Blood and Mercy

Right on to buddy Riddell.... in that many churches today do not like to preach the bloody message of the truth of the cross....
I was praying on the WORD the other night and heard from my associate pastor at church the verse in psalms that goes "mercy and truth have met together"(Psalms)...see the message of the cross is mercy. And some people do not recieve full mercy, full forgiveness- they still feel bad, like they don't deserve full forgiveness, full mecry.
But the complete truth about it is, without truth, we would not need mercy.
think about that.
Without truth, there would be no need for mercy.

How can you be merciful for something that isn't really deserving of mercy?
That would be like- false mercy.
Mercy is for people who need it.
Mercy and truth meet,--- with out sin we wouldn't need a savior.
People are not perfect. I think it's real easy to try an believe that humans are some kind of perfect- but they're not. and just because you don't "SEE" their sins, does not mean that they don't have any.
Many times, the sins you can't see are the worst.

Thank God the LORD for His Holy Spirit, for His discernment, His TRUTH ABSOLUTE, that is Love that covers a multitude of sins, mercy that meets truth. And Peace that kisses righteousness.
Amen, and amen.

And Love!

A couple of weeks ago I was hangin' out with one of my guy friends that I've known in the Lord for a few years. And I hadn't seen him in a long time but seeing him is always good...and from our last time of spending a little time together I realized we had talked about something that I can share... that maybe you can think about and take with you.
We were on the phone and I always ask him like, tons of questions 'cause I don't always have trusted guy friends to that I can conversate with... and sometimes I thinkI can be quizzical to him. Sometimes I ask him questions because I want to know, and sometimes I ask him questions to see if he understands (me, - like, am I crazy for thinking this or do u know what I mean??:) and then, sometimesI ask him questions to see if HE knows what is going on. ;) I think some ladies might know what I am talking about here...but anyways, what I asked him was this:
"If Jesus was here right now, is there anything in your life you would do differently? Like, would you act differently, talk differently???" etcetera etcetera...
well... his answer was like, yeah, totally.
So then what I said was this,
If you would live or act or talk or be differerent if you KNEW Jesus was here, then why don't you just be that way NOW?!?!!?
I mean, GOD IS HERE, isn't He?
And Jesus basically came so we would Know that.
Virtually...
so........
I think also it could be applied many different ways....
maybe you would have more faith, if you knew Jesus was here... or if he was (in person) standing next to you..... because He would speak the Word for you,- but, He gives US power, DUNAMIS POWER - and HIS HOLY SPIRIT- that does the work for us.
It (The Word of God) says that it is "Not by might, nor by power, but by MY SPIRIT"-
(Thus sayeth the LORD)
God is so powerful.... al HE has to do is speak- and it changes everything.
And it isn't about yelling or screaming or getting violent. I believe Jesus didn't get violent all the time... I only read one instance where he acted out in a sense of violence and that was to overthrow the people selling things in the church to get a gain.
I've heard a few people's variation of what the parable of the mustard seed of faith means to them. To some it means having a small amount of faith, yet seeing it move for God. And that's fine, I have believed that and have prayed it and have seen results from it.
But I know there is also a faith that is simple, and plain, and that has purpose, and that is mustard seed faith.
Its plain, to the point, it does the job. And does it the only way that it can be done!
For God's glory~
If we just believe.

O, How I LOVE the LORD!!!

Psalm 97
1The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.
2Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.
3A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.
4His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled.
5The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
6The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.
7Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods.
8Zion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments, O LORD.
9For thou, LORD, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.
10Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.
11Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.
12Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

Testimony~

I have been thinking for sometime on writing some testimony of mine here on this webpage. There is really so much I have gone through that to sit and write it all would be probably impossible. But, I can definatley testify on what the LORD is doing in my life right now, in regards to my salvation and some of what I have been through in my life.
It starts with a 17 year old girl that was pregnant, and had an abortion.
That girl was me.
I was a runaway, living with a boyfriend. A guy 2 years older than me, under house arrest, at his dad's house. It was bad.
I got pregnant. I found out. As soon as I found out, I burst into tears full of fear, full of pain, full of guilt.
I did not know what to do to provide for a child. I did not have anyone to turn to for any kind of "moral" support.
I turned to someone, and, unfortunatly, they advised me to have an abortion. And because I had no other "choice", by means of intervention or support -(my family had divorced 5 yr.s prior and my parents never talked, even to this day they do not talk to each other)-
I decided to have an abortion.
Deep down I didn't want to have an abortion. But I didn't have anybody or anyone to consider the alternatives, or to figure out how to make it in this life with a baby.
No one!
In fact, after I had made the choice, I didn't even tell anybody except the three or four people who knew. I didn't think I needed to.
The day came- and I can truly say I believe that having an abortion was the worst decision I have ever made.
But In some way, I don't feel completly responsible for making that decision. I just wish that I had had more fortitude at the time to stand up for myself and run out of that office like I had wanted to.
And, believe me, I wanted to.
After that, and I mean immediatly after I woke up- all I thought about was wanting to go back to sleep. All I wanted to do was be "out of my mind". So I started using drugs. I had been around drugs before. I had done them - but now I just wanted to escape - escape my reality - escape my mistake- escape my pain. my shame. and my sorrow.
I really believe that abortion is deeply opposing to what the true nature of a woman is. And I think it affects men who are involved just as deeply.
I cannot express what it has been like trying to get over the grief, the shame, the anxiety, the self-loathing and the pain of what I have experienced.
But I was bold enough one day very recently to talk to a lady online who was making prayer request for a "friend's daughter who was considering having an abortion".
I typed a prayer right away.
Then she posted back and sounded a bit (in my opinion) doubtful for the girl. So I wrote her back and told her she needed to step in.. and tell the girl this and that- she needed to DO SOMETHING to help that girl, to stop her from making such a horrible painful bad choice.
We wrote back and forth about 4 or 5 times for a week, and then one day I checked to see if she wrote me back. And what she wrote was not what I had expected.... but she wrote and asked me if I needed a healing. She asked me... if I had been completely healed from the abortion that I had... she said I was angry... she showed me things that I didn't really see.
Yeah, I knew I was angry- I knew I still (have) pain- but I didn't see at the time that the LORD was (and IS) dealing with my heart, He wants to heal my pain.
And that is what He has been doing. It hasn't been too long ago.. only a couple of weeks...
I had borrowed a book about healing from abortion about a week before all of that happened. I hadn't even picked it up to read it; but after communicating with the lady online, and sensing the LORD's desire for me... in the fact the He didn't give up on persuing me- to heal me.
How can I say... what a Wonderful God we have!
And the first night I spent with Him, since He began this healing and recovery in my soul, I have had a PEACE that I have not FELT in OVER 10 years.
seriously!
I have been so blessed... I did not even KNOW what was missing in me.
It hasn't been fully set in me... sometimes I turn to the LORD and feel it again... but I am trusting the LORD to make it a permanent healing, and a permanent peace, a SHALOM peace, in me.
Shalom means "perfect peace'' in Hebrew.
That is what I am truly hoping for.
As well as being able to come out of the walls of isolation and hiding for fear of no one understanding me... or the pain I have carried with me since I was a little thing.
( I think now 17 years old is like so young!!! I'm almost 30! yikes!)
You know... I could look at it like... so much has been wasted... so much I could have had... I could blame God, I could never want to get better... but I do.
I realize... and I'm thankful and grateful that at least I can be healed! At least I am saved now! I may have lost a few years, but I now have the rest of my life to live with God through Jesus Christ~ I still have time to get married and have a family. And.. sin is not God's fault. I am thankful that He reached down from heaven and saved me... and loved me.... and that He didn't give up on healing me. And HE is With me.
And I LOVE Him.
~

How can a heart say.. "I do not need love"???