'News from Legacy Ministries'

Click the link above by clicking on the title of this post to read our March Newsletter. God is on the move! He is doing great things at the Legacy Equipping Center! Thanks for your prayers and support!

Ep 5 - Passage Lookup - New International Version - BibleGateway.com

Ep 5 - Passage Lookup - New International Version - BibleGateway.com

I was stirred to go to Ephesians 5 this morning. When I read it, I thought "Wow! What if we all did what this says? What a difference that would make!" So, my challenge to you today is to go the the link (by clicking on the title of this blog post), pray and ask God to give you a desire to apply this passage to your life. Ask God to actually live this through you.

I would love to to know if this positively affects any of you. Please leave a comment and let me know! Go now and be immitators of God, bringing light to the darkness of this world!

Do WHAT?

The Christian faith is full of paradoxes. What is a paradox? The first definition on dictionary.com is "a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth."

Think about it...

I am to die to my self in order that I may live.

I am to give so that I can receive.

I am to humble myself to God, and He will lift me up.

I have found all of these seemingly absurd statements to be very true. They are not easy to do in the natural, but once you can get past the natural and allow God to give you a supernatural desire, a life of satisfaction is the result. There is another paradox in the Bible that seems harder than any of them. We are told to bless those who persecute us. WHAT?!

Let's look at this closer...

Romans 12:14-19 (NIV) - "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. On the contrary:
'If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

Another passage says...

1 Peter 3:8-10 (NIV) "Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For,
'Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from deceitful speech.' "

What if more people did this? How would the world change? That would definitely be walking out the talk. Jesus was our example. Isaiah prophesied Jesus, the Messiah's death many years before it actually happened when he wrote

"He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth." (Is 53:7 NIV)

Even in the worst of persecution, Jesus did not try to defend Himself. Yes, His accusers seemingly won the battle when they killed Him. However, three days later, look what happened! He was resurrected from the dead and conquered death, hell and the grave! I don't care what the enemy tries to do to silence God and His people. God always has the last word!

I recently told a friend this who is facing some crazy accusations that have gotten out of hand. She responded, "That's Jesus. He's God!" I replied, "Yes, but where does Jesus live?" She knew when she said, "In me!"

Lord, help us to look to You for our approval instead of people. Their unkind words will not hurt as bad if we do not need their approval. That way when they persecute us, we will have what we need to show them grace and repay their evil with good. Help us to show them Your goodness. May our actions be the seed that draws them to Your kindness which leads them to repentance. Help us to have the grace to release them to You, knowing that You can take care of the situation much better than we can!

'News from Legacy Ministries'

Click the link to see our February Newsletter.
'News from Legacy Ministries'

God's Manifest Presence

The 2010 Legacy Women's Conference "Equipped with JOY" has come and gone. It was INCREDIBLE! So many ladies received freedom from burdens that were weighing them down. It is hard to describe to someone who was not there how God's presence permeated the room.

It's that manifest presence I'm talking about. The kind that most people haven't a clue about. Think of it like this. God is omnipresent. That means He is present everywhere. So often we don't even recognize His presence. It is like camouflage. It's there all right, but it fits right in so we just look right through it. Besides the omnipresence of God, sometimes He allows us a window of opportunity of experiencing His manifest presence to those who seek Him. I call it the secret place of the Most High. It is like entering the throne room of God where peace and joy will flood your inner core. This is what so many people miss. Even most Christians miss out on this.

Thank You, God, for the privilege we ladies had at the "Equipped with JOY" conference to experience Your manifest presence. It was worth all the opposition we faced leading up to the conference when we all got together and basked in Your presence!

You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11 (NKJV)

2010 Women's Conferece, "Equipped with JOY!" THIS WEEKEND

What robs you of joy? What a great opportunity to get away and be refreshed with a good soaking of God's presence! Register today! Click the link for more information.

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Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was where we stayed last weekend…snowed in at my uncle’s mountain getaway without cell phone coverage or internet for five days!  It was awesome!  The kids got to sled…first time ever on a real sled!

Now, back at home on this Christmas morning before the family awakes, I am reflecting on the blessings God has bestowed upon our family this year.  Like the opening lyrics to the classic carol, Oh Come All Ye Faithful, I am choosing  to be named among the faithful who are joyful and triumphant!

Faithful – Full of faith! Faith is the evidence of things not seen. God has been so real to me through the years, that I don’t need “proof” that athiests are looking for…I am proof! Yes, it is nice when I read a report that science has found another “proof” that goes along with what we already know from the Bible, but that is definitely not what I base my worship on.

Joyful – Full of joy! Unlike happiness, joy is not dependant on what “happens” in our circumstances. This “joy unspeakable and full of glory” that the Bible talks about can be attained in the midst of the harshest of trials. In fact, that makes the joy all the more joyful when it’s tested by fire and comes out without even the smell of smoke! This joy can only be mine because God sent His Son that first Christmas day so that mankind could be reconciled to their Creator! Wow! No wonder we celebrate this season by proclaiming, “Joy to the world! The LORD has come!”

Triumphant – According to dictionary.com, this means “having achieved victory or success.”  Now, I know I haven’t “arrived” yet, and I make mistakes daily, but the neat thing is that my “position” of triumph has already been sealed because of what Jesus did on the cross and in His resurrection!  Colossians 2:13-15 (NIV) says, “¹³When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

YES!!! Let the celebration continue!  Merry Christmas, friends!!