From the staff of Pure Joy International
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Psalm 100:4...
From the staff of Pure Joy International
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
God is Infinite...
Infinite........the realm of God has no limits or bounds
whatsoever.
Webster defines "infinite" in the following way:
(1) limitless or endless in space, extent, or size, impossible to measure or
calculate. The synonyms are: boundless, unbounded, unlimited, limitless, never-ending,
interminable…
Please pause for a moment and consider this truth of God’s character. Wow!
How Great is our God!!! HE CANNOT
BE CONTAINED!
King Solomon understood this when he stated:
6 But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him?
2 Chronicles 2:6 (ESV)
Job understood this when he was going through his sufferings:
26 Behold, God is
great, and we know him not; the number of his years is unsearchable.
Job 36:26 (ESV)
King David reveals his
understanding of our infinite Great God who owns and controls everything and
needs nothing from us but yet allows King David the privilege of providing the
materials for Solomon to build the temple:
14 “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. 15 For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding. 16 O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. 17 I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you. 18 O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you.
1 Chronicles 29:14-18
(ESV)
We also see David writing of God infiniteness in Psalms
139:7-12 (ESV):
7” Where shall I go
from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “’Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,”
1 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.’”
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “’Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,”
1 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.’”
This is so powerful for us to understand. He is infinite in all His character. That means there are no limits and/or bounds
to His goodness, presence, knowledge, power, love, mercy, holiness, judgment,
wrath, grace, wisdom, truth….
The next time you become discouraged because you are limited
by time, space, or circumstances, look
up and seek the counsel of the One who isn't.
Remember keep vertical vision, not horizontal!
Love you all!
His,
Vickie
Vickie
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
God is Omnipotent...
Omnipotent .....God possesses all power. God's power is unlimited. He can do anything that is not inconsistent with
His nature, character, and purpose. He
is able to bring into being anything that He has decided to do....with or
without the use of any means.
I love that definition of God’s omnipotence. I love it because of this statement, "He
can do anything that is not inconsistent with His nature, character, and
purpose." Let me put that to you in
human terms.....GOD WILL NOT AND CANNOT ABUSE HIS POWER!
Realizing this truth about God was very comforting to me as
a young believer. Why? Because God represents authority; and
authority and power are 'kissing cousins' as we say in the south. Many of you reading this blog today have had the experience
at some point in your life of sitting under authority that used their power for
personal gain, abuse, status, etc. But God
cannot do that because He does not act inconsistently with His nature,
character, and purpose. And remember the
first attribute of God, He is a Good God!
Can you see the comfort in this now?
Our God that created and made us with the purpose of being
molded into His image, to bring glory to His name, to reach the nations, has
the authority and power to complete the good work which He begin in us! He can and will do it! God is on your side and He has the power to
work on your behalf and accomplish it!
So if you are in a tough place and you want out, ask God to move you but
if He doesn't move you ask Him to sustain you! He has the power to do either
one or both! But He only acts in our
best interest because He is a Good God whether we understand it in the physical
or not. Remember, vertical vision not
horizontal!
Jeremiah 32:17 (ESV)
Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have
made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched
arm! Nothing is too hard for you.
Genesis 18:14 (ESV)
“Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”
“Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”
Job 42:1-2 (ESV)
Then Job answered the LORD and said:
“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”
Then Job answered the LORD and said:
“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”
Mark 10:27 (ESV)
Jesus looked at them and
said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For
all things are possible with God.”
Matthew 28:18 (ESV)
And Jesus came and said to them, “All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
Revelation 19:1 (ESV)
After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
Psalm 68:34 (ESV)
Ascribe power to God,
whose majesty is over Israel, and whose power is in the skies.
And finally, Numbers 23:19 (ESV)
God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
Know this truth....God has the power to act on anything He
has said. Anything He has said, He will
do! Claim the truths of God’s power at
work in your life!!!!
Love you all,
His,
Vickie
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to
test a man's character, give him power."
---
Abraham Lincoln
“The measure of a man is what he does with
power.”
---Plato
Monday, November 4, 2013
He Knows All...
The past two
weeks we have looked at two character attributes of God. He is Good and He is Omnipresent. This week we are going to look at the truth
that He is Omniscient.
Omniscient..... God knows all. He possesses perfect knowledge of everything
that is past, present, and future.
Romans 11:33-34 (ESV)
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”
Isaiah 40:13-14 (ESV)
Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or what man shows him his counsel? Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?
Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or what man shows him his counsel? Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?
Job 37:16 (ESV)
Do you know the balancing of the clouds, the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge?
Do you know the balancing of the clouds, the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge?
Isaiah 40:28 (ESV)
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
Psalm 139:1-6 (ESV)
O LORD,
you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and
are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. You hem me
in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too
wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.
1 Samuel 2:3 (ESV)
Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.
Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.
1 Chronicles 28:9 (ESV)
“And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.
“And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.
Psalm 147:4-5 (ESV)
He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.
He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.
The list of verses could go on and
on. But know this truth about His character...nothing
slips by Him! Now, that can bring up
several different emotions in us depending on our belief system about His full character. There is a reason why I had us look at the
character attribute of God being a Good God first. And that is so when we look at all the other
attributes we don't find ourselves being in a position to listen to lies from
the enemy. For example, when I was a
young believer and was learning about God's character (and I still am), I
looked at the attributes of His Omniscience (all knowing), His Omnipotence (all
powerful), and His Omnipresence (present everywhere all the time) first before
understanding His Goodness. Therefore, my first response towards God regarding
His character was, “If You are all knowing, all powerful, and everywhere all
the time then why did You let me at the age of 10 to 11 be exposed to some
behaviors from an adult that You could have done something about because You
knew it was going on. You could have stopped it and You didn't, and You were
present at the scenes!” Those were
honest emotions I had back in my early months of being a believer learning
about His character. I had a lot of ‘why’
questions back then. I suspect that many
of you have why questions, too. I want
to encourage you to stay on this journey with me and allow Him to speak to your
heart as we study more about His character together.
Thursday evening I received some sad
news from someone I love very dearly. I
couldn't even think about it that evening.
I just kind of shut it down. I couldn't
even respond to my precious friend. But
I reminded myself of just the very things we are talking about now.....Our God
is a Good God, He is Present, He Knows and none of it has bumped Him off His throne!
I can either live in my emotions about it and miss everything else God is up to
around me in the here and now or I can walk in truth that He is in control and
He is a Good God no matter how it feels or what it looks like in the
physical. It's called faith. Some of you are struggling with your own journeys of some kind right now. You have the same choice I do....Believe God
or believe lies from the enemy. Please
understand me when I say that doesn't mean you don't have emotions about the
circumstances. God gave us our emotions. Choose to surrender them to the Spirit and
not to the flesh so God can be glorified in your journey!
Love you all so much! Don't forget to
meditate on these scriptures and those of the past two weeks and allow the
truth of His character to fill your soul!
God is Good...all the time
His,
Vickie
Thursday, October 31, 2013
He is Omnipresent...
Last week I began a journey reminding us of the character of
God. Maybe some of you haven't even
considered the character of God.
Character
is like a tree and reputation is like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree
is the real thing. Abraham Lincoln
I love that statement by Abraham Lincoln. I believe in this
day and time many people see God as the shadow - they decide what they think of
Him and His Character. But, God is the
tree! He is the Great I AM!
Last week we saw through scripture God is a Good God. I cannot tell you how many people shared with
me this week they know that in their head but struggle with it in their heart. Why?
Because our eye sight is mostly horizontal not vertical. My sweet sisters, our belief system about God
is the foundation for how we do life. Look up!
Remember for every area the enemy can get you to doubt God's character,
the enemy can get a toe hold and or strong hold in your life! Let’s look at
another character of God: omnipresence.
Omnipresent ........ God is present everywhere, in the
entire universe, at all times, in the totality of His Character.
2 Chronicles 16:9 (ESV)
For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.
For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.
Proverbs 15:3 (ESV)
The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.
The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.
Job 34:21 (ESV)
For his eyes are on the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps.
For his eyes are on the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps.
Jeremiah 23:23-24
(ESV)
“Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” declares the LORD.
“Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” declares the LORD.
Hebrews 4:13 (ESV)
And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
God is present everywhere, in all the universe, at all
times. It certainly doesn't 'feel' that
way sometimes, does it? In fact, how
many times have all of us said, “God, where are you?” Many times people share with me that they
believe God has forgotten them, doesn't remember they exist. That is because they base their belief system
on how they 'feel' instead of the truth of God's word about His character. Read those verses again. He sees all! You have to be present to see! Please allow me to speak this truth over you. God is omnipresent according to His word and that
is a truth no matter how you 'feel'. If
you accept and believe that truth then it isn't based on feeling but fact, He
is present 24/7. What we miss out on in
the body of Christ is His 'revealed presence'.
We don't experience His presence.
Why? I think we can find the
answer to that in the following passage.....
John 14:21 (ESV)
“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
God reveals and/or manifests Himself
to us through the person of the Holy Spirit when we love and obey His Word.
Please hear this truth as I close out today. God is omnipresent no matter how you
'feel'. He is there with you 24/7. But, your opportunity to truly experience His
presence in your life is directly related to your willingness to do life God's
way. Don't expect to live like the world
and hang out with God.
I love you all so much. Have a blessed week.
His,
Vickie
Vickie
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
The Character Attributes of God...
Last month while we were in Northeast Asia our theme was "He
Sees". It was a powerful theme
placed on my heart by God. In the
opening message I asked, who sees? God sees. But, who is this God that 'sees' us and what
do we really know about Him? I would
like for us to take the next couple of months and look at one of God’s attributes
each week. Really consider each
attribute and pray that He drops the truth of it out of our heads into our
hearts so that we can begin to walk in faith in knowing these truths about His
character attributes. As I told the
ladies last month, we don't trust who we don't know.
Today, I want to start with the same one I started with the women in
Northeast Asia.
God is Good. By His nature, God is inclined to bestow
blessedness, and He takes holy pleasure in the happiness of His people. He is kind, benevolent, and full of good will
toward men.
Now, I want you to really be totally honest and ask yourself if you
really 'believe' this truth about His character. If you don't believe this truth through and
through, the enemy will forever have a toehold, if not a full blown stronghold,
in your life!! And let's be honest, if
all we go by is sight it would be hard to accept this as a truth. But, we as believers don't live by sight but
by every word that comes from God's mouth.
Matthew 4:4 (ESV)
But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
What do we live by? Our thoughts? No, He says our thoughts are not His thoughts.
Our emotions? No, because He says our hearts are wicked and
can be deceived. Our deeds? No because
it is by grace we have been saved. What
do we live by? "Every word that
comes from the mouth of God". So
what does God’s word say about Him and His
Goodness?
Psalm 25:8-9 (ESV)
Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
Psalm 86:5 (ESV)
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
Psalm 119:68 (ESV)
You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.
You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.
Nahum 1:7 (ESV)
The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.
The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.
Mark 10:18 (ESV)
And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.
And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.
I also want to ask you, if you have time, to go to a couple of links and read the thoughts of
the authors on this attribute of God:
A. W. Tozer:
Charles Spurgeon:
Love you all much....God is Good All the Time!
His,
Vickie
Monday, October 14, 2013
Nuggets...
Many of you know I carry this little, what I like to call an
'imaginary nugget bag'. I put little
nuggets of wisdom in it that I collect along the way. Recently when I was speaking at the Promise of Hope
conference in Austin, Texas, I was given a nugget. Let me explain....
Phyllis Moore and her husband Jon have a ministry called
'Christfollowers'. They lead Spiritual
Awakening Conferences and, trust me, we could use some of that in our churches
today!! You can read about them and contact
them through christfollowers.com
Phyllis and
I traveled together for many years with Great Hills Retreat Ministry out of
Austin and we always roomed together because no one else wanted to get up with
us at 5 a.m. to have their quiet time while at a conference. We loved it because we would share things God
was showing us and our nuggets we had collected since our last time together. Well, it has been many years since Phyllis
and I have been at the same location to speak to a group of women and naturally
they put us together as roommates. True
to form....the nugget came. It happened
as we were walking down the hall to our prayer time for the conference. Phyllis shared a quote from John McConkey “He
who keeps the treasure bears the care.”
As soon as she said it, it spoke to my heart. I wasn't sure how it all fit but I knew God
was speaking to me. We went on with our
prayer time and the evening of speaking to the ladies at the conference but I
could not get away from that statement.
When Phyllis and I got back to our room that night I told her that God had
really spoken to me with that statement.
I told her I had been praying about some things regarding my
family. She then showed me the story
about that preceded McConkey's quote.
I am paraphrasing that story to you now....
There once was a man that inherited a diamond at the death
of a relative. It turns out the diamond
was absolutely priceless. The man
carried it with him wherever he went to protect it and keep it safe. After some time the man begin to get paranoid
about someone taking the diamond from him, maybe mugging him on the street. So, he started to go out less and less and
stayed home more and more.
Eventually, he began to think about what if someone breaks
into my house and steals the diamond.
So, he put up the most expensive home protection system he could
buy. By now the man had few friends, he
never went out, and just stayed home.
One day one of his really good friends came to his house and announced,
"We are going out; get your diamond."
The man reluctantly followed his friend to the vehicle. Once in the car the man's friend proceeded to drive him directly to a very nice bank. The two men walked into the bank with the man
with the diamond following his friend through all the doors and rooms until
they reached a large vault. The friend
said, “I purchased this for you. It is
yours to keep your diamond in. No one can
get in here once we close the door today except you. I want you to leave your diamond here. You can come see it anytime you choose.” The
man finally agreed and after much fretting the two of them left the bank. Every day for weeks the man went to check on
the diamond and each time it was there.
Slowly he began to go every other day, then only twice a week, then only
once a week until finally weeks passed without him checking on the
diamond. Then he finally reached the
place to check on it whenever he felt like it, which wasn't much because he
knew where it was and that it was safe.
Thus the quote.....He who keeps the treasure bears the care.
When I finished hearing her tell that story I realized that
God was saying to me,” Vickie, I know that your family is your earthly
treasure. And you stay concerned for them a lot. But, you can't bear the care anymore. It's too much. It keeps you from having the life I intended
for you to have.” It was like the LORD
said, “Give me those treasures; I can bear the care! So, guess what, I have given Him the
treasures. And while the circumstances
are still difficult on a regular basis, my heart is much lighter! I know that my God can bear the care and that
I could not have my family in a safer vault than the arms of the LORD.
So, I ask you today.
Are you holding on to your treasures?
Because if you are, you bear the care!
Let go and let Him have the treasure and bear the care because He can!
1 Peter
5:7 (NIV)
7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Love you all,
His,
Vickie
Vickie
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