Fresh Wind Ministries

Luke 24:47 “and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.(NKJ)

Not long ago I had  someone  approach me.  It was  clear that they wanted to know me better and form a friendship.   I did my best to ignore this person, as I really did not want anything to do with her.    My mind  had several good excuses on why I should not interact with her.  She was not saved, did not lead a lifestyle that I approve of, and I  don´t associate myself with people  like her. 

This  person then approached me a second time.  As I was getting ready to ignore her, that still small voice spoke to me and said, ¨I have never ignored anyone, much less you.¨   Ouch!

I was immediately convicted of my attitude and loftiness, and befriended her. 

Stacy (not her real name)  does not know the Lord and yet I was looking for opportunities to minister, and it was staring me in the face.  I was going to reject a fine  opportunity, perhaps leading her to Christ. I have now learned to see every person that I come in contact with as an opportunity to show them the  love of Christ, and share how He has saved us from our sin.

This brought me back to Jesus.  Jesus  picked out the worst from the lot. Tax collectors, really, who likes the IRS?  Doesn´t that  stand for I Represent Satan?  Yet Christ reached out to them.  Fishermen.  From what I understand, they were hard, tough guys, yet they became fishers of men and  Apostles.

The Lord did something to me.   He put a fresh zeal and fire within me for those that are lost, to reach out to those  that don´t know Christ and show them the way.

May you befriend an unbeliever as I did, and show them Jesus in all you do and say.

Blessings!

Genesis 9:13 “I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.

After many days of rain last week, we finally woke up to a bit of sunshine and we were pleasantly surprised to see this rainbow outside our window.

While Costa Rica does not officially celebrate Thanksgiving, there are enough US Citizens here for the grocery stores to sell Turkey, stuffing, yams, and many other yummy treats that we can enjoy.

We are thankful this year for so many reasons, and the Lord has been  faithful  and so very good to us.  While we may not know what next year has in store, we do know that God is still on the throne and in control of all.  He supplies all our needs, and He is our God that never leaves us nor forsakes us.

May we give thanks to our Lord continually, for his love endures forever.

Proverbs 6:6-9  Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise,  Which, having no captain, overseer or ruler,  provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.  How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep?(NKJ))

Making sure my kitchen was clean the night before, I woke up to discover that I had missed a spot on the  kitchen counter.  Sure  enough, the ants were there, again.

I had been fighting the ants this season, and I never win.  They always manage to find something, they never give up.    I was then reminded of the verse in Proverbs quoted above.  Consider the ant,  and how she is able to locate her supplies and gather her food.

Often times I have been laxed in certain areas of my life, and observing  the ant, looking and hunting for any scrap of food made me realize how I have let opportunities pass me by.  I began to think,  if I just push myself a bit more, become more disciplined to acheive the goals that I have for my life and future, I will surely reap the benefits.

To the ant, a  crumb of food is a harvest.  We often wait for the next big thing to come our way, and miss out on the small opportunities that may be just around the corner that will lead to that big harvest.

The main concern to everyone today is the economic times.  The Lord taught me a good ant lesson:  It is not a time to feel  frightened or be worried, as I know that the Lord will provide all our needs.  He has done so in the past, and there is no reason why He should not do so in the future. 

God is in control of everything, and as I say, we do our part, God will do His part.    It is not a time to be in a slumber,  we can  look and search for opportunities that may be within our reach.  Just like the ant, don´t give up.  We are bound to find something!

Proverbs 6:6-9  Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise,  Which, having no captain, overseer or ruler,  provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.  How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep?(NKJ))

Making sure my kitchen was clean the night before, I woke up to discover that I had missed a spot on the  kitchen counter.  Sure  enough, the ants were there, again.

I had been fighting the ants this season, and I never win.  They always manage to find something, they never give up.    I was then reminded of the verse in Proverbs quoted above.  Consider the ant,  and how she is able to locate her supplies and gather her food.

Often times I have been laxed in certain areas of my life, and observing  the ant, looking and hunting for any scrap of food made me realize how I have let opportunities pass me by.  I began to think,  if I just push myself a bit more, become more disciplined to acheive the goals that I have for my life and future, I will surely reap the benefits.

To the ant, a  crumb of food is a harvest.  We often wait for the next big thing to come our way, and miss out on the small opportunities that may be just around the corner that will lead to that big harvest.

The main concern to everyone today is the economic times.  The Lord taught me a good ant lesson:  It is not a time to feel  frightened or be worried, as I know that the Lord will provide all our needs.  He has done so in the past, and there is no reason why He should not do so in the future. 

God is in control of everything, and as I say, we do our part, God will do His part.    It is not a time to be in a slumber,  we can  look and search for opportunities that may be within our reach.  Just like the ant, don´t give up.  We are bound to find something!

Welcome to the November Blog Carnival edition.  Following are the post submitted for this issue.

Enjoy!

ChristianPF presents Trusting God, not circumstances posted at Christian Financial Blog.

Heath Countryman presents Black Cat Ministry posted at Esprit d’escalier.

ITAKEOFFTHEMASK presents Finding Your Purpose in Life posted at itakeoffthemask.com.

Minister Mamie L. Pack presents Prepared to answer the question posted at The Life I Now Live.

Trevor Watkinson presents Prayer and Fasting posted at SaveYourSweat.com Blog.

Chris presents Trust God with your Career and your Finances | ProsperingServant.com posted at ProsperingServant.com.

Kenneth Reitz presents Christian Devotionals posted at KennethReitz.com.

ITAKEOFFTHEMASK presents So what if you?re single again? posted at itakeoffthemask.com.

ChristianPF presents 5 Bible verses about money every Christian should know posted at Christian Personal Finance Blog.

A Sower presents Shelter posted at A Sower’s Heart.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Devotionals and Inspiration using our carnival submission form.

Proverbs 21:31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance is of the LORD.(NKJ)

A few days ago I woke up to find a cat lying comfortably on our dryer in the back porch.  As some of you may know, we have three dogs, no cats.

 
I tried several times to get rid of the cat, but it would not budge.  I tossed it over the fence, tried scaring it away, putting it out on the road, but nothing.  I feared that once the dogs would see it, it would breathe its last breath.

Since the cat would not leave, I just left it and began to observe her.    I thought for sure that once the dogs saw it, she would run off. 

The time came for dogs and cat to meet, and what followed surprised me.  The cat hissed and stood her ground.  She then began to walk towards the dogs, hissing and keeping eye focus with them.  The cat did not run as most do.   The dogs backed off.

 
We decided that if this cat can hold its own with three dogs, she deserves to stay. 

This made me think of the times we face an enemy in our Christian walk.  Some believers run off in fear when the first sign of trouble comes their way.   We are the ones with the authority and power of the Holy Spirit working through us, and yet we act as though the battle has not been won. 

Friends, the enemy has been defeated in every area of our life.  It´s time to appropriate  that authority, stand our ground and look the enemy in the eye and say, ¨Move out of the way, here I come. ¨

Blessings.

I am a guest blogger at the Surrendered Scribe.

Read my post titled Thankful for Moving Time.

Blessings,

Luke 16:22-26   ”So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.  “And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.   “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’  ”But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.   ‘And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’(NKJ)

How do we explain to to people what happens when we die?  Do we pray for the dead? Where do they go, and how do we prove it? 

Living in a  Latin country,  it is customary that when a person dies  family members and friends pray for the soul to enter heaven for nine days.   After the nine days are completed,  those that have prayed feel assured that the persons soul has entered heaven and are now at rest.

But this is what the Bible has to say.

The scripture above talks about the beggar Lazarus, full of sores  and the rich man clothed in purple and fine linen.

When both men died,   Lazarus went to hell, and the poor man went to heaven.  These two  men  had  different destinies.  Both Lazarus and the rich man went to a place of departed spirits called in the Hebrew language ¨Sheol¨and in the Greek language ¨Hades.¨

The rich man was in a place of torment, and Lazarus in a place of rest. Between these two places there was a great gulf fixed that could not be crossed, in other words a gap probably larger than the grand canyon. 

This gulf could not be crossed, which means that there is no hope to change the eternal destiny of the soul after death.  Because of this, it is of no value to pray for the dead.  The decision to accept or reject Jesus as Savior must be made during this life.  It is this decision that determines the destiny of your soul.

The place of rest for departed spirits of the righteous was called Abraham’s Bosom.  This meant it was a place for those who followed the same faith of Abraham by serving the one true and living God.

While we are on this earth, it is our decision to choose our  destiny.  We have two places to choose from;  Heaven or Hell, and these two places are very real and exist. 

Why not choose Jesus, and choosing Jesus means you choose life. With that you will have life more abundantly.  Choose to live in a place and live the rest of your days in a place where  God will wipe away every tear from your eye; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.  Revelation 21:4