Today has been an incredible day! It started out this morning when I was reading the Word. I was in the book of John.
John 15 (The Message)
The Vine and the Branches
1-3 "I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn't bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken.4"Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can't bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can't bear fruit unless you are joined with me.
5-8"I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.
9-10"I've loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you'll remain intimately at home in my love. That's what I've done—kept my Father's commands and made myself at home in his love.
11-15"I've told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I'm no longer calling you servants because servants don't understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I've named you friends because I've let you in on everything I've heard from the Father.
16"You didn't choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won't spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you.
17"But remember the root command: Love one another.
Hated by the World
18-19"If you find the godless world is hating you, remember it got its start hating me. If you lived on the world's terms, the world would love you as one of its own. But since I picked you to live on God's terms and no longer on the world's terms, the world is going to hate you.20"When that happens, remember this: Servants don't get better treatment than their masters. If they beat on me, they will certainly beat on you. If they did what I told them, they will do what you tell them.
21-25"They are going to do all these things to you because of the way they treated me, because they don't know the One who sent me. If I hadn't come and told them all this in plain language, it wouldn't be so bad. As it is, they have no excuse. Hate me, hate my Father—it's all the same. If I hadn't done what I have done among them, works no one has ever done, they wouldn't be to blame. But they saw the God-signs and hated anyway, both me and my Father. Interesting—they have verified the truth of their own Scriptures where it is written, 'They hated me for no good reason.'
26-27"When the Friend I plan to send you from the Father comes—the Spirit of Truth issuing from the Father—he will confirm everything about me. You, too, from your side must give your confirming evidence, since you are in this with me from the start." (I understand what this means and I am more than happy to give my confirming evidence!)
I started balling when I read it. The Lord convicted my heart and I knew what I had to do! Steve and I needed to spatially separate and get couple counseling so we can get married in the Spirit and become one the way God intended. Even though we have both committed to no longer being intimate I just felt the presence of The Lord over me today and I knew what had to be done. I felt that he would bless us if we are obedient to him. The text in red, spoke to me the loudest.
I created my prayer request page and started asking people to pray. Several things happened within 30 minutes that could very well produce a place for Steve to stay and me a job! I am praying that these are answered prayers, if they aren't then it won't come to pass and I will believe for what is his provisions; if they do come to pass then what a testimony they are going to be! I am excited to see how it all unfolds :) Lord, you know what's going on, if this is your will, then I praise your holy name and give you all the credit and will shout it to the world! Your amazing and I know how powerful you are and what miracles you can perform.
The next scripture I read was John 16:21 "It will be the same joy as that of a woman in labor when her child is born--her anguish gives place to rapturous joy and the pain is forgotten" I remembered a picture that was taken when my daughter was born and I went and got it, I share it here because I want you to see the joy that the Word speaks of..I had to "fix it up" so I could cover what is "private " and I added a little bit of heaven to the picture, but it is so special and beautiful to me.
Children are Gifts from God
That joy is something I felt today when I was searching for this picture. I went through hundreds of pictures of my little girl who brings so much joy to me. All of her pictures that reflected The Joy of The Lord I gathered together and am going to make something special with them. I cried and laughed while looking at these pictures that brought me so much joy then as well as today. God truly blessed me with a "bundle of joy". I praise his holy name for blessing me with my daughter.
If you ever here anyone say "There is Joy in The Lord" that picture is proof and as I walk in his love and obedience I feel joy that is overflowing. I hope some of it spills over on you.
God bless,
Debra
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10/27/2007
What a wonderful day, thank you God :) All of these pictures I pulled out have brought my daughter and I so much joy! We have laughed and enjoyed looking at them because they bring back such fond memories. It deepened our connection today. She loved looking at her first "professional" picture when she was born. She saw the pain and agony as well as the joy on my face and realized Mommy went through 18 hours of pain for her :) Oh thank the Lord for the Joy that replaced it!
I have to tell you something funny! As she was lying on my office floor she looked over at my book shelf and started naming off book titles. As she read off the names of them we were both laughing and she said, "Wow Mommy, you must have REALLY needed help!" We both cracked up and I realized how far I really have come by being reminded by my book titles! You can really tell a lot about someone by looking at the books in their book case! There's a hint to a single person, look at your future boyfriend or girlfriends book case, you might think twice about getting involved :)
The best book that I have ever read though is the Bible, which is The Living Word of God! It has changed me in ways no man/woman written book could. Today I think I realized to the depth of why it can.
I was lead to google "spiritual five senses" and found the information mind blowing! It was the answers I was seeking. I needed to understand something that didn't make sense. Here is what was spoke to me the loudest and started me on a closer spiritual walk with God "What you receive in the spiritual realm through those spiritual senses, which are trained by the Word of God, will affect three realms. When you receive information from any one of your five spiritual senses, you will have thoughts about the will of God; you will have thoughts about doing the things of God and you will have thoughts about the holiness of God. You have desires towards God. You have imaginations of the works of God. Any information received from those five spiritual realms will affect and give you these three areas of spiritual thoughts, spiritual desires and spiritual imaginations. You could imagine the things of God because they are from that realm. And as you continually feed on these areas with the Word of God, meditating upon them you will receive more and more from that realm until all your desires are finely tuned to the things of God and your natural desires go off.
Your Christian life is a battle against these three realms against each other. Your thoughts, your desires and your imagination fluctuate into whichever realm according to which realm you tune into. If you have the Word of God, it helps you to tune into the spirit realm. So, we have to continually train ourselves in these realms by the indwelling of Christ in our lives."
Now I understand...to read more click here
Thank you God for leading me to exactly what I needed. You knew after my meeting on Thursday what it was I needed to understand from a physical realm so I can learn to distinguish them. Growing and Knowing :) I now understand why I feel how I do when I read Your Word, looking forward to receiving more from the spiritual realm and walking in the spirit, living in the spirit!
