Moses brought down from Mount Sinai, are these:

And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that He has answered them well, asked Him, “Which commandment is the most important of all? Jesus answered, “The most important is, “Hear, Oh Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.” The second is this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these. Mark 12:28-31

This conversation also appears in Matthew 22:34-40, verse 40 reads, “On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” So by keeping these two commandments that Jesus declared were the greatest, we are keeping the spirit of the entire Law of Moses.

I have chosen to love Him, to keep His commandments, and to serve Him all of my days and in everything that I do …

Have you?

Thank You, Lord for sharing this insight with me. Thank You for allowing me to share it with others. And Thank You for saving my soul!

Amen!

All The Way With Jesus

Though life's storms may batter me

And their flood water's deluge

I have a firm foundation

I am founded, my Lord, in You

You are the solid Rock

The High Place upon which I stand

I seek no other refuge

For I'm holding onto Your hand

We walk together in the daylight

And in the darkness, too

For You are the Light of Life

I draw my strength from You

When the times are difficult

And I seem in dread defeat

I will press in a little closer

Ever sitting at Your feet

You are always here to guide me

To teach me all Your Truth

No, You never will forsake me

While I dwell in You

When this day has ended

And time is no more

We will ever be Best Friended

As we walk along Heaven's shore

He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8, NKJV

Leigh

3-26-2019

Satan is Out to Destroy America …

Take a Look at What He Has Planned

We all know that the abortion issue has long been a threat to our unborn children. But recent state abortion laws that have been passed go further than Roe vs. Wade ever thought of going. For now, they are espousing the murder of those who have survived an abortion procedure.
In fact, President Trump recently tweeted; 

"Senate Democrats just voted against legislation to prevent the killing of newborn infant children. The Democratic position on abortion is now so extreme that they don't mind executing babies AFTER birth. This vote will be remembered as one of the most shocking votes in the history of Congress. If there is one thing we should all agree on, it's protecting the lives of innocent babies." (Charisma Magazine, 12:00 PM EST, 2/27/19, This is Satan's Next Step for America.)

Also, every person that has already announced their candidacy for President in the 2020 election has supported legislation that makes it legal to murder children that have survived an abortion procedure. This includes Senators Cory Booker of NJ, Kirstan Gilibrand of NY, Kamala D. Harris of CA, Amy Klobluchar of MN, Elizabeth Warren of MA, and Bernie Sanders of VT.

As shocking as this is, it is just the beginning. Once this has been widely accepted, America will be allowing the murder of all children (… by medically sanctioned prescription for reasons such as proof of hardship, threat or inconvenience.) Literally, if they have a negative impact on our chosen lifestyle we will be able to choose to have them eliminated.quickly and easily. This shocks and grieves me, so much more so it grieves our God!

And this is just the beginning. NO people group is safe – Children, The Elderly, Christians (or any religious affiliation which offends), etc, from being eliminated if they become a threat to the lifestyle of their families or their government officials.

Do you think that Hitler and Nazi Germany was the first attempt at Holocaust? Think again. The book of Esther in the Old Testament of the Bible tells about the plans of one man (Haman) to have all of the Jewish people eliminated throughout the Persian Empire. It also tells of the heroic acts of Mordecai and his niece, Queen Esther, to stop this mass execution, which succeeded.

The book of Exodus, also in the Old Testament, tells of a Pharoah who tried to have baby boys murdered as their mothers delivered them. He feared that the Israelites were too numerous to control if they decided to rebel against his authority. But the midwives of that period feared and reverenced the Lord God, so they saved these baby boys' lives and lied to Pharoah when he called them out for their disobedience to his demands. But Pharoah then ordered his soldiers to murder them.

The Old Testament isn't the only place where a leader killed a people they were afraid of. In the book of Matthew, in the New Testament of the Bible, King Herod ordered the execution of all boys who were between the ages of birth and two years old. We all know this story well: Herod was afraid of the "New King of the Jews" that had recently been born … he was afraid of Jesus destroying his lifestyle as he wasn't even a Jew, but Ceasar had appointed him king over them. But now there was a new King on the scene. One who was a true Jew and met all of the prophetic qualifications. But here again, God protected His own, in this case His very own Son. For He sent Joseph, Mary, and the baby Jesus to Egypt until after Herod was dead. (Matthew 2:1-15)

With these long-ago examples of mass execution of the people who were a threat to the establishment, who are we to think we are safe?

God is angry at His church, for they have not followed His Commandments. Now I am not talking about the 633 that the Jewish Rabbis' acknowledge, the first five books of the Old Testament (the Torah), or even the 10 Commandments. No, Jesus gave us a much more condensed set of Laws to live by:

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"

"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
"Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.Mark 12:28-34, NIV

Where this passage is quoted in the book of Matthew, Jesus also says: All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:40, NIV. For if God is loved above all else, we know how to treat ourselves and our fellow man. Loving God thusly makes us able to love our neighbors as ourselves. Without this all-encompassing love for our Lord, we cannot love others as we should for we know not how to love ourselves properly. God's Children need to find that all-encompassing love for God once more. 

We also need to find a place of fearful reverence for our God and heed His voice when it calls us to "stand in the gap." As God spoke to Ezekiel about the nation of Israel, God is saying to His church:
"I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one. So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord." Ezekiel 22:30-31, NIV.

So many of us have forgotten how to stand up for what we believe! We have let our faith become watered down for convenience sake. For somebody might become offended if they know what we believe. By doing so, I believe that today's church has become the modern day church of Laodicea to whom God said:

"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so

you can see.
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Revelation 3:14-22, NIV
We, like Laodicea, have become lukewarm Christians. We have become complacent in our walk of faith. God is calling us to repentance so that He can once again come and "sit at meat" with us. He longs to be intimate with His church as He was in days long past.

Did you know that in ancient Middle Eastern Cultures sharing a meal is considered to be an act of intimacy? Sharing a meal in Jesus' day and age was a communal thing. Everyone lounged around a low table and ate from the same dish using their hands. They used pieces of bread to scoop up their meals … there were no individual plates, no eating utensils. Each family had knives to cut up their foods, but this was done before it was brought to the table. This is one reason that God commanded unclean persons were to live outside the camp in the Old Testament. He knew they could not even eat with their loved ones without exposing them to their uncleanness. But Jesus longs to share a meal with His repentant church.

The church of America has largely become people of unclean hearts and lips. And God is seeking our repentance. He longs for us to stand in the gaps and repair the breaches of the walls of our faith. He desires clean and contrite hearts as David of old spoke of in Psalm 51. This will make us ready to stand in the gap as He intended us to do.

~*~

I know that not many of you know that I used to be a very active political activist on those things I felt were important. In college, I protested in front of the Capital building in Sacramento CA on several occasions. Also 31 years ago this month I protested with Operation Rescue in front of an abortion clinic in Chico, CA. 

This Right to Life protest ended with many of us, myself included, being arrested, tried and convicted of preventing access to a business. Our protest in March of 1988 was in front of the Planned Parenthood Clinic in Chico, CA. This was the only abortion clinic in Butte County, CA where my family resided at that time. 

While my (now ex-) husband had asked me not to be arrested during the protest, I could not honor his request. For this death mill was right in MY backyard. I had to Stand In the Gap for those unborn children of my neighbors. Our pastor at that time was with me at that protest for life. As we drove from the rally to the clinic, I told him of Luther's request and asked him what he would do. He told me that his wife would not have placed him in that position but if she, had he would have to follow the Lord's leading in that moment ... even if it meant going to jail. So I followed my convictions ... if God asked me today to do it again, I most definitely would.

It cost that business a day's revenue. When we were sentenced, the judge initially fined us each $500, then said that it would be given to the clinic to replace funds lost by our protest blocking access to their place of business. Each of us, in turn, advised the judge that we refused to pay that fine. So, in turn, we were each sentenced to three days in jail.

Since that time, I know that my going to jail on this occasion was God's plan. For when we were put into the population we were asked why we were there. When I answered that I had been arrested for protesting in front of an abortion clinic to save the lives of unborn children it gave me the opportunity to share Jesus with about 20 women who were in there with me. We prayed with several of them to receive Jesus and shared the Bible with them throughout our three-day sentence.

~*~

Did you know that not taking a stand for Truth ... with God, but sitting complacently by and letting things just take their course, IS standing with Satan and what he has planned for our nation in the days, months and years ahead? He is out to anhilate the church and destroy this country in the process. How can we who have chosen to serve the Lord of Creation, Christ's Church, sit idly by and allow it to happen?

Now I am not saying to go out and do just anything to be arrested. I am saying is to take a stand WITH God. Especially in this turbulent time within our government. Make your voice heard and see how God will grow your faith and your scope of ministry! 

Trust Him and He will call you into arenas, political and familial you may never have dreamed of going into. Just remember He will never you there all alone, for He will never leave you nor forsake you. He also will never lead you there unprepared ... Always Remember, God May or May Not Call the Qualified, but He ALWAYS Qualifies the Called!

Though I am no longer physically able to take my protests to the streets, I AM willing and able to stand on my soapbox here in these pages and spout my religious and political views to all you happen herein. I pray that the number of views her will steadily increase. So please share these posts and share it often with your family and friends and on Facebook, too.

Take a Stand on the Abortion Issue ... God Has!

As I was praying this morning in my appointment with the Lord, I was reminded about the recent passing of abortion laws by various states across the country ... so I prayed thus:

Father,

As our nation sees the drawing to a close of an era devoted to the sacrificing of our unborn, each state is faced with taking a stand and drawing up sides in this battle for the fall of Roe vs Wade. New York was the first to set state abortion laws earlier this year; thus allowing for the continued murder of innocent lives when the federal abortion laws are overturned. Now Vermont and Illinois have joined with them in allowing for these murders to continue. In fact Lord, Illinois went so far as to boast that they would gladly choose to be the nation's leader in state-sanctioned abortions. Father, please "forgive them for they know not what they do!"

Lord, I am so glad that I live in a state that values all life and has chosen to stand on Your side of this line that has been drawn in the sand, so to speak. I pray that Tennessee doesn't have to stand alone with You on this matter. I pray that many, if not all, of the rest chose to join us and stand with You in this quest to preserve the lives of our unborn. For the majority of Americans are opposed to abortion, yet our leaders refuse to listen to our voices. Instead, they continue to listen to the lies that the enemy of our souls' whispers in their ears ... not the shouts of their constituents.

Father, I repent for the sin of our government officials in this matter. I pray that they will hear Your voice of truth, and that right soon!

Now, this was my personal prayer on the abortion issue. I hope that you will stand with me, chose to oppose the continued murder of our children, and pray this prayer as your own. 

As you consider your stand, please watch this video of Petra's song, Not Gonna Bow To Yout Idol. Just click this link to view it now.

In Support of Life

Christian Brothers and Sisters, this is a Call to Action … YOUR ACTION!

In my last article I spoke of our need for repentance in light of the many abortions that have taken place legally since the passing of Roe vs. Wade. Today, as I was listening to a Christian talk radio station, I learned that there is a bill set to come before the US Congress to protect the lives of children who have survived their mother’s attempt to end their lives by having an abortion. The presentation of this bill gives the church a new call to action on the abortion front.

Until today I had never heard that there were children who had survived an abortion procedure. But the lady (I will call her Lily) being interviewed on the radio said that she was connected to 250+ others who had survived. “Lily” also told the story of her survival.

Her birth mother had undergone a late-term, Instillation abortion. Per Wikipedia Instillation abortion is now rarely done late-term. “Instillation abortion is performed by injecting a chemical solution consisting of either saline, urea, or prostaglandin through the abdomen and into the amniotic sac. The cervix is dilated prior to the injection, and the chemical solution induces uterine contractions which expel the fetus. Instillation methods can require hospitalization for 12 to 48 hours.” You can read more about it here.

“Lily” said that her mother was injected with a Saline Solution, but that it didn’t expel her as it should have. She lay surrounded by that Saline Solution for five days before doctors had successfully induced her mother’s labor and she was born ALIVE. That she had survived totally shocked the doctors who were in attendance. Her birth mother put her up for adoption and she was raised by a loving and nurturing family. “Lily” did say that she is in contact with her birth mother to this day. They have a good relationship and that she is very supportive of “Lily’s” work with other abortion survivors and telling her story to anyone who will listen.

Annual U.S. Abortion Statistics

Abortion is murder and God calls murder a sin, and so do I … do you? Are you appalled by how many children have been killed by abortion? Here are a few abortion statistics 

·         Based on the latest state-level data, approximately 881,000 abortions took place in the United States in 2017—down from approximately 885,000 abortions in 2016 and 913,000 abortions in 2015.

·         According to the Guttmacher Institute, an estimated 926,240 abortions took place in the United States in 2014—down from 1.06 million in 2011, 1.21 million abortions in 2008, 1.2 million in 2005, 1.29 million in 2002, 1.31 million in 2000 and 1.36 million in 1996. From 1973 through 2011, nearly 53 million legal abortions occurred in the U.S (AGI).

·         In 2014, approximately 19% of U.S. pregnancies (excluding spontaneous miscarriages) ended in abortion.¹

·         According to the United Nations' 2013 report, only nine countries in the world have a higher reported abortion rate than the United States. They are: Bulgaria, Cuba, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Romania, Russia, Sweden, and Ukraine.

You can read this entire article at: U.S. Abortion Statistics

So how are we as Christians to respond to this call to action? We need to contact our Senators and Congressional Representatives with any and every avenue available … snail mail, email, phone calls, etc. We also need to tell everyone we know of this upcoming bill and how they can help get it passed and to pray for those who have had or are considering having an abortion. And to repent for the passing of any and all abortion laws and the lives that have been lost due to their passing.

Below you will find a link that will assist you in finding the contact info for your Senators and Representatives. The passing of this bill is in our hands. Please don’t sit on them … answer this Call to Action. Reach out to others, including your Senators and Representatives, and let them know that you are in favor of the passing of the Born Alive act to protect the lives of children who have survived abortion.

God hates the loss of these innocent children … do you?

Find Your Representatives and Senators

America is Worshiping at the Altar of the Canaanite gods

When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 18:9-13, NIV

Sunday morning, January 27, 2019, our pastor, Pastor Eddie Reed, announced that on the 46^th anniversary of the passing of Roe vs. Wade, the state of New York had passed a law updating their abortion laws, and that even giving approval of late-term (24+ weeks) abortions. He went on to say that, if said abortion wasn’t completed before the baby exited the womb it could be completed upon delivery. Pastor also said that when it was announced in their legislature that Governor Cuomo had signed S2796 into law there was a standing ovation in the legislative hall.

Upon hearing this announcement I hear the Lord saying to me, “The worship of Molech and Chemosh is alive and well in the land.” Then the verses I have noted above were running through my mind.

The Canaanites practiced the sacrifice of their children to their gods in order to have abundant crops, fertile animals and prosperous business endeavors. But the Lord abhors these practices. Many times throughout the Old Testament He admonishes the Children of Israel against intermarrying with the Canaanites because He knew that they would adopt their gods and their worship practices.

I know that we don’t actually have “high places” with their altars in our country where we go to make sacrifices to these false gods. But we do allow popular culture and our government officials, instead of God’s Word, to dictate to us what our moral and ethical values are. For this we, as Christians in America, have a lot to repent of with the passing of laws that allow us to murder our children.

We also have much work to do with respect of the healing of families that have participated in these practices. Abortion causes great mental and emotional hardship for these families, and in some cases physical damage – even to the inability of having children in the future. The Church must stand in the gap for these families to aid in their recovery. For recovery IS possible with Jesus as our Source … our Guide.

When ministering to women who have had abortions we find that they know the names of these babies and grieve deeply for their loss. When they come looking for help, we walk with them through the grieving process and lead them down the road to repentance and wholeness of body, soul and spirit … that is their spirit working in unity with the Holy Spirit.

The Church in America must come together in repentance for the passing of this new law and every other law in our land that makes it legal to kill our children. We must stand together in prayer for the healing of those who have been afflicted with the grief of having lost children in this manner. And we must work in unity with the church at large to get these laws off the books and keep others from being passed. For God will hold us accountable for our in actions as well as our actions. As Matthew 24 states:

          ³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

          ⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

          ⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

Lord Jesus,

I repent for my inactivity in this matter of abortions in our land and ask for Your forgiveness for my lack of standing in the gap for the affected families. Show me what You would have me to do and where to go to lend a helping hand to those in need in this area.

And I will ever give You all praise and honor.

In Your precious Name,

Amen!