Lent Week 4 Day 22

My reading in the Mosaic Bible is about sin and how the world is so immune to it. He explains how sin is “missing the mark”. What mark you may ask? The mark is the moral standard for all humanity that comes from the holy character of God. We all fall short. Romans 3:23-24,  since all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God,²⁴ and are being justified [declared free of the guilt of sin, made acceptable to God, and granted eternal life] as a gift by His [precious, undeserved] ^[a]grace, through the redemption [the payment for our sin] which is [provided] in Christ Jesus,

God’s glory, His holiness is a standard we can not live up to. But God has made a way through Jesus Christ for us to have peace with God. Jesus lived a sinless life, He didn’t miss the mark. He is our only avenue to get to God. We have to be sinless to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This is impossible without Jesus. His righteousness is substituted for our sinfulness. He paid the price for us. All we have to do is receive this free gift. Ephesians 2:8-9, For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; ⁹ not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation]. Bible references from Bible Gateway.

 

Lent to Repent

Day 22

The scripture is Matthew 5:21-26 and it’s talking about never to be angry with anyone because the judgement on anger is the same as the judgement on murder. Jesus says to make peace with everyone.

Ann says: Today I will fast from wrath and anger because anger is often just the costume of fear.

 

This line “anger is often the costume of fear” stands out to me. I know in myself that I would get angry a lot when my kids were little because I feared whatever was happening. I didn’t want them to feel pain or sadness. I’ve always tried to prevent it. I would get angry when they got hurt, that may sound crazy and for a long time I tried to understand why that was happening. After I got saved I realized it wasn’t the kids that made me angry, it was the sin. This is the same for God toward us. I wrote about this here. With my kids I see where I was in fear of them getting hurt when they were rough housing or playing outside. The fear drove me to anger when the inevitable happened. I was angry that they had to experience pain or sadness. But I learned that in order to appreciate the good and happy times we have to experience painful times. Even though seeing them hurt makes my heart hurt, it’s helping them. Ann said in her book The Greatest Gift, that God doesn’t allow a trial without a gift. God uses hard things to grow us up spiritually. He takes everything in our life and turns it into glory, His glory. Nothing is wasted in God’s Kingdom. God has a plan where the world will one day be without pain, suffering and sadness. I have yearned for this new world in my soul already and didn’t even know it until I had children of my own. So as long as I live I will strive to bring peace and goodness to the world and not anger and violence. Peace is kingdom living right here, right now.

Day 21- Go about doing good as Jesus did.

Day 22- It’s the sin God hates!

 

My Wonderwall, Jesus

Today I was drawn to a song called Wonderwall by Oasis

It has turned out to be really awesome! I looked up the meaning of the song and found this. According to Noel Gallagher, the song describes “an imaginary friend who’s gonna come and save you from yourself “. And since the only ‘you’ in the song goes on to become the ‘Wonderwall‘, it must refer to something/someone who will always be there for you, and well, save you.

This can only mean Jesus for me, so I felt like Jesus is communicating this to me through the song which is awesome!

The next thing that happened was I read my Advent devotional from The Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp and it kinda ties in with the song and I wanted to share this and record my thoughts.

Ann wrote, The King from the beginning, back when we were young and the world was Edenic and the wonderland was us. She goes on to say,  joy beyond the walls of the world. It’s Jesus.

Jesus is my wonderwall. He is the joy that is my wall, to hold me in peace. He is joy beyond the walls of the world but He is also my wonderwall that saves me. His presence in my mind and heart save me from darkness and despair. The darkness that can fill my mind and heart to make me feel afraid and out of sorts. Jesus, just the thought of Him steers me back into the Light and into peace and love. He gives me strength and courage. In the song You Make Me Brave it says: No fear can hinder now the promises You have made. No fear can hinder now the love that made a way!

This video and song gave me goose bumps today!

Ann also said, “The King beyond this world has entered this world and the wonderland in Him we always hoped for is here and now and true. The King of the first and still coming second Advent, the King coming again to rule the earth and make all the sad things untrue. The wonderland is unfolding now, Kingdom coming, because His Word doesn’t return to Him void. Isaiah 55:11-12 . ¹ So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

I love how she put it, the wonderland is true and it’s here, now. And when Jesus comes again He will make all the bad headlines untrue, all the death will be but a myth!

I read somewhere yesterday that Jesus invites us into His Story [ History].  To be in His Story we have to surrender our lives to Him. To live in the safe parameters of His Wonderwall and dwell in Wonderland, we have to follow Him. We have to give up our ways and go God’s way.  My dad wrote this in a Bible he gave me when I was twenty: It truly can be a “Wonderful Life”.

Higher by Creed

 

I can relate.

A Birthday Card From Jesus through My Husband

My husband wrote this for me or should I say Jesus used my husband as a vessel to write this to me on my 44th birthday four years ago. It is very special to me and every time I have read it, it means something new to me. The latest meaning I have gotten is he’s talking about my spiritual rebirth.  I am sharing it because I thought it was awesome!

 

A special birthday to you on your very important day,

For it has taken you a journey of forty-four years to finally find your way.

I gave your mother on a day long ago, a little baby girl, a soul to keep.

As I have watched over you all these years as you were asleep.

You opened your eyes on that fourteenth day of December,

I , myself, witnessed your life start as I , your Lord, can only remember.

I breathed life into your body and watched you begin your life from my throne high above,

While the glorious news of your coming spread throughout my kingdom on the wings of a white dove.

My spiritual armour a little baby girl laid adorn,

For your circle of destiny began the second that you were born.

I gave you as birthday gifts that Summer day… a belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, two sandals of peace, a helmet of salvation, a sword of my word and your faith in a shield,

So that one day you and I would walk side by side in an endless beautiful flowered poppy field.

I whispered into your small ear, that I Jesus, I AM, I AM the father you now know.

I said unto you,” I am your shelter in any storm,”

I have held your hand throughout the years and have been a witness in watching your life transform.

A baby boy named Jesus was also born during a clear night beneath a glowing star,

I was born alone in a manger so you could forever feel my love from great distances afar.

I was born to Joseph and my mother Mary that miraculous night,

So that one day you would be strong enough and live your life with all the power of My might.

Child you were lost at one time, but now you are found,

You in return will be rewarded by standing beside Me, while I wear my golden crown.

For I once was made to wear a crown made of thorn,

So an innocent baby such as you would one day be born.

You were once blind, but now can see. For your name Regina is now being recorded in the Book of Life.

Because you continue to fulfill your God given roles bestowed onto you as a daughter, friend, mother and wife.

I give you today another Happy Birthday, with all My grace,

For in My heaven I have reserved for you a deserved space.

I have chosen you to live in Me and Me live in you, so that one day we will meet

face to face right inside of My heaven’s pearly gate.

And that is where I promise you to be and with my open arms I will await.

Because of being baptized under water on that November night, you have not only been born once to your mother, but born again twice,

I hung on a rugged cross to pay your salvation’s price.

You were born not alone with your father and mother, as I gave them a daughter,

Just as you were not alone as you were lowered beneath the cleansing water.

While shepherd’s came out of their lands to eyewitness my birth and left their hungry sheep grazing,

I , your Lord, came to your side at your birth to see my new creation and the site to behold was amazing.

On your birthday today I thank you for being you and spreading God’s Word,

That many you meet will now be enlightened, renewed and stirred.

You are a child of God, so live a long happy life!

Be an example in your life’s walk,

In return, I will provide and inspire you with My words of wisdom  within your daily talk.

 

 

Short quotes from Regina Gibson

Heaven Time

Heaven lights the end of time as we wait to touch each other in the calm peace of love forever.

Summer Morning

The sweet sunshine rose beyond the gate through it’s hinges gracefully covered the garden.

To Jesus

Because He gave me life again, I give Him my life.

A Single Leaf

A single leaf

                                                                                           F

                                                                                                   A

                                                                                                          L

                                                                                                                L

                                                                                                                         I

                                                                                                                                N

                                                                                                                                          G

alone, asleep , dying.

Come Home by My Husband

This poem came about after the passing of my father-in-law. The Holy Spirit gave my husband these words for comfort I believe. The words just came rushing and he had to hurry and write them down. Here it is:

Anguish on the right,

Agony on the left,

But only harmony down the middle.

Blindness all around.

But only sight in my soul.

Free my spirit to the heavens is Your goal.

On the right road now, I’ll be home soon Lord, at Your door.

Cry no longer child, for all pain and unhappiness will be gone.

For the sounds of heaven are near.

The soles of your feet shall walk the street of my kingdom

where many before you have come.

For in that street, your journey will be at an end

and there we shall meet.

Enlightenment and understanding will be clear.

Leave with love in your heart

and calmness in your soul

for all will be together again

so very soon!

The Love of Heaven by Regina Gibson

The love of heaven floats on
the stars and moon.
Touching us with peace to calm
the blues.
In our time of need heaven
will stay true.
Patiently waiting for a look from you.

Yeha – Noha Wishes of happiness and prosperity

The title of this post is actually the name of a song by Sacred Spirit. It’s a Native American chant sung by Navajo  Kee Chee Jake. This song has words of healing and cleansing in it sung in his Navajo language.  That’s exactly what has happened to me from listening to the song! I have something really amazing to share and it has to do with my post, My Dream: To Lie Down In Green Pastures. By the way Navajo means great plain, like what I saw in my dream.

My dream was about being in heaven with Jesus in a big grassy field with other people around. I had thought of the Psalm by David talking about green pastures, God has revealed to me what I actually saw and I am astounded! This message is for everyone who is born again! It’s assurance of the new earth to come and that we will have a place in it. I am so excited about what I experienced!

I know I was led to listen to this song because I was looking for the Gregorian chant music to start with and found this song. I liked it right away, but didn’t think much about it. The same day I was reading a post from As He Is….So Are We and he suggested to think of a soundtrack for your life story.https://1john417.wordpress.com/2015/05/05/what-is-the-soundtrack-of-your-story/ Since I had been listening to this song and the Gregorian chants I thought this would suit me good. Little did I know it really would become the soundtrack of my life! Then I received a comment on my dream post giving me an interpretation of the dream. I read this interpretation last Friday night before going to bed. Since I had the song on my mp3 player I decided to listen to it while going to sleep. I started listening and the words from the interpretation of my dream were flowing into my mind as they were being said by Jesus. I felt His presence with me and it felt just like in my dream. My heart melted and I had tears streaming down my face. I knew what had been blocking me from Jesus’ love, ME. It’s ME who puts a wall up and isolates myself, even from Jesus. It’s not everyone leaving me, it’s I HAVE LEFT THEM! I couldn’t sleep, I laid there crying and listening to this song for 5 hours or more basking in the presence of Jesus! I didn’t want to leave!

Saturday night I couldn’t wait to do the same thing again, be with Jesus through this music. I already felt cleansed and renewed, but I crave being with Him so I listened to the music again and this time God spoke to me. In my half awake state the chant became the English words: Shannon will not die, Shannon’s always on time. The word arrive derci was also in my mind before these phrases. I made sure I would remember these words so I could look them up Sunday morning.

I found the Biblical meaning of Shannon to mean a plain, flat pasture. ( http://www.biblical-baby-names.com/meaning-of-shannon.html) It then gives a Biblical context of the plain of Sharon. I had never heard of such a place but found out that it’s along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

Then I found some interesting information from a Bible Study website: http://www.keyway.ca/htm2002/20020729.htm , about how this plain of Sharon is mentioned in the book of Isaiah to be the place where believers will be with Jesus in the New Earth.  As it’s described in Isaiah, it will be lush green grass and everything will be peaceful. Just as I experienced in my dream! 

Prophesy clearly describes Sharon at a future time when it will again include secure, peaceful pastures:

“I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah inheritors of My mountains; My chosen shall inherit it, and My servants shall dwell there. Sharon shall become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down, for my people who have sought Me” (Isaiah 65:9-10 RSV)

This is from the Bible Study link above.

 

It has been made REAL to me that God does have a place for us in the future! Another song on my player , Never Let Go, woke me up with  the words: There is a light for the heart that holds on. Paul’s words came to my mind, fight the good fight.

I got a revelation about the fight! It doesn’t have to do with living, the fight is fighting to keep Jesus in our conscience!  It’s a GOOD fight because at the end we get to be with Jesus and that is a place where I want to be!

The movie I recently watched The Lake House, led me to Carlo Carretto, he is a great spiritual writer, I suggest looking him up and reading his quotes. He said he figured out that all God wants is our prayer and love! When we are able to really connect with God through our love of Jesus it is truly a joy unspeakable! I have been there for 2 days now and can’t stop and don’t want to!

That last word arrive derci, it means farewell until we meet again.  I think Jesus was telling me I will be in this place with Him in my future. I am so excited and so looking forward to that day!

Here is a link to the song if you are interested, it’s awesome! This song is heaven on earth to me! When we receive Jesus’ love we can then give it to others. Being afraid to love keeps us from fully experiencing love and life! And yes sometimes it hurts, but that’s how you know it’s REAL.

 

My Dream: To Lie Down In Green Pastures

On October 4, 2015 I had a dream about Jesus and heaven. It brought the scripture Psalm 23:1-3 to mind, The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³     he refreshes my soul.

I want to share the experience with you which is hard to put into words because it wasn’t so much what it looked like but how it FELT. The picture above best describes how it looked once I was there.

I did a little research on Psalm 23 and found something interesting. Some one suggested to read a book called A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller. He  wrote that sheep refuse to lie down unless free of all fear. He makes comparisons of sheep to God’s people.  So, I thought that would be fitting to my dream because I do more than just lie down in green pastures, I dive in!

From what I remember my dream began with Jesus being in the background of my life. It wasn’t a particular place just that I knew He was there but I was too busy to spend time with Him.  Makes me sad to write that, but that’s how it was. I went to Him, hugged Him and told Him if He had to go, it’s okay, if He had to be with someone else. Then all of a sudden we were in a record store and I held up my favorite movie soundtrack Romeo and Juliet. I said,” This is my all time favorite movie!” But as I said it I knew He already knew that so I put it back. I noticed He had a white shirt on with jeans and we were barefoot. In that moment we were in heaven. All I saw was rolling hills filled with rich green grass! Standing there looking out, it was so beautiful but the feeling was even more beautiful! The way He looked at me and listened to me without looking away, His love permeated to me so deep that words can’t properly describe it. We were running barefoot down the hill and diving in the grass like it was water! Someone else was with us doing it too. Then we came across a group of people lying in the grass and we could hear a song talking about Jesus. A lady got up and said that what was being said wasn’t in the Bible. I said to her, you know that’s not true. In the book of John it says Jesus is the word and the word was with God. You know it’s in the Bible. Then a girl came up wanting to spend time with Jesus and I felt myself begin to feel jealous but Jesus showed me in my mind what He loved about her and I felt myself change toward her. I saw her like He did, with love and compassion.

I woke up after that and realized I was with Jesus in heaven. I wished I didn’t wake up! I wanted to stay so bad! As I was laying there relishing in the memory of being with Him, not wanting to forget any of it, I felt His presence and He said to me,” Don’t run away, again.” I think He is saying, don’t stop spending time with Me. See, I have been following Jesus for 5 years now but I get to certain points and stop. Then I get called back. I was on the verge of stopping again because I have a hard time with my faults. I feel inadequate but He conveyed to me to stop thinking that I’m not good enough. It’s okay, I love you the way you are. What you think is bad about yourself, it’s okay.

I had been watching Elevation Network continuously a couple weeks before this dream and I decided Saturday that I would skip the sermon on Sunday. Then the dream was Saturday night. So, because of the dream I decided to watch the sermon. The preacher said in the sermon to face your fears and DON’T RUN!

Something else that I want to add, yesterday I was researching the Gregorian Chant and came across a nun’s blog talking about it and she referred to the Gregorian Chant as “the Word made song”. I thought that was interesting because of the song I heard in my dream and my response to the lady about it.

The second meaning to this dream is found here  It has a greater meaning and it’s for everyone who believes.