Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens! Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to his excellent greatness!
Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with lute and harp! Praise Him with tambourine and dance; praise Him with strings and pipe!
Praise Him with sounding cymbals; praise Him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Psalm 150
Recently, it has come to my attention that people are suffering from night terrors, especially the youth. When children suffer in this manner, it is the devil at work dulling the spiritual senses.
Many years ago, I was jarred awake by an evil spirit lying on top of me. I could not see him, but I could feel him placing his hands around my throat and squeezing my neck. I could not physically scream or flair my arms for help — I was frozen. I thought, great, I am going to die. But suddenly, I remembered the name JESUS. And the minute my mind screamed Jesus, I could sense His immediate descent into the room and the evil spirit instantaneously flew out. In recent years, I’ve learned more about spiritual warfare, and because of that I can sleep like a baby.
For those of you who need help, God has impressed upon me to give you a few guidelines so you can gain some restful slumber: If you do not know Jesus Christ, start by seeking a relationship with our Lord and Savior DAILY. Use Jesus’ name to cover yourself profusely in the life giving blood, which is powerful, and God given — to all — for protection, healing, and salvation!
For those of you who know Christ, but have yet to learn spiritual warfare, again use Jesus’ name and blood, but also build a barrier around your home and family. This is the type of prayer that I use before I go to bed each and every night and even when I arise. Be commanding when you say, “I loose all the evil spirits from this house, go to the dry places, do not return, your assignment is cancelled. By the power and authority invested in me through my Lord Jesus Christ — I said GET OUT! Dear Jesus, I bind the Holy Spirit to this house and to the people within, drawing our minds to Christ even as we sleep. Cover us with the Blood of Christ, and send guarding angels to keep us safe and well protected. Thank you Almighty God for the protection you provide this family!” If you awake in the night, do it again unless God has awakened you for intercessory prayer.
Do NOT do deliverance on individuals unless GOD has instructed you to learn, and the individual has agreed to fill himself up with CHRIST. Deliverance of that type should always be done in twos and Jesus warns that you can make an individual 7 times worse. (Mathew 12:45) The prayer above is to rid your home of the junk that the family has brought from their daily coming and goings or their nightly sins: this includes addictions, the horrors you watch on television, your mouths unwittingly breathing death and destruction, ect. Here’s where God implores you to walk a righteous life.
For those of you who need to learn deliverance for self purposes — seek Jesus in prayer and He will send you down the necessary path for additional learning — you may need to be the prayer warrior in your family and for those around you. Many people — even those who know Christ — have no idea how to guard their families from Satan — I urge you to learn spiritual warfare if you do not already know how.
And remember always be thankful and grateful for what God has done for you!
God has a fabulous sense of humor and often uses laughter to ease my tension. If you could hear this message, my drum roll of laughter precedes this confession.
I was sitting at my desk, checking my messages in WordPress, when the phone rang. I called out, “Steve, are you going to get that!”
“No,” he called back, “I’m at the front door.”
So hurrying to the phone, I picked up the receiver and shouted, “PRAISE GOD!” I stopped momentarily, shaking my head in wonderment. Remembering that I was on the business line, but still in loud mode, I cried, “Airport! Do you want to talk to Steve?”
The pilot on the other end said, “No, why are you yelling at me!”
After answering his questions, I hung up and started laughing — by far too amused to be embarrassed.
Why God chose the pic below, I’m not sure, but He’s on a roll.
(click to enlarge)
Lili decided she wanted to pet the Riverwalk ducks, so she tried calling to them.
Then she tried chasing them.
Then she tried feeding them — all to no avail. However, with perseverance, an excited Lili managed to coax the ducks to stand within a few feet of her.
But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. James 1:25
As we drove home the other day, this beautiful sunset adorned the sky.
“What a gorgeous sunset!” I said, casting my eyes heavenward with my camera perched on my lap.
My daughter, Kelli, smiled. “I know,” she said, getting off the interstate and zooming through a car dealership to get me to an open field so I could take a photograph. “It’s just what you do!”
A lovely conclusion! And a great end to a wonderful birthday!
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Colossians 3
My cat, Cricket, was so named when she arrived in the hangar with a slashed neck — she actually chirped like a squeaking bug for the first year. She’s thirteen now, and obviously a Manx. Although she holds some cat traits dear, at times she acts more like a guard dog: she strolls with me to keep me safe, she guards the hangar to the point of attacking stray dogs, and she refuses to be anyone’s lap kitty. She’s my kind of cat!
Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from violent men, who have planned to trip up my feet. Psalm 140:4
(Click photo to enlarge — it makes for a better picture!)
Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” Luke 13:18-19
My 11 month old grandson, Kaden, discovered his Aunt Kelli had a glass of milk, and he wanted some.
After guzzling a bit of milk, Kaden sat back and sighed, “Ahhhh,” and then grinned with pure joy.
Have you got God’s milk?
Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. Peter 2:2,3
Yesterday, after some debate over a failed magazine shot, I designed two new covers. Mostly because it’s fun for me, and God encouraged me to try again. (Click to Enlarge)
When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven. Proverbs 23:5
