tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81330086045786397062024-03-18T21:52:09.407-05:00As For Me And My HouseThis is the journey through my life as a born again believer and disciple of Jesus Christ, a pastor's wife, mother, dental hygienist, teacher, sister, daughter, aunt, mentor, friend, and Operation Christmas Child Shoebox packer. I am a blessed and highly favored child of the One True King, trying to make a positive difference in the lives of the people I come in contact with daily. Jennifer Barnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303586207861409314noreply@blogger.comBlogger229125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133008604578639706.post-90551468332253829952022-03-17T11:40:00.001-05:002022-03-17T11:40:08.002-05:00Spring is for Planting<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiL4rzMLEfwApdkqw7zaZTkqCoAgw1olk1rcE249IdtXntLD6j-pYoDme9uYDjoONH9XymRUGW-meUzqrr_9gua3BuiAGMwg0I6D22dWyTpcU3VdxTX1nTYbZOTArYBgIX9bspIC05tjT163ESFhv_quSxMZcXChl_k3IM9xfIgoL8PFKMi7T2I9lAbiA=s528" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="528" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiL4rzMLEfwApdkqw7zaZTkqCoAgw1olk1rcE249IdtXntLD6j-pYoDme9uYDjoONH9XymRUGW-meUzqrr_9gua3BuiAGMwg0I6D22dWyTpcU3VdxTX1nTYbZOTArYBgIX9bspIC05tjT163ESFhv_quSxMZcXChl_k3IM9xfIgoL8PFKMi7T2I9lAbiA=s320" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Luke 8: 9-15: The Purpose of the Parables And when his disciples asked him what this<br /> parable meant, he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience. </span></blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;">This parable describes the Kingdom in its present aspect. It shows us the reality of how we “hear” the Word of God and believe. When we “hear” we become more responsible than we were before we had knowledge. This parable was spoken to a multitude then explained to the disciples. When we hear the Word of God we must be careful to receive it. The Word of God must fall onto good ground to bear good fruit. <b>What kind of soil is our souls? </b>When we are willing to trust and obey, the Holy Spirit will give us the ability to understand the teachings of the Bible. There are 4 kinds of seeds or souls of people around us that we encounter: <br /><br />1. Wayside Souls: trampled by men and devoured by birds – in Bible times these were the religious leaders who refused to believe God’s message. Seeing and hearing Christ do teach and perform miracles, these people did not actually see and hear TRUTH. They could not understand the meanings of the illustrations of Christ' parables. Today, people see and hear what God is doing in the lives of people around the world, but do not understand the deeper meanings or explanations of how things are happening. These people have hard hearts. The heard in a shallow, superficial way. Only surface level learning. Satan could easily come and snatch it away. <br /><br />2. Rock Hard Souls: withered away from lack of moisture/living water – crowds who followed Jesus, but believed His message but never got around to doing anything about it. These people also heard the words but like the 1st group did not let it soak in or break into their soul. They remained unrepentant. They had no encouragement (or moisture) for their rock-hard soil of their souls. They withered away and died. They may even make a big, bright profession of faith at 1st, but it ends up being very superficial and emotional with no real change or commitment long-term to go with it. It seemed real, but there are zero roots to dig down into the soil to sustain life when it gets hard. When trouble comes, they quickly abandon faith for the easier, worldly life. It will always be easier to walk in the ways of the world than in the ways of God. Being set apart is what we are called to be. It is called the straight and narrow path for a reason. <br /><br />3. Thorns / Thorny Souls: growth is chocked out by thorns – those overcome by materialism, no room in their lives for God. This group gets along well for a season, but eventually there is no genuine faith as proved by their lack of steadfastness. They are not sustainable. The cares of this world; pleasures, riches, and fun of life take back control and the Word is snuffed out to just what they do when there is nothing better to do. The seeds eventually get smothered out and die. <br /><br />4. Good Ground: yielded 100 grains for each seed – they followed no matter the cost, true Christ-following believers with pure intentions who are filled with the Holy Spirit. They received the Word and Abide in it. They pray and meditate over scripture and live for God daily. They allow the Word to mold their lives forevermore. They are teachable and obedient and practice progressive sanctification. They produce the good Fruit of the Holy Spirit. <br /><br />a. GOD is the FARMER <br />b. Believers planting seeds are the Seed Sowers <br />c. Seed are the Word of God <br />d. SOIL IS THE HEART OF THE PEOPLE WE ARE SHARING THE GOSPEL WITH <br /><br />Our witnessing efforts may only yield good fruit 25% of the time. We may never get to see our seeds grow to fruition. This should not discourage us. It is not our responsibility to produce the fruit, however it is our job to plant the seeds. It is not the fault of the farmer or the seed when no fruit or bad fruit is produced, or if it quits producing; that is due to the condition of the soil. I remember when we used to have a garden. Kevin would do soil samples to see if we needed to add lime or other things to the soil to make it good, fertile soil for our garden. While we could change the soil in our garden, we CANNOT change the soil of the soul in those we are witnessing to. We are commanded to GO MAKE DISCIPLES, not go be soil scientists. </span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Are we doing our best to plant seeds where we are today?</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Do we let the 75% of seeds that fall on by the wayside, rocks, and thorns get us down so that we forget about the 25% that grow in good fertile soil producing 100 fold? Hey, 25% adds up over a lifetime to lots of souls in heaven causing angels to rejoice! Get out there and plant some seeds today…its Spring and Spring is for Planting! <br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Father God, I know you are the Ultimate, Most High, Master Gardner, help me to never get discouraged when I don’t see immediate results of the cultivating we are doing in ministry. Help me to remember my job is to be the obedient seed sower who sows in faith. Help me to remember to pray for the soil of the souls that I am planting in, so that one day there may be an abundant harvest. Help me to trust in You always. Help me to pray for all the seeds planted all over the world by all your faithful seed sowers. Help me to see each</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> face before me
every day as one of your loved children who need you. Help me to be more aware
of my surroundings so that I don’t miss opportunities to sow seeds. Thank you
for your faithfulness. Thank you for sending your only Son to die for a sinner
such as me. I love you. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6_d4GrO7DY4HZqY7DzCT2A7jDjQePDpJPI8U8TC8AThuPguBQl5kCW2KZDsLGQBpGwyt5KWgNX5lO1AUo_C09WE_UJobLnHoZxs_KdRn_alj9_PeCz2dgpaXBYSh4gAWXWlMLyProbzRIiMqmnlkeina-wi3NdR5r85pBZsnJllvGaQoxbaatKiKc_w=s960" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6_d4GrO7DY4HZqY7DzCT2A7jDjQePDpJPI8U8TC8AThuPguBQl5kCW2KZDsLGQBpGwyt5KWgNX5lO1AUo_C09WE_UJobLnHoZxs_KdRn_alj9_PeCz2dgpaXBYSh4gAWXWlMLyProbzRIiMqmnlkeina-wi3NdR5r85pBZsnJllvGaQoxbaatKiKc_w=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="313" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8PB9XVEKTEI" width="377" youtube-src-id="8PB9XVEKTEI"></iframe></div><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><div style="text-align: center;">I do not own rights to <span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color,var(--yt-spec-text-primary)); font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif;">Seed Sower with vocals</span></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></p>Jennifer Barnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303586207861409314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133008604578639706.post-41913082889194381372021-10-28T00:13:00.003-05:002021-10-28T00:18:25.670-05:00Who is Jesus to You?<ul style="text-align: left;"><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjci7HzHFFwzF5cf3yzXrRlSQ-ENUyChMNx3N0ivmD1u6mkroctnwC5PodsVT2T3SpJfEwJhPJi526_3y77Y78OPx9cLGfH7rPzirvuPjS1zqFOyzrfLFEoJmf2H9Rtr8mA2mmA02hQ2WBY/s1920/WhoIsJesus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjci7HzHFFwzF5cf3yzXrRlSQ-ENUyChMNx3N0ivmD1u6mkroctnwC5PodsVT2T3SpJfEwJhPJi526_3y77Y78OPx9cLGfH7rPzirvuPjS1zqFOyzrfLFEoJmf2H9Rtr8mA2mmA02hQ2WBY/w400-h225/WhoIsJesus.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">John 7:4-5: For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” For not even his brothers believed in him.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">John 7:12-13: And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.” Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">John 7:20: The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?”</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">John 7:26: And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">John 7:40-41: When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? </span></li></ul><span style="font-family: inherit;">At the time of this passage Jesus was still in Galilee, but there is probably several months between chapters 6 and 7 of the book of John. Jesus </span>didn't<span style="font-family: inherit;"> wan't to stay in Judea because it was the headquarters of the Jews where the Pharisees sought to kill Jesus. The Feast of Tabernacles was a harvest festival that was a very joyous time of celebration. It was to remind them of leaving Egypt when the Israelites lived in booths or tents, temporary shelters. It was to make them think of the coming of the Messiah who would reign forever and save them eternally. In verse 4, Jesus’ brothers did not believe he was the Messiah yet, so they sarcastically mocked him, or possibly wanted fame from being kin to him when he performed his miracles, or maybe even were jealous enough of his fame to want him killed. You gotta love some sibling rivalry! His brothers </span>didn't really know what to think of him, nor did the religious leaders of the day. The common everyday people were confused too. Opinions of Jesus were all over the place...so I am asking you - WHO IS JESUS TO YOU? Is it just a story. The Messiah. Your Redeemer. Your Get Out of Hell Free Card. Your Lord and Savior. No One (it actually makes my anxious to type that one). We will ALL stand before Him as a perfect and righteous Judge to give an account of our lives one day. How will you respond to My Jesus?<div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">In this life we are often mocked or made fun of for being “bible-thumpers”, “goodie-goodies”, that are too churchy and we can’t have any real fun. Well, don’t let those opinions bother you, they don't really matter---true joy and happiness comes from following Christ and living a Godly life. All of the things in this world that we think are so important will all fade away and souls are the only things that will last eternally. We must be about the business of make disciples. We need to go about this with the right attitudes and approach it the right way. How sad it must have been for Jesus to be mocked by his own family. While He was alive, they didn’t believe in Him as the One True Messiah. The people mocked Him. Some said Jesus was a fraud, of Satan, that He was good, demon-possessed, the Christ, and the Prophet. Opinions were all over the place about Him. This is how people will think of us too. Most importantly, We must make up our minds about WHAT WE THINK ABOUT JESUS. Whatever we decide WILL have eternal consequences. Lots of people are talking ABOUT Jesus, but are talking TO JESUS? We can wear all the religious t-shirts, read our bibles, go to church, check all the boxes, but if we are not talking TO Jesus, as in, HAVE A REAL REALATIONSHIP with Him that CHANGES how we live every day, then it is meaningless. He called us to GO MAKE DISCIPLES (Matthew 28:18-20) but when it comes time to speak up about Him in public do we? Are we like his brothers? Are we like Nicodemus who took a while to come out of the dark? We have to privilege to teach, preach, and worship without persecution, unlike many of our brothers and sisters around the world, but do we take it for granted? Do we do it without passion or less than we should? Are we thankful to go into the House of the Lord and worship, study, pray, learn, be held accountable and share with other believers? Don’t let fear stifle our boldness to proclaim the Gospel around the world. We have a command to spread it, and we should do so BOLDLY with passion and enthusiasm, without being embarrassed. If my Jesus is already your </span>Jesus<span style="font-family: inherit;"> then go tell someone else about Him today! If you don't have a TRUE live changing </span>relationship<span style="font-family: inherit;"> with him then ask me how, so you can start a NEW LIFE today!</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCkbFRJijPhQ4cFUeHUYb8u2Ayv5PFvgq8K9CPqbeZ21MTcuHIPbpW9Feo_i_hxqRqEeD9Xk9zKF1kL6sXiIo0_FsYArOtsxYOJY_03LL4KqEoRlF9v5Pf47twjkhj5zptUya_mk3VjhV/s940/Matthew-10.32.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="940" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCkbFRJijPhQ4cFUeHUYb8u2Ayv5PFvgq8K9CPqbeZ21MTcuHIPbpW9Feo_i_hxqRqEeD9Xk9zKF1kL6sXiIo0_FsYArOtsxYOJY_03LL4KqEoRlF9v5Pf47twjkhj5zptUya_mk3VjhV/w400-h335/Matthew-10.32.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Father God, Your Word tells me in Matthew10:32, that Christ will confess me to You when I confess Him to others. Help me to BOLDLY proclaim your Word, your miracles, your goodness, and your salvation to all the nations. Help me to not be hindered by fear, emotions, embarrassment, or any other obstacles that Satan or this world may throw at me. Help me to realize your convicting power for what it is and not try to make excuses or avoid it. Help me to realize and confess my sins so that you can mold me and make me into what you have designed me to be. Lord be the Master of my life and remove all pride from me. Help me to be able to reason in a rational way and see things through your eyes and recognize my own sinful flesh. Help me to live by what is good and right and the ways of Your Word always. Help me to soak up your Word and understand it the way it is written. Help me to never twist it or try to take it out of context. Help me to be a better disciple. Thank you for all the blessing you give me everyday that I take for granted. Thank you for my freedom </span>to worship You. Thank you for our missionaries proclaiming your love and salvation around the world today; be with each of their families and their ministries. Help their words to fall on receptive ears. <span style="font-family: inherit;">Thank you for giving your Only Son for a sinner like me. I ask these things in Jesus’ Precious Name, Amen.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="327" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FW5o2uBeMWQ" width="393" youtube-src-id="FW5o2uBeMWQ"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/FW5o2uBeMWQ" target="_blank">My Jesus - Anne Wilson</a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGlm3ozBfpbsFFl-xXR0CgRlYPN5qItuFgmpCYeAlAd-ZnSd0wLGhBKcfANVWkuMo2S06e1e8vSHZzwIQ2NaxfbgphI_l03SBA1qd1CMYqDQwTlLozwp8fMHHqgs2uTJY11i7_0ztBZioq/s960/romans+road.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGlm3ozBfpbsFFl-xXR0CgRlYPN5qItuFgmpCYeAlAd-ZnSd0wLGhBKcfANVWkuMo2S06e1e8vSHZzwIQ2NaxfbgphI_l03SBA1qd1CMYqDQwTlLozwp8fMHHqgs2uTJY11i7_0ztBZioq/w640-h360/romans+road.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /><style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
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</style><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div></div>Jennifer Barnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303586207861409314noreply@blogger.com0Arkansas, USA35.20105 -91.83183346.8908161638211567 -126.9880834 63.511283836178848 -56.675583399999994tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133008604578639706.post-89725495384562394672021-10-10T08:30:00.002-05:002021-10-10T08:30:00.295-05:00Cost of Discipleship<span style="font-family: inherit;">Discipleship comes at a "high cost", are you willing </span>to<span style="font-family: inherit;"> pay it? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOhPraE4p1XHcP4LLx219IRhyphenhyphen8mZM6tUsL2jnaD3dT567mGin5Zur6WKFO20BC_VhAPWe4OP8XdoXpjOas2jaYeus9o3rQ6wZPk0uH_TTKEK0qyWHrnHt2qgOA0RPLUeqgcbeFhGZKbgc/s852/mark+8+34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="852" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOhPraE4p1XHcP4LLx219IRhyphenhyphen8mZM6tUsL2jnaD3dT567mGin5Zur6WKFO20BC_VhAPWe4OP8XdoXpjOas2jaYeus9o3rQ6wZPk0uH_TTKEK0qyWHrnHt2qgOA0RPLUeqgcbeFhGZKbgc/s320/mark+8+34.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></span><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jesus talked about the differences in the easy way that most of the world wants to take and the hard pathway of following Him. Accepting Jesus and the salvation He provides is easy, but actively growing and following Jesus will impact every part of our lives and takes time and effort.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">The choice to follow Jesus may cost us a high price in earthly terms, but when we are determined to follow Him, the Lord will change our desires. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Discipleship is a lifelong process! We will never learn all we can about our Precious Jesus! Becoming a disciple is free; there is nothing we can do to buy our salvation. There is nothing we can do to earn it, but we WILL have to make sacrifices in order to follow Jesus. The cost of being a disciple comes from those sacrifices. We may have to stop doing some activities because we know they are not pleasing to God. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">We need to live differently than the world around us. This will not always be easy, but it will always be worth it. Jesus paid the ultimate price for us, and we can honor Him by listening to His Word and following Him.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is there anything you or your family needs to give up for Christ? </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">I can promise you, if you totally give up everything for Jesus, you will never regret it. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Make sure HE is in the #1 place in your life and in your kid's lives today. Let HIM be in control of all that your family does! </span></div><div><i><blockquote> (Today's blog is paraphrased from Elements Kids Worship Discipleship Lesson 2)</blockquote><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglZMvLtqvKgctIxNun3tU3eIGFOZU-tihmz55LqyLD4djEb83cSioXD3QUzSnPfyjiuqRDb-bRV0eOAkdxRILXxEfcIfXZJyht20YG_6n8EZP96yX5yha60t_0nw-XZzvxYMAFNuftJmeJ/s1500/Discipleship-Response.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglZMvLtqvKgctIxNun3tU3eIGFOZU-tihmz55LqyLD4djEb83cSioXD3QUzSnPfyjiuqRDb-bRV0eOAkdxRILXxEfcIfXZJyht20YG_6n8EZP96yX5yha60t_0nw-XZzvxYMAFNuftJmeJ/w400-h300/Discipleship-Response.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtgjbgQ3hEcso67XvSBHMijhwpbB3c79nX-JD1hIf80dCMt5uNF8dyvAdQXqWt_iUUKsGtf6O7s-wA3de1pAS38QZZ8J2LLMO1yo0tjHcTLgM_bvb_fe69ojKhpY8zcX17EvIwtgWvW2td/s2000/discipleship.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="727" data-original-width="2000" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtgjbgQ3hEcso67XvSBHMijhwpbB3c79nX-JD1hIf80dCMt5uNF8dyvAdQXqWt_iUUKsGtf6O7s-wA3de1pAS38QZZ8J2LLMO1yo0tjHcTLgM_bvb_fe69ojKhpY8zcX17EvIwtgWvW2td/w640-h232/discipleship.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> <p></p></i></div>Jennifer Barnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303586207861409314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133008604578639706.post-21450915888982416572021-09-15T13:30:00.009-05:002021-09-15T13:30:00.169-05:00ZEAL FOR THE LORD<span style="font-family: inherit;">His disciples remembered that it was written “Zeal for your house will consume me. John 2:17<br /><blockquote>What is zeal: ardently passionate (literally "boiling" with interest or desire); "to be deeply committed to something, with the implication of accompanying desire – 'to be earnest, to set one's heart on, to be completely intent upon' ", very fervent(zēlos). To seethe or bubble,' and is therefore used figuratively of mental states and emotions. </blockquote></span><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jesus is speaking to the Jewish, educated leaders – they KNEW scripture – yet they were so blinded to the TRUE LIGHT. Psalm 69:9 says: “For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.” The leaders would have known this verse, yet they still could not accept who Christ really was when he cleansed the temple. People were wrapped up in worldly business and using the temple/church for personal gain. Christ put a stop to this by cleansing the temple, which showed his rightful authority. Christ wants the church to be used for pure, authentic worship and prayer. Matthew 21:13 says: “He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” <br /><br />Have we every truly been “ZEALOUS” over anything, according to the definition? If so, are we about the WRONG things? Would God and Christ approve of our use and worship in His house? When we gather together are we here with deep, boiling desire; to offer prayer and intense worship to the Lord; or do we enter into His House half-heartedly? If we are not here to zealously worship and pray then we are just as bad as the Jewish leaders of the days of old. <br /><br />Father God, thank you for the splendor and glory you show us every day. You alone are mighty to save and worthy of our praise. Help me to be more ZEALOUS for You and not for things in this world. Help me to be 100% committed to serving You alone. Guide my mind to have clear thoughts and intentions when I enter into your House of Worship and Prayer. Help me to not get distracted by worldly things that Satan can use to derail me during our precious times of being able to assemble together. Lord, help us not take these times for granted as, as many around the world are not able to have a time of worship, prayer and studying Your Word without persecution. Forgive me for the times I have entered your house with the wrong frame of mind. Thank you for all blessings you grant me every day, even without my realizing them. Thank you for sending Jesus to die and rise again for everyone. Thank you for your inspired word that you sent to us through faithful men who taught others so that we could learn about You. Be with the missionaries around the world who are continuing to zealously share your salvation message and disciple those they encounter. Help me to disciple those you put in my path. I ask these things in Jesus’ Name, Amen.</span><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSVc_7UcKqaWp-mSYzXoAkVMCHWBzqu2hanqYvMUGCpjwEAoVsWyzRFTB78H1O9EKBzY6FtuwqqSlm2U9bBByFPKQ-nJmfRH3Q6SjgqYXs69pcW3dGTBJZZdEeoTkdAiWe3vNAC_WVjH-u/s512/zeal.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="512" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSVc_7UcKqaWp-mSYzXoAkVMCHWBzqu2hanqYvMUGCpjwEAoVsWyzRFTB78H1O9EKBzY6FtuwqqSlm2U9bBByFPKQ-nJmfRH3Q6SjgqYXs69pcW3dGTBJZZdEeoTkdAiWe3vNAC_WVjH-u/w400-h219/zeal.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>Jennifer Barnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303586207861409314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133008604578639706.post-21010475447581565032021-09-10T11:56:00.002-05:002021-09-10T11:56:16.259-05:00God's 911 Part 3<p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: Oxygen; font-size: medium;">"For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday." Psalm 91:3-6</span></blockquote><p>Verse 3 tells us God will protect us from the temptation traps that try to get us into sin and He will protect us from things sent to physically hurt us. It’s up to us to believe God’s promise. God made His protection available to us; we just have to run to Him. How is your speech? Every word we speak is a spiritual weapon—either for good or for evil. Choose how you use your words, carefully!</p><p>Verses 5-6 tells us the 4 groups of EVIL that Satan uses to attack:</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Terrors = dangers of the night that cause fear.</li><li>Arrows = try to pierce us physically, emotionally, or spiritually.</li><li>Pestilence = sickness, disease or illness that causes fear.</li><li>Destruction = natural disasters </li></ol><p></p><p>Our words are powerful, use them to fight Satan. He tries to attack where it will hurt us most. Don’t let him rob you of your joy. Prayer is a powerful spiritual weapon and it can change impossible situations. Jesus gave us the perfect example of how to fight attacks from the devil. Jesus fought against the temptation of Satan in the wilderness by quoting Bible verses to Satan. We need to have a “bag of spiritual weapons” we can pull out when Satan attacks. The only way we will be ready for battle is if we practice and learn to use God’s Word ahead of time! Do you read, meditate on and memorize scripture on a regular basis? Faith is not a feeling; it is choosing to believe what God says in His Word and refusing to doubt. We can't do this if we do not know what The Word says. It’s easy to panic when things get out of control, but those are the times when it is more important than ever to call on God. Call out to God; He always answers your call! </p><p>The verses from Psalm 91:3-6 remind me that: </p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>God saves me / delivers me from my enemies & their schemes. </li><li>God covers me with His wings & shields me with His faithfulness. </li><li>I will find refuge in Him if I seek it.</li><li>Because of this, I will not be afraid. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMpXu1myIhrVTk6GKGsziXE0LHN7YP-g8XFqxhUdn0YalYWtO9ECA9DzEk4aGbIuCA3Npsiew_1icupZXrGNbAI0V3AqQs2MQQIjce_rSyBhiRDuuJgdJmO1r5Bz6Rm3rEyHfCmPOc1CKf/s1920/36.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMpXu1myIhrVTk6GKGsziXE0LHN7YP-g8XFqxhUdn0YalYWtO9ECA9DzEk4aGbIuCA3Npsiew_1icupZXrGNbAI0V3AqQs2MQQIjce_rSyBhiRDuuJgdJmO1r5Bz6Rm3rEyHfCmPOc1CKf/w640-h427/36.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></li></ol><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div>Jennifer Barnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303586207861409314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133008604578639706.post-35718901505169627292021-08-23T08:09:00.010-05:002021-08-23T08:09:00.176-05:00God's 911 Part 2<span style="font-family: inherit;">"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.” <br />God is called by 4 names is this chapter. His names tell us about His charter & what He will do for us. <br />1. Most High – highest being that exists. <br />2. Almighty – all-might. Most powerful.<br />3. My Lord – we belong to Him, He is the boss.<br />4. My God – our personal Savior. <br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Satan sets physical and spiritual traps for us, but God promises to save us from these traps if we abide in Him. Our Heavenly Father will always do what is best for us. God will protect us from the temptation traps that try to get us into sin and He will protect us from things sent to physically hurt us. It’s up to us to believe God’s promise and choose to live according to His Word and calling on our life! God made His protection available to us; we just have to run to Him. Every word we speak is a spiritual weapon—either for good or for evil. Choose how you use your words, carefully!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />I am choosing to believe God and His Word. It is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword...(Heb. 4:12) With that being said, He also knows our thoughts, intentions, and what motivates our actions! Be authentic in all that you do. God is my refuge! God is my fortress! I will trust God, when I'm in danger, for He is with me. I will trust God when I am fearful because He is my fortress. I will live daily within God's will for my life and enjoy His protection. I thrive best when I am abiding in the shadow (inseparable companion) of the Almighty and I can imagine you will too!</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFGp0_7KrF7gQ0-93t2juoT_fyn-qG6M0uFoLHwaNSkxGdtRJIok2xrwNjTgqBVZUmCNe1SavOy7lTzME_Cd_NsI99vWDoUfkyY05L1i0IbPlkaE53hrF5Jt16VW9CxXQwDPLSCquqFX2Q/s1200/ps+91+1-4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFGp0_7KrF7gQ0-93t2juoT_fyn-qG6M0uFoLHwaNSkxGdtRJIok2xrwNjTgqBVZUmCNe1SavOy7lTzME_Cd_NsI99vWDoUfkyY05L1i0IbPlkaE53hrF5Jt16VW9CxXQwDPLSCquqFX2Q/w640-h640/ps+91+1-4.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Jennifer Barnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303586207861409314noreply@blogger.com0Arkansas, USA35.20105 -91.83183346.8908161638211567 -126.9880834 63.511283836178848 -56.675583399999994tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133008604578639706.post-67565969628053951652021-08-09T20:57:00.000-05:002021-08-09T20:57:08.612-05:00God’s 911<p>God says that He is the place of real safety from any bad thing you can imagine--if you will run to Him with all your heart! Tell God you trust Him! God's Word is true, and He is faithful to do what He promises if we put our complete trust in Him. </p><p><i>“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1 ESV) </i></p><p>Dwell: means to continues in a place. Shelter is a refuge/protection from danger or trouble. To Abide means to remain. A shadow is an Inseparable Companion —I ❤️that definition. </p><p>When we add those definitions into the verse this is what we get: He who (continues in the place of) (the refuge) of the Most High will (remain) the (Inseparable companion) of the Almighty. (Psalm 91:1 ESV).</p><p>Don't you want to remain the Inseparable Companion of the ALMIGHTY, THE MOST HIGH! I want to dwell and continue in the place of His refuge and protection! Satan may try, or fleshly desires may set physical traps, but God promises to save us! Father God will always do what is best for us! God will protect us. We need to run to Him for shelter and safety. My words are weapons. They can be weapons either for good or for evil depending on how I use them. Are your words doing more good or bad?<br /><br />God is our refuge. I trust Him above all when I am in danger. I am so thankful He is always with me. Remember to trust Him when you are afraid and remember HE is your fortress. Live for HIM daily in HIS protection and in HIS will!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguWe957LKS-2DHcaZhBMWBeossffNAARdcfuqPQ-SoPql6mjYFd3JIiD6RRv2MZp4QjSzX7SNfT_itMW3TVRIo6gtIWsFtU-JRg72gcn9Z9DeK-egHAs-HyfAI0AIg8yBWhMM85FGxEDnD/s800/ps+91+1-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguWe957LKS-2DHcaZhBMWBeossffNAARdcfuqPQ-SoPql6mjYFd3JIiD6RRv2MZp4QjSzX7SNfT_itMW3TVRIo6gtIWsFtU-JRg72gcn9Z9DeK-egHAs-HyfAI0AIg8yBWhMM85FGxEDnD/w400-h400/ps+91+1-2.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /><br /></p>Jennifer Barnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303586207861409314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133008604578639706.post-840862724053609722021-04-29T08:00:00.001-05:002021-04-29T08:00:00.211-05:00Outcast or Cast out to Seek Men<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”” John 9:35 ESV <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJoBEGT70Ejp7ycwOc2C5yX_q3mzCNZwem68Wj_VeYJIZLfSz3GFaeoNmiJVDQHMNmYUfBl-h3b3qCELiYmEbM4Xv3FJqZkmqhl9s4F4GaiYwadB3nceiMcl5KzQW00i8qfMbeoJMNmWX/s900/outcast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJoBEGT70Ejp7ycwOc2C5yX_q3mzCNZwem68Wj_VeYJIZLfSz3GFaeoNmiJVDQHMNmYUfBl-h3b3qCELiYmEbM4Xv3FJqZkmqhl9s4F4GaiYwadB3nceiMcl5KzQW00i8qfMbeoJMNmWX/s320/outcast.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">This man was blind from birth, then miraculously healed. The Pharisees question him; his parents bailed on him; he was excommunicated from the church and could no longer worship. He surely felt all alone, but then Jesus sought after him. Jesus always sought out the outcast, the sinners, those that were looked down on in society. Think about Zacchaeus, the tax collector, the sinner, the short guy that no one liked or thought highly of. Look at the men He called to be His apostles none of them were the ones that were making it as Jewish rabbis; they weren’t the ones that were called to continue their education. They were fishermen they, were tax collectors, they were normal everyday people, yet Jesus chose them to come follow Him.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">How do we look at the look at the outcast in society? Do we seek them out and say "Do you know Jesus? Come along with me and I’ll teach you about him!" Or do we look for the "up- to-do/popular" people the arrogant, the rich, the proud, the high in society, and choose those to hang out with and Worship with? Is that the list of who we are aspiring to be like. The Pharisees were not the in crowd to hang out with even though they thought they were. The "right" in crowd was the meek and lowly who chose to worship Jesus and truly understood who He was. Those were the ones who truly believed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dear Lord, help me always try to live the example that You demonstrated for us. Help me to seek out those who truly seek You and see You as their Father God. Help me to encircle myself with those who want a relationship with You; with those who will help me seek out those who are longing to come and worship you authentically. Help me to cast myself out to reach everyone, even those who society may consider an outcast. </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZiiK5JJy_xiifTTsYXDp_2vCkzED8FOtYAzueu7xTWoyMdgDQb2Y21M-mrS44vAIdfkhM28d47O6mi33sMJXQUEYvXfNUa1O2BiJr1TRpYPXdJaow7drERMGjq88YP_CpHyMDMWPcAn-d/s750/share+his+love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZiiK5JJy_xiifTTsYXDp_2vCkzED8FOtYAzueu7xTWoyMdgDQb2Y21M-mrS44vAIdfkhM28d47O6mi33sMJXQUEYvXfNUa1O2BiJr1TRpYPXdJaow7drERMGjq88YP_CpHyMDMWPcAn-d/w426-h640/share+his+love.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></span></div></div>Jennifer Barnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303586207861409314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133008604578639706.post-39077181357434269982021-04-26T21:50:00.001-05:002021-04-26T21:50:09.882-05:00Abide in Me<span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHRBGfxJWv70iwebdZc6VXZtvI0r8LLDp_zH8NiXYVmk2t2O8zPSkPG9_G-ry_OuBGMAKx_d5SCHHWsFxyxuNXF8k6LX1RfMJm-63XM7D4IeI52pJFPBI7GswIMSB_4_sNHfP08QH0wwas/s699/abide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="699" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHRBGfxJWv70iwebdZc6VXZtvI0r8LLDp_zH8NiXYVmk2t2O8zPSkPG9_G-ry_OuBGMAKx_d5SCHHWsFxyxuNXF8k6LX1RfMJm-63XM7D4IeI52pJFPBI7GswIMSB_4_sNHfP08QH0wwas/s320/abide.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples” John 8:31</i></span><br /> <br />To abide is to live, continue, or remain. So, to abide in Christ is to live in Him or remain in Him; to know or have a relationship with Him: To abide in Jesus’ word means to continue believing what Jesus has said and walking in obedience to Him. This verse shows that continuing to trust Jesus and obey Him is a way to test who is truly disciples of His. Abiding in Christ is not a special status for a few believers as a process of sanctification. True believers ABIDE! The difference between those abiding in Christ and those not abiding in Christ is the difference between the saved and unsaved. John 15:4 tells us: "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." Believers ABIDE! <br /> <br />Are we truly abiding in Christ? The phrase abiding in Christ means an intimate, close relationship, and not just a superficial acquaintance. Are we going through the motions or do we have an intimate, authentic, love relationship with Christ? Do we bear fruit, or do we need to be cut off and tossed into the fire? Yikes! If we have no fruit, or rotten fruit, woe is us…we are abiding in the world and not in Christ! Many in this world may be fooled by just going through the motions, and never truly experiencing an abiding relationship with Christ.<br /> <br />Father God, help me to always ABIDE in You. Help me to rely on You and glean from Your Word. Thank You for the godly people you place in my life. Help me to continue to grow and to have others hold me accountable. Thank you for the privilege to teach children about Your Love, Your Son and Your Word.</span><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div><br /></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikk8JQl6gizVMFv4DkcEq8291QcA3mbO9wRbL9Cxj6Kg8UjI7sgf83IQ9gCR_PhENxtOyMsRGX-jSmqliff6W58Di2W6NMH4jFvoS6p4oDDoPOFcGXjwMAztUjAP71M8bp0IE3cZuE5-cb/s794/abide+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="794" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikk8JQl6gizVMFv4DkcEq8291QcA3mbO9wRbL9Cxj6Kg8UjI7sgf83IQ9gCR_PhENxtOyMsRGX-jSmqliff6W58Di2W6NMH4jFvoS6p4oDDoPOFcGXjwMAztUjAP71M8bp0IE3cZuE5-cb/w400-h300/abide+2.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />Jennifer Barnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303586207861409314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133008604578639706.post-23475725157622333542021-04-16T08:49:00.001-05:002021-04-16T08:49:00.181-05:00Are you left carrying a basket of leftovers?<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.” </span>John 6:13</div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />In this miracle of Jesus feeding the 5000 with 2 fish and 5 loaves there are several things to be learned. Jesus met the physical needs of the people so that He could then start ministering to their spiritual needs. It is hard to teach the hungry. Jesus asked his disciple, Philip, who was from the area for a "human solution" to test their faith. Since there was no logical human solution, Jesus' miracle was allowed to shine even brighter. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcisJpFxjbyUBUj6fKvUq8U8sczIs9yG4j1M9Lm0ktihwpkvE2oFD4PEZAbJg8gVCr3GDysA5LyRadPxM6NC7LuvtBQZDg2DxFBoftKCH5wEg4PTKBd_byJnbpttv1BEjLjJTHF6sC6WH/s1200/2+fish+5+loaves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcisJpFxjbyUBUj6fKvUq8U8sczIs9yG4j1M9Lm0ktihwpkvE2oFD4PEZAbJg8gVCr3GDysA5LyRadPxM6NC7LuvtBQZDg2DxFBoftKCH5wEg4PTKBd_byJnbpttv1BEjLjJTHF6sC6WH/s320/2+fish+5+loaves.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />What can we learn from this? Are we like the boy who was willing to give ALL of what he had? It wasn’t much, like the widow with her 2 coins, the boy was willing to give his everything to Christ. Even when we don't feel like we have much to offer, when we give it all to Jesus, He can do amazing things with it. No matter our age, if we are willing, God can and will use us. We should never feel like we are too old or too young to be used. Also God multiplies and blesses what we give to Him. This can be our time, our abilities, our talents, our money, our family…what are we willing to let Him use? Will we give to Him without hesitation? Will we lay it at His feet to do great things with? Also, take note, there is no waste with Christ, He provided more than enough. There was a bountiful supply with plenty of leftover--enough for each disciple to have a basket to carry as a reminder. The leftovers were far greater then the beginning supply. This is how amazing God is. When we give our everything to Him, we come out with so much more of a blessing on the other side from where we began!<br /><br />Dear Lord, help me to always offer my all to You. Allow me to be used for a blessing to others. I don't want to be left carrying a basket of leftovers to remind me that I didn't offer my all to You. </span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQDQovAItuJG62CjI61FM595FfvMlsKLzHoUKhVyGSqRtb9Tzt3AhvMf2P0TLmXL9NmTyfS5xgZnMjMAqWzqM6ncSumonh93u9geFGN2H9mZI9mPAellY4umQOcb3yQaJCoc8sgvLBcRa/s736/12+baskets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="736" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQDQovAItuJG62CjI61FM595FfvMlsKLzHoUKhVyGSqRtb9Tzt3AhvMf2P0TLmXL9NmTyfS5xgZnMjMAqWzqM6ncSumonh93u9geFGN2H9mZI9mPAellY4umQOcb3yQaJCoc8sgvLBcRa/w640-h246/12+baskets.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /></div>Jennifer Barnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303586207861409314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133008604578639706.post-12207660858971750082021-04-15T08:49:00.000-05:002021-04-15T08:49:28.156-05:00Crowd Pleaser or Christ Pleaser?<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.”</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">John 5:16 ESV</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jesus heals a man who had been crippled for 38 years. He is persecuted by the Jews because the healing happened on a Sabbath (Saturday). God had commanded that people rest from their work on the Sabbath (in Exodus 20:8-11). The Jewish leaders were prideful because they “knew” the law/God’s Word. yet in all their knowledge they didn’t have wisdom to realize who Christ was. The problem of the Jewish leaders was that they practiced religion, but did not pursue a relationship with God. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">God placed Christ in the position as Judge over us and our sins. When we take God’s law and add to it, complicate it, or twist it like the Jewish leaders did we will be held accountable. .Jesus will be impartial because He seeks to honor God and not himself. He is not concerned with pleasing man. Throughout His life, Jesus purposefully sought out people who were hurting, sick, or disabled. As followers of Jesus, we need to do the same.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQGSoeRK-0fHcbRyo20HcO78EvlJ_4EiVgkC_Bb4F-rAcsRy61orgRT3gbJS8y1hV0kKa69MgAr0duOPRxRGwe59izjAC25sCj2hf7DbPWcpN4jvXyj94RzLu15kZw-3FJcPueoxrqyGa/s600/please+God+or+people.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQGSoeRK-0fHcbRyo20HcO78EvlJ_4EiVgkC_Bb4F-rAcsRy61orgRT3gbJS8y1hV0kKa69MgAr0duOPRxRGwe59izjAC25sCj2hf7DbPWcpN4jvXyj94RzLu15kZw-3FJcPueoxrqyGa/w400-h400/please+God+or+people.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lord, help us to never get in the habit of knowing about You without ever really knowing and trusting You. Help me to never be on an intellectual pursuit instead of a personal passionate relationship with You. Help me to fully trust You and completely surrender everything I am and all that I have to You. Help to live for an audience of One. Help me to live to please You and not the crowd.</span><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Jennifer Barnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303586207861409314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133008604578639706.post-28974381262732876512021-04-07T18:24:00.001-05:002021-04-07T18:24:09.470-05:00Inviting Others to Christ<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” John 4:29</span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Witnessing 101 - In this passage we see an example of inviting others to Christ. It in not hard, but we must be intentional. The woman at the well, dropped all she was doing, she left her watering pot, she went into town, thinking about OTHERS instead of HERSELF. She was thinking about who else needed the living water of eternal life.<br /><br />Do we have this same urgency to witness to others? Do we truly care for lost souls? We drop what we are doing to share the Gospel? Do we go and say, "Come see what Christ is doing in my life,? Let me tell you about Him!" What the women had to share was very simple, but it was effective. We don't have to be Bible scholars to share what the Lord is doing in our lives. We have a living testimony, our personal story He is writing every day. <br /><br />Father God, help us be committed to memorizing your Word and sharing it with the world around us. Help us to say to others, "Come and see" what the Lord is doing in and through me, for His Honor and His Glory. Help us boldly proclaim your Word to all the nations. What is we each one were to reach one as Babbie Mason sings?<br /><br /><blockquote>"He tells them that God is able to make their house a home.<br />He wants to win this world for Christ, but he can't do it alone, <br />but each one, can reach one,<br />As we follow after Christ we all can lead one.<br />We can lead one to the savior<br />and together we can tell the world that Jesus is the way.<br />If we each one reach one…" ---Babbie Mason</blockquote><br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="418" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OOczARm66Wk" width="503" youtube-src-id="OOczARm66Wk"></iframe></div><br /> <p></p>Jennifer Barnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303586207861409314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133008604578639706.post-30531465918734915032021-03-30T14:54:00.003-05:002021-03-30T14:54:01.464-05:00Eternal Life or Wrath of God…it's our choice!Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. John 3:36 <br /><br />Faith in Christ yields eternal life. However, faith without works is dead. We cannot have true faith if we do also OBEY His Word. The wrath of God is not something we should want anyone to ever face. God's wrath is holy and necessary to show how Awesome He is. Everyone who rejects Him, His Love, His salvation and chooses to continually/willfully sin will receive the wrath of God instead of eternal life. <br /><br />The truth of eternal life and the truth of the wrath of God are things we must be open to teach and share. We should not do this in order to "scare" people out of hell and into heaven, but because we serve a perfect, holy and just God who cannot look upon sin. We need to teach of putting off of the old self and its sinful desires. None of us should desire to continue to willfully live in sin or abide in separation from God when we can abide in Him and His love. <br /><br />Father God, let us boldly proclaim Your Word to all of the Nations. Let us preach and teach the message of salvation to all who will listen. Help us share Your Love Story of everlasting life and joy with everyone you put in our path. Help us also boldly proclaim your message for all those who choose not to believe with compassion and mercy, so that we may persuade them to follow You. Help is teach of your love and mercy and judgement. Help us teach of the effects of sin in this life and the life to come. In your Name I ask these things, always.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GuAJp85k1D3225IO4lwBfrWpQ3oW4Oiv9n7QVCHqrE3yj7s3TzROJmsrzmO5LrrphN7zud7HUbuc1ctFRvqGycNAV9v8VRrSJcFVoAof6MnVTSpNvovryIHQWPTBRhBcKLl2XN-WTktS/s1280/jOHN+3+36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GuAJp85k1D3225IO4lwBfrWpQ3oW4Oiv9n7QVCHqrE3yj7s3TzROJmsrzmO5LrrphN7zud7HUbuc1ctFRvqGycNAV9v8VRrSJcFVoAof6MnVTSpNvovryIHQWPTBRhBcKLl2XN-WTktS/w400-h225/jOHN+3+36.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /><br /></p>Jennifer Barnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303586207861409314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133008604578639706.post-80544983496407077192021-03-28T22:33:00.000-05:002021-03-28T22:33:15.942-05:00Jesus Knows Us<blockquote><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>"But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man." John 2:24-25 ESV</i></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;">God truly knows all men. Since Jesus is fully man and fully God, He knew the true inward thoughts of the people. He knew His true followers and their true character. He knows who is truly His, the upright, the weak, the meek, the lowly; and He also knows the wayward, the self-righteous, those easily led astray. He knew the "inconstancy" and "fickleness" of the multitude surrounding him. He knew how easily they might be turned against Him by the Jewish leaders, and how His ministry could be cut short too soon. Even though the crowd acted as though they wanted to believe and follow Him, He did not/could not "entrust" or take these people totally under His wings as true believers and commune with them because He "KNEW" them and the true state of their hearts - how sad. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">We look at the outward appearance of man to make decisions. Sometimes we can look at the fruit others bear to make character judgements. Christ truly knows all of us. He looks at the inward parts; at the true intentions of the heart. We need to be cautious of being like the Pharisees or others with dead faith. We need to make sure we are aligned with Christ; that our true intentions are Christ-like. We need to bear good fruit. When Christ examines us, as He "knows what is in man" what does He see?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lord, please help me examine and test my ways as Lamentations tells us to do, and if any are out of alignment, help me to return to You. Convict me of any errors or sins in my life so that when you see me, you will want to call me your own and draw me into your inner circle. Thank You for walking the path you chose so freely during Holy Week for all sinners everywhere. Thank You for your Triumphal Entry, as you looked over that Holy City that would reject You, as we still do today, I can't imagine the heartache, as you knew the hearts of man, but I am eternally grateful that you chose to do so. Thank you for your willing sacrifice as Your Holy and Perfect Father turned His back on You for ME! I love You, Jesus. I plead the blood!<br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yImVgERuJKc" width="320" youtube-src-id="yImVgERuJKc"></iframe></div><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">God’s children have been tested and fought on every side</span></div><span style="font-style: italic;"><div style="text-align: center;">But there is one sure weapon when we face the enemy</div></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><div style="text-align: center;">It’s still the blood of Jesus that brings our victory</div></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><div style="text-align: center;">I plead the blood, I plead the blood</div></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><div style="text-align: center;">That was shed on Calvary, bringing hope for you and me</div></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><div style="text-align: center;">I plead the blood, I plead the blood</div></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><div style="text-align: center;">Over all the power of hell, Satan you cannot prevail</div></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><div style="text-align: center;">I plead the blood</div></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><div style="text-align: center;">For our lost and dying loved ones, the blood still saves today</div></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><div style="text-align: center;">And when we cry for healing, the blood is ours to claim</div></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><div style="text-align: center;">The blood is still the answer for every battle of the mind</div></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><div style="text-align: center;">There is no greater power, demons tremble when we cry.</div></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><div style="text-align: center;">I plead the blood</div></span></blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>Jennifer Barnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303586207861409314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133008604578639706.post-40290618347688721032021-03-22T17:25:00.002-05:002021-03-22T17:25:25.354-05:00Let Your Light Shine<p></p><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><i><b> The
light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. </b></i> <i><b>John </b></i><i><b>1:5</b></i></blockquote><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The theme of John’s Gospel is that Jesus is the long-awaited, promised Messiah and the Only Son of God, who gives eternal life to all who choose to believe. As for the verse I chose to write about today, the LIGHT, the TRUE LIGHT, shines and the darkness has not overcome it. The darkness does not comprehend it. Darkness, in the Bible, commonly denotes ignorance, guilt, or misery. When it is said that "the light shines in darkness," it means that the Lord Jesus came to teach an ignorant, wicked, sinful world. This has always been the case. It was so when He sent His prophets; it was so during the time of the Judges, during His own ministry, and in every age since. His efforts to enlighten and save men He has been like light struggling to penetrate a thick, dense, dark rain cloud; and though a few rays may pierce the gloom, the great mass is still impenetrable. </span><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7UPsr7ZU9O____6KERjl2OowQzyK0h5yLKpOFkr0L6ZjzyvD4GKWntYUDkxTEUlpgIrZg6kdgqEzIGa-e9Ba8J8KqqEM5C_2c-9kHQvaB6xnMtSgGXdkD4mRAb95rkIxWfLGZwEKFCq9/s833/sun+rays.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="833" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7UPsr7ZU9O____6KERjl2OowQzyK0h5yLKpOFkr0L6ZjzyvD4GKWntYUDkxTEUlpgIrZg6kdgqEzIGa-e9Ba8J8KqqEM5C_2c-9kHQvaB6xnMtSgGXdkD4mRAb95rkIxWfLGZwEKFCq9/w475-h205/sun+rays.jpg" width="475" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">I really like to watch the sky after a storm when the clouds are dark and the sun is trying to pierce through...I can never get a good photo of the beauty to do it justice, but this is what I envision when I read this part of scripture. Perhaps we have been given over to our reprobate minds. Darkness, sin, cannot comprehended the LIGHT until the Holy Spirt softens the density of the darkness. The darkness did not "receive" or "admit" the rays of light; the shades were so thick that the light could not penetrate them; men were so ignorant, so guilty, so debased, that they did not appreciate the value of His LIGHT, His instructions, His salvation; they despised and rejected Him. And so, it is still. Humanity, sick in sin, to this day, will not receive His teachings, and be enlightened, saved by Him. Sin always blinds the mind to the beauty and warmth of the LIGHT of the Lord Jesus.</span><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />We need to realize our LIGHT needs to always shine into the darkness around us. However, we need to be realistic and understand, that just as in the days of old, we may only have "rays of light" that penetrate due to the dense darkness of the world of sin around us. Do not let this discourage us as we let our LIGHT shine. John 16:33 tells us: </span><div><blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;">"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”</span></blockquote><p>LIGHT <span style="font-family: inherit;">always outshines darkness! It is so much easier to walk toward light, even if it is a small glimmer or flickering, than to walk toward darkness! Shine on, my friends, shine on! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let us pray without ceasing, that our eyes may be opened to behold The TRUE LIGHT, that we may walk in it; and be made more wise in His Word. That through faith in Jesus Christ we may press on toward the mark, letting our LIGHT shine into darkness always, without regret!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6144MPyvxLHHhgT-21_eqsHy4ImRj_2mmtty_ZwbaKypNiZ5sBRqGkBE_i93Yhq-ylfzjjPEuKIW1Rb7Pklexjn0FzeoOa8ImXftB85BNGtdkez751Emcl5PXFUDmHTCatJByZbpCX4_S/s711/light.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="711" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6144MPyvxLHHhgT-21_eqsHy4ImRj_2mmtty_ZwbaKypNiZ5sBRqGkBE_i93Yhq-ylfzjjPEuKIW1Rb7Pklexjn0FzeoOa8ImXftB85BNGtdkez751Emcl5PXFUDmHTCatJByZbpCX4_S/w640-h360/light.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><div><br /></div></div></div></div>Jennifer Barnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303586207861409314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133008604578639706.post-21607716095766933992020-10-29T10:46:00.004-05:002020-10-29T10:46:58.877-05:00Who’s Your Adversary?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixo8emeDziUpLMwMP1VqAjdWSC54B5lqrW38klAmkGbGEP2mzg0q4dZuNBt5UPAOxaRBr-FJSIbHMf1SLU_bsY1HxULKDQPD6_7y_HNo6bVWlIMOfVbvBHE7VHc8zfvKkIeJ0L2iV-Fdn0/s489/259B4D98-144D-4BFE-81B6-7F050B23C14F.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="489" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixo8emeDziUpLMwMP1VqAjdWSC54B5lqrW38klAmkGbGEP2mzg0q4dZuNBt5UPAOxaRBr-FJSIbHMf1SLU_bsY1HxULKDQPD6_7y_HNo6bVWlIMOfVbvBHE7VHc8zfvKkIeJ0L2iV-Fdn0/w400-h398/259B4D98-144D-4BFE-81B6-7F050B23C14F.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Who is your adversary or opponent? With whom are you in conflict, or dispute? Is it a co-worker, spouse, kids, family, others? Don’t be fooled; those listed above are not who you are in opposition with. A true war rages with Satan and his minions. We must be aware and prepared for spiritual battle. Some are oblivious to this war and make themselves easy prey. <br /><br />Are you an easy target for Satan to take down and attempt to destroy? If so man up! Put on your armor and stand firm!<br /><br />In God’s Word (Ephesians 6:11-17 and Psalm 91) we are told how to prepare for battle. God gives us offensive and defensive tactics for VICTORY, not just for survival. A war rages...gear up today! Knowing is half the battle! <br /><br /><blockquote>“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,”<br />Ephesians 6:11-17 ESV </blockquote><p> </p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQM1st25SXy7vW-Gyi1wmWFnG4A3jsyX3amx1aPTsIEbvZGVF9b9UBdmwGWFjDWn4s0V90Usm3hjo9LJN2USTNsNjgi4ws0m9Z38-5rQPpLDKPqAwAK1rCCuWlcYn30fENJX9w6XgKHe3H/s400/6086E498-B0D9-4CB8-BA86-2074DAF5B3CF.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQM1st25SXy7vW-Gyi1wmWFnG4A3jsyX3amx1aPTsIEbvZGVF9b9UBdmwGWFjDWn4s0V90Usm3hjo9LJN2USTNsNjgi4ws0m9Z38-5rQPpLDKPqAwAK1rCCuWlcYn30fENJX9w6XgKHe3H/w640-h640/6086E498-B0D9-4CB8-BA86-2074DAF5B3CF.jpeg" width="640" /></a></span><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVsWf1q4bXALdnI8VbZUrH5StMb6s0j03V9-8Rpzs1IKz-S0CJuSGFNB5tfXVrib9S1Oyv_GpaxlIeCg9Co32Yf5Cm5eiCg-5GnYPwgGIWKxNLHJ7M3WacV-CFUHIpxqjfVcjFQhUEXgx0/s1216/Armor-of-God-Explained.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="1216" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVsWf1q4bXALdnI8VbZUrH5StMb6s0j03V9-8Rpzs1IKz-S0CJuSGFNB5tfXVrib9S1Oyv_GpaxlIeCg9Co32Yf5Cm5eiCg-5GnYPwgGIWKxNLHJ7M3WacV-CFUHIpxqjfVcjFQhUEXgx0/w640-h358/Armor-of-God-Explained.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiuPvJIS4usGUo01hJrjIX9I_rbzqW270UdiZOeEigYk1JOdpmXB76Rl7UaI14Wb5-ejnV7CigRJtf5EFn41y-OE8reUMhf8g0AiiAC_IybOzZe09VeIgRQzK5Wef2gDWUN292equPkdae/s960/armor+of+god.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="678" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiuPvJIS4usGUo01hJrjIX9I_rbzqW270UdiZOeEigYk1JOdpmXB76Rl7UaI14Wb5-ejnV7CigRJtf5EFn41y-OE8reUMhf8g0AiiAC_IybOzZe09VeIgRQzK5Wef2gDWUN292equPkdae/w453-h640/armor+of+god.jpeg" width="453" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>Jennifer Barnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303586207861409314noreply@blogger.com0Pocahontas, AR 72455, USA36.2614554 -90.9712330000000127.9512215638211572 -126.12748300000001 64.571689236178855 -55.814983000000012tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133008604578639706.post-57004256149070909892020-10-25T01:43:00.000-05:002020-10-25T01:43:05.185-05:00I Want More<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2WoIZbOCFi2v_AXRZLacmDrnCJbKWsSKSjhFCT7laZ-Vo1mM1oOQ1c-7CeZHALXuygKFm1Ix04syuQkQmUtFAAog3HsSP8PFxeOtjjyFkOSHOso33lTU188M__PhvfrnVmF0lc8d9USsP/s640/902D8429-1DC6-4B5A-BFB6-D4A7730FF37D.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2WoIZbOCFi2v_AXRZLacmDrnCJbKWsSKSjhFCT7laZ-Vo1mM1oOQ1c-7CeZHALXuygKFm1Ix04syuQkQmUtFAAog3HsSP8PFxeOtjjyFkOSHOso33lTU188M__PhvfrnVmF0lc8d9USsP/s320/902D8429-1DC6-4B5A-BFB6-D4A7730FF37D.png" /></a></div>Ariel says it best...</span><p></p><blockquote><p><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Look at this stuff, Isn't it neat? </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Wouldn't you think my collection's complete? </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Wouldn't you think I'm the girl </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">who has everything? </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Look at this trove; Treasures untold; </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">How many wonders can one “home” hold? </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lookin' around here you'd think sure, she's got everything...</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I've got whozits and whatzits galore.</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">You want thingamabobs? </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I got twenty-But who cares? </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">No big deal, I want more..."</span></i></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Are you content with what you have or could she have been singing about you? What do you want? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I want people around the world to learn to have a personal relationship with Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior before they die! I want to make an impact on the people in the community where I live and serve God. I don’t want to just read the Bible, I want to live it out loud—to be the hands and feet of Jesus—to go where He would go, to love how He would love, and to serve others how He would serve. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">We cannot do that by sitting at home or in a church pew “watching” church—WE MUST BE THE CHURCH. We must seek opportunities to serve, to give, to help others at home and abroad. We need to pray for our missionaries all around the world. We need to seek opportunities to help minister to their families and search for ways to partner with their ministries. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">We need to help touch the lives of those in need. One easy way we can make a difference is by demonstrating God's love in a tangible way to needy children around the world. Together with churches worldwide, we can share the Good News of Jesus Christ through a simple Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Gift. It is easy, fun, something the whole family can do together, and a great way to spread God's Love! </span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglUZnU5-h2cIl0jwGBFPjfOyHDXSTog9dOvKBJn-uEHdFNxgM2mZ3Q-yVa5illq-sOfVrh2bK__lE20wTEUNff-V_DXM9smmKsc_XD0DxqvF03Wu0w8njHlo_4J7KEXeCFxrGJ58wFEug9/s1440/51F77D10-7BBB-4A5F-A890-2488ADCD7392.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglUZnU5-h2cIl0jwGBFPjfOyHDXSTog9dOvKBJn-uEHdFNxgM2mZ3Q-yVa5illq-sOfVrh2bK__lE20wTEUNff-V_DXM9smmKsc_XD0DxqvF03Wu0w8njHlo_4J7KEXeCFxrGJ58wFEug9/w400-h400/51F77D10-7BBB-4A5F-A890-2488ADCD7392.jpeg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span>By taking part of the blessings we have been so abundantly given and sharing with others by packing Operation Christmas Child gift-filled shoeboxes over the next few weeks we can give children around the world a gift, for some it is their 1st time to ever receive a gift! These boxes will go to children in over 100 countries around the world. I challenge you to pack a shoebox this year and to help make a difference this holiday season and EVERY DAY wherever God has placed you!! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/?utm_source=OCC-Redirect&utm_medium=direct&utm_content=OCC-Redirect" target="_blank">Operation Christmas Child</a><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="374" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/y14JLsQQr3k" width="450" youtube-src-id="y14JLsQQr3k"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFDezazHPmerOA0aXbNKdBCTFuLPrsBhIYChJ35MHeTP7Oczo4tPGYI7Wq0UPXy2RhV2X8pVnMBIZg8mIzT5undMJU_S6MRkoEO5oIgxadGUcCXpTxs3xUyXxvtF0EvB2aYzk5oYRaTcNb/s626/christmas-tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="417" data-original-width="626" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFDezazHPmerOA0aXbNKdBCTFuLPrsBhIYChJ35MHeTP7Oczo4tPGYI7Wq0UPXy2RhV2X8pVnMBIZg8mIzT5undMJU_S6MRkoEO5oIgxadGUcCXpTxs3xUyXxvtF0EvB2aYzk5oYRaTcNb/w400-h266/christmas-tree.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How Christmas in the USA often looks...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfzzlaROwStKQQAgJeQ69KOMQUvCfWneEbR-FTFP9YKxH8Ipg-IwOcJo35If9MH4qudkoRFSBehhyTSu64NDLD_QSfpnT0B4XG8Ug_qnIJW-5pucbDjKALIKnfWuHvQUDshmtEt7NSbjGm/s2048/shoe_box_distribution16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1363" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfzzlaROwStKQQAgJeQ69KOMQUvCfWneEbR-FTFP9YKxH8Ipg-IwOcJo35If9MH4qudkoRFSBehhyTSu64NDLD_QSfpnT0B4XG8Ug_qnIJW-5pucbDjKALIKnfWuHvQUDshmtEt7NSbjGm/w640-h426/shoe_box_distribution16.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 OCC Shoebox Per Child Per Lifetime...Christmas Around the World...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Jennifer Barnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303586207861409314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133008604578639706.post-84310827312959815912020-10-21T12:34:00.002-05:002020-10-22T06:47:27.808-05:00Creation<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYTBRxEuvKyNxcrF8dBSLaycyj4i6JRZQTaVjSYlw_63HB_7et9DneeXJQfrCrnNuqmxEt2T_evjuCDMcb2Yx6vuqECC5TAH5rsw_UfVvXQgD14dW4x7gmd0QJ-BFMSC-wLBqIKHkpitXT/s2048/sunset.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYTBRxEuvKyNxcrF8dBSLaycyj4i6JRZQTaVjSYlw_63HB_7et9DneeXJQfrCrnNuqmxEt2T_evjuCDMcb2Yx6vuqECC5TAH5rsw_UfVvXQgD14dW4x7gmd0QJ-BFMSC-wLBqIKHkpitXT/s320/sunset.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">God’s creation is inspiring, amazing, incredible! God spoke our universe, the planets, all of creation into existence in 6 days and it was good! God rested on the 7th day - not because He was tired but because creation was complete. He set this day aside to become a holy day for us to rest and reflect on the wonder and majesty of God, of His perfect plan of salvation, of His love for us...a day to reflect and realize all that God does is GOOD, He is a good, good Father! </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">What about creation amazes you? Oceans? Birds? Sunsets/Sunrises? <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Take some time to look and appreciate God’s creativity and design this week with your family!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">He designed a plan for your life too! Is your family on the narrow path? </span></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span class="text Matt-7-13" id="en-ESV-23330" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="color: red;">“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="text Matt-7-14" id="en-ESV-23331" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="color: red;">For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matthew 7:13-14</span></span></i></span></blockquote><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEJcoPpSGZ3b8HVTwvN9SAU5Kp1BtOKRoJtfmrFH9S6tNMEi6qMdExRyjMeiTRZfpzU_pfO0gHyBzOP9SZ0BnzJwUjgHtR7H4QL9Jr_BKblr0_XlUNp5fO1QERvs-ZzzbgIzJ4Jkq58kW/s435/creation+1.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="435" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEJcoPpSGZ3b8HVTwvN9SAU5Kp1BtOKRoJtfmrFH9S6tNMEi6qMdExRyjMeiTRZfpzU_pfO0gHyBzOP9SZ0BnzJwUjgHtR7H4QL9Jr_BKblr0_XlUNp5fO1QERvs-ZzzbgIzJ4Jkq58kW/w400-h400/creation+1.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_zfHZ5m91gcbZfar28_mYUnqwyQeA6z7RFWvHGkbXJFac3aNZjOtxqwvLDG9mI7gCB7twpDwK2pC-TQ1bT1mqEQDt-CPV4oVsJMML3BXMbbpD9hi9hE5RQyp1fzGhU5HWHHxY-wa28f5d/s1500/creation-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_zfHZ5m91gcbZfar28_mYUnqwyQeA6z7RFWvHGkbXJFac3aNZjOtxqwvLDG9mI7gCB7twpDwK2pC-TQ1bT1mqEQDt-CPV4oVsJMML3BXMbbpD9hi9hE5RQyp1fzGhU5HWHHxY-wa28f5d/w400-h240/creation-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ9V-UL_V2nxfF4h2eQDvSWGOInRUAU0_zx-9Q1SyE6zlpKaXQzvcGpjHGAlj3unVXYj9SiGbAs0TwBnz4HnaL5cZ5FJJJDXkDQ397yUNoKqXd6j6gYaYrMzLgaK5zt-EMFvdGf8fS3Mpz/s2048/Matthew_7_13-14.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ9V-UL_V2nxfF4h2eQDvSWGOInRUAU0_zx-9Q1SyE6zlpKaXQzvcGpjHGAlj3unVXYj9SiGbAs0TwBnz4HnaL5cZ5FJJJDXkDQ397yUNoKqXd6j6gYaYrMzLgaK5zt-EMFvdGf8fS3Mpz/w400-h400/Matthew_7_13-14.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Jennifer Barnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303586207861409314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133008604578639706.post-37157032114575695972020-03-28T09:30:00.000-05:002020-03-28T09:30:09.086-05:00Wow God!Sit and ponder how amazing God truly is...He spoke the world into creation (Genesis 1) and saw that it was good! It was VERY GOOD! (Gen. 1:31). He formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life! (Gen. 2:7). He gave a life-giving breath...what do we give in return? A life of service, a life of complaining, nothing at all, reverent fear and respect? To fear God doesn't mean we are afraid of Him, it means we honor, respect and are are amazed by Him. When is the last time you sat back and said, "WOW GOD!" because you admired something He has done? Look at creation all around you! The birds, the flowers, the sunrise or sunset, the trees starting to bud, people, the laughter of a child...He created ALL of this! Awe is pleasing to God. When we are awestruck by His awesomeness then we are on our way to gaining reverent fear for our Lord! Look at all God has done for you...sometimes the only response we can say is "WOW GOD!"<br />
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<br />Jennifer Barnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303586207861409314noreply@blogger.com0Pocahontas, AR 72455, USA36.2614554 -90.97123300000001236.1590344 -91.13259450000001 36.3638764 -90.809871500000014tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133008604578639706.post-82664926472404837632020-03-27T16:11:00.003-05:002021-04-02T23:52:04.209-05:00Be the Light!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"LIGHT" is used repeatedly in God's Word. In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus uses it to illustrate to Christians that our lives are open books and sometimes the only Bible others will see. We are the LIGHT to this dark world...we should not hide our LIGHT, we should let it shine for all to see. Being the LIGHT in this time is a high calling - whether you are being the LIGHT to your family as you are at home, or the LIGHT to others as you are still going to work every day, ---both has challenges at this time. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />In Genesis 1- God said "Let there be light". In 2 Samuel 22 David says "God is his Lamp that lightens his darkness" (vs 29). Psalm 27 says "The Lord is the light of my salvation whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid?" Jesus said in John 8:12 "I am the light of the world whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life." Revelation 22:3-5 tells us the day is coming when things will no longer be acursed and, we will be face to face with our almighty Lord and Savior and there will be no more night, or need for lamps or sun, for God will be our LIGHT." I challenge you to seize the day and let your LIGHT shine for all to see while we are able. Are you still shining brightly, or is your lamp starting to flicker like it's running low on oil?? What are a few things you and your family can do to become a stronger LIGHT for God in these uncertain days? Pray for God to give you strength to shine brighter than ever! Encourage and pray for others, make some phone calls, mail some homemade cards...let your LIGHT SHINE! Sit outside and enjoy the beautiful light for a few minutes today!</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Jennifer Barnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303586207861409314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133008604578639706.post-25101125190333562020-02-23T16:11:00.001-06:002020-02-23T16:11:31.207-06:00Silence Speaks<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When God allows you to be silenced, learn to listen. It’s hard, it’s depressing, but it’s in this silence you realize how much you really speak when you should be listening. You also realize how much there is to be heard. It is good to be quiet before God. It is good to be quiet when having conversations with others. It is good to listen for that still, small voice of the Lord.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Psalm 46 is a hymn celebrating Zion as the city to which God has pledged himself and through which He will bless the world. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ps. 46:1–7 tells us God is a mighty fortress where His people are secure. We are secure even in times of chaos and turmoil. I am so thankful God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble. (vs.1)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Verses 2–3, and 6 use earthquakes, landslides, and the raging sea as images of raging nations, kingdoms and turmoil surrounding. We have the same types of things raging around us today. Whether it is work, family, or world issues there are seas raging around us. The opposite can be present too —we just have to BE STILL, or in my case, BE QUIET before God and allow Him to speak to us and reveal His will for us! Elijah didn't find God in the great, strong wind, or the earthquake, or the fire, but in a low whisper...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Where to we look to meet God? Do we go about our crazy schedules, or stop and listen for a while to that small whisper? A stream is so peaceful compared to a raging sea, and mountains can be moved with the faith of a mustard seed. His Word is full of so many promises we should cling to; so much imagery for us to breathe in and behold His mighty powers---if we stop and take the time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We may not understand what is going on, but be still and know that Our Mighty God is in control! Be flexible, follow His plan and path. Choose to adjust with a smile and a "silent" prayer when needed!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Allow God to speak volumes to you during your silence. Learn to embrace the silence and let it calm your soul! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therein to be content. --Helen Keller</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It has been 14 days since I had a voice, the last time this happened it was about 3 months of healing before it was normal again due to granulomas on my vocal cords. I am awaiting an appointment with my ENT to verify what is going on, but we believe this is what is happening again. Hopefully I can say, like Paul the Apostle and Helen Keller, whatever state I may be in, to be content. To take time to BE STILL and know that He is God and still on His Throne!</span><br />
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God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah<br />There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah<br />Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. “<b>Be still, and know that I am God. </b>I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah</blockquote>
Is God asking you to be still, quiet, and content before Him today?</div>
Jennifer Barnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303586207861409314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133008604578639706.post-91851570873736345192019-09-25T13:11:00.001-05:002019-09-25T13:11:09.264-05:00 Praying for our students through the year - day 27 (Head to Toe - part 1)Now that we have made it through the alphabet, we covered lots of Godly Character Traits to pray over our children. Today we are going to start praying for our kids, grand kids, students, and others from "head to toe". A great way to remember them is to think of each of these as you are getting ready in the mornings...<br />
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<li>Pray for their mind - for them to earnestly seek wisdom, knowledge and understanding. Pray they will learn to value discernment and choose the best yes. Pray they will center their thoughts on holy and pure things--not on pleasures of this world or things that will draw them away from God. Pray they will develop a Biblical World View and focus on God's Word as Truth. (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+1&version=ESV" target="_blank">Book of Proverbs</a>, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=james+1%3A5&version=ESV" target="_blank">James 1:5</a>, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+119%3A97&version=ESV" target="_blank">Psalm 119:97</a>)</li>
<li>Pray for their eyes - Ask God to protect their innocence and not let them grow up too quickly. Pray they will not look on unwholesome things. I hate to say it, but children are exposed to porn at a very young age now (some statistics show this happens as early as 3rd grade). Pray for God to protect them from this form of evil. Pray they will choose good social media, if they have access to it. Pray they will focus on right and pure things, not lustful temptations. Pray they will have eyes to see the good in people and show Christ-like love. Pray they will love God and their neighbors. (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+101%3A3&version=ESV" target="_blank">Psalm 101:3</a>).</li>
<li>Pray for their ears - Pray they will be quick to hear and slow to speak. Pray they will not listen to gossip, or negative influences around them. Pray they will incline their ears to instruction and to the ways of the Lord. Pray they will listen to music that is positive---music does not make someone a monster, however garbage in will result in garbage out. Pray they choose to watch and listen to good TV shows and movies that are not filled with violence and evil. What shows are their ears and eyes hearing and seeing on TV or the theater? (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+8%3A32&version=ESV" target="_blank">Proverbs 8:32</a>). <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<li>Pray for their mouth - Ask God to help them learn to control their tongue. Pray they will learn the value of speaking truth instead of speaking lies. Pray they will learn the value of silence. Pray their words will be pleasing to our Heavenly Father and for uplifting others. Pray they will not use their mouths to bring others down or for destruction. Pray they will speak with respect and use their words to worship and praise God. (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+34%3A13&version=ESV" target="_blank">Psalm 34:13</a>).</li>
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Jennifer Barnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303586207861409314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133008604578639706.post-14052458375512889622019-09-23T05:00:00.000-05:002019-09-23T05:00:03.004-05:00 Praying for our students through the year - day 26 (Z) Zeal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ndF3APksMMbeDj75p-GZjnCwTP1l80uU04scZ1l4TDLez7KJoW6QZJpOSZd7v5g4QbfN5PKWKrIVPhNvRVE0u4NhrbFSx8XBCZgQP_4Udk-bMO2ZGPz8HUOSaW3rAVbgWlLlb13m1LuQ/s1600/zeal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="787" data-original-width="1000" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ndF3APksMMbeDj75p-GZjnCwTP1l80uU04scZ1l4TDLez7KJoW6QZJpOSZd7v5g4QbfN5PKWKrIVPhNvRVE0u4NhrbFSx8XBCZgQP_4Udk-bMO2ZGPz8HUOSaW3rAVbgWlLlb13m1LuQ/s400/zeal.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Wow our kids are starting their 7th week of school today! We are going to start this week by praying for Zeal.</span> <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="color: #660000;">Romans 12:11 says: "Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord."</span> </i></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Zeal or being zealous is energetic enthusiasm; a strong feeling of interest and enthusiasm that makes someone very eager or determined to accomplish something. When Jesus performed miracles he often asked the people not to tell, yet it made them want to tell it more zealously (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+7%3A36&version=ESVhttps://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+7%3A36&version=ESV" target="_blank">Mark 7:36</a>). Today, Christ commanded us to tell everyone about Him to the utmost parts of the earth, but do we? </span><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Revelation 3:19 says “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent”.</i></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> We are all guilty of sin, of not obeying His Word, and of having less Godly Character than we should at some point in our lives, but the secret is to learn to repent. Then we can learn to be more zealous. Sincerely ask God to forgive you, and He will. Pray your child will become more zealous for the Lord and His Word today. Pray they will have enthusiasm to share His love with others. Pray they will be eager and </span>determined<span style="font-family: inherit;"> to accomplish all God has called them to do. </span><br />
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We have made it through all 26 letters of Godly Character; the Bible says Jesus is the Alpha and Omega which are Greek letters for A and Z <span style="color: #660000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+1%3A7-8&version=ESV" target="_blank">(Revelation 1:7-8)</a></i></span>. He is the beginning and the end of the alphabet; He is everything in between. <i><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jesus is the Eternal Ruler of past, present, and future. He is the A, Z, Alpha, Omega, Beginning, End, First and Last! We need to be on fire for God because one day this world will have no more chances to choose to accept the Lord, we will be out of opportunities to Go and Tell those He has put before us. Pray your child will have </span>their<span style="font-family: inherit;"> priorities in line with what really matters in life. It’s all about Jesus! Pray they will have </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">enough zeal to live out loud everywhere and not hide their “Christian-side” from others. Pray God will unsettle them until they seek a deeper relationship with </span>their Heavenly Father. Pray they will seek Him as their personal Lord and Savior. <span style="font-family: inherit;">Pray they will grow in their Godly Character daily. Pray they will have uncontainable ZEAL </span>for<span style="font-family: inherit;"> the Lord today and everyday until He returns! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpWzCYvY0aFb-jT33_oB83ncCl4qWp4Yfl2FQpdolIXPIi7gdBK2srIPYzGloKGNBhD1Iv_Z7Bf3MKDw-3hp0nyJmK6KkJnzQ2W3Gv_mlXaZNV8ssZvI7s5OFxsHEU4z67IJdweKG3-xXU/s1600/zealous.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpWzCYvY0aFb-jT33_oB83ncCl4qWp4Yfl2FQpdolIXPIi7gdBK2srIPYzGloKGNBhD1Iv_Z7Bf3MKDw-3hp0nyJmK6KkJnzQ2W3Gv_mlXaZNV8ssZvI7s5OFxsHEU4z67IJdweKG3-xXU/s400/zealous.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
Jennifer Barnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303586207861409314noreply@blogger.com0Pocahontas, AR 72455, USA36.3021244 -91.020322435.8926149 -91.6657689 36.711633899999995 -90.374875899999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133008604578639706.post-16292915252959768342019-09-20T14:18:00.003-05:002019-09-20T14:18:39.928-05:00 Praying for our students through the year - day 25 (Y) Yearning<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFmO-JaaIHK-4flD6LrFsdov-GK_ZD-18H5x99Qm0u9qjUFZgxG_fF9ZJ0_6ZjAZ90aX_qQYlY6s-agbLP2p0j85SBZYf3-vJKu6N68kPWUZ9XEwzPo2vQ2sSiPy5KzRCOmlP_kVBpnDK/s1600/yearning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1011" data-original-width="572" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFmO-JaaIHK-4flD6LrFsdov-GK_ZD-18H5x99Qm0u9qjUFZgxG_fF9ZJ0_6ZjAZ90aX_qQYlY6s-agbLP2p0j85SBZYf3-vJKu6N68kPWUZ9XEwzPo2vQ2sSiPy5KzRCOmlP_kVBpnDK/s640/yearning.jpg" width="361" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">Today we are praying for our children have a yearning for Christ! Yearning is a deep, tender and urgent longing; an appetite or craving. Pray your children will have a yearning to know more about Jesus and the Bible.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> <i><span style="color: #20124d;">Isaiah 26:9 says “My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you”. </span></i></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The old hymn More About Jesus describes yearning well: </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“More about Jesus would I know, More of His grace to others show; More of His saving fullness see, More of His love Who died for me. More about Jesus let me learn, More of His holy will discern; Spirit of God, my teacher be, Showing the things of Christ to me...". </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our lives should be more about Jesus, not about us! Do you yearn to know Him deeper? Pray you and your family will yearn for a deeper relationship with God. </span><i><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Psalm 42:1-2 says “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God”. </span></i><span style="font-family: inherit;">We have to crave, thirst, yearn for a relationship with God. Pray your child learns to crave and thirst for this relationship above all others. Pray the Holy Spirit will create a yearning for His Word. Pray they will become more in love with God than anything else in this world. Pray your whole family will work on developing a yearning for God. Make it a goal to spend more time in prayer and reading His Word. Crave Him today!</span></span>Jennifer Barnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303586207861409314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133008604578639706.post-37924566060188161232019-09-19T05:00:00.000-05:002019-09-19T05:00:02.948-05:00 Praying for our students through the year - day 24 (X) eXcellenceIt is hard for me to believe the 6th week of school is almost over and we are almost to the end of the alphabet on praying for our children. Today we are praying for eXcellence. There are a few character traits in which each of us should have a desire to excel. Just to mention 23...pray for your child to excel in his or her attitude, boldness, courage, discernment, enthusiasm, friendship, generosity, humility, initiative, joyfulness, knowledge, listening, maturity, being neighbors, obedience, perseverance, being quiet, respectfulness, self-control, thankfulness, understanding, victory, and work ethic! (this was the first 23 prayer topics if you need to go back and review check out my <a href="https://jenniferbarnett.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">old blog posts</a>) Excellence goes beyond dreams and what we can do and is about what we SHOULD do and how we SHOULD act. We need to also pray for our children to excel in prayer. It is vital for us to learn to communicate with God and teach our children to do the same. When I was a student I remember receiving an "excellence in education" plaque every year; excellence is not about just making a good grade or doing what we are supposed to at that moment, but about sustaining that attitude for a lifetime.<br />
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<i><span style="color: #660000;">Philippians 3;13-14 states: "Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus".</span></i></div>
</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5dzLrEcqtwiquuDWdS49gmSoa_Yz2Bf_W4DqSUKPfHo2q_Qujoqh9RhcPgWekH9pHU-L8htaX2ys2S6UPRNY5KF9gDI1UA-9vWO7fv4rBgaPbCdQ4mgSxZBOhBNr3-GmaiftpTj_g-lGM/s1600/excellence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="960" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5dzLrEcqtwiquuDWdS49gmSoa_Yz2Bf_W4DqSUKPfHo2q_Qujoqh9RhcPgWekH9pHU-L8htaX2ys2S6UPRNY5KF9gDI1UA-9vWO7fv4rBgaPbCdQ4mgSxZBOhBNr3-GmaiftpTj_g-lGM/s400/excellence.jpg" width="400" /></a><span class="text Phil-3-14" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We need to press on until the end of our time on this earth and pray our children will do the same. Excellence in all we do should be a priority. Excellence demands that we do our very best with the abilities that God has given us. Pray your children will learn to exhibit moral excellence, then there will be evidence that the fruit of the Holy Spirit is growing in their lives.</span></span><br />
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<i>"Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation." 1 Peter 2:12 NASB</i></div>
</span><span class="text Phil-3-14" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>Jennifer Barnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303586207861409314noreply@blogger.com0Branson, MO 65616, USA36.6436731 -93.218514436.541754600000004 -93.3798759 36.7455916 -93.0571529