Pick up His Mantle and Put it On
Mantle: an important role or responsibility that passes from one person to another. Means: role, burden, onus, duty, responsibility. The mantle of leadership.
My yoke is easy…and my burden is light. Matthew 11:30
The mantle of Jesus is not heavy…it is light…and all who put it on are covered with His grace, love, peace, joy, strength, wisdom and so much more. The Holy Spirit weaves His presence into our lives and brings salvation.
A robe of righteousness, (mantle), that is white and pure, without blemish or stain no wrinkles. To obtain this robe you have to put it on. It’s not magic. It can’t be bought or sold. It is given freely, paid for by the blood of Jesus. But there is a price. It will cost you giving up your life, to have life in the only begotten son of God. The price we give, is nothing compared to the life we receive. We receive eternal life. All it takes is faith in God!
Elijah was a type of Christ. He had told Elisha, (Prophets of God) if you see me when I am taken, you will receive a double portion…Elijah’s cloak (mantle) fell to the ground and Elisha picked it up and struck the water with it and it divided and he crossed over. (The veil was torn, it divided when Jesus was crucified on the cross. No longer separating God and man.)
We have heard the gospel story about Jesus. We’ve seen His life and understand the scriptures more than ever before, especially, because of all the information that is available to us, in books and on the internet. As seekers of the Lord Jesus Christ are we watching for Him…are we wanting a double portion of Him…His mantle was left for us when he died on Mt. Calvary. Will we pick it up and put it on and walk in His footsteps…will we part the water with His cloak, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and cross over? Are we willing to give our lives to follow Him?
These are questions we all must ask ourselves…for me there is no pause…I want the double portion…I want all of Him…so that He is lifted up not me…so that others will see and know Him…Only the Holy Spirit can draw us to Him…be willing to be drawn.
As Jesus was descending into heaven He said, as you see me go, I will come again…
Be watchful…be diligent…put on the robe of righteousness and follow Him…
There is a yoke He’s told us about and it is not heavy…the burden of following Him is light…it is no burden…
There will be rivers and oceans to cross, mountains and valleys and plains to go through, cities and suburbs where lives are shattered and hopeless, there will be high places and low places but do not grow weary…there will be hardships and persecutions to endure…there will be disappointments and difficult things to bear…but believe what Jesus said…Be happy for I have overcome the world and because of that you will overcome. Take up your cross and follow me. In my father’s house there are many dwelling places, if it were not true I would tell you. Listen I’m going to make a place for you so that where I am you can come. Don’t be discouraged and do not be afraid. I am sending you another comforter and He will be in you and live in you. Wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit comes. He will guide you and lead you and teach you the truth. Then Jesus lifted up his hands and blessed them. (para)
You’ve seen Him through the pages of His word. You watched His birth, His life, His death and His ascension. You’ve felt His touch when you were in deep despair. You’ve heard Him whisper; “Come to me,” as you cried yourself to sleep at night. Sickness claiming your strength and your mind, you heard His words, “By my stripes you are healed.” That still small voice is the voice of the Holy Spirit. He beckons you even now to come.
Will you receive His mantle? Will you seek Him with all of your heart? If so, you will find Him. More than anything else, Jesus is seeking you. Don’t run away from Him, Run to Him!!
See, His mantle is just there…so pick it up and walk with Him in a brand new direction. He wants to show you magnificent things…He wants to give you peace in the midst of turmoil…He wants you to know love, His love, even in this life. Oh taste and see that the Lord is good…blessed is the man who trusts in Him. Psalm 34:8
~Marla Shaw O’Neill November 13, 2018
2 Kings 2:13-14 New International Version (NIV) Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over. (Read 2 Kings 2 there is so much in this passage)
John 16:33 King James Version (KJV) These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
John 14:2-3 Living Bible (TLB) There are many homes up there where my Father lives, and I am going to prepare them for your coming. When everything is ready, then I will come and get you, so that you can always be with me where I am. If this weren’t so, I would tell you plainly.
Matthew 16:24-26 English Standard Version (ESV) Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus. Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
Luke 24:48-50 Amplified Bible (AMP) You are witnesses of these things. 49 Listen carefully: I am sending the Promise of My Father [the Holy Spirit] upon you; but you are to remain in the city [of Jerusalem] until you are clothed (fully equipped) with power from on high.” Then He led them out as far as Bethany, and lifted up His hands and blessed them.
Matthew 11:28-30 English Standard Version (ESV) Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Psalm 34:8 King James Version (KJV) O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man who trusteth in him.
Deep Waters
Looking out over the dark, murky, water
Fear grips the heart,
What will it take?
Terror whispers of things that lie beneath this unfamiliar lake
Moonless, starless night, clouds cloak the sky
Trouble brought me here…
I lift these ores and sigh…
One does not simply end up in this place
World’s unknown and miles of life, wrinkles upon my brow, doth trace
Step after step, I’ve run the runner’s race…
Mistakes, no lessons not learned, kept me in confusions grip
Has despair given way to grace, while upon my tears I sip?
Rowing on life’s waterway…seeking, wanting, and needing to pray…
I see a ray of Hope…
The clouds separate and light from the moon doth shine…
Someone is calling my name…
Beloved, when you pass through deep waters, I will be with you…
These waters I have come to know, deep and dark and full of sorrow
All subside when I realize; God abides…
There in the distance, the darkness lifts
God speaks and time doth shift…
I am not alone…
Time has come and time has gone
Deep waters become shallow, terrors disappear
Faith, has taken over, and I am set free from fear…
Life and hope and joy and peace fill the atmosphere…
No more deep waters…no more tears…
I’ve passed through the deep waters…
God called to me, I am here…
~Marla Shaw O’Neill November 12, 2018
When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you…Isaiah 43:2
Birds Eye View
Yesterday I felt horrible. For several weeks of being sick, which turned into bronchitis, it was taking its toll, and being cooped up in the house, because I had no energy to go out, cabin fever was also an issue.
So, I called my friend and prayer leader Robin, and asked her to pray for me. We chatted and then she prayed. She prayed that my strength would be renewed like the Eagle and that I would be strong like a Lion. I had difficulty talking so I would whisper, “Yes, Lord and thank you Jesus….” I felt the Holy Spirit as she prayed…and I could feel strength rising up within me. A rush of chills rolled over me from my head to my toes…I love it when He touches us in that special way. Praise the Lord! Robin also said, “Every time you cough, say, “I’m healed in Jesus name!” We have to speak God’s word in faith…amen!!
So here’s what I want to share with you. In the early morning hours while still asleep yet conscience, it was more of a vision than a dream, I looked up and I saw this amazing eagle. But my birds-eye-view was from the nest…I was one of the eaglets…I looked up and saw the most beautiful pure white feathers with a golden-yellow beak, the Eagle was sitting over me and there was this misty shining light all around the head of the Eagle…I realized I was safe because the eagle was my parent…then, and this is the most amazing part…the Eagle’s wings spread out unfolding into a magnificent wing span stretching out over me, wide open…and I knew God was healing me…
When I woke up and realized what I had seen…it gave Psalm 91 a whole new meaning… I had new strength…I was able to go out shopping with Bob and walked without becoming out of breath…
God indeed heals, we need only have faith, believe and accept His loving wings of healing… Ps. 91:4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge;
I’m sharing this with you to encourage you and to tell you don’t give up…don’t let discouragement or doubt seep into your thoughts and keep you captive. Look up from an eaglet’s eyes and see the face of your loving heavenly father and know…His wings are covering you and you are safe!!
Psalm 91
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.”
The Eye Witness
Walking through the streets of Jerusalem
The city is packed with foreigners,
They’ve traveled from far distant places
Tired, dusty and weary, I see it in their faces…
I’ve lived here since my birth;
Smells of burnt animals, of sacrifice, linger in the air
The Priest, place upon the altar, just there…
Bleating sheep with goat and dove
People push, complain and shove…
Traditions don’t come from above…
But we keep them anyway…
Standing in the city gate…I watch these men as they contemplate
Who is this man, Jesus, of Nazareth, it is said, that he heals and teaches in the synagogue.
Blasphemy, the Pharisees shout, he’s Beelzebub. I’ve heard that he cast demons out…
Their sweat and dirt a stench in the wind…
Stubborn, rebellious, religious men.
Messiah has come, they’ll see in the end…
I listen to them whisper in low tones,
While they stand and glare, at Jesus as he touches a blind man’s eyes…they stare
Mud and spit applied…
Jesus heals the blind man’s eyes…
With just one touch of the Savior’s hand
I bow my head and in reverence I stand,
In awe of this holy, man…
Jesus, Messiah has come!
Will you accept God’s only son…
Before He returns to Jerusalem?
~Marla Shaw O’Neill November 7, 2018
Matthew 12:24 New International Version (NIV) But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”
John 5:1-6 J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS) Jesus heals in Jerusalem
Sometime later came one of the Jewish feast-days and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. There is in Jerusalem near the sheep-gate a pool surrounded by five arches, which has the Hebrew name of Bethzatha (the Pool of Bethesda).
Under these arches a great many sick people were in the habit of lying; some of them were blind, some lame, and some had withered limbs. (They used to wait there for the “moving of the water”, for at certain times an angel used to come down into the pool and disturb the water, and then the first person who stepped into the water after the disturbance would be healed of whatever he was suffering from.)
One particular man had been there ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there on his back—knowing that he had been like that for a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to get well again?”
The Clay-Pot Sings
There she sits both night and day
On a tiny stool and forms her clay
Skilled hands now old, and wet, and caked
Molds the treasure she will make
Upon her potter’s wheel…
She spins and spins and as she does
She thinks, as she whispers a prayer
Lord, says she, I am molding this clay just for thee
Daughter, says He, I am molding you, just for me
And in His hands the clay spins and spins, upon the potter’s wheel
Lord, Why does it hurt so much? Asks she.
Daughter, says He, tis lessons to learn with twist and turns
On the Potter’s wheel that brings humility and obedience you see
The song of the clay is often learned through enduring much spinning and pain
My grace I give, as you surrender to me, your heart, to do my will
Yielded and broken so all can see what beauty this process will bring
Courage and strength, joy and delight, as you struggle under the Potter’s hands
From dust you were made, and dust you return, but your spirit still remains
I was formed in the womb, of water and clay, what a mystery to behold
For it’s in the hands of a Holy God
That He forms the clay this way
Round and round the wheel we spin ‘til the Potter perfects His design
Put in the fire to complete the task what beauty comes in the end
Sing, little one. Sing!
Let your spirit soar and reign
While spinning on the potter’s wheel there’s changes you will gain
Formed by the Potter’s touch, there will be joy and pain
Purified by fire, this treasure will remain
The clay once rough and battered not fit for anything
A song of victorious melody, heard, when the clay-pot sings…
Sorrow is for the night…but in the morning it will bring
A heart full of joy, instead of suffering!
Written by: Marla Shaw 7/1/2010
©2010
Life, Love and Liberty
(For Anne Frank)
The world now knows the words she once held so dear…
What the enemy tried to smother, now rings loud and clear!
To herself, she hid her own despair
With pen in hand, her words said she cared.
The enemy tried to destroy and exterminate her kind…
They may destroy the body, but not the soul or the mind.
It takes courage not to give up or shed a tear,
The strong fight to the end for what they hold dear.
For Life, Love and Liberty, we must forever stand
And honor every good creed by man.
There’s a purpose for all who believe,
Strength and courage is given if they’ll receive,
Anne was young, but old beyond her years,
Her compassion and knowledge of life; brought many to tears.
Anne believed there was “good in all men,”
She’d say with a smile…
Were her feelings the same when she walked her last mile?
She had a loving heart, and compassion for all, and through their strife
She stayed hopeful, until, they ended her young life.
~Rose Lee Gandy
9/15/2018
Under the Mask
Wind and shadow cloaked in darkness
Whispers of the night…
Hooting owl, ghouls wrapped in rags
Grasp with deceit, in crippling clam they travel…
Swirls of ghosts and taunting things…
Treats of evil in terror brings…
Fear and doubt these lost souls sing…
Oh hallow not this night…
Glorifying demons creep to sever souls
And death to greet, those who dare to walk and sweep
The streets in masks to hide and seek…
Not for those who are mild and meek
They will search you out with trick or treat…
Not only pagan hands and pagan feet,
Are those who walk the darkened streets…
All in fun they say…
But who doth stand beneath the sheet?
Paying tribute to the devil and kiss his cheek
Do not lie upon his altar…
We must pray and never falter…
Deceived we dance with the devil on Halloween
In light of day there is no fear
But at nightfall they will draw near…
Will you join in this costly game…?
They know your face; they know your name…
No sacred place this hollowed scheme
Masked in deception called, Halloween…
You say, don’t be absurd tis only fun…
But the devil laughs he’s on the run…
Filling his bag with little ones…
This is his trick not treat…
~Marla Shaw O’Neill October 31, 2018
Proverbs 3:5-12 The Message (MSG)
Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Don’t assume that you know it all.
Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
your very bones will vibrate with life!
Honor God with everything you own;
give him the first and the best.
Your barns will burst,
your wine vats will brim over.
But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline;
don’t sulk under his loving correction.
It’s the child he loves that God corrects;
a father’s delight is behind all this.
The Little Joys of Life
Those little moments when Joys become burdens
We are focused on what comes next
Instead of the here and now
Feeling trapped in a sea of littleness
Wanting something else, we give up bliss…
Frustrated and impatient, wondering about all this…
Grab hold of the right now…and never let it go
For when it’s gone you’ll understand and wish it back even though
Those moments have gone, and so…
The loss you feel will be greater than the letting go…
Take each moment that you live and live it to the full
For those Joys will be grown, and one day will leave your home
Empty, wishing they had not gone…
Words to the wise…Capture each sigh
And turn it into life…embrace the Joys that are at your side…
Little Joys, of moments, spent side by side…
Add up to a lifetime ago…
Grab hold of them and never let them go…
And when you’re old; and body bent…
You’ll be thankful for, each little Joy; sent
To make your life content!
~Marla Shaw O’Neill October 31, 2018
Dedicated to my children and grandchildren!
Be Strong in the Lord & Never Give Up Hope
The Words I Would Say
Three in the morning,
And I’m still awake,
So I picked up a pen and a page,
And I started writing,
Just what I’d say,
If we were face to face,
I’d tell you just what you mean to me,
I’d tell you these simple truths,
And I’m still awake,
So I picked up a pen and a page,
And I started writing,
Just what I’d say,
If we were face to face,
I’d tell you just what you mean to me,
I’d tell you these simple truths,
Be strong in the Lord and,
Never give up hope,
You’re going to do great things,
I already know,
God’s got His hand on you so,
Don’t live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don’t forget why you’re here,
Take your time and pray,
These are the words I would say,
Never give up hope,
You’re going to do great things,
I already know,
God’s got His hand on you so,
Don’t live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don’t forget why you’re here,
Take your time and pray,
These are the words I would say,
Last time we spoke,
You said you were hurting,
And I felt your pain in my heart,
I want to tell you,
That I keep on praying,
Love will find you where you are,
I know cause I’ve already been there,
So please hear these simple truths,
You said you were hurting,
And I felt your pain in my heart,
I want to tell you,
That I keep on praying,
Love will find you where you are,
I know cause I’ve already been there,
So please hear these simple truths,
Be strong in the Lord and,
Never give up hope,
You’re going…
Never give up hope,
You’re going…
Be strong in the Lord and,
Never give up hope,
You’re going to do great things,
I already know,
God’s got His hand on you so,
Don’t live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don’t forget why you’re here,
Take your time and pray,
These are the words I would say,
Never give up hope,
You’re going to do great things,
I already know,
God’s got His hand on you so,
Don’t live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don’t forget why you’re here,
Take your time and pray,
These are the words I would say,
From one simple life to another,
I will say,
Come find peace in the Father,
I will say,
Come find peace in the Father,
Be strong in the Lord and,
Never give up hope,
You’re going to do great things,
I already know,
God’s got His hand on you so,
Don’t live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don’t forget why you’re here,
Take your time and pray,
Thank God for each day,
His love will find a way,
These are the words I would say
Never give up hope,
You’re going to do great things,
I already know,
God’s got His hand on you so,
Don’t live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don’t forget why you’re here,
Take your time and pray,
Thank God for each day,
His love will find a way,
These are the words I would say
Songwriters: Sam Mizell / David Frey / Ben Mcdonald
The Words I Would Say lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc, Music Services, Inc