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The First Book Has Begun!

I write today with some very exciting news. After much reading, writing and research….the pursuit of the first Heart of Grace book has begun! So far we are now laying out pages and content and trying to make it as useful as possible! The only hints we’ll share today is that we will begin releasing a series of books based on topics that we feel are very “right now” for people that are in need of a simple yet fulfilling word of the Lord!

On a related note to this (just to testify a little), I remember growing up in school and going through it always thinking “I’m not good at writing”. The truth is, when it came to writing about things I wasn’t fully knowledgeable on, I was probably right. When we first started out the web site, I remember thinking about “how are we going to offer something to people that they can use?”, and no sooner than that God began to help me and lead me into things to begin to write and speak on. There has not been a day that when I have sat down to dedicate time to work for this dream that God has not helped me with it every step of the way.

We will be making this available in paperback and on the iTunes book store (and maybe amazon) when the first volume is finished. I’ll try to keep the rest a surprise until we get it complete! Pray that we have the time and resources to pull it together by the end of this calendar year! My goal (and prayers to God) is to have our first release of a book by Christmas!

The Effects Of Our Obedience

If we are in love with God, obedience doesn’t cost a thing, it’s a delight! It’s supposed to be anyways!

If we are not, our obedience costs others a great deal. Why? The battle of the flesh begins, for us as well as others!

When we reject the word of God, we’ll say “What about my plans?” or “I’m not going to accept what you say”

In all reality, who or what are we really rejecting?

1 Samuel 15:1-15

[1] Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.
[2] Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.
[3] Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
[4] And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.
[5] And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.
[6] And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
[7] And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.
[8] And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
[9] But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
[10] Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,
[11] It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.
[12] And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.
[13] And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.
[14] And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
[15] And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

Saul was told to destroy ALL of Amalek, everything and everyone and took 210,000.

When we read verses 8-11, a red flag sticks out to me.

One of the first mistakes to anything is what?…it is when we thought we had a better plan in store than what God has for us to begin with.

The two worst mistakes you can possibly make are doing nothing and bearing the suffering or doing some and leaving part of it off.

Remember! Others around you are directly affected!

No effort = no encouragement

No tears = no hope

No humbleness = no selfishness

No love = no compassion

We have to learn to obey God and leave all the consequences with him, because they are all our own self-created consequences.

The question I ask myself is what do we do with:

All regrets that we have

All fears of criticisms from others

All on seeing eyes of rejection

Rebuke it and love what God has done! Don’t pluck the seeds out!

We cannot dictate by conditions! We have to hear to know!

Delayed Blessings Test Faith

Click To Play     

One of the hardest principles to apply in our lives is when we have to wait for an extended period of time on something that God is moving for us in. I hope by reading some of the scriptures that God gave me that we can see that we sometimes have to remember that delayed blessings test faith.

Genesis 15:2-6“A delayed birth of a son.”

[2] And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
[3] And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
[4] And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
[5] And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
[6] And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Genesis 21:1-6“Many years waiting. “

[1] And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken.
[2] For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
[3] And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.
[4] And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him.
[5] And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.
[6] And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.

We find it so crazy sometimes to believe God. We will even go as far as to laugh at the possibility to see it through! You see, God cannot move through our lack of faith; God moves through our practice of faith.

Genesis 22:8-13“Faith into practice”

[8] And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
[9] And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
[10] And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
[11] And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
[12] And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
[13] And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.

God will make a way, but we have to follow through sometimes for us to be proven vessels! That even means in church services when we don’t feel like it or have the lack of desire to do anything at all. We have to follow through on our faith. Faith without works is dead, right?

Joshua 6:12-20“Faith with works”

[12] And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD.
[13] And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.
[14] And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days.
[15] And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times.
[16] And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.
[17] And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.
[18] And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.
[19] But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.
[20] So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

Victory will come with continual and specific obedience. We might find it to be confusing or sometimes crazy with the requirements that God lays before us, but he never puts us out there in a trial without the strength to be able to endure it!

Luke 24:49“God gives power”

[49] And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

While we are here, we have power in him! We should not act as though we are powerless! We have to learn to utilize the power we have so that we can learn to help others!

Luke 15:22-28“Being faithful to others”

[22] But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
[23] And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
[24] For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
[25] Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
[26] And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
[27] And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
[28] And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.

We have to turn from our ways to find our new life and blessings ahead! We can finally lay the old man down, and pick up the new person that God has ordained us to be!

Answer The Call

1st Samuel 3:1-10

[1] And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.
[2] And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;
[3] And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;
[4] That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.
[5] And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.
[6] And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.
[7] Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.
[8] And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.
[9] Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
[10] And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

Samuel was sure that he was hearing someone call him. He simply just didn’t know who it was. Each and every time he was called on, he was ready and answered the call. This is very important for all of us who listen for God’s voice to lead us and guide us. We need to be careful to listen to when God speaks. Most of the time we pretend like we do not hear anything at all. God is calling us to be a ready people to do his work and follow his will. We need to serve one another, and let others observe that. If we use our talents with purpose together, then we can draw strength from one another. Samuel was a very young individual when he heard the call of the Lord. And with that said, this goes out to each and every one that is out there that believes they are too young for God: WE HAVE TO ANSWER THE CALL! God has so many things that he can speak to us even daily, and all we need to do is tune in and listen. Sometimes what God says may not be to our liking, but it is by his guidance and counsel that we can improve our lives and be a more established servant for him. Always remember to answer when God speaks! You won’t regret it!