My Quiver is Full by Shalene

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one's youth.
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
They shall not be ashamed,
But shall speak with their enemies in the gate. Psalm 127:3-5 NKJV

Praise Him with me! He has blessed us again, and my quiver is full. We are having baby #5! Hallelujah! I am undeserving of this blessing, but I will strive each day to bring this child up in love for the Lord. I dedicate this baby to You, my Lord. I thank you that you bless me time and time again.

I ask for your prayers, readers, as my pregnancies are not easy, and the last two have been born prematurely. I ask that you pray for my health, and the health of this blessing from the Lord. I thank those of you that prayed for this blessing along with me.

Lord, I cannot say it enough. Thank you, thank you, thank you! You are wonderful, and Your blessings numerous upon me.

There is no "MORE" to this post.

Saved From Trials? by Shalene Kearney

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
James 1:2-4 NKJV

As you can clearly see from the above verses, we as true believers are NOT saved from trials. In fact, we are called to count them as blessings. For they produce patience within us. Too many times when we become believers, we think that being a believer means that our life will be easy. That God, because he has promised to provide everything we need, that we will have it all, and we shouldn't have to endure any more seasons of tears and frustration. Don't let the deceiver convince you of these lies!

God has promised to provide every thing we need, not everything we want. And what He knows we need, and what we think we need, are very seldom the same thing. Yes, sometimes He blesses us beyond what we need. But other times He does not. He will use the circumstances of our lives to grow us in Christ's image. All of our trials and tribulations should be seen as a blessing because they teach us something every time.

Whether it be to view a loved one with compassion, to spend more time with our families, to stop worshipping Mammon (material things), to trust in Him, or a host of other lessons that we all need to learn in order to be like Christ. These are all reasons that we have trials. We also have trials because of our own choices sometimes. And this is when the Lord uses our trials to discipline us. Like a parent to a child: we don't discipline our children to cause them pain. We discipline them to teach them a lesson that is essential to their well being and to prevent a worse lesson being learned later, by their continued disobedience.

This is a hard concept for many unbelievers to grasp. They think that because God is love, that he should be only cuddly, and comforting. They forget that God is also just. He cannot discipline one and not the other for disobedience (believers and unbelievers alike.) By His very nature, He must discipline us.

I thank God every day for the trials that He brought me through. Though some were quite painful: the death of my mother, a near divorce from my wonderful spouse, two miscarriages, and many others, I would not go back and change the fact that I experienced them. They made me who I am today, and have led me to an even stronger faith with every trial I face. I know that if there is a trial, the Lord is teaching me something. In fact without the death of my mother and my very near divorce, I would not have come back to the Lord at all, probably. Sometimes God will bring us to our knees with the trials He allows. I say again. Count them as blessings. While they may hurt, and they may not end quickly, the Lord will bring you through them if you hold strong to your faith in Him and Him alone.

Think of God as the best parent ever. He loves you no matter what, period. He ONLY wants what is best for you! He wants to provide for your every need. He wants to comfort you when you're hurting. He wants so much for us, but He does not promise to take away the trials of this world. Without them we do not grow.

--Lord, today I thank you again for teaching me and disciplining me. I know you are abba, Father. I know that with out your loving discipline I would be lost today. I pray that those reading my words, and even those that aren't will count their trials today as blessings from you, rather than some unjust punishment. Knowing that whether it's discipline that You are providing, or just a "workshop" to grow our faith in You, that You have a plan for us, and that plan is for our good. Lord I glorify Your Holy Name today. I pray these things in Jesus Holy Name. Amen.

My "Church," My "Religion," and My Faith

If you have followed my last few posts regarding "church" membership, fellowship and accountability, then you will understand that I do support the attendance within a "church." I do this not because I support a particular doctrine or place of worship, rather it is because I find that fellowship with like minded believers helps to strengthen my own faith walk. I do not expect others to agree with my stance, nor do I feel it lessens their ability to strengthen their own faith walk, unless they find that they are unable or unwilling to "walk in the Spirit" on their own. There are not many that can do so. In order for most to be strong in their faith and in their convictions that what they believe is the Truth, they need others to help guide their steps. Yesterday, in the church that I attend, our pastor made a good point for this. He gave an illustration of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus took 3 of his closest "friends" and asked them to stand watch for him, because as He said: "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Matthew 26:36-38 (NIV) In Ecclesiastes we read that "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to heop him up! Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NIV) This was also from our sermon yesterday. The basis for this sermon was being Spiritual Warriors for the Lord, and that we all need others that will help us. This does not mean that we must belong to a "church" as a place, but rather to a "church" as a body of LIKE MINDED believers, regardless of the meeting "place." I do not think it necessary for me to denounce my "religion" as my faith is my "religion." I give myself a label of "Christian" because that is what others would say I am. I am a Christ follower, first and foremost. I am not perfect, only loved by a perfect God! Nor has any other Christian ever been perfect (Jesus was not a Christian, as He did not follow himself.) I do not feel as some do that the Cross is a symbol of warfare, but rather a symbol of all that Christ gave, so that we might have eternal life. I do not worship the cross, but rather the one that died upon it, and then rose from the dead 3 days later! I pray the blessings of the Lord upon all that read this post.

Happy Father's Day

I wish to take this moment to wish my husband and all the fathers I know a Happy Father's Day. To pray for their continued guidance. To pray that they will continued to be led by the Holy Spirit in their every day actions, and to continue to lead us in a way that glorifies the Lord. I want to tell my husband that I am blessed beyond deserving of the partnership that God has created for us. Our children love you, and I love you. You are the answer to the prayer I didn't realize I prayed (before I was a believer.) Thank you to my Father in Heaven that You know what it best for me, and continue to work Your plan in my life and in my children's lives. You are "abba" and "father." I pray Your continued guidance and discipline will make me into the woman you created me to be. In Jesus' Holy Name, I pray, Amen.