Knowing that His presence will bring me peace and rest
Safe from harm He gives me His best…
“I love you papa,” while we embrace
I sense His love, without seeing His face…
“I love you too, my precious child
Quiet now just sit a while…”
The world is filled with pride and distress
Some don’t recognize their papa will bless
He’ll guide and keep them through every test…
“Papa is here, drop all the veneer,
I’ll wipe away your sadness and your tears
All your doubts and all your fears…
Come and see that I have always loved thee
My love was nailed to a tattered tree
Come near my child come sit awhile…
Rest from those hurting, dusty miles…
Sick and battered I can hardly speak
I raise my head to kiss His cheek…
With labored breath His love I seek…
Given freely to the one who’s meek…
Papa?
Yes child?
I love you papa…then I fall asleep!
Heart full of exuberant joy,
Papa smiles as He holds His beloved child!
~Marla Shaw O’Neill October 15, 2018
Psalm 127:2 The Message (MSG)
A Pilgrim Song of Solomon If God doesn’t build the house, the builders only build shacks. If God doesn’t guard the city, the night watchman might as well nap. It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don’t you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves?
1 John 3 Living Bible (TLB) See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows us to be called his children—think of it—and we really are! But since most people don’t know God, naturally they don’t understand that we are his children. Yes, dear friends, we are already God’s children, right now, and we can’t even imagine what it is going to be like later on. But we do know this, that when he comes we will be like him, as a result of seeing him as he really is. And everyone who really believes this will try to stay pure because Christ is pure.
John 3:16-17 New King James Version (NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begottenSon, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
I read the following story years ago and it came to mind this morning as I was talking to my son Jonathan.
Jonathan is a musician and singer for a cruise ship. He had a flight from Tampa to NC early this morning. He said when they took off from Tampa International Airport there was a very loud sound and about five minutes into the fight they announced that they were going to go back to the airport and have the plane checked out. Jonathan said that he prayed about a hundred prayers. Everything settled down and they were able to go on their way. But because of the hurricane (Michael) they circled NC airport for about 20 minutes before they could land. He then had to run to get to his next fight but found that he would be there for an hour. His destination is SC and there to his ship. As we spoke he said, “Maybe I’m not supposed to go to SC at least for the moment…that maybe he was being protected in the delay…I said, exactly and I told him about the following story…sometimes things are not as they seem to us at the moment…
Please pray for my youngest son Jonathan on this journey, this is his job. He’ll be gone until January. He is in the best hands ever…Our Gracious Heavenly Father…no better hands to be in than his…amen!!
Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion’s guest room. Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, “Things aren’t always what they seem.”
The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had, the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night’s rest. When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.
The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel “How could you have let this happen? The first man had everything, yet you helped him,” she accused. “The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die.”
“Things aren’t always what they seem,” the older angel replied. “When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn’t find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmer’s bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead.
“Things aren’t always what they seem.”
Author Unknown
The moral of this story:
Sometimes that is exactly what happens when things don’t turn out the way they should. If you have faith, you just need to trust that every outcome is always to your advantage. You might not know it until sometime later.
Intercessor’s, those who have the call of prayer on their lives, those who know the God of all creation, those who know beyond a shadow of a doubt that…
Hebrews 11:1-6 King James Version (KJV)
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
For by it the elders obtained a good report.
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
ARISE and pray as never before.
Pray for our country and our leaders. Pray that lies and deception will be stopped and that the Holy Spirit will sweep our nation and run the demons from its shores…Pray that Americans will be united by the grace and will of God and that our eyes will be opened to truth. Pray that we will be aware of what the enemy of God is doing, to divide and conqueror, slander, destroying men and women and children, who stand for righteousness.
Pray that the gift of Holy discernment opens the eyes and ears and hearts of the people so that the schemes and treachery of Satan will not prevail. Now is the time to lift up a war cry of intercessory prayer so that God will hear and come to our defense. That He will dispatch his Holy Angels to fight on our behalf.
Put away rebellion and control and lying…Come to the Lord with a clean and pure heart…let His Word go forth into his throne room and boldly proclaim HE IS THE LORD OUR GOD!! MIGHTY AND TRUE!
Now is NOT the time to be complacent. Now is NOT the time to let fear and doubt paralyze us we must take action and that action, is to, fast and pray. If we allow our hearts and minds to be swayed by the tactics of the enemy and join in his mind-games and lies, if we sling mud and anger, disgrace and accusations, we become pons in his hand. This is not a game. This is an extremely serious time. Here and Now we are called for such a time as this…Prayer and fasting is our most powerful weapon against the enemy this is a spiritual war.
You, yes you reading this right now, are called to stand and fight but not in the natural, not with guns or pen…but by getting clean before the Living God in the Name of Jesus putting on the ARMOR OF GOD…STAND…ALERT…AND READY…
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:10-18
2 Chronicles 7:10-20 King James Version (KJV) And on the three and twentieth day of the seventh month he sent the people away into their tents, glad and merry in heart for the goodness that the Lord had shewed unto David, and to Solomon, and to Israel his people.
Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord, and the king’s house: and all that came into Solomon’s heart to make in the house of the Lord, and in his own house, he prosperously effected.
And the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice.
If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attend unto the prayer that is made in this place.
For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.
And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statutes and my judgments;
Then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.
But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;
Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.
In the early morning hours at the time when the Holy Spirit brings a message, I saw these letters in black, on a white background;
(mur mur)
I understood he was referring to the “Children of God, murmuring…” or, maybe it was me…
[MURMUR; MURMURINGS
mur’-mur, mur’-mur-ing:
The Hebrew word (lun) denotes the semi-articulated mutterings of disaffected persons. It is used in connection with the complaints of the Israelites in the desert against Yahweh on the one hand, and against Moses and Aaron on the other hand (Exodus 16:7,8; Numbers 14:27,36; 16:11; 17:5). In three places (Deuteronomy 1:27; Psalms 106:25; Isaiah 29:24), “murmur” translates a Hebrew word (raghan) which suggests the malicious whispering of slander.
In the New Testament “murmur” renders two different words, namely, gogguzo, and embrimaomai. The latter word suggests indignation and fault-finding (Mark 14:4 the King James Version). The former word (or a compound of it) is generally used in connection with the complaining’s of the Pharisees and scribes (Matthew 20:11; Luke 5:30; 15:2; 19:7). T. Lewis]
PLEASE LISTEN AND IF YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN AND you realize you’ve been MURMURING…YOU MUST “STOP IT!”
Murmuring is sin…and sin separates us from our Father God…He doesn’t leave us but He will not answer our prayers when we call out to Him because He is Holy and He cannot tolerate sin. The Holy Spirit urges us to stop murmuring. He’ll keep tugging on our hearts until we repent. If we do not the consequences of sin will take its toll; we’ll become distant and depressed. We’ll be like the Pharisees, our hearts will be hardened against the things of God, blind, thinking we are right, but we are wrong and God will not hear us. Murmuring caused the children of God to walk in the desert for Forty years…and it kept them out of the Promised Land. Murmuring causes divisions and we become discontent, it says to God that we are ungrateful and selfish people and that we don’t trust God. It is like calling God a liar. Murmuring is the devil’s tool used to bring condemnation and death.
Murmuring is like a hissing snake it twists us until all we can see and hear is what we want, and how we feel, we are ungrateful and we become a stench in the body of Christ, and God will not allow it.
If this is you, or if you even have a hint you are doing this, go to the Lord and ask him to forgive you. Ask him to give you a grateful heart. Ask him to help you to remove the sin of murmuring. This is a very serious sin, it not only affects your life but it affects the lives of those in your sphere of influence. It affects your children for generations to come. Murmuring divides and corrupts like a cancer…
The Holy Spirit gave me this vision for a reason…and it is to repent of the sin of murmuring and to warn and exhort the body of Christ to stop murmuring and start Praising God.
When I was a little girl I was crying because I wanted this particular pair of shoes. I threw, what you’d call, ahissy fit….You know what my mom did…? She said something that has stuck with me the rest of life….She said, “I cried because I had no shoes, until I saw a man who had no feet.” That statement worked better than a spanking. I stopped crying, I settled down and I no longer wanted those shoes, because I could picture a man with no feet.
Our lives may not be what we want right now…we be facing an incurable disease…a financial disaster, stressed beyond our human limits…but as children of the living God we must TRUST God and allow Him to work in the situation to bring about His Glory!
God doesn’t put disaster on us…He’s not the one giving people cancer and chaos…God is a loving, caring, understanding, all-powerful Father who GAVE HIS SON to restore us to a loving relationship with HIM.
There is an evil in this world…Satan is the accuser of the brethren, always hissing his lies…He goes around seeking whom he can devour, to destroy and cause division in all of our lives. But, God Is, Greater!!
We’ve been given the WORD of GOD to help us in this life to be wise in our choices, to speak words of life, this is a reminder to all of us to stop murmuring and complaining and to open our hearts and eyes and ears and mouths and begin speaking words of gratitude, and grace and hope and to warn and lift up our brothers and sisters that God will bless them.
Be grateful when you see others being blessed don’t envy or slander them…because God is listening…and he will not tolerate the sin of murmuring…
God help us all today, Lord Jesus let us humble ourselves before you and repent of our sin forgive us for murmuring…let our hearts be clean and pure before you. Give us grateful hearts and let us adore you and love one another. Amen.
Murmuring is a slow poison…it takes your joy, your peace and your soul…
Do not allow murmuring to keep you out of heaven!
Speak life!
~Marla Shaw O’Neill October 4, 2018
“Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Phil. 2:14-15). “Be hospitable to one another without grumbling” (1 Pet. 4:9). It causes one to perish (1 Cor. 10:10).
Let us not murmur. Rather, let us be content in life. Let us be happy and “rejoice always in the Lord” (Phil. 4:4). Let us be thankful for our blessings and be characterized by a spirit of gratitude (1 Tim. 2:1).
Let us never be selfish. Let us always regard others better than self and look out for the interests of others (Phil. 2:3-4). Let us follow the things which make for peace and let all things be done unto edifying (Rom. 14:19; 1 Cor. 14:26).
“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:31-32).
There are several examples of the sin of murmuring in the New Testament, like the parable of the laborers in the vineyard (Matt. 20:1-16). They murmured because they had worked all day while others who had worked for a much shorter period received the same wages. They had received their just due but they still murmured.
The pain of rejection is one of the worst emotions ever felt. Feeling abandoned, left out of the fold, unloved, unappreciated, and alone.
But the worst rejection of all is when a parent rejects their child. A child is vulnerable and unprotected they’re at the mercy of wolves and wild things. Wondering, how will I survive? Fear, anxiety, and without hope what is hope?
Food, water even the basic needs longed for; where will the child find shelter from the elements. No tender hugs or soft sweet words to comfort. Forgotten, rejected, and left to die.
By some unseen force the child survives and grows to adulthood. All those fears and feelings never resolved. Bitterness and hate leaves its cruel marks where love and acceptance should have been. And so the child as an adult is marred and is met with contempt and more rejection. No matter how hard the child tries to be accepted he/she never will be.
Years and years of mistrust have been built within the broken heart and more and more anger builds its thickened walls to protect itself.
Until…
One tiny ray of sunlight causes a tiny spark to ignite into the hardened, dry, cracked place called the heart.
Someone smiles at the child, now adult.
“What do they want from me? Why do they smile? I have nothing to give them.” Mistrust and doubt fill the tortured soul.
A hand is out-stretched toward the child-adult. “Run away, run far, far, away.”
But something in the voice and in the eyes hold him/her; frozen; waiting to see…
“What do they want from me?”
Love so pure and unrestrained, acceptance and peace so full, so real, that it melts the hardened, broken heart. Warmth burst through the thickened walls. Gasps of air and startled mind cannot comprehend what’s happening.
Fear leaves…anxiety disappears and vanishes leaving what use to be a huge whole but is now totally healed and restored.
The spirit is reborn into new life. But a memory remains… the memory of hurt, pain and rejection. Only now it no longer hurts. It’s a memory from long, long ago. Not resolved but forgiven. It was left as a reminder so that the child-adult would always remember to love.
The strongest emotion in the human heart is love! It diminishes hate, conquers fear, overcomes obstacles, gives and does not take and will lead you all the way home!
We never know how a smile or friendly word is going to affect someone. It could just be the one thing that changes a life forever. I’m smiling at you today.
Written by: Marla Yvonne Shaw 10/4/12
Ephesians 4:31-3221st Century King James Version (KJ21) Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice;and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Long ago in a place far, far, away, a little girl watched her granny cook pies and cakes and fried chicken…LOL! Standing at the kitchen table, one foot propped up on the rung of a chair she’d mix up her delicious home-made biscuits…as the little girl took it all in…
Her apron was used to wipe her hands, or wipe a runny nose…aprons had many functions…pockets for tissue and for candy…
And like the apron, I remember granny had to have pockets on her dresses or they just weren’t fitten to have, and for years she’d never think of wearing trousers. It was many years later when pant-suits came into being, that she put on trousers but of course the top had to have pockets. 🙂
Times long gone, like running barefoot in the summer-time… chasing butterflies, and sitting on a porch swing, nodding at neighbors as they passed by…playing hide-and-seek, and telling ghost stories around a bon-fire…
Aprons…like so many things from the past are a distant memory…every now and then they come to mind and those of us who are much older now, remember mama’s and Granny’s and aunt’s wearing their aprons, a symbol of a simpler time…
Many years later my mama made me one because I was to be Mrs. Santa Claus, one year, to read, “The Night Before Christmas” to children at a school where I worked…I still have it…do you have an “Apron” story??
Maybe sixty-four years from now your grandchild will remember your story and pass it on…we don’t know what the future will bring, so live for today and tell your stories…
~Marla Shaw O’Neill October 3, 2018
Proverbs 16:31 New International Version (NIV) Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness.
Praise Report: There is a very precious lady who is attending our Women’s Bible Study, Seamless at Journey Church. She told us last week that previously she had, had surgery for lung cancer and that it had come back in her colon. We anointed her with oil, laid hands on her and prayed that she would be healed. Even after we had prayed she said, “I felt it.” We don’t have the power to heal Only God does in the name of Jesus.
Today she came to the Bible study and told us, she DOES NOT have cancer!!! Praise God and Thank you Jesus. God is moving in our midst. Do not give up! Keep praying and believing! God is in control…he has never stopped healing…and I believe more and more manifestations of the Power of God are going to increase. These healings are for the GLORY of God. He is exalted, He is high and lifted up…I had to share this with you.
We can’t do anything in ourselves but with God ALL things are possible, It’s God. He does what we can’t do. I hope this will inspire you to know that Jesus is the Great Physician. He said, “By my stripes you are healed.” He said, “Lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.”
Why does he heal one and not another, I have no idea…all I know is that he healed this one! Many of us are praying against the demon cancer. It has taken many lives. But nothing is more powerful than God…enough is enough…and when the hearts of praying children of God take authority over this enemy and pray In The Name of Jesus…we will see God move in miraculous ways! Amen!
If you are battling this demon, just know that we are praying for you, believing for you and loving you no matter what. In the name of Jesus, be healed!!
About six months ago I prayed, “Holy Spirit, draw me closer to Jesus. Reveal more of Jesus to me.”
Last Thursday morning I heard in my spirit, “Pray like Jesus.”
Then all day Thursday the thought kept coming to me, “Pray like Jesus.” Then that night we went to a small group meeting. Jorge, he’s the speaker, said, “We are going to study about prayer tonight.” I opened my eyes real wide and looked at Bob; I had told Bob what I had heard that morning. He looked at me and said, “I know.”
Confirmation~
Then the next day, I opened my Kindle to read and the title of a book was there it was called, “Pray like Jesus.” More confirmation.
So I ordered the book and began to read it. It said if we model our prayers after Jesus, two things will happen:
We will become more effective in our prayers. and
More importantly, we come closer to God!
So my prayer that I had prayed six months ago was being answered.
Today is October 1, 2018; I received a text with an article called, Teach Us to Pray: The Class We Never Graduate From, by Corey Russell. (Thanks Barbara)
The Holy Spirit really has my attention now…
Prayer is the most important action we can do as a Christian. Jesus knew the importance of prayer he was in constant communion with His Father and we should take it as seriously as He does.
It was not a one way conversation. God also spoke to His son and he talks to us if we will open our hearts and listen.
You can talk to Him about anything and everything and He will reply. It starts with being honest and vulnerable. Bearing your soul to an unseen God…it can be strange and awkward at first but as you get to know Him more and more by reading His book and talking to him…He begins to show you exactly who He is and how very much He loves you.
Don’t be afraid. Don’t be shy. Just get alone with your Bible and ask Him to show you how to pray and before long you’ll wonder how you ever got along without Him.
Pray like Jesus…Jesus didn’t scream…or yell…although His word says that sometimes He did speak in a loud voice…but that was to emphasize His point to the Scribes and Pharisees. Jesus did not approve of hypocrites.
He didn’t showoff, when He talked to His father. He often went to the desert to be alone to pray or, to a mountainside by Himself. He would talk to His Father and do whatever His Father told Him to do.
There’s no big mystery about praying. There’s no magical conditions…you don’t have to use big, poetic words. You don’t have to fold your hands and bow your head, although it’s ok if you do. All you have to do is just talk to Him from your heart. Be honest with him and just be you.
When you read Genesis it talks about God walking with Adam in the cool of the day. He wants to be a part of our lives. He talked to Moses through a burning bush He knew how to get his attention. He talked to John the revelator through visions. He didn’t want to scare John but He had some important things to show him. God longs to talk to His children. Just as we parents love to have good conversations with our children. He’s interested in what we like and how we live and who we love and what our hearts desires are. He wants to be a part of our lives and teach us amazing things and do wonderful things for us. He is a good-good Father.
Don’t be afraid, just talk to Him and you’ll see, He’s absolutely awesome to hang out with…He’s funny and creative. He’s loving and confident. Yes, He is magnificent…the God of the Universe…but He is not someone to fear. Respect yes, but not to be afraid of. Not when you know Him. And we can know Him through Jesus.
Pray like Jesus…
Our father
Who art in heaven…
Hallowed be thy name
Thy Kingdom come
Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven…
Give us this day
Our daily bread
And forgive us our debts
As we forgive our debtors
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil
For thine, is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory
Forever…Matthew 6:9-13
Amen!
~Marla Shaw O’Neill October 1, 2018
Jesus prayed to His Father with reverence, in simple language, in an orderly way, while full of faith and confidence, and having an ultimate concern for God’s glory.
Ten characteristics of Jesus’ prayer:
1) He prayed with His eyes open
2) Prayed with others
3) Prayed to His Father
4) Prayed with reverence
5) Prayed with simple language
6) Prayed in an orderly way
7) Prayed as one with much experience
8) Prayed with a confident faith
9) Jesus told God things that God already knew
10) Prayed with a concern for God’s glory
As I prayed in the Holy Spirit this morning in total and complete surrender to my Papa God I was given a message…I wasn’t going to share it, because it is private but I feel like I should share it with you. Let me just say that God is our Father and he speaks to us through His word and by His Spirit. His love towards us sometimes can’t be explained in our words but He has given us His Holy Spirit who lives within us He will pray when we don’t have the words…Jesus promised to send us the Holy Spirit and He, the Holy Spirit comes to reveal who Jesus is to us. With that being said…when I prayed, God answered me and how amazing to know He loves us this much.
Oh my precious daughter how you blessed me with your praise of me. Your worship, clean and pure without restraint and with your whole heart. This is what thrills my heart.
No pretense… no manipulation…just humble and contrite in spirit and truth. Thank you daughter for giving me your all. I am blessed by you. Giving the Holy Spirit full control to let go of what you desire to give me pure praise. This is what I long from my children…not asking for anything…not looking for answers or wanting “stuff” from me.
Only to love on me with a sincere and loving heart.
You are mine and I am yours.
Never stop seeking me. Never give up hope.
Know that I am with you and in you.
Thank you daughter~
Your loving Papa God~
~Marla Shaw O’Neill October 1, 2018
But you, my friends, keep on building yourselves up on your most sacred faith. Pray in the power of the Holy Spirit (Jude 1:20)
In the same way the Spirit also comes to help us, weak as we are. For we do not know how we ought to pray; the Spirit himself pleads with God for us in groans that words cannot express. (Romans 8:26)
