Heart of Humility or Pride

I believe we all have a measure of humility and pride in our hearts. This is where the Spirit meets the flesh. We need to take a deeper look at our heart to see which we have more of and what we need to prune so that we can walk in the Spirit. As a man thinks in his heart so he is. The battlefield starts in our minds, goes to our heart, then comes out in our words and actions. What is your heart telling you. These are the same heart checks I have taken over the past few days. Let us do this together. We must ask ourselves, are there any areas where we think more highly of ourselves? These thoughts can sneak in at first without us even realizing it. Do we put others above ourselves as we should or do we think we are better because we have a home, a car, or other material items? Are the eyes of our heart opened to ones in need, who are lost, or hurting. Do we think because we know more scriptures, that God favors us or does our Lord and Savior show the same grace to all that seek His face? Let us meditate on the following scriptures.

Proverbs 11:2 NIV When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
Proverbs 18:12 NIV Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.
Isaiah 5:21 NIV Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.
Philippians 2:3 NIV Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

As you can see with humility comes blessings. Humility is when we empty ourselves of self and let God fill us with His Spirit. Humility is the good soil that grace can grow from according to Andrew Murray. When you go into a deeper study of humility, then you will realize how true this is. We know there is freedom in letting go and letting God. Now we have found another part of our freedom. How freeing is it knowing we don't have to worry about self. Walking in humility we can do this. We can take our eyes off of us, focus on Jesus, and do what He has called us to do. I hope you are starting to feel as free as I do. We don't have to think about self or be in control. One of the fruits is self control, but this is not of our own strength. It is by the grace of God, walking in the Spirit. Let us journey together in freedom, walking in the strength of the Holy Spirit by faith and where grace can grow in the soil of humility. Out of good soil comes a wonderful harvest. In the love of Christ to all, my prayer is for more workers to plant good seeds.

Your sister and fellow seedplanter in Christ.

To help with your further study on Humility verses Pride, here is a link to help:
http://encouragingbiblequotes.com/versespridea.html

Here is a You Tube link to a song that has helped me and that I would like to share with everyone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flQHXz7li1E

An "A" For The Day

There was a movie called "Dangerous Minds" where a school teacher was given a class full of students that we will say were left behind. It was in a rough neighborhood and some of them were gang members. To encourage these students the teacher told them she was going to give them an "A" to start. She said it is easier to earn an "A" than it was to keep one. I started thinking about this. I received "A"s in school and it is easier to earn one. When you earn an "A", you have to have drive and determination. When you are given an "A" you have a choice to work and keep it or become lazy and lose it.

God gives us an "A" every morning with His new mercy, grace, and forgiveness. Now we can obey Him and keep our "A", make a mistake during the day (which we all do) and immediately ask for forgiveness to keep our "A", or become lazy and let our "A" drop to a lower grade by the end of the day. These are the choices God has given all of us. We need to work to keep our "A"s, because at the end of the day our "A" is hearing good and faithful servant.

With Love in Christ,
Dora

an ignatian prayer

an ignatian prayer

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Salvation

This is a wonderful video. Please watch. http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1137883230?bctid=1509297822

Remember The Least Of These This Thanksgiving

Luke 14:11-14 (New International Version)

11For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

12Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

This passage has really convicted me this morning. I mean our church will be having a dinner for ones who cannot do for themselves and I will be helping out with this. But I think this passage goes much deeper. Our homes are not ours to say who can enter and who cannot. Our homes are a resource that belongs to God and we are to use His resources wisely and what He tells us to use them for. Well, in this passage Jesus tells us exactly what to do. Although most of us have already planned our Thanksgiving meals and the guest list, maybe we should add another plate. Is there someone you can think of that you can say to, "come dine with me". They would not only be dining with you, they will also be dining with Jesus and they will see Him in you. This could be very life changing for them. Let us be the disciples Jesus wants us to be. Let us say when you see me, you see Jesus. After all isn't this our eternal goal. Jesus ask us to feed His sheep. Let us not only feed them with food, but let us feed them with the Word and show them how much Jesus loves them.

I would like to add something else to this, when you speak to the homeless and the hungry the one thing that they say that is most come is, "they don't see me". We are the "they" in this. Let us pray and ask Jesus to help us open our eyes, our hearts and our homes this year during the holiday season. Let us gather as many lost sheep as we can and bring them to the Kingdom of God. May we always walk in love.

With love in Christ to all,
Dora

My Faith Story

I had a modest start, complete with an out side restroom and a metal tub to take baths in. I had one brother and three sisters. My father who was everything to me, did not go to chruch, but knew the Word, lived it and taught it to us. While I was pregnant with my first at 21, I lost him and my father-in-law to cancer within a month. While they were sick, I had never prayed so hard in my life. Not that they would be healed, but that they would live long enough to see their granddaughter. This prayer was not answered (at least I did not know Gods purpose then). Then 16 months later Iost my brother to diabetes. He was 37, blind, had lost a leg and a finger, and had kidney failure which lead to a heart failure. At this point I was angry with God, got a divorce from my first husband and rebelled terribly for the next four years. I call these my years of temporary insanity. I then met my husband now who brought me back to reality. In 1990 we were married and in 1991 I started attending a church who's preacher had lived through all of this with me. I started being pulled closer to God, but not walking with him. My preacher retired and we moved out of the area. In fact we were homeless for a while. Then when we did find a home, I found out I had cancer. This is when I found a new church and was baptized. I am now a cancer survivor and I am walking with God. I still have some fires to go through, but as He has done in the past, He is right there with me. My faith and peace has grown in ways I would have never imagined. I lost one of sisters to diabetes also, but this time I knew He was with me and my family. Like Paul, I know what it is to have everything and I know what it is to have nothing. With Jesus, I always have everything I need.

Thanksgiving