"Only Life Changes"

“My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
2 Corinthians 12:9
{Prayer}
God help me to be aware of my limitations and to be willing and ready to ask for help in Jesus Precious Name Amen.

“Father God let this touch someone’s heart today in Jesus Precious Name amen.

So, I bought a carton of milk to sour. I let it get outdated in the refrigerator. So Wednesday I took it out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter. Last night my husband let out a yell and I went out in the kitchen to see what was wrong. He said there is water all over the counter and he said I haven’t even turned the water on. So, I immediately I got towels and wiped up almost all the water. I moved the milk jug, and it was half full. It was dry. But at the top of the cap, it was opened. So, I guess under pressure it popped open and that is where the liquid came from. I like to make sour milk chocolate cake. Guess I won’t be making it now. I was thinking! Wow! Sin is like that sour milk, and it takes something powerful to clean up our life. Changes us for the better.

Why did God change Saul’s name to Paul? He didn’t. Many mistakenly assume the Lord changed Saul’s name to Paul sometime after Saul converted from Judaism to Christianity, which happened during his encounter with Christ on the Road to Damascus as we read in (Acts 9:1-19).

“(John 8:12). Just as Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection, now He appeared to Saul.

“Saul’s Turns sight! “Answered Evil to Do Good”
Acts 9:1-19
(Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes, he could see nothing. So, they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind and did not eat or drink anything. In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord, Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.)

Ananias a disciple that lived in Damascus. The Lord said to Ananias, go down to straight street, and ask at the house of Judas for a man named Saul. “Saul is praying to Me right now, and He has seen a vision of your coming to him and putting your hands on him and giving him his sight! Answered, “Lord, I have heard about this man and of all the harm he has done to Your people in Jerusalem. And now he has come here to Damascus with letters from the chief priests, giving him power to arrest everyone who believes in You.” But the Lord said ‘Go and visit him, for I have chosen him to preach my Good News to the Gentiles, and to kings, and to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer. So, we see how much God is close to Ananias and Ananias is staying close to God.
So, Ananias went to the house of Judas, found Saul, and laid his hands on him, saying, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you as you were coming to Damascus has sent me to put my hands on you so that you can see again, and so that you will be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Immediately Saul’s sight returned, and he was baptized, and after he had eaten some food, he was strong again. Then he stayed with the disciples in Damascus and went into the Jewish churches and preached to the Jews about Jesus, telling them He is the Son of God.
The people in the city could hardly believe what they heard!
Isn’t this the man who persecuted the Christians in Jerusalem? They had asked, and came here to arrest all those who believe in Jesus, to take them back in chains to the chief priests for punishment?
But Saul just preached all the more and proved from the scriptures that Jesus is the Savior.
After several days the angry Jews began to talk about killing Saul. They watched day and night at the city gates to capture Saul if he went out. But the Christians heard about it and let him down at night in a basket from a window in the wall, so that he escaped and went into the desert for a while to talk to God. three years later Saul went to Jerusalem. {We all need to do this and get away to talk to God in the peace and quiet. Amen}
When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he went to find the disciples of Jesus, for now instead of hating them, Saul loved them and wanted to be with them. But they were all afraid of Saul and wouldn’t believe he was really one of them. Then Barnabas, one of the men who had sold his land and given the money to the poor, brought Saul to them and told them how Saul had met Jesus on the road to Damascus, and how he had boldly preached the Good News.
Then the apostles welcomed Saul, and he stayed with them and preached in Jerusalem.
But some of the Jews in Jerusalem like those in Damascus, determined to kill Saul. When the apostles heard about it, they sent Saul away to the far-off city of Tarsus, a city of Cilicia a free city of the Romans, Sauls birthplace. After this the Christians had no more problems for a while but were left in peace.
As Peter went through different parts of the land visiting the new churches, he came to the city of Lydda. He found there a man named Aeneas who had the palsy and had been in bed for eight years. Peter said to him, Aeneas, Jesus Christs makes you well! Get up!” And immediately Aeneas stood up and was healed! Then many of the people who lived in Lydda and throughout that entire area believed in Jesus as their savior.
At Joppa a city not far from Lydda, there was a disciple named Dorcas. This woman was very kind and good, always helping the poor. Dorcas became sick and then died. Dorcas’s friends sadly gathered in an upstairs room to prepare for her burial.
When the disciples in Joppa heard that Peter was not far away, over in Lydda, they sent two men to ask him to hurry and come to them, and he did.
They brought Peter to the house where the body of Dorcas lay. All the poor widows she had helped were there, crying and showing their coats and other clothes she had made for them.
But Peter asked them all to leave. After they had left the room, he kneeled down and prayed, and then, turning to the dead body, Peter said, “Dorcas get up!” And Dorcas woke up as if she had only been asleep, and sat up, and he gave her back to her friends.!
{Reminder verse, it reads in John 14:12, NIV: “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”}

{Let’s Pray}
Father God, Jesus it is my desire to do Your perfect will and submit my life to serving you in spirit and in truth. Forgive me for the times when I have tried to work Your works in my own strength instead of trusting Your Word and allowing myself to be guided by the Holy Spirit. I believe that you would build up Your Church in the fear of the Lord and with reverence for Your holy name, for those who don’t know You will be guided in Your pathway just as Saul was guided to You. That we all would know the comfort and strength of the Holy Spirit in our lives, as we grow and make right choices so Your grace will mature our faith, for Your honor and glory in Jesus Precious Name Amen.

Casting all your care upon Him; for He cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7

{Prayer}
O Lord, help me to find the blessings in the midst of hardships. Thank You for bearing my burdens in Jesus Precious Name Amen.

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shall go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Psalm 32:8
{Prayer}
Lord, I am unworthy of all the kindnesses You have showered upon me in the past. I thank You for Your great love to me. Help me to trust You for what I need in Jesus Precious Name Amen.

The meek will He guide in Judgement: and the meek will He teach His way.

Psalm 25:9

{Prayer}
Dear Heavenly Father, when I am tempted to be prideful, help me to rely on Your loving and powerful instruction in Jesus Precious Name Amen.

Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry and He shall say, Here I am.
Isaiah 58:9
{Prayer}
Thank You, heavenly Father, for Your plan of prayer. We are glad You want us to keep in close touch with You in Jesus Precious Name Amen.

Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry and He shall say, Here I am.
Isaiah 58:9
{Prayer}
Thank You, heavenly Father, for Your plan of prayer. We are glad You want us to keep in close touch with You in Jesus Precious Name Amen.

But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.

Numbers 14:21
{Prayer}
Thank You, Father, for the many reminders around us of Your greatness and goodness. Accept the praise of our hearts in Jesus Precious Name Amen.

Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22
{Prayer}
Our trust is in Thee, O God. Let us never give into discouragement in Jesus Precious Name Amen.

Father God, let this touch someone’s heart and thank You for leading us in the right direction. Thank You and praise You in Jesus Precious Name Amen.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
John 14:12″

Ever made Banana Bread and left out an ingredient. Then the banana bread comes out hard or doesn’t taste well. Maybe you over cook it and cut it up for the dogs as biscuits. Then later on think: How did I leave that ingredient out or how did I over cook the banana bread? You rack your brain with thoughts. Well, I had to feed the baby, answer the door to the neighbor, I finished making out my grocery list oh and I went and answered the phone. Well God I messed that up! But all and all you were able to use the banana bread for something. Maybe make banana pudding and crumble up the banana bread and throw the dark part away. While you mix the crumbs in the pudding or just fed it to the dogs as biscuits. You were able to solve the problem and do better next time. This is how it works with forgiving yourself and asking God for forgiveness when we mess up and start all over again. Then God blesses us as we walk right.

So last week I was wearing a dress. Let the dogs in the house and my big dog JoJo jumped on me with mud on his paws. So, there was mud on my dress. I wiped what I could off and left the rest because I had no time to change. Got to church and the dirt was dry. So, I went in the restroom and took a dry paper towel and wiped it off. Good as new. The dirt was gone. That is what God does! He wipes our past clean as we walk in obedience with Him. Let me give you the recipe for Banana bread.

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“Banana Bread”
Bananas remind me of sinners. I look at old bananas and I see banana bread. I take the 3 bananas and stick them in a bowl with 1 cup of sugar. I cover the bowl and let the sugar flow into the old bananas. Praying no mold will grow and that it blends together good. {Thats LOVE!} {God works through us sinners like this, he flows His love through our ugliness} “Then remove the cover and stir up the sugar and bananas. {God lets us be confused about doing what is wrong, so we turn to right thinking.} Great! The sugar and bananas blended smoothly! {Mixing sinners and saints together} 1 egg {Volunteer greeting you to the church} 1 tsp vanilla {Praise and worship} Mix together in a separate bowl 1-1/2 cup Self-Rising flour {The Pastors Preaching} 1 pinch of salt. {Mix together} Bible study and then finally! Now add 1/3 cup butter Crisco {accepting Jesus as your savior} Now add the 1/3 cup butter Crisco by blending it good with the dry ingredients. Mix all the ingredients together in the same bowl. Preheat the oven to 350~ degrees. Grease and flour a 1-pound bread pan. Add the batter to the 1-pound bread pan. {All people going in the same direction} Bake for 1 hour or till the toothpick comes out clean. Remove banana bread from the oven to cool.

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{Blessings for Obedience-Deuteronomy 28:1-14}
If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock, the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you. The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity, in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground, in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you. The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.

{So how do you feel when your children do everything you tell them to do? I know I used to love when I could go through my routine and the days go by smoothly because everyone was doing what they were supposed to do. Or one would come and say hey mom I messed up and broke a glass. I would say: You didn’t get cut, did you? They would say no, and I cleaned up the mess mom. I’d say cups can be replaced. Just be careful next time.}

If we go to God and let him know we messed up and repent and ask for forgiveness. 1 John 1:9. ~ It reads in Isaiah 55:7 ~ Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

“Curses for Disobedience-Deuteronomy 28:15-22
However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees, I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you: You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country. Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed. The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out. The Lord will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him. The Lord will plague you with diseases until he has destroyed you from the land you are entering to possess. The Lord will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, with blight and mildew, which will plague you until you perish.

Last thing God wants to do is bring curses on you or me. He wants us to make right choices. Obey the commandments. God is a forgiving God. God’s love for us is unconditional and the very foundation upon which we are forgiven. No matter what we have done or how long we have been away, God is going to welcome us back with loving, open arms. As we feel sorry for our sins and acknowledge our sinfulness, we return to God time and time again. Love is the greatest virtue and the greatest commandment. One time, Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment. Matthew 22:37-40 reads, “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

{Prayer}
Father God, I rejoice and sing of Your great love, Your mercy and Your faithfulness to all Your people, even when we go astray. You guide us back to You. I thank You and praise You that You are the Author and Giver of true ‘social justice’, and that You care for the needs of the poor, the fatherless, the widowed, the foreigner, and the oppressed. Honestly, You are worthy to receive sovereignty and power, honor and glory in Jesus Precious Name Amen.

{Power Verses}
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
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