Quote from "Stepping Heavenward" by Mrs. E. Prentiss

"She says I shall now have one mouth more to fill and two feet the more to shoe, more disturbed nights, more laborious days, and less leisure or visiting, reading, music and drawing.

Well! This is one side of the story, to be sure, but I look at the other.

Here is a sweet, fragrant mouth to kiss; here are two more feet to make music with their pattering about my nursery. Here is a soul to train for God; and the body in which dwells is worthy of all it will cost, since it is the abode of a kingly tenant. I may see less of friends, but I have gained one dearer than them all, to whom, while I minister in Christ's name, I make a willing sacrifice of what little leisure for my own recreation my other dear darlings had left me. Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome to her time, her strength, her health, her tenderest cares, to her lifelong prayers! Oh, how rich I am, how truly, wondrously blest!"

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Preaching to Yourself for Others

This past Sunday evening my sister had a small church service in her home because I have missed going to church since my white blood cell counts have been too low to attend for quite a while.   It was such an incredibly sweet service.   My nephew, Wesley, led the worship part of the service.   He did a fabulous job!  My former pastor and spiritual father, Wade Trimmer, preached to us about life not being fair but as God's children (due to our belief in His son Jesus Christ as the only way to the Father) we are highly favored!   We followed the sermon with a time of communion and then I was anointed with oil and prayed over for healing from my cancer as instructed in James 5:14.   My spirit soured as we worshiped the Lord together and it resonated with the Word that went forth from the preaching.   I chewed on it the whole way home and was so encouraged by the whole service that was "for me".   At least, that's what I thought.

The next morning I was 10 minutes late to my radiation appointment which means I would have to wait to be fit in.   This only happened once before so I try to be early or on time so I am at the radiation center 15 minutes instead of an hour.   Another thing that happens when you are late is that you are in a different group of people than usual.   I happened to be the youngest of the bunch this morning except for 2 young women who seemed to have brought their grandmother into the center.  A gentleman in his 70's came in, checked in, and told everyone aloud "Good morning folks!"   The normally quiet room echoed with many a good mornings.   He happened to know the elderly lady next to him (probably from appointment times being close) and said he was glad to see her this morning and was glad that she was getting her radiation.   She agreed, but said sadly "but I don't understand why the Lord allowed me to get so ill".   He responded, "We can't know that this side of heaven."   A few mumbled agreements and I told them when we get to heaven we won't care about any of those questions we want the answers to.   We are going to be in such awe of our awesome, incredible God that all those concerns will be gone.  Some agreed and some looked as if I was talking Greek.   Our friendly morning man then said he had two choices every morning.  He was going to choose to be happy that day or sad.    He then continued it takes too much out of him to be sad so he chooses to be happy each day.   Making a "choice to rejoice" is what we call it in our home.  As he was speaking, I felt I needed to share the truth I had been chewing on since the night before with the sad, questioning lady.  I was looking to see if there was a chair near her I could get into when they called her name over the intercom.  I knew if I didn't speak to her right then that I wouldn't have a chance because we would pass each other in treatments.   I noticed she had a cane, two bags, and a coat as she arose slowly to gather her things to head down the hall.  Quickly going to her side, I offered to help her get to her treatment room which she gladly received.   As we got through the doors between the waiting room and the hall, I stopped her to tell her that I heard what she said in the waiting room.   That she was right to think that life wasn't fair, but as a child of God she was highly favored.   I wanted her to go home today and read over Ephesians 2 and remind herself of how SPECIAL she was to the Lord.  Because she was saved, she was Sovereignly chosen, she was Positionally holy, Experentially changed, Completely accepted because she was seen as Christ being in Christ, Incredibly secure, Avowedly valuable to the Lord who allowed his Son to suffer and die to cover her sins, which made her Legally Cleared.   I assured her that the Lord loved her and was walking this road with her because she was being Securely managed.   She was so encouraged that her entire countenance changed.  She even shared she had loved the Lord as long as she could remember.   My "cooking" session happened to be after hers so as she came out and saw me she thanked me and reminded me that I wasn't alone either.  

If I could've left the doors of the building,  jumped, and clicked my heels together, I would have.   I jumped in my truck with my husband and told him that I'm so sorry he had to wait an hour but my morning went WONDERFUL!!  He looked at me quite bewildered and I said had I not gone to Sandi's last night and was reminded of these wonderful truths, had I not been moving so slow this morning, and had I not been late this morning, I would have missed a divine appointment to encourage a fellow saint.   WHAT A WONDERFUL MORNING!  WHAT A WONDERFUL SAVIOR, that would allow ME to share His love with a discouraged saint.   

If you want to chew on the same truths, head on over to Ephesians 1:3-14 and be reminded that believer's are Father's SPECIALS!
Sovereignly chosed (elected us)
Positionally holy (justified/anctified us)
Eperientially changed (regnerated us)
Completely accepted (reconciled us)
Incredibly secure (adopted us)
Avowedly valuable (redeemed us)
Legally cleared (forgiven us)
Securely managed (sealed us)

To be further encouraged, make this good confession that we made Sunday night and I hope that your spirit soars as mine has rejoicing in our Lord Jesus.


Highly Favored’s Confession!

“I am blessed of the Lord, uniquely privileged, highly favored, immeasurably loved, in Christ as Christ.”

My Heavenly Father has an active interest in me and daily shows a willingness to give approval and support. His daily favor is shown in His friendliness, helpfulness, and a willingness to contribute to the success and welfare of His selected, favored people – the people of grace and faith and not race and place.

“I’m blessed, and highly favored of the Lord because I’m one of His Favorites! And I’ve been picked out to be picked on to demonstrate that God doesn’t have to pet, pamper, prosper, praise, and promote me as an indication of my standing with Him. By faith I declare that everything God has promised to be for me in Jesus, he has been, is being, and will be! Therefore I will pray from favor, think in terms of favor, translate every event in light of favor, and talk of the favor of the Lord!”

I confess by faith that in happy times or hard times, in pleasure or in pain, in sickness or in health, for better or for worse, God, our Father, is always with me, is always in control, is always good, is always able, and is always victorious.

Therefore, I will not fear. I will not doubt. I will not despair. I will not falter. I will not fail!

What Father says I am, I am. What he says I have, I have. What He says I can do, I can do by grace through faith! Therefore I will live and die in favor always believing that the best is still ahead for me!

I confess that in the Lord Jesus Christ I NOW have a life that can never be forfeited; a righteousness that can never be tarnished; an acceptance that can never be rejected; a standing that can never be disputed; a justification that can never be reversed; an inheritance from which I can never be disinherited; a wealth that can never be depleted; a resource that can never be diminished; a possession that can never be measured; a power that can never be rendered impotent or inadequate.

I confess that in the Lord Jesus Christ I NOW have a peace that can never be destroyed; a joy that can never be suppressed; a love that can never be decreased; a strength that can never be degraded; a power that can never be exhausted; a salvation that can nev­er be cancelled; a forgiveness that can never be overturned; a deliverance that can never be frustrated; an assurance that can never be disappointed; an access that can never be discontinued.

In the Lord Jesus Christ we NOW have an Intercessor who can never be disqualified; a revelation that can nev­er be destroyed; a Victor who can never be vanquished; a resurrection that can never be hindered; a hope that can never be disappointed; a glory that can never be dimmed!

Therefore I will live daily in humility, availability, and responsibility before Him! I confess that my reason for being is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever and I am beginning to do that right Now!

1 comment:

JEALDERMAN said...

Michelle, I hope you don't mind, I borrowed this confession!!
Blessings to you!
James

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