Healing Time

I have made it safely to Lebanon and the Lord gave me a very restful flight. I appreciate everybody's prayers and wish to thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I hadn't realized how nerveous I was about this whole trip, and now, glory to God, I can't believe how calm I am and how smoothly things are going. There is a worldly saying that says "time heals all", NOT TRUE. It had been eight years that I hadn't seen my father and family and time didn't heal a thing. All glory and praise goes to the LORD. Our Healer is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Psa 147:3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

Amen! This trip is for healing and for many wounds, for my brother and I, to be stiched up. As much as I wish for the wounds to be healed, at the same time, I pray they remain as scars. Scars do not hurt, but thtey are there. I want then to remain scars so that I can always be reminded what the Lord has done for me. These scars will be memories of time of hurt and of time of healing. I can't post half the things, but Christ is good to me far beyond what I deserve and far beyond what I have prayed for. God's mighty right hand is with me.

I was able to spend Sunday with my brother's church and that was a blessing. There is brotherly love in the church and it was a delight meeting all the people who sincerely love my brother. My dad's cleaning lady came to church with us and she got saved!!!! Amen, what a Saviour we serve.

Psa 73:26 My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for euer.

This is the verse that will remain in my heart throughout this trip.

Once more, thanks for the prayers, and I pray that all is well with all of you.

Sarah

Adieu

This will be my last post until I arrive in Lebanon and have access to the internet.

I appreciate all your prayers very much. Thankfully, I enjoy travelling because this will be a long trip. It's about seven hours to get to Paris, France with a 2-3 hour wait there and fours hours from Paris, France to Beirut, Lebanon.

I will miss visiting your blogs and hopefully, it wont' be too long a wait before I have internet access. I promised a bunch of people that I would e-mail them upon my safe arrival!

Once more, thanks for your friendships and for the prayers.

May the Lord also bless and keep you safe!

In Christ,

Sarah

I know whom I have believed

It’s almost midnight, and if you know me well enough by now, you would know that right about now, I would be in lala land, which to me is dreamland. And though I can not wait to arrive to that land which is nothing but a piece of imagination of my own, I’m very anxious and am having trouble sleeping. It’s weird, I’m about to pass out I’m so exhausted, and yet my mind is continually running and it’s preventing me from falling asleep. Applogies if this posts ends up with a tone of mistakes.

I will soon be on my way to Lebanon; I can’t even believe this day has actually arrived. Never had I ever had so many mixed feelings, from excitement to fear.

Last night, during the prayer service, Pastor Larry preached about the altars in our life. Pastor Larry always insists that a believer ought to have a place where they can pinpoint where they met the Lord. Mine is at our first home we had here in Canada, in the living room with my mother. I got saved, no question about it, even though I was only 7 years old. I understood I was a sinner in need of Jesus’ Grace, that He may save my soul from death and hell, and Glory to God, He saved me.

However, I have another altar. Though I was saved, I didn’t really know my Saviour, and had thought I found Him through the Catholic god. My last trip to Lebanon yielded to the start of my walk with the Lord. I needed to be delivered from a certain situation, and I would cling each night to my Bible, with tears, and would tell God that if He truly is Jesus Christ, then He would deliver me. Amen, He delivered me! That room in Lebanon yielded to another altar where I met with the Lord. It is where I truly knew and trusted in Him. He is now giving me a second chance to visit that same altar once more, this time though, I know whom I have believed.

2Ti 1:12 for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

I know that He is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my GOD, my strength, my buckler, the horn of my salvation and my high tower.

Psa 18:2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

The Lord is my refuge and I know that He will protect me.

Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. Psalms 91:9-15

His promises give me strength and peace. I know that I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.

Phi 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

I can publish this post and quote these scriptures of Faith with full belief only because I truly know whom I have believed. Amen.

Face to Face

Deu 34:10 And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face.

There is a Hymn, Face to Face, which my mother loves, and the refrain goes like this:

Face to face I shall behold Him, Far beyond the starry sky
Face to face, in all His glory, I shall see him by and by.

King Jesus is on His way!

Rev 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

Soon, and very soon, our faith will be sight, and we will meet our Saviour, face to face! The only thing we should fix our heart upon and wait with exceeding joy is the return of Jesus Christ the King. This is our hope.

Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Christians, we are getting ready to meet Him FACE TO FACE!!!!

Rev 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly.

Reconciliation

I will admit, I have been avoiding publishing this post, but I believe it is time.

Talk about “return unto the land of thy fathers”, Gen 31:3. The Lord has so commanded me. This coming Friday, I will be leaving to Lebanon to visit my brother that I may attend His University graduation, but to also visit and reconcile with my earthly father, whom I have not seen in 8 years.

My relationship with him has been almost inexistent, and the way I can described it best is “undefined”. My biggest stumbling block, which I will have to face, is how can I forgive a man who does not admit he has been wrong. It’s not a question of love, I love Him, and He loves me. I do not know what it is and how I can fix it, other than to lean solely on my Heavenly Father’s wisdom. Urgh. (as my mother says), this is difficult just typing about it.

Not my will, but Thine, O Lord.

I am afraid that I will some day stand before Christ my Judge, and He will tell me that maybe my dad didn’t know any better, but I did. Therefore, I do want to reconcile things with him. Yep, this has always been my biggest fear. I have avoided this trip as best as I could, but that is displeasing to the Lord, and now, the Lord will be my strength and He will teach me not to fear and to be bold as a lion. This is the Lord’s will.

I am very excited to visit the rest of my family, whom I have also not seen in so long a time. I know the Lord’s hand is in this, and it will be well. Besides, the trip is only for two weeks. I will be leaving on June 16, and will return on July 3, which happens to be my birthday, oh and my brother’s too. YEP! He is turning 24, and I am turning 22. My mother has always had such good timing. Did I mention that big brother and I are coming back together, and this time, he not returning to Lebanon. Also, I will have internet access in Lebanon, though I will not be as frequent as I am now. I will, whenever I can, publish a post to let you know how my trip is going.

I know it wills God that I honour my father and fix things with Him. I know that after this, I only have good things to look forward to. It’s just taking that initial step, that Faith step. In all sincerity, that which I am looking forward to the most, is turning the page on what has been a long and draining history book.

Phi 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.

I wish to ask for your prayers, mainly for my dad, and my unsaved family, that the Lord can use my brother and I to win them to Christ. I also ask if you could, to please pray for my brother (Rev. 2:17). He is the one that is heeding to God’s call and leaving His country in search of God’s will. Please pray that the Lord will guide Him that He may use Him in His service.

Isa 42:16 And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.

There it is, I have shared. It really wasn’t so bad. I thank you in advance for your prayers, they are needed!

Psa 18:2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower

Psa 62:5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.

Amazing Grace

This is very interesting. This site gives the history behind the famous Hymn, Amazing Grace.

http://www.answers.com/topic/amazing-grace

Cleave unto Him

Deu 10:20 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.

Deu 30:20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days.

What a beautiful motto to live by and a good reminder. To cleave is to adhere closely and loyally.

Often times, the temptations and distractions of this world, which are of the devil, get a hold of me, and I lose my focus and forget my first love, Jesus Christ. The desire of my heart is to fear, serve, love, obey and to cleave unto Him all the days of my life. We serve a faithful Master, and it is only logical that we ought to serve Him faithfully. My prayer is that I serve Him as a loyal soldier of the cross, and that I cleave unto Him until the very end.

Phi 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me

Children of Light

~1Th 5:5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

My friends in the workplace love hanging out almost every night. Since they are mostly young people, they have no family yet to go to in the evening, and much rather go out after work, especially on Thursday and Friday nights. I never join them for obvious reasons, since the places they go are not meant for children of the Living God.

Ever noticed how clubs and bars are always dark, even during the day, they make them look dark and gloomy, and to me, creepy. That is because the devil is the owner of such places that the people therein may do their sins in the dark. Christians do not belong there.

~Eph 5:8-16 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth; Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

While on Monday mornings most people enjoy talking about what they did “last night”, I enjoy talking about what I did yesterDAY, SunDAY that is.

When all else fails

My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. Psalms 73:26

Humble yourselves

Psalm 116:6 The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.

The Lord allows us to go through trials and hardships for numerous reasons. One of them is to learn humility. When are too proud and think we stand tall, Christ cannot help us. But when we surrender and are brought low, we seek the Lord and in His mercy He doth help. Think about it, this is a Psalm written by famous King David who had riches, wealth and power untold, but he too had to be brought low and learn to call upon the name of the Lord.

Christ loves the humble soul.

Mat 23:12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Consider my servant

I’m back reading in the Old Testament. I took a little break for a while and only concentrated on the epistles. Last night, I picked up where I had left off in the OT, and I’m now reading from the book of Job.

Job 1:8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

Job 2:3 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

That is quite high on the pedestal. We often give each other complements here and there, but to have the LORD speak and think thus of his servant Job is flooring. It is God who first brings up Job, not satan. The Lord gloried in His servant Job.

Wow, to have the Lord speak thus to satan concerning His servant. To have the almighy God speak "consider my servant"!!! Those are big shoes to fill, perfect, upright, fearing God and eschewing evil. Ok, so I had no clue what to eschew evil is and had to look it up. To eschew is to escape.

I know that this discussion between God and satan will soon bring up much hardship to Job, but only to avail. In the end, Job endures, God gets the glory and satan is defeated yet once more!

The closer our walk is with Christ, the more sanctified and righteous we become, the more satan wants to bring us down and snatch us away form our God. I think a "modern-day Job" could really sing the hymn "It is well with my soul" with all heart.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot,

thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well with my soul.

Refrain:

It is well with my soul,

it is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

let this blest assurance control,

that Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

and hath shed his own blood for my soul. (Refrain)

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,

is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! (Refrain)

And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

the clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

the trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

even so, it is well with my soul. (Refrain)

I really delight in reading Job and for someone who loves history, it’s all the more enjoyable since the book of Job is the oldest book in the Bible. Those are my rambling thoughts for tonight, I shall now revert to my Bible reading and will soon go to sleep!

Terrible name

Deuteronomy 7:21 Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the LORD thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible.

The word “terrible” has such a bad connotation. I remember reading the above-mentioned verse for the first time, and couldn’t help but wonder why terrible.

According to the Merriam-Webster Online, the definition for “terrible” is:

1 a : exciting extreme alarm or intense fear : TERRIFYING b : formidable in
nature : AWESOME c : DIFFICULT 2 : EXTREME, GREAT 3 : extremely bad: as a : strongly repulsive : OBNOXIOUS b : notably unattractive or objectionable c : of very poor quality.

When we read in Deuteronomy that God is mighty and terrible, it is not the terrible in explanation #3.

But examine the first two definitions for a moment. Intense fear, formidable in nature, awesome, extreme and great. AMEN. That is the living God we serve.

~Deu 10:17 For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward.

~Job 37:22 Fair weather cometh out of the north: with God is terrible majesty.

~Job 39:20 Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils is terrible

~Job 41:14 Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth are terrible round about.

~Psa 47:2 For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth.

~Psa 68:35 O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.

~Jer 20:11 But the LORD is with me as a mighty terrible one.

It’s truly amazing when you read these verses. Just to think that we are going to stand before a terrible God as such and give an account of our life before His Holiness, that thought alone gives me palpitations. I thank Him all the more for my salvation and for His mercy. I will evermore praise and proclaim His terrible name.

Psalm 99:3 Let them praise thy great and terrible name; for it is holy.

Superstitious

Today is June 6, 2006, hence, 06-06-06.

Talk about superstitious. The entire office was on their feet and worried that something bad would happen. I tried my best to ignore their attitude, but this was kind of difficult to ignore...

Today is a beautiful, sunny and hot day. That is why the girls and I decided to take advantage of such a day during our lunch time, went across the street to eat at “Bagel Expressions” and picked seats out on the patio. Lovely, until I noticed the two ladies sitting across. One was wearing a long red dress and her friend was also wearing red, and had red horns and the devil’s red fork, probably from a Halloween outfit. It turned my stomach upside down. I really wanted to run across and hand them tracts, but I lacked boldness. Oh what a lovely view I had.

But this made me all the more look forward to meeting my Saviour face to face, and the only red I will see on Him is His vesture dipped in blood.

Rev 19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

And for all the superstitious out there, glory to God, I had a delightful day!

Daniel 3

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour. Isaiah 48:2-3

As I read this verse, my mind quickly escaped to Daniel 3.

Dan 3:17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.....Dan 3: 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.....Dan 3:25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.....Dan 3:27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.....Dan 3:28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

In these two passages the Lord makes Himself both known and exalted. Blessed be the Lord God. The flame of fire shall not kindle upon His children, the fire has no power upon their bodies, the hair of their head shall not be singed, their coats shall not be changed nor the smell of fire pass upon them.

But for the Lord to deliver and to glory in His children, we ought to be bold and have no fear except the fear of the Lord.

Psalm 34:9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.

And the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear Him. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego feared God and would not bow down to nor worship the golden image and serve strange gods.

Psa 33:18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him

I love how these two passages come together and reinforce the truth of the matter that the Lord fulfils His promises and keeps His words.

Pro 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

Good Bumper Sticker

I heard this at church today, and I was practically rolling on the floor!!!

EVOLUTION - The day scientists made monkeys of themselves.

ahahahahahaha, good one, right?!

Not as the world

~Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

Those are precious and comforting words coming from Jesus Christ, and just like all His spoken words, they are true.

I wish to stress the depth of “not as the world giveth”. There is a reason why our Lord makes a difference between that which He gives and that which the world offers. The peace that the world offers can only be found temporary, and not real. Whether it be scrapped at the bottom of an empty bottle or at the foot of a deaf idol, the peace you obtain is but for a short time. It doesn’t take long before you realize that your problems are still there and that you have no everlasting arms to lean on, the arms of the True God.

For the world to obtain peace, they make war with another nation.

~For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 1 Thess 5:3

But the Lord Jesus Christ offers you peace, not as the world giveth. His peace is ultimate, TRUE and safe.

~I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8

Come to Him and obtain the everlasting peace.

~And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:14

Remember. NOT AS THE WORLD GIVETH.

~These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33

There is nothing good that the world can offer you. The devil is in the world. The only thing the devil has to offer you is death and destruction. He is currently the prince of the power of the air in the world.

~ Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. Ephesians 2:22

But the Lord Jesus Christ is the PRINCE OF PEACE. Amen, for thus is His name.

~For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Come to the Prince of Peace, to Jesus Christ and He shall quench your thirst and give you peace, not as the world giveth!

Woman with the Alabaster Box

Far above rubies