Children, It is the Last Hour

Children, It is the Last Hour

This will be my last blog.  I expect to have Lift Jesus’ Cross site taken down by Monday at the latest.  God is speaking to my heart and if you would like to continue to know what I am hearing from Him or just want to keep in touch, please email me at seehope at Comcast dot net.

I do not know if we are in the last hour before Christ’s return, but I do believe we are in the last hour of American culture as we have known it and built upon it since 1776.  Please email me for more details on what I’m doing to prepare for the coming months.

I’ve reported on other nations taking down crosses from the tops of steeples and destroying houses of God.  For some time we all wondered if ISIS would be the enemy to invade the United States and attack our steeples and demolish our crosses.  As it turns out, the enemy seeks to divide us from within.

As for me, I could hardly believe that God was leading me to take down Lift Jesus’ Cross blog.  I kept praying and asking for confirmation the last few weeks.  This is what I’m getting:

1. Lift Jesus’ Cross is already being searched and ridiculed by anti-Christians.
2. WordPress has been a wonderful place to post blogs—but it is not Mount Calvary.
3. We were warned by Jesus not to “cast our pearls before swine”.
4. Jesus died for sinners and sins on the internet, but God did not equip me personally to fight His battles on the internet. (The internet is not my battlefield).
5. My husband and I will continue to keep our cross erected in our back yard, lights and all.

Like so many of you, my dear friends, God has closed door after door in my life in 2020.  He closes doors, He opens doors.  He tears down, He builds up.  He plants, He plucks up what was planted.  He is God and I applaud all His works!

Now, for the GOOD NEWS!

1. By the end of August, I want to send each one of you for FREE my very first 30 day devotional titled, “I Come to the Garden Alone”. EMAIL ME!
2. For those of you who may be interested in a little work at home, I have a few openings with Hope Editors such as transcriptions of sermons, personal help with an email list, and someone to book radio and online shows to promote my upcoming baby book.
3. September 1^st, my very first baby board book will be released, Baby Babbles Bb. I want to email you more about this later.
4. It’s on my heart to share more regarding the upcoming months. EMAIL ME!

If I don’t reply to an email, assume I did not receive it.  I will reply to each email sent to me.  It doesn’t matter if 500 of you email me.  I will reply!

I care about you.  I hope to speak to you again via email.

1 John 2:18 Children, it is the last hour.

Healed in the High Praises to God

I woke up at 4:30 AM with a full blown headache and exhaustion–super sick. God met me, coffee and pen in hand, before dawn. I kept writing until I had three pages of my notebook journal filled with praise to Him for all He is and all He does.

I wasn’t writing praises to convince Him to heal me. I didn’t even ask to be healed. But the result of “high praises” is that it takes us high, high up and closer to God. He healed me to the point that I got up and went outside and trimmed bushes and gardened.
This was a true miracle for me. I thought I’d be in bed all day. Hallelujah!

Let’s PRAISE GOD!

I PRAISE YOU, FATHER! My heart is full of love and adoration for You. I expect great things in my future because YOU are God and Your plans, discipline, teaching, and instruction are perfect. You are my Hope and all my springs of joy are you in You!

Even from inside my home, I saw the golden light, the first glow of dawn above the horizon this morning. Your artistry cheers my heart and I live for the day I see Your heaven, Your land without corruption. There no word can be uttered against You, for every soul there shall be made pure and every conscience sprinkled clean forever by the blood of the Lamb. Hallelujah!

You have given us the high privilege of adoption while we are yet in our sins and, at times, where we seem to live in the derelict orphanage of Satan. I HATE his works against your children. I love YOUR plans, Father, for they will succeed and carry treasures of goodness, YOUR goodness, into eternity. GLORY to GOD!

Your wonder fills my spirit and seeps into my mind, my will, and my songs. For it is YOUR holy breath that fills my lungs with life, the life Satan covets but cannot possess. GLORY to GOD! My Lord and my God, You and your children WEAR Your light and Your Victor’s crown. I like it that you want us to dress like You! Apart from Your righteousness, we fall away in rags; yet in your love and kindness you raise us up into Your arms, clothe us in white, set your seal of adoption upon our forehead, and show us how to stand, ever holding on to You. Wow! No wonder your children praise you.

My heart is filled with a God-theme and Holy Spirit of God, You honor me, honor all of Your children with your omnipresence. Holy, holy, holy!

Oh, that ALL of Your children will join hands and praise You! We love You, Father, and desire to bless Your heart with our love and surrender to do Your will.

May GOD be praised and magnified above all the thoughts of men and exalted above all the schemes of the devil.

Oh, God, arise! Let Your enemies be silenced and Your works on the earth amplified. Grant us Your Holy Spirit of Counsel and Might, Wisdom, Knowledge, and the Fear of the Lord that we may boldly proclaim your works to the next generation.
Let the sick say, “I am healed.”
Let the weak say, “I am strong.”
Let the poor say, “I am rich.”
Let the coward say, “I am fearless.”
Let the hated say, “I am loved.”
Let the sinner say, “I am forgiven.”
Let the lost say, “I am found.”
Let the orphan say, “Abba! Father! I am WANTED!”
HALLELUJAH!

 

Isaiah 11:1-4 (NKJV)   THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD UPON JESUS

There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,
And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
2
The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
3
His delight is in the fear of the Lord,
And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,
Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
4
But with righteousness He shall judge the poor,
And decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

We Are Grounded

We Are Grounded

Were you ever grounded as a teenager?  Can you recall what you did that made your parent or parents take such a drastic measure as to confine you to your house or, worse, to your bedroom?

Whatever the specific infraction at the time, the overall offense was this:

Your actions and/or words were (likely) self-serving and involved what you viewed as your rights as an individual. In the end, you were tempted to go off and do something that did not benefit your family, but benefited what YOU wanted.  What you wanted, your rights, your friends, or your goals became more important to you than anything else.  You violated your family’s harmony.

http://www.freebibleimages.com

I’d like to propose that we’ve all been grounded.  This may look like a virus pandemic, but in essence we’ve been given time to think, reflect, and maybe even repent.  We’ve been sent to our rooms because we, the children of God, have violated our human family’s harmony as designed by God, the Father of us all.

What can we do?  I’m not God but I’m a mom and, at one time, a rebellious daughter.  Here are a few ideas.  See what resonates with our souls:

• Confess my own rebellion to God my Father
• Ask God to forgive me for causing disharmony in His home, His world
• Ask God to forgive me for hurting my parents, brother, sister, or child
• Receive our Father’s love
• Tell God it’s OK if He wants to have a “big talk” with us about our life
• Call a family member and ask if you can pray together
• Call a family member and ask forgiveness
• Turn off the “need to know” news and open the Bible—Ephesians 6 maybe
• Take a good look at the cross—God went this far to restore me to His family

We are worth EVERYTHING to our Father in Heaven.  He will do ANYTHING to get us back in harmony with Him and with our family.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.                                                                         That whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting LIFE.  John 3:16

 

 

Preaching to the Undecided Voters

I asked the Lord a question this morning.  There is so much evil right now in the world.

How do we know if the ruler of this world (the devil, John 14:30) is responsible for the evil we see or if people are responsible for the evil?   Ready for the answer?

The devil initiates the dark sin, evil, hate, and lies.

God initiates the love, rescue, life, and truth.

The PEOPLE, one by one, decide.

This is why preaching is important—for the “undecided voters” to hear the gospel and then make up their minds.

Right now the democratic parties are all “preaching” to the undecided voters.  We need to preach to those undecided for the gospel.  This brings me back to the original purpose of this blog—to lift the cross of Jesus so that the MULTITUDES IN THE VALLEY OF DECISION can see the cross, hear the gospel, and make up their minds.

How can the undecided hear the gospel unless someone preaches it?  To win presidency in the United States is a really big deal this year.  But “He/She that wins souls is wise.” (Proverbs 11:30)

Let’s lift up the cross of Jesus and gather the “undecided” souls into the kingdom of God!

Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.  (Joel 3:14 NKJV)

 

 

“Arise, Let Us Go From Here.”

It’s 2020!  Happy New Year!

I’ve meditated on John 14 since November.  Yesterday I memorized Jesus’ last words in that chapter, on the last day of 2019.  Jesus’ last words in that chapter rang through my spirit all day yesterday and, even through the night last night (New Year’s Eve), I wakened to consciousness considering his words:

“Arise, let us go from here.”

A new day dawns.  A new year dawns.

I took these moments to blog because my heart yearns to say to you,

“My friend, arise!  Let us go from here.” 

May we leave behind all successes, all failures of last year/years, and press on to know the Lord and to love Him and prove our love to Him by keeping His Word and believing that Jesus is truly God’s Son.  (John 14)

I write down prayers in my three ring binder each day.  I’d like to share my morning prayer with you now, just in case you’d like to say, “Amen.”

Good morning, precious Father in Heaven!  It is a new year here on earth, marked in time by Your Son’s birth.  Hallelujah!  Oh, that I may lay my life down for you in 2020 and please you with every breath I take, but I know there are strongholds of complaining in my thinking.  Conquer them, Victorious Warrior!  That I may ride with you in that last day!  Hallelujah!

I love you utterly, Jesus Christ, the Son of God!  I repent of all dark thoughts and words at the dawn of this first day, this first week in 2020. 

I think of John 14:31, the last verse in John 14:

“Arise, let us go from here.”

I sense that is the closing word from you to me for 2019.  And so I am eager to read John 15:1 and take in these next words of Jesus to guide me with their compass and flashlight into the year, 2020:

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. (John 15:1-3 NKJV)

Father God, I think back to John 14:20 when you said, “Then you will know that I am in the Father, and you in Me, and I in you.” 

My Father, you are the overseer—the PLANNER of all days on earth.  Your are the PLANTER of Your Son, Jesus, the true vine, into the earth. 

            I arise with you, Lord.  Let us go forward now with 2019 behind us. Let me abide in you and you in me as I ponder YOUR words:

“Arise, let us go from here.”

“Abide in Me, and I in you.”

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

God’s Great Stop Sign

Friends, I read this quote from the late Derek Prince today.  His words create a picture that is worth sharing!

Remember this: the cross is God’s great stop sign. The devil may be moving in against us at full speed, but when we put up the cross, he slams on his brakes and comes to a screeching halt because he cannot pass the cross.
—Derek Prince

Will We Trust Him?

Psalm 127 is my theme scripture this summer.  The Lord spoke these words to me Saturday morning, before the shootings took place in the USA.  God said:

Your trust in me is solidified in Psalm 127.  Your faith rises each time you quote it.  You may blog on this.  People are not yet aware of the trust they will need in me to navigate the days ahead.  “Men’s hearts will fail them because of fear.”  Fear is one of the greatest obstacles to people.  Many see themselves as alone and reason why bad things happen. They need to trust Me in the days ahead.

I got distracted Saturday morning and forgot to blog this.  My apologies!  It’s late in coming, but it is here. God wants to know:  Will we trust Him?  Will we believe Him? 

Psalm 127

Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman stays awake in vain.
² It is vain for you to rise up early,
To sit up late,
To eat the bread of sorrows;
For so He gives His beloved sleep.

³ Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
⁴ Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
⁵ Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
They shall not be ashamed,
But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

According to Psalm 127, God has placed you and I in a:

• House
• Community
• Place of rest
• Family

Will we trust Him?  Will we believe Him?

2020–The Year of Battle in the Heavenlies

This morning in my garden of prayer, the Lord told me to write what I hear.  I heard:

The elections are upon us next year.  The battles we saw four years ago will pale in comparison to what is coming.  Campaigns will shift from collecting votes to conquering those who oppose their agendas.  Speeches of good will shall become stages of wrath and violence.  This violence will magnify itself and pour out of campaign coliseums and into the streets.

God is calling Christians to engage on their knees, for the wrath of man will not work the righteousness of God.  (James 1:20)

2020 will be the year of American elections in the natural, but in truth it will be the year of intense spiritual battles in the heavenlies.  Children of God, put on the armor of God, with shoes of peace wherever you go–that you may be able to stand in the evil day.

Listen!  LISTEN!

So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; ²⁰ for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.  (James 1:19-21, Holy Bible)

Do not engage in the natural with rants, accusations, or throwing political mud.  Hold your peace with men and engage in the heavenlies.  Bridle your tongue before men and run to God.

In 2020, more will be accomplished through prayer than this world ever dreamed.

Lift up the cross!

Lift up the American flag!

Lead the march with singing!

For the Lord, He is God.  All of heaven and earth will bow before Him.

Do NOT point your fingers and yell at people.  Save your breath for prayer, where your words will do the most good.

Jesus Died for the Sins on the Internet

Correction–Jesus died especially for the sins on the internet.  In the 90’s, when the internet first became available in homes, I heard warnings from a few people, leaders that I respected, to stay away from the internet. They saw its potential for evil and it scared them. As I considered their fears, the Lord gave me a dream.  In the dream, I saw my computer screen and at the top of the screen I saw the top of the cross.  Jesus looked at me from the cross and spoke! He said, “I died for the sins on the internet, too.”

Wow.  That was revelatory to say the least.

The internet can be a useful tool but, except for fellowship with the wonderful people God created, it has no life. It just knows things.

I go to the internet to research word definitions and medical advice. I check in with my “peeps” on Facebook. More often, I use the internet to research craft ideas, Bible verses, and commentaries for the vast array of children’s curriculum I am involved with in 2019.

However, knowing GOOD things can be deceitful.  It is better to know GOD and be led by the Spirit of God. God wants us to lean into Him, wait and listen for Him, and consult Him first.  Look at Jesus, as Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be led by God’s Spirit:

The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

His delight is in the fear of the Lord,
And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,
Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;

The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord–they go together. Fear God enough to go to Him first. It is better to know LIFE and be led by the Spirit of God than to get KNOWLEDGE without Him. May I be so bold as to say that the internet is actually a huge part of that original Tree of Knowledge? It just knows things. There is no life there.

Let’s live life from the inside out, not the outside in.  Don’t allow outer beeps and buzzes of our cell phone dictate our day, but live with one ear to heaven at all times.  God LOVES this because He can easily give His life to a person who is paying attention to Him.

 

 

 

My Song in the Night

Dearest friends, I wish to share a dream in which I sang with all my heart in church–from a pew in the back where no one but God was listening.

I woke up from the dream singing the most beautiful song, in a key much higher than I can normally sing. Let me back up a moment and set the stage.

The church had high arched ceilings inside. It looked like a cathedral where a prince and his bride would be married, with gold rafters and stained glass windows in the ceiling that cast a glistening glow upon the parishioners below.

I was one among many, seated in the back right hand side of the church.  I can’t remember the worship music or the speaker. I was keenly aware of sitting in that pew, in fellowship with God, my heart full because He had been so good to me. Church was suddenly over.  Closer to the middle and front of the church, people mingled. A pastor shook hands with a few of them. I couldn’t move.  I felt stuck to the pew until my heart overflowed to the point that I had to stand.  I stood and, even though church was officially over, I sang with all of my heart to God:

I thank you for the things You’ve done,

My Jesus, My Lord!

(Later I added):

I thank you for the things You’ve done,

My Jesus, My Lord!

I praise You with  Your creation,

My Jesus, My Lord!

The melody was incredible and I woke up in the presence of God.  Quickly, I grabbed my cell phone and ran into the bathroom, shut the door, and hit Voice Memo to record the song before it left my frontal lobes.

I am so thankful to God for all that He has done in my life. Perhaps you remember the blog about the Romans 8 tank?  Well, I’ve memorized all of Romans 8, Romans 12, And I’m working on Luke 12.  I’ve found the grace to do so.  I’m not bragging, I am boasting in the Lord and His AMAZING GRACE!  I still quote Romans 12 day after day after day.  There is no pit that this scripture cannot dig me out of!  There is no battle that Romans 12 has not won!  There is no closed door that it cannot open and no open door that it cannot shut!  HA!  What a sword we are given to swing, my brother and sister!

What about you? Are you sitting in the back row, too?  Do you find that people around you are milling about, “doing life”, while you sit there?  Do you have a song to sing, but no one has yet invited you on stage or handed you the microphone?  Oh, let me tell you, GOD hands you a microphone right now.  Lift your voice and THANK HIM for all He has done!  Your praise will echo in the courts of heaven and bring on the cheers of the saints watching us all in heaven’s grandstand.

Happy Thanksgiving, dear friends.  Wow.  I’ve missed you all.