Wednesday, December 29, 2021

                                                                     A RED SEA MOMENT

What is a “Red Sea moment”?  “These are the difficult situations we encounter throughout our lives when we do not know what to do. Like the Israelites standing in front of the Red Sea, we are facing a seemingly impossible situation and need God’s supernatural intervention.” (18 Feb Responding To Your Red Sea Moment February 18, 2019)

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:10 NIV

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you…For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior… Isaiah 43:1-3, NIV

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9 NIV

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: Psalm 37:5 NIV

There is a saying that says, “When we rest, God works.”  Resting and trusting in God are synonymous.  If we truly trust God, then we will not be afraid.  We will not worry and we will have faith that He will work it out in His time and in His way.  Also it is said that “God is never early and He is never late but He is always on time.”

Many of us have had “Red Sea moments.”  Some more miraculous than others but essentially it is a moment when ultimately we have to trust God to “part the sea” in those situations that are seemingly impossible.  So many times it is about timing.  Our timing is usually not God’s timing.  One might argue why did God wait so long before He parted the Red Sea and had the water drown out the enemy?  It seemed to be at the very last moment.

 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.  The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.  Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.  I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen.  The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”  Exodus 14:13-18 NIV

9 Powerful Reminders from the Red Sea Miracle: (9 Powerful Reminders from the Red Sea Miracle” Debbie McDaniel February 10, 2017)

 God knows what He’s doing.  God sees the big picture.  He alone know what is best.  It may not be what you had hoped for but God is sovereign. 

God leads our way.   God went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud by day and gave them light with fire at night. God leads us and guides us when we trust in Him.

God is able to turn the hearts of kings.  God hardened Pharaoh’s heart but it only brought about God’s Glory.

When we see obstacles, God sees opportunities.   Obstacles are never a challenge for God.  They only bring greater Glory to God because we then realize that only He could have removed them.

We can focus on the problem or we can choose to trust God.  Although the Israelites were frightened, God only asked for their obedience and trust.  If we truly trust Him and want to be obedient, He will direct us

Prayer is vital, yet sometimes God says, “It’s time to get moving!” We need to listen to His voice and know when to be still or when to move forward.

God will work powerfully on our behalf, but He often asks for our obedience first.  Moses obeyed God and lifted up His staff and the waters parted.  He didn’t ask why but had faith that God would do a miracle of His choosing.

God will stand between us and the enemy. We never fight alone.  The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”  Exodus 14:14

Our God is a God of miracles.  God is the same yesterday, today and forever.  What He did then, He can do now. 

Whatever “Red Sea moment” you are experiencing or have experienced, be assured that God is always with you.  He will never abandon you.  He loved you so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to die for you and redeem you.  Rest in Him and He will act on your behalf!

Marcella Ward December 29, 2021


Wednesday, December 22, 2021

                                         FROM THE WOMB TO THE TOMB Marcella Ward December 22, 2021

 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger

 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”  When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.  When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child  and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.  But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.  The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.  Luke 2:8-20 NIV

 “The baby Jesus was laid, not in a nice wooden cradle built by His carpenter father, but on stone. No wonder Mary wanted to wrap her son in strips of cloth. Though probably lined with clean straw, this stone had been slobbered on by cattle. From the moment of His birth Christ was wrapped in rock, emerging from a womb of flesh into a womb of stone, prefiguring the tomb in which this king who was born to die would be buried. Yet even His stone tomb would open for yet another birth beyond all conception.”  (Posted in Blog and tagged Bethlehem, Christmas, Jesus: His Story In Stone, Manger)

“Somewhere deep in Jewish tradition (revealed in writings called the Mishnah), a belief had arisen that the Messiah would be revealed from the Migdal Eder ("the tower of the flock"). This tower stood close to Bethlehem on the road to Jerusalem, and the sheep that pastured there were not the type used for ordinary purposes. The shepherds working there, in fact, took care of the temple-flocks, the sheep meant for sacrifice.

We can trust that God had a specific purpose for this shepherd audience, and the work they performed suggests the reason. These men who watched the sheep meant for the slaughter received a divine message about the ultimate Lamb who would take away the sins of the world through His death and resurrection.”  (Adapted from The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah by Alfred Edersheim (Book II, Chapter VI).

“The Christmas story takes on added meaning when we consider that the shepherds who were abiding by their flocks in the fields were perhaps watching over temple sheep, sheep that were being bred and protected to be sacrificed at the temple in Jerusalem.  The noted information relies heavily on the research of Cooper P. Abrams III in his article Where was the Birth Place of the Lord Jesus?

“These shepherds may have been men who were accustomed to preparing lambs which symbolically represented the Messiah in their cleanliness, perfection, and their sacrifice on the altar of the temple.  This gives added depth of meaning, if true, to these scriptures which tell of the angels who came to these shepherds to proclaim the birth of the Lamb of God, the Savior of mankind, who would offer the last and ultimate sacrifice.” Why Did the Angels Announce Jesus’s Birth to Shepherds?

But there are more interesting details.  The place where the angels appeared to the shepherds is traditionally known as the Tower of the Flock, or Migdal Edar, which is very near Bethlehem.  One commentator notes: “This watch tower from ancient times was used by the shepherds for protection from their enemies and wild beasts. It was the place ewes were brought to give birth to the lambs. In this sheltered building/cave, the priests would bring in the ewes which were about to lamb for protection. These special lambs came from a unique flock which was designated for sacrifice at the temple in Jerusalem.”  (Posted on December 30, 2016 by RoseMarie  WHO WERE THE SHEPHERDS IN THE CHRISTMAS STORY? … The Answer May Surprise You!   –  By Luke 

Jesus was wrapped in the amniotic sac which is the fluid-filled sac that contains and protects a fetus in the womb.  He was protected in the womb as well as in the stone trough.  After His birth, Mary wrapped him in cloth, swaddling clothes, to keep Him safe and warm from the elements.  Just as the perfect lambs were being protected in the stone trough in preparation to be sacrificed in the Temple, so was Jesus’ birth, a foreshadowing of the perfect Lamb of God.

Jesus came as the perfect Lamb of God.  Brought forth from His mother’s womb and then laid at death in a stone tomb in which He was covered with a shroud which is “a length of cloth or an enveloping garment in which a dead person is wrapped for burial” and on the Third Day He Resurrected from the dead.

At this Christmas time, let us reflect on His birth, which has forever changed the world.  He was protected in His mother’s womb, swaddled in an animal trough and covered in a shroud in a tomb.  He came as a child and died on a cross to forgive us of our sins.   From the womb to the tomb, Jesus is always with us.  Jesus, the Bread of Life, will sustain us on our journey throughout our life. 

These are words that I believe I received from the Lord on December 8, 2021

“What is a Christmas miracle?  It is the miracle of a new life, a new life in Christ.  You cannot say Christmas without saying Christ.  What is My Christmas miracle to you?  My Christmas miracle is a clean slate, a clean heart and a clean mind. 

Jesus wiped the slate clean at the Cross.  From manger to cross, a living testimony of life infiltrated by God Himself.  From birth to death, from cross to grave you live in the miracle of life---eternal life!  So at this Christmas time lay your burdens, your fears, your anxieties, your dreams, your pain, your loss----everything at the manger for it is at His birth that the miracle began and it was at His Resurrection that our true life in Him begins.  So be cheerful, look up and receive your Christmas miracle/s today.  For every day is a Christmas miracle if you follow His way!!”

Go to this link to listen to a song about God’s loving presence with us always on our journey through life.

All Our Life's a Journey © 2004 Marty Ward

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, December 15, 2021

                                      ANGEL ENCOUNTERS

There are many angel encounters in the Bible.

An angel helped Abraham’s servant choose a wife for Isaache will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there.  Genesis 24:7 NIV

Jacob saw angels ascending and descending on a ladder from heaven to earth---He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.  Genesis 28:12 NIV

Angels announced Jesus’ birth and resurrection—Luke 1-2; Matthew 28:5-7 and they will come back with Jesus at His Second coming—Matthew 24:30-31; 1 Thessalonians 4:16.

An angel visited Paul giving him reassurance that saved souls after a ship wreck-- But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.  Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’  Acts 27:22-24 NIV

An angel gave Philip directions in his ministry--- Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.  So he started out, Acts 8:26 NIV (Angels By My Side Betty Malz)

Angels can take human form and there are those that would say that they can also take other forms. “An angel is pure spirit and, as such, has no shape. A body is a material thing; while material things change and die, pure spiritual beings do not. But for the purpose of interacting with us, an angel may at times assume a shape in order to fulfill the purpose God intends for the angel to accomplish.  God the Holy Spirit was willing to appear as a dove (cf. Mt 3:16, Mk 1:10, Lk 3:22, Jn 1:32). There is no reason in principle that an angel could not appear in animal form.” (Can angels appear in the shape of animals such as a dog or cat? “Catholic Answers)

 TRUE STORIES OF ANGELIC ENCOUNTERS

In The Hands of An Angel

“He was just seven years old when his 5-year-old cousin, Chetty was sick with cancer and later passed away. At the time, his family didn’t want to talk about the death. They told him to keep quiet, despite the situation devastating him. Whenever his family went to Chetty’s home for visits, he’d always ask to play on the swing with him.

After Chetty died, he went to his house for a visit. In his loneliness, he decided to go outside and sit on the swing they had always played on. As he sat there thinking about how things used to be, Chetty walked up to him and an angel was holding his hand. The angel had beautiful blonde hair and was dressed in a long white gown, never saying a word, just smiling. Chetty looked at him and said, “I’m not in pain no more.” He and the angel turned and walked until they simply faded away.”

Girl Meets Angel After Falling 30 Feet

“Annabel Beam was only nine years old when she miraculously survived a 30-foot fall. While she was playing with her sisters outside their Texas home, she plummeted inside a hollowed out cottonwood tree. An emergency helicopter rushed her to a hospital in Forth Word, where brain and spinal injury teams prepped for Annabel’s arrival but astonishingly, Annabel was unscathed.

After the accident, Annabel began describing religious visions she had while she was unconscious. She says that she met a guardian angel during the incident.

“I started to wake up in the tree and I could hear the fireman’s voices. And I saw an angel that looked very small, like a fairy.”

The angel then winked and he told her, “I’m going to leave you now and everything is going to be okay.”

The angel stayed with her the entire time, shining a light so she could see until she was rescued.”   (5 True Stories of Heavenly Visitors by Lesli White Beliefnet)  A movie about this story, Miracles From Heaven was released in 2016.

PERSONAL ANGEL ENCOUNTERS

Dogs of Protection

When my husband, Marty, was a young boy, he decided to walk home from school on his own because he had gotten a tear in his pants.  He had always taken a city bus and did not know how to get back home or how far it was (later learned it was 4 miles as the crow flies).

As he started walking, he noticed a big beige, white dog who came up to him and walked beside him and Marty followed him.  He went through the downtown area, the outskirts of the city and along the way, other dogs came up and surrounded him.  They went through highway traffic, construction zones and eventually back to the Air Force base where he lived.  The dogs stayed with him all the way through and he was never stopped by anyone even at the gate at the base.  He followed the dogs all the way up to his house with the big beige dog leading.  He got home and his mom answered the door surprised to see him home and all the dogs with him. 

The beige dog went into the house before him as the other dogs disappeared.  When his mom went to look for the beige dog that had come in with him, she couldn’t find it and there was only one entrance to the house!! 

His mom always believed that the dog that accompanied St. Martin de Porres was sent to protect and guard her son Martin.

 

The Angel at The Altar

My husband was the choir director for many years and one Sunday we, as well as other people in the choir, noticed a tall woman with strong features and long black hair wearing a long yellow dress suddenly appear standing near the altar staying there when the other Eucharistic ministers arrived just before Communion.  No one had ever seen her before and we never saw her again but the next day when my husband Marty and I were coming back from a car dealership there was a car that made a left turn in front of us and I was driving and I saw the car turning and all of a sudden everything was in slow motion and we never crashed into the car. 

We believe that the “angel” that we saw the day before at church was sent as a sign for our protection the following day.  See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.  Exodus 23:20 NIV

An Angel Named Chaz

In April of 2009 my husband and I decided to get away for a little while and we went up to Hannigan’s Meadow which is over 9,000 feet elevation here in Arizona.  We decided to go to the lodge to have dinner that same day and there was a man playing his guitar and singing.  We enjoyed the music and then he started to play “out of the blue”  “The Wedding Song” which was sung at our wedding.  We were really surprised. 

Talking to him later, he gave us a CD of his music and then wrote these words, “Be well, safe travels Marty and Marcella and thanks for being.”  Before he wrote this he looked up to the sky as if listening to someone and then he wrote the message.  Why is this so unusual?  It is because 6 days prior after Communion at church the Lord told me, “It is more important to be, than to do.”  After I came home, not having told my husband Marty what the Lord had told me, he confirmed this message when he said, “we need to be.”

Was Chaz an angel?  We are not sure to this day but that day he confirmed a message sent from God to lighten our load and rest in God and be who we are created to be and seek after Him and enjoy each other and not get bogged down by every day troubles or worries or concerns.  I am not 100% sure Chaz was an angel but if he was a mortal, God uses all of us when He needs to convey a message.  We still like to think that Chaz was our “angel.”

 

The Soldier at The Gate

Many years ago when Marty and I were going through a tremendous family trial, we decided to go to the Air Force Base and do some shopping at the commissary.  Prior to entering the base, you have to go through a gate and you are met by the military who check your I.D. and pass you through. 

This particular day a soldier dressed in camouflauge came up to my husband and said, “I have been waiting for you.”  As he permitted us to go on, he saluted and said, “God bless you.”  I can tell you right now that in the hundreds of times I have entered the base, no soldier has ever said that he was waiting for us or “God bless you.”  Not only that but his face looked almost like porcelain and his cheeks were rosy.  Both my husband and I concurred that his face looked almost identical to one of the angel statues at our church!!

The Car Accident

I had to abruptly stop in front of a school bus and the person behind me re-ended me.  As I was hit, I felt like I was being suspended in mid-air.  I never received a whip lash or other injuries.  I believe that an angel protected me.  There have been other times when I have felt a strong presence of protection. 

I am sure that all of us have experienced an incident where we were protected knowingly or unknowingly by angels.  I am also pretty sure that we have even spoken to them in human form.  God loves each one of us so much that He will do whatever it takes to protect us and speak to us.  Yes, God does use angels and they are fellow servants of the Most High God.  So next time you see someone who encourages you or speaks to you in a kind and loving way, you may have encountered an angelic being, or your guardian angel, who is helping you to carry out your God-given destiny.   Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.  Hebrews 13:2 NIV

Please post a comment with stories of your own angel encounters.

Wednesday, December 8, 2021

                                             ARE WE LIVING IN A POST-CHRISTIAN WORLD?

When I first thought about writing a blog, I wanted to write about how the world would be like if Jesus had never been born.  As I did my research and contemplated about it, I realized that we are living in a world that is rapidly becoming a post-Christian world. 

”Before Christ, human life was cheap and expendable all over the world.  In the Americas, the Near East, Africa, the Middle East, and the Far East child sacrifice was a common phenomenon. Babies, particularly females -- who were considered inferior -- were regularly abandoned. Author George Grant points out: “Before the explosive and penetrating growth of medieval Christian influence, the primordial evils of abortion, infanticide, abandonment, and exposure were a normal part of everyday life…” That changed in the West with the 6th century Christian Byzantine Roman Emperor Justinian whose Law Code declared child abandonment and abortion a crime.” (What Would the World Look Like if Christ had Never Been Born? Scott S. Powell, December 25, 2017)

In general, in a post-Christian culture, the dominant world-view is no longer founded on Christian principles — or at least we can no longer assume that it will be. The Church no longer shapes the culture. But in a very real sense, this “post-Christian” world is actually coming full circle to resemble the pre-Christian world — the world in which Christians were persecuted because they criticized the ethics of the culture and refused to participate in its idolatrous practices, which involved the exploitation of human beings.” Are We Living in a Post-Christian World?”  (Mike Aquilina & James L. Papandrea  May 3, 2019)

We have entered the era of “Cultural Christianity.”  What does this mean?  The Church, seemingly, is not impacting the culture, but the culture is impacting the Church.  Unfortunately, many Church leaders have not stood up to the political correctness of the left. The Achilles heel happened when most of the churches closed down instead of standing up for freedom of religion. There were a few Pastors that did not close their churches, in spite of the government’s persecution of religious freedom.  They put their faith in God knowing that the Church is essential, especially in these times. 

Where was the Church in the 1973 when Roe vs. Wade became law?  Yes, there were marches but it was most of the Pastors in the churches who did not lead the way and continue leading the way and get directly involved. 

Christians have been “asleep at the wheel” when it comes to voting.  I have been awakened to the fact that I need to get more involved with those on my local school boards, etc. and vote for those who are conservative.  We can only make a difference if we get involved because politics is part of our world system and we, as Christians, need to be the ones who are shaping the world and overcoming the world because Jesus came to change the world.  

Of course there is hope because the Remnant Church is arising!  Many Christians are awakening to the fact that we are living in a time when “good is bad and bad is good.” 

John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.  NIV

We need to be taking a stand whenever we can and be the light in the darkness because one life can change the whole world!

“This is a popular poem about the life of Jesus Christ. Although the author is frequently cited as "unknown" the poem is actually attributed to James Allen Francis.” (Tullylish Parish, County Down, Ireland)

                                                                       One Solitary Life

 
He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant. He grew up in another village, where he worked in a carpenter shop until he was 30. Then, for three years, he was an itinerant preacher.

He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a home. He didn't go to college. He never lived in a big city. He never traveled 200 miles from the place where he was born. He did none of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but himself.

He was only 33 when the tide of public opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied him. He was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While he was dying, his executioners gambled for his garments, the only property he had on earth. When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave, through the pity of a friend.

Twenty centuries have come and gone, and today he is the central figure of the human race. I am well within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned--put together--have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that one, solitary life.
(Tullylish Parish, County Down, Ireland)

 Marcella Ward December 8, 2021 (Author of “Stolen Identity: Plan of the Evil One”)

 

                                      CHURCH ARISE October 30, 2019 I had a dream today about being in a p...