joy
Merry Christmas! What is Christmas All About Anyway?
Merry Christmas! What is Christmas All About Anyway?
Without Christ There Would Be No Christmas!
In this video Linus helps out Charlie Brown and explains what Christmas is all about.
“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.”
— Luke 2:17-20
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!
God bless,
Brenda
Happiness – How Can Your Passion Jumpstart a Happier You?
Happiness – How Can Your Passion Jumpstart a Happier You?
Give Your Spirit an Extreme Power Boost!
Happiness as a lifestyle is expressing our contentment and satisfaction through cheerful speech, laughter, and other joyful responses.
Yet sometimes the happy times start to fade and our words are no longer so cheerful.
Our face doesn’t look so bright….
And laughter is not even on the scale.
How can you cultivate more of the positive happy emotion in your life?
Get the ball rolling by discovering your passion.
This is a great way to jumpstart a happier you. Passion is a powerful driving force. Being able to actively pursue the things you are passionate about brings great satisfaction and in turn great happiness.
God created you to express joy and success, not gloom and failure. His plan is that you win out in life and not be defeated. You were born for happiness and peace, not misery and perpetual anxiety and discouragement.
Inside of you is a great plan and purpose uniquely created just for you. Tapping into this God given gift is the power to move you to be the successful, happy being your Creator intended.
Discover what you are passionate about and pursue it. Passion gives an extreme power boost to your spirit and emotional well being. If you are unsure of your passion, take some time to reflect on it.
So what are you passionate about?
Simply start asking yourself what you are passionate about. What sort of things do you like to do or wish you could do more of? What have you been putting off for someday? Find a way to make it part of your life now.
Doing what you are passionate about in life brings great happiness to you and others. The painter must paint. The healer must heal. The teacher must teach. The helper must help. The writer must write. I think you get my point. Pursue your passion and watch the happiness naturally manifest in your life.
“Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favor my righteous cause: yes, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”
— Psalm 35:27
Do yourself a favor, and society, and put your unique gifts and talents to work. God never intended His children to be miserable and unhappy. Choose to step into His great plan for your life and discover your passion. Then watch as it unfolds and brings abundant happiness. 🙂
May you live a cheerful, passionate life of growing prosperity!
Cheers,
Brenda
Joy Comes in the Morning – Psalm 30
Joy Comes in the Morning – Psalm 30
Joy Comes in the Morning – Dance with Gladness – Sing Praise to God
“I WILL extol you, O Lord; for You have lifted me up…
and you have healed me… you have kept me alive…
in His favor is life: weeping may endure for a night,
but joy comes in the morning…
You have turned my mourning into dancing…and
girded me with gladness;
To the end that my glory may sing praise to You,
and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks
unto You forever.”
— Psalm 30
These are just excerpts and I would recommend reading the whole chapter…
God bless you –
Cheers,
Brenda
Seek the LORD, In Him we Live, Acts 17
Seek the LORD – In Him we Live, and Move, and Have our Being!
“That they should seek the LORD, if haply they might feel after Him,
and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us:
For in Him we live, and move, and have our being;
as certain also of your own poets have said,
For we are also His offspring.”
— Acts 17:27-28
This video is less than a minute…
Act 17 reminds us that God is not far from any one of us.
(Even though the devil wants us to think He is far away!)
Seek the Lord – In Him is fullness of joy! :0)
God bless you,
Brenda
What Gives Us the Right to Enter God’s Presence?
What Gives Us the Right to Enter God’s Presence?
We enjoyed guest ministers, Mark and Trina Hankins, last night at our church. They’ll actually be ministering to us three nights in a row.
They taught on what seems to be a taboo message that freaks people out a little. And frankly, I think the only reason that is, is because it’s not talked about enough. The blood of Jesus.
Mark Hankins taught on the things connected and associated with the power that is available in the blood that Jesus paid on the cross. His main reference was in Hebrews 10:19-22 and how because of the blood we can boldly access the throne of God.
We have boldness to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus. Hebrews 10:19
The price Jesus paid covers more than forgiveness & our salvation. The blood also pays for freedom from a sin consciousness and freedom from the curse (such as poverty, sickness, and depression). Our faith in the blood is the currency that pays for these freedoms.
What Christ did is perfect and the blood alone has done everything. Perfect.
But our access to it (which is by faith) can be imperfect.
In the Old Testament only the high priest was able to enter the throne room and he did it in fear. We now have a better covenant and not only have access to the Holiest, but we are told to go boldly.
Our conscious (inner voice, reminding us of past sins) can shut down our heart and keep us from entering into the presence of God. Our heart needs to be open to fully move into His presence.
It’s the blood of Jesus and the Holy Spirit working together that opens up our heart and has a magnetic like pull to take us into the presence of God.
Hebrews 10:22 tells us to draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.
Have unshakeable assurance that God, our Father, is eager to see us. When we show up He is happy to see us. :0) He wants to fellowship with us!
God wants us to draw near to him, but we have to do the “drawing near”. Mark Hankins reminded us that God has not moved. We are the ones who have drawn back.
We are to go boldly to the throne of God to obtain mercy and grace for help in time of need (Heb 4:16). If we don’t get bold and go, we’ll continue to carry our own burdens. And we have to be bold; because the devil is doing everything he can to distract us!
Like any will, that is only available to the inheritors after a death, God’s will in the New Testament became available after the death of Jesus.
The apostle Paul says that as believers we have a massive inheritance! Everything He gave to Jesus is ours. Equal possession with equal position.
If the enemy can hinder us to take our position, he can take our possession.
You have to take your position to take your possession and prosper. Open your heart to the fellowship of the Father. And don’t be satisfied with an intellectual relationship.
God is our Father. He wants and desires us to come to Him. He wants to fellowship and have a close relationship with us. And because of the price Jesus paid we have the right to be in the presence of God.
How do we know if we have been in His presence? If we have joy.
You cannot access His presence without being changed and come out with joy. In His presence is the fullness of joy!
I pray that we all may purpose to spend more time in His life changing presence!
God bless you,
Brenda
P.S. The Mark Hankins Ministry is online at www.MarkHankins.org. A large selection of Mark Hankins Resources can also be found on Amazon. My mom is a big fan of Trina Hankins music ministry.