Many times when we have friends or loved ones who are going through fiery trials, we feel their pain. God’s word teaches us to love our brothers and sisters as ourselves. “…Rom. 13:9b “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” However, when the trial lingers our feelings can change. We have choices to make. We can either decide to look the other way, live our life and make rash decisions as to why their trials continue.

We can’t seem to understand, so we rationalize the situation to ease our own conscience. We can even try to find answers of how we can ease their situation. If those answers require too much of us, we can begin to feel that the person tested must have sin in their life to deserve this trial.

Just as Isaiah spoke concerning Jesus, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. Is. 53:4 If the trial is too hard and it is bumming us out, we can just abandon ship and leave the situation entirely, while all the time stating “that there was just nothing we could do.”

However, the reaction to the trials of another that I want us to think about today, is another option altogether. It springs from the fountain of love and can be very deceptive. We try everything that we know to do to help this person, physically, financially, emotionally, and spiritually, but their trial continues. We pray, and pray, and pray, and yet nothing changes. We see our family or friend going deeper and deeper into despair. We want to save them, be there for them, and ease their agony. Yet their situation only seems to get worse.

We then begin to question God ourselves at why our prayers are not being answered. The enemy comes and condemns us. Why are we blessed and they are not? Why should we be happy when they are in pain? How can we enjoy our life where theirs is so miserable? Slowly we begin to feel sad, we become despondent. We feel we have done everything humanly and spiritually and yet it seems that nothing has changed. The heavens remain as brass as the trial rages on. By this time we feel their heaviness.

We can’t enjoy our life for thinking of their life. Little by little our joy slips away quietly as the enemy keeps chipping away at our faith in God, causing us to question God’s actions. We are now in great danger of being stolen away by the enemy of our souls. “Wherefore let him that thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall.”  I Cor. 10:12 This happened to me not too long ago. I am a person who loves deeply. I was blessed to have been raised in a family who loved and adored each other. My mother and father were very affectionate. I thought everyone grew up the way I did, in a family that had very little of what the world had to offer, but had the best of what God had to offer, and that is His Love.

I was miserable. My husband tried to counsel me but it fell on ears that would not hear. How could I abandon my friend? I would not. I could not, are we not our brother or sister’s keeper? One day I had to have an answer. I had to have relief. My heart could not take it anymore.

As I was crying out to the Lord, my husband said as he had many times before, “Release this, release it to the Lord.” I said “I have.” He said, “No, you have not, or peace would come.” In total frustration and desperation I cried out violently, “I release this Lord, I release this to you, I can no longer carry this burden.” With these words, my deliverance and answer came immediately
The Lord spoke to me and said, “Charli, I am the Savior, you are not. I did not ask you to save the world, only to love those I send you. I did not ask you to carry their burden, but to share it. Share it in love, prayer, and all the ways that I show you, but don’t try to carry it, for only I could carry the cross.”

Carrying and sharing are totally different. When I try to carry someone else’s burden, I am useless to myself and everyone else. I can only share their burden through intercession and love, and that is enough. For the Lord stated in His word, “Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy ladened, and learn of me, take my yoke upon you, for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest for your souls.” Matt: 11:28-29

The enemy desires to bind us in self-entangled chains, so that we become useless to everyone. When we share a burden, we can always lay it at the feet of Jesus and remain free to continue to help others as well as ourselves. Remember, Jesus is aware of the situation for He allowed it. Thus, He has the answer for it, and He says: ” I know the plans I have for you (and for my friend or loved one), plans to give you hope and a bright future.”Jer. 29:11.

Oh the joy of a soul set free. As I learned this great truth, I have been much more help to my friend, spiritually, physically, and emotionally. Now that I have learned that I am not the Savior, but I am His servant, a clay vessel that He can flow through.
I love you,
Charli

One day my husband was reading his Bible out loud as I was working. He does this every day. A technique of reading the Word that is extremely effective. First, as we read the Word, the very Spirit of Jesus leaps off the pages and into our eyes. For Jesus is the “Word.” John 1:1, 14. NKJ

The scripture says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” Rom. 10:17 NKJ. As we hear the Word being read out loud, we hear it in our own 2 ears. Also, as we read the Word ourselves, it goes into our 2 eye gates and 2 ear gates. We have 4 “in gates;” 2 ear gates” and 2 eye gates.” We have 1 “out gate.” The Word of God enters our mind through our 4 “in gates;” our ears and our eyes. Thus, what goes into our minds can find its way into our hearts. The Word of God also says that “out of the heart the mouth speaks. “Luke 6:45 NKJ Thus, sooner or later our heart will speak from it’s abundance through our “out gate.”

As my husband was reading the Word out loud, he read a verse that stopped me in my tracks,

Jer. 9: 20-21. NIV

“Now, O women, hear the word of the lord; open your ears to the words of his mouth. Teach your daughters how to wail; teach one another a lament. Death has climbed in through our windows and has entered our fortresses; it has cut off the children from the streets and the young men from the public squares.”

At that moment, one word “jumped” out at me as I stared at my computer screen…”WINDOWS.”

I was literally looking out into the “Windows of the World.” But as I was looking out, what was coming in? Then the Lord revealed to me the most important revelation of all,

Now, O women, hear the word of the lord;

(women, guardians of your family’s heart,

you are the chosen messengers

of God’s impending judgment)

open your ears to the words of his mouth

(apply God’s Word boldly and

warn others of the crisis at hand).

Teach your daughters how to wail;

teach one another a lament

(teach them to grieve—not accept—what’s being lost).

Death has climbed in through our windows

and has entered our fortresses;

(the enemy has found his way into our homes

through the windows of our computers.)

it has cut off the children from the streets

(glued to computers and video games,

our children no longer play outside)

and the young men from the public squares

(unwise use of technology has caused men to overwork

and sin in isolation, putting our families and

spiritual fellowship in very real danger).

The “Windows of the World” is a dangerous tool in our hands, for we have the power, knowingly or unknowingly, to allow life or death to come through our computer screens, through our windows, into our “in gates,” our eyes and our ears. Then it can begin to take up residence and live in our houses, creeping ever so subtly into our hearts. This refers to our spiritual house, where the God of the universe has chosen to live on this earth, within our earthly temple abides the most high God. I Cor. 3:16 NKJ

We must be accountable and be a good steward over the windows of our temple and the windows of our children’s temples. Who am I allowing to come through my windows; the spirit of darkness or the Spirit of Light? We are all stewards over the members of our bodies, over the gates to our soul. It has often been said that “our eyes are the windows to the soul.” Let us strengthen the walls around our spiritual temples and “edify ourselves in our most Holy Faith.,” Jude 1:20 NKJ Then, when we stand before our Lord & Savior and look into His eyes, that we will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we closed and locked all the spiritual windows to our soul. Who’s coming through your windows?

As the leaves silently turn to the myriad colors of fall, I think of the splendor of my heavenly Father and His limitless supply of beauty, love, mercy and grace. Yet in this world of fear, worry, turmoil, strife and hate, how can we live a normal life in an atmosphere of doom & gloom?

How can we survive being swept away in the midst of such instability and conflict? It isn’t easy, yet it is possible. This particular time in history should be our finest hour as the Bride of Christ. Peace should reign supreme in our lives.

Jehovah Shalom should encircle our being, spilling over on those we meet as a sweet fragrance of hope, faith, joy and happiness. How can this be?

We must find our place of safety, our place of peace and happiness in the midst of difficulty and trouble; our place of refuge and serenity in the midst of chaos. We must find an Oasis of Love. A place of living waters in a dry and terrorized land.

This is not a time for the faint at heart, for business as usual, or for status quo. This is a time that we must all fall on our faces before God daily, crying out for grace and mercy, mercy, mercy… II Chron. 7:14

As the forces of darkness close in, we must be ready with God’s plan of action. That plan of action is back to the basics of Christianity–repentance, forgiveness, prayer, fasting, and edifying ourselves in our most holy faith.

We must face the fact that we have become complacent and desensitized to the tactics of our adversary. The enemy of our souls has sung a lullaby to the church and much to our dismay we have become spiritually relaxed and sleepy in our pursuit of good over evil.

My dear friends, it is not too late! Time is of the essence. In a time such as this, we should be more in love with our bridegroom than ever before. This should be a time when our trust and love for the Lord is soaring to its greatest height. Our lives and the lives of our families and friends depend on the love of God that dwells within us.

“We are an Oasis of Love. That Oasis of love for whom Jesus gave His life. We must commit ourselves to live daily at the foot of the cross. It is our only place of safety. It is where the Oasis of Love begins and ends; at the feet of Jesus.”

With a humble & contrite heart, I love and treasure each of you. I thank God for the Oasis of Love He has provided for us all. Have a blessed Thanksgiving.

I love you, Charli

During that same span of time I noticed that this same lady began to act differently toward me also. I did not know her well, but we always had a cordial relationship. She stopped speaking to me. When I would see her she would look the other way. I kept thinking that with time she would return to her normal self.

Months began to pass. She remained the same. I would visit her store and when she saw me come in she would leave the floor and her employees would wait on me. I began to pray over the situation in general. I didn’t understand her attitude. I knew that she had a problem with my friend, but she and I had never had any difficulties as we barely knew each other.

One day a woman from my church that was very close to this lady called me. She told me that the lady was causing great harm to me in the spirit by the things she was saying about me. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” Proverbs 18:21 Thus I went before the Lord asking Him to explain this to me. The Lord spoke clearly to me and said, “guilt by association.” (the spirit of friendship) I said.” Lord, what must I do to bring peace and restoration to this broken fellowship.” He reminded me of Matt. 25:3-4 “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

So I began my pursuit of reconciliation. I tried many times to speak with her but she would not talk to me. I sought the Lord again, and He gave me a specific plan. He told me to go to her store before it opened, and to wait for her to arrive when she would be alone. So I did just as the Lord instructed me. I drove to her store early one morning and parked my car in an inconspicuous place and waited. It wasn’t but a few minutes until she arrived. Her store was in a strip mall and she was walking up to the door with keys in hand. I quickly walked up to her and said, “May I speak with you for just a moment?” When she saw me she said “NO! Please go away and leave me alone.” I said, “It won’t take me but just a minute.” Again she emphatically said, “NO,” as her keys were going into the door. Fearing that she would get inside and I would miss my opportunity to obey the Lord, I immediately fell to my knees on the sidewalk outside the store, between her and the door. I said, “I ask you to forgive me for whatever I have done to hurt you.” She said, “What are you doing, get up, get up!” I persevered, “Do you forgive me?” She said, “Yes, yes, yes, just get up!” I said, “I thank you for forgiving me and I love you very much.” As I stood up she rushed into the store as I slowly walked back to my car with tears pouring down my face.

A few weeks past and the Lord began to deal with me again to go back into her store. So one day I slowly walked in and just browsed a bit. She saw me, spoke to me and helped me with a purchase. The Lord kept leading me to go back to her store again and again. Slowly she begin to soften. Through the next year she became very friendly and we talked many times. One day I received a call that her 18 year old son had been killed in an auto accident. He was her and her husband’s life. This was a very special opportunity for me to then be able to give myself to her without measure since I had obeyed the Lord in the beginning. A year later she had a gall bladder attack and during the operation her liver was cut and she almost died. She suffered for a long while and had to undergo another operation to restore her injured liver. Many days through all her trials I would stop by her store and pray with her as the Lord would allow me to minister to her in such a precious way.

Besides the Blood, Forgiveness is one of the most powerful weapons we possess against the enemy. We are using the same weapon that Christ used against the enemy on the cross…Forgiveness. “Then Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34a We must forgive to be forgiven. There isn’t one without the other. Forgiveness is the key that opens the door to some of the greatest blessings that the Kingdom of God has to offer.

This woman is a devoted intercessor. Intercessors pay a high price for the call upon their life. Standing between someone and Satan draws fire and retaliation from the enemy. Over a year ago, this woman called me out of the blue. She began to pour out her heart to me and tell me a story, which in most respects would provide the perfect scenario of a script for a Hollywood horror movie. Thus over the past months I have counseled her spiritually as well as providing a shoulder for a friend to cry on.

She has walked a very hard path, one that many could not endure. She has been through the depths of despair. She has lost everything, her husband, her children, her home, and her business. Even though she has been through periods of weakness and depression, she did not give up hope. When she would call me, we would begin to speak the Word of God together over her situation. She knew the Word for she had studied to show herself approved. In the past, she was a Women’s Intercessory Ministry Leader and used her home for Intercessory Women’s Retreats.

Many times our love for the Lord can result in zeal before wisdom resulting in a lack of discernment. There are times that God desires for us to assist His children in common sense ways. They need a natural word. My friend called the other day and as we began to talk, I realized that she needed natural advice, ideas, and confirmation that what she was doing in the natural part of her life was the right thing to do. She needed a natural plan. We live in two worlds at once–the natural and the spiritual just like our Lord when He walked among us. We as Christians must be sensitive to the needs of others in the natural as well as the spiritual.

Before our conversation ended, she related that she felt more at peace as she realized that there was a way in the natural to start over and she could do it. Christians often overlook natural counsel, encouragement, and edification for loftier spiritual heights. Jesus fed the five thousand natural food before He fed them spiritual food. (Matt.14:13-21) Our love for the Lord will result in our service to Him, however as we seek to find ways to serve Him more, let us desire the anointing of the Sons of Issachar; (1 Chronicles 12:32) to be able to discern the times in our lives and the lives of those  God sends our way.

We live in a world of enquiring minds…everyone wants to know everything about everyone. Yet so few people want to know anything about the most famous and important person that ever walked on the face of this earth…Jesus Christ.

Why do so few people want to know so little or nothing at all about the man that holds the power of life and death in His hands.The man who holds the keys to death and the grave, as well as the kingdom of heaven? 

We have become a self-absorbed society, filled with self-centeredness and selfishness. How did this happen? How did it get so “all about me?”

God has definitely blessed America. We are a blessed people living in a blessed land; a land of plenty. Many times when we have had so much for such a long period of time, we forget how it was not to have plenty. We forget those times in the past when we struggled to survive, prayed and God miraculously came through for us. Since then pride has crept in and we begin to feel that we deserve to be blessed. It is our right, not a blessing.

Let us never forget where our help comes. It comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Let us repent and remember our past that we may be thankful for the present and for all that God has planned for our future. 

Thanksgiving is a season to remember. It is a season to remember and be thankful. It is more that stuffing ourselves with a huge turkey dinner of which so many of us do. It should be a special day that our country corporately gives thanks to our creator for all the things that He has done for our families, our friends, our land, and us. 

America, America, God certainly has shed His grace upon us. Can we do any less? Let us show grace and mercy to those around us and live to serve others, the way Christ so unselfishly served us; by giving His life we might live. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all, 
but more than that– 
Thank you Jesus for all you have done for me.

I have been so blessed by the testimonies that I have been receiving from ladies who have emailed me concerning what God has done and is doing in their lives.

Nothing is too small for God not to receive glory. That is our purpose on this earth; to give God glory, to bring Him honor, to worship Him, and to give Him praise.

I often wondered when I was younger what “glory” really meant. Why God wanted glory? Especially from me His own creation?

Then as I grew older I realized how I longed to have those I loved to love me back. I wanted to hear them say they loved me. I wanted to feel their love. I wanted to see the love in their eyes when they looked at me.  

Basically that is what we are doing when we give God glory. We are loving Him, embracing Him and telling Him how much we love Him. We are doing what we would have Him do to us. Isn’t that the Golden Rule? Do unto others as you would have them do unto you?

So as we desire the love, attention and affection of those we love, the same is true of our Heavenly Father. He desires the love, attention and affection of those He loves; His creation, His children, those who have accepted Him as their Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Praise, worship, & adoration are all expressions of our love toward our Heavenly Father, the one and only God who is the creator of the universe…the I AM, El Shaddai, Emmanuel, Elohim, El Elyon, and the Ancient of Days, and then to His Son Jesus, the Messiah!

Giving glory is loving. As we grow in Him giving Him glory will be a natural outpouring of our love and affection toward Him as well as others. The more we love Him the more glory we will give to Him. We love Him because He first loved us!

So give Him glory, give Him praise, give Him honor, worship Him, adore Him, appreciate Him, tell of His magnificent greatness, tell of His mighty works among men, tell of His attributes, tell of all His miracles, tell of His love and peace toward men, sing of His saving grace, dance before Him for His promises, clap your hands in thankfulness and joy, lift your hands in praise, and fall to your knees in worship. For great is our God and worthy to be praised, for all He has done and all He is going to do, but most of all just for WHO HE IS!

Moving in & out of the God-seasons of our lives is more about the realization of the change and adjusting to it, than the change itself. Accepting the transition and learning to quickly get into aggreement with God’s plans makes the entire process so much easier. It even helps it to move along more quickly. Why, because we are not so stressed out about it or so impatient during the process of it.

When one part of our spiritual lives becomes less active and another picks up, we need to become more sensitive to the change, we must quickly discern, recognize, and accept God’s soverign hand in it. 

All that is really happening is that God is moving us from one field of harvest to another. Most likely we are on a temporary hiatus while God is working behind the scenes to advance His will in our lives. Most likely the field that we have been is has produced  it’s full potiential for our spiritual advancement. Thus God is moving us to a new field to fulfill specific needs in our spiritual lives, or there are other sheep in this new fold that are ready and waiting for what God has given us to share.

Either way, whether we go or stay we must enjoy both seasons. The season of release to another field of service, or be content to remain in the present field of service where we are presently feeding and being fed. 

Our lives are not are our own. As we know, we have been bought with a price, and it wasn’t cheap. It was the life-blood of the Son of God. If our Heavenly Father willingly gave us His son as a ransom for our sins, then the least we can do is trust His will in our lives. He is after all, the lover of our souls, a friend that sticks closer than a brother, and our Beloved! How could we ask or need more!

Last Saturday I had a taken a shower and was cleaning up some things in my bath. I have some bottles of cleansing gel that I keep refilled on a shelf at the back of my tub. Outside the opposite end of my tub I have a table which holds a vase and plant. 

So I was standing at the front of the tub, leaning across it reaching for the bottles in the back left corner, I lifted my left leg to give me more stretch as I have done many times before, and  placed my hand on the back tiles of the tub. 

Failing to remember that I had just taken a shower, the very instant that my hand touched the wet tiles it slipped, and faster than a speeding bullet I fell downward and forward turning up side down and landing head & shoulder first at the bottom of the tub. In that split second I thought….”I am in Big Trouble!” My feet were half way up the front shower wall  sticking outside the shower. 

At first I was speechless. I didn’t move. I thought, oh my, what have I done? At that moment my husband came running in and told me not to move. I kept waiting for that oh so familiar pain of injury to ensue and in the next few seconds it did! It was my big toe and the ones next to it, they began to scream in a painful throb. 

My husband stepped into the tub and like my knight in shining armor picked me up out of the tub, carried me and set me down. I was amazed that the only thing giving me pain was my toe. I couldn’t believe it! I began to think of the seriousness of the situation that had just happened to me. Many people are severely injured and even die from blunt force trama to their heads when falling headlong into a bath tub. But I had only injured my toe!

I began to praise the Lord and thank Him for what He had just done for me. I began to weep and weep and weep and weep! It wasn’t tears of joy, it wasn’t tears of pain, but tears of thankfulness and gratitiude for the ‘Savior’ He had just been to me. As I held ice on the injury and sat in my husband’s prayer chair, I felt the love of God pour over me like I have never felt before.

It was so warm, it was so gentle, it was so kind, it was comforting, so reassuring, and oh, so real. I wept, and wept, and wept. This must have gone on for 30-45 minutes. This presence of God and His love for me was so over powering that during this time I never felt the pain.

I could not thank Him enough. I knew at that moment that my mission on this earth was not over and that my destiny was still to be fulfilled. Ps. 91:11-12 came flowing in and out of my spirit over and over, “He will give His angels charge over me, to keep me in all my ways. With there wings they shall bear me up, lest my foot dash against a stone.”

Wow, the smallest injury of all…my toe against the wall. Praise His Holy name. As I thought of what could have been but wasn’t, it would begin all over again; the tears, the thankfulness, the gratitude, the love, the love, the Agape love of my Lord and Savior. That name; ‘Savior’ took on a whole new meaning to me.

My body has felt the trauma for a few days now, with messages from muscles and tendons I never even knew I had. But I will never forget that one day that I knew for sure the Lord gave His Angels special charge over me. To God be the glory forever and ever! Amen