Word of the Lord for 2024: It is time to soar in 2024!

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. ² Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. Colossians 3:1-2

 What does this mean? How do we soar into heavenly realms?

 Recognize that God is doing a new thing.  He does not change, but He moves in different ways at various times. We must be willing to follow wherever He leads.

 “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:18-19

And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He *said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Revelation 21:5

We must not be afraid. We must not cling...

Today is Labor Day, September 4th. Summer heat still clings to the days, but fall's cooling promise is growing. While our days are still over 90 degrees here in South Carolina, the nights are cooling off, falling into the low 70s and high 60s.

It has been a tough summer. Ferocious wildfires have ravaged Canada, Hawaii, and California; smaller, less publicized fires have hit other states. Floods have devastated several states. Excessive heat has caused deaths in the South and West. And, even as summer is ending, a hurricane has devastated "the Bend" in Florida.

This summer has also been challenging for me personally. Several friends are dealing with life-threatening illnesses. One of these friends is now celebrating her homecoming in heaven. My own battle for good health seems to be at a stalemate.

Through it all, a sense of God's peace has prevailed. The struggle has been challenging. However, three revelations have made this journey easier.

1.  It's all about...

 It’s Crunch Time—Part 2

If first, you don’t succeed, do not give up! My original blog entry for “It’s Crunch Time—Part 2” [as I wrote before] was somehow deleted. I have rewritten the blog, as I promised, concerning a Biblical response to conflict resolution. 

While believers are grafted into the Body of Christ, they can still disagree with each other and with nonbelievers. Some of the Scriptures dealing with conflict resolution are so well-known that they are now part of everyday speech. “An eye for an eye,” “judge not, lest ye be judged,” and “turn the other cheek” are all well-known phrases. 

Unfortunately, these Scriptures are sometimes taken out of context. The idea that the “perfect Christian” is supposed to be a quiet, mousy doormat that acquiesces to indignities and evil doings has developed from a misunderstanding and misapplications of the Scriptures.

It is true...

Some call the events happening at Ashbury "a move of God."

Some call it "revival."

Some wonder if this is some type of spiritual hysteria.

Some think Asbury is not "worthy" of a move of God.

But God is God and moves as He wills.  Please check out my YouTube video:

https://youtu.be/nREly7gjDpQ.

There will be no romantic dinner tonight.

There will be no balloons.

Nor will there be candles, jewelry, or a romantic movie. Instead, my spouse will be spending the evening elsewhere, and I am proud he is.

For many valentines, my husband was working in the hospital. Sometimes I could join him for a quick dinner in the doctor’s lounge. Other times, he didn’t even have time to eat. This year, he will be helping someone we know who has an immediate need.

But when I think of my husband, I think of what Jesus said,

“This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do whatever I command you [John 15:12-14, WEB].

My husband understands what love is. Love is being kind, generous, caring, helpful, understanding, and unselfish. As 1 Corinthians 13 says,

Love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not...

Yes, we can do anything---IF God is with us.

We can have peace, prosperity, safety, and social justice for all--IF we seek His face.

But walking in pride is even now leading us toward disaster as we listen to the pied-piper of selfish arrogance.

Our problem did not start with politics and will not end with politics--we are suffering from heart disease. Our hearts are growing cold toward God and hard toward anyone or anything except ourselves.

The cure?

I was asked recently how a person could obey the Biblical command to "stir up the giftings" within us. After all, no one I know wants to be considered the lazy, wicked servant Jesus spoke about in the Parable of the Ten Talents.

 "For it is like a man going into another country, who called his own servants and entrusted his goods to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey. Immediately he who received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. In the same way, he also who got the two gained another two. But he who received the one talent went away, dug in the earth, and hid his lord's money.

 "Now after a long time, the lord of those servants came, and settled accounts with them…. "He also who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you didn't sow, and gathering where you didn't...

Recently, a friend asked me to explain the terminology used to indicate times and seasons in the Bible and among modern prophets. I wrote my friend the following letter, and I hope that it is helpful for you also.

Dear .....,

You asked about the "'times and season" issues that prophets face when prophesying.

First, I admit it is easy to get the timing of a prophetic word wrong. I have done so. I had to repent because I accidentally misled someone. I specifically remember [back when Mike was a resident] about prophesying that a disastrous storm was coming. I said it would happen within two weeks. It did come, but it was more like two years. Fortunately, our pastor, Max Flynn, stepped in and corrected that word so folks didn't panic.

When giving a prophetic word, I often warn people that God's timing differs from humanity's. God exists outside of time and steps into time as He will.  

•  Jesus said He was coming "soon." It has been 2000 years.
• God spoke through Samuel,...

Why is the Bible so important? Why must a person consider the claims of the Bible carefully? In other words, what's the point of the Bible?

We've previously talked about letting the Bible speak for itself and considering what it says about itself. These include the claims that:

•  The Bible is a record of the revelations of God given to men.
• The Bible is inspired; God showed the various authors what to write down.
• The Bible is inerrant.
• The Bible has received divine protection to ensure its existence continues throughout history.

However, numerous lies and distortions concerning the Bible's teachings are still bandied about. One often repeated fallacy is that the God of the Old Testament is not the God of the New Testament. Richard Dawkins, in his book The God Delusion, states,

The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic...

Publishing houses have repeatedly declared that the Bible is the most published book. Originally written on papyrus and leather scrolls, the Bible is not available in various sizes, languages, exterior colors, and translations. Online and d editions of the Bible also exist.

Yet it is also true that the Bible is one of the most neglected books in the Western hemisphere. Even among those who call themselves believers, few can honestly say they have time set aside daily for Bible Study.

The younger generation often ignores the Bible, while this generation chases spirituality through various causes, occultic practices, and strange religions. Yet the Bible still speaks. It speaks with authority and power to those who will listen to its words. It defines a narrow road that leads to righteousness and eternal life and debunks the claims of other religions.

The Bible also declares it has its supernatural origin. The Bible proclaims its unique status as a document that speaks to each...