“Miraculous” In the knowing that He hears

“WHOSOEVER believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and everyone that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not grievous.

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world; and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

That he came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood.

And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one.

And there are three that beareth witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood; and these three agree in one.

If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater, for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.

He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself; he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

And this is the record (testimony), that God hath given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

He that hath the Son hath life; and that hath not the Son hath not life.

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the son of God.

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us. 

And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired (asked) of him.”   1John 5:1-15

To dig what I am getting into, please read my last post to get a better understanding of the stories I will be referencing.

I want to point out a few noteworthy aspects from the stories I used in that one to help establish how we get our hearts, and more importantly our minds in the realm of the miraculous, so that we can see the impossible becoming reality.

I also want to quickly mention that I will be going back to our verse above in my next post and continuing with the remainder of that passage, and it will be a scathing judgment post  concerning the mind-numbing abominations against God that are taking place on a whole new level, just when you think people can not possibly become more deviant, it’s like think again!

I have an unusual calling, I am a messenger and it is quite difficult at times to balance the love and mercy that Jesus has to all, as he stands waiting to forgive any who will only ask with the pronounced judgments that we set in motion long, long ago.

So here’s the deal, as I love to point out, prophets are accountable for failure to warn and pronounce given judgments.

So even if those who those warnings are sent to decides to ignore those warnings, they can never try to reason to God when they are judged that they were never told to repent.

But  at that same time God has messages for his people to encourage them and strengthen them to hold on in faith and patience    and that is exactly what this post is for.

Shew, now that that is out of the way!

We started the last post with the verse where Jesus tells us that if we can only believe, all things are possible, and yet for us mortals, that is often easier said than done.

And why is that? Multiple reason, being human, being born into a world that shapes our minds to believe only what we can see, or analyze, or is logical, probable, and in the world’s view possible. 

And all these are contrary to the Word of God, in the supernatural realm of God, which is far more real than the world we inhabit, all things are possible.

As our verse above notes, if we know that we belong to God and we know that he hears us and we know that what we are asking lines up with his Word, that he will honor that request.

And all we need does line up with hiss promises. But like if I asked the Lord for a brand-new Black Cherry ‘Vette when I have a functioning vehicle, that would not be a wise request, even though I would totally dig having one, there is no justification for asking because it would be to “consume it on my own lusts.”

However, if I had no vehicle or was in need of repair, that would certainly be something well worth requesting because as he tells us in scripture, he knows what we have need of.

If you notice in the last post all these stories were needs, food, and water, clothing, and safe dwelling, and safe passage,.

And even desperations, such as the ax head that the Lord allowed to be retrieved, the ax was borrowed and would have been a monetary obligation if lost.

And the widow who had to pay off the debts, because at that time people could be enslaved until debt was paid.

And think of the coin in the mouth of the fish to save the reputations of him and the disciples, as the one questioned did they not pay tribute, an occasion to be evil spoken of. Absolute miracles of rescue, and resurrections.

Which, Lord’s will, we will get into more of those soon also. What I want you to also notice about those stories is this, how the recipients of those wonders were no way shocked or puzzled at what they received.

Elijah is not mentioned at all as having thought it odd that the Lord had a raven brought him meat and bread twice a day,

And the widow, who actually told him that she was gathering sticks to prepare the last meal for her and her son, because she only had one meal left and then they would die, she knew they would starve to death once that meal was eaten, but think of this God had already told Elijah that he had commanded the widow there to provide for him before she told Elijah that, so God knew her heart he knew she would do what was asked of her, and Elijah had to make the request of her to set all the faith in motion for the miracle God already had planned to save this lady, her house, and feed his prophet.

It has to be requested along with the act of faith.

And faith is simply believing he will simply because you have need and you ask believing he will simply because he is God, you are his child and he loves you enough to make the miraculous happen for you or whomever you are making that request on behalf of.

before I go any farther with that, to point out a few more examples of the knowing, when the angel fed Elijah, he is not mentioned to have jumped to his feet and shouted, “What on earth! An angel!” or questioned, “Why is an angel cooking for me?”

No, he went back to sleep, no words are recorded of him even replaying to the angel when the angel spoke to him.

Because Elijah knew, he knew God and there was no need for him to question any of it because it was not odd to him, because he knew his God.

And Hagar, I have such a spot for Hagar, she really went through it and then there she was, he and her child thrown out into the desert, all the water gone, and for the second time in her life, she is visited by an angel, and again, like Elijah, she is not blew away by this angelic visit, Why? Because she knew  the existence of the miraculous.

And she rejoiced in knowing that He does live and He did see her, her tears, her affliction and heard the cried of her child.

He heard the prayers cried out on behalf of Peter and again sent a mighty angelic rescue, this time Peter not quite sure if it was real or a vision, and of course he soon discovered it was real.

I feel like God wants his chosen, you, there this world over, every nation, every kindred, every tongue, and tribe of people, to know now, at this moment, this hour, in this time, he does hear you, he does see you and all you need to do is put your faith in action with the knowledge of who he is and have that confidence that John spoke of, and know that he will deliver you and give you the desires of your heart.

But you have to get into that secret place of the Most High, this world, the devil, and even our own minds will tried to convince us that we can’t ask for certain things because it is impossible, again I tell you, Jesus said that nothing is impossible.

So if you are praying for the “impossible”, get in your prayer closet and surround yourself with the presence of the Lord, talk to him, open, honest, raw, pour out your requests and pour your heart, and praise him with songs that you feel says what your heart would sing to him.

And when you are praying for others always remember how they may be praying.

A morbid example, us praying for a miraculous healing for someone who may be terminal when that person may be praying to go home. Whose prayer do you think would take precedence?

Something else I want to point out, when you are praying for the miraculous, keep it on the down low as much as possible, Jesus makes intercession for us, the Spirit intercedes for us, that is why it is so important to have the confidence in knowing your relationship with him.

And he loves all his children, there are no favorites and you have to just let him love you and not listen to the not worthy nonsense satan tries to whisper to you, none of us are worthy, it’s not about being “worthy”, Jesus died to save us.

It’s not about worth, but if it were, Jesus felt we were worth his very life, I think it’s insulting to him for us to keep saying we aren’t worthy to receive anything from him, cause again, we will never be worthy, he just loves us, his reason for everything is because he loves us, we are the ones that have a problem accepting that.

Sometimes the less the world and the devil know about what you are praying for, the better your chance of receiving it, I know social media can be good for some things, but it bothers me when people request prayer and people who are not even saved or profess Christ are “praying” too, and I am not trying to be harsh but people can not post nasty trash, post profanities slamming others and then they are going to “pray” for the requests? Who are they praying to?

There is a reason that Jesus made everyone leave when he resurrected Jarius’ daughter, and There is a reason that Elijah took the child to his chambers when he prayed for life the enter back into him. There is a reason that Peter, also made everyone leave so that he could pray for Dorcas.

No doubt, no doubt, no doubt, can’t stress that enough, and while those who are dead obviously don’t need faith to be resurrected, those who are to be healed do.

Which brings me to my last point, healings and miracles go hand in hand with faith, and miracles and healings are also a gift, gifts must be stirred  but God also blesses his people which divine miracles and deliverances during times of need outside of that gifting, and any of his children can ask for that  and I believe receive that.

When it comes to healings, the one who does the praying has to believe in the healing and the one needs healing also has to believe in that healing.

“And there sat a certain man, impotent (without strength) in his feet, being cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked.

The same heard Paul speak who steadfastly beholding  (intently observing) him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, 

Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.” Acts 14: 8-10

The crippled man listened, he heard and his faith stirred and Paul perceived that faith in him and they joined their faith with the belief that God would heal him and God did.

If this man had doubted, if he had listened to any voice whispering in his ear trying to dissuade him, if someone rose up and shouted, “You have never walked a day in your life! Are you seriously thinking that you are going to walk now?!” Well, he would have never walked.

It takes both, and the supernatural takes a stern disposition to seek, to believe, and to persevere until you reach that knowing and believe me when you do, you will know, and you will be amazed, and remember you can pray for the miraculous for anyone, any place, like that old song, “If we never meet again this side of heaven “but more like people you will never meet until heaven, and your prayers answered through God can truly change the world, just let God guide you, Peter is never mentioned to question Jesus as to why the coin was in the fishes mouth, it’s not our job to question, it is only our job to believe.

Blessings and Peace, Thanks for reading and sharing your time with me!

Φλογιζω NBJ 2021/ Rev. Nina Brown Johnson

“Not for sale”

“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32

It has been truly awesome to watch the steady uprising of women who are tired of being chased around the proverbial desks. Those who have grown weary of the sexual harassment and unwelcome comments that have plagued women since the dawn of our time outside the garden.

I love how all have drawn courage from the others and rising one by one, proclaiming that they are simply not taking it any more. It has produced  a beautiful domino effect, as we watch powerful male after powerful male fall one on top the other. And that is TRUE feminism.

But we still have battles to fight, and roads to pave, because although we are TO BE considered “equal” on the surface while LIVING daily lives in a sub-culture of the under current of  being “fair game” in the workplace and honestly, many other places, we know we still have  along way to go.

We had only skimmed the surface and NOW we are dragging  the net and hauling all the predators out of our waters.

As a little girl I grew up during the feminist movement and I do realize that was a privilege because societal chains were being broken as many celebrities began using their star power to influence those just like me, the younger generation with their messages of equality sans ownership.

And as an American, I KNOW how blessed we are.

I know that in many countries our sisters live under the rule of men and even younger male relatives that they must “ask permission” of before making any decisions. The have NO rights, NO rights for freedom, NO rights for themselves, and no legal recourse whatsoever, and feel that they have NO way out, and often they don’t.

So we are blessed, we have the right to make our voices be heard. We have the rights to truly pursue those things that our constitution PROMISED us.

We have the right to seek legal remedy (though that has often been a bad one-sided joke, favoring the male) but fortunately that also is changing.. for the better. And we are blessed among nations in having those rights, that have been won through hard-fought battles.

Now time has come and the most basic of battles is being fought. But you know, as far as we have come, we are never going to get to where we need to go until we realize WHO we are.

I really think what happened along the way is that as we fought for those rights and became a prominent force outside of the home and as more women chose not to marry and the enemy spoon fed us the line of sexual freedom, it left us as vulnerable prey to the wolves of the world because the were NO clear-cut rules.

Only now they can use the “misunderstanding” plea. The is no way to EVER misunderstand someone’s unwanted, unwelcome attention. There is NO way to misunderstand lewd comments and gestures.

But for years, decades, eons, women had felt forced to tolerate this behavior as “part of life”, part of being in a “man’s world”. God never intended this as part of life, nor did He ever intend this to be a man’s world.

We ARE all created equal, at birth we ARE equal, and in God, as scripture states, “….There IS NEITHER male nor female; for ye are ALL one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28

We have allowed OURSELVES to be silenced, no one did that to us, we feel for that trick and now, finally awakening has come but we also need to awake to the truth. The truth of Jesus Christ.

The truth that all the beautiful reasoning’s of the heart and soul of the woman IS there because we were created by a beautiful Holy God who chose to place those things inside of in identifying us, as just that, womankind.

Different, because we are CREATED to be different and to ever buy into the lie that we are to just “grin and bear it” and accept behavior that hurt us, degrade us, and humiliate us as just “part of life” has been a greater tragedy that any prejudice shown us.

And while accepting this pack of lies that in order to play on an equal field we have to allow ourselves to be covered and in filth and mud from the other players, we have also bought into the biggest of those lies against us, that God is a woman-hater who is responsible for arranging the players on that field.

We have been guilty of selling ourselves for “nought”, which means nothing. We have accepted this offer for our “rights” that still keep us bound in chains of substandard humanism.

When Christ died to make us FREE, He came that we might not only have life but have it more abundantly and our freedom WAS purchased by Him in His blood.

Not given to us by any man or demanded through the court ordered through passage of laws. But given through Him and His death on the cross. He said, that we WILL know THAT truth and THAT truth WILL make us free.

NOW is the time, the time, as all this comes to light, as this “discussion” (I fail to see what there is to discuss, when “keep your hands off and your nasty thoughts to yourself ” should be evident and go without saying in ANY workplace) but as the discussion is finally taking place, it is prime time to also win women back to Christ through the TRUE Gospel.

Which is love, mercy, kindness, and best of all ABSOLUTE equality, protection and justice for us, and for all who have been oppressed. Embrace it! Whatever you ministry is, or if you have just felt led and not actually started a ministry yet. Pray about it and do it!

Take every opportunity given during this time of awaking, as women awake to the realization that we do not have to suffer this and we can change the world for our daughters and our daughters daughters, if time stands.

Through the example of only one person standing against any injustice, others are encouraged and inspired, and strengthened to also make that stand.

Wherever He has placed you today, use that place to stand and show others the truth and wisdom, and power in the word of God and encourage them to STOP selling themselves for nothing and to NEVER sell out their identity in God.

Εξυπνιζω NBJ 2017

 

“Not for sale”

“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32

It has been truly awesome to watch the steady uprising of women who are tired of being chased around the proverbial desks. Those who have grown weary of the sexual harassment and unwelcome comments that have plagued women since the dawn of our time outside the garden.

I love how all have drawn courage from the others and rising one by one, proclaiming that they are simply not taking it any more. It has produced  a beautiful domino effect, as we watch powerful male after powerful male fall one on top the other. And that is TRUE feminism.

But we still have battles to fight, and roads to pave, because although we are TO BE considered “equal” on the surface while LIVING daily lives in a sub-culture of the under current of  being “fair game” in the workplace and honestly, many other places, we know we still have  along way to go.

We had only skimmed the surface and NOW we are dragging  the net and hauling all the predators out of our waters.

As a little girl I grew up during the feminist movement and I do realize that was a privilege because societal chains were being broken as many celebrities began using their star power to influence those just like me, the younger generation with their messages of equality sans ownership.

And as an American, I KNOW how blessed we are.

I know that in many countries our sisters live under the rule of men and even younger male relatives that they must “ask permission” of before making any decisions. The have NO rights, NO rights for freedom, NO rights for themselves, and no legal recourse whatsoever, and feel that they have NO way out, and often they don’t.

So we are blessed, we have the right to make our voices be heard. We have the rights to truly pursue those things that our constitution PROMISED us.

We have the right to seek legal remedy (though that has often been a bad one-sided joke, favoring the male) but fortunately that also is changing.. for the better. And we are blessed among nations in having those rights, that have been won through hard-fought battles.

Now time has come and the most basic of battles is being fought. But you know, as far as we have come, we are never going to get to where we need to go until we realize WHO we are.

I really think what happened along the way is that as we fought for those rights and became a prominent force outside of the home and as more women chose not to marry and the enemy spoon fed us the line of sexual freedom, it left us as vulnerable prey to the wolves of the world because the were NO clear-cut rules.

Only now they can use the “misunderstanding” plea. The is no way to EVER misunderstand someone’s unwanted, unwelcome attention. There is NO way to misunderstand lewd comments and gestures.

But for years, decades, eons, women had felt forced to tolerate this behavior as “part of life”, part of being in a “man’s world”. God never intended this as part of life, nor did He ever intend this to be a man’s world.

We ARE all created equal, at birth we ARE equal, and in God, as scripture states, “….There IS NEITHER male nor female; for ye are ALL one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28

We have allowed OURSELVES to be silenced, no one did that to us, we feel for that trick and now, finally awakening has come but we also need to awake to the truth. The truth of Jesus Christ.

The truth that all the beautiful reasoning’s of the heart and soul of the woman IS there because we were created by a beautiful Holy God who chose to place those things inside of in identifying us, as just that, womankind.

Different, because we are CREATED to be different and to ever buy into the lie that we are to just “grin and bear it” and accept behavior that hurt us, degrade us, and humiliate us as just “part of life” has been a greater tragedy that any prejudice shown us.

And while accepting this pack of lies that in order to play on an equal field we have to allow ourselves to be covered and in filth and mud from the other players, we have also bought into the biggest of those lies against us, that God is a woman-hater who is responsible for arranging the players on that field.

We have been guilty of selling ourselves for “nought”, which means nothing. We have accepted this offer for our “rights” that still keep us bound in chains of substandard humanism.

When Christ died to make us FREE, He came that we might not only have life but have it more abundantly and our freedom WAS purchased by Him in His blood.

Not given to us by any man or demanded through the court ordered through passage of laws. But given through Him and His death on the cross. He said, that we WILL know THAT truth and THAT truth WILL make us free.

NOW is the time, the time, as all this comes to light, as this “discussion” (I fail to see what there is to discuss, when “keep your hands off and your nasty thoughts to yourself ” should be evident and go without saying in ANY workplace) but as the discussion is finally taking place, it is prime time to also win women back to Christ through the TRUE Gospel.

Which is love, mercy, kindness, and best of all ABSOLUTE equality, protection and justice for us, and for all who have been oppressed. Embrace it! Whatever you ministry is, or if you have just felt led and not actually started a ministry yet. Pray about it and do it!

Take every opportunity given during this time of awaking, as women awake to the realization that we do not have to suffer this and we can change the world for our daughters and our daughters daughters, if time stands.

Through the example of only one person standing against any injustice, others are encouraged and inspired, and strengthened to also make that stand.

Wherever He has placed you today, use that place to stand and show others the truth and wisdom, and power in the word of God and encourage them to STOP selling themselves for nothing and to NEVER sell out their identity in God.

Εξυπνιζω NBJ 2017

 

Trust

Imagine you are awakened by screaming and sirens and the air around you is thick, smoky and almost pitch black, as you struggle to find your way around the room in the darkness you can barely make out a small shining at the window, as you make your way toward it, you hear a voice call out “Jump!”

It is too dark to know exactly who is making this command to you, unable to see a few feet passed through the lights flashing in the darkness, you again hear the voice cry “Trust me, it’s okay, Jump!”

Two choices here, one would have to be made split second, do you stay and face that raging fire that threatens to close in on you or do you trust that voice crying out to you and pray you will be safely caught before hitting the ground?

That is a fair description of our present world, continuing violence, threats, and terror running amok and hate spewed, people offended and ready to kill at the drop of a hat. Everyone has a cause, a right, a protest, and we are all paying the price.

Over the last several days more horror and carnage in France and now Turkey is in chaos and the innocent are always caught in the crossfire. We are in such a time as all the things the prophets warned us of thousands of years ago are now playing out before our eyes.

And we, as the preordained, predestined, generation have taken our place in this world. We are being taught the lessons of trust. 

We often go through struggles that seem endless, and drag on and on and we just want it over. For God to just deliver us from our problems, and often He does, but have you ever noticed that it seems the hardest, toughest, battles are the ones long waged but yet hold the greatest reward?

So why doesn’t God just come and fix everything, right then and there?  It comes down to trust, He is teaching us trust, we all “trust” God, we trust Him that we are saved, we trust Him that we will be spared from hell, we trust that His word will never fail.

But what about for the very next breath, what about every single aspect of our needs, what about trusting Him with what sometimes can be the scariest of all.. our tomorrow in this world.

We will need that trust, blind faith, no questions asked that He has us and we will trust in Him and His will shall be done. The reason that many things we go through,things we don’t understand at the time and we ask ourselves “Why? why does it have to be this way?” or “Why did that not go as planned?” We often look at ourselves and the enemy as reasons God may not have granted that petition, but MAYBE He is granting something better.

We aren’t just born with end time trust, we have to learn it. I do believe this is the reason that we have been so attacked, of course, it is partially due to the desire of the enemy to conquer and divide the churches but we know if we are allowed to undergo the massive struggles that God has allowed us to, and this is where real trust, the trust Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had.

The trust Daniel had in the lion’s den. The trust Abraham had, the trust Moses had, the trust that Noah had in building the ark while everyone laughed, the trust Lot had running at the command of angels from the soon to be destroyed Sodom.  The trust of all the prophets and all the martyrs. Most of all, the TRUST JESUS HAD TO GIVE UP HIS LIFE ON THAT CROSS.

 What made their view of trust in God different from our modern-day trust in the Lord?

Well, they HELD the patience of the saints. Remember, Jesus telling us of the end time persecutions? LUKE 21:19: In your PATIENCE possess ye your souls.” 

Complete trust that live or die, delivered at the present moment or resurrected in the last day that God is in control, and come what may or may not, He IS still God. 

This is the patience, the trust we MUST have in order to make it through the days. Here is a little scary news, that HAS NOT YET come to pass BUT IT CERTAINLY WILL:

DANIEL 11:31-35: “And arms (forces) shall stand on his part and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.

And such as do wickedly AGAINST the covenant shall he corrupt with flatteries: but the people that DO KNOW their God SHALL be strong, and do exploits (take action)

And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: YET they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, and by captivity, and by spoil, MANY DAYS.

Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen (helped) with a little help; but many shall cleave to them (join them) with flatteries  (by intrigue).

And some of them of understanding SHALL FALL, TO TRY (REFINE) THEM, AND TO PURGE, AND TO MAKE THEM WHITE, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.”

Reading those passages, one could clearly understand why patient trust would be a needed attribute and as we see that they are refined and purged to make them new, we see it is not a futuristic trust for salvation, it is a requirement to fulfill our place on this earth.

The reward of this trust and the reward of trying our best to live peaceful and share His love and mercy with others:

REVELATION 3:10:  “BECAUSE thou hast kept the word of patience ( my command to persevere)  I also WILL KEEP THEE FROM THE HOUR OF TEMPTATION (TRAIL) WHICH SHALL COME UPON ALL THE WORLD TO TRY (TEST) THEM THAT DWELL UPON THE EARTH.”   

 Trust Him, trust Him today, trust Him for tomorrow and live every day in prayer and praise to His name and He will never let you fall.

PSALM 46 ” God IS our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 

Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.  Selah

There is  a river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

God IS in the midst of her: she shall not be moved; God shall help her, and that right early.

The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved; he uttered his VOICE and the earth melted.

The Lord of hosts IS with us; the God of Jacob IS our refuge. Selah 

Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth: he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire. BE STILL, AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD; I WILL BE EXALTED AMONG THE HEATHEN, I WILL BE EXALTED IN THE EARTH. 

The Lord of hosts IS with us; the God of Jacob IS our refuge. Selah”

So as that great dragon sends his flood stronger and stronger after the persecuted children, as is hate rages and shakes this world, do not be moved.  Hear the voice of our Lord, hear his command to stay strong and to persevere. Our God will come and He will save us and He IS our refuge from the flood.

Φλογίζω Σαλπιζω NBJ 2016

AMONG THE THORNS

“As the lily among the thorns, so is my love among the daughters” Song of Solomon 2:2
The beautiful spiritual garden of the Lord, filled with every plant and flower to be imagined and the plot he has chosen for you to grow in.

You have been created in the image of God, the enemy knows this and he knows the value of the true beauty which you possess. He despises it, so he plants his briers in your life to rip and shred that image until there is nothing left but bloody, twisted, painful wounds.

Thorns, the gnarled twisted vines that entangle us and who we believe ourselves to be.

Their razor-sharp points piercing our souls, preventing our movement in either direction for fear of their sharp sting. If left to grow they will completely take over our souls.

Proverbs 12:18(a): “There is that (one who) speaketh like the piercings of a sword.” 

We go through some pretty rough stuff in this life but often the real damage to us is not caused by physical sufferings but rather through words.

Words are so powerful, that is why Jesus is referred to as “THE WORD”, He spoke everything into existence and the enemy loves nothing more than to battle you with his own perverted, twisted, destructive words.

As the Bible states, those words stab our hearts, souls and spirit to a greater degree than any dagger ever might, because these cuts go straight to the heart.

“Four Eyes”,

“Dumb”,

“Stupid”,

“Wimp”,

“Fat”,

“Bone rack”,

“Flat chest”,

” Slut”,

“Idiot”,

“Cry Baby”,

“Should have never been born”,

“Never will amount to anything”.

Of course, they are always offered to us with the all too familiar, “YOUR…” which automatically red flags our minds which have been programmed to the values of this world and our social need to conform to default to self-blame.

It hurts just reading them doesn’t it?

These words are so powerful and carry so much force that even not being spewed hatefully at us, they still affect our emotions.

Words piercing our souls, and so many young men and women in our world today have listened to those words and the thorns that accompanied them are now strangling everything a Holy, loving Father has created them to be.

Society has set levels of supposed beauty and social conduct that are both impossible to achieve and disgraceful.
We have all been there at one point or another in life, maybe you are there now and the effects of these words can linger for life.

Self destruct mode takes over when those thorns have convinced us that rather than rid ourselves of them, that we must instead change ourselves to accommodate their presence.

IF we were prettier, more handsome, bigger busted, more muscular, slimmer, sexier, had better skin, whiter teeth, had more friends or could get that perfect date.
Maybe we could fit if… we drank more, tried the cool drugs, give our virtue away to everyone who asked, losing a little of our soul each time, joy, self-esteem and self-worth being strangled out, while depression, guilt and shame moves insidiously and comfortably into their spot.

Achieve one goal and a new one will be set because that score board is rigged and it forever changes to keep the players on the field right where the enemy wants them.

If it is so grand, why do so many celebrities commit suicide and die from drug overdoses?
Their souls have become so covered by thorns even all the money, fame and power can’ take the pain away, they are so miserable inside that they can no longer survive the torment of living.

These thorns manifest themselves in many, many ways the most common alcoholism, drug addictions, pornography and gambling addictions, cutting and eating disorders and host of self-destructive behaviors.

We, as Christians must get our heads out of fairy land and see what is really taking place in the lives of those Christ sent us to minister to and start acknowledging that these problems are very real and offer help to the untold number of teens and adults that suffer alone in silence, fearing that they will be farther ridiculed if their secrets are out.

We have to teach them that is okay to talk about these things and that there is help and most of all there is hope.
The realization has to come that THERE IS NO STANDARD!

We are fearfully and wonderfully  created, completely on purpose by someone who loves and does not make mistakes.

He wants us all to feel beautiful from the inside out and most of that our true value will be found in Him.

That we would understand that true beauty comes in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors and personalities.

Just as roses, daisies and orchids are completely different and yet all equally as stunning.
His love is as the lily, the beautiful precious thing, completely surrounded by those thorns.
His love and His love alone is the only force that can cut all the thorns away and allow us to grow in that beautiful garden, being ourselves, just exactly who he intended us to be.

Hold on to God, give him all your pain and trust him because “HE IS THE ROSE OF SHARON AND THE LILY OF THE VALLEYS” and you are beautiful in Him!
Original Post Date:06/06/2014 

All rights reserved. Nina BrownJohnson/ baresoulphlogizo 2015

Part 1 ASHES