Kristenmomof3's Xanga

Prayer request...please read

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:11:44 GMT

PLEASE REMEMBER THE GREG LAURIE FAMILY IN YOUR PRAYERS

Christopher Laurie, son of Pastor Greg Laurie and Cathe Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, died Thursday morning in a car accident in Riverside. A resident of Huntington Beach, Laurie, 33, served as the art director at Harvest Christian Fellowship for the past three years.

In addition to his parents, Christopher is survived by his wife, Brittany, and daughter, Stella, as well as his brother Jonathan. Christopher and his wife are expecting another daughter in November.

Our thoughts, prayers and condolences go out to Brittany, Stella, Greg, Cathy, and Jonathan, along with everyone personally impacted by Christopher’s passing.

You can leave a personal message to the Laurie family on Greg’s blog HERE.

Jeremiah 28- Battle with the False Prophet Hananiah

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Jeremiah 28:1-4 KJV And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, which was of Gibeon, spake unto me in the house of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying, (2) Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. (3) Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of the LORD'S house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon: (4) And I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went into Babylon, saith the LORD: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.

Hananiah's message was popular. It was just what they wanted to hear. He was a false prophet.

Jeremiah 28:5-6 KJV Then the prophet Jeremiah said unto the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people that stood in the house of the LORD, (6) Even the prophet Jeremiah said, Amen: the LORD do so: the LORD perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels of the LORD'S house, and all that is carried away captive, from Babylon into this place.

Jeremiah basically says I would love to see that. We don't know the inflection of Jeremiah's voice, but it almost seems a little sarcastic.

Jeremiah 28:7-9 KJV Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people; (8) The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence. (9) The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him.

What a prophet says doesn't come to pass, then he is a false prophet. The time frame here was 2 years, and if the captives don't return and the vessels not brought back, then Hananiah is a false prophet, there is no in between.

Deuteronomy 18:20-22 KJV (20) But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. (21) And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? (22) When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

Prophecies from the Lord will be 100% accurate. If not 100% accurate then the person is not a prophet of the Lord. Back then false prophets were put to death.

Can you imagine what would happen if people would hold people who claim to be prophets up to the same standard today.... There would be a lot less prophets.

God's standard for prophets has not changed. If anyone claims to be a prophet of God and they are not 100% accurate ALL THE TIME then they are a false prophet. STOP LISTENING TO THEM IF THEY ARE NOT 100% ACCURATE ALL THE TIME!!!

Matthew 7:15-16 KJV Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. (16) Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Now what are the fruits of a false prophet? FALSE PROPHECIES! Yes we are not to judge a persons heart, but we are to examine the fruit.

Matthew 24:11-13 KJV And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. (12) And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. (13) But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Matthew 24:23-26 KJV Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. (24) For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. (25) Behold, I have told you before. (26) Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

Jeremiah 28:10-11 KJV Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the prophet Jeremiah's neck, and brake it. (11) And Hananiah spake in the presence of all the people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years. And the prophet Jeremiah went his way.

Remember, that as Jeremiah and Hananiah are speaking, there is a large crowd of people around them. And to drive home his point, since Hananiah didn't have an object lesson like Jeremiah did, he took the yoke off of Jeremiah's neck and broke it. And that was to symbolize that the bondage of Babylon was going to be broken.

Jeremiah could have been offended by Hananiah getting in his face, opposing his prophecies, and breaking the yoke. But instead Jeremiah just walks away. He spoke the message, now it was up to the people to accept or reject it. He wasn't going to fight over it. So he moved on

Jeremiah 28:12-13 KJV Then the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah the prophet, after that Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying, (13) Go and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron.

Hananiah was telling the people what they wanted to hear. He is leading them to continue in their sin.

How many of you have heard people saying, "IF we are good or do good things we will go to heaven." Dead wrong. It is telling people what they may want to hear but the truth of the matter is that the only way to heaven is through the blood atonement of Jesus Christ.

Jeremiah 28:14-15 KJV For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him the beasts of the field also. (15) Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie.

God didn't send Hananiah. The tragedy of following after false prophets, of not being fruit inspectors, you will believe a lie!

Jeremiah 28:16 KJV Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD.

He will die because he is leading the people in rebellion.

False prophets are a problem even today. Beware of false prophets! Put them to the test. What are the fruits of a false prophet? FALSE PROPHECIES!

God's standard for prophets has not changed. If anyone claims to be a prophet of God and they are not 100% accurate ALL THE TIME then they are a false prophet. STOP LISTENING TO THEM IF THEY ARE NOT 100% ACCURATE ALL THE TIME!!!

Jeremiah 28:17 KJV So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.

He died within two months of this deceleration.

God is very serious when it comes to prophecy.

Revelation 22:18-19 KJV (18) For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: (19) And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Romans 10:17 KJV So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

God bless you as you follow Him. And remember before you follow those prophets out there that claim to be speaking from God test their fruit. Are they 100% accurate? If not they are not from God.

Our Family

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:07:54 GMT

Here is a Picture of our family with (hopefully if it works) our names in Chinese. My 5 year old (韦恩) was learning some about China this week because that is where the Olympics will be held.

Back row: 巴利 and 克里斯坦
Front row: 韦恩 and 克里斯蒂安 and 夏

Jeremiah 27

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Jeremiah 27:1-6 KJV In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, (2) Thus saith the LORD to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck, (3) And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah; (4) And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters; (5) I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me. (6) And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.

Yokes were symbols of submission, bondage. The Babylonians were coming, the people were going into captivity, and they would have to submit to the authority of Babylon, that is the will of God. Now as you can imagine, that was not a very popular message. They didn't want to submit to anyone!

God made the earth. Since He made the earth you need to follow His rules. People believe in evolution because they don't want to follow His rules.

Jeremiah 27:7-15 KJV And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him. (8) And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. (9) Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: (10) For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish. (11) But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the LORD; and they shall till it, and dwell therein. (12) I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live. (13) Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? (14) Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you. (15) For I have not sent them, saith the LORD, yet they prophesy a lie in my name; that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you.

The message that Jeremiah was speaking was a hard one to swallow. But it was from God. They were to surrender to Babylon or they would be destroyed. Now the false prophets were giving the people what they wanted to hear, a positive message, but it was not of God.

We need to be sure we are grounded in God's Word. How can I know what to believe? Believe God's Word. Keep your nose in the book.

Jeremiah 27:16-22 KJV Also I spake to the priests and to all this people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the LORD'S house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you. (17) Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city be laid waste? (18) But if they be prophets, and if the word of the LORD be with them, let them now make intercession to the LORD of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, go not to Babylon. (19) For thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases, and concerning the residue of the vessels that remain in this city, (20) Which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took not, when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem; (21) Yea, thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that remain in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah and of Jerusalem; (22) They shall be carried to Babylon, and there shall they be until the day that I visit them, saith the LORD; then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place.

The false prophets were saying that within 2 years all the vessels will be returned from Babylon. But, God is telling them that they are wrong. Not only will the vessels not be returned in 2 years, but the remaining vessels will be taken away to Babylon and they will not return until the Lord is done with His judgment. The captivity was to last 70 years!

Just a note

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:32:05 GMT

For those interested.....I thought I would let you know that when I am finished with Jeremiah (23 chapters to go I believe) I plan on moving on to Revelation.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week.

Today is my son's last day of Summer School.

My healing from Fibromyalgia

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:47:45 GMT

First my story then my thoughts on healing.

I had fibromyalgia. It kept me from being able to do many things. It made me like a 80 or 90 year old rather then a 26 year old.

My life is very different now.

When I had Fibromyalgia I couldn't keep up with the house work. I couldn't cook all the time. I couldn't take my children to something like vacation bible school because I couldn't sit on the chairs that long.

There were so many things I couldn't do.

Now I can clean. I can play with the children. I can pick up Christian when he has a ouchy with out it sticking me in bed the whole next day. I can take my children to VBS all week instead of trying to take them one day and not being able to move the next. I can play on the porch with my children etc.

I can be a wonderful 26 year old mother instead of a 80 year old mother.

How was I healed?

I went to church and was anointed and prayed for and God healed me.

Now on to my thoughts on the topic of healing.....

Many people teach today that God will heal everybody, all the time, all they need is faith.

They teach that when a person is not healed, then there is either unconfessed sin in the person's life, or they lack faith.

Though it could be true that a person isn't being healed because of their lack of faith or because of unconfessed sin, it could also be that God doesn't want them healed, or at least not yet.

If God heals everybody, and all you need is faith, then why doesn't Paul just tell Timothy to claim his healing? Instead, he says,
1Tim.5:23 No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.

There is another doctrine that teaches people that they need to believe that they are healed even when they don't feel healed. The problem I have with this is that it is teaching people to simply deny reality. They are taught that if they ask for healing and don't keep confessing that they are healed, then they lose it.

There are no instances in scripture of a person getting "healed" who needed to be talked into believing that they were healed.

James 5:14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.

God has redeemed us spiritually, emotionally, and one day He will redeem us physically. This is in the future, when the Lord comes back to "catch up" or receive His bride, the church. It is then we will get new bodies, we will be moving out of this tent of flesh into mansions that God has prepared for us.

As many try to deny the fact that we still have sickness, disease and death, the evidence speaks for itself.

Romans 8:22-23, "For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body."

We wait for that day when this physical body will be redeemed.

"Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed--in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory.' 'O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?' The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." I Corinthians 15:51-58.

At the time of the rapture of the church our physical body will also be redeemed!

Mark 16:15-18 "And He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.'"

Who can heal? Jesus says all those who believe! That includes us, not just the apostles. Again, that doesn't mean we can heal at will, but the Holy Spirit gives this gift as He wills. That is very important for us to understand!

God is sovereign and He heals in His time and He heals those whom He wants to heal. We must not forget that. Those in the positive confession movement believe they can use a positive formula to get healing from God. But, if you say anything negative, then those negative words you spoke will create a negative power and it will happen to you.

Maybe you have heard of this story of three men traveling in a car and the driver asked the friend next to him, "How's your brother doing?" The man responded by saying, "He's really sick!" Quickly the driver responded, "Don't say that negative thought, say that he thinks he is sick!" The driver then turned to the man in the back seat and asked "How's your sister doing?" And he responded by saying "She thinks she's dead!" Silly, yes, but that is the reality of what they teach.

Today we see all kinds of abuse with this gift of healing. We see healers using sideshow tricks, growing a leg longer, pumping people up to make them think they are healed, and-so-on. This does not negate what God is doing, but it does dishonor Him. And what happens is we see people following after signs and wonders instead of signs and wonders following after those that are in love with the Lord.

Benny Hinn teaches "Sickness does not belong to any of us...He promises to heal all - everyone, any, any whatsoever, everything - all our diseases! That means not even a headache, sinus problem, not even a toothache - nothing! No sickness should come your way...God's greatest desire for the church of Jesus Christ...is that we be in total and perfect health."

Thus, if you have enough faith you will never be sick because that is part of the curse that was taken away by Christ. First of all, these faith teachers get sick, have surgery, and even die. And yet they make people feel guilty about their own sickness, that it is a lack of faith on their part, and that is why they are not healed. Wrong!

Secondly, death is also part of the curse and yet we will all die one day. The death rate is still one per person. Yes these bodies will be redeemed some day but not yet. But now some faith teachers are now saying that if you had enough faith we would never die. How foolish. Hebrews 9:27 "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment."

Paul had a "thorn in the flesh", not the spirit. A physical problem that was not a small thorn, but literally a "tent spike". And many believe it was a severe and painful eye problem. The reason God allowed Paul to suffer this way was to keep him humble and trusting in the Lord. And Paul even believed in physicians, he had his own personal one, Dr. Luke! And Paul was a man of faith.

"Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

II Timothy 4:20 we see Paul leave Trophimus sick in Miletus. If Paul only knew of the faith formula, right? Wrong! I'm sure Paul prayed for this man and in the sovereignty of God, he was still sick.

Now why is it that some people are healed and some are not? I do not know. There are just a lot of things that I do not understand about divine healing. And I do know that many times there are people who think that they have developed some kind of formula about how to touch a person, where to touch them, and how to read the body language. They have developed a lot of formulas and they even hold seminars on healing. It is interesting that some of the people who conducted those seminars on healing are quite sick right now. But you know, when you think you have all of the answers, then God sort of shows you that you do not have all the answers. And you cannot put it down to a formula.

Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. (1 Peter 4:19)

And that takes tremendous faith to just say, "Well, it is all in the Lord's hands and He is doing what He knows to be best." And resting, not really struggling with it or fighting it, but just resting in that my life is in God's hands and He knows what is best.

I believe in praying for the sick. I believe in laying hands on the sick in the name of Jesus. I believe in anointing with oil because it is scriptural. Some are healed and some are not, but that I leave with God.

When you are diagnosed with depression, before you pop a prozac, ask the elders to pray for you. When your child is diagnosed with ADHD, before you put them on Ritalin bring them to the church and let them lay hands on them asking God to reach out from his heart of compassion for children, and bring peace into your child's life. If you were to be diagnosed with cancer, please call the elders to pray for you before you start radiation or chemo therapy.

Most of us are going to get some kind of disease that is going to cause this temple to deteriorate, and eventually collapse. The only thing we can hope for, is that if the rapture doesn't happen before we die, is that our death will glorify God.

"There shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain." (Revelation 21:4)

And despite the pain we suffer here on earth, once we get to heaven, we won't even remember the pain.

God is far more concerned with the healing of your soul than he is with the healing of your body

What good does it do for you to be healed only to die later in your sins? Oh you may be a good looking corpse lying in your coffin, but those good looks won't do you any good as you spend eternity in hell. Even the strength you now have won't help you overcome the pain that comes from being burned by the flames of hell that are so hot that they torment you, yet they never kill you. That is why it is essential for you to have a relationship with the only one who can give you eternal life.

If you're not a Christian, let me encourage you to right now ask the Great Physician, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come into your heart, and heal your sin-sick soul. He can do this because he is the one who let the Roman soldiers beat his back with a whip, 39 times, just so his blood could flow from those wounds so that he could rescue you from the terrorist Satan, who is holding you as a hostage. Jesus also let the Roman soldiers nail his hands & feet to a cross so that through the blood that came forth from those wounds could pay the ransom to set you free from the penalty and power of sin. And he did all that just because he loved you. So how can you reject one who has such a love for you?

Father, we thank You for the love of Jesus Christ towards us. And we thank You that He bore our sins and by His stripes we are healed. Lord, we come to You in our limitations. We do not know Your ways. We do not understand Your ways. We know that they are beyond our finding out. But Lord, we come and we trust You and we believe in You. And if there is a failure and a weakness in the manifestations of Your Spirit and the power of Your Spirit, Lord, we recognize that it is not Your fault. It is our fault. So Lord, bring us to that place where You can do that which You are wanting to do. Give us, Lord, a greater openness to the working of Your Spirit. Take away any barrier, any restriction that might come from us that would hinder the flow of Your Spirit from our lives. Lord, help us, that we might be a witness to the world of the power and of the love of Jesus Christ. In His name, Father, we ask these things. Amen.

May the Lord be with you and fill you with His Holy Spirit. We each make up a part of the body. And it would be thrilling to me if God would give to many of you the gifts of faith or the working of miracles. I would love it. Let us just be open. Who knows what God wants to do in your life.

(Just a note....I am not saying it is wrong for someone to take pills for a mental illness. I am just suggesting being prayed for before running off for some pill)

Jeremiah 26

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Jeremiah 26:1-2 KJV In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word from the LORD, saying, (2) Thus saith the LORD; Stand in the court of the LORD'S house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD'S house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word:

diminish – gara'– to diminish, restrain, withdraw, abate, keep back, do away, take from, clip

Don't diminish God's Word. Jeremiah is to give the people all of it. I think it's important that we learn to read ALL of God's Word. Don't just read your favorite chapters. Read the whole book.

Acts 20:27 KJV For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

Who will be Lord of your life? Your Flesh? or your Savior?

Jeremiah 26:3 KJV If so be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent me of the evil, which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings.

If they will listen they will be spared.

Jeremiah 26:4-6 KJV And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; If ye will not hearken to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before you, (5) To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I sent unto you, both rising up early, and sending them, but ye have not hearkened; (6) Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.

Shiloh was the place where the Ark of the Covenant had been kept during the times of the Judges. Yet because of the rebelliousness of Israel, God allowed Israel to lose in battle to the Philistines, for Shiloh to be wiped out, and the Ark to be captured by the Philistines

1 Samuel 4:1-18 KJV And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. (2) And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men. (3) And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies. (4) So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. (5) And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. (6) And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp. (7) And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore. (8) Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. (9) Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight. (10) And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. (11) And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain. (12) And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head. (13) And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out. (14) And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli. (15) Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see. (16) And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son? (17) And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken. (18) And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.

Jeremiah 26:7-8 KJV So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD. (8) Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die.

At least they let him finish first. Then they told him he was going to die.

Jeremiah 26:9 KJV Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant? And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.

The Jews were counting on the temple. Saying God wont judge us we have the temple. So caught up in the external. They neglected the inside.

Jeremiah 26:10-13 KJV When the princes of Judah heard these things, then they came up from the king's house unto the house of the LORD, and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the LORD'S house. (11) Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears. (12) Then spake Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all the people, saying, The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard. (13) Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you.

Sometimes we don't like what we're told. We are offended or convicted by something that someone says. If the thing is actually true, we face a choice: Will be simply be offended, or will we change?

Jeremiah 26:14-16 KJV As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you. (15) But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the LORD hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears. (16) Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets; This man is not worthy to die: for he hath spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God.

He is innocent. He is speaking in the name of God.

Jeremiah 26:17-18 KJV Then rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spake to all the assembly of the people, saying, (18) Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.

Micah 3:12 KJV Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.

Jeremiah 26:19 KJV Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? did he not fear the LORD, and besought the LORD, and the LORD repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure great evil against our souls.

If God is speaking we better listen.

Jeremiah 26:20-23 KJV And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the LORD, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjathjearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah: (21) And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death: but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt; (22) And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, namely, Elnathan the son of Achbor, and certain men with him into Egypt. (23) And they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king; who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.

He was killed for saying the same thing Jeremiah was saying. This was a dangerous time for Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 26:24 KJV Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death.

God is faithful to protect Jeremiah like He promised.

Lord Send Revival to America

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:15:31 GMT

Lord, Give Us America

Lord, give us America
We ask for her by name
Lord, give us America
Light a fire, fan the flame
Send us out to harvest
The amber waves of grain
Lord, give us America
In Jesus' holy name

Once a nation under God, so willing to obey
Guided and protected by Your hand
Now we're like a wayward child who's wandered far away
Won't You save this lost and dying land?

Lord, give us America
We ask for her by name
Lord, give us America
Light a fire, fan the flame
Send us out to harvest
The amber waves of grain
Lord, give us America
In Jesus' holy name

Father You can heal this land where hearts have turned to stone
If we'll only bow and humbly pray
For You're the God that set us free and made this land our home
And You're still the Lord of liberty today!

Lord, give us America
We ask for her by name
Lord, give us America
Light a fire, fan the flame
Send us out to harvest
The amber waves of grain
Lord, give us America
In Jesus' holy name

by
Chris Merkling & Joel Weldon Hendrickson

Revelation 2:4-5 says "You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first."

Before what is called the Second Great Awakening (in the late 1850s), a prayer meeting was called in downtown New York. Within six months 10,000 businessmen were praying for revival, and within two years about 2,000,000 people were added to the churches.

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" (2 Chron. 7:14).

Real Revival is taking place, but not in America. It is happening in Korea, where the Church has grown from less than a million 25 years ago, to over 12 million today. And in Africa, where the Church is growing so fast that Muslims attack preachers and disrupt meetings to try to stop its progress. It is taking place in Central and South America, in China and Malaysia, but in America? No! There is no real Revival in America because Americans are not convinced they really need God.

2 Corinthians 7:9-10 KJV (9) Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. (10) For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

Revival can come to America. We must pour our hearts out to God in prayer for this nation.

Father God,
Please send a revival fire through America. Purify us Lord. Draw this nation back to you.
We ask this in Jesus Holy Name
Amen

Just found out about something happening here

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:41:08 GMT

This is something that is happening Here in Ephrata Pennsylvania that I didn't know about until this morning.

Light of Hope Ministries

Check out the Charisma magazine article.

Bridging the gap between the Amish and the rest of the Christian community.

Check out the Charisma magazine article.

In 1999 I fell out of a barn and crushed my pelvis. Through this I learned about the healing power of God.
After this some people started coming to my house for healing for themselves and their families. Before we knew what was happening, I was in part time ministry.

In February of 2005 we took a course on understanding emotional needs. After this our part time healing ministry exploded. We were asked to quit this ministry by our church leadership and did quit for about a half year. God didn’t let us go so in the spring of 2006 we moved to Pennsylvania where God called us to full time ministry.

We are trying to bring the light of God's word and the message of hope
And healing to the people of our community. There are many that hunger after a real relationship with God. We want to reach them and share with them what we have found.

Steve Lapp

Scheduled Events

* Thursdays night at 7:00 PM we have moved our location to 307 Millway Rd. Ephrata, PA 17522. In a barn!

Directions: www.mapquest.com put in 307 Millway Rd. Ephrata, PA 17522

From Lancaster take 222 N. To the Brownstown exit. Take 772 N. Through the intersection continue 0.6 mile turn right (onto Cocalico Creek Rd.) 0.6 mile turn left (onto Millway Rd.) follow Millway Rd. For 0.7 mile to 307 Millway Rd. Drive is on the left. Property sets about ¼ mile off the road.

From Ephrata take 272 to Akron to the lights turn right (Main St.), 1st Rd. Left (sixth street), go to 2nd Rd. Turn right (Maple Farm Rd) follow Maple Farm Rd. To the end, turn left (Millway Rd.) then immediately turn right into drive.

What are your thoughts on this?

Jeremiah 25

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Jeremiah told them over and over about the coming judgement and they wouldn't listen. People are hearing now of the plan of the Lord's return but they wont listen.

Jeremiah 25:1-2 KJV The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that was the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; (2) The which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying,

The year 605 BC was the year that Nebuchadnezzar made his first attack on the city of Jerusalem. His attack was followed by the taking of captives back to Babylon with him.
The captives taken in this first of three captivities included Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.
The second captivity would take place in 597 BC, and would include King Jeconiah, the prophet Ezekiel, and 10,000 other people were taken to Babylon.
The third captivity took place in 586 BC, and would be the time when the city of Jerusalem was destroyed. Most of the remaining people were taken to Babylon.

Jeremiah 25:3 KJV From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day, that is the three and twentieth year, the word of the LORD hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened.

Jeremiah has been prophesying for 10 years. 10 YEARS!!!!! The people have the word of God but refuse to listen.

Jeremiah 25:4 KJV And the LORD hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear.

Prophets - plural. Not just Jeremiah. The people are not listening.

Jeremiah 25:5 KJV They said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever:

Repent. They have been telling them repent.

Jeremiah 25:6-7 KJV And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt. (7) Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the LORD; that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.

We hurt ourselves when we sin.

Jeremiah 25:8-9 KJV Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words, (9) Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.

He who has ears to hear let him hear. They weren't listening.

Jeremiah 25:10-11 KJV Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle. (11) And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

70 years.

Which do you think could be more productive for God: Dying at age 40 from stress, poor health, and overwork – or living to age 90 and living a productive life serving God?
When God fed Israel manna in the wilderness, He gave it every day except on the Sabbath. He provided for them on the Sabbath in a different way. By letting them rest.

Jeremiah 25:12 KJV And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.

Daniel 9:1-27 KJV In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; (2) In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. (3) And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: (4) And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; (5) We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: (6) Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. (7) O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee. (8) O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. (9) To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; (10) Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. (11) Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him. (12) And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem. (13) As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth. (14) Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice. (15) And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly. (16) O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us. (17) Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake. (18) O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies. (19) O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name. (20) And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God; (21) Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. (22) And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. (23) At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision. (24) Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. (25) Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. (26) And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. (27) And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Israel is now back in the land. The end is coming. The time is coming for the Lord's return.

START PRAYING!!! The time is near. Today is the day of salvation. Now is the time. You are not guaranteed another hour or day.

Jeremiah 25:13-26 KJV And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations. (14) For many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of them also: and I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the works of their own hands. (15) For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it. (16) And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them. (17) Then took I the cup at the LORD'S hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me: (18) To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as it is this day; (19) Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people; (20) And all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod, (21) Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon, (22) And all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isles which are beyond the sea, (23) Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost corners, (24) And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert, (25) And all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes, (26) And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.

All nations will be judged.

Jeremiah 25:27 KJV Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.

Spew - hurl - toss your cookies - barf

Jeremiah 25:28-33 KJV And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink. (29) For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts. (30) Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. (31) A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD. (32) Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. (33) And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.

10 years he has been telling them

Jeremiah 25:34-38 KJV Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye principal of the flock: for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished; and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel. (35) And the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape. (36) A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and an howling of the principal of the flock, shall be heard: for the LORD hath spoiled their pasture. (37) And the peaceable habitations are cut down because of the fierce anger of the LORD. (38) He hath forsaken his covert, as the lion: for their land is desolate because of the fierceness of the oppressor, and because of his fierce anger.