H.E.A.R. the Good News Matthew 27:54

H. verse 54: When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, ” Surely he was the Son of God!”

E. When Jesus gave up his Spirit, the temple was torn in two from top to bottom and the earth shook and the rocks split. A sign to the guards that Jesus was who he said he was.

A. Jesus was crucified because he wouldn’t give a sign that he was the son of God to save himself. he knew he was doing his Father’s will by dying, he knew he would live again. If we would trust our Father, believe in him and have faith and do his will instead of ours, we won’t need signs and miracles to satisfy our needs, but they will come once we make our faith and belief known to God. We are selfish people and we are very pessimistic about God. Let us open ourselves up and know that he is who he says he is! Believe and be saved!

R. Father God, I declare with my mouth and believe in my heart that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross and rose again in 3 days to save me from my sins! Forgive us Father when we ask for a sign instead of relying on the faith we proclaim to have. Thank you for the sacrifice of your only son so a simple girl from S.C. in a world so big, could live forever. You called my name, I am grateful I finally listened. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Dorian part 2 or is it 3?

Dorian started yesterday evening with rain bands but this morning is when the storms hit. There have been numerous tornadoes in our area. Round 2 is happening now. Heavy rain bands are coming in and when Dorian finally gets here…around 8 pm tonight, we are surely in for another pounding. The weathermen said no river flooding when this began but now the Waccamaw River will flood. Many people lost their homes last year with Hurricane Florence and the floods she brought. Enough is enough! Our power went out but thank God during the afternoon lull, the men or women who worked on it, got it up and running again. Praying that it stays on tonight. I don’t want to go through this in the dark. Anyway, just a quick update before writing my usual New Testament journal blog. Pray for us all here at the coast of SC and the ones in NC as well. It could be worse, thank God it isn’t as bad as the Bahamas. Please continue to keep them in your prayers as well. They have a long, long road ahead of them. In Christ, Cindy

H.E.A.R. the Good News Matthew 26:40

H. vs. 40: Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. ” Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” He asked Peter.

E. Jesus went to the garden of Gethsemene to pray before the men would come to arrest him. He asked Peter and the sons of Zebedee to go with him. As he prayed the men keeping watch fell asleep.

A. As the Word says, the spirit is willing but our flesh is weak. How often do we leave him out all together? This world has ahold of us and we do not make time for him as we should. We need to keep watch for him on the clouds. How can we do that if we are asleep? I do not mean asleep as in the kind of sleep we get for rest but I mean ASLEEP as in not paying attention, not keeping watch.

R. Lord, forgive me when I let my flesh weaken to the point of leaving you out of my day. I know I am doing better than I was, but there is always room to improve. I don’t want to forget about you in any circumstance. I want to think of you first in any instance of good or bad. I want to turn to when I need help with making decisions, I need a hug from you and a word from the Spirit and I NEED to praise you all day for YOUR goodness. I have a long way to go, but thank you Father for how far you’ve brought me! Help me to stay alert Lord, and love you the way you love me! In Jesus name. Amen.

DORIAN…

As the saying goes…waiting on a hurricane is like being stalked by a turtle! It is the TRUTH! So much preparation even when it’s not a direct hit. Making sure you have water, and food, and cat food, and the clothes are washed and the house is clean. Making sure you pack the freezers with plenty of ice to keep the food cold longer in case of power outages. Take photos of all of your possessions, and on and on and on…next is the yard! Bring in anything that might crash through a window and hurt someone, like garden flag poles, garden decor. My hubby has to take the swing down and hide it among the bushes so we don’t have a disaster with it flying. Tomorrow we will close up our shutters and zip tie them shut and pray the wind doesn’t break a window and blow them open! It is really dark in the house when they are closed like that, ah it just makes it more EEEEERY when that wind starts howling! Then the siding rattles and moans and it’s continuous. I feel like the house will blow apart at any moment. Of course I get a bit dramatic with it. Love to go live on FB and say not much of anything haha, just because I am bored. Anyway, I got Jesus, he’s got me and in the end when it’s all over, I will open up the shutters and praise God for the beauty of another day surviving a hurricane. Since we moved here, seems like it’s one year after another of storms! I am not sure why we still stick around here, but I do love the people and the area on off season! Well, I love the people all the time HA! The area, NOT so much! I thank you Jesus for the friends and family I have made here, and the life my husband and I have here. It’s because of my move here that I found you again, and this time, I got you, and you got me, hallelujah! If I have any power the rest of the week I will continue with my New Testament blog, if we lose power, I’ll be back as soon as IT is! Please keep the Bahamas in your prayers and keep the entire East coast in your prayers as well. Have a beautiful and blessed day y’all! BYE!!!

H.E.A.R. the Good News Matthew 25

H. Verse 40: ” The King will reply, ‘ Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

E. Jesus is explaining how to treat others so you can sit on the right side of him in the Kingdom of Heaven.

A. We should feed the hungry, clothe the poor, visit the sick and the ones in prison. Treat everyone as Jesus would treat them. Do everything in your power to help others and have compassion for them, whatever we do, we do it all for Jesus Christ.

R. Father God, help me to remember that Jesus loves everyone. Help me to remember that I too must love everyone. May I turn to you first in everything and treat those less fortunate than me with the love and compassion you would give. In Jesus name, Amen.

H.E.A.R. the Good News Matthew 24:44

H. verse 44: So you also must be ready because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

E. Jesus is telling his disciples to keep watch because we do not know when our Lord will come back.

A. We run through life on earth like we have forever to get right with God. We fight with one another, we slander, kill, covet, hate our brothers and sisters. When something bad happens we cry out to the Lord and deny him, and when times are good, we think we don’t need him. All the while, we are not ready for the day he will appear. We will not recognize him because we do not know him. We better get ready, be ready and live our lives for Christ every day as if it were the last, so we will recognize him coming on the clouds!

R. Lord, Father God, Yahweh, Jehovah, I AM! I want to know you, all of you, and I want to recognize you coming on the clouds! Lord I want to spend eternity with you in your Kingdom! Guide me each day closer to you Father, to know you better and to understand you! If you come while I am still here, I want to know it’s you so I won’t miss you, I’m expecting you Lord, every day! I’m ready, I am your faithful servant! In Jesus name, Amen. Yahweh!! Yahweh!! I love to shout your name O’ Lord!

H.E.A.R. the Good News Matthew 23:25-26

H. Verses 25-26: 25 ” Woe to you teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish and then the outside will be clean.”

E. Jesus is giving the teachers of the law and the Pharisees a lesson and a warning against hypocrisy.

A. We are a selfish people today and we do one thing over here while judging someone else over there. We claim we love God but deny his son Jesus. We walk around with an attitude we have it all together when on the inside we have bitterness, hatefulness and other slanderous thoughts. Some of us claim we love God but on the inside we are hiding the sinful thoughts that come with a sinful nature, our hearts are wrong we haven’t given them to Jesus. He can cleanse us from the inside out! We need to let him help us and love him like never before. Accept and confess we are sinners in need of his love, his mercy and his grace so our inside will be clean like our outside!

R. Oh Father we are so deceitful! There are so many people out there today claiming to worship you but they are doing everything that speaks against what you stand for. We should be looking deep into ourselves and find you, and get to know you, so our hearts will be pure! Create in me a pure heart O God, and renew a steadfast Spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

H.E.A.R. the Good News Matthew 22:14

H. verse 14: ” For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

E. Jesus told the parable of the wedding feast that actually was about Israel’s rejection. Since they rejected God’s word, he sent it out to the Gentiles too. All that accept his invitation to follow Jesus will be invited into the Kingdom of Heaven.

A. So many today reject God’s invitation to the banquet that is Heaven. They deny God is real, that Jesus is real and they make excuses not to believe or to receive the invitation. Accept the invitation and attend the celebration! All who accept Jesus will celebrate eternal life in Heaven. What more could you ask for? If anyone reading this has not accepted Jesus as their Savior, and you want to, just say this prayer…Father God, I come to you today and confess I am a sinner. I ask you to forgive me for those sins. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that you sent him, your one and only son Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for my sins. I want Jesus to come into my heart and I want the gift of salvation! Thank you Father! In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

R. I have accepted the invitation and there is no looking back for me now Lord God! You chose me, right here, right now at this season to be a new creation. Thank you for your mercy and grace on me! I love you Lord! I pray that you are glorified through all the things I am writing Lord, this is for YOU and YOU only! In Jesus name, Amen!

H.E.A.R. the Good News Matthew 21:43

H. Verse 43: ” Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.”

E. Jesus was speaking to the chief Priests and elders who questioned his authority. After telling them the parable of the two sons and of the tenants and asking where John’s baptism came from, he tells them the kingdon of God will be taken, because they do not recognize thier wrong doing or Jesus as the Messiah.

A. If we do not recognize Jesus , we will not enter the kingdom of Heaven. If we do not produce fruit for the Kingdom of God, we will not enter Heaven. We need to recognize Jesus as the Messiah and that he has been given all authority in Heaven and on Earth. We need to produce good fruit, tell people about Jesus and how he saves us from sin and death. We must have an attitude that says love and acceptance.to everyone so they will want what we have. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control. If you praitice this then the kingdom will be yours. Accept Jesus as Savior, live by the fruit of the Spirit and you will produce good fruit for God’s Kingdom.

R. Father I pray to you that the fruit I produce will be good fruit! I pray for all of the Spirit, his fullness, his joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. In Jesus’ name, Amen.