By The Word Of Our Testimony

Hello , You can find my current by the word of my testimony by clicking this link. I found that I was only allowed 100 blogs per spot so I moved over there. I am already at number 75 but this time I will stay with the same profile page when I begin by the word of my testimony number two.
I am keeping with this change because of the new format.
Writing by the word of our testimony I found myself saying what I thought your testimony should be. Or our testimony should be. In attempt to be more in line with God's word I now write only the word of my testimony .

1 Cor 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.


As I shared in past posts this is a race that requires humility. Other things are required as well, but I zeroed in on humility because I struggle to have it. The struggle of course becomes futile the minute I decide that I am humble. So rather than gauge myself or giving myself spiritual assessments all the time I now look to the greatest example of all for race running.


Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

2 Chro.13:10 But as for us, the LORD [is] our God, and we have not forsaken him; and the priests, which minister unto the LORD, [are] the sons of Aaron, and the Levites [wait] upon [their] business:


Isa.40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint.


Wait is one of those words with various meanings. The words waiter and waitress are words used to describe a people who wait upon others.


Waiting upon the Lord has have a huge promise attached to it.

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The race I run requires humility. The old joke is "I thought I was humble once but then I became proud of being humble." More true than not because once I stop to access myself , rather than just keep on running , I fall once again into pride. Running without a gauge might seem mundane but I think it is the only way I will manage to keep from falling. Gracious as my LORD is to always uphold me in His right hand when I fall, I would rather not fall into pride again. I once thought it prudent to stop and access myself but now I see the folly of it . There really is no other better thing to do than to look unto Jesus.

1 Corth. 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
This scripture exhorts us to fully embrace what he (Paul) had said in the prior scriptures,
1 Corth.9:19-23. The jest of it being here in verse 19 , For though I be free from all [men], yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.
The humbleness of Lord Jesus has inspired Paul to also lower himself for the gospels sake that he might be a partaker with them . (My paraphrase from verse 23)
So then humility is required to run this race, first and foremost, or I would not be in the race at all.

1 Cr 7:35 And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.



The delight that fills my heart is that our LORD would want us to be able to attend Him without distraction.



The old man use to look at every text with the idea here were more rules . The new man in Christ Jesus that I now am , realizes every word as a loving gift.



"He wants me to be without distraction ! " I joyfully say to my distractions now. Somehow these seemly undeniable distractions can and will be without their ability to distract.



I take it to be in the same context of " cast all your cares upon Me, for I care for you." and " there is therefore a Sabbath rest." Also "Mary has chosen the good part and it will not be taken from her."



We have been given choices and everyday we must choose this day whom we will serve. Also how we will serve. Joyfully and cheerfully as unto the LORD , without distraction.

Rahab the harlot received the same benefits that I believe are available today , for those who live under the blood of the Lamb. She put aside what her community would want her to do and did what she believed to be right. Her whole household was affected by her faith, or those who would abide with her in her house. She might have asked some relative to come and be safe in her house and they refused. Still she had a powerful testimony. She had the promise that if they did come and abide with her they would also be spared from the devastation that was soon to come to Jericho. Can't you hear her now ? As she retells the story (that we can read in Joshua 2) I can imagine their eyes getting wide. "You mean there is an answer to the problem we all know is coming?" Hopefully her dwelling was jam packed with relatives.
I live under the blood of the Lamb!
Life is awesome for me. I am not afraid of losing my salvation. Therefore I have great joy , all the time (except for those times I forget my benefits.) For those brief times when I relapse into thinking maybe I better please God and then really get to studying what that would mean, I lose my joy.
It happens every time. In fact I think I am going to put a poster on my refrigerator.
NO JOY ?
JUST HOW WAS IT THAT YOU THOUGHT YOU WOULD TRY TO PLEASE GOD NOW ?
Maybe that would help me remember , there is no joy without the joy of my salvation and I can only mess it up , if I think I am going to earn it by pleasing Him someway.
His Salvation can only be had by believing it exists the Way He says it does.
John 3:16

Being aware of how many times the children of Israel missed their window of opportunity tells me a lot about human nature.
As those who have read the story of their exodus from Egypt know the children of Israel had a problem with freedom. God , who likes order , is also flexible. He promises to be faithful and answer us when we call, but He does not say exactly how He will answer.
Be it out of the whirlwind or whatever means He chooses I sure want to be listening.
Then not only listening but ready to respond to His voice.
I exhort my friends to be ready to do the radical !
Why ? Because I don't want them to miss seeing our answers to prayers.
He will answer. God always answers those who call on Him. He is always there for those who seek Him to find Him. He will always draw nigh unto those who draw nigh unto Him.
He is a living God, the same yesterday, today and forever.
Being alive today is an awesome opportunity.
Our prayers of restoration are being heard by a very loving God.
The trumpets are beginning to blow. Our time to shout is coming up.
I've found my friends who will shout with me. I exhort them to be aware that we not be caught into a rut.
When He says "SHOUT " let's give it all we got ! The joy of the LORD is our strength !
We are not better than Jesus. He also endured His cross by the joy that was set before Him.
Let's look up , for our redemption draweth nigh !
Praise the LORD.

With God all things are possible ! When I first understood that His ways are different than ours, I understood His ways are higher, that is better so don't sweat it too much.
When I understood that He was willing to move mountains at my request I became concerned. Really, mountains , like the mountain that Zerubbabel spoke "Grace, grace " to ? Or like walls of Jericho falling down ? Or like mountains Paul realized possible to move by faith but said that it would profit him nothing, if he did not have love.
My hope is that soon I am going to connect with another Christian who is believing that God can do anything.
That He would not invite us to pray that the hearts of the fathers be restored to the children and the hearts of the children be restored to the fathers , if He did not intend to answer that prayer.
My hope is that they too will see that there is major renovation going on in the body of Christ .
Walls that once separated people from the power of God's love are coming down. Walls that would house and protect His beloved are going up , as in the mission Nehemiah served in the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. Forever, I hope that people will begin to understand the harm they inflict on new believers by not giving them Biblical grounds for boundaries. An all to often mis-understood concept of love and be loved has given way to many people the idea that it means to be walked on and taken advantage of. Not so in the Bible. We are to have protection from our enemies and if you are planning on walking on me, you are my enemy. If you are planning on making fun of me, sorry once again you are not my friend.
Jesus has made the way through this fantastic place we are in time.
I am desperately seeking Him for more light . He has a lot of life to give us that I am sure we never ever took the time to consider could be ours. A life filled with renewal and hope of the love of Christ being shed abroad in our hearts. A life fruitful and joyful always abounding with the work the of the LORD .
Our pastor talks about life abundantly being a life full of ups and downs. He has the right idea because to follow Christ means in this world you will have troubles , but be of good cheer because He has overcome the world.
If we commit our way unto the LORD , He will sustain us. Even as Rahab put her trust in a God that she had only heard He had opened wide the Red Sea for the children of Israel to cross. We need only to put our trust in a God who said He is the same yesterday , today and forever. And that He will never leave us or forsake us.
And though the world around us may fall down as it also did for Rahab, we can be sure our God is faithful to protect and defend us. Another wall will come up. We will be protected as those who make their habitation the LORD.