Twice the Blessing

Written on December 29, 2009 at 3:28 pm

Luke 2:30 She (Mary) wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger
because there was no room for them in the inn.

John 19:39-41 …Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes…Taking
Jesus’ body, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus wrapped it with the
spices in strips of linen… and placed him in a new tomb.

At birth, his mother Mary wrapped Jesus’ new body in cloths. At death
Joseph of Arimathea wrapped his dead body in strips of linen. Twice the
cloth (birth & death).

At birth, the Magi brought the gift of an expensive spice called myrrh. At
death, Nicodemus brought 75 pounds of myrrh to wrap in the strips of linen
around Jesus’ dead body. Twice the myrrh (from Magi & from Nicodemus).

At birth Jesus could not be born in the home of his parents, but was first
laid in a manger in a stable owned by someone else. At death Jesus was
laid in a tomb that was owned by someone else. Twice borrowed. (stable
& tomb).

In John 19:41 the scripture tells us the tomb purchased for Jesus was in a
garden near where he was crucified “and in the garden a new tomb, in
which no one had ever been laid.” It was a new tomb, it was a new thing
that God was doing. You see, this world was not Jesus’ home. He couldn’t
remain here. He went back to his first home, Heaven. Christians, this world
is not our home either, every minute our soul longs to spend time with the
Father, let us not deny it. Let us live in the Spirit. In Him we live and move
and have our being. Let us get back to our first love, Abba Father. Amen.

Have a blessed week,
Sis Connie

Even The Smallest Dishonesty Is Sin

Written on December 5, 2009 at 12:02 pm

Luke 16:10 “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in

much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.”

 

Genesis 14: 22-23 “And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up

mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven

and earth, that I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and

that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have

made Abram rich:”

 

Little white lies are not acceptable; they create a foothold for the enemy.

Little things can grow into big things; like a little bit of yeast can create a

large loaf of bread. The more we practice the art of lying, the easier and

more acceptable it can become as if it were second nature, or sinful

nature. Father Abraham had it right telling the King of Sodom he wouldn’t

even take a thread or a shoelace that belonged to him. In today’s terms

it would be a paperclip, stamp or photocopy. We can escape the tempta-

tion to be dishonest by having a healthy fear of the Lord as it says in

Proverbs 16:6. I didn’t grow up in a Christian home. I was not taught to

have a healthy fear of the Lord. But what came naturally to me was an

unhealthy fear of my mother. Stealing and then lying to cover it up

seemed to come naturally also. I lied to escape the consequences of the

physical abuse that was usually the norm. After I became saved; I found

it hard to confess my sins to God. To believe that he would forgive my

sins and remember them no longer; was foreign to me also. I had to learn

that the stealing and the lying were Satan’s sinful characteristics and

should be mine no longer. Satan’s lie to me was that if I told the truth to

God about my sin, then I would experience the same painful feelings as

when my earthly parent found out I did something wrong. But thanks be

to God for his Holy Word that tells us the truth that God Is Love and is

merciful to cleanse us from all unrighteousness if we confess our sins

and then turn from it.

 

So let us not even start with a little white lie, it is sure to cause a crack in

a relationship, Earthly and Heavenly. At this time of year, let us think

about the little white lies we tell our children, maybe about a little white

beard & a red suit. Seek God’s answer on how we should handle this. I

believe our children trust us to tell them the truth, the whole truth and

nothing but the truth, so help us God.

 

 

Many blessings to you during this Wonderful Christmas Season!

Sister Connie

Honesty Confirms God’s Direction

Written on October 31, 2009 at 6:38 pm

Proverbs 4:24-27  “Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse

lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids

look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways

be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot

from evil. “

 

Psalm 25:8-10  “Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach

sinners in the way. The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will

he teach his way. All the paths of the Lord are mercy & truth unto such as

keep his covenant and his testimonies.”

 

We cannot head in God’s direction if we have one foot on the path of evil,

dishonesty. Dishonesty is going to derail us from staying on the straight

and narrow path towards God. We need to have more tunnel vision, be-

cause His light is the one at the end of that tunnel. Dishonesty damages

our spirits. It is a place where satan can get a foothold in our lives waiting

on the left and to the right of the path to overtake us. When Peter got

out of the boat to walk on water, it wasn’t until he took his eyes off of

Jesus to look at the wind, did he start to sink Matt. 14:30.  We must keep

our eyes and entire body focused on the prize which is in Christ Jesus

because all else is sinking sand. Psalm 25:9 tells us that the Lord is

waiting to guide the meek and teach us with mercy and truth. The

question is…do we desire that? Do we desire to be taught in the ways of

wisdom, counsel, finances and health, to name of few? Are we willing to

be a student before the one and only, Worshipful Master? I believe one

of the key words in the scripture is the word meek. Meek means; endur-

ing injury with patience and without resentment, deficient in spirit and

courage, not violent or strong. Considering this definition and let us ask

ourselves, if we don’t have these attributes, are we teachable by God?

 

P.S. Honesty is its own reward.

 

Have a blessed week

Sister Connie 

Honesty Creates Credibility For Evangelism

Written on September 17, 2009 at 2:47 pm

Philippians 2:15 “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God

without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom

ye shine as lights in the world;”

 

Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth

but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto

the hearers.”

 

If we see a person model honesty in their life, we learn that they are trust-

worthy. We believe what they tell us is true in everyday conversation. Then,

when we start to share the gospel with them, they may be more receptive

because we have established credibility in their eyes. Phil. 2:15 says “that

ye may be blameless and harmless…without rebuke…” that is how we let

our light shine as sons and daughters of God and they will know us by our

fruit (of the Spirit.) We do live in a wicked and perverted world and when

people hear us and see our mannerisms, they should see a difference in us.

They see something that is appealing and good that they would want the

same love, peace and joy for their own lives. Eph. 4:29 reminds me of the

saying “you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar” A corrupt con-

versation will not attract anyone to want to listen to a person. In fact they

would be more likely to shy away from them. But a person who speaks

with love and compassion to his fellow man will open more doors to more

meaningful conversations. Conversations to edify or build up another’s

faith in Christ Jesus. Remember, the power of life & death, are in the tongue.

 

Practice: Ask your friends, family and/or co-workers if they believe you to

be an honest and trustworthy person. If you get a no, you could ask them in

what instance you were not, then thank them for their honesty. At this point

you can take it to prayer.

 

Budgeting Tip: We all know that generic prescriptions save everyone

money, but sometimes we can take it even a step further. My employer

switched health insurance companies who allows me to pay a lot if I want

name brand meds. On their website they have a prescription price check

with comparisons to generic medications and their prices. When I called

my doctor to see if he would suggest one of the generics he suggested a

different medication that is on Walmart’s $4.00 per prescription list which

would allow me to bypass my insurance company all together, No co-pays!

I said sign me up. You can go to www.walmart.com/pharmacy and under

the $4.00 prescriptions heading, click on Prescription Medications List, then

you can ask your doctor is any of these alternative medications would be

right for you.

 

Have a blessed day

Sis Connie

We cannot practice dishonesty & love God or our neighbor

Written on July 28, 2009 at 10:15 pm

Scripture:

“He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the Lord; but he that is perverse

in his ways despiseth him.” Proverbs 14:2

 

 “…thou shalt not bear false witness, thou shalt not covet; and if there be

any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely,

thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Romans 13:9

 

Principle: The meaning of perverse is “to be willfully determined to do what is not

proper or desired,” and despiseth means to loathe or have contempt for. Wow, so

our decision or choice to be dishonest, God tells us in Proverbs 14:2 is the same

as telling him that we loathe him and we are determined to do what is wrong.  God

is calling us to a high standard of absolute honesty, because the alternative would

be a sin.  Honesty is an issue of faith. One of the 10 commandments tells us not to

bear false witness and to love thy neighbor as thyself. In doing these things we

would be keeping the law. In 1 Samuel, I like how it is repeated that Jonathan, son

of King Saul, did everything he could to protect David “because he loved him as

himself.” Jonathan knew that David was the one telling the truth and his father

King Saul was the one lying, and he chose to protect the truth and turn away from

the lie. Love thy neighbor for God loved them first just as he loved us first.

 

Practice:  This week pray for God to show you any root of dishonesty and ask

that it be pulled out. Repent and then be very aware to guard yourself against

satan coming back to you with the same trick.

 

Budgeting tip: Always pay by cash or by checking account for everything. This

will make spending more difficult and uncomfortable and that is the way it may

need to be while we are practicing getting out of debt.

 

Have a blessed week

Sis Connie

 

Excerpts from “Discovering God’s Way of Handling Money” by Crown Financial Ministries

God Demands Complete Honesty

Written on May 21, 2009 at 9:52 pm

Scripture:

“Divers weights are an abomination unto the Lord; and a false balance

is not good.”    Proverbs 20:23

 

“Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another”

Leviticus 19:11

 

Principle:  Every day we have choices to make about being completely

honest. Such as, do we tell the cashier she gave us too much change back?

What about when we are trying to sell our used car, do we disclose every-

thing that is wrong with it? Say we are selling our house, we know the roof

is still leaking or there is asbestos somewhere in the house. Do we maybe

jeopardize the sale by telling the prospective buyer all this information?

God gives us his answer to those questions in Proverbs 12:22 “Lying lips

are an abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight.” 

Abomination is a very strong word, look at the way Webster defines it,

worthy of or causing disgust or hatred, detestable, quite disagreeable or

unpleasant. We break God’s commandments when we lie or are not com-

pletely honest; “Thou shalt not steal nor bear false witness against thy

neighbour.”  We bring dishonor to His name. We then align ourselves

with the father of lies, satan, for there is no truth in him. 1 Peter 1:15-16

says “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner

of conversation; because it is written, be ye holy; for I am holy.” Holiness

and a commandment to honesty, it is not just a suggestion.

 

Practice:  When trying to create a budget; we start with a weekly spending

journal or list of every cent we spent for that week. Sometimes it is hard

even being honest with ourselves. Our small habits can really add up, those

daily trips to the vending machines or morning drive thru coffees. Those

things we may view as treats for ourselves and don’t want to face possibly

having to give up. So maybe we ignore what we are actually spending in

that area, but we are only deceiving ourselves because it does all add up.

Please record it anyway and then decide after it goes on the budget, if you

truly have the room to afford such treats.

 

Budgeting tip: Keeping all your receipts and recording them on paper

ledger or accounting software is the best way to keep your finances in

check and on track.

 

Have a Blessed Memorial Day

Sis Connie

Counsel to Avoid

Written on April 28, 2009 at 10:43 am

Scripture:

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor

standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”  Psalm 1:1

 

“Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be

defiled by them; I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 19:31

 

Principle:  A wicked person lives his life without regard to God. Sometimes it can

start out so simply and rather innocently as a child and then it can escalate. Have

you ever wished on a star, shook an 8 ball, put your trust in a fortune cookie, played

on a Ouija board, consulted your horoscope in the newspaper, gambled for money

or played the lottery, let someone read your palm, went to tarot card reader or a

hypnotist, or went to a spiritist or medium or fortune teller? Putting our faith in any

of these things or people is the exact opposite of putting our complete faith and

trust in God. We are looking for an answer or guidance somewhere other than God.

The scripture says that we are defiled by them. Proverbs 4:14-15 says “Do not set

foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men” “Avoid it, do not travel

on it; turn from it and go on your way.”  God is our only true counselor, he is all we

need. Isaiah 55:7 says “… let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him,

and to our God, for he will freely pardon.”  Satan doesn’t want us consulting God,

so he makes all these other things look enticing to us, to lead us astray, especially

when we are young. We must be careful to train up our young children; to counter-

act the things that are shown as commonplace in this world. For an example, look

how enticing Disney makes Twitches & Wizards of Waverly Place seem. I mean, it

shows us that if we don’t like the way things are going…Talk to a Spirit, Say a Spell

and Change it the way You want it. When we really need to Talk to our God, Say a

Prayer and asking him to Change it the way He wants it. Oooo Satan’s mad about

me saying that one! 

 

Practice: We may have brought upon ourselves a self imposed curse by practicing

these things, but there is a way out of that darkness. Listen to what 1 John 1:9

says “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and

purify us from all unrighteousness.”  And Hebrews 8:12 says “For I will forgive their

wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”  Now we need to pray about

all of the items listed above and ask the Holy Spirit to bring to mind past practices

that we have done that were not pleasing to God. Then we need to confess with

our mouths that we did these things and ask for his forgiveness. Repent of these

things and ask that any curse brought upon our lives because of these things, be

lifted and cast out; and if any addictions to such things remains, ask that they be

covered in the blood of Jesus to be delivered from that evil. Let us come back to

a right standing with our heavenly Father. For His is the kingdom and the power

and the glory forever. Amen!

 

Budgeting Tip: Don’t gamble with God’s money for any get rich quick ideas.

God gives us the ability to create wealth.


Have a blessed week!

Sister Connie

Source of Counsel #3 – The Lord

Written on April 13, 2009 at 12:13 pm

Scripture:

“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go; I will

guide thee with mine eye.”  Psalm 32:8

 

“I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel; my reins also instruct

me in the night seasons.  Psalm 16:7

 

Principle: Our heavenly Father came into the world in the form of a baby

“…and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God,

the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 He came to Earth,

he knows what it is like to be human and he created us, he knows our per-

sonalities, our moods and our tendencies.  We can put all our trust in him

to lead us in every situation, he will never fail us, he is our perfect instructor.

Isaiah 26:3 says “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed

on thee. Because he trusteth in thee.” We need to always go to the Father

with our questions, cares and desires, he wants to share everything with us,

for he is merciful and loving. He may answer yes, no or wait. Psalm 27:14

says “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine

heart; wait, I say, on the Lord.” Sometimes the wait is hard but what I have

found in those times is when God is molding, shaping & testing us, watching

our character and our response to him. For his timing is perfect and our can

sometimes be pre-mature. Patience can sometimes be painful and unpleasant,

but His rewards are worth everything, let us wait on him to establish our

steps for his righteousness to shine.

 

Practice: We must practice asking our heavenly Father for his direction in a

situation and if his answer is wait, then we should wait with good courage

and exercise our faith to know that it is in our best interest.

 

Budgeting Tip: Consider writing down your financial goals in the following

areas. Pray and submit them to the Lord and see what the Lord brings to the

forefront of your minds to work towards.

 

1)       Giving goals

2)       Debt repayment goals

3)       Educational goals

4)       Lifestyle goals

5)       Saving/investing goals

6)       Business goals

 

Happy Easter!

Sister Connie

Source of Counsel #2 – Godly People

Written on March 30, 2009 at 9:22 am

 

Scripture:

“The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom and his tongue talketh of

judgment.  The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.”

Psalm 37: 30-31

 

“My son, keep thy father’s commandment and forsake not the law of thy

mother;” Proverbs 6: 20-22

 

 

Principle: This blog is a little different as I have interjected a lot more of my per-

sonal experiences. I have no doubt some of you will be able to relate. The first

source of counsel should be our spouse, for the word says “the two shall become

one flesh, they are no longer two but one.” Our decisions and actions directly

affect our spouse. My late husband wanted to do something wonderful for me, so

he bought me a gift without asking me….It was a car. The problem was that he

did not pay the household bills so he didn’t know our budget couldn’t withstand

the payments. His heart was bigger than our pocketbook. We agreed that he had

to take the car back to the dealership, which I am sure was painful. Had he con-

sulted me, we would have realized before hand that we could not afford it.

Another source is your parents; who knows you better, right? My mother was not

saved, but I learned many things about money that has sustained me throughout

my life. She showed me how to be very frugal and thrifty with how & where she

shopped. Her choices were based on needs not wants because she raised 3

daughters without her ex-husband, nor child support. As we got older she modeled

investing for the future as she had a portion of her check withheld to purchase

shares of stocks in the company she worked for.  I would feel comfortable asking

mom about financial matters, but I then had to discern if the answer lined up with

God’s will. I have in the past talked about consulting experts in their professional

fields, and that we want to make sure they are Christians as ourselves. And finally,

you may have a group of trusted friends, maybe a small group from the church that

you regularly meet with. Sometimes I can get very excited about wanting something

so much; and then I share it with my friends. Often my friends can see so much

more clearly than I that the thing I want is not the best thing for me. I get caught up

in the initial thrill of it and can’t see the long-term. Thank you God for my friends

who keep me grounded!!

 

Practice:  Talk with your spouse about your finances, what seems to be working

well or not so well and discuss how you can change for the better. Maybe talk

about a dollar amount that cannot be spent on a “want” item unless consulting

each other, this will practice accountability. Ask questions to parents or Godly

friends such as “what are some of the things you have done with your money,

finances or budgeting that has worked successfully in your lives.”  Make a list of

their answers and make note of how many times the same answer comes up. See

which practices the Holy Spirit confirms that you should put into affect in your life.

 

Budgeting tip:  When we lived paycheck to paycheck our friends taught us the

envelope budget method. We cashed our check then divided the cash up into

marked envelopes. One was gasoline money, lunch money, grocery money, etc.

and that was all that was allotted for that week. No borrowing from another

envelope, we just learned how to control our spending better the next week. 

 

 

Have a blessed week!

Sister Connie

 

Source of Counsel #1 – Scriptures

Written on March 20, 2009 at 12:52 pm

Scripture:

“Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counselors.” Psalm 119:24 

 

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two

edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and

of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of

the heart.” Hebrews 4:12  
 

Principle: The scriptures are a light unto our path, we carry a light in front of us

when we walk in the dark. So the “light” should come first, it is to be our guiding

direction before we start walking. Let the scriptures speak to us on any subject.

The index and concordance in the back of the bible makes it very easy to re-

search a topic, therefore we are without excuse. He has revealed his will for us

in his word which is living and active for today’s life. Psalm 119:104 says that we

gain understanding from God’s precepts, therefore we should hate every wrong

path. God’s word will shed light to help us steer away from poor choices like

co-signing for loans. I would have not known that God tells us not to do this

until I read it in the scriptures; see Prov. 17:18 and 22:26-27. I love the New

International Version of 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is God-breathed and

useful for teaching, rebuking and correcting and training in righteousness so that

the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”  With the

knowledge of the scriptures, we will be fully equipped…how comforting,

Thank you God!! 

 

Practice:  Let us be intentional to seek his word every day. The media will give

us the world’s view on any given topic every day whether it is in the newspaper

or TV. Take that topic to the bible and see what God says about it.  

 

Budgeting tip:  A great way to rapidly reduce your debt is to systematically pay

off the smallest debt first irregardless of the interest rates. Say you have $150 to

apply towards your outstanding credit bills. You pay the minimum amount on the

highest balance bills and pay the rest on the smallest balance bill and when that

one is paid off, continue spending the $150; again paying the minimum amount

on the highest balance bill and the rest on the smallest balance bill. Then when

you are down to your last bill you will be able to spend the entire $150 on it until

it is paid off.

 

Have a blessed week!

Sister Connie