I HEARD THE VOICE OF JESUS SAY

I praise God for giving me this song.  I actually heard this over DZFE 98.7 FM The Master's Touch.
The song just touched me like a gentle snowflake in the face... The version I heard was from the West Coast Mennonite Chamber Choir in their Album BY LIGHT INDWELLED. It's directed by Tony Funk.  They have a beautiful sample that you could hear by clicking HERE.  You just don't hear hymns like this anymore... sung by a virtuouso chorale, more so.  I do hope I could get a copy of their album soon.

I HEARD THE VOICE OF JESUS SAY

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28-30

I heard the voice of Jesus say, "Come unto Me and rest;

Lay down, thou weary one, lay down Thy head upon My breast."

I came to Jesus as I was, weary and worn and sad;

I found in Him a resting place, and He has made me glad.

I heard the voice of Jesus say, "Behold, I freely give

The living water; thirsty one, stoop down, and drink, and live."

I came to Jesus, and I drank of that life giving stream;

My thirst was quenched, my soul revived, and now I live in Him.

I heard the voice of Jesus say, "I am this dark world's light;

Look unto Me, thy morn shall rise, and all thy day be bright."

I looked to Jesus, and I found in Him my star, my sun;

And in that light of life I'll walk, till traveling days are done.

Horatius Bonar, 1846.

Hallelujah.  Thank You Lord!  I looked unto JESUS, and found everything I was looking for.  Jesus, You are my reward...

Winter Snow

Christ Tomlin's Christmas album was such a great blessing.  And this song was a revelation.  I've never heard of Audrey Assad before, but she sang this cut with beautiful simplicity that you couldn't help but pick it as one of the best songs of the album.

Lord, we praise you for being an example of humility.  While You could choose to come in the grandest scales, You chose to be born on a mere stable.  The King of Kings on a mere stable!  Thank You for coming to us like a winter snow.  The gentleness of Jesus Christ emanates the true strength that He possesses.  Just beautiful.  Praise be to Your Name!!

Winter Snow

by Audrey Assad

Could’ve come like a mighty storm

With all the strength of a hurricane

You could’ve come like a forrest fire

With the power of heaven in your flame

But you came like a winter snow

Quiet and soft and slow

Falling from the sky in the night

To the earth below

Could’ve swept in like a tidal wave

Or an ocean to ravish our hearts

You could have come through like a roaring flood

To wipe away the things we’ve scarred

But you came like a winter snow

Quiet and soft and slow

Falling from the sky in the night

To the earth below

No, your voice wasn’t in a bush burning

No, your voice wasn’t in a rushing wind

It was still, it was small, it was hidden

But you came like a winter snow

Quiet and soft and slow

Falling from the sky in the night

To the earth below

Go buy the mp3 at iTunes or the album.  You won't regret it!

Everyone Who Seeks Finds

by Francis Frangipane

It is not hard to recognize one who has spent extended time at a newsstand: his conversation overflows with the drama of current affairs. And, it is not hard to discern a person who has come from a sporting event, as their face reveals the outcome of the game. Likewise, people can tell when an individual has spent extended time seeking God. An imperturbable calm guards their heart, and their countenance is radiant with light, as with the morning dew of Heaven.

Beloved, to seek and find God is everything.

The Eternal Imprint

It is to our shame that, in our era, church services do not focus more on actually seeking God. Yes, we do honor God and thank Him for what He has done. We hear a sermon and, perhaps, enjoy a time of fellowship with others. Yet only rarely do we depart a congregational meeting with the fire of eternity reflecting off our faces. Instead, we fill up with information about God without actually drawing near to Him. Most of us are still largely unaware of God's presence.

While we rightly need church programs, fellowship, and times for ministry training, we must not automatically assume that religious indoctrination is the same thing as actually seeking God. And while I am often blessed listening to contemporary Christian music, even godly entertainment is no substitute for my own worship encounter with God.

Therefore, let us ask ourselves: Is there a place and a time set apart in our spiritual lives where we can give ourselves to seeking God? What if the Spirit of God actually desired to manifest Himself during our worship service? Would the Lord have to wait until we finished our scheduled program? I respect and recognize the need for order; we need the scheduled times for announcements and the defined purposes that currently occupy Sunday mornings, but have we made room for God Himself?

"He Knew Not That His Face Shone"

When we first determine to draw near to God, it may seem we have little to show for our efforts. Yet, be assured: even the thought of seeking God is a step toward our transformation. Still, we often do not notice the first signs of our spiritual renewal, for as we grow increasingly more aware of God, we simultaneously grow increasingly less aware of ourselves. Though we may not see that we are changing, others certainly will.

Consider the experience of Moses. The Lord's servant had ascended Mount Sinai, and there stood before the living God. The eyes of Moses were actually filled with God's sun-like glory; his ears actually heard the audible sound of the Lord's voice. Yet, when Moses returned to the people, the Bible says he "did not know that the skin of his face shone" (Exod. 34:29). When the Israelites saw the fire of God's glory on the face of Moses, "they were afraid to come near him" (v. 30). They saw he had been with God.

The church needs more people who have, like Moses, climbed closer to the Almighty, people who have stood in the sacred fire of God's presence. Instead, we exhaust ourselves arguing over peripheral doctrines or styles of music in our song services.

Perhaps there are benefits to constantly debating the nuances of our doctrines, but are we not more truly thirsting for the reality of God?

Our goal is to, day by day, draw nearer to God. He has commanded that we come boldly to His throne of grace. To receive the help we need, we must arrive at His throne. Remember also that our confidence comes from Christ Himself. He promised,

"Everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened" (Matt. 7:8).

We are seeking a lifetime of increasing devotion, though it may certainly begin in a season of drawing near. In spite of natural and spiritual obstacles, as we persevere, the Lord assures us, "How much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"
(Matt. 7:11).

If we do not cease seeking and knocking, we will discover unfolding degrees of intimacy with God. Even now, He's drawing near. The Lord promises, "Everyone who … seeks finds" (Matt. 7:8).

Master, to possess more of You is the heart-focus of my existence. Draw near, blessed Redeemer, fulfill Your desire for me by fulfilling my desire for You.

New Moon for the Believer…which Team are you?

A re-post from MY BROTHER'S BLOG...


So for my second post, i choose a controversial topic…the second in the twilight series, what is NEW MOON for the BELIEVER???

Let’s lay down some “disclaimers” for those who don’t know me…

1. I believe in the Almighty God and in His written word, the bible. I believe there is a heaven and a hell as well.

2. I don’t believe creatures like vampires, werewolves or any such “monsters” exist. I do believe however, that the devil does, as stated in the bible.

3. I am not promoting that you watch the movie. But yes, I have watched twilight and new moon…

4. If you haven’t watched the movie, this may contain some spoilers…

5. I am neither team Edward or team Jacob; i am definitely team JESUS!

This is probably the hottest movie in the planet now, and in the secular world, a love story between a girl and a vampire may be appealing. But in the Kingdom of Christ, we know that this story is just that, a story.

Yes, i was curious enough to watch the first 2 movies, and probably curious still to watch the whole series. But it is not for the faint of heart, nor for the wobbly faith. I am not saying that i am a mature christian, that i can handle such plots. In fact, it is best to stay away form these things altogether. For there is something “dangerous” about being an avid fan of the story line, both of the books and the movies. Have you heard of those edward-fanatics who cut themselves and show their bleeding wrists and necks to the movie star? Really weird. But that is not the dangerous stuff. What is dangerous, as promoted also in some other movies, is that “bad” is portrayed as “good”; that there is really no “absolute right” and “absolute wrong.”

In New Moon, it is “implied” that it is ok to be a vampire (as long as you don’t bite?); that it is ok to disregard the feelings of your parents for the one you love; that it is “ok” to lose your “soul” just to be with the one your heart desires. For fans, this may be the most “romantic” things, but in reality, this is all a lie.

The big lie of the story is (and there are other blockbuster book/movie series that promote this lie) practically the non-existence of God. No, it is not vehemently said in the movie that God does not exist. But to talk about immortality, eternal life and damnation in the terms of vamps is like saying “there can be a happy life with out need for God.” Other movies have portrayed this such as the one showing “witchcraft” as good if used for good. A movie that promotes “non-absolutes”; no true good, and no true evil, is definitely promoting the non-existence of God.

God is good. God is holy. God created all things good. God never created evil. His good creation fell and sinned, and that resulted in the evil in the world. God is absolutely good and holy. Things, principles and principalities against God is absolute evil. It’s that simple. There are only two (2) teams in reality, Jesus’ Team and the devil’s team. Which team do you think edward and jacob belong to? More importantly, which team do YOU belong to? You have to take a side, there is no neutral ground.

So why did i watch the movie? For curiosity? For entertainment? For research? It’s like watching starwars, superman, and even dora the explorer; it’s all fiction, but it’s amusing. It’s like bible students studying apologetics, how to defend the faith, by studying what the other religions believe in and practice. This is not to justify watching the movie. But before you watch this, and any other movie for that matter, ask yourself: What is your heart’s content? What is the condition of your faith? What is your purpose in watching this film? Unless you can glorify God in what you’ll do, then just don’t.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 (Amplified Bible)

Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise and skillful person glory and boast in his wisdom and skill; let not the mighty and powerful person glory and boast in his strength and power; let not the person who is rich [in physical gratification and earthly wealth] glory and boast in his [temporal satisfactions and earthly] riches;

But let him who glories glory in this: that he understands and knows Me [personally and practically, directly discerning and recognizing My character], that I am the Lord, Who practices loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord.

Matthew 16:26

A reaction to recent events:

Pedophile yesterday.
Pop music icon today.
Eternal judgment --> ongoing. forever.

Make sure you escape hell. Clicking HERE might help.

For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? - JESUS (Matthew 16:26)

Psalm 51:16-19

For You delight not in sacrifice, or else would I give it; You find no pleasure in burnt offering.

My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.

Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

Then will You delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, justice, and right, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then bullocks will be offered upon Your altar.