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windex

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The other day, I saw a post on social media with a classic throwback reference that gave me a solid belly laugh. In one of the organic-remedies-type groups I’ve joined, another mom posted about an all-natural salve that she had found numerous uses for. When the salve came up in conversation with her children, one child told the other that this salve was mom’s new “Windex”.

Now if you haven’t seen the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, I realize that reference will be completely lost on you. But if you have seen it, then you probably chuckled out loud just now.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a rom-com done right. If you haven’t seen it, go right now and find a way to watch it. Everyone needs a good laugh nowadays.

The head of the Greek family in this movie is proud Papa Gus, and he is adamant that Windex (in addition to being a great cleaner) is a cure-all for anything that ails you. Got a sore elbow? Windex. Wake up with a zit? Windex. Poison ivy? Windex. Burn your hand? “Put some Windex on it!”

This hysterical Windex reference is a running joke throughout the movie. Just when you think something is beyond the power of Windex, this strange phenomenon strikes again. Ignoring the reality that Windex is not meant to treat odd skin conditions or injuries, this ruse gives us a great talking point for today.

I started thinking about how Windex is first and foremost used to clean glass (usually windows and mirrors), to help us see more clearly. Our once-cloudy perspectives become crystal clear when we use Windex appropriately. Just like the Holy Spirit. He is my Windex.

Not only does the Holy Spirit help me to see everything more clearly, but he can also do many other things that Windex cannot do. Windex’s power stops at the glass. It cleans the glass for you, but then it’s up to you to discern what you’re actually seeing.

Without the blessing of the Holy Spirit, I would be at the mercy of my own thoughts and limited human understanding about what I see happening in the world today. I can sit and take in all the information that the media wants to pour into me, but without a truthful guide and accurate compass, I’m going to be tossed around in the wind, not knowing where I will end up.

It is crystal clear to me that the much-needed remedy – for all of us – is the Holy Spirit.

Anyone can receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. There are just 3 main steps involved in receiving and keeping this blessing:

  • Step 1. PRAY: Repent and ask the Holy Spirit to come live inside of you, and guide you each day.
  • Step 2. READ: Open your Bible every day and devote time to learning God’s Will for your life.
  • Step 3. OBEY: When you feel the Holy Spirit nudging you, don’t ignore him. Follow God’s Word, and don’t reject the Holy Spirit by continued disobedience.

Step 1 and 2 are pretty obvious, but I’d like to dive a little deeper into step 3 for a minute.

It is undeniably true that without our belief in Jesus as the Son of God, we cannot be saved. Jesus died on a cross to save us. Without his sacrifice, we would be condemned to an eternity apart from God. Therefore, acknowledging this sacrifice made on our behalf, earnestly praying for forgiveness for our sins, and accepting God’s grace (to cover accidental sin we might fall into) is absolutely imperative to our salvation.

“I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”
-Galatians 2: 21 (ESV)

However, we are not called to abuse God’s grace by repeatedly choosing our own fleshly desires (sin) over his good and perfect Will for our lives. There are many who live under the assumption that one prayer is all it takes to be saved forever, no matter how you choose to live. Friends, please do not be deceived by a false comfort whispered to you from the enemy.

If, after your repentant prayer, you choose to live a life walking with God each day, earnestly implementing steps 1-3 above, then YES, the Holy Spirit will live inside you and serve as the MARK and SEAL of your salvation.

However, if you repent but then choose to return to unchecked habitual sin patterns (usually an indication that steps 2 and 3 are not being implemented), then you will be rejecting the gift and SEAL of the the Holy Spirit on your life and salvation. If you repeatedly ignore the Holy Spirit, eventually your view of the world will be so clouded by your own sin that you will no longer be able to see and discern the Truth, and you’ll be willfully living in rebellion against God. Anyone who lives in the flesh has not truly been BORN AGAIN.

1 Peter 1: 13-25 says:

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for: 

“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

But no matter how far you may have strayed away from Him, if you truly and earnestly repent and turn your life back to God (steps 1, 2 and 3!) — He is MIGHTY to SAVE!

Church, the spiritual warfare happening in these last days is heavy and relentless. Without our Windex, we will not be able to see things for what they truly are. We will be blinded to the Truth, and miss the warning signs that are all around us.

Jesus is coming soon. As His Church, we have work to do. Don’t delay. He desires that not a single one be left behind.

Blessings,
Emily

fear not

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My dear friends,

In a world full of fear and fear-mongering, many believers are searching for answers, guidance, and comfort. The Lord has spoken to me and told me to address this issue on social media as well as in my blog. So here we go.

We are in the midst of great spiritual warfare; the times are very heavy and many believers are feeling alone and sometimes defeated in this battle. I struggled with these feelings myself, until the Lord spoke words of Life into me and reminded me who I am and WHOSE I am. So I am here to tell you that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. God has heard your prayers, and He is still fighting for us. He is tarrying before Returning to give US more time to be saved by His grace and our true repentance.

Church, there are two things we need to stop and do right now.

Step 1: Pray for God to tell us what He wants us to know.

“Father God, I pray that you would open the eyes and ears of all your true believers today, that we would understand Your Words, and receive them as You intended. Please strengthen us and give us wisdom by increasing the presence of the Holy Spirit in us today. Give us discernment and a thirst for Your Will to be done, in Jesus’ name. AMEN!”

Step 2: Choose to be His faithful servants by digging into the absolute Truth of His Word.

The Lord says: “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” -Jeremiah 33:3

JEREMIAH 33:3

If we earnestly seek His Truth, we will find Him. Every word of the Bible is God-breathed, and designed to help us understand how to live our lives in order to be pleasing to God, and to be blessed by Him. In my quiet time, I recently discovered the power of Psalm 91, and its perfect relevance to the tribulations we are facing today.

PSALM 91:1
Psalm 91 (NIV):

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

Friends, if this passage does not speak volumes to you in these trying times, then your ears have been shut by the enemy, and you are in danger of being held captive by the great delusion.

Did you know the “fear not” message is found in 365 verses of the Bible? Why would God put the same message in the Bible on so many different occasions unless He was absolutely serious about it? Living in a spirit of fear can affect our faith. Fear is not a fruit of the Holy Spirit, and therefore can only have one other origin. Do not be deceived!

95% of what the media is telling you is simply propaganda to spread fear. TURN IT OFF. Turn on the Word of God in your homes and in your heart! Let it be a Lamp to light your path. Carry it with you each day. Let it live on your lips and on the lips of your spouse, your children, your grandchildren, etc. until the Lord calls us all home at the end of time.

Absolutely nothing in this world nullifies the rich and living Word of God. Nothing can touch us without God’s permission. Not one single thing! In chapter 1 of the book of Job, we see that the enemy himself had to ask God’s permission to touch Job: 

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. 
The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 
And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” 
Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? 
Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 
But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” 
And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

The enemy took Job’s family, his servants, his house, his livestock, his fields… and what did Job do? He WORSHIPPED and PRAISED God.

JOB 1:20-22
Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 
And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

Job understood that everything he had been given belonged to God. He recognized that God had blessed him with many things, and that God could also take away those things because He IS GOD, and does not need to explain Himself to us. Job was indeed a faithful servant of God.

Brothers and sisters, each of us has a number of days set aside by God, and not one thing can take away a single second of that time. NOT.ONE.THING.

In Job 14:5, we read: “…his days are determined, and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass…”

Knowing that God has numbered our days and that He is forever faithful to His Word, we can walk securely in the knowledge that He truly is our shield and refuge. Nothing can touch us without His permission. If He does allow something to cross our path, we must trust that He has a great purpose for it! He will either get us through it and use it to correct us or grow our faith and bring us closer to Him, or He will bring us home to glory because we have fulfilled our purpose and it is our time to rest. We can believe and trust in this good word from Him today!

No matter what you are facing today, PRAISE God. TRUST in Him. Walk by FAITH, and do not fear!

Be awakened to His Truth and stand firm in His Word! AMEN and AMEN!

Blessings,
Emily