I refuse to give in again ...

Yim Jae-beum : You, 임재범 : 여러분 20110522

So I try again to keep this song on my Blog. It was taken away in 2011 but I keep doing what I did then: I refuse to give in again ...

This is from a Korean TV-contest "I am a singer".

When you feel pain
I will comfort you
When you feel despair
I will become your tears

On a dark night, When you walk up a troubled path,
I will, I will, I will, I will become your lamp.

When you feel empty and alone,
I will be your friend.

I am your eternal brother,
I am your friend,
I am your eternal music.
I am, I am, I am I am your.......delight

"But, when I feel lonely, who will comfort me?"

"You"

I am your eternal brother,
I am your friend,
I am your eternal music.
I am, I am ,I am I am your.......delight

"All of You. Thank you."

Susan Werner - Did Trouble Me

How to endure heaven

Dear Reader,
If you are like me and will easily remember what you have heard rather than read, you can find help here if you want to listen to the words of the Bible. I have come to the Psalms and you can also find it here
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalms%201&version=NIV

I changed the text to the Amplified Bible:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalms%201&version=AMP
and found in the Footnotes this quote from Spurgeon.

Psalm 1:5 Charles Haddon Spurgeon (The Treasury of David) said, "Sinners cannot live in heaven. They would be out of their element. Sooner could a fish live upon a tree than the wicked in paradise." The only way they will ever be able to endure heaven is to be born again and become new creatures with pure hearts able fully to enjoy the presence of God, His holy angels, and the redeemed.

Have you ever thought about that? That there will be people not enduring heaven. I guess everybody would like to go to heaven because it sure sounds more nice than the option of hell as it is described in the Bible. Right? But how could heaven be hell to somebody? Sin cannot exist in the presence of God who is Holy and without darkness.
So to stand before God without Jesus in front of you telling The Father "I died for her and she has accepted the gift of eternal life in me" you will not be able to endure heaven where the absence of sin is strikingly obvious.
Sincerely yours, Ida

Promoted to Glory

An old friend has left her tired sick body and moved home to Jesus today. She will be missed
Joh. 11:25. Lukas 23:43

John 11:25

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;

Luke 23:43

Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you today, you will be with me in Paradise.”

Don't belive them unless ....

.... THEY DIRECT YOU TO JESUS!

Dear Reader,

I have very seldom headache. That is something to be thankful for. But I feel like it is creeping on to me now because there are a lot of deceivers out there trying to lurk my near and dear into their cults, sects or whatever they prefer to call it. People who have only their own belly as their god; their own philosophy and "deep" thoughts that are taking them further and further into the swamp of self invented so called wisdom and visions and a strong spirit of control.
I'm praying that the Holy Spirit will open the hearts of my loved to Jesus and that he will reveal Jesus to them as their savior and friend. And there is a small light coming on; a thought that there is a God ; that he is for and not against them and BAM! ... somebody steps out of the shadows and try to snare and suffocate that first hint of faith. I just hate it!!

“Come to us we have the organization that you must obey; we have no sin; we have no regrets; we have no savior but if you sell a hundred of these copies and knock on 50 doors you will come to Paradise."
I simply hate it!!!
Salvation is for free; for who will receive the gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ; God manifested in a man: Jesus 100 % God and 100% man. Who came to deliver us from eternal separation from God. Jesus who rose from the dead and now sits on the right hand of the Father. The Holy Spirit reminds us of SIN, JUDGEMENT and JUSTIFICATION so that we will know the truth.

Jesus is not one of many ways, not one of many road or just another life that is equal to any other religion.

JESUS IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH , AND THE LIFE.

I'm not a person that shows strong feelings but today I'm all fired up because the big liar is trying to snatch my loved ones from light into darkness and I will not tolerate it!

One angry Ida but still sincerely yours.

Hand made people

Dear Reader,
Just came to think of the fact that every one of us are hand made by God. Oh, you already knew that? Well I guess I did to but the phrase "handmade" stood out this morning and it gave a different perspective on those who maybe aren't that funny to be around. People who make our lives difficult. Still, they are handmade by God and he has always had a purpose with their lives even if reality doesn’t look that way.
He still has a purpose for the man who has wasted his whole life with alcohol and now is all alone in poverty and sickness; alone with cancer and alone with his miserable life. He is still a man who has come from the hands of God and God still wants him as his child although the man doesn't ask for God. How sad a life of a man or woman can be but as long as there is life there is hope for salvation; hope for the prodigal to come home. Even the thief on the cross had a moment of hope when Jesus told him that his wish for just a thought was granted with a place in Paradise. How different God's love for mankind is. How gentle and long-suffering his love is and how he rejoice when his child finally turns back to him.
Psalm 139

Sincerely yours, Ida

(picture from the Internet and the person in the picture has nothing to do with the writing. Just an illustration)

If I knew...

Don't take anything for granted.

“If I knew that today would be the last time I’d see you, I would hug you tight and pray the Lord be the keeper of your soul. If I knew that this would be the last time you pass through this door, I’d embrace you, kiss you, and call you back for one more. If I knew that this would be the last time I see you, I’d tell you I love you, and would not just assume foolishly you know it already.”

— Gabriel Garcia Marquez, “Love In The Time Of Cholera.

... to do the impossible. ...

Dear Reader,
Got this in a newsletter from Francis Frangipane this morning
"Remember: God's goal is that we become Christlike. The real Jesus is going to call us to do the impossible. This means that we will be called to do what we have never done before. You will see Jesus ahead of you, probably in some kind of storm, but it will be the beginning of a miracle that will change you - and the world around you."

---adapted from a chapter in Francis' book, This Day We Fight
published by Chosen Books

Sincerely yours, Ida

Ezra and Nehemiah

The listening to the Bible goes on and today I have passed through Ezra and Nehemiah. Stories that could act as manuscripts for an action film. There are Heroes and villains, intrigues and stories that captivates and keeps you on toe: how will it end?
It ends well after hard labor and a lot of repentance and life changing decisions.
Nehemiah ends with a request:
Remember me with favor, my God.
Read the books and learn about humility, change of heart, a new beginning and that being faithful to God is far better than following the ways of the world around you.
Sincerely yours, Ida

When all things seem lost - put it between the Cherubim

In my pursue to listen to the Bible in a year I have come to the 2 Chronicles chapter 32

The following story is a good reminder of God's intervention when a battle in the spirit seem to be lost from the beginning. But God changes what seems impossible into victory and he proves to be the sovereign God.
King Hezekiah was faced with an enemy army that outnumbered his army with thousands of soldiers. The enemy also ridiculed Hezekiah's faith in God and God himself; which in the end was a fatal mistake of the enemy.
Whatever comes against me I can put it before the Lord and ask him to deliver me from evil. And he will do it in his own amazing way.
Sincerely yours, Ida

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. ⁸ With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.

⁹ Later, when Sennacherib king of Assyria and all his forces were laying siege to Lachish, he sent his officers to Jerusalem with this message for Hezekiah king of Judah and for all the people of Judah who were there:

¹⁰ “This is what Sennacherib king of Assyria says: On what are you basing your confidence, that you remain in Jerusalem under siege? ¹¹ When Hezekiah says, ‘The LORD our God will save us from the hand of the king of Assyria,’ he is misleading you, to let you die of hunger and thirst. ¹² Did not Hezekiah himself remove this god’s high places and altars, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship before one altar and burn sacrifices on it’?

¹³ “Do you not know what I and my predecessors have done to all the peoples of the other lands? Were the gods of those nations ever able to deliver their land from my hand? ¹⁴ Who of all the gods of these nations that my predecessors destroyed has been able to save his people from me? How then can your god deliver you from my hand? ¹⁵ Now do not let Hezekiah deceive you and mislead you like this. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or the hand of my predecessors. How much less will your god deliver you from my hand!”

¹⁶ Sennacherib’s officers spoke further against the LORD God and against his servant Hezekiah. ¹⁷ The king also wrote letters ridiculing the LORD, the God of Israel, and saying this against him: “Just as the gods of the peoples of the other lands did not rescue their people from my hand, so the god of Hezekiah will not rescue his people from my hand.” ¹⁸ Then they called out in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to terrify them and make them afraid in order to capture the city. ¹⁹ They spoke about the God of Jerusalem as they did about the gods of the other peoples of the world—the work of human hands.

²⁰ King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to heaven about this. ²¹ And the LORD sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and the commanders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he went into the temple of his god, some of his sons, his own flesh and blood, cut him down with the sword.

²² So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others. He took care of them^[c] on every side. ²³ Many brought offerings to Jerusalem for the LORD and valuable gifts for Hezekiah king of Judah. From then on he was highly regarded by all the nations

Don't leave God alone! Keep on praying!

From a newsletter from pastor Francis Frangipane I share this quote:

"You may be a pastor of a church or an intercessor or a parent. Regardless, whoever you are praying for, you must have this attitude: "Lord, I am not letting You alone concerning my loved one."

When I pray, I never pray for divine wrath to fall; I always pray for mercy and grace. I agree with God that wrath is justified because of man's sin, yet I plead with God for mercy and correction.

The Result
The result of Moses' intercession is utterly amazing: "So the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people" (Exod. 32:14).

May this be a revelation to us all! Moses' prayer changed God's mind!

Much of how God relates to the future of a nation is based upon how the people in that society pray. The Spirit has made one truth plain to me: The future of a society does not belong to sinners; it belongs to those who pray. Thus, Jesus tells His disciples that whatever two of them agree on "about anything that they may ask" (Matt. 18:19), it will be granted by the heavenly Father. Two or three servants of God who refuse to abandon their faithfulness in prayer can release the mercy of God into their world.

For Moses and the Israelites, the outcome was profound: "the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people" (Exod. 32:14).

Think of it: prayer changed the mind of God.

Lord, thank You for always remaining open to our cries. Help me to persevere, to give You no rest, until You fulfill Your highest purposes with my family, church and nation. Thank You that one voice is not too feeble that You cannot hear it. Master, I stand in the gap for those I love. Reveal Your mercy to them.

---adapted from a chapter in Francis' book,
The Power of One Christlike Life

http://www.frangipane.org/

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Valentine's Day

Dear Reader,

Stumbled upon some sweet cards made by Melody Lea Lamb. You can find her cards here
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MelodyLeaLamb.

It is said there is at least three Saint Valentine legends about a man who was killed for his faith in Christ and for disobeying the Roman emperor of the time. Although it is a commercial day for most people and few know the background of the celebration I think that it is nice to send a message of love and give presents. Those days are few and why not brighten up somebody's day more often with a flower or a card just to show that I/you care.
Sincerely yours, Ida

You are not to go back that way again.

Dear reader,
Israel was saved from Egypt into the promised land. The Red Sea made a sharp distinction between what was in the past and what was God's plan for the future. Life never became the same again for the Israelites and it will never be the same again for you and me when we are saved through Jesus Christ. God never said it would be easy; not even safe living as a Christian, but it is a life with hope and trust and peace in a chaotic world.
Don't look back and wish for yesterday. Don't keep "treasures" from the past in your life that will bring you down.
Leave the old house gods and burn them one by one; because you are free from slavery and can rejoice in the new life with Jesus Christ.
Sincerely yours, Ida

Would God recognice himself?

Dear reader,

I watched a TV sermon yesterday and the lady preacher asked a question that stuck in my head.
I cannot quote her exact sentence but the meaning was :
When you describe God to other people will He recognize himself?

People tend to fall into one or the other ditch where He becomes either a jovial old grandpa who consents to everything or a thunder and lightning God who is always looking to beat people over the head with the law and its requirements and will never be satisfied.
Where would I begin or what could I say if I had only a minute or two to explain who God is? Both the preacher and I came to the same conclusion; we have to start with Jesus. It says in the Bible that God has summed up all things in Christ:
God saves through Jesus; he cares about me because of Jesus; he has promised to be my protector because of Jesus; I have a helper the Holy Spirit through Jesus; my whole life here and in eternity depends on Jesus and if I except his gift of salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I have started to listen to the Bible and have finished Deuteronomy today. I need to listen to 4 chapters a day to finish the Bible in a year but this has become a need and when I have listened to the required chapters I think "just one more" and although you might think the Old Testament will be hard and boring to listen to it is exciting when you search for Jesus in it.

When Jesus walked with the disciples on the road to Emmaus beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. Luke 24. Now that would have been a Bible study to yearn for!

Once upon a time I was a person who used to see God as a judging and angry God no matter how hard I tried to live up to his expectations. He had been described to me that way more often than he was a loving and caring God ... even for me. But John 14:9 where Jesus said "he that has seen me has seen the Father", opened my eyes and it was such a joy to recognize the real image of God which is Jesus. Jesus is the key to God.
"Joh:10:30: I and my Father are one."

Sincerely yours, Ida