The Kingdom belongs to the children

Matt 18:3 says " Truly I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the Kingdom of God"

Jesus said this to his disciples when they asked Jesus who was the greatest in the kingdom. He went on to tell them that they needed to become 'humble' like a little child. I'm sure they must have been shocked at this saying from Jesus. But why did he say that? Well, let's look at the child. He or she is innocent; has no preconceived ideas about people and the world; they are open and accepting. They depend on their parents for food, warmth, safety, love and protection. There is no malice or evil intention whatsoever in a child's mind. It is pure and wholesome.

Unfortunately things change. Children grow up and become callous and cynical adults. At what point in our development did the metamorphosis take place? Is it a 'learned behavior' or is it the 'natural progression' into adulthood?' Trace back to when your fleshly heart became a heart made of stone. Was it in your early years at school or was it when you were in college? Was it the time when you were deceived by a close friend or when someone you trusted violated you? We are a product of out society. We are influenced by what is going on around us and what is done to us.

Jesus told Nicodemus that he had to be born again before he could enter into the Kingdom in the Gospel of John 3:3. Needless to say, this baffled Nicodemus. It sounded ridiculous. How can a man return to his mother's womb and be born a second time? But what Jesus was really saying was this....'look, you cannot see the Kingdom of God in the condition you are in presently. You have become corrupted by the world. You have to come back to that state when you were a little child and you mind was not cluttered by worldly things. Start from scratch and begin to learn all about me. Let me pour my life into you and show you who you really are.'

It all begins with a submitting your will to the Father for starters and acknowledging that we have messed up and need him. Then a re-newing of your mind daily and putting him first in everything. This requires humility because you are giving up control and that is no easy task. It entails a faith walk knowing that 'he is the author and finisher of your faith.' It all comes back to that child-like faith that Jesus spoke about to his disciples. As we hand over the reigns to our Lord he takes us on this journey that requires that we take 'baby steps' all over again. That is part of the process of the re-newing of the mind and allowing his word to change us into what he wants for our lives.

Proverb 20:24 says, "Man's goings are of the Lord; how then can a man understand his own way?" God has a plan for our lives and he has a way of getting us on the right track. We make plans for our lives and God just laughs. Isn't it better to be in God's will than out of his will? We know the plans he has for us are perfect.

In conclusion: Proverb 4: 1-4 says, "Hear you children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine, forsake you not my law. For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandment and live."

Run back to the Father and find safety, love, food, warmth and protection. Humble yourself in his presence and he will lift you up in his arms.

Without light there will be no shadow

1 John 1:7 "But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we will have fellowship one with another...."

I took this photo a while back of my granddaughter on one of our walks. She was thrilled to see her shadow that was cast on the wall. She moved around and made different poses and everything that she did..her shadow followed her. Needless to say, it was a moment to teach her a lesson about light and shadows.

Well months past by and I was looking at the photo and remembering our walk and our conversation about light and shadows. And it suddenly dawned on me that there is a spiritual parallel here. God is light and we walk in his light and have fellowship with him.

There needs to be light in order to cast a shadow. Jesus is the light of the world and we are his shadows here on earth. We see ourselves in him..we are reflected in him. The more light we have the more the shadow is cast. Acts 17: 28 says we move and breathe and have our being in him.

When you look at a shadow you don't see your features at all because that's how it is when you are in God. His light is so bright that it obscures who we are and allows the world to only see him. The more light we allow into our lives the more we are changed to become like him. 2 Cor. 3:18 says we are changed into the same image from glory to glory....

In Acts 5:15 the shadow of Peter passing by healed the people. He had so much of God's light in him that his shadow healed the people. How great would it be if we could duplicate this today.

His light is constant. Whether it is dark on earth or there is light his light is eternal. Isaiah 60:1 says we are to arise and shine for our light has come.....Let us do that then.

Lessons to be learned from nesting.

For the past two years I have had some very unusual guests. The birds seem to like setting up their nests in my front porch and also in the tree right in front of my door. I did not mind having them there at all. As a matter of fact I felt honored that they would find my place so appealing. I have had at least five grand baby birds so far.

I watched as they first chose the spot that they liked. Then they began gathering the materials to make the nest. It was a demanding job and took many hours and even days to complete. It had to be just right. It needed to support and insulate the egg as well as provide concealment from predators and shelter from the rain.

When the nest was completed the bird was ready to lay her egg. Then there was a period of nesting where the bird was required to sit for days and in some cases for weeks. This was called the incubation time. The egg needed the mother's warmth for its development. The mother exhibited much patience at this time.

I noticed the father bird came by periodically to check on the progress of mother and egg. Each time he would bring food in his beak. Satisfied that everyone was okay he flew off again until the next feeding.

Finally things began to change. As soon as I saw mother and father bird coming and going I knew that the baby bird had broken out of its shell. It was time for a feeding frenzy. This went on for a week or two until it was time for the baby bird to fledge. Both mother and father huddled over the baby to make sure no predators came near it until it was able to fly away on its own.

I have always wanted desperately to witness the moment when baby bird flew away from the nest but sadly have missed it every time.

Throughout these experiences I have gained some spiritual insight into my own life. When God speaks a word or a promise to you about something he wants to accomplish in your life you become impregnated with that word. And like the bird who knows she is carrying an egg she begins to make preparation for the egg. In the same way we have to make sure the word finds good soil in our hearts conducive to its growth.

It demands constant supervision, support and insulation like the egg. Predators are another factor in the preservation of the word. There will always be people or situations that would try to snatch the promise away from reaching its fruition. That is why we need to hide the word in our heart.

Then we have to deal with the 'sitting' on the word during the incubation period. This is usually the hard part because it requires a lot of patience. Since we always want things right now and waiting is not something we like to do it can be a challenge. But wait we must with expectation. And just like the father bird comes by to check on the family and bring food so does the Holy Spirit while we are in transition.

Then when it seems like the vision is about to be birth it's not time to relax. Like the bird it's time to huddle over the vision. It is a delicate time and requires a praying through and a time of worship to see it to the end.

And even though I did not witness the baby birds fly away to freedom I pray that in my own life I would not miss all that the good Lord has in store for me.

Celia

Earthquakes, earthquakes, everywhere earthquakes

Isaiah 24:20 "The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage, and the transgressions thereof shall be heavy upon it, and it shall fall, and not rise again."

According to the Torah, the year 5770 is this year 2010. God mentions this year over two thousand times in the Torah. Why? When I heard this it made me ponder its significance. Why is this year so important to God that he speaks of it so many times.
One morning I was awakened out of sleep by the sound of a loud trumpet. I quickly realized that it wasn't a natural trumpet that I heard but a trumpet in the spirit realm. But what did it mean? The answer did not come right away.

A week later on January 12th a powerful earthquake rocked Haiti. It was at that moment revelation came to me. This year was going to be known for devastating earthquakes unlike any other time. I had to warn the people. Ezekiel 3:17 says, "Son of man, I have made thee a watchman........therefore hear the word at my mouth and give then warnings from me" The Lord had placed a trumpet in my mouth. I had to do his will.

The earthquake in Haiti dominated the news. Meanwhile I began to notice that earthquakes were also happening in California, Oklahoma, Venezuela and Cayman Islands. However, these quakes, because they were not as powerful as the one in Haiti was overshadowed and were not reported in the news.

I found a web-site called USGS Earthquake Hazard Program that gave a detailed account of every earthquake as it happens. I began to post this information on Facebook. Every day there were numerous earthquakes taking place around the world. But according to the scientists,'earthquakes are a normal occurrence and there should be no cause for alarm.'

Then on February 28th another earthquake struck.. This time it was Chile and it was an 8.8 magnitude earthquake, seven hundred times stronger that the one that hit Haiti. This one was so powerful that it moved a city ten feet from its original position. And s if that wasn't bad enough it also moved the earth off its axis by three inches and as a result we lost time as well.

On March 8th Turkey became the next victim of an earthquake. The news reported that "everything is knocked down and at least six villages were flattened". Meanwhile Japan and many other places were experiencing very strong quakes as well.

March 11th dealt another very strong quake to Chile. A 7.2 magnitude this time that disrupted the swearing in of a new president. Chile continues to be bombarded with strong quakes on a daily basis. The people there are fearful and are on edge all the time.

Is it over? I don't think the shaking is over. This year has only just begun. We have a long way to go. What is the Lord saying in all this? Matthew 24 warns that in the last days one of the signs is that there will be a lot of earthquakes in many different places. We are indeed living in those times now. I believe the return of the Lord is near. How close? No one really knows. But the Lord will get the people's attention.

I believe before the Lord's return there will be a major outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the earth the likes of which has never been seen before. There will be a great harvest of souls that will be ushered into the Kingdom of God.

The saints of God are not to be concerned with all that's happening. We need to continue to praise Almighty God and intercede for our loved ones, friends and neighbors.

To soar like an eagle

Isaiah 40:31 "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint"

Today I sat on my porch and I watched a bird flying high up in the sky. It seemed effortless as he glided along. He seemed to be carried by the wind currents. He barely used his wings at all. He looked peaceful and contented.

And I thought about his perspective of things from where he was looking down. Everything probably looked very small and his range much broader than if he were just in a tree. He didn't have a care in this world , it seemed.

He was in his element enjoying every minute. So natural and free flowing were his movements.

He probably was observing mankind below rushing about, busy with their daily activities. Maybe he was wondering why they always seemed to be in such a rush. Like that man who couldn't wait at the traffic lights and ran into someone's car. Now he has no choice but to stop and deal with the problem he caused. Hopefully no one was seriously hurt in the process.

It made me think about my own life and my walk with the Lord. If I could just be like that bird. Relying on the Holy Spirit to move me effortlessly along this journey called life. To be able to spread my wings and soar like the bird and have a better perspective about things. The scripture says we will run and not get weary and we will walk and not faint. It seems like we are getting weary and we are fainting because we are not waiting on him. We are struggling to do life on our own when he wants to give us rest.

So today, that bird has taught me a very important lesson. I am to wait on the Lord and renew my strength daily. I am going to come up higher and see things from his perspective and rely on Holy Spirit.

Celia

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