Moving forward...

Andrea, thanks for spurring me on in this manner.  May God bless you and protect you.  For the others who have also been following along, thanks for journeying with me.  If you're near by and want to join us Sunday night in a women's group on the book of James let KCC know.

If you're farther away my prayer for you is that you get connected with a local group of people who love the Lord.

Please continue to pray for my friends who don't know and understand the Lord.  My God daughter is entering high school this year and I'd love for her to connect with folks that love Him too.

God is telling me that He must increase and I must decrease.  May He be glorified in this.

Isaiah 66:19-24 -- Death can be the beginning of forever if we trust in God

After a particularly hard time a friend of mine said "so many people get caught up in this life and they forget we're on a forever journey".  

Lord, would you protect "my kids" and help them recognize that we're on a forever journey! 

Isaiah 66:17-18 -- God is not mocked

Galatians 6:7-10 

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

It's strange how we think we can worship other things besides God and then expect Him to still love us.  Father, as I think of this I think of how the evil one can deceive us into thinking something immediate and temporary can take us away from your enduring love.  Dear Lord, help us to focus solely on You.  

Would you protect marriages in this country just now as the evil one deceives people into believing that a quick fling is better than a commitment to life long love.  Would you protect our children as the evil one deceives them into thinking a quick high will fix the pain,  Would you bless the faithful with enduring love.  Protect those who are honestly seeking You.  In Jesus name, for Your glory.

Isaiah 66:13-16 -- Thanks!!!

It's great to know that God is watching and knows everything that is going on and ultimately will comfort and energize and strengthen His people.

Father, I know that You do a wonderful job of delegating and You direct in amazing ways.  Help me to recognize what is of You and what is of the enemy.  I am so grateful for all You have given to me.  Now Lord, will You help me to use what You've given me wisely in Your Kingdom.

Thanks too for blessing Nadine.  Lord, will you now bless Heather as well. Give her all that she desires for her ministry to be effective where she's at.  Lord, please use us for Your honour and glory.

Father, please bless my company, Blackberry (as the Christians choose to focus on You), our government (as the Christians choose to focus on You), our native people (as they choose to focus on You), the folks in Africa (as they choose to focus on You); in Jesus name, for His honour and glory.

Amen.

Isaiah 66:7-12 --- New babies come with labour pains

Hummm... so this is why I don't have a kid of my own! :-)

Father, as you birth Your children/Kingdom help us to accept the challenges knowing that a new baby is on it's way.  Thanks for my connections with Israel this week.

Father, would you help us to understand Your purposes in our lives and be glorified today.

Isaiah 66:5 -- Let's not test each other...

Interesting that even in Isaiah's day some of his own people hated and rejected him because of His relationship with God.  They then mocked him by asking him to show God's power...but according to Jesus this is not how it works. (See Matthew 4).  Jesus knew that we are not to tempt God so that people see the power in us as opposed to in Him.

Father, I know Judi is telling Valerie things happen because of me; please help Valerie to be smart enough to know that it's because of You....and help her to get into Your word so she really discovers who You are.

Isaiah 66:6 -- Wow! Interesting!

When I read verses like Isaiah 66:6 I'm reminded of Ephesians 6:12 --- our fight is not against flesh and blood....

Lord, please teach me how to lift Jesus Higher.

Father, please fill me with Your HS.  I need Your wisdom and grace today.

Thanks

Isaiah 66:2 -- God treasures the humble!

Well I'm back from my vacation and internet fast.   What an amazing, creative God we have!

He blessed me with AMAZING weather, amazing friends and amazing family!

As I read Isaiah 66:2 I'm reminded of what humility really means to God.  It means that we, as His people, are truly dependent on Him...and respect Him as the person in charge!

When I saw the mountains this past few weeks I was reminded of the verse "if you have faith like this mustard seed you can move mountains"...and once again I pray "Lord, I believe, please help my unbelief".

Isaiah 66:1-2 -- God and satan

This passage reminds me of the God and satan dual...God challenges satan to make a man and satan is says he's up to it.  After all, we can now clone sheep and make robots so why not go for a real human.  Then, just as the contest was about to begin God says; "Wait! Satan, you have to use your own soil!!!"  :-) ....It's an Alpha joke! :-)

http://www.alphacanada.org/

The same is true with statistics...when you don't get the results you want you do the survey again! :-)...The best part about my "Uses and abuses of statistics course" was I got a recommendation for my job from it!

Yes, there are some very creative ways to teach these days.  Thanks angels, atheists, agnostics, witches, AA members and most of all God, who made each of us for all these lessons.  May God continue to work in and through each one of you who believes in Him and may each of you who wants to spend time with Jesus celebrate with me one day in heaven.

Sherrill

An aside---

I was running the Alpha course at a women's prison and I found it unbelievable that they were giving them the King James version of the bible to read.  I've got a math brain so I used Coles notes for Shakespeare so I thought it was of little use to give King James bibles to most of the prison population.  Even, I, with 2 University degrees don't like reading King James!

One of the women I met at the prison had the delight of leading a friend to the Lord so she decided to mentor her friend by reading through the bible.  She came up to me and told me they read the New Testament with the King James but is was really too hard to read the Old Testament this way so they found the Message and this was helpful...but then this smart lady looked and discovered the Message was a paraphrase and thus not completely accurate.  This made me excited when I saw another bible was published called the Key to Freedom bible but today I've discovered that this too, has misleading information in it.  In Isaiah 66:3 it starts off as an accusation "You sacrifice...." but in the NIV it says "But whoever..."

This goes to show us that lawyers with their details have a place; theologians with their research have their place; and the average nobody with their experiences have their place.

I'm Sherrill, a nobody in this world, yet a child of God in His Kingdom...and this is all the really matters.

Isaiah 65:20-25 -- God's holy mountain

Will have:

• no child died in infancy
• everyone will live to well over 100
• people will live in houses they build
• they will enjoy grapes from their own vineyard
• no one will take away their homes and vineyards
• they will enjoy what they earn
• their work won't be wasted
• their children won't die of dreaded diseases
• God will bless their children and grandchildren
• God will answer their prayers before they finish praying
• Wolves and lambs will graze together
• Lions and oxen will feed on straw
• Snakes will only eat dirt
• Snakes won't bite or harm anyone on God's holy mountain

For God has spoken.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymrZO1PZbU4

Isaiah 65:17-19 -- Creation of new things

If God is a creator God He's probably still creating; leaving us with new things to discover.  To date, I'm pleased that God has answered our prayers "God keep our land, glorious and free" all of these years and given us a peaceful nation and a good economy but I'm concerned that God is being taken for granted and people really believe that they can keep this land glorious and free without Him.

God today though, is telling me He's creating a new thing.  He's creating a world where He's calling His people to walk the walk in His Kingdom 7/24.  So what does this mean in terms of personal ethics and business ethics etc.  For me I have to go back to Jesus teachings

"Authentically love the Lord your God with all of your heart soul and mind and authentically love your neighbour as much as you authentically love yourself"...and we will experience a happy people.

Isaiah 65:13-16 -- Seek first His Kingdom

This passage reminds me of Matthew 6:33.  A verse that comes out of Jesus teaching known as the "Sermon on the Mount".  So often I've recognized that His ways are not my ways.  For instance, what sense do the beatitudes really make.  Yet, the peace in walking this type of walk is amazing!

The Beatitudes

He said:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Father, would you help the faithful to be salt and light in Your world.

Thanks

Salt and Light

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Isaiah 65:11-12 -- Lord, help us to listen

Father, help me to listen to You.  Please help me understand what You want and please show me how to represent You well today.  Don't let me follow my own ways and attribute things to luck or fate.  Father, please help me to do what You want me to do.  Lord, I know there are choices to be made on Sunday.  I really want to do everything that's been offered to me on Sunday yet I also need my rest.  Help me to make wise choices.  Father, would you also help us to be successful with our project at work too.

Thanks

Isaiah 65:8-10 -- God will keep the good fruit

Because of the faithful servants of God I have chosen  the group and I will bless them with many descendants.  They will have land where their cattle and sheep will feed and rest and they will worship God.

Father, would You bless those who have remained faithful to You.  Deepen our faith and trust in You.  Father, would You help me to live a life where others see me and glorify You.  Thanks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk2LWZ9PHPY

Isaiah 65:1-7 -- The Lord will punish the guilty

As I read this passage I'm reminded of people who aren't in relationship with the Lord 24/7.  It's reminding me of the concept of giving everything to Christ...and this story in from My Heart Christ's Home

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKlF6WbWBMg

Father, please forgive us for taking You and our need for You for granted.  Lord, You know how much I need You today.  Fill me with Your Spirit and help the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart to be acceptable in Your sight oh Lord.

Isaiah 64:9-12 -- Father, forgive Your people

I find this prayer significant.  It's highlighting that God (not satan) is responsible for the devastation hitting God's chosen people and it's suggesting that it's because God is mad at His people.  I can remember the day, as a teenager, when I finally woke up to the fact that my parents had feelings too!  They had always taken care of me and God started to reveal to me how I was taking them for granted.  I think this is true with God too.  If we think we're so smart that we can carry on without Him..after all we can now clone animals so do we really need Him?... then He says, fine...just do it without me...but use your own sheep and your own soil, don't use Mine! (I'm quoting an Alpha joke)

...and now Isaiah pleads to His compassion

"Don't be so furious or keep our sins in your thoughts forever!  Remember that all of us are Your people!" Isaiah 64:9

Lord, as the Salvation Army High Council meets today would You forgive the sins of the Salvation Army.  Pride, jealousy, envy, malicious,... and would You move in such a way that Your leaders would recognize that they need You now more than ever before.  Would you humble them and help each person who needs to turn from their wicked ways to have the courage to confess what needs to be confessed and give them the strength to turn from their wicked ways so that You will "answer their prayers, forgive them, and bring healing to their lands" 2 Chronicles 7:14b

Lord, we need you now; in my neighbourhood too.  Guide me today as I determine what Your will is for our prayer meeting tonight.

Isaiah 63:15 - 64:8 -- Father, You are the potter and we are the clay.

Father, thank you for stopping the rain for us for the party yesterday and thank you for our God connections. Thank you too for my time together with Henri and Monika.  Father, we remembered the good times we had with You but now we're asking You to come again.  I know You don't want to because of the sins of this world; pride, unbelief, jealousy, envy, malice...yet Lord, we need You and we need You now.  This world needs to see that You rule so Lord, have Your own way in us.  You are the potter and we are the clay.  Would you mold us and use us just now?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9R5bQhxnTM

Isaiah 63:10-14 -- Remember when

If you read Isaiah 63:11-14 you'll see tremendous testimonies of remembering when the Holy Spirit really worked in the lives of the Jewish people so the question is:

 "What went wrong?"

...and the answer is found in verse 10 "The Lord's people turned against Him and made his Holy Spirit sad.  So he became their enemy and attacked them."

Have you ever had a tremendous experience with God working and then everything seemed to go wrong? In Job's case it seemed that God allowed satan to test Job to show satan what Job was really made of but in today's reading it implies that sometimes things go wrong because we turn against God.  This begs the question:

"What does it mean to turn against God?"

• Are we jealous or envious of how God is working in someone else's life?
• Are we no longer dependent on God?
• Are we taking the credit for the work of the Holy Spirit?
• Are we freaking out because God is working in ways that we no longer have any control over?
• Are we too proud to admit that we were wrong?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Kuo3lg-LBU

Isaiah 63:1-9 -- God steps in

I can imagine God trying to explain His amazing ways and plans to us.  As a powerful King we fear Him. Through words we don't really get it...especially since His ways seem completely opposite to ours, so what is the best way to teach us?

I just love God's brilliance.  He chooses to come as an approachable baby!  It reminds me of this story:

http://holytrinitynewrochelle.org/yourti82598.html

He chose to walk the walk and show us how to live and then ultimately He fought for us so that we can be saved.

• "It troubled the Lord to see them in trouble and his angel saved them."
• "The Lord was truly merciful, so he rescued his people."
• "He took them in his arms and carried them all those years." 

"I HAVE WON THE BATTLE" 

says the Lord.  

And it was with great cost.

"For food in a world where many walk in hunger

For faith in a world where many walk in fear

For friends in a world where many walk alone

We give You humble thanks dear Lord"