Good morning Heartstrings family,

When you look around you, hear news media, the noise from godless neighbors, and you see that something big is coming...you better expect to be found in Christ. We don't know what tomorrow brings but, I pray you will stand strong and sure in the Almighty.

In Matthew 24;36-44 we read, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be."

Again as Jesus was speaking in Matthew 25:1-13..."Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!' Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'

Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

Pause a moment and consider what it will be like for those who thought they were saved, but not received. The wording is simple, powerful and should make you more in tune to the Spirit guiding you to tell others the Good News. The only way to be redeemed back to the Father. Many times I have read these passages yet, only recently have I begun to really grasp the passion behind Jesus words. You don't want to be left standing there and not be accepted!

Have you made Jesus your Lord and Savior today? It is simply coming to Him, humble and repenting of your sins. Tell Him you believe He is the Son of God and you want to surrender your life to Jesus. Ask Him to set your feet on a right path. From that point, you now have a seal of approval upon your life. Holy Spirit will be with you through the journey ahead. You will never be alone and heading to eternal judgement. Praise the Lord!

Do you know how much you are loved? You can be without the love of family and friends and still be covered in the Grace of the Lord. There is joy unspeakable waiting for you today! Bless you while you wait for His call to join Him in heaven forever! And, keep watching for His appearing. Any day now!

Abundance is...watch while you wait

Welcome to this beautiful day Heartstrings family!

Father God thank you for making this day for your glory and for our good. Help me to convey the truth of your Word to those around me. Fill me with the Holy Spirit and fresh life. Take all the distractions that the enemy sends my way and deliver me to stand firm on your Word. In Jesus matchless name, amen.

I have some scriptures to share that each of us really need to hide in our hearts. At this time in our world many are coming to the end of all hope and are so full of fear they are disabled. That is the enemy's intent. God's Word will never change. 

The Word discovers the condition of every person that is breathing. So we are going to place His Word of Truth into the depths of our soul and invite the Spirit of God to work a good work.

Hebrews 4:12-13 says, "For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."

As believers every one of us must give account to the all-seeing, all-knowing God. Some of the scriptures I share today may seem repetitive. How many times has Holy Spirit patiently reminded me of things I have read in my Bible? Many.

Salvation is a free gift from the Father. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Hebrews 1:1-4 says, "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through who also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His persona, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they."

Jesus is the final Prophet, Priest and King. He is the sole expression of the glory of God!

2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

1 Timothy 2:5-6 says, "But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their message will spread like cancer..."

God is the only mediator...Galatians 3:20 says, "Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one."

As followers we are Light bearers. So, take 1 Peter 3:15-16 and make it your personal prayer..."But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear, having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed."

Matthew 28:18:20 says, "And Jesus came and spoke to them saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. God therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen

Romans 10:13 says, "For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."

There are so many scriptures that witness of God's everlasting Love. Take time in His Presence and His Spirit will give you the right words at the right time. God bless you and know I am holding you in my thoughts and prayers today.

Abundance is...when you let your Light shine

Welcome back to Heartstrings!

It has been awhile since I have been able to write to you. This body has been through some things which made it difficult for me. Thankfully, I am here now and can say, "God is good all the time!"

Through it all I have fallen deeper in love with God's Word. Can we ever get enough of Him? When I find myself failing and my thoughts turn to complaining, I am reminded of the precious things I have read only that morning. His mercies really are enough. Fresh life flows through coming into His presence.

I have only a short time today but please consider reading the whole of Psalm 62. I know you will be blessed! I want to begin at verse 5..."My soul, wait only upon God and silently submit to Him; for my hope and expectation are from Him."

I was thinking of all the times I talk to God. Really most of the day. But, I wonder how much is chatter and how much is worship. I have to command my soul to be silent much of the time lately. To listen and wait on Him instead of hoping He is hearing me. He does! So, that is settled now.

"He only is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my Defense and my Fortress, I shall not be moved." Do you believe this? What moves you to turn away and hope to battle life on your own? I have tried. It just doesn't work well.

"With God rests my salvation and my glory; He is my Rock of unyielding strength and impenetrable hardness, and my refuge is in God!" Are you in need of a safe place today? Has the noise of this world become so loud that you can't hear yourself think straight?

"Trust in, lean on and rely on, and have confidence in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is a refuge for us (a fortress and a high tower). Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!"

There is that wonderful place where we can pause, take the time to consider and take to heart the majesty of God. His wonderous ways and His faithful love for us. We need Him all the time! There is no one better to pour your heart out to. Trust Him will you?

I do pray for you. I hope prayer for me goes up to God too. We will meet each other someday. I know this. How? Because He said so. Heaven will be a wonderful place but here for now, we get to reflect the peace of God for a dying and incredibly wounded world. God bless you and keep you. Lift His countenance upon you and give you peace today in the matchless name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Abundance is...from Him alone

Good day Heartstrings family

Today my calendar showed it to be Juneteenth. I had to look up what that meant. I had never heard of it before. So, I did. Now I understand the meaning behind this holiday in America.

It made me think of the many people who attend church services and yet have no idea if they are free, truly free, in Christ. His work on the cross and rising from the dead was done as a love gift from the Father of Love. He did this for us!

So, those of you who go to church because it feels like a safe enough place to socialize or just love the traditions, may not be truly free. Not until there is a meeting with Jesus. An acceptance of His free gift. Repenting of your sins by laying them down at the foot of the cross. Telling the Lord that you believe He Is the Son of God. Then, you can truly be free.

Galatians 5:1 says that when we are born again..."In [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do no be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off],"

The connection for me is that now that I believe, am saved for eternity and sealed with the Holy Spirit I am truly free. Many of the black people did not know they were free when that happened and went on as though slaves still. We all have to become aware of the Truth don't we? When we know, then we can live free! 

Jesus justified us and declared us righteous through that work on the cross. But, He could have only died and He be counted as a good man. Instead, He conquered death! Think of this! 

When we continue to live as though we are slaves to sin we cannot bear good fruit, or attain the abundance of God on our lives. Live truly free!

I am praying for you. When I don't know how to pray I know the Holy Spirit is doing that perfectly. The Lord bless you and keep you safe and well and truly free, in the matchless name of Jesus Christ our Lord and soon coming King! amen.

Abundance is...to be truly free

Thank you for sharing in my journey Heartstrings family. May the Lord bless you today. 

Waiting for God to help us is not always easy is it? This morning while reading Psalm 40:1-4, I was encouraged to press on. Here we can see the benefits David received from waiting on God.

I recognize the time I spent in grumbling, and  being discontent is a huge waste of time. This must grieve the heart of God. How can I say, I trust God and hang onto worry? It only proves my lack of faith in Him. I am grateful that when this sin makes its appearance, I can repent and know He is faithful to forgive me.

" I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. ~ He drew me up out of a horrible pit [a pit of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay (froth and slime), and set my feet upon a rock, steadying my steps and establishing my goings. ~ And He has put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many shall see and fear revere and worship) and put their trust and confident reliance in the Lord. ~ Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who makes the Lord his refuge and trust, and turns not to the proud or to followers of false gods."

Do you see the benefits? As we wait on God He lifts us out of our despair! Many times and not always depending Him, I have fallen into despair. Discouragement. Anxiety and at the core, fear. He is faithful to lift me up when I surrender to His will.

Another is God set our feet on firm ground! We don't have to slip and slid through life here. We don't have to keep looking down at our feet to judge if it is safe or not. WE can look up and see Him; His firm love that is before us and holds us up from falling.

Another is David recognize that God steadied his walk. Now, that is something that I can personally appreciate because I have taken a few falls that have left me bruised and broken and unbalanced. It is good to known I am kept sound at the side of one who cares. He cares for us.

And, another one is that God gave David a new purpose. Do you have a new purpose? Are you counting all the blessings even as you go through the trials? This is very important. David knew the heart of God and desired to follow after Him like a deer longs for the water brook. That goes right into Psalm 42. I love this. 

Are you thirsty today for more of God? Trust the waiting to Him. He knows every longing of your heart. He made that center to be filled with Himself. There you will find Living Water! 

I love that we have the freedom to be together though so far away. Many from other countries have come to this special space. God has allowed me the privilege to share my own journey and to encourage you in yours. Pray always for each other. 

I woke the other night with a thought to pray for people in a certain place. I had never heard of it before. But, I obeyed. Then later, I located it. It was a well known square in Cairo, Egypt. A place also known as a place where there are many protests and some have even died. See, God sees all. So, what difference does it make if I don't pray? Why did this happen to me? Because, my prayers along with countless others reaches through the spiritual realm and makes a difference against the principalities and forces we can't even see. Keep praying. Keep listening for God's whispers in the night. He is with you.

See, I am also learning not everything is about me. So, waiting on God consists of many people near and far. If I wait on Him, He will show me what His will is. The benefits are drawing closer to the One Who made us! An intimate relationship with the Father in Heaven. A closer walk with Jesus, His Son. Comfort and guidance from the Holy Spirit. Assurance and peace.

Have no confidence in the proud or those who worship idols. Have your confidence in the Lord God Almighty Who is able to save you! I pray this in the matchless name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Abundance is...especially while waiting