Author: Marie Fitts

Today’s post was inspired by a sermon message from Joel Osteen, Pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, TX, entitled “Sing to the Promise”.

Sing to the Promise
Before it comes to pass
Make preparation for the Blessing
The drought will not last

Dig ditches in the valley
Be expectant of the rain
When the well is completely dry
Expect the water just the same

At the appointed time
The Promise will come to pass
Singing Praises in the valley
Brings forth a predictable forecast

So we must dig ditches in the valley
When we see neither wind nor rain
Believing in the Promise
Springs forth victory just the same

Declare the Promises of God
Claim them as your very own
Making room for all the Blessing
Planting seed…yes continue to sew

And live expectant of God’s favor
See His Promises come to pass
Declare victory in the desert
And He will fill your drinking glass

We are to lift each other up
Stop tearing each other down
As children of The Most High God
We are royalty…we are crowned

With priceless jewels atop our headdress
Jasper, sapphire, Amethyst, Beryl
We are blameless, we are Holy
A Family Crest, not of this world

We are Believers on this journey
Authority confirmed by one Signet Ring
We are righteous, We are Holy
We are children of The King

We are to lift each other up
Blessing and Praises to each other we sing
For we are Holy, we are righteous
We are the one’s who’ve been redeemed

We are the faithful, we are the followers
We are apostles…don’t you see?
Modern Day Disciples of
Jesus Christ The King

So to your Father, to your Mother
To your Brother and Sister…be
Ever lifting up their spirits
Because we are royalty!

Today’s post was inspired by the reading of God’s Word from the book of Revelation, Chapter 20: 1-15 (NIV).

An angel comes down from Heaven
Having the key to the Abyss
He seizes the ancient serpent, Satan
John’s vision continues on like this…

With a great chain, Satan is bound and locked
Into the Abyss for a Thousand Years
After which he must be set free
Yes once again…Satan appears

John saw thrones on which were seated
Those given the authority to judge
He saw the souls of those who were beheaded
Because of their testimony for Christ and the Word of God

No, these souls had not worshiped the “beast” or his image
Taking no mark on their forehead or hands
And for their alliegance to Christ…they come back to life
And reign with Him for a Thousand Years

Now the rest of the dead remain sleeping
Until the Thousand Years come to an end
Blessed are those who are Holy
And take part in the first resurrection

Then…

The second death has no power over them
The second death is The Lake of Fire
Yes these souls will reign with Christ
The Thousand Years of His peaceful empire

And when the Thousand Years are over
Satan will be released from the Abyss
And will go out to deceive the Nations
John’s vision continues on like this…

To the four corners of the earth, Satan gathers
His enemy force against God
Whether individuals, peoples or nations
The Bible calls them “Gog and Magog”

In number they are like the sand on the seashore
Marching across the breadth of the earth
Surrounding the camp of God’s People
In the City He beloved at birth

Holy fire rains down from Heaven
And devours them …one and all
Into the lake of burning sulfur, no one will stumble
No, the Devil himself will not fall

But he is THROWN by the hand of God
Into the fiery, sulphur pit
Joining the “beast’ and the “false prophet”
John’s vision continues on like this…

Forever and ever they will be tormented
For all eternity, both day and night
John’s vision goes on to tell us
He then sees a throne, great and white

Earth and sky then flee from Him who was seated
There was no place for them in His midst
He saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne
John’s vision continues on like this…

He saw the opening of books…and yet another book was opened
Which is The Book of Life
The dead were judged according to what they had done
As was recorded in these books, about each life

Then the sea gave up the dead that were in it
Death and Hades gave up their dead too
And each person was judged according to what they had done
“Each Person”, yes that’s me and that’s you!

Then Death and Hades were thrown into The Lake of Fire
Which is called The second Death
But remember The Second Death has no power
Over the first resurrected who are Holy and Blessed

And if anyone’s name was not written…
Not found in The Book of Life…
He was thrown into The Lake of Fire
To live our the afterlife

Now I don’t know about you
But I assuredly choose to believe
The Prophesies foretold in Revelation
Will come into view for you and me

And we will feast our eyes
On the Truth that was said
By The King of Kings
But we will have nothing to dread

If we’ve given our hearts
And played down our souls
Before The Lamb of God
Who Has all control

Over every life
Who in Him believes
And that John’s vision… one day
By all will be seen

A life without Jesus
Is adrift on the sea…with no direction, no compass, no guide

Afloat on the water
Forever you’ll be…always adrift with the tide

Without the anchor of obedience chained tightly to The King
The heart flounders and struggles endlessly

But when you drop anchor…by placing your trust in Christ
You’re no longer adrift on the sea of life

But tied and tethered to the grounding force…as the oars of Obedience keep you from drifting off the course

He had planned for you…before your life began
The course already plotted…don’t you understand?

So drop your anchor…tie up to The King of Kings
Your salvation is sealed…just grab His life ring

Make a decision not to live your life adrift this way
The signs of drifting include…the loss of desire to pray

The loss of awareness of God’s presence
The loss of desire to read His Word

The increasing desire for the “world’s” way
Which you already know is absurd

Drifting is a slow process that occurs over time
We’re not usually aware…until we lose our life line

To

Immorality, Financial Debt
Liberal teaching’s illusions

Combined with political unrest
Leads only to confusion

So, drop you anchor of obedience
Plant is firmly and trust

In The Lord God of Israel
Who loves you so very much

When we reflect on Your commandments Lord
There’s not one we didn’t break

But you knew when our days were numbered
Long ago in the Secret Place

The struggles we’d face, the choices we’d make
And where we would stumble into mistakes

But You gave us free will to discern for ourselves
You allowed us to choose our own way

And what we would do with the knowledge of You
Leaves us standing where we are today

As children in our younger days
Some were acquainted with You Jesus

But then we drifted away in Life’s next phase
Seeking only to please us

We spent time and money on worldly things
It took all of our attention

Never giving you a second thought
Your name we seldom mentioned

Yes, when Life was good and full of joy
Without You we were content

But when Life’s adversity crossed our path
Running back to You we went

We still grumble and complain
Yet You continue to feed us in the desert

Not realizing we are being refined
When we succumb under pressure

Let us remember…though Your voice may be silent
You never leave us or forsake us

To this day… You still guide us
Yes You O Lord… are still our pilot

So please forgive us for the times
We’ve broken your commands and Your heart

Teach us to turn from our wicked ways
So we will never be apart

Help us to surrender and repent
Claiming Your Mercy and Grace

Living up to the life You ordained for us
Long ago in the Secret Place

What makes a man
Stand firm in his faith?
What makes a man believe?

What makes a man
Stand strong with conviction?
What makes others unable to perceive?

His thoughts, his loyalty

It is a firm foundation, where generation, upon generation
Conceived and passed down their inherited trait
To believe in the One True God

And…

What makes a man walk away
From his faith
What makes him fall prey to being deceived?

The lack of knowledge
In our creator
The inability to Jehovah to cleave

Comes from the
Sinful nature of man
Of which we never have a reprieve

Thus, faith takes determination
It takes willful intent
It takes the most consistency

To a daily walk
With The Father, Son and Spirit
The Holy Trinity

Without a daily walk
Without a routine conversation
Without quiet time to adore and confess

Without a relationship
With Jesus, The Christ
Without thankful praise…before requests

God turns a deaf ear
To those who would plea
In their darkest hour…”hear me O Lord”

For His word says
He will not know their name (Matthew 7:21-23 (NIV))
If their house is not built on the rock, it will fall with a great crash in wind and rain

So build your house upon the rock, The Lord Jesus
And your daughters and sons will see
The Blessings of God The Father displayed, on every man who in His great name…BELIEVES!

Contemporary poetry
Leaves me agitated and confused
As I search for meaning
Through every line

I’ve no idea of what
The Author is speaking
I’ve read it and read it
Now…this is the third time!

And I still can’t make sense
Of the embedded meaning
I prefer to tightly weave it
As to leave the yarn unwound

Reaching the larger audience
With reasonable intelligence
Poetry speaks best when the point
Is not mysteriously profound

Yes, you may consider my work
“Elementary, Dear Watson”
With the meaning laid bare
On every line

But, Today’s poetry reads to me
Like a Foreign Language
Encrypted, concealed
It is for this reason, I opine

So please don’t hide it, or mask it
With verse inconceivable
For I’ve loved poetry since I first read
Bemelman’s Madeline

When I read it, I prefer to “get it”
So please stop blurring the lines
And yes…rythmical composition
Is how poetry is defined

Yes, it takes
A very clever chap …book writer
To get the point across
In Rhyme!

With every Blessing, comes a burden
Every blue sky has hidden rain

With every pleasure, joy and comfort
Therein lies displeasure, sorrow, pain

But when we focus on the burden
Sadness, anger, grief, distress

We are unable to enjoy the blessing
With gratitude, love and thankfulness

So when you find yourself in due season
Be it pleasure, pain or test

Live each day clinging to the Savior
Knowing Jesus will reveal what’s best

Hello friend,

It’s been several weeks since my last post and it is so good to be back online!

If these words encourage you on your personal walk of faith, I’d love to hear from you in the comments section.

I trust that today finds you healthy and well and I hope you will enjoy today’s message, entitled… Walking In Tandem.

Joyfully,

Marie

You, O Lord are the deepest desire of our hearts
Still the evil one schemes to keep us far apart

With a ventriloquist’s array of voices, he tries to distract
The hearts of those in You, Lord, that are solidly intact

He thinks if he is relentless, “flesh” will soon give in
Leaving shattered pieces of us, he can corrupt all over again

But You, Lord, are the mender of all of our broken pieces
This truth is known to all who believe in Your Biblical teachings

We long to spend precious time at Your feet
Near to the golden covering of Your Mercy Seat

To learn from You, Lord, throughout eternity
The meaning of our lives and Your calling on THE

Church…YOUR CHURCH

To share our own journey with those who will listen
To keep each and everyone from entering into perdition

We may not be Bible Scholars or Angelic Saints
We are not models of excellence…and perfect? NO WE AINT!

But we are children of The Most High God
Called to walk in tandem, where His feet have trod

Leaving behind a legacy, that puts their own faith in His name
Forsaking “ALL OTHER VOICES” that would purpose to defame

The Holiest of Holy’s, our Lord Jesus, The Prince of Peace
All Powerful, Mighty Warrior, Glorious, Righteous, King of Kings

So we walk in tandem with You O Lord, one behind the other
Should one veer off Your path, O Lord, he is rescued by a brother

…Or sister

Who has died to “self”
Now living ONLY for you O Lord

Walking step by step, in tandem with You
In harmony and of one accord

So let our character, conduct and conversation
Reflect our faith in You

So that others will see Your good works in us
And be compelled to want the same thing too

Today’s  post entitled PERFECT PEACE, was inspired by the reading of God’s Word from the book of Hebrews 3:7-19 (NIV)

we must pay careful attention

so that we do not

                                          ∼∼∼ drift ∼∼∼

                                                                                    away∼∼∼

like the generation in the desert

whose hearts were always

                                g

               o

                            i

                                                             n

                                                                                  g

a

                         s

                           t

                                          r

                         a

          y ~~~

for God declared an oath in his anger

” They shall never enter my rest”

let us

  see to it

dear brothers and sisters

that we

do not

put God to the test

but encourage one another

daily

as long as it is called

today

that none of us

may be hardened

by sin’s deceitfulness

and

decay

for we have come

to share in Christ

if we hold firmly

to

The End

the confidence

we had at first

when the

ministry

of Christ

began

His Spirit judges the heart

nothing

in all creation

is hidden

from

God’s sight

everything is

uncovered

and laid

b     a     r     e

before

The Cross

let us make

every effort

to get

it

right

So not one

f

         a

                   l

                            l

                                     s

by following an example of disobedience

that not one

at Heaven’s Gate

is turned away

and ALL  will enter

into God’s

Perfect Peace

when we stand before

The King

on

Judgement Day

Hebrews 3:7-19 New International Version (NIV)

Warning Against Unbelief

⁷ So, as the Holy Spirit says:

¹² See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. ¹³ But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. ¹⁴ We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. ¹⁵ As has just been said:

¹⁶ Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? ¹⁷ And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? ¹⁸ And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? ¹⁹ So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.