God is a Consuming Fire

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”
Hebrews 12:28–29

I have been reading in a book called 'Come to Gilgal for the Circumcision of the Heart' by Dr. Purnell Hewing. In this book she talks about the believer and how we must allow the Holy Ghost to eliminate deep-rooted sins buried deep in the sin nature in order to cleanse the heart of sin (for we know it is written, "...out of the heart flow of the issues of life.")

So yes I am thankful and worship God because He indeed is a consuming fire but not only as I thought before. In my understanding then this consuming fire was something to be afraid of - to dread so "I better praise Him, or else!" But today this is not so. No, this is good thing and a joyous thing!

Now when I tremble its because of an overwhelming sense of awe and gratitude; my God truly is a consuming fire! He consumes my flesh and the dross with it. The dross of fear, insecurity, vanity, doubt and unbelief and burns it all off. Praise the Lord! My worship and thanksgiving to Him is for What He is and Who He is and what He can do and has done in my heart. Hallelujah!

Excerpted from "Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence" by Sarah Young
"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”

She Adorns Herself

The woman who fears and honors the Lord lives a life of gratitude and adorns herself with praise. This is a picture of the body of Christ. As a bride carefully chooses her raiment to please her husband - the groom, we also skillfully put on garments that please and honor the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

For example we put on the garment of praise. As it is written, 'Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good: sing praises to his name; for it is pleasant.' Psalms 135:3. The woman who honors and respects the Lord carefully chooses her inward apparel as well. In 1 Peter 3:4 we learn that, '..she adorns herself with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit and is very precious in God's sight.'

Amen! God wants to see us happy.* Isaiah 61:3 says that He wants to "grant consolation and joy to those who mourn in Zion – to give them an ornament or garland or diadem of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment or expressiveness of praise instead of a heavy, burdened and failing spirit..."

Praise the Lord! Okay, so before I hit the gym today, tweeze another eyebrow or spend another 'paycheck', hello, on another miracle skin cream, I will adorn myself with a gentle and quiet spirit and put on my garments of praise! Hallelujah!



*Life Point, Every Day Life Bible
Joyce Meyer

Approval – Addict

I need detox! I have been weary and I have asked God to tell me why am I so tired, worn out and exhausted. Is it because I have been doing more than He's called me to do? Question is then: why am I then, doing more than He's called me to do? Do I need to be validated? Do I want to earn man's approval and taking His for granted?

Therefore, I'm going to prayerfully consider this as an undertaking as I do the '12-step program':

Step One, I admit I've been a 'people-pleaser', that I'm powerless over my tendency to try to look good to others and therefore my life has become unmanageable.
Step Two, believe that the Lord will restore me to sanity, hallelujah!
Step Three, make a decision to turn my will and my life again over to the Lord (I'm feeling better already)
Step Four, make a searching, thorough, and fearless moral inventory (what's in me that thinks it's so important to impress others)
Step Five, admitted to God, to myself, and to another the exact nature of my 'wrongs' (basically the self-seeking actions to appear 'fly' -  oh, does anyone still say that!)
Step Six, become entirely ready to have the The Lord remove all these 'wrongs'
Step Seven, Humbly ask Him to remove my shortcomings (the fear and everything I do in fear)
Step Eight, make a list of all the persons I have or am harming and become willing to make amends to them all (and get real)
Step Nine, make direct amends (apologize) to those persons wherever possible with the Lord's leading
Step Ten, continue to take personal inventory (self check ups) and when I'm wrong promptly confess it
Step Eleven, seek in prayer and meditation to improve my relationship with the Lord, and pray earnestly for knowledge of His will for me and the power to carry it out
Step Twelve, having experienced 'recovery' as a result of these Steps, I will share this message of 'recovery' to other 'Approval Addicts' and to practice these principles in every area of my life. Amen!

Whew, looks like I have some work to do, but thankfully, recovery is possible!

For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10

On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. 1 Thessalonians 2:4

God's Masterpiece - Me!

Last week at our Women's Fellowship, Pastor Madelyn gave us an outline of her message, "Affirming the Jewel". One of the points said "God considers you a masterpiece." Well after falling off my diet and my favorite jeans not fitting with my gray roots showing, I'm wasn't feeling much like a masterpiece! But I came to understand that day, thank God lol, being his masterpiece is so much more than that!

Being His masterpiece is not merely external creation, it's also my gifts, my talents, my personality, and my heart. My heart of love for Him and for others. And His blueprint design for me was drafted long ago, even before time began! Ephesians chapter 2 verse 10 tells us,  "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." Instead the enemy would have me thinking that all my choices for chocolate would tank all my efforts for perfection. Lies!

As Joyce Meyer asserted, "Just because you and I have made mistakes or have trouble in our lives does not mean that God's plan has changed, it's still there all we have to do is get back in it by trusting and obeying Him."

Thank you God for your plans for me and for making me perfect for exactly my purpose and for my destiny. Jeremiah 29:11