Faith Filled Thoughts

Is It Hard To Understand Prayer?

2010-05-10T11:34:00.000-07:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
May 10th 2010
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Is It Hard To Understand Prayer?

Scripture: I Peter 3:12 "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous,
and His ears are open unto their prayers."

There are many things in life that I do not understand, but I am not going
to do without these things just because my understanding is limited. I
could not tell you how the engine and all of the parts of an automobile work
together, but I still plan to use my vehicle to get me to the places that I
need to go.
I can't explain the seasons and how the soil, water, and
sunlight can make things grow, but I will continue to pant and expect my
flowers to bloom. I don't understand computers, televisions, and radios,
but I will use them anyway. And don't expect me to sit around in the dark
just because I don't understand electricity. It's just not going to happen.
I am going to use every tool that is available to me to enrich my physical
life.
My thoughts about God and His words are the same. I can't explain God to
you and tell you how prayer and obedience to God's words work. There is no
reasonable explanation how Moses could stretch out his hand across the Red
Sea and cause the waters to divide and the sea to become dry land (Exodus
14:21). Neither can I tell you how Joshua could march around the walls of
Jericho for seven days and then give a shout that would make the walls come
tumbling down (Joshua 6:20). Their victories came because of their
obedience to God. There are many things about Jesus and the things that He
did that are unbelievable. He healed the sick, caused the lame to walk,
opened blinded eyes, raised the dead, walked on the water, calmed the seas
with His word, and fed thousands of people with a meager supply of bread and
fish. I can't explain any of these things to you, but I believe that they
really happened and are true.
So it is with communication with God. I can't explain how we can live here
on Earth and talk to God in Heaven any more than I can explain to you how I
can live in Indiana and talk on the telephone to someone on the other side
of the world. Both are beyond my own comprehension.
Indeed, there are
people who can explain the phone system and the other natural tools that we
use, but no one can explain prayer, for it is supernatural. It is spiritual
and simply cannot be explained in natural terms. All we know is that when
we talk to God, He has promised to hear us and answer our prayers. Don't
get me wrong; God is not some sort of cosmic bellhop that we can order
around. Neither does He grant our every petition in hopes of receiving a
financial tip by our tithes or offerings to the church. So why should we
pray? James 4:2-3 tells us, "You have not because you haven't asked for it
... You receive not when you ask amiss." Let us take these words to heart,
and even though we may not understand how prayer works, let us talk to God
and present our petitions to Him because we believe what the Apostle Peter
said,
"His ears are open to our prayers."

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!
With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyXx6mjSCwU

“DON’T BE AFRAID!”

2010-05-07T11:48:00.000-07:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
May 7th 2010
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“DON’T BE AFRAID!”

Isaiah 41:10
“So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

One of the most frightening episodes of my life
I think was when I was on call as weekend manager.
This meant that if the alarm went off in the office building,
I was responsible to show up and meet with the alarm company.
As the alarm set off my telephone rang from the security company,
and I had to get up and dress to meet them at the office with the code.
As I waited in the parking lot for the officer, all kind of thoughts rushed through my head.
Who set it off?
Are they still in there?
Etc, etc.

When the officer arrived he needed entry to the building,
so I had to go with him and press the code number to open the door.
He told me to stay back in the foyer which I did.
Low and behold around the corner came his police dog which I did not see at all
when he came to the door with me, so I froze.
Isn’t it funny how fear can come at us so quickly
that we are not even aware of what’s around us?

As I waited for the officer with the dog looking and growling at me
the officer said stand still full of force with a loud voice.
That’s when I thought well I just swallowed my heart.,
I realized just how quickly we face life and death situations in our life.
Although everything was fine I still to this day remember that incident vividly.
That’s why each day is so precious to us,
however we cannot allow it to paralyze us and steal our Joy.

Facing the reality of our temporary existence makes us realize that we have a choice.
We can live our life in fear and panic
or in trusting the Lord to protect us in all situations.
I choose to place my trust in the God
who is the Blessed Controller of All Things!
Praise the Lord!

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!
With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMy_oSeK5JE&feature=related

Do you need a worry book?

2010-05-07T11:45:00.000-07:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
May 6th 2010
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Do you need a worry book?

Psalm 37:7
“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.”

Perhaps we are all tempted to worry from time to time,
but there are some folks who seem to take it on as their task in life.
They even go so far as to worry that they
are not worrying enough. (Just kidding ― I think).

One of the greatest illustrations I think I ever heard about worry
was given by one of my all- time favorite preachers,
Donald Grey Barnhouse, who was pastor
of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, PA.

Dr. Barnhouse tells the story of his wife worrying about everything.
She would be after him about the most trivial matter she was worrying about.
He finally gave her a small notebook that he called her “worry book.”
He asked her to write all of her worries in the book
and each Saturday morning they would sit down
and she could go over all of her worries,
and only then would she mention them.

The first Saturday morning he asked her to open her worry book
and tell him what she was worrying about.
Every item she had written in the book had not been worth the worry,
so she had scratched them off.
He asked if there were not some legitimate issues
and she said there were, but she did not have time to worry
about them before they resolved themselves.

After a few weeks she agreed that all of her fruitless worry
was only trying to do what God alone can do.
He holds our future in His hand and knows what is best for us.
What are you worrying about?

Do you need a worry book?

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!
With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie

The Choice is Always Ours
By Connie Ciccone
There are many circumstances in life
That are not pleasant, to say the least.
Many things we go through
Seem to drive us to our knees.
In all of life's storms and trials,
Which are sometimes not so few,
We must choose to trust in God.
He will always see us through.

We cannot afford to be angry
Or blame God when things go wrong.
Jesus is always with us and,
Even in sorrow, we find a song.

The choice is ours to make.
Which one will it be?
Will we become bitter or better?
What will others see?
The things which we go through
May, at times, leave hurts or scars.
Jesus is the 'Faithful One'
Who turns life's scars into stars.

If we shine for Jesus,
As we walk through this life,
He will see us through
As He forgives sin and strife.
So in all that may blind our hearts
Life's Frustrations seem so far
Remember that The Lord has said
The Choice Is Always Ours
Connie Ciccone © September 2005

What do you think God would say about You?

2010-05-05T11:18:00.000-07:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
May 5th 2010
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What do you think God would say about You?

Philippians 4:9
“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me
—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

What impression are you leaving for people around you?
When you are not around, what do they say about you?
If they were called upon to write a character sketch
of your life what would they say?
Pause and think about it.

When I was a Manager for a large Dept Store Chain JC Penny,
I was often confronted with very unique situations.
One really sticks in my mind.
I once received a letter from the Office Director.
He said that in the next few days one of their former employee’s
would be stopping by my office.

This was not unusual, but the way he described the young women was.
She had been so incorrigible that they had sent her through many departments.
The staff there was unable to deal with her behavior.
So Now I was getting her.
The Office Director suggested that I notify him
if there were any problems and they would quickly fire her.

I was just finishing the letter when there was a knock on my door.
A young lady entered ― she was the one that was being sent into my department.
I asked her to sit down and prayed for wisdom about what to say.

I asked her what she felt people thought of her.
It took some prying, but he finally she was able to say
that she felt people thought she was a good person.
I told her that she was about to see what people really thought of her,
and placed her file from the Office Director in front of her.

As she read, the color drained from her face.
she looked across the desk at me and said she had no idea that she was that bad.
(For as long as I continued in my position she was never in trouble again).

The thought goes through my mind from time to time about what people think about me.
Do they perceive my good intentions
or are they more often than not aware of my faults?

There is an even more pertinent question:
What does God think about me?
We know in reading the book of Job
that God was well aware of Job’s behavior
and even bragged about him to Satan.

What do you think God would say about You?

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!
With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9P1wdJqGdA

Arise and SHine God Says It's TIME

2010-04-27T11:54:00.000-07:00

Arise , Shine God Says It Is Time!!!

Faith Filled Thoughts
April 28th 2010
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Arise , Shine God Says It Is Time!!!

Scripture: Isaiah 60:1 "Arise, shine; for your light is come,

and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you."

God encourages us to rise to a new life.

The Amplified Bible reads, "Arise from the depression ... in which circumstances have kept you." We all face disappointments in life, either through circumstances or in our relationships. When we do not deal with those disappointments, we become discouraged.

Then as we give in to discouragement, depression follows.Depression is like being in a dark room. In the natural, if you find yourself in darkness,

you must make an effort to get up and turn the light on.

When you turn the light on, you do not have to battle

with the darkness any more. The light itself dispels the darkness.

Likewise, when your inner man is in a dark room

of depression, you must do the same thing.

God is there with the light of His Word,

but you must arise and allow that light to

illuminate your spirit and renew your faith.

In this upcoming New Year this is a good

resolution to make for yourselves.

Someone out there has been living in darkness for far too long.

He is placing His hand upon your head right now, Can you feel it?

Verse two says that as you arise,

"His glory shall be seen upon you."

It is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit

as He draws you out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom

of light.King David faced this darkness when his city

was burned and his possessions and family were taken captive.

If that wasn't hard enough,

his own men blamed him for the loss and wanted to stone him

I Samuel 30:4 says that David cried until he couldn't cry any more,

but then he began to encourage himself in the Lord his God.

He arose and began to allow the light of God

to shine in his darkness.

As he did, new plans developed.

He pursued the enemy and took back what the enemy had stolen.

He could have sat there forever in depression

and defeat and never regained what belonged to him.

The choice was his.

I Peter 5:8 tells us that the devil

goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.

You are in his path, but you are to give him no place in your heart.

You must encourage yourself in the Lord as David did.

From the beginning, you must refuse to allow disappointment

to lodge in your heart and take root until it turns into discouragement.

Learn to trust God's word which says,

"All things work together for good to

those that love God and are called according to His purpose."

Arise, shine, and allow God's light to supernaturally dispel the darkness.

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Does Your Little Light Shine?

2010-04-23T14:07:00.000-07:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
April 23rd 2010
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Does Your Little Light Shine?

What does the Bible say about light?
Below, I have given some of what I believe
to be the most important uses of this word in scripture.

The first specific creative
act of God, in Genesis 1 is the creation of light.

God's first creative act was the creation of light.
It is also possible that the earth was already present
when God created light,
because Genesis 1:1-2 describe the creation of the earth first.
James 1:17 describes God as the "Father of lights."

After the flood, God promised
never to destroy the earth again by a flood,
and He chose a rainbow, a phenomenon caused
by light passing through water, to signify this.

During the Exodus,
God showed Himself to the Israelites
(at night, at least) as a light-giving pillar of fire,
light enough to travel by.

In Exodus 25, and elsewhere,
the Israelites were commanded
to prepare light in the Tabernacle,
as part of their worship of God.

In 2 Samuel 22, David said:
"For you are my lamp, O Lord,
and my God lightens my darkness." (verse 29)

Perhaps this is the first time that God's presence
and communication with humans is compared to light.
In Psalm 27:1, first part, David wrote that
"The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?"

Job refers to the day when he was born,
and wishes that it had never happened
(chapter 3) saying that he wishes it had been condemned to darkness.
Darkness and evil, and light and good, are often linked, in the Bible.

Psalm 119:105 says
"Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path,"
comparing God's word to light.

1 John 1 is one of the places in the New Testament
where God's revelation to humans is compared to light.

In Isaiah 9, Isaiah,
apparently speaking of the coming of the Messiah,
compares this event to the appearance of a great light.
(This passage is quoted in Matthew 4:12-16.)

Jesus, in Matthew 5:14-16,
compares the God-honoring life of his followers to light.

In John 1:1-13,
the revelation of God in Christ Jesus is compared to light.
John 3:16-21
says that that revelation of light has brought judgment.

In John 8:12,
Jesus describes Himself as the light of the world.

1 Timothy 6:11-16
says that Jesus "dwells in unapproachable light. . ."

As the first chapter in the Bible refers to light,
so does the last,
Revelation 22:1-5,
which says that the only light necessary in heaven is God, Himself.

I believe that God has been well aware of the importance of light,
and has used it as a symbol of Himself,
throughout the time of His interaction with humans.

So Lord, until I see You..
This Little Light Of Mine I’m Gonna Let It Shine!!

And Lord I truly believe that there is goodness
In everyone…it’s just a place where the Sun
Hasn’t shined yet, so take me there with your light.
I want to help them see you
SHINE!!

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!
With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFBUgPNcCcE&feature=related

Are You Hurting Let Me Help You!

2010-04-23T12:43:00.000-07:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
April 22st 2010
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Are You Hurting Let Me Help You!

Psalm 145:17
The LORD is just in all His ways,
and kind in all His doings.
Listen to the Music That Jesus Left For You at the end…..

Today I write from personnel experience, that many of us have felt from time to time.
Hurt is a inner feeling that can crush a person’s Spirit so much,
that we begin to see ourselves not trusting anyone or anything.
Is this where you are at?
A hazard of the boxing ring is the distinct possibility of getting physically hurt.
Every boxer, professional or amateur, knows the risk of, for instance,
a broken nose, a cut eyebrow,
being winded by a body punch or even being knocked out cold,
risking long-term brain damage.
This kind of life in general though is also the distinct possibility
of getting hurt in some way.
Here, I am not referring to something as unsubtle as a black eye,
but to the more insidious pain of inner hurt,
and that crushing feeling of inward offence.
To be human is to be sensitive.
Being on the receiving end of a deliberate or accidental offence
and consequently feeling hurt inside so powerful
that it can be a great problem for us all at some time.
What do we do at such times?
Does the Bible—God's Word—address this issue?
Yes it does.
Consider the following:
First of all, it is not wrong for us to feel hurt.
Mark 3.5 describes an occasion when the Lord Jesus Himself
looked around at them with anger,
grieved by their hardness of heart.
Then in 2 Timothy 4:14 Paul relates how Alexander

the coppersmith did me great harm...
We are only human and we are part of a fallen world.
It is unrealistic not to expect it at some time.
Though are we meant to react?
The Bible teaches non-retaliation.
By this it warns us not to add fuel to the fire
and make a bad situation worse.
Jesus said in
Matthew 5:39

But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil.
But if any one strikes you on the right cheek,

turn to him the other also.

Paul wrote in Romans 12:17 and 19:
Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought

for what is noble in the sight of all...
Beloved, never avenge yourselves

but leave it to the wrath of God,
for it is written 'Vengeance is mine,
I will repay, says the Lord.
I don’t know about you , but there are times in the
Old me before I became a Christian
I wanted to knock their socks off!!
But the Christian Faith is not natural—it is a supernatural Faith.
God's Holy Spirit, living within us,
enables us to live and empowers us to live, think, act and not act,
in a way and manner altogether differently from the normal.
Call upon Me in the day of trouble (Psalm 50:15).
Cast your burden on the LORD and He will sustain you (Psalm 55:22).
Even our pain then will turn out ultimately for our blessing,
Romans 8:28 says that without exception
We know that in everything God works for good with those who love Him
, who are called according to His purpose.
We Hold Many internal scars we carry them, and we can feed them.
But then they will never go away.
Do Not Let Our offences smother us,
so that they steal our Joy, Happiness, and Peace
Paul Said it Beautifully
Ephesians 4:32:
Be kind to one another, tender hearted
, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

I feel Your Hurt Today and Send My Love to You
Also A great Big Hug To Comfort You.

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!
With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3e1VhGGp9s

God Calls For Respect In Everything We Do

2010-04-21T12:53:00.000-07:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
April 21st 2010
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God Calls For Respect In Everything We Do

Proverbs 22:6
“Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it.”

Perhaps we have all encountered a situation
such as I experienced a few days ago.
As I pulled into the parking lot of a super market,
I noticed an empty space across from where I had parked.
I noticed a car pause near the space, then drive on.
I walked over and sure enough, there was a shopping cart
that some thoughtless person had left in the middle
of the parking space instead of returning it

to the cart storage area a few steps away.
(I returned it clear into the store).

My mind began to reflect upon this

and other types of inconsiderate behavior
that seems to be the norm of our modern life.
Someone recently sent a u-tube video of a

wonderful rendition of our national anthem.
I was enjoying the remarkable talent
when I happened to observe the players lined up on the edge
of the playing surface.
They slouched, talked and never paid honor.
It was distressing!

What is the reason for this breakdown in respect and appropriate behavior?
I think the answer is to be found in today’s Scripture.
Parents have delegated their God given responsibility for training
their children to the church, school or just not caring enough
to take the time to train their children in the way they should go.

So what can we do?
If we have children, train them Biblical patterns of behavior.
Try as best as you can to develop godly character qualities.
If you do not have children of your own,
pray for God to show you kids that need you.
Then share from your heart the things that God shows you.

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!
With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyXx6mjSCwU

Bearing Good Fruit

2010-04-13T11:01:00.000-07:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
April 13th 2010
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Bearing Good Fruit

John 15:16
“You did not choose Me,
but I chose you and appointed you to go
and bear fruit—fruit that will last.
Then the Father will give you
whatever you ask in My name.”

Orchards are interesting places.
Almost always the limbs of the trees are gnarled and twisted.
During the winter months some trees look more dead than alive.
A walk through the orchard in winter is a stark contrast with summer.
During the dormant period an expert orchardist
appears with what seems to be instruments of torture: saws, clippers and shears.
As the expert passes through the orchard,
limbs are sheared off and taken away to be burned.
The scene of carnage does not seem to be healthy for the fruit trees.
Oh But it is!
It is this constant pruning that stimulates new growth
and to produce more fruit and better fruit.
Our Christian life works very much the same.
Sometimes when we are going through the dormant periods of our life,
our wonderful skillful Master Orchardist (Jesus)
appears in our life to lop off those branches
that prevent us from bearing the fruit He desires.
Oh Yes Pruning hurts!
There is no other way to look at it.
When we experience painful surgery in our life it is never easy.
but it will produce the most delightful fruits.
Those around us that we witness to say, hey look at the beautiful Apple.
Come On Start Your Pruning Today!
And Be the Apple Of His Eye
The Lord has never promised us a life of comfort and ease,
but He has promised to make us fruitful when we follow Him.
We are called us to produce good fruit in His orchard.

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!
With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_EFS5i39l8

There Is No Such Thing As Coincidence

2010-04-12T11:33:00.000-07:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
April 12th 2010
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There Is No Such Thing As Coincidence

.” Hebrews 13:1-3
“Keep on loving each other as brothers.
Do not forget to entertain strangers,
for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.
Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners,
and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering

How would you act if an angel came to your door?
How about an itinerant preacher you encounter on the street?
It may be a clerk, policeman, meter reader, repairman
as a matter of fact it could be anyone.
Would you be able to discern if any or all of these may be angels?

In Scripture we read that from time to time angels appear to humans.
There have been reports in our modern era of encounters with angelic beings.
Personally I have had some experience in this,
and I believe it is safe to say that most of you
have never had one either, or do not know you had one, or blew it off as coincidence.
There is no such thing as Coincidence.
God knows each day we have and harkens his angels down
To protect us.

In Genesis chapter 18, we read that Abraham was visited by three men.
As it turns out, two of the men were angels and the third was Jesus Himself.
It was one of the rare instances where Jesus
visited the earth in human form prior to His birth in Bethlehem.

Abraham’s reaction to the visitors was to leap to his feet and greet them.
He opened his heart and home to them and insured that they received nourishment.
Hospitality was shown before he became aware of who they were.
In giving them water and food he entertained angels
(and the Lord) unawares.
That is what today’s Scripture from Hebrews 13 says we may experience.

The bottom line is that we are called to be the friendliest
and most gracious people on the face of the earth.
People should see Jesus in the way we reach out
and make people feel welcome.
There are scores of lonely people who are starving for hospitality.
Are you and I willing to open our hearts to them?
Remember ― it may be an angel calling!

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!
With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:
Unbelievable
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5t19KWmx8U

Take Up My Yoke And Be REFRESHED!”

2010-04-09T12:17:00.000-07:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
April 9th 2010
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Take Up My Yoke And Be REFRESHED!”
For Daddy

Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me
, for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Do you ever feel so tired that you can hardly take another step?
There have been times in my life that I experienced these feelings.
As a young person I was taking a full college load
and working 48 hours a week as a waitress.
It makes me tired just to recall those days.
I averaged about 5 hours of sleep each day.
These days, I find it difficult to jump out of bed and place my feet upon the floor
At age 52.
Believe me young ones! At this age it feels like you need oiled
Just to get to the bathroom.
As I retired, I felt at last I could rest and enjoy painting and teaching
God’s Word.
I could hardly believe that the Lord would ask me to do more
than I was already doing, but in obedience
I volunteered to help take care of a lonely elderly women.

I cannot really explain the feeling, but the one thing I know
is that I suddenly felt more energy and strength than I had felt before.
The few hours of sleep I received refreshed me more than they had before,
and I was able to make a difference in many lonely lives in the nursing home,
that needed to hear about Jesus.
In coming obediently to the Lord I received renewed strength.

Humanly speaking, it does not make sense to take more responsibility
when I was so tired, but the Scripture is so very plain.
Those who are at ease are ignored.
It is the weary and burdened believers that Jesus invites to take on His Yoke.
If you feel that your load is crushing you down,
take His Yoke and you will feel His refreshing touch in your life.

Blessings dear hearts.
Draw near to God today,
trust Him completely and be a blessing!

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!
With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:
Unbelievable
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31D2g7t5Bjs&feature=related

Grassroots sweeping the nation

2010-04-08T09:23:00.000-07:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
April 8th 2010
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The Grassroots sweeping the nation
In Prayer

Psalm 50:15
“And call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor me”

There’s a deep wave of grassroots giving back sweeping the country.
A surge of people across all age groups is volunteering like never before.
But giving back doesn’t mean that you don’t get anything in return.
Helping others reach us for a new day rejuvenates us in ways
that another margarita-soaked vacation, more stuff, a fatter resume,
or a supersized house can’t begin to.
We want to feel useful.
We want to find meaning.
We want to feel this alive and on fire with possibility.
Here are some ways serving others can serve you
from finding your true calling to improving your health
to boosting your overall sense of joy.
One of the greatest things any of us can do in life is reach out
and do a good deed for another human being.
Whether it means offering your love and compassion,
or making a charitable donation of time,
energy or money, there are many ways
to bring sunshine into the lives of others.
Prayer can be rich when it's simple and spontaneous.
In fact, we can pray anywhere, at any time.
It doesn't require lofty language in a sacred space.
All we need to do is see our ordinary moments
as the perfect occasions for communicating with God,
then speak from our heart.
A Prayer for Resting in God's Love
Father God, I come into your presence so aware of my human frailty
and yet overwhelmed by your love for me.
I thank you that there is no human experience
that I might walk through where your love cannot reach me.
If I climb the highest mountain you are there
and yet if I find myself in the darkest valley of my life,
you are there.
Teach me today to love you more.
Help me to rest in that love that asks nothing more
than the simple trusting heart of a child.
In Jesus name,
Amen

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!
With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:
Unbelievable
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyXx6mjSCwU

Is Grace Enough?

2010-04-07T12:17:00.000-07:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
April 7th 2010
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Proverbs 4:18
“The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,

shining ever brighter till the full light of day”

Is Grace Enough?

How do we understand, how do we experience grace today?
I often
think of it in terms of a statement I once heard:
"You are accepted."
You and I are accepted,
fully and totally accepted by God, now,
always, without condition, without deserving,
without question.

To be accepted in this way means to be cherished,
to be loved, to be
guarded from ultimate evil.
It means that who we basically are is
valued, honored and respected.
It means that we don't have to earn
or deserve such care;
it is simply there for us, ours as a gift
outright.
The grace of God is given to us at God's initiative. It
is an expression of God's love for us,
of God's desire, of God's
unconditional acceptance, an expression of the very nature of God's
being.

In many of our communities,
even acknowledging brokenness is not welcome or safe.
To expose vulnerability is to invite judgment, risk shame,
or fear standing out as "the only one." If the truth be known,
I too am sometimes reluctant.

Our fears that no repair is possible are real.
Some brokenness can literally destroy us; any residency has its limits.
For some, counseling is one of the few places where their fractures are felt,
where their brokenness is bared.

At such times, I recall that often the difference between suffering
which destroys us and suffering which transforms us begins
with the presence of a caring, thoughtful other who is willing
to acknowledge that brokenness with us.

I can say at this very moment, there are many right now harboring anger.
Anger against a friend , a neighbor, a stranger, and even a family member.
I recently had the pleasure of watching a movie, which I seldom do called,
Amish Grace.
I was astounded at how an Amish community could hold such high esteem
for forgiveness.
In one part of the movie, the explanation of grace came up.
The explanation to me was so profound,
I felt God strongly wanted me to share this with you today.
The Amish believe that if you harbor so much hate and anger in your heart.
There leaves no room for Love.
It begins to eat away all that which made you as Christians in the
Image of Christ himself.
I began to really look at my heart as open doors.
A lot of baggage was stored their… bitterness …hurt…anger..
So on and so forth.
At that very moment, I decided it was time to clean out the closets of my heart.
I wanted enough room for as much Love to come in and overflow.
So I ask You Today?
Come Clean Out Your Closets With Me.. Will You?
And
Please Believe
HIS GRACE IS ENOUGH

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!
With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:
Unbelievable
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtnE_e1LylY

What Does God Say About Promises

2010-04-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
April 9th 2010
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What Does God Say About Promises
Numbers 30:2 If a man vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind
himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to
all that proceeds out of his mouth.
God said, "Abraham!" "Yes?" answered Abraham. "I'm listening." He said,
"Take your dear son Isaac whom you love and go to the land of Moriah.
Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I'll
point out to you." . Abraham told his two young servants, "Stay here with
the donkey. The boy and I are going over there to worship; then we'll come
back to you." Genesis 22:1-5 M
As a mother who gave her son away, this is the passage of the Bible that I
have always claimed as my own. Who else on this earth can better understand
what Abraham was feeling than us? We have been at that place and have chosen
a different life where we then became unable to have children. To this day,
I get emotional thinking about what God asked Abraham to do. I am also awed
by the faith Abraham had to have in order to follow God's direction to the
letter.
Notice what Abraham says to the servants. He says that he and the boy are
going to worship and then we will come back. God had asked him to sacrifice
his one and only son, yet Abraham's faith was so big that he was sure his
son would be returning with him.
When I signed those papers and released my son into the care of another, it
was this passage. I had no promise that I would ever see him again. I had no
idea what the days ahead would hold. I just did it. In the same way, the
Bible says nothing of Abraham's state of mind. We don't hear him
complaining. We don't even see him hesitating. What we see is him snapping
to attention and doing exactly what God has asked of him. God doesn't
intervene until that last possible moment. God wanted to know if Abraham was
really going to follow through. The Bible says '. he reached out his hand
and took the knife to slay his son.' That is when God stopped him, at the
last possible second.
It's interesting that God chooses Abraham instead of Isaac's mother.
Obviously, God is preparing him for a higher calling. As a result of meeting
this challenge with obedience, God promises to make Abraham's descendants as
numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. This is a
promise that God fulfills throughout the rest of the Bible.
Are you willing to trust God no matter what he asks you to do?
Are you willing to follow him despite obstacles and difficulties?
Take a minute and reflect on your relationship with God.
Are You able to Keep the Promises You Make To Others?

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!
With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:
Unbelievable
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=et-4WksmFkk

Stinking Thinking pt 2

2010-03-19T10:22:00.000-07:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
March 19th 2010
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Stinking Thinking
Part 2

"When you are DOWN to nothing ... God is UP to something.

(3) Stop worrying and complaining. IN EVERYTHING,
let your requests be made known to God (Philippians 4:6).
That sounds easy, does it not?
Yes, but doing it is another matter;
however, it is not impossible.
Were it impossible God would not have told us to do it.
GIVE IT A TRY!
(4) Finally, brethren, [Christians]
whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest,
whatsoever things are just, ..... think on these things" (Philippians 4:8).
Wow, what a great mental health exercise this is!!!!!
Get your mind off "stinking thinking"
and focus on things that are pure, honorable, kind, etc., etc.
Guard your mind.
Don't allow just anything to come into it
and take up residency and make you depressed.
Charles Spurgeon said that we cannot
keep birds from flying over our head,
but we can keep them from making a nest in our hair.
(5) And here's the most important thing of all.
Read God's word every day.
Ask God to show you your sins that depress and weigh you down.
Write them down.
Look for the things you do and say and
believe that are contrary to God's law-word.
These things, however small you may think they are,
are leading you away from God's joy and peace in your life.
Weed out those awful sins, just like
you would pull weeds out of your flower bed.
It's simple: when we eat bad food it makes us sick.
Likewise, when we sin it makes us sick....
we don't always throw up, but we become "stinky"
and putrid and that works out into our lives and spills over into everything.

IF YOU ARE EVER GOING TO GET OVER "STINKY THINKING"
YOU'VE GOT TO START SOMEWHERE.
WHY NOT START AT THE STARTING PLACE....
START TODAY WITH GOD...
AFTER ALL, HE SPOKE THE WORLD INTO BEING
AND IT'S NO BIG DEAL FOR HIM TO HEAL YOUR MIND
AND YOUR EMOTIONS
AND BRING YOU INTO FELLOWSHIP WITH HIM WHERE
YOU CAN BE HAPPY AND AT PEACE IN YOUR SOUL.
Amen!!!
And SMILE!!!
Let's Help Them Find Their Smile
By Connie Ciccone
Today Lord, as we walk along,
Please guide the words I say.
Oh, lead me to that special one,
That I may help today.

I know there must be lonely souls,
That need a special friend.
Someone who asked in fervent prayer,
For someone you may send.

Give me the perfect words to say,
To tell them of your love.
A greater love they have never known,
You Love From Up above.

Concern for them is in my heart,
I lift them up to you.
Oh, let them feel your precious love,
So they may know you too!

Please help me find the words to say,
To make them feel worthwhile,
Then I know that you and I,
Have Helped Them Find Their Smile
Let's Help Them Find Their Smile

Connie Ciccone © November 2003

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maAyfcO-X3k&feature=related

DO YOU HAVE "STINKING THINKING"?

2010-03-18T13:11:00.000-07:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
March 18th 2010
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DO YOU HAVE "STINKING THINKING"?
PT 1

(Isaiah 9:7). Recognize the fact that God is increasing
His government, His peace in your life.

If you are like me, you often allow "stinky" thoughts to grow like weeds
in the flower bed of your mind.
"Stinky" thoughts just appear and all the while,
if undetected they take root,
seriously rooting out the good stuff the Bible tells us to think about.
As our minds follow that root systems we become consumed
with "stuff" that takes us down, down.
Then we notice, or often times we do not notice,
that we are worried, anxious, depressed, unhappy, discontent
even miserable and not really enjoying anything.
We become preoccupied.
We either try to sort out everything or ignore everything.
Everything is wrong and nothing is right.
We are not sure how we got to where we are
and we are not sure how to get out of it.
Either way, the peace we once had is gone.
We do not see a way out.
Everything is intertwined in a mesh that plunges us further down, down.

What does the Bible say about "stinky thinking"?

Is there any real help?

ABSOLUTELY...

the Bible says the weapons of your warfare are

MIGHTY THROUGH GOD TO THE PULLING DOWN OF STRONG HOLDS

(2 Corinthians 10:4)
....strong things that bind up our minds, taking us captive.

Below are some beginning points for getting rid of "stinky thinking."
(1) Read your Bible.
Look up verses that pinpoint your problem

and believe what God says about them.
Commit that Scripture to memory
Rely upon it.
Trust in its effectiveness for your life.

(2) Bring your every thought into captivity (2 Corinthians 10:5)
don't just let thoughts come into your mind
take every thought captive.
Fight the good fight of faith.
When "bad" thoughts appear, say to yourself:
"No, I am not going to entertain that thought.
" When you start resisting "bad" thoughts you will feel tired at first,
because you have begun the battle of taking back your mind’.

Recognize the thoughts that come to you.
Recognize the lies,
the sin, the wrong from the right.

Ask God to help you.
He Is Waiting For You!

Ask Him to show you truth.
Receive His truth and refuse the lies that have the ability
to depress and destroy your happiness.
This is how I do it: When "stinky thinking" lodges in my mind,
I say out loud "No, I will not have that."
If I am somewhere where I cannot speak out loud,
I shake my head ever so slightly and pray,
"Father, help me replace the lies with your truth.
Help me to quit worrying and start trusting.
Help me to get my mind off of myself and get it stabilized on YOU."
[ALSO, I busy my mind with memorizing and meditating on Scripture
And if you’re at home Play Your Christian Music Loud!!!

Watch the Devil Run!!

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Mi_aRcGaEs

What The Bible Says about Meekness

2010-03-16T08:31:00.000-07:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
March 16th 2010
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What The Bible Says about Meekness

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” Matthew 5:5

A popular hymn that received much acclaim several generations ago
unintentionally derides our Savior as being "gentle Jesus, meek and mild."
Meekness is a fruit of the Spirit that seems very much lost in our aggressive,
self-centered culture.
Because people associate it with weakness,
most today do not admire others for being "meek,"
but as we shall see, it is not what they assume.
It is a quality of character very noticeable in the greatest human being
ever to grace this earth
and one that all of us sorely need today.
A modern English dictionary or thesaurus makes it clear why meekness
is associated with weakness.
Notice its synonyms as listed in the Reader's Digest
Oxford Complete Word Finder: tame, timid, mild, bland, unambitious, retiring, weak,
docile, acquiescent, repressed, suppressed,
spiritless, broken, and wimpish.
Not a single one of these words applies to Jesus Christ or even to Moses,

who the Bible claims "was very meek,

above all the men which were upon the

face of the earth" (Numbers 12:3, KJV).
Do these terms describe the warrior-king David,
a man greatly beloved by God?
Or Paul, the fearless and tireless apostle,
who courageously faced his share and more of dangerous,
painful persecutions?
No, yet once we understand what biblical meekness is,
we can easily see that these men were indeed meek.
Surely our understanding of this remarkable characteristic must be askew!
Bible commentators generally agree that modern man,
living in our Western, Judeo-Christian cultures,
lacks this godly attribute. Meekness,
being a fruit of the Spirit,
is an attribute of God Almighty Himself and important to our being
in His image and a true witness.
Indeed, this characteristic will largely determine how much peace
and contentment are in our lives and how well we do during trials.

We do not stand alone in our misperception of the word meekness.
The ancient Greeks did not rank it as a virtue either,
except in a very narrow circumstance.
At best, they used it as we use "condescension"
today and by it referred entirely to men's external relations with other men.
Jesus, while retaining its reference to men,
lifted it from its narrow context and made it refer primarily to our relations with God.
In his comments on Galatians 5:22-23,
William Barclay adds that
meekness is "the most untranslatable of

words in the New Testament" (p. 51).
Some have tried to use "humility" as its equivalent,
but both Hebrew and Greek have specific words that are synonyms for humility.
Besides, humility does not fully catch its meaning.
Another word associated with meekness is "gentleness,"
but the same is as true for gentleness as humility.

Both are part of meekness, but it is not really either.
Its characteristics and use are much more involved than either of them.
The Hebrew word translated "meekness"
is anav or anaw, meaning "depressed (figuratively),
in mind (gentle) or circumstances (needy, especially saintly):

humble, lowly, meek, poor"
(Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, #6035).
The translation depends upon the context in which it appears.
The Gesenius Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon adds,
"afflicted, miserable . . . ;
commonly with the added notion of a lowly,
pious, and modest mind, which prefers to bear injuries rather than return them" (p. 643).
The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament indicates why this word
is so difficult to express as a single term:
"anaw expresses the intended outcome of affliction" (p. 1651).

Ephesians 4:1-3 states:
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy
of the calling with which you were called,
with all lowliness and gentleness [meekness, KJV],
with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace

Zephaniah 2:3:
Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth,
who have upheld His justice.
Seek righteousness, seek humility [meekness, KJV].
It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger

This is not a virtue to ignore because carnal men consider it weakness.
It may appear to them as weakness,
but the spiritual reality is that it is great strength,
an attribute of Almighty God
and a fruit of His Spirit we greatly need.

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-8rmvWNpIo&feature=PlayList&p=BECB8BBCDAD7300C&index=0&playnext=1

Are There Angels Among Us?

2010-03-15T09:10:00.000-07:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
March 15th 2010
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Are There Angels Among Us?

Hebrews 13:1-3
“Keep on loving each other as brothers.
Do not forget to entertain strangers,
for by so doing

some people have entertained angels without knowing it.
Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners,
and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”

How would you act if an angel came to your door?
How about an itinerant preacher you encounter on the street?

It may be a clerk, policeman, meter reader,
repairman ― as a matter of fact it could be anyone.
Someone you encountered at the grocery store,
or behind you at the checkout stand.

Would you be able to discern if any or all of these may be angels?

In Scripture we read that from time to time angels appear to humans.
There have been reports in our modern era of encounters with angelic beings.
I have had this experience,
and I believe it is safe to say that most of you
also have had one at one time or another.

In Genesis chapter 18, we read that Abraham was visited by three men.
As it turns out, two of the men were angels
and the third was Jesus Himself.
It was one of the rare instances where Jesus visited the earth
in human form prior to His birth in Bethlehem.

Abraham’s reaction to the visitors was to leap to his feet and greet them.
He opened his heart and home
to them and insured that they received nourishment.
Hospitality was shown before he became aware of who they were.
In giving them water and food he entertained angels (and the Lord) unawares.
That is what today’s Scripture from Hebrews 13 says we may experience.

The bottom line is that we are called to be the friendliest
and most gracious people on the face of the earth.
People should see Jesus in the way we reach out
and make people feel welcome.
There are scores of lonely people who are starving for hospitality.

Are you and I willing to open our hearts to them?

Remember ― it may be an angel calling!

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVbkz_3lO3c&feature=related

Choice’s

2010-03-10T08:11:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
March 10th 2010
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Choice’s

Deuteronomy 30:19
“This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you
that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.
Now choose life,
so that you and your children may live.”

Why do people make the choices they do?
For that matter, why do I make the choices I do?
Some choices are wise and prudent while other choices
we make are unwise and detrimental to us as well as others.
There is no way we can force people to make the right choices.
Across the years of my ministry I have shown people God’s absolutes.
Sadly I have observed some who felt
they knew better than God what was best for them.
The result of going against God’s law always results in chaos.
Moses was delivering his “upper desert discourse”
(better known as Deuteronomy)
and leaving a ringing challenge to the Israelites.
He had faithfully delivered God’s perfect plan for them.
If they obeyed they would experience life and blessings.
If they disobeyed they were sure to find curses and death.
That challenge is still true for us today.
We are promised life (eternal life) and blessing after blessing
If ? We Obey God.
Just as true, we are facing curses here on earth
and an eternal death in a sinner’s hell if we reject God’s commands.
Which choice should we make?
To me it’s a no-brainer.
I choose life and blessing!

Consider This….. What Choice’s Will You Make Today?
You Now Have 24 Hours To Think About It…

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:

http://www.mtmchoices.org/choices

DO YOU KNOW HOW THE APOSTLES DIED???

2010-03-09T07:30:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
March 9th 2010
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DO YOU KNOW HOW THE APOSTLES DIED???

"And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake:
But he that endureth to the end shall be saved." Matthew 10:22

Matthew
Suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia,
killed by a sword wound.

Mark
Died in Alexandria, Egypt, after being dragged by horses
through the streets until he was dead.

Luke
was hanged in Greece as a result
of his tremendous preaching to the lost.

John
Faced martyrdom when he was boiled in huge basin of boiling oil
during a wave of persecution in Rome.
However, he was miraculously delivered from death.
John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison island of Patmos.
He wrote his prophetic Book of Revelation on Patmos.
The apostle John was later freed and returned to serve as Bishop
of Edessa in modern Turkey.
He died as an old man,
the only apostle to die peacefully.

Peter
was crucified upside down on an x-shaped cross.
According to church tradition it was because he told
his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die
in the same way that Jesus Christ had died.

James
The leader of the church in Jerusalem,
was thrown over a hundred feet down from the southeast
pinnacle of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ.
When they discovered that he survived the fall,
his enemies beat James to death with a fuller's club.
This was the same pinnacle where Satan
had taken Jesus during the Temptation.

James the Great
Son of Zebedee, was a fisherman by trade when Jesus
called him to a life time of ministry.
As a strong leader of the church,
James was ultimately beheaded at Jerusalem.
The Roman officer who guarded James watched amazed
as James defended his faith at his trial.
Later, the officer walked beside James to the place of execution.
Overcome by conviction, he declared his new faith to the judge
and knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian.

Bartholomew
also known as Nathaniel - Was a missionary to Asia.
He witnessed for our Lord in present day Turkey.
Bartholomew was martyred for his preaching in Armenia
where he was flayed to death by a whip.

Andrew
Was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Patras, Greece.
After being whipped severely by seven soldiers they tied
his body to the cross with cords to prolong his agony.
His followers reported that, when he was led toward the cross,
Andrew saluted it in these words:
'I have long desired and expected this happy hour.
The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it.'
He continued to preach to his tormentors for two days until he expired.

Thomas
Was stabbed with a spear in India during one
of his missionary trips to establish the church in the sub-continent.

Jude
Was killed with arrows when he refused

to deny his faith in Christ. Matthias –
The apostle chosen to replace the traitor
Judas Iscariot was stoned and then beheaded.

Barnabas
One of the group of seventy disciples,
wrote the Epistle of Barnabas.
He preached throughout Italy and Cyprus
. Barnabas was stoned to death at Salonica.

Paul
Was tortured and then beheaded by
the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67.
Paul endured a lengthy imprisonment which allowed him
to write his many epistles to the churches he had
formed throughout the Roman Empire.
These letters, which taught many of the foundational doctrines of Christianity,
form a large portion of the New Testament.

Perhaps this is a reminder to us that our sufferings here
are indeed minor compared to the intense persecution
and cold cruelty faced by the apostles/disciples
during their times for the sake of their
Faith.

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60o3UP4Kjwg&feature=related

HURT IN THE BODY OF CHRIST PT 2

2010-03-08T08:52:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
March 8th 2010
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HURT IN THE BODY OF CHRIST
Pt 2

Spiritually speaking , there are many parts that work together
in order for the body to function properly .
Jesus tells us that we are the branches and he is the vine .

The vine feeds the branches and the branches bear fruit .

If the branches are cut from the vine there can be no fruit .

Without fruit in our lives we are dead to the vine .

As Christians we are members of Gods family .

Every family has to support each other
and love each other to be functional .

If we as Gods family reach out to others then we are being Christ like .

If we are Christ like we can reach out to others with his arms
, his eyes , his voice , his ears , his heart , to comfort ,
to preach and to teach , to assist carry that load ,
to listen to the troubled and lonely ,
to give and to understand those who are not welcome ,
to welcome the stranger and to pray for those who need help .

Because Jesus is alive in us so is the Father and the spirit .

Because we are part of the body of Christ we can love even our enemies ,
we can forgive those who hurt and offend us .

The spirit of God can touch others who we meet .

The love of Jesus wants his love surround you every night and every day .

There is no barrier to his love .

It can transcend and break through the barriers that we put
and other place before us so that we can become happy in every way .

That is God’s plan for us all .

With Jesus in our eyes we can see far beyond the things that we call reality .

We can perceive mystery in a place where the love of God lives deep within our soul .

With faith and trust we come to an understanding of infinity .

Eternity is a place that is not so far beyond belief .

If we believe then we shall see that the love of God goes on forever and ever .

Where there is love that's where Christ will be .

If we are part of the body of Christ then his love has made itself a home in us .

In every country around the world the body of Christ are found to be at prayer together
helping each other and caring for others .

Organizations and ideals have been built on the foundations of Christ's teachings .

As we encounter hurt and disappointment in our lives
we are united with Christ who also suffered .
Jesus is there in the our suffering and despair.

To suffer for Christ 's sake is a precious thing
and if one part of the body suffers usually
it will have an impact on the rest of the body .

So in our suffering we can be united with others .

Together as the body of Christ we are strong
but if we cut ourselves away from the body
then we die to the other parts of the body .

As members of the body of Christ we must support one another
and not fight or do harm to others .

We must support the weak parts of the body
so that the whole body can survive.

The world will reject us as Christians ,
like a foreign or unwelcome influence ,
so we must stand together and be one .
That is where we get our strength .

In this life if we choose to follow Christ ,
we must walk as one in body and mind .

The journey ahead is never an easy road .

The world will not welcome those who are members of the body of Christ .

But if you trust in him and welcome him , he will make a home in you ,

Rejoice and be glad if your home is founded in Jesus Christ .

His love and mercy endures forever .

Even though around the world we are many we are one .

One in our faith and one in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ
who has made a home in us .

As one voice we can praise his name .

WE PRAY AS ONE BODY OF CHRIST

Oh God what can I say about Jesus your only son ?
No words could ever express how I feel .

What can I say about his life ?
No words could express
the mystery that only you can reveal .

Oh God what can I say about what you gave to me .
My words are only those of a mortal man .

Glory Halleluiah .
All praise and glory to you God Almighty .
To you I lift up my hand .

I lift it up in praise,
Much higher than my life ,
I lift up my prayer to you

Higher than the sky .

I lift up your name ,
your name is Mighty .
Praise and Glory to you
I lift up your name God on high

For the blessing you have given me ,
I thank you God .
I raise my hand and my prayer to you in praise .

I raise my voice to you ,

Oh God of mystery,
hear me Lord
Dearest Lord I want to give you praise .

All praise to the Father and the son .

Praise to the spirit .

All Glory and praise to the trinity .

May people of all nations praise the name of Jesus .

As one voice and as members of one body .
AMEN

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTByEgZ8dgY&feature=related

HOW TO HANDLE HURT IN THE BODY OF CHRIST

2010-03-04T08:21:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
March 4th 2010
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HOW TO HANDLE HURT IN THE BODY OF CHRIST
PT 1

“bless those who curse you and pray

for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)

There was a time when a good friend of mine,
said she had been so hurt by the “Body Of Christ.”
I write this for my friend…JN

One sure thing that you will face in life, and yes, in church,
is that sooner or later, someone will offend you.
Many Christians will have occasion to be greatly offended by the words
and/or actions of other Christians.
How we handle these offenses has a profound impact on our spiritual advancement
and the progress of those around us.

All too often Christians become “stuck” in a place of being wounded
and become dysfunctional members of the Body of Christ.

Like it or not, people problems are one of your greatest opportunities
for spiritual advancement.
Relationship failures serve as a catalyst for spiritual growth
as the deep emotions of sorrow, anger, self-pity, bitterness, hatred, rage, vindictiveness, etc.
must be processed in healthy ways for our character to mature.
There is no way to avoid this process of maturation.
It does no good to guilt oneself by declaring,

“As a Christian I should not feel this way.”

All emotions, even negative ones, are God-given gifts
and are a part of what it means to be human.
The mature Christian does not necessarily have less anger
than the immature Christian.
The mature Christian has learned to process their anger in healthy
versus destructive and self-defeating ways.
Wounded people tend to fall into two general categories.
One group continues to replay the offense
and to recycle their negative emotions until
they build into waves of self-pity or crescendos of rage.
This is debilitating and can draw sympathizers deep into
the dysfunction of the wounded party.
The other group refuses to succumb to the nurse and rehearse syndrome and,
in the midst of personal pain, has the courage and fortitude
to seek a positive resolution to the problem.
This is both an emotional and intellectual process
that is a key dynamic to spiritual growth.

The Bible commands us, in many places,
to "love one another."
While most believers are well aware of these words,
acting upon them can be very difficult.
Obedience requires that we work through our negative emotions
to the point where we have gained the capacity to think
of the welfare of the offender regardless of what they have done.
This is a huge step forward. Compassion for the offender and
is one of the surest signs that God’s love has arrived on the scene.
We need to learn how to grow and walk in God’s love even in the worst of circumstances.
Love, in the biblical sense, is far more than an emotional feeling.
Love is a spiritual condition that allows us
to overcome the hatred and wrongs of others.

Jesus was filled with this kind of love when He declared from the cross,
“Father, forgive them.”
He exhorted his followers to demonstrate such love when he taught,
“bless those who curse you and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)
So Remember…
Love is a commitment towards others, even when it hurts.

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KsfwvpcQhY&feature=related

The SPARROW at STARBUCKS

2010-03-03T08:54:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
March 3rd 2010
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Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?
And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.
But the very hairs of your head are all numbered Do not fear therefore;
you are of more value than many sparrows.
(Mat 10:29-31)

The SPARROW at STARBUCKS

The song that silenced even the cappuccino machine....

It was chilly in Oxford but warm inside the Starbucks shop.
Early November weather in Oxford which is a college town holds only the slightest hint
of the bitter chill of late December and January,
but it's enough to send the masses crowding indoors to vie for
available space and warmth.

For a musician, it's the most lucrative Starbucks location in the world, I'm told,
and consequently, the tips can be substantial if you play your tunes right.
Apparently, we were striking all the right chords
that day, because our basket was almost overflowing.

It was a fun, low-pressure gig - I was playing keyboard
And was singing backup for my friend who also added rhythm
with an arsenal of percussion instruments.
We mostly did pop songs from the '50s
to the '80s with a few original tunes thrown in.

During our emotional rendition of the classic,
"If You Don't Know Me by Now,"
I noticed a young Blonde lady sitting
in one of the lounge chairs across from me.
She was swaying to the beat and singing along.
After the tune was over, she approached me.
"I apologize for singing along on that song.
Did it bother you?" she asked.

"No," I
replied. "We love it when the audience joins in.
Would you like to sing up front on the next selection?"
To my delight, she accepted my invitation.
"You choose," I said. "What are you in
the mood to sing?" "Well. .... Do you know any
hymns?" Hymns?
This woman didn't know who she was dealing with.
I cut my teeth on hymns all my young days at church.
I gave our guest singer a knowing look.
"Name one."

"Oh, I don't know. There are so many good
ones. You pick one." "Okay," I replied. "How
about
'His Eye is on the Sparrow'?"

My new friend was silent, her eyes averted.
Then she fixed her eyes on mine again and said,
"Yeah. Let's do that one."

She slowly nodded her head, put down her purse,
straightened her jacket and faced the center of the shop.
With my two-bar setup, she began to sing, "Why should I be
discouraged? Why should the shadows come?"

The audience of coffee drinkers was transfixed.
Even the gurgling noises of the

cappuccino machine ceased as the employees stopped
what they were doing to listen.
The song rose to its conclusion.
"I sing because I'm happy; I sing because I'm free.
For His eye is on the Sparrow And I know He watches me."

When the last note was sung, the applause crescendoed
to a deafening roar that would have rivaled a sold-out crowd at Carnegie Hall.
Embarrassed, the woman tried to shout over the din,
"Oh, y'all go back to your coffee!
I didn't come in here to do a concert! I just came in
here to get something' to drink, just like you!"
But the ovation continued..

I embraced my new friend.
"You, my dear, have made my whole year! That was beautiful!"

"Well, it's funny that you picked that particular hymn," she said.
"Why is that?"
"Well . .." she hesitated again, "that was my friend Lillian’s favorite song."
"Really!" I exclaimed.

"Yes," she said, and then grabbed my hands.
By this time, the applause had subsided and it was business as usual..
"She was 87. I took care of her for 8 years. She had no family and was like a mother to me.
“ She died from Alzheimer’s and old age last week."
Before she took her last breathe she said Connie “My Eyes Are On The Sparrow”
I said the first thing that found its way through my stunned silence.
"Are you going to be okay?"

She smiled through tear-filled eyes and squeezed my hands.
"I'm gonna be okay.
I've just got to keep trusting the Lord and singing his songs,
and everything's gonna be just fine."
She picked up her bag, gave me her card, which later I found out
she was a preacher with an internet church site Called Faith It Out!

Was it just a coincidence that we happened to be singing in
that particular coffee shop on that particular November day?
Coincidence that this wonderful lady just happened
to walk into that particular shop?
Coincidence that of all the hymns to choose from,
I just happened to pick the very hymn
that was the favorite of her precious friend,
who had died just the week before?
I refuse to believe it.

God has been arranging encounters in
human history since the beginning of time,
and it's no stretch for me to imagine that he could reach
into a coffee shop in Oxford and turn an ordinary gig into a revival.
It was a great reminder that if we keep trusting him
and singing his songs, everything's gonna be okay.
Because
'His Eye is on the Sparrow'?"

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!
:WOW THIS IS AMAZING

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

Can you explain the Trinity?

2010-03-02T08:03:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
March 3rd 2010
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Can you explain the Trinity?

There is no God but one. (1Cor. 8:4)

"Trinity" is a term that is not found in the Bible but a word used to describe
what is apparent about God in the Scriptures.
The Bible clearly speaks of
God the Father,
God the Son (Jesus Christ),
and God the Holy Spirit...
and also clearly presents that there is only one God.
If we were to use math, it would not be, 1+1+1=3.
It would be 1x1x1=1. God is a triune God.
Thus the term: "Tri" meaning three,
and "Unity" meaning one,
Tri+Unity = Trinity.
It is a way of acknowledging what the Bible reveals to us about God,
that God is yet three "Persons" who have the same essence of deity.
Some have tried to give human illustrations for the Trinity,
such as H2O being water, ice and steam (all different forms, but all are H2O).
Another illustration is an egg having a shell, egg yolk and egg white,
but this egg illustration shows that there would be
"parts" to God, which isn't the case.

God the Son (Jesus) is fully, completely God.
God the Father is fully, completely God.
And God the Holy Spirit is fully, completely God.
Yet there is only one God.

In our world, with our limited human experience, it's tough to understand the Trinity.
But from the beginning we see God this way in Scripture.
Notice the plural pronouns "us" and "our" in Genesis 1:26 -- Then God said,

"Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule
over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air,
over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
Though not a complete list, here is some other Scripture that shows God is one, in Trinity:
• "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!" (Deut. 6:4)
• "I am the LORD, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God." (Isa. 45:5)
• There is no God but one. (1Cor. 8:4)

• And after being baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water;
• and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God
• descending as a dove, and coming upon Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying,

• "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased." (Matt. 3:16-17)
• "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
• baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." (Matt. 28:19)
• Jesus said: "I and the Father are one." (John 10:30)
• "He who has seen Me has seen the Father." (John 14:9)
• "He who beholds Me beholds the One who sent Me." (John 12:45)
• If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. (Rom. 8:9)
• "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife;
• for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit." (Matt. 1:20)
• And the angel answered and said to her [Mary],

• "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;
• and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God." (Luke 1:35)

• [Jesus speaking to His disciples]
• "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper,
• that He may be with you forever; the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive,
• because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you,
• and will be in you." ... "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word;
• and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him." (John 14:16-17, 23)

Know that He Is God …..and…….HE IS ABLE
As we wait upon the Lord

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:
WOW THIS IS AMAZING

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxifqtpW4H4

Reach Out and Touch Somebody’s Hand Today.

2010-03-01T07:23:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
March 1st 2010
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Reach Out and Touch Somebody’s Hand Today.

Micah 7:8
"When I fall, I shall arise;
when I sit in darkness,
the Lord shall be a light to me."

This puts a lot of things into perspective....
A blind boy sat on the steps of a building

with a hat by his feet.

He held up a sign which said:

"I am blind,
please help."

There were only a few coins in the hat.

A man was walking by.

He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat.
He then took the
sign, turned it around, and wrote some words.
He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see
the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up.
A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy.

That afternoon the man who
had changed the sign came to see how things were.

The boy recognized his footsteps and asked,

"Were you the
one who changed my sign this morning?

What did you write?"

The man said, "I only wrote the truth.

I said what you said but in a different way." I wrote:

"Today is a beautiful day
but I cannot see it."

Both signs told people that the boy was blind.

But the first sign simply said the boy was blind.
The second sign told people that they were so lucky

that they were not blind.

Should we be surprised that the second
sign was more effective?

Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have!...
Be creative. Be innovative.
Think differently and positively.
When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry,
show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile.
Face your past without regret.
Handle your present with confidence.
Prepare for the future without fear.
Keep the faith and drop the fear. (FAITH IT OUT)
The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling…
And even more beautiful, knowing that you are the reason behind it!!!
Catch yourself when you start complaining about what you don’t have.

Remember, where there is life, there is hope.
Enjoy your day with a heart of gratitude

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:
WOW THIS IS AMAZING

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-7qCG2_aaA

“THE PATIENCE OF JOB!”

2010-02-24T06:59:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
February 24th 2010
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“THE PATIENCE OF JOB!”

Psalm 37:7
“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.”

I have prayed for patience and God has graciously answered
by sending me trying situations that demand that I wait.
It is at times like these that I question whether
it is a good idea to pray for patience ― it is!
The problem as I see it, is that some of us have the idea
that the answer to our prayer is for God to take away the thorny situations of life.
Beep! It doesn’t work that way.

Job was the most righteous man on earth.
He also was extremely wealthy.
He also was blessed with a large family of seven sons and three daughters.
It must have been in a matter of ten minutes that word came to him
that he had lost his wealth, and that all ten
of his children had been killed by a windstorm.

As I think about the character quality of patience,
I am reminded that Job’s reaction to this horrific news was what defined patience.
In response to this life altering news, he said;
"Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised."
Patience is giving God permission to take as long
as it takes to bring about His perfect will.
It is His will, not our will.
It means that we learn to rest in Him and trust ourselves into His control.
In essence it says,
“Not my will but Thine be done!”
Proverbs 3:5-6;
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on
your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge Him
, and He will make your paths straight.”
Blessings dear hearts.
Draw near to God today,
Trust Him completely and be a Blessing!

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:

WOW THIS IS AMAZING

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_EFS5i39l8

Who is the Holy Spirit?

2010-02-23T09:00:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
February 23rd 2010
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Faith Filled thoughts released Monday –Friday excluding Holidays

Who is the Holy Spirit?

(Gal.3:14)
“You receive the holy Spirit by faith
just as you receive Jesus as the Lord.”

The Holy Spirit is a person, not a thing

John 14 15“If you love me, obey my commandments.
16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you
another Counselor, who will never leave you.
17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.
As you can see the Holy Spirit is a person.

As you read through the gospels you will see that He lead,
compels, inspires, teaches and stands with us.
He can also be grieved (Ephesians 4:30)

The Holy Spirit is God

Galatians 46 And because you Gentiles have become his children,
God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts,
and now you can call God your dear Father.

When people talk about Jesus coming to live in their hearts,
what they really mean is the Spirit of Jesus or Holy Spirit,
who is that third member of the godhead.
The Holy Spirit is God himself.

What about being filled?

It is a separate experience to salvation

Acts 814 When the apostles back in Jerusalem heard that the people
of Samaria had accepted God’s message, they sent Peter and John there.
15 As soon as they arrived, they prayed
for these new Christians to receive the Holy Spirit.
16 The Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them,
for they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
17 Then Peter and John laid their hands upon
these believers, and they received the Holy Spirit.

It is clear from scripture that the born again experience
is the first step in receiving the Holy Spirit
as the Spirit of Christ comes to live in the heart of the believer.
Being filled with the Holy Spirit was something that occurred after salvation
and was an enduring with power and gift (Acts 1:8, 2:4)

It is for all of God’s children

Luke 1111 “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish,
do you give them a snake instead?
12 Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not!
13 If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give
the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

God does not have some special children
who He gifts with the Holy Spirit, while others He does not.
God wants all His children to be filled with the Holy Spirit,
both men and women, young and old (Joel 2:28).
Jesus himself said that all we have to do is ask Him.
However when we ask God, we should ask in faith
and believe His word is for us (Mark 11:22-23, James 1:6-7).

It is the means of empowerment to live the Christian life.

Acts 1 8 But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you,
you will receive power and will tell people
about me everywhere—in Jerusalem,
throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

The Christian life was never meant to be ordinary,
it was meant to be filled with supernatural power.
The Holy Spirit empowers Christians
with an ability not only to tell people the good news about Jesus,
but to demonstrate the power of God in signs and wonders
(Mark 16:15-18, 1 Corinthians 2:1-5).

It is more than a one off experience.
Ephesians 518 Don’t be drunk with wine,
because that will ruin your life.
Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you.

The correct translation of this verse is
“be being filled,” denoting a continual filling.
Receiving the fullness of the Spirit is only the starting point.
As you read on this passage in Ephesians it shows us
how to remain full, by praise, worship and thanksgiving to God.

I Will Ask One More Question?
Do You Have One Foot In The World?
Or Both Feet In The Spirit World?
IT IS A CHOICE!!

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?playnext=1&playnext_from=TL&videos=FCg4cj15Gws&v=6sPhpXO9sqc

Honesty Is The Best Policy

2010-02-22T11:06:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
February 22nd 2010
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Faith Filled thoughts released Monday –Friday excluding Holidays

Honesty Is The Best Policy

Psalm 119:160 - "The very essence of your words is truth;
all your just regulations will stand forever." (NLT)

We've all heard the saying "honesty is the best policy"
but who first said that famous quote?
Well it might not have been said exactly like that
but like in most cases the belief that honesty
is the best policy stems from the Bible.

Sometimes people think of Honesty as telling the truth,
but that's not completely true.
Honesty includes telling the truth but it's more than that.
Being an honest person means being a good person.
The Greek word for honesty is "kalos."
Kalos means that which is good and admirable and becoming.
To be honest means to be fair, right and honorable.

Honesty is a standard that God expects Christians to meet.
There are many verses throughout the Bible that speak on honesty.

In 1 Timothy 2:2 we are told
"live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."

In 1 Thessalonians we are told that we should live in a way that
"your daily life may win the respect of outsiders
and so that you will not be dependent on anybody."

Even when others are disobedient or when others are in the wrong
we should still remain honest.
Romans 12:17 tells us
"Do not repay anyone evil for evil.
Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody."

The Bible also tells of some benefits of being an honest person.
According to Hebrews 13:5
an honest man will be content with life.

In 1 Timothy 2:2 we are told
that an honest person will have a quiet and peaceful life.

Hebrews 13:18 tells us
that an honest person will have a good conscience.

In Acts 6:3 we are told that the honest
are recommended for positions of responsibility.

The Bible even tells us the dishonest things we shouldn't do.

Leviticus 19:11 says that an honest person does not lie.

Leviticus 6:2 tells that an honest person does not cheat.

Proverbs 6:16 tells us that an honest person doesn't slander.

Romans 16:17-18 says an honest person is not a false teacher.

Malachi 2:13-16 tells us that an honest man is not an adulterer.

Proverbs 17:2 tells us that an honest man is not lazy.

God asks us to have a character which upholds

the highest standards of honesty.
We can display this on a daily basis

by being open and honest with each other.

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpcxxIBUIzo&feature=related

Keep Your Fork

2010-02-19T11:14:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
February 19th 2010
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Faith Filled thoughts released Monday –Friday excluding Holidays

Keep Your Fork

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:12 (Living Bible)
"There is nothing better for a man than to be happy

and to enjoy himself as long as he can.

"Life on this earth is as a vapor, and compared to eternity it is as a moment in a day.
James 4:14 tells us that our life "appears for a while, then it vanishes."
Not only is the span of life that we are given very short, it is also divided into many unpredictable seasons.
Some of them are joyful and some are sad.

Solomon said there are seasons to laugh and seasons to cry.
There are times to love, to hate, to build, to tear down, to have peace, and to be at war.
He lists many other seasons that we will encounter in our lifetime, but he says,
"God makes everything beautiful in His time."

For so long, we have murmured and complained and taken so many things for granted.
We are often dissatisfied, for we see our glass as half-empty instead of half-full.
It is only when we encounter sickness that we begin to appreciate health.
Or when we come face to face with death that we see life as a gift,
and our every breath becomes precious to us.
We give little thought to our vision and mobility until we see a close friend suddenly
lose their eyesight or become paralyzed due to injury.
We never think of the blessing of hearing until our hearing is gone.
Our voice and ability to communicate is considered mundane
until we are unable to speak or sing.
And it is only when a loved one is stricken with a fatal disease
that we come to the realization that we should cherish our loved ones
and thankfully hold on to each moment that we have together and spend it very carefully.

My Hopes that this story given to me by a Faithful reader
will inspire you and teach you how life is funny and precious…

A Woman and a Fork

There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness
and had been given three months to live.
So as she was getting her things 'in order,' she contacted her Pastor
and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes.

She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service,
what scriptures she would like read,

and what outfit she wanted to be buried in.

Everything was in order and the Pastor was preparing to leave
when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.

'There's one more thing,' she said excitedly.

What's that?' came the Pastor's reply. 'This is very important,'
the young woman continued.
'I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.'

The Pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say.

That surprises you, doesn't it?' the young woman asked.

'Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request,'

said the Pastor. The young woman explained.

'My grandmother once told me this story,
and from that time on I have always tried to pass along

its message to those I love
and those who are in need of encouragement.

In all my years of attending socials and dinners,
I always remember that when the dishes

of the main course were being cleared,
someone would inevitably lean over and say,

'Keep your fork.'
It was my favorite part because

I knew that something better was coming...
like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie.

Something wonderful, and with substance!'

So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand
and I want them to wonder

'What's with the fork?'
Then I want you to tell them: '
Keep your fork ..
the best is yet to come.'

The Pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy

as he hugged the young woman good-bye.
He knew this would be one of the last times

he would see her before her death.
But he also knew that the young woman

had a better grasp of heaven than he did.
She had a better grasp of what heaven

would be like than many people twice her age,
with twice as much experience and knowledge.

She KNEW that something better was coming.

At the funeral people were walking by the young woman's casket
and they saw the cloak she was wearing

and the fork placed in her right hand.
Over and over, the Pastor heard the question,

'What's with the fork?'

And over and over he smiled.

During his message, the Pastor told the people

of the conversation he had with the young woman shortly before she died.
He also told them about the fork

and about what it symbolized to her.
He told the people how he could not stop

thinking about the fork
and told them that they probably

would not be able to stop thinking about it either.

He was right.

So the next time you reach down for your fork let it remind you,
ever so gently, that the best is yet to come.

Friends are a very rare jewel , indeed
. They make you smile

and encourage you to succeed Cherish the time you have ,
and the memories you share ...
being friends with someone is not an opportunity

but a sweet responsibility.

SO SMILE MY FRIEND I LOVE YOU AND REMEMBER…..

Keep Your Fork!!!!

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:

http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=9f7e6615852e65464435

He Came To Find You..Are You Lost?

2010-02-18T09:35:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
February 18th 2010
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Faith Filled thoughts released Monday –Friday excluding Holidays

Jesus Came To Seek The Lost
Is This You?

Scripture: Luke 19:5 Jesus said, "Zacchaeus ...
come down for today I must abide at your house."

Zacchaeus was the chief among the publicans,
meaning that he was over the other publicans
who were tax collectors for the Romans.
The publicans had very bad reputations,
often abusing the tax system through extortion.
Because of his position, Zacchaeus had become very rich,
yet there was something lacking in his life.
One day, he heard that Jesus was going to be passing by,
and because Zacchaeus was little in statue,
he climbed into a tree to get a better glimpse of Jesus.
Can you imagine how Zacchaeus must have felt when Jesus stopped
underneath the tree and spoke directly to him and called him by name?

This story is like many others in the Bible.
It's a story of a man seeking God and at the same time
a story of God seeking that same man.
Zacchaeus was in the tree looking down when Jesus stopped and looked up.
Even though Zacchaeus was probably trying to hide,
Jesus knew exactly where he was physically and also spiritually.
Jesus knew all of his secrets and was aware
that he was caught in a web of deceit and greed.
In His mercy and grace, Jesus told Zacchaeus
that He intended to go to his house and eat that day.
Jesus wanted to fellowship with the chief of the publicans.
He wanted to sit at the table of a thief and for this,
Jesus was criticized. Verse seven says,
"When the people saw it, they murmured, saying,
He has gone to be a guest with a man that is a sinner."

Jesus was always found seeking out those with needs, whether rich or poor.
It was never difficult for Him to minister to the unclean and outcast.
He had no problems reaching out and touching the diseased
and those who were living in moral degradation.
He continually left the religious folks and gave Himself to the prostitutes and the thieves.
He forgot about the laws and it's harshness and allowed
His heart to be tender towards the rejects of society.
Verse ten says,
"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost."
He was looking for those who needed help and He continues that search today.
He knows your secrets and where you are lacking.
He knows where you are hiding and He also knows your name.
He knows your desires and He is waiting for you to approach Him.
Like Zacchaeus climbing a tree, when you diligently seek to make contact with Jesus
He will respond and invite Himself to come and abide with you.

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVYh63ZF_Vo&feature=related

Hearing The Voice Of God

2010-02-17T10:24:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
February 17th 2010
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Hearing The Voice Of God

Many times folks have written this question to me. How can I hear the Voice of God.
Below are my Faith Filled Thoughts and studies on the matter.

The opening scripture in Acts 22:14 says, "And he said,
The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will,
and see that Just One,
and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth."
Religious people may argue,
"That scripture was meant only for the Apostle Paul!"
but we must really ask ourselves: did Paul ever exhalt himself in stature
and rank above any of us?
Rather, we've all been chosen.
We've all been washed in the Blood of the Lamb!
We've all been drawn unto God.
We're all called to hear His voice, not just a select few.
In Revelation 2:15,
Jesus tells the Church of Pergamos that He's displeased that some ascribe to the
Doctrine of the Nicolatians, which He hates.
Nicolas was a man in this era who taught that there needs
to be a spiritual elite who does all your penance,
sacraments, hears God for you, etc.
But recall that Jesus is not seeking for a spiritual elite
but that we all come to Him like little children,
because if our hearts are not like that of a little child,
we cannot enter into the Kingdom of heaven!
In John 10, Jesus said that we are His sheep, and His sheep know His Voice.
But Psalms 95:7 warns us that if we do hear His voice,
we must not harden our hearts like the people of Israel did
in the Wilderness, where they tried and tempted God,
and so that entire generation perished.
It was the next generation - a generation after the heart of God
that entered into the Promised Land.
Daniel 11:32 says, "...
but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do [exploits]."
God wants to work great exploits through our lives!
The world may say one thing. Our circumstances may say another,
and the Devil may indeed try to have his own way,
but when we hear a Word from God, be it through the scriptures or right in our very ear
(possibly a scripture we didn't even know was already in the Bible!)
we can use that Word as judicial punishment against the words of darkness.
Isaiah 54:17 says that no weapon formed against us shall prosper!

So how can we better hear the voice of God?

• Repent of all unconfessed sin, and ask God to heal you of all iniquity, all bents for sin.
Ask the Lord to show you what attitudes and what behavioral patterns
are unrepentant in your life that you need to change,
especially if these are causing you not to hear His voice.
• Be ever so willing to not only seek after His face and to hear His voice, but to be obedient.
• Be willing to receive God's instruction in any way, shape or form
in which the Lord wants to present it.
You may not necessarily like the message - especially if you don't like the messenger!
Change your attitude if you are only willing to hear from God
if He is to speak only a certain way, or answer with such an answer!
• When in prayer, be in an attitude of waiting on God,
not just calling out each item of your To-Do list to Him!
Remember, He is our Shield and Buckler, not our Chef and Butler!
• Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.
Rest in Him. Trust in His grace.
• There is such a thing as drainage.
We are encouraged to be filled with the Spirit on a daily basis.
But there are things in the world that may case that anointing to drain off
until we become as dry as a dead river bed, unable to bring life to anyone!
It can be that magazine under your mattress, that relationship that is not of God,
a particular lifestyle that causes you to sin constantly.
God spoke to the prophets in the Old (and New) Testament
because they were friends with God.
God's voice makes our heart tremble.
God's voice has a particular sweetness
God's voice brings peace
Songs of Solomon 2:14 says, "O my dove, [that art] in the clefts of the rock,
in the secret [places] of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice;
for sweet [is] thy voice, and thy countenance [is] comely."
The dove in the Bible speaks of the Holy Spirit. It is the voice of the Holy Spirit.
And Remember!
In John 10, Jesus said that we are His sheep,
and His sheep know His Voice.

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynXzCoN5I6w&feature=related

From My Heart To Your Heart

2010-02-12T08:11:00.001-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
February 12th 2010
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Happy Valentine’s Day!

From My Heart To Your Heart

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37).

The word "heart" is mentioned 743 times in the Bible,
and it is used in various contexts.
The references that have the most significance for Christians
involve the heart representing a person's will or desires.
God wants people to love Him with all of their hearts.
When they stray, God wants them to return to Him with all of their hearts.
In the Bible, the heart often represents the will of a person or of an entire nation.
For example, the Israelites believed that they were doing God's will by being circumcised,
but God pointed out that Israel was still
"uncircumcised in heart" (Jeremiah 9:25-26).

God judges motivation by a person's heart.
According to the Bible, a person's heart reveals his true nature and motivation.
In Jeremiah 17:10,
the Bible says that God "search[es] the heart and examine[s] the mind"
and then rewards people for what their conduct deserves.
As Jesus pointed out when observing the widow's offering,
the significance of the action is driven by the heart
(Luke 21:1-4).
Jesus said that the widow gave more to the temple by giving two coins
than those who put much more in the temple treasury
because of what was in her heart (she gave all that she had).
The Bible says that repentance is measured by whether the person returns
to God with "all your heart" (Deuteronomy 30:1-3).
The Bible includes some variance of
"return to me with your whole heart" six times. In Joel 2:13,
the Bible tells God's people to "Rend your heart and not your garments."
Returning to church is not enough.
According to the Bible, God cares more about the repentance in your heart
than in your external actions
According to the Bible, the heart is deceitful,
which means that you should be wary of trusting what your heart tell you.
The Bible says in Jeremiah 17:9
that the "heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure."
The Bible references a specific example of this
in Hosea 10:2, where the Bible talks about Israel's heart being deceitful,
and now the people "must bear their guilt."
God holds people accountable for listening
to the deceitful messages that their hearts tell them
According to the Bible, the motivation of your heart can have eternal ramifications.
In Luke 12:34,
Jesus pointed out that
"where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Luke 21:34 warns us to
"be careful" in the end times "or your hearts will be weighed down
with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life."
God wants your heart focused upon Him:
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37).

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_A3xOfzP9Y

"It Made A Difference For That One."

2010-02-11T09:07:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
February 11th 2010
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Romans 15:4
For everything that was written
in the past was written to teach us,
so that through endurance and the
encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

"It Made A Difference For That One."

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing.
He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore,
he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer.
He smiled to himself at the thought of someone
who would dance to the day, and so,
he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man,
and that what he was doing was not dancing at all.
The young man was reaching down to the shore,
picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning!
May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied
"Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?"
asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied,
"The sun is up and the tide is going out.
If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented,
"But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach
and there are starfish all along every mile?
You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down,
picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean.
As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one."

Let's Help Them Find Their Smile
By Connie Ciccone
Today Lord, as we walk along,
Please guide the words I say.
Oh, lead me to that special one,
That I may help today.

I know there must be lonely souls,
That need a special friend.
Someone who asked in fervent prayer,
For someone you may send.

Give me the perfect words to say,
To tell them of your love.
A greater love they have never known,
You Love From Up above.

Concern for them is in my heart,
I lift them up to you.
Oh, let them feel your precious love,
So they may know you too!

Please help me find the words to say,
To make them feel worthwhile,
Then I know that you and I,
Have Helped Them Find Their Smile
Let's Help Them Find Their Smile

Connie Ciccone © November 2003

So Wear Your God Smile Today, and make the world a better place!

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfrlfaLZtJ8

Love is the energy of life.

2010-02-10T10:40:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
February 10th 2010
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Love is the energy of life.

He that loveth his brother abideth in the light,
and there is none occasion of stumbling in Him. 1 John 2:10

Loving and being loved are what make our lives worth living.
Many people experience times in their lives when they feel unloved.
During these times it’s easy to dwell on those negative thoughts,
but allowing it to continue leads to unhappiness and depression.

Love is the energy of life.

It is what motivates people to get up each day and keep going.
Love gives life purpose and meaning.
Everywhere you look you see people searching for love…
but they’re looking in the wrong places.
God is love,
and they will never find what they’re looking for until they find Him.

People look for fulfillment in life in different ways.
These ways may seem good at first,
but eventually the unsuccessful search will leave them feeling frustrated,
disappointed and empty.
The only way they can find the true fulfillment they are so desperately seeking is to choose to
walk in love—
to actually put love into action by reaching out and loving others.

As soon as I made a commitment to God,
I began to hear people talk about the importance of loving others.
Since I wanted to live my life according to the Bible,
I wanted to walk in love, but I just couldn’t.
I had the urge…but no power to follow through.
I always made elaborate plans but couldn’t carry them out.

Unfulfilled desire is often frustrating.
I felt very frustrated and wondered what was wrong with me.
I was impatient with people.
I was legalistic, harsh, judgmental, rude, selfish and unforgiving
—and that is only the beginning of the list.
The harder I tried to walk in love, the worse I became.

I began to understand that I could not love others
because I had never received God’s love for me,
and I never first learned to Love Myself.
I knew in my head that the Bible said God loved me,
but I didn’t feel His love in my heart.
I wondered how God could love us as imperfect as we are.

God loves us because He wants to—it pleases Him.
God loves us because it’s His nature to love,
and He will always love us.
He doesn’t always love everything we do, but He does love us.
God’s love is unconditional.
In fact, there’s nothing we can do to ever escape His love.
God’s love is the power that forgives our sins,
heals our emotional wounds, and mends our broken hearts.

Over time I came to realize that I am deeply loved by God simply for who I am,
not because of any work I could do for Him.
I could finally quit trying to earn His love by doing things
I thought would make me more worthy of His love.

Once I began receiving God’s awesome,
unconditional love, I was able to start loving Him in return
and reach out to others more freely in love.
Because God’s never-ending love was in me,
I could give it to others without fear of ever running out.

Everyone in the world wants to be loved and accepted.
And the love of God—that wonderful gift He freely gives us—satisfies that need.
His love flows to us, and then it should flow through us to other people.

Now I see myself as a container full of blessings.
I want to be the type of person who can pour out God’s love
into the lives of the people around me.
I’ve found that I’m always happier when I choose to make others happy.

In the Bible, God calls Christians the salt of the earth
(see Matthew 5:13). He expects us to
“season” the lives of those around us.
All of life is tasteless without love.
Love is the salt, the energy of life, and the reason to get up every morning.

Every day can be exciting if we see ourselves as God’s secret agents,
waiting to sprinkle a little salt on all the lives we encounter.
Now I don’t mean we go around with a salt shaker in our hand , but in our hearts…
We know that because we are deeply loved by God,
we can never run out of love—no matter how much we give away.

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!: Unbelievable

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s2wCVcmYOU&feature=related

He Is There In Our Pain

2010-02-09T08:40:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
February 9th, 2010
By Connie Ciccone
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Please visit our guestbook and sign it,
if you feel this site has inspired you!

He Is There In Our Pain

Scripture: Matthew 28:20 "... I am with you always,
even unto the end of the world."

Our greatest comfort and our greatest joy is the assurance of these words from Jesus.
Every moment, His followers are promised
His personal and empowering presence.
This promise is our greatest spiritual asset,
and we could ask for no greater treasure.
We could depend on no better security.
We could reach no higher heights or experience no deeper depths
than to know that Jesus is with us.
How awesome is the thought that Jesus will never leave or forsake us.

He will always be there.

Others may leave, but He will remain.
He is with us in our laughter and He is with us in our tears.
He is with us in our triumphs and He is with us in our tragedies.
He is there with us as we experience joy and
He is there in our pain.
And He is always touched with the things that our hearts are caused to endure.

Jesus made this commitment to be with us
to the ends of the world or the end of the age.
It doesn't matter if we are at home or in a distant land,
His presence surrounds us, fills our lonely hearts,
and girds us with strength.
We only need to recognize Him and know that He is there.
It doesn't matter if we are doing menial tasks or are involved
in a major undertaking, He is there to help us in the time of our need.
It doesn't matter if we are in peace or engaged in war,
for His protecting arms surround us.
It doesn't matter if it is Sunday, Monday, or another day of the week,
He is there always and His mighty presence fills every moment.
In His presence there is a peace that passes all understanding.
There is a trust that cannot be described,
an abounding love that fills the heart,
and a grace that is sufficient for the soul.

We do not have to dread the road ahead
or be anxious about the future, for the Lord's presence will lead us
and He will take care of every detail.
Look back and reflect upon Your life today.
When you were at the worst of worst,

He pulled you through.

If today you feel that way LOOK UP,
because the same power that brought you out of the last pit.
Is Holding His Outstretched hands again!
Say Lord Take My Hand You are All That I Need.
Your Breakthrough is coming!
The power of His presence will always make a way where there seems to be no way.
He will go before us and make a way in the wilderness
and cause streams in the desert (Isaiah 43:19).
His presence will even cause us to bloom in the hard places where we are planted.
Isaiah 42:16 says,
"He will make the darkness light before us, and the crooked things straight.
These things He will do for us, and He will not forsake us."
We must hold to the promise that the presence of Jesus
will always be with us,
for this is the greatest asset
that we could ever hope to gain.
So LOOK UP my friend….

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie

Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-hcwKo1w8o&feature=related

“Peace Be Still”

2010-02-04T13:07:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
February 4th, 2010
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Please visit our guestbook and sign it,
if you feel this site has inspired you!

“Peace Be Still”

Scripture: Philippians 4:7 "And the peace of God,
which passes all understanding,
shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

As I reflected on this scripture,
I had a mental picture of my understanding traveling down a highway.
It was in turmoil as it faced making decisions and resolving situations.
Then suddenly, I turned my heart and thoughts to God
and acknowledged Him in all of my ways.
When I did this, God began to direct my uncertain path,
and His peace overtook me and passed me up.
His peace then went before me, making the crooked way straight.
Then as my understanding just simply followed God's Spirit of peace,
calmness came to my heart and mind.

One of the most precious items that Jesus left us when He went back to heaven
was His peace (John 14:27).
It wasn't the same kind of peace that the world had to offer.
It was a peace that transcended and defied reason.
His peace is a calm in the midst of the storm, not the absence of the storm.
The peace that He held within Him enable Him
to sleep in the midst of a raging storm and His words of
"Peace be still" were able to overpower the winds and waves.
His peace is not anxious and did not pressure Him into running to Lazarus
when news came that he was sick.
Instead His peace caused Him to wait on the timing of God.
His peace also allowed Him to remain silent in the face of accusations
and mockery, for He held His peace and answered not a word.
His peace was strong enough that it kept Him
from calling the angels to deliver Him when He was on the cross.

God's peace in the lives of others was not the absence of danger itself,
but a knowledge that God was in control and able to deliver.
His peace prevailed in the lion's den for Daniel
and also in the furnace of fire for Shadrach, Meshach, and Obednego.
In prison, His peace allowed Peter to sleep peacefully between two soldiers
when he was facing certain death.
The same peace brought joy to Paul and Silas,
allowing them to sing songs in the prison at the midnight hour.
The world only offers peace when everything is secure
and going great, but God offers a peace that cannot be comprehended.
Are you awakening only to find your life without peace at the start of the day?
His peace prevails in the time of storms,
life threatening or difficult situations, and even death.
If you want to experience this supernatural peace that transcends worldly peace,
keep your mind on Jesus and trust in Him (Isaiah 26:3).
Then, just slow down and allow the peace of God to overtake you and go before you.
“Peace Be Still”

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie

New Below!
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:

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Come Receive The Free Gift Of Forgiveness

2010-02-02T10:08:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts

February 2nd 2010

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Come Receive The Free Gift Of Forgiveness

Most world religions include teachings on forgiveness.
In recent years, psychologists have produced papers, books, study courses
and one even established an institute (Dr. Robert Enright's International Forgiveness Institute),
recognizing the human need for forgiveness.
"Studies show that people who forgive are happier
and healthier than those who hold resentments," Enright says.

Anyone who has experienced God's forgiveness
and obeyed Jesus' teachings to forgive knows that this is true.
Nothing is more liberating than knowing and believing that Jesus Christ
has paid the price for all sins, past, present and future.
Christians know that forgiveness is a heart and soul healing reality.

The Biblical meaning of forgiveness means to dismiss or set free,
no punishment is inflicted, and the guilty person is dealt with as if he were innocent.
God says is best in Jeremiah 31:34,
"I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."
It does not say that God cannot remember.
He says, "I will not remember."
Once God forgives,
He never brings it up again.

All through the Bible, forgiveness seems to be conditional
upon the repentance of the one seeking restoration.

Jesus taught:
"Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you,
rebuke him; and if he repents,
forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day,
and seven times in a day returns to you, saying,
'I repent,' you shall forgive him." (Luke 17:3, 4)

Jesus also taught that one must first be forgiving in order to receive God's forgiveness.
"For if ye forgive men their trespasses,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
But if ye forgive not men their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
(Matthew 6:14, 15)

Peter asked Jesus,
"How many times should I forgive my brother? Up to seven times?"
Jesus answered implying that there should be no limit when he answered,
"seventy times seven."
Jesus then taught a parable about how an unforgiving person
was imprisoned and tortured, and concluded with the words,
"So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you,
if ye from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses."
(Matthew 18:35)

Not every offender is going to repent and ask for forgiveness.
It is necessary, therefore, to decide to forgive anyway,
releasing the guilty person for the sake of unhindered fellowship with God.
Again, Jesus is the supreme example.
"Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." (Luke 22:34)

Paul later wrote in 2 Corinthians 2:6-8:
"This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man,
so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him,
lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow.
Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him."

Lack of forgiveness among believers can drive the wrongdoer to despair,
and cause hardness of heart among the self-righteous.
God's Word to His people is clear.
"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another,
even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."
(Ephesians 4:32)

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
(1 John 1:9)

Forgiveness restores the severed connection,
like repairing a bridge, like tuning an instrument with a sour note,
returning unity and balance that was momentarily lost.
It may be a small matter, or a life-altering situation.
The power of forgiveness can bring about healing
like no other medication or treatment can do.
For Christians, forgiveness is not an option,
but a daily occurrence,
required to maintain heart wholeness and mental serenity.

Once God forgives,
He never brings it up again.

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie
Please click below to see new poems Jesus added to our site:
This song is amazing !!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0QeT4xI2yA

Do You Know What Joy Really Means?

2010-02-01T11:16:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts

February 1st 2010

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Joy

Joy is not the same as happiness.
Happiness can be attained with a newly acquired object,
a car, or clothing or appliance, for example.
A sunny day can make someone happy, or a bouquet of flowers.
Usually happiness is a result of something external.
But joy is internal.
It is not an emotion, but an inner appreciation
and sense of satisfaction due to a spiritual reality.

For every Christian, the number one desire should be to experience joy
even in the face of negative circumstances.
In Hebrews chapter 12, believers who are tempted to become weary or discouraged.
They are urged to recall examples of faith demonstrated
by God's people who preceded them,
taking into consideration all they endured and especially remembering Jesus Christ.

"let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us,
and let us run with endurance the race
that is set before us, 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 has sat down
at the right hand of the throne of God."

Jesus believed God's promise in
Psalm 16:10:
"For You will not leave my soul in Sheol (the grave),
nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption."

Jesus believed God would raise Him from death,
and ultimately fulfill the remaining future prophecies concerning Him.
He knew that his sacrifice would pave the way for the nations to come to God.
Therefore Jesus could have joy inside.
He did not focus on the immediate circumstances,
he looked to the future, even while suffering an agonizing death on the cross.

Paul brought the Word of God to Thessalonica.
Some people gladly received the Word, but as Acts chapter 17 reveals,
there was a group of legalistic Jews who were hostile.
The resistance intensified to the point that the entire city
was rioting and out of control.
The situation was so tense that Paul and Silas
had to leave in the middle of the night.

Later, Paul sent Timothy to check on the believers
and was joyful to hear Timothy's positive report of their steadfastness.
For what thanks can we render to God for you,
for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God.
(1 Thessalonians 3:9)
Even in the midst of chaos and opposition,
the believers were joyful.
And you became followers of us and of the Lord,
having received the word in much affliction,
with joy of the Holy Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 1:6)

Rather than external things being the cause of joy,
the Bible shows that spiritual realities produce joy in a believer.
In
Psalm 16:11, the Psalmist writes,
"In Your presence is fullness of joy."

Being aware of God's presence in every situation produces joy.
On the night of Jesus' arrest, at the last meal he shared with His disciples.
Jesus taught them to retain the Word of truth,
and then said His joy would remain in them,
and they would experience fullness of joy (John 15:11).
He also comforted them:
"You now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart
will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you." (John 16:22)

AND YOUR JOY NO ONE WILLTAKE FROM YOU.
DO NOT ALLOW ANYONE TO STEAL YOUR JOY.
YOU HAVE THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Read John 10:10

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie
Please click below to see new poems Jesus added to our site:

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GRANNY’S HANDS

2010-01-29T09:17:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
January 29th, 2009
By Connie Ciccone
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GRANNY’S HANDS

Granny, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench.
She didn't move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands.

When I sat down beside her she didn't acknowledge my presence
and the longer I sat I wondered if she was OK

Finally, not really wanting to disturb her
but wanting to check on her at the same time,
I asked her if she was OK.
She raised her head and looked at me and smiled.
"Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking,"
she said in a clear voice strong..

"I didn't mean to disturb you, granny,
but you were just sitting here staring at your hands
and I wanted to make sure you were OK." I explained to her.

"Have you ever looked at your hands," she asked.
"I mean really looked at your hands?"

I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them.
I turned them over, palms up and then palms down.
No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands
as I tried to figure out the point she was making.

Granny smiled and related this story:

"Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have,
how they have served you well throughout your years.
These hands, though wrinkled shriveled and weak have been the tools
I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life."

"They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler
and I crashed upon the floor."

"They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back.
As a child, my mother taught me to fold them in prayer.
They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots.
They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war."

"They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent.
They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son.
Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world
that I was married and loved someone special."

"They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook
when I buried my parents and spouse."

"They have held my children and grandchildren,
consoled neighbors,
and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand."

"They have covered my face, combed my hair,
and washed and cleansed the rest of my body.
They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw.
And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well
these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer."

These hands are the mark of where
I've been and the ruggedness of life."

"But more importantly it will be these hands that God
will reach out and take when he leads me home.
And with my hands He will lift me to His side
and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ."
After that day

I never look at my hands the same again.
But I remember God reached out and took my granny’s hands and led her home.

When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my family,
my husband my friends I think of granny.
I know she has been stroked and caressed
and held by the hands of Almighty God.

I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face.
So take a good look at your hands today and as I share
This story with you…know that no matter what your facing in life,
No matter how lost you may feel.
I extend my hand to you, in love
Because I know Jesus has caressed your face and heart Today.

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:

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Go To The Rock, Christ Jesus

2010-01-27T11:33:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
January 27th, 2009
By Connie Ciccone
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Go To The Rock, Christ Jesus

Scripture: Psalms 61:2 "When my heart is overwhelmed:
lead me to the rock that is higher than I."

Have you ever been overwhelmed by circumstances
and could not seem to find your way out?
You feel utterly overcome and upset by either the physical
or emotional forces that are coming against you.
You have no control over what is happening,
and there's seems to be no one to help you.
You feel like a vessel that is being engulfed and submerged
by the waves of the sea.
It's very frightening because you don't know what to do
at that present moment and certainly can't predict the future outcome.

King David was experiencing these same emotions when he wrote this psalm.
He was overcome but knew the answer for his dilemma.
He cried out to God in his overwhelming situation
and asked the Lord to lead him to the Rock that was higher than himself.
David knew that his physical strength was insufficient and
that he couldn't depend upon his own understanding.
He wanted help from the One whose ways were higher
than his own ways and whose thoughts were higher than his own thoughts.
He looked to the past and remembered that God
had always been there as his shelter and strong tower in times of distress.
In every situation, God had protected him from the fierce enemy.

In Psalm 142, David again spoke of his spirit being overwhelmed.
He poured out his complaints to the Lord and showed Him all of his trouble.
David said,
"No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me ...
Lord, you are my only place of refuge."

Life presents us with many challenges and often overwhelming circumstances.
Like David, there will be times in our life
when there will be no one in the natural that we can turn to.
No one will want to listen to our problems or share our grief.
Yet, we can always go to the Rock of our salvation
and find our answers and comfort.
So, when you find yourself overwhelmed with life and its many battles,
remember that someone really does care your.
Then make every effort to find your way to the Rock, Christ Jesus,
and place your confidence in Him. Jesus is your only faithful refuge.

Go To The Rock, Christ Jesus

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR8rlTIU8_Y&feature=related

the Virtue of Patience

2010-01-26T08:50:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
January 26th 2010
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In Remembrance of my Dear Friend Lillian
On the anniversary of her passing.
If anyone taught me patience she did.
I Love You my Sweet Friend

Virtue of Patience

One can often tell a seasoned mother from a first timer.
The first-time mother will dote over her child,
cooing and smiling at him through the whole grocery store.
But that first-time mother with invariably find herself at her wits end
when little Brian tests her patience for the umpteenth time.

On the other hand, while seasoned mothers sometimes are the ones
who accidentally forget their child at the church after a faculty meeting,
they can laugh about it later.
And seasoned mothers are the ones who know their child inside out,
how they think, how they process information,
even what brand of toothpaste they like best.

But perhaps the most inspiring and desirable virtue of a seasoned mother
is her patience.
She knows that children are not always going to get it right the first time around.
She also knows that children are not adults
and therefore should not be expected to think or act like them.
She is content to watch her child explore and discover,
question and learn.
She is not threatened by acts of rebellion
because she knows who her authority comes from
and how to correct the behavior with love and firmness.

God deals with His children much the same way a seasoned mother handles hers.
He knows their frame,
that they are dust.
(Psalm 103:14)
He also knows their hearts,
that they sometimes are bent on evil.
Yet His mercies are new every morning.
God's incredible patience with His children
is both mysterious and undeserving.

Christians are called to be examples of the love of God,
and a testimony of Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul said it well in his letter to the Ephesians:
“Be patient with each other,
making allowance for each other's
faults because of your love.” (Ephesians 4:2, NLT)

Not only are women to be patient with their children,
but also with others she comes in contact with,
knowing that she is just as fallible as the next person.
She is even-tempered and not easily disturbed when things get crazy.
She can remain collected even when little Brian
draws on the living room wall with lipstick or crayon.

Yet the virtue of patience is not limited to only mothers.
It can be alive and working within a woman who leads a Bible study
for new believers, or a woman who teaches a classroom
full of five year olds.
Patience can show up in a woman who has to care
for her aging and ailing parent.
Patience is a gift that God gives to any woman
whose own ability to endure falls short.

The Virtue of Patience is Modeled Best by God

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie
Please click below to see new poems Jesus added to our site:

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Perseverance

2010-01-25T08:54:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
January 25th 2010
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Perseverance

There are many inspiring true stories of men and women
throughout time who have accomplished fantastic and impressive things.
However, they were not always great athletes, business people or military personnel,
but sometimes very average people,
people who were highly motivated by a cause they deemed greater than their own lives.
With perseverance they were able to achieve astonishing successes,
and sometimes stunning victories against seemingly insurmountable odds.
And perseverance was the key ingredient in every success story.

After more than 10,000 attempts at inventing the incandescent light bulb
before he was successful, Thomas Alva Edison said,
"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize
how close they were to success when they gave up."

Perseverance is steady persistence in a course of action,
a purpose, especially in spite of difficulties or discouragement.
Determination, tenacity and patience also are closely related qualities.

Many examples of this kind of resolve can be found in the Bible.
Genesis gives the account of Noah who built the ark over the course of 120 years,
surrounded by corrupt and contemptuous unbelievers.
Moses led the hardhearted Israelites for 40 years in the wilderness.
The Apostle Paul, however, serves as a superstar example of perseverance.

Paul's ministry, from his unique conversion to his tragic
execution spanned about 30 years.
During that time he took three missionary journeys.
According to Christian History Magazine,
he covered about 14,000 miles, mostly on foot.
In two years and three months, under the ministry of Paul,
all Asia Minor heard the word of the Lord Jesus, according to Acts 19:8-10.
Throughout his travels Paul was constantly dealing with obstacles.
Some scholars say he was stoned to death,
but was revived and continued to preach.

Second Corinthians 11:24-27 describes in vivid detail
the hardships that Paul endured:
"From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one.
Three times I was beaten with rods;
once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked;
a night and a day I have been in the deep;
in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers,
in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles,
in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness,
in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often,
in hunger and thirst, in fastings often,
in cold and nakedness."

In addition to all of this,
Paul always had in mind a concern for all
of the churches and the people he had won to the Lord.

Throughout church history, men and women have persevered for years
while suffering religious opposition and persecution.
For example, Martin Luther, considered by many the father of the Reformation,
preached, wrote and raised a family over the course of 25 years,
all while coming under the scrutiny of the Church.
In modern times, some might consider Reverend Billy Graham a "hero of the faith,
who persevered for more than 65 years.
Reverand Graham preached Christianity to live audiences
of nearly 215 million people in more than 185 countries
and territories, and hundreds of millions
more through television, video, film and webcasts.

For most people, getting through a day, or a week or a year
is about all the perseverance they can muster.
Working full time jobs, raising children and being involved in church
and/or social clubs or activities fills all of their time.
Perseverance is not limited to maneuvering through crises or disaster,
but enduring the day-after-day faithfulness
to get up and do what is needed, To Faith It Out regardless of obstacles.

Remember we all have Perseverance Through Christ Jesus.
Just Call upon His Holy Name!

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left your Spirit!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0et-zyoKLw&feature=related

So, you’re a Christian…. What does that mean? Part 2

2010-01-22T08:08:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
January 22nd 2010
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So, you’re a Christian….

What does that mean?
Part 2

Consider I John 2
3. By this we know that we have come to know Him,
if we keep His commandments.
4. The one who says, "I have come to know Him,"
and does not keep His commandments,
is a liar, and the truth is not in him;
5. but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God
has truly been perfected.
By this we know that we are in Him:
6. the one who says he abides in Him ought himself
to walk in the same manner as He walked.
7. Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you,
but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning;
the old commandment is the word which you have heard.

Christianity is a way of life…
The Christian labors toward righteousness.
This causes us to catch a lot of flack nowadays.
A homosexual recently sued a Bible publisher
because the Bible caused him emotional distress!

Repentance, the new birth,
a newness of life (all Biblical descriptions) is an essential element of Christianity.
If Jesus hasn’t changed you… you haven’t changed!

I John 3
3. And everyone who has this hope {fixed}
on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
4. Everyone who practices sin also
practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.

Jesus asks what was supposed to be a rhetorical question.
In our day it seems to be a debated question.
Luke 6: 46. "Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?”

I recently had a discussion with a religious leader of our community.
He made the comment,
“I know the Bible teaches that, but I just don’t buy it.”
What is really mind boggling is that an entire congregation knows
what he believes and follows him anyway.
It is almost as if they don’t believe that this value system
won’t infect their children at the deepest levels.
This same leader told another,
“Our relationship with each other is more important than the truth.”
Ultimately what he was saying without meaning to was,
“our relationship with each other is more
important than our relationship with God!”
How many people do you know that claim to be Christians
that (deep down) believe this way but would never say it out loud?

When people begin to pick and choose
what they want from Christianity…
what they have found isn’t a new way of life.

They have followed that old politician,
we know from the garden of Eden…
“you shall not die, for God knows that….”
This serpent has done business with all of us.
“They” replace substance with hype.
“They” replace knowledge with ignorance…
often a desire not to know.

You “vote” by what you choose
as your direction/guide in life!
Do You Ever Consider Your Spirit before Voting??

Jesus said…
"If you continue in My word, {then} you are truly disciples of Mine;
and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." John 8:31-32

Truth is not all that difficult to find…
but you have to want it to keep it.
Note that Jesus’ focus was whether or not you would “continue.”
Who do we love more, God or man?
That is the choice that all of us must ultimately make.

Ok… so we must believe,
confess and repent (meaning it and living it).
Anything more?

Romans 6

3. Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized
into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
4. Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death,
so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father,
so we too might walk in newness of life.
5. For if we have become united with {Him}
in the likeness of His death,
certainly we shall also be {in the likeness} of His resurrection,

Compare Paul’s comment above to Jesus’ great commission
Mark 16
15. And He said to them,
"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
16. "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved;
but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.

Obviously, according to the Apostle Paul,
this is when and how we crossover from a state of spiritual death
to having the gift of eternal life.
Much of the New Testament is dealing with how to keep this gift of life…
but it is here that we get it.

Peter’s assessment?

Acts 2
37. Now when they heard {this,} they were pierced to the heart,
and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?"
38. Peter {said} to them,
"Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ
for the forgiveness of your sins;
and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Notice that Peter doesn’t mention faith here… they had faith.
They needed forgiveness.
To receive forgiveness they needed to take the plunge!
Turn away from sin (repentance) and be buried for the forgiveness of sins.

I Peter 3
21. Corresponding to that,
baptism now saves you--not the removal of dirt from the flesh,
but an appeal to God for a good conscience--through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
22. who is at the right hand of God,
having gone into heaven,
after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.

The Bible really is consistent on all this.
Man becomes inconsistent.
We may fail… the Bible is the Word of God.
It is trustworthy.
What is a Christian?
Would you rather let your local politicians define Christianity…
or Jesus?

This Answer Should Be Obvious.

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left your Spirit!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_MyC6kJzPg&feature=related

What does the Bible say:about Keeping one's Word?

2010-01-21T09:18:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
January 21st, 2010
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What does the Bible say:
about Keeping one's Word?

Are pastors, politicians, world leaders, and everyone else,
responsible for promises made?
What about honesty and integrity, is there a double standard?
How do you feel when someone makes a promise to you
and doesn't keep their word or makes excuses to get out of it?
If a "vow" is not faithfully honored then how can the person ever be trusted?
Is keeping one's word really important and will God hold people
accountable for what they promise?
How can people believe a person who doesn't keep their promised word?
What does God think when people make up excuses
in order to get out of keeping their word?
God spoke the world into existence and promised to save us
from our sins by sending us His son to die on the cross
If we repent asking Jesus to come into our heart,
God will keep His word to save us!
God keeps His word, does He expect us to keep ours?
Does God hear every word said and every promise made?
Will He hold Pastors, Politicians, and World leaders more accountable
than the rest of the world for what they speak and promise to do? Why?

Keeping promises demonstrates our
“True Inner Self.”
It shows whether or not we have corruptible
or incorruptible morals (fruitful seed) inside of us.
Integrity, Honor, Self-respect and Honesty
means everything to man and to the Lord!
What kind of Christian walk does the Lord desire us to have?
Is keeping one's word really important or do we have the right to alter and change it?
Does the world respect people who break their promises?
A broken promise means a broken trust and relationship.
Trust and respect as well as one's honor is the basis of our relationship with our Lord.
He expects us to keep our word, (vow, oath) to others as well!

God doesn't accept altering promises!

Lev 27:9-10 And if it be a beast, whereof men bring an offering
unto the LORD, all that any man giveth of such unto the LORD shall be holy.
He shall not alter it, nor change it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good

When you give your word to someone you are also giving it unto the Lord.
The Lord teaches us in the Bible that we must not go back on our promises
even if we have to pay a higher price to keep them.
Our promises are taken seriously and we will be held accountable for them.
Changing our minds is not acceptable to the Lord!
I Timothy 3:14-15 These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly:
But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God,
which is the church of the living God,
the pillar and ground of the truth.
The church congregation belongs to the Lord and the responsibility of them is a serious matter.
Pastors must be blameless and morally pure.
Promises must be taken seriously!
God holds them accountable because where Pastors lead the flock (congregation) will follow.
To be like Jesus is to keep your promise!
A man shall NOT break his word the Bible says
Numbers 30:2 If a man vow a vow unto the LORD,
or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond;
he shall not break his word,
he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.

The importance of keeping one's word is a matter of Integrity!

Psalms 25:20-21 O keep my soul, and deliver me:
let me not be ashamed;
for I put my trust in thee.
Let integrity and uprightness preserve me;
for I wait on thee.

Integrity and righteousness are the two most
important things for a Christian to have.
Uprightness and Integrity demonstrate what we believe,
and how consistent of a walk we have with Jesus.
Pray to the Lord to help you keep your promises and strive to be pure before the Lord.
A man has real dignity of character when he has high integrity!
God requires Christians to keep their word no matter how
uncomfortable or unpleasant it may become.
God expects you to do it to the "best of your ability"
as if you were doing it for the Lord Himself

Be responsible with your words and vows!

God desires us to be moral witness in our daily walk and that includes our morals.
The words that we speak and the promises that we make demonstrate our Christian values.
This is because of the people around us watching.
We must value our words as if they were gold.
People might see Jesus through our eyes if we are honest with our words.
Avoid criticism and hurt by listening before you speak and honoring
what you commit to when you do.
Be sound of speech and honest in your promises!
Words reveal to the world and to God how honest we are

God never breaks His word nor does He give us the right to break ours

God's delights in in people who keep their promises

Proverbs 12:22 Lying lips are abomination to the LORD:
but they that deal truly are his delight.
Proverbs 12:25 Heaviness in the heart maketh it stoop:
(is heavy and hurts) but a word maketh it glad.

Words are important and have a great deal of value
when used in the right way for Godly purposes.
Have you ever seen someone who just had a promise broken to them
or maybe you had a promise broken to you?
What did it feel like?
Think of something that really matters to you that someone has promised to do.
Maybe they kept you waiting for it a long, long time and it really mattered to you.
Now consider how you would feel if it were broken.
Try stepping into someone else's shoes when you break your word to them.
Feel terrible doesn't it?
Is this the will of the Father to cause this kind of hurt?
Is there a promise that you made to someone that you can still keep?
What does God want you to do?
What are you waiting for, honor your word and go do it!
People will come to respect you and follow your lead if you are honest.
Always be truthful saying what you mean and meaning what you say!
Honor your word so that it will be right before the Lord.
Integrity, honor and respect is the reward for keeping one's word.
Let's all remember to live up to the high standards that the Lord has set before us.

And remember:
God's delights in in people who keep their promises

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie Ciccone

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Lead Me Lord Just Lead Me

2010-01-19T08:09:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
January 19th, 2010
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Lead Me Lord Just Lead Me

Scripture: Psalm 61:2 "From the end of the earth will I cry unto Thee,
when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I."

God made this day and we should rejoice and be glad in it,
for He makes every day for our pleasure.
Yet even though we know that this is true,
we experience stress, disappointments, and things that we cannot fix
or many times don't even understand.
We approach the day with optimism,
but amid the confusion we lose our sense of peace
because our schedules become hectic
and the issues that surround us become horrific.
We must deal with illness, death, and situations in our relationships.
There are also life changing decisions to be made
and financial pressures to cope with.
Many times these things leave our spirits totally overwhelmed.

However, God does not want us to be overwhelmed by any problem,
regardless of whether it is large or small.
He sent His Son so that we could live in peace
and have true joy every day of the year.
God's Son, Jesus, is the Rock that is higher than you or me
and He is our strength and our security.
He is the one we can run to and the one whom we can depend upon
when our situations and emotions try to overpower and upset us.

David declared that from the ends of the earth
he would cry out to the Lord for help.
He was at the end of his ordeal and he felt overwhelmed,
but he had hope because he knew that there was one higher than himself.
Yet, knowing about the Rock who is higher than us
and any problem that we have and finding the Rock
in times of pressure are two different things.
David had a solution to this situation.
He asked God to lead him to the Rock.
David knew he would find peace and comfort in God's shelter,
for God always met him at the level of his need.
God will do the same for you and has given you
His word of promise for peace and comfort.
When you find your emotions stressed, your body wearied,
and you are overwhelmed by any pressure,
you can receive help by praying this same simple prayer that David prayed,

"Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I."

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie Ciccone
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So, you’re a Christian…. What does that mean?

2010-01-18T08:55:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
January 18th 2010
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So, you’re a Christian…. What does that mean?
Part 1of 2

Acts 11:26 And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

Today we live in a world where almost anything seems
to be defined as Christian or in the name of Christ.
Most in our society still identify themselves as Christian
… most also don’t worship God with any regularity.
Most politicians claim to be Christians…
That being said, why are we are not the least bit surprised
when one of them lies or has an extra marital fling.
How can this be?

It’s simplest level it means a follower of Christ.
What does it mean when you call yourself a Christian, a follower of Christ?

1. You must believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Believing, or even receiving Jesus is not the same as “being” a Christian…
but it is a necessary part of the equation.
In other words you can believe Jesus is the Son of God
and even receive his Word as true and still not be a Christian.

John 1
“10. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him,
and the world did not know Him.
11. He came to His own,
and those who were His own did not receive Him.
12. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become
children of God, {even} to those who believe in His name,

13. “ who were born, not of blood nor of the will
of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Mark 16
15. “ And He said to them,
"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”
16. "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved;
but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.

Ok… you must believe and receive Him as your savior but what more?

Today many wish to be “secret” Christians.
They wish to be quiet about it.
Jesus just won’t accept that.
There is militancy about true Christianity and Jesus will accept no less.

Matthew 10
32. "Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men,
I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.”
33. "But whoever denies Me before men,
I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.”
34. "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth;
I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

A Christian has an inner peace,
but in truly taking on the name of Jesus and declaring that to the world…
The Christian joins a war that has been raging
with the kingdom of darkness since the dawn of the human race.
The darkness does not let go gracefully!
Satan will throw everything he has at you to drag you back down to his level.

I John 1
4. “These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.
God Is Light”
5. “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you,
that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.”

6. “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and {yet} walk in the darkness,
we lie and do not practice the truth;”
7. but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light,
we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

So, I must believe in Jesus as the Son of God.
I must declare that to the world
and take my place beside Him in the struggle of righteousness.
What more?

2. Christianity means making a change of life.
Jesus refers to this in a number of ways but one of them is described as repentance.
If you are the same person after becoming a Christian as you were before…
you missed out on something!
Are you living your life the same way now
as you would have if you had never taken on the name of Jesus?

Jesus said….
“I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:3

It is important for Christians to remind themselves of where they have been,
or would have been without Jesus.
It helps us all appreciate what we have and what we are now striving for.

Ephesians 2
11. Therefore remember that formerly you,
the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "Uncircumcision"
by the so- called "Circumcision,"
{which is} performed in the flesh by human hands—

12. {remember} that you were at that time separate from Christ,
excluded from the commonwealth of Israel,
and strangers to the covenants of promise,
having no hope and without God in the world.

3.There is no hope without Jesus,
and Jesus says there is no hope without repentance.
This is a total change in direction.
This change begins before we are saved and continues after we are saved.
Like the new birth, it is a long running part of the Christian way of life.

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie
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Giving While Under Pressure

2010-01-15T08:36:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
January 15th 2010
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Giving While Under Pressure

When experiencing financial deficiency,
it is human nature to get overprotective of what one has.
Usually, generosity is in the back seat and anxiety is at the wheel.
Among the many paradoxical lessons in the Bible is to learn to give under pressure.

Under Ahab and Jezebel's leadership,
Israel had rejected God and was worshiping Baal.
The prophet Elijah announced to King Ahab of Judah
that there would be no rain until he brought word again.
At the beginning of what became a three and a half year drought,
Elijah was instructed by God to go to the city of Zarephath,
where a widow would sustain him.
Elijah obeyed, and when he entered the city,
he saw a woman gathering sticks.
He called to her and asked for a drink of water.
This was culturally acceptable, and as she was going to get it, he added,

“Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”

She then told Elijah that she did not have any bread,
but only a handful of flour, and a little oil.
She said she had planned to take the sticks and build a fire
to make the last meal for herself and her son, and then die.
The drought had caused a severe famine in the land,
and this woman was being totally honest with Elijah.
Then Elijah did the rudest thing. He said to her,

“Do not fear; go and do as you have said,
but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me;
and afterward make some for yourself and your son.”

What a selfish and unreasonable request!
Or so it may seem.
But remember that God had told Elijah that he would find a widow woman
in the city who would sustain him.
Elijah then shared the promise of God with her.

“The bin of flour shall not be used up,
nor shall the jar of oil run dry,
until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.”

She could have told Elijah where to get off,
or walked away and ignored him.
But, even in such dire straits,
she decided to believe the words of the man of God.
She decided to trust God's word spoken by Elijah,
and first gave her food to the man of God before serving herself.
The account continues by stating that she
and her household ate for a full year,
and the flour and oil didn't run out.

George Mueller (1805-1898) is best known
for his five orphanages in Bristol, England.
He never asked for donations or support of any kind.
Instead, he prayed and believed God to supply all the needs of the facilities.
In 1871 an article in The Times stated that since 1836, 23,000 children
had been educated in the schools and thousands
had been educated in other schools at the expense of the orphanage.
The article also stated that the orphanages had distributed 64,000 Bibles,
85,000 Testaments
and 29,000,000 religious books.

Other expenses included the support of 150 missionaries.
Mueller once said,
“I have never thought it necessary to save for the future
or look out for myself or my family except that we trust God.
So, when we see someone in need, an old woman,
a sick person, or a helpless infant,
I freely give whatever I have at the time.
I know that later, when I am in need,
God will provide for me.
I don't need to look out for myself in any way
other than to trust in Him.”
Clearly, Mueller's prayers, believing and generous giving
were fundamental principles of his success.

Addressing the Corinthian believers,
Paul shared the example of the Macedonians.

“They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor.
But they are also filled with abundant joy,
which has overflowed in rich generosity.
For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford,
but far more. And they did it of their own free will.
They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing
in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem.” (2 Corinthians 8:2-4 NLT)

These believers knew that they had to sow in order to reap,
and defied the circumstances.
When the pressure is on, give.
The Law of Sowing and Reaping
Requires Tests of Trust and Faith in God

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie

For The Giver God Will Bless

Do you know a heart that hungers
For a word of love and cheer?
There are many such about us
that one may be oh! so near.

Look around you, if you find it
Speak Gods word that's needed so,
Your own heart may be strengthened
By the help that you bestow.

Never think kind words are wasted,
Bread on waters cast are they.
And one day we will find them
Coming back to us, some day.

Coming back when sorely needed,
In a time of such distress,
So, my friend, let's give them freely;
For The Giver God Will Bless.

Connie Ciccone ©October 2006

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Justification by Faith

2010-01-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
January 14th 2010
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Justification by Faith

Concerning the condition of all humanity,
the Apostle Paul bluntly repeated in Romans chapter 3
what had already been written in the Psalms and Prophets:
no one is righteous, no one understands,
no one seeks after God, no one does good,
everyone has gone their own way,
and every way of man is unprofitable.

"Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.
Their feet are swift to shed blood;
Destruction and misery are in their ways;
and the way of peace they have not known.
There is no fear of God before their eyes." (Romans 3:14-18)

Everyone in the world is guilty before God.
All have sinned and have fallen far short of God's excellence.
But God made a way for fallen man.

Jesus Christ was God's plan to release mankind
from certain death and eternal separation.
In a court of law, to justify is a legal decision to free a man from his guilt,
the action by which one is set forth as righteous.
The same is true spiritually speaking.
Justification is God's act of making a sinner righteous,
placing the previously guilty one into a right standing before God.
The atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross paid the price for the sins of mankind
and brought about reconciliation.
Jesus did all the work;
humanity got the paycheck.

A simple way to remember what it means to be justified in the Biblical sense
is to memorize the phrase:
"Just as if I'd never sinned."
Romans and Galatians provide the most details regarding this liberating reality.
Having set forth the condition of all mankind,
Romans chapter 3 continues by stating
that doing the deeds of the law are not enough to justify anyone before God.
Only through

Faith in Jesus Christ's
redemptive work can one obtain justification.

God determined in advance that the blood of Jesus
was the only acceptable payment for the collective sins of humanity.

"Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith
apart from the deeds of the law.
Therefore, having been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

(Romans 3:28 and 5:1)
Romans chapter 5 continues to build the case:

"Therefore, as through one man's offense [referring to Adam]
judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation,
even so through one Man's righteous act [referring to Jesus Christ]
the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life." (Romans 5:18)

The Apostle Paul boldly declared justification by faith to the people in Antioch,
thrilling even the Gentiles.

"Therefore let it be known to you, brethren,
that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins;
and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things
from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses." (Acts 13:38, 39)

This new doctrine caused envious,
religious Jews to incite persecution.
They still held fast to earning their righteousness by doing the works of the Law,
and were not willing to accept justification by faith alone.

For believers today,
the reality of Jesus Christ's final words on the cross,

"It is finished,"

means that His redemptive work is perfectly complete,
leaving no remaining sacrifice for sin.
Christians need to learn and claim their legal rights as sons of God.
There are no good works adequate to gain God's favor or access to His presence.
But God made the way through His Son,
making justification by faith available.
Only through:
Faith in Jesus Christ's

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie
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And He Called It Dad

2010-01-13T13:29:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
January 13th 2010
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And He Called It Dad
By Connie Ciccone

By Connie Ciccone

God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,

The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,

The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,

Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so,

He called it ... Dad

~Connie Ciccone-
Connie Ciccone ©July 2003

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie

Taking the Yoke of God

2010-01-12T08:39:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
January 12th 2010
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Taking the Yoke of God

The world in which Jesus walked was that of tremendous bondage to the Law of Moses.
For generations, the Pharisees and religious teachers
were forcing the Judean citizens into subjection to the Law,
even adding to them petty rituals and ceremonies.
Many of the people remained disheartened and discouraged,
unable to maintain the demands for literal
and absolute obedience to every rule and regulation.

While that may sound extreme and even unthinkable,
many Christians today live under the same bondage and don't know it.
With dogged allegiance to traditional religious practices and habitual customs,
many believers stumble daily beneath a load too great for them to bear.
The frequent result of living a life under the weight
of self-inflicted obedience is a weakened,
ineffective Christian who will very quickly face spiritual burnout, even depression.
All too often the question they ask themselves just before giving up is,
“Why bother living the Christian life if it gets me nowhere?”
The good news is that Jesus gave the answer.
It was spoken 2000 years ago to a broken and dying generation,
but its truth still calls out to the hurting today.

It is found in Matthew 11:28-30.

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden...”

Jesus knew that the people of Judea
were under the burden of strict obedience to the Law.
He also knew they were overcome with weariness,
their lives reduced to simply going through the motions.
Their existence was not marked by peace.
All they knew was their failure to make it work.
With arms outstretched, the Son of God
extended an invitation to all who were beaten down
with condemnation and discouragement.

“And I will give you rest.”

It was a promise from the Messiah:
He will give rest to those who come to Him.
It is not rest that is earned.
It is not rest that is rationed.
It is an abundantly free gift to those who have faith in Him.
No one else could provide God's people with such refreshment.

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me.”

Just as a young oxen is teamed with an older,
more experienced oxen to lead them in plowing the fields,
so a believer is instructed to team up with the One
who can lead them through a victorious Christian life.
Who better to learn from than Jesus Christ,
who holds the power over sin and death.

“For I am gentle and lowly in heart.”

Although Christians are instructed not to become
unequally yoked with unbelievers,
Jesus Himself becomes unequally yoked when
each Christian surrenders their life to Him.
Because of His great love,
Jesus humbled himself to die on the cross.
Through His blood, mankind can be reconciled to God.
His humility and gentle nature are what make Him the Good Shepherd.

“And you will find rest for your souls.”

The spirit of mankind can be easily turned away by the demands of religion.
But the Son of God came to invite mankind

into an intimate relationship with Him.
Through this relationship,
each Christian can find spiritual renewal
as the peace and freedom that Christ offers waters their thirsty soul.

“For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

The yoke that the believer takes upon themselves
is the unity found in a daily walk with Jesus Christ.
Matching Him step for step, they will find that He takes
on the weight of life for those who rely on His strength.
Likewise, the burden that they carry
is simply the ability to live a life pleasing to the Father,
an ability given by the Spirit of Christ living in and working through them.

Jesus Christ is the only answer,
the only way to the Father.
No human, in and of themselves, can ever be good enough to earn favor from God.
God is not keeping track of how many Sundays a Christian is found in the pew every month.
He is not watching the clock to count off the minutes during their prayers.
He is not taking note of how well-composed and disciplined
someone may appear to be.
God does not judge a person by what is on the outside;

He looks upon the heart.

And a heart that is fully surrendered beneath the life-giving yoke of Jesus Christ,
though they stumble,
will not only receive rest and renewal in this life,
but will be rewarded in eternity for a life well-lived.

The Promise of True Rest for the Soul

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me.”

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie
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Pride

2010-01-11T09:02:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
January 11th 2010
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Pride

"In his pride the wicked does not seek him;
in all his thoughts there is no room for God." (Psalm 10:4 NIV)

The number one evil in God's black book is pride.
It is important to note that pride can be interpreted in two ways:
personal gratification for a job well done,
or the dreadful deadly sin of
"the competitive and excessive belief in one's own abilities
that interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God."

God's opinion in Proverbs 8:13
makes clear that He severely frowns on pride.
"The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate."
It was the very thing that rocked the heavenly realm long ago,
altering God's original plans and introducing to mankind a surefire way to hell.

The sin of Lucifer is clearly spelled out in two sections of scripture:
Isaiah chapter 14 and Ezekiel chapter 28.
Referring to Lucifer's mutiny, it is written:
"For you have said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.
Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty;
you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor."

And nothing has been quite right since.

Regarding pride, early Italian Catholic Priest Thomas Aquinas wrote:
that inordinate self-love is the cause of every sin.
This was initially epitomized by Lucifer, and he has employed it successfully
on humanity for thousands of years,
steering people away from the one true and holy God.

As Proverbs 10:4 teaches,
the one influenced by the adversary has a false sense of complete self-sufficiency,
and therefore he will not seek God,
His will, His way or His wisdom, believing erroneously there is no need
for God - in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

A notorious example of pride is Jezebel,
the evil queen and wife of Ahab,
the abominable king of Israel in the peak years of its deterioration.
Daughter of a High Priest of Baal,
Jezebel re-instated Baal worship in Israel and led her husband by the nose to do the same.
She had many of God's prophets executed
and replaced them with hundreds of false prophets,
surrounding the king and herself with devilish counsel.

Jezebel had an innocent man murdered to acquire a vineyard for Ahab.
She threatened the life of God's prophet, Elijah,
and her name is mentioned in the book of Revelation
representing a false prophetess seducing and misleading God's people into evil.
Jezebel's demise was horrific. She literally became dog food.

Proverbs states that when pride comes in,
so does shame and strife.
But perhaps the most quoted (and misquoted)
verse regarding pride is found in chapter 16, verse 18:
"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."
God cannot get through to the proud person,
but requires humility, surrender and submission,
which prepares a person to receive from Him the buffet of blessings
He desires to bountifully bestow.

So, be humble and leave your Pride at the doorstep.

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left your Spirit!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtnE_e1LylY&feature=related

Humility

2010-01-08T08:53:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
January 8th 2010
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Humility

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord,
and He will lift you up." (James 4:10)

True humility is a quality that Christian men and women often desire.
It is not a value to be concealed as if it expressed weakness,
but rather a precious gift that should be revealed.
Humility is the opposite of pride,
which caused Lucifer to be cast out from the presence of God.
(See Pride) Jesus taught that
"Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
And God works mightily through humble people,
lifting them to heights they never dreamed of before.

People who are genuinely humble do not draw attention to themselves
or attempt to advance a personal agenda.
Although the Biblical definition of humility is lowliness of mind,
it is not frailty or timidity.
Humble believers recognize that they don't know it all,
and seek to know God who is all-knowing.
Humility makes one teachable and willing to submit to the instruction of God
The humble Christian is not a doormat or a pushover,
but confidently puts their trust in God and does not act arrogantly.

Proverbs has many verses about humility. For example,
"The pride of man will bring him shame, but with the humble is wisdom"
or "Haughtiness precedes destruction, but humility leads to honor."
These are promises and benefits that should discourage pride in a person,
and encourage one to learn true humility.

The perfect example of humility is Jesus Christ. In Matthew 11:29, Jesus states,
"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me,
for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."
The Word takes the place of the absent Christ.
To learn from Jesus is to learn about Him in Scripture.

Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane
that He might not have to suffer crucifixion,
but then humbled Himself and became obedient to the Father.
He endured and excruciating death on the cross,
knowing that God would raise Him from the dead,
that He would ascend to sit at the right hand of the Fahter,
and that there was a future reward.
Likewise, believers are encouraged
to humble themselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ,
scrapping their selfish ambitions and instead entrusting their destiny to God.

God rejects those who think their way is best.
In truth, they reject Him first.
Their heart is hardened off to the things of God,
and therefore they are not vessels He can use.
But for those who follow the example of Jesus and humble themselves,
recognizing God as the ultimate authority,
they are assured that God will lift them up.

HUMBLE YOURSELVES UNDER THE MIGHTY HAND OF GOD

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie

Please click below to see something Jesus left your Spirit!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cn6yWbY7a4&feature=related

A Wounded Spirit Who Can Bear?

2010-01-07T08:20:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
January 7th 2010
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A Wounded Spirit Who Can Bear?

Scripture: Proverbs 18:14 "The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity;
but a wounded spirit who can bear?

The spirit of a man is amazing.
It will rise up and sustain you when you are in physical pain or other trouble.
It will give birth to a determination that you didn't realize you had.
Your spirit will inspire you and assist you in conquering
the present adversity that challenges you.
It will tell you to keep going in spite of the difficulties,
and that you can make it.
You will find yourself taking courage and doing what you could not do before,
even fighting battles that you never thought possible.
Many people live through life-threatening illnesses
simply because when they heard the evil report that was issued against them,
their spirit came alive and rose up with a new
and exceptional strength that enabled them to fight for their life.

While it is true that your spirit will sustain you during your season
of infirmity or adverse situations, it is also true that it is difficult for one to rise up
when their spirit has been wounded, crushed, or broken.
Physical wounds usually come from without and are easy to understand and cope with,
but there are no simple bandages for a wounded spirit.
Wounds to the spirit are sudden blows,
and most of the time we don't see them coming, for they usually
come from those whom we love and trust the most.
This makes it hard to forget the incident or to forgive the one who inflicted the pain.
It may be years before reconciliation and restoration
of the relationship can be achieved,
for we tend to continually analyze the situation.
We are never quite sure how our loved one could have tread upon our heart
and transgressed our feeling in such a grievous manner.
It happens with our spouse, children, family, and friends.
An unexplained action or an innocent but insensitive remark
from someone we love can wound our spirit and this wound will be hard to bear.

Jesus knows and understands all that you are going through.
He understands how you can be wounded by rejection because
many rejected Him and His own disciples abandoned Him in the time of His greatest need.
He knew the tears of pain and sorrow as He grieved for His friend, Lazarus.
He understood how it felt to be misunderstood because
His own mother and brothers did not understand Him
and even declared that He was mad.
He was also wounded and hurt by the same people
that He ministered to and gave His life for.
Because He understands your feelings so well,

He came not only to dry the tears in your eyes,

but to also wipe them from your heart.
You do not have to bear your wounded spirit alone,
for He will bind up your wounds for you.
He will stay near you when your heart is broken
and continually apply the comforting healing balm of the Holy Spirit.
He will minister to your broken spirit by giving you
beauty for the ashes and disappointments of your life
. He will give you the oil of joy for mourning
and replace the heaviness that is in your soul with a garment of praise.

A wounded spirit ... who can bear? Only Jesus.
So, trust and lean upon Him.

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie

Please click below to see something Jesus left your Spirit!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s77ng3eBkdM&feature=related

HOPE

2010-01-06T12:26:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
January 5th, 2010
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Hope
By Connie Ciccone

To those without hope!!

Hope is inspiration
Turned inside out
Hope is expectation
Of that there is no doubt .

Hope keeps us going
Longing for a better day .
Hope keeps us rowing
Life’s boat at work and play .

Hope helps us rise each morning
Looking for grace along the way;
Hope tucks us in each night
Praying we did His will Today.

Hope is God’s eternal carrot
The goal we all work towards
Salvation removes death’s garrote
As we reap our just rewards.

Hope is you will believe me?
And can see it in my heart eyes
Hope you come and join me
As we bask in God’s blue skies.

Hope your heart will soften
As you let His spirit in
Hope you will pray often
As we all try not to sin .

Hope we can pray together
To help all the world over
United as family, sister and brother
Content under God’s Holy cover.

Connie Ciccone ©Nov 2006

So don’t give up!
Don’t stop believing!
Stay full of hope and expectation.
God’s power is limitless,
and He’ll break through for you.

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!
With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie

This is our answer

2010-01-04T08:08:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
January 4th, 2009
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This is our answer.

Scripture: Judges 6:13 "If the Lord is with us ..."

Have these two questions ever crossed your mind as you faced life's challenges?
We know the scriptures declare that Jesus is a miracle worker
and that He is the same today as He was yesterday.
He doesn't change and we believe that He can still heal, provide, and deliver.
We also know that Jesus will never leave us or forsake us.
Psalms twenty-three tells us that the Lord is our Shepherd and that we shall not want for any good thing.
He will cause us to lie down in green pastures and will lead us beside still waters.
He will even restore our soul and anoint our head with oil in the presence of our enemies.
He will calm the raging seas and speak peace to all of our storms.
We have nothing to fear because Jesus is our keeper.
These truths fill our heart, yet when things are not working

out the way they should for us,
the same questions that Gideon asked come to our mind.
"If the Lord is with me, why is this happening?
If He is my provider, why don't I have enough money to pay my bills?
If the Lord is leading me beside still waters,
why do I have all of this turmoil going on in my life?
Why won't my car start or why did the tires go flat?
If the Lord is with me, where are all of His miracles?
If Jesus is my healer, why is my body wracked with pain
or why did my love one die instead of being healed?"

We can all agree that life does offer some discouraging moments.
Fear does attack.
Hardships do come.
Grief and sorrow happen to the best of us and things do not always work out
as we had hoped or planned.
There are times when we can't feel God's presence even though He is very near.
There are days of darkness as well as days of light
and there are seasons of sadness as well as times of great joy.
To be sure there are times of confusion, and although
we do not always have the answer to all of the questions in our life,
we must trust God and believe His word.

In midst of Gideon's fearful situation,

the Lord promised him peace and life (Verse 23).
But God also told him to go into battle again
st the enemy and tear down their idols of worship.
Gideon still had fear in his soul when he chose

to believe and receive the word of the Lord
. Yet in the midst of everything that was going on,
Gideon built an altar and called it Jehovah-Shalom,
which means the God of peace.
He stopped everything that he was do
ing and worshiped the Lord.
He laid his fear and insecurities at the feet of the God of peace.
This is our answer.
We don't have to know why adversity is challenging our life
or where our deliverance is at the moment.
All that we must do is lay our fears and insecurities on the altar
of Jehovah-Shalom, our God of peace,
for He is good and He is faithful all of the time.
He has a good plan for our lives and we have nothing to fear.
We should never question,
"If the Lord is with us",
but to believe His words and confess in faith,

"The Lord is with us!."

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie
Please click below to see new poems Jesus added to our site:
http://www.faithitout.com/published.php?poem_id=71

Resolution or Revelation

2009-12-30T12:54:00.000-08:00

Resolution or Revelation

Written By Pastor Connie

Words By God

As the New Year began
the whole world in song,
many making a Resolution
without committing for How Long?

Many promises were sworn
each different in generation
could it not be a Resolution?
but perhaps a Revelation?

Each year we make decisions
to satisfy our inner man,
without giving one precious thought
does this all fit with God's plans?

Have we forgot our lives were
already drawn in the sand,
Written in The Book Of Life
by our own Father's Hands.

There's a new time upon us
to look for discernment,
and realize our promises
really needs God's confirment.

This Year I commit
no Resolutions for me,
I'll look in God's Word
for Revelations to see.

Like wisdom and knowledge
for caring and giving,
loving and sharing
and forever forgiving.

Christians let's start
A Revival Foundation
No more Resolutions
Just God's sound Revelations!

Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:

http://www.faithitout.com/published.php?poem_id=72

Call Upon His Name

2009-12-15T12:24:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
December15th, 2009
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Call Upon His Name

Scripture: Matthew 6:9 "Hallowed be Thy Name."

Hallowed means sacred, holy, and blameless.
Jesus teaches us to give reverence, honor,
and glory to the Name of our Father who is in Heaven.
In the Ten Commandments,
we are told not to take the Name of the Lord our God in vain.
This command not only means not to speak His Name in profanity,
but also not to dishonor His Name in the way we live.

Names not only identify a person, but also call to mind the character,
attitudes, and integrity of that person.
For this reason, we try to protect our name.
My father was very proud of his name and did not want it to be dishonored.
I was taught that everything I did was a reflection on my father and his name.
In our community, my father's name was trusted because
it was backed up by his character and integrity.
Everyone knew that he was a , honest, no-nonsense person.
His word was his bond and his name backed up his word.
I was given the privilege to use my father's name.

This is true in the spiritual realm as well.
God gave Jesus a special name that is above every name
and Philippians 2:10-11 declares
that "at the Name of Jesus, every knee shall bow ...
and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord".
Jesus then told us that we could also use this
special name that the Father had given to Him.
In John 14:14 He said, "If you shall ask any thing in My name, I will do it."

Listed below are names of God in the Old Testament.
These names were established as
God met with man and revealed His character to them.

YAHWEH, "I AM THAT I AM" - Exodus 3:14
Jehovah Jireh, "The Lord my Provider" - Gen. 22:14
Jehovah Nissi, "The Lord is my Banner" - Ex. 17:15
Jehovah Shalom, "The Lord is Peace" - Judges 6:24
Jehovah Sabbaoth, "The Lord of Hosts" - I Sam. 1:3
Jehovah Maccaddeshcem , "The Lord my Sanctifier" - Ex. 31:13
Jehovah Raah, "The Lord is my Shepherd" - Ps. 23:1
Jehovah Tsidkenu, "The Lord my Righteousness" - Jerm. 23:6
Jehovah Shammah, "The Lord is there (present)" - Ezk. 48:35
Jehovah Elohim, "The Lord God of Israel" - Jud. 5:3; Is. 17:6
Jehovah Rophe, "The Lord my Healer" - Ex. 15:26

As we think on these names, let us remember that God is all we need.
We have no power within ourselves, but we have power in His Name.
He is the same God today as when He spoke to Moses
with "I AM THAT I AM" (Exodus 3:13-14).
Whatever we need today, He says, "I AM." I AM the answer to all of your questions.
If you need provisions, I AM your Provider.
If you need healing, I AM your Healer. If you need victory, I AM your Banner.
I AM your peace. I AM your Shepherd and will lead you through
the valleys and restore you. I AM your Righteousness.
And, I AM the God that is always present.
I AM your God.
I AM everything that you need Me to be.
I AM THAT I AM! HALLOWED BE HIS NAME!!!!

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie

New Below!
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOY0mjjmx8Y

Draw Near to God

2009-12-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
December 11th, 2009
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Draw Near to God

In Hard Times, Christians Must Pray and Mediate
on the Word of God to Draw Near to Him.

In Luke 12:16-21,
Jesus taught a parable about a wealthy man whose yield one season
was so plentiful that he decided to demolish his existing barns
and build larger barns for all of his harvest.
He assumed that he had plenty to last him many years,
and it was time to take it easy, time to
“eat, drink, and be merry.”
But God said to him,
“Fool!
This night your soul will be required of you;
then whose will those things be which you have provided?”

Similarly, James writes in 4:13-15,
“Come now, you who say,
'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city,
spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit'
whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow.
For what is your life?
It is even a vapor that appears for a little time
and then vanishes away.
Instead you ought to say,
'If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.'”

There is an idiom used when a person dies,
that the person is “going to meet his Maker.”
In light of the above verses,

if ever there was a time to get closer to the Creator,
now is the time.
It's not a time to be self-serving, or wasteful,
thoughtlessly squandering money or time.
Although the secular world says that time is money,
in reality, time is life!
Trusting God in hard times can become second-nature
when time is spent in daily reading of His Word,
being prayerfully in His presence.
James also writes in 4:8, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”

Because God Almighty is always everywhere present,
one might understandably ask why any action is required on their part.
It's true that God is omnipresent, but not all people,
even Christians, are mindful of God's presence.
God wants His people to deliberately draw near to Him,
to get closer to Him, to seek Him,
and this is done primarily by getting into the Word of God.
Many Christians don't even take Bibles to church!
Now is the time when Christians need to read
their Bibles and learn to think and believe correctly.

Moses warned God's people thousands of years

ago not to become too complacent
and then forget God, or they would lose everything,
including their homes and lands,
and become enslaved by other godless peoples.

“But from there you will seek the Lord your God,
and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you
in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God
and obey His voice
(for the Lord your God is a merciful God),
He will not forsake you nor destroy you
, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.”
(Deuteronomy 4:29-31)

In King David's latter years, he cautioned his son.
“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father,
and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind;
for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts.
If you seek Him, He will be found by you;
but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.”
(1 Chronicles 28:8, 9)

These words speak loudly even today.
God's Word is alive and powerful,
as Hebrews 4:12 states.

“It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” (NLT)
Solomon, who spoke more than 3,000 proverbs, wrote,
“He who earnestly seeks good finds favor,
but trouble will come to him who seeks evil.” (Proverbs 11:27)

Solomon's wise words were also prophetic,
and his descendents are confirmation.
It is written of Solomon's son, Rehoboam, that
“he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord.”
(2 Chronicles 12:14)
To Solomon's great-grandson, Asa, it was said,
“The Lord is with you while you are with Him.
If you seek Him, He will be found by you;
but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.” (2 Chronicles 15:2)

Drawing near to God and seeking Him

by spending regular time in prayer
and Bible study is more important than ever.
The world and its kingdoms and systems

are being shaken in these turbulent times,
but God is faithful to His Word and

will protect and provide for His people.

Psalm 34:10 says,
“The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.”
Psalm 9:10 states,
“And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;
For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.”

Rainbows Come After The Rain

Connie Ciccone

Whatever your cross,
whatever your pain,
There will always be sunshine
after the rain.

Perhaps you may stumble,
perhaps even fall,
But God is always ready
to answer your call.

He knows every heartache,
sees every tear,
A word from His lips
can calm every fear.

Your sorrows may linger
throughout the night,
But suddenly vanish
at dawn's early light.

The Savior is waiting
somewhere above,
To give you His grace
and send you His love.

Whatever your cross,
whatever your pain,
God always!!!!
Sends rainbows after the rain.

Rainbows Come After The Rain

Connie Ciccone ©August 2006

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!
With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie

Loss Of A Loving Pet

2009-12-10T12:20:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
December 10th, 2009
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Loss Of A Loving Pet

For Sweet Donna

Psalm 22:24
For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.
This verse talks about the comforting presence of God,
and emphasizes that He cares about all of creation.
Since pets are part of that creation, they are included in this care and attention.
This can be reassuring for pet owners who weren’t
able to be with a pet during its last moments.
This verse also applies to grieving pet owners after the loss of their pet.
The loss of a furry family member can cut very deep,
and the intensity of grief may surprise those who are not pet-lovers.
It can take a long time to work through the sadness of a pet’s death.

Some Christian faiths believe that pets don't go to heaven
because they don't have souls.
The Bible does not mention whether heaven includes animals or not.
It can be argued, though, that the Bible contains information for humans:
They need the knowledge contained in it in order to
gain entrance into God's kingdom when they die.
Animals don't need to be saved in the same way people do:
It can be argued that they have pure hearts.
Our furry friends don't struggle to be
obedient to God in the face of evil influences.
If someone were asked to describe what heaven looks like,
they don't describe a plain room with white walls.
More than likely, they picture a peaceful
outdoor scene with grass, trees, and flowers.
If we are picturing a wonderful outdoor scene,
why wouldn't it include our beloved pets?
A person of the Christian faith who has lost a loved one
(of the human variety) is taught that the person may have died
but that they will be reunited with him or her later on.
This provides comfort to the grieving person on some level
- in spite of the loss, there is hope.
If someone believes that pets go to heaven too,
they can take comfort in the idea that the pet
is in a place that is warm and bright,
that they are no longer sick or in pain,
and where they are being well cared for.
The same loving God that cares for all of His children on earth
won't deny the same care to these wonderful animals
who add so much to our lives.
Our pets love us unconditionally:
They don't care what we look like, how much money we make,
or what we do for a living.
All they ask is that we give them a bit of our time and our attention.
Doesn't it make sense when we are thinking about grieving
for our pet from a Christian perspective that our four-legged friends
will be waiting for us when our days on Earth are finished?.

Celebrate My Life

By Connie Ciccone

Weep not for me though I am gone
Into that gentle night.
Grieve if you will, but not for long
Upon my soul's sweet flight.
I am at peace, my soul's at rest
There is no need for tears.
For with your love I was so blessed
For all those many years.
There is no pain, I suffer not,
The fear now all is gone.
Put now these things out of your thoughts,
In your memory I live on.
Remember not my fight for breath
Remember not the strife
Please do not dwell upon my death,
But celebrate my life.

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!
With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie
For Sweet Donna
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hcg3IZPPyhc&feature=related

Faith as a Mustard Seed

2009-12-07T13:07:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
December 7th, 2009
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Faith as a Mustard Seed

Faith that is Focused on the Power of God

One day, a man came to Jesus and begged him to heal his epileptic son.
The father told Jesus that he had already tried to get help from the disciples
, but that they had failed.
Jesus ministered to the boy, and the boy was set free.

Later, His disciples asked him why they were unable to do the job,
and Jesus answered in Matthew 17:20:
"Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you,
if you have faith as a mustard seed
, you will say to this mountain,
'Move from here to there,'
and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."

Another occasion Jesus was teaching his disciples about unlimited forgiveness.
Their request was,
"Give us more faith." Jesus responded by saying,
"If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree,
'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you."

There are many interesting sermons,
facts and insights on mustard seeds that explain how,
like a weed, unattended mustard seeds can sprout and multiply
massively in just about any kind of soil.
Good points have been made about the persistence of mustard seeds
in relation to the persistence of faith.
Both offer results, and both prove that great things
can develop from small beginnings.
Faith, for example, allowed a few committed people to spread the Good News
of the Gospel and grow New Testament Christianity into a worldwide movement.

However, perhaps the emphasis on faith
can be placed on something else altogether.
When the disciples asked for more faith,
Jesus essentially told them they didn't need more faith
because a little bit would go a long way.
And the Bible proves that a small amount of genuine faith
is all it takes to manifest hope.
The burden is not on Christians to muster faith,
but to have enough faith to focus solely on the One
who has the power to perform whatever needs to be done.

The hemorrhaging woman moving through the crowd
to touch the hem of Jesus' garment
wasn't thinking of anything other than the Lord's power to heal her.
Blind Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was passing by,
and he cried out, louder and louder.
Persistent, yes, but his faith was in Jesus' capacity to restore his vision.
The Centurion said to Jesus,
"Only speak a word, and my servant will be healed."
The Roman soldier believed in the power and authority of Jesus' spoken word.

In Matthew 9:28, Jesus asked the two blind men,
"Do you believe I am able to do this?"
They answer him with, "Yes, Lord."
Faith is saying "Yes" to God's ability.
Abraham was willing to sacrifice his only son,
Isaac, concluding that God was able to raise him up,
even from the dead. Abraham said,
"Yes, Lord." He staked everything on God's ability.

People erroneously think that if they have more money,
or more time, or more talent, more knowledge or more opportunities,
then they could do more and bigger and better things.
They transfer this thinking into Christianity,
but what they fail to remember is that it isn't the amount of faith
or the size of faith that matters, but it's the One that faith
is directed towards that will make miracles happen.

Hebrews 11:6 states that faith is the confidence that God exists and that
"He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."
It's His power and ability that makes the difference.

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!
With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please read below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit !:

NEED WASHING???

A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in
Target. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful
red
haired, freckle faced image of innocence. It was
pouring
outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of
rain
gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no
time
to flow down the spout.. We all stood there under the
awning
and just inside the door of the Target.

We waited, some patiently, others irritated because
nature
messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized
by
rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the
heavens
washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories
of
running, splashing so carefree as a child came pouring
in as
a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

The little voice was so sweet as it broke the
hypnotic
> trance we were all caught in 'Mom let's run through
the rain,' she said.
'What?' Mom asked.

'Let's run through the rain!' She repeated

'No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a
bit,' Mom replied.

This young child waited about another minute and
repeated:
'Mom, let's run through the rain,'

'We'll get soaked if we do,' Mom said.

'No, we won't, Mom.. That's not what you said
this morning,' the young girl said as she tugged at
her
Mom's arm.

This morning? When did I say we could run through the
rain
and not get wet?

'Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy
about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us
through
this, he can get us through anything!'

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you
couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood
silently. No one came or left in the next few
minutes.

Mom paused and thought for a moment about what
she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold
her for
being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But
this
was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life.
A
time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it
will
bloom into faith..

'Honey, you are absolutely right.. Let's run
through the rain. If GOD let's us get wet, well maybe
we
just needed washing,' Mom said.

Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and
laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through
the
puddles. They held their shopping bags over their
heads just
in case.. They got soaked. But they were followed by a
few
who screamed and laughed like children all the way to
their
cars.

And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.

Circumstances or people can take away your material
possessions, they can take away your money, and they
can
take away your health. But no one can ever take away
your
precious memories...So, don't forget to make time and
take the opportunities to make memories every day. To
everything there is a season and a time to every
purpose
under heaven.

I HOPE YOU STILL TAKE THE TIME TO RUN THROUGH THE
RAIN.

Meditating on the Word

2009-12-03T12:17:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts

December 3rd, 2009
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Meditating on the Word

Forget the Cares of the World and Spend Time Studying the Word of God

Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha.
He would often stay at their home in Bethany,
located about two miles from Jerusalem.
One time, Jesus was in their home and Mary was sitting and listening to Him.
Meanwhile, Martha was busy preparing food.
says that Martha was distracted with much serving.
She approached Jesus and asked Him,

Luke 10:40

“Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?
Therefore tell her to help me.”

Imagine accusing the Lord of not caring.
He lovingly but honestly answered her.

“Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things
. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part,
which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42)

Jesus told her that she was worried,
or anxious and distracted in her mind as well as troubled.
The Greek word troubled is the basis of the English word turbulent.
In this usage, it means that Martha's mind was in confusion,
cluttered and crammed full with cares.
Jesus wasn't condemning her,
but pointing out that Mary had made
the better choice,
which was to sit at the feet of the Master
and listen to His Word.

To learn to trust God in hard times requires time
in God's Word, reading the Bible.
Times are hard because the world is filled with problems
and there are innumerable distractions,
all stirred up and manipulated by the adversary.
Satan's goal is to cause fear and worry in people,
to divert Christians away from God.

When Christians don't read the Bible and meditate on the
words of the Master,
they are easily distracted and start to worry about all the insane
and evil things going on all around the world.
But God's Word instructs believers what to do to trust God in hard times.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
(Philippians 4:6)

The answers to cares are prayers.
The antidote for worry is to specifically
pray about everything,
and with thankfulness,
make known to God every request.

It is certain that worry accomplishes nothing,
but prayer appeals to God.
God's Word says that He hears the prayer of the righteous
and that the prayer of the upright is His delight.
(Proverbs 15:8,29)

Corrie ten Boom, the Christian Holocaust

survivor who helped many Jews
escape the Nazis during World War II, said,
“Any concern too small to be turned into
a prayer is too small to be made into a burden.”
Wise advice indeed.
Be anxious for nothing,
but pray for everything,
and be thankful.
Don't worry, be happy.

Scottish author, poet and Christian minister, George MacDonald said,
“It is not the cares of today,
but the cares of tomorrow,
that weigh a man down.
No man ever sank under the burden of the day.
It is when tomorrow's burden is added to the burden of today
that the weight is more than a man can bear.”

Peter's first epistle has this comforting advice:
“casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)
Worrying about things beyond ones control
is a total waste of time and energy.
Again, Jesus brings to the forefront the believer's priority.

“And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink,
nor have an anxious mind.
For all these things the nations of the world seek after,
and your Father knows that you need these things.
But seek the kingdom of God,
and all these things shall be added to you.” (Luke 12:29-31)

sit at the feet of the Master
and listen to His Word.
but pray for everything……..

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!
With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit !:
This video is amazing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyXx6mjSCwU

Standing Your Ground

2009-12-02T13:07:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
December 2nd, 2009
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Standing Your Ground

In Faith, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego Stood their Ground

Every person acquires a system of beliefs,
based on teachings and lessons learned from parents,
teachers, family or friends.
Belief systems govern thoughts, words and actions.
However, when a person chooses to become a Christian
, he is instructed to do the following:
• Put off or put away previously held beliefs that contradict the Word of God.
• To not be conformed to the ways of the world,
• including opposing and conflicting philosophies and religious ideas.
• Be transformed by renewing their mind to the Word of God.
• According to these truths and standards,
• a Christian builds their convictions
• . And it is upon these convictions
• that Christians are required to stand.
• Read Romans 12:2

For Old Testament believers, the Bible was the Torah,
the law given to and written down by Moses.
They were taught to memorize Scripture from childhood.
An example of OT believers standing firm on their convictions
is the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego,
three young men who stood their ground,
believing in the delivering power of God.

In Daniel chapter 3, King Nebuchadnezzar
of Babylon made a golden image of himself,
about 90 feet high and 9 feet wide.
He gathered all the national leadership and decreed
that when his musicians played,
all subjects of the kingdom were
to bow and worship the golden image
. Anyone disobedient would be thrown into a burning fiery furnace.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego flatly refused.
Informers told the king who immediately sent for the three defiant young men.
The king reminded them of the consequences for disobedience,
and asked them, Who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?"

Daniel 3:16-18 records their courageous response:

"O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us
from the burning fiery furnace,
and He will deliver us from your hand,
O king. But if not, let it be known to you,
O king, that we do not serve your gods,
nor will we worship the gold image
which you have set up."

In his fury the king demanded that the furnace
be made seven times hotter,
and had Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego thrown in the furnace.
The king looked in and saw the three of them walking inside the furnace,
miraculously unharmed.
They stood their ground for God, and God delivered them.

Ephesians chapter 6
teaches Christians about the equipment necessary to stand against the wiles of the devil.
The admonition is
to take up the whole armor of God
that you may be able to withstand in the evil day,
and having done all, to stand.
Most of the armor listed refers to holding God's Word in mind.
The believer must believe and claim his God-given righteousness and salvation,
and be ready to speak the Word with boldness.

Both the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit
completely equip Christians to stand in this world,
prepared to frustrate the assaults of the adversary.
God has not left believers helpless.
He has provided everything necessary
so that His people can stand their ground.

SO take up the whole armor of God
be ready to speak the Word with boldness.

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!
With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie

Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit !:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43hj_vRexN4&feature=fvw

The Bigness of God

2009-12-01T12:34:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
December 1st, 2009
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The Bigness of God

God is Bigger than Problems and Anything Seen and Unseen

It is impossible to comprehend the immensity of God.

Isaiah has some descriptive passages in chapter 40:12 and 22.
“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand,
measured heaven with a span and
calculated the dust of the earth in a measure?
Weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?
It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,
and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.”

Isaiah uses figurative language to capture insight into God's vastness.
Perhaps it can simply be said that when a human looks out into space,
or looks out at the ocean from its shore,

God is much bigger than everything the eye can see.

This great God Who created all that is seen and unseen
is the same God Who cares for every human being.

This God is the One

“who desires all men to be saved
and to come to the knowledge of the truth”
as 1 Timothy 2:4 states, and 2 Peter 3:9
says that He is
“not willing that any should perish
but that all should come to repentance.”

God's desire is to have all people rescued and to know Him
so that He can abundantly bless them with His goodness.

Psalm 147:4
says that God knows how many stars there are,

and that He has a name for every one of them!

But people are much more important to God than the stars.
God cares about every detail of people's lives,
and He sees every tear that is cried.
He hears every prayer that is prayed and He never forgets anyone's name.
Jesus taught that even the tiny little sparrows are watched over.
“Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?
And not one of them is forgotten before God.
But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Do not fear therefore;

you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:6, 7)

Think about it!

God knows how many hairs are on every one's head!
Not even one little bird is forgotten by God!

Often in the midst of hard times people feel all alone
and think that God has forgotten them,
but it is simply not true. God is always ready,
willing and able to provide,
but He expects some faith and trust.
Hebrews 11:6
says that without faith it is impossible to please God,
and that whoever comes to God must believe
that He is indeed God and that He will reward the diligent seeker.

Yes, faith and effort are necessary to tap the rich resources of God.
He is not stingy,
He just has certain requirements.

“No good thing will He withhold from

those who walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84:11)

The words of Jesus are words people need to hear again and again,
and remember in these times.

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or what you will drink;
nor about your body, what you will put on.
Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds of the air,
for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns;
yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:25, 26)

God, the Heavenly Father, provides for all the birds,
and that's a lot of birds!
Jesus asks the rhetorical question,
“Are you not of more value than they?”

The answer is YES!!!

As far as God is concerned,
His people are His precious treasure,
His inheritance,
His masterpiece.
Nothing is more important to Him.

“For we are His workmanship.
He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
If God is for us, who can be against us?
We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”
(Ephesians 2:10; 1 John 4:4; Romans 8:31, 37)

Trusting God in hard times may be challenging at moments,
when one feels small and alone,
and that's why it is vital to bring to mind how much God loves His people,
and how valuable they are to Him.
Early church father,
Saint Augustine, wrote these encouraging words:

“Trust the past to God's mercy, the present
to God's love and the future to God's providence.”

God is Bigger than Problems

and Anything Seen and Unseen

Think about it!

The answer is YES!!!

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!
With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit !:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUf2oh4tmiw&feature=PlayList&p=DD1C7FBF030D4979&playnext

1&playnext_from=PL&index=78

Thank You God Above

2009-11-25T11:11:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
November 25th 2009
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Thank You God Above
By Connie Ciccone

Dearest Lord, we thank Thee
And so to you we pray
For all the things that you provide
Throughout each and every day...

For the sun that shines and warms our hearts,
For the flowers and the trees,
For blue skies and oceans
And the wind's cool, gentle breeze.

Thank you for the nutrients
In all the things we eat.
We thank you for giving us shelter
And for the ground beneath our feet

We thank you for the rain that falls
Upon this wondrous land,
And for the fresh air that we breathe,
Created by your hand.

So on this day we raise our hands
Giving Thanks to God Above
And with Our Praise and Worship
We Send To You Our Love

Thank You God Above!!

May all Of You Have A Blessed Thanksgiving and we
Will see you after the Holiday November 30th 2009
Connie Ciccone ©November 2006

and
Remember….

God is God, and He is able

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!
With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit !:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykVkmtB4b58

Job as a Model for Faith

2009-11-23T12:41:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
November 23rd, 2009
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Thankfulness Series

The Last of the Thankfulness Series

Job as a Model for Faith -- Trusting God in Hard Times

Job Feared and Loved God and was Blessed
with Twice as Much as He Had Before His Tragedies
It was a bad day for Job.
His sons and daughters died in a freak wind storm
that collapsed the house where they were gathered.
Also, Job's employees were brutally murdered
and all of his livestock was destroyed or stolen.

After Job heard these reports,
he ripped his robe and shaved his head,
both outward indications of grief and mourning.
God's Word states that he then fell to the ground and worshiped.
Job said,
“Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there.
The Lord gave,
and the Lord has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:20, 21)

Most people in Job's circumstances would completely break down emotionally,
perhaps blame and curse God,
and descend into a long period of inconsolable depression.
Job lost everything but his immediate reaction was to worship God first.
He didn't blame God, nor did he curse God, as his wife suggested.
His devastating situation was overwhelming,
so he instantly yielded himself and his circumstances
to the One Who could actually do something about it.

Job's life was before the time of Moses and the written Law of God,
but Job
“was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.” (Job 1:1)
Job was a disciplined, prosperous and virtuous.
Although his fear magnetically attracted the evils that came upon him
(Job 3:25),
his love and reverence for God took precedence in his life. In the end,
God blessed Job with twice as much as he had before.

Not many people have lived through tragic circumstances such as Job's
and refused to become bitter and hardened.
Job serves as a unique example of a submissive attitude towards
God and one whose reaction in crisis sets a standard worthy of meditation.
Imagine Job's great loss compared to what most people consider as disastrous.

It is true that some people lose homes and possessions in terrible storms
and some lose family members in dreadful accidents.
Some people lose their job or their life savings due to ill health or other situations.
All of these hard times can be challenging
and stressful to the people going through them,
but few lose everything in one day.
Whatever challenges one faces,
the best reaction is positive action,
and the best action is to turn to God, to seek His help
, to go to the God Who can actually do something about it.

In Matthew 22:37,
Jesus quoted the first and great commandment.
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

First and foremost, God wants peoples' hearts,
the innermost part of their being.
The heart is the center of the character of the individual.
The soul represents mind, will and emotion.
The mind as it is used in this verse
(as well as Mark 12:30 and Luke 10:27)
refers to reflective thought, or one's exercised conscience.

Luke 10:27 adds the word “strength” referring to physical strength.
To love God with the whole being and every aspect
of one’s entire being is what God wants,
and it is what mankind actually needs to do to have a rich and satisfying life.
“We love Him because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19).

When the love relationship is present and appreciated by the receiver,
man, directed towards the Giver,
God, the human knows his life and times are in the hands of God,
and there is peace and rest,
instead of chaos and stress.
Although Job mourned his losses and struggled with questions,
he didn't stop loving God and believing
that God would bring him through.
God did not disappoint Job

He Brought Him Through It All…..

Remember….

God is God, and He is able

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!
With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit !:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDg2Fnr6KRE

Surrender and Submit

2009-11-20T12:04:00.000-08:00

Faith Filled Thoughts
November 20th, 2009
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Thankfulness Series

Surrender and Submit -- Trusting God in Hard Times

To Trust God in Hard Times Christians Must Surrender to God
and Submit to the Word of God

Partnering with trust is the concept of surrender,
a term usually associated with defeat.
Its usage here, however, means that a believer completely gives up his own will
and subjects his thoughts, ideas and deeds to the Word and will of God.
Surrendering to God is simply another way of saying submitting completely to Him.

In Luke 18:18-23,
a wealthy man came to Jesus and asked him,
“What shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus recited five of the Ten Commandments to him, and the man replied,
“All these things I have kept from my youth.”
Then Jesus said,
“You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

When the man heard this, he became very sad,
because he was very rich.
This man was sincere, and was conscientious about obedience to the commandments.
But he loved his money more than God,
and was not ready to give it up for treasure in heaven.
His priority of immediate earthly comfort blinded his eyes to any future consequences.

Often times it takes times of crises to awaken people to what is truly valuable in life.
God's Word differentiates for believers what is lasting and meaningful,
and what is not.

“Do not love the world or the things in the world.
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world -- the lust of the flesh,
the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world.
And the world is passing away,
and the lust of it;
but he who does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:15-17)

In 1 Timothy,
Paul writes to Timothy and anyone in leadership of the Christian church,
to help them keep their priorities straight.
God is first and foremost,
and He promises to supply every need.
The tempter attempts to lure Christians, especially leadership,
away from God and the things of God's kingdom,
making the things of the world glisten and glitter with enchantment.
But the tempter is also the thief, who steals, kills and destroys,
and he is the liar,
and no truth is in him.
He is god of this world, the accuser and the adversary of God and God's people.

God's Word is Pure
and dazzling light, and exposes the harsh ugliness of the deception.
“For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare,
and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,
for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness,
and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” (1 Timothy 6:7-10)

To trust God in hard times includes surrendering to Him and submitting to His Word.
The Christians of the first century church
quickly learned the value in community,
pooling their finances and resources, and trusting the apostles and leadership
to distribute to those who had needs.
They even went so far as to sell extra houses and lands,
and donate the proceeds so that the church could have stability and strength.

Surrendering to God demonstrates love, trust and faith in Him.
When God sees one of His children so
completely relinquishing every aspect of their life to Him,
He is able to work mightily in and through the life of that believer.

Jesus taught,
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled,
and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12)

Years later, Jesus' half-brother, James, echoed the Lord' words in
James 4:10.
“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”

Remember….

God is God, and He is able

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!
With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit !:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvUNkRbi5Rc&feature=related