Be Courageous Be Bold Hebrews 4:16

Alone, no one sees the General, the man,

Fighting his demons…

On one sees the burdens and stress upon his shoulders

Carrying the weight of the responsibility

Of his fellow soldiers

See those medals on his chest…?

They weren’t given for cowering down when the battle was at its worst

They weren’t even thought about…

It was only after the fiercest battle was over and won

That the parade was given and the praises sung…

Soldiers don’t have the luxury of saying, “Hold on I’m not ready.”

They are alert, watching, one is always on guard…

They’ve trained and ran miles and dug their heels in and moved through the trenches

To be ready and able to fight at all cost, when called to the front. It is then they fight, without restraint, or thought of bodily harm for themselves…adrenaline flowing, heart pounding, sweat pouring, determined to fight the enemy to the death…every ounce of energy spent, determined to live, but even if they die…to do their best, giving their all.

Bloody from the fight…they must not show weakness, no letting up; fighting with everything they’ve got…

Strategic…with purpose…

For their job is to show up and give all for God and country. It’s not just another day at the office….No; their job is to give without question while taking orders always at the ready. Disciplined at most in the heat of battle, to endure to persevere, this is what they’ve trained for, live for, and if it comes down to it, they die for. Their job is to fight and never give up. It is to fight for life, keeping families and friends safe from harm. It is seeing to it that the enemy gains no ground and that he is totally and completely driven back and destroyed.

And when the battle is over and they’ve survived, and they come home, it’s in the down times…the alone times…when leave has been granted, and then they have a little reprieve…

That’s when the heart of the man is revealed and he takes his time to grieve…

The loss of his fellow brothers, and sisters those who have fallen…

Those who paid with their blood and their lives…

Then he bows his head to pray, “Dear God, give me one more day. Let me have one more round, above ground, and let me be found…worthy to live and fight and give…one more day…let me stay the course to be an example of what it is to be a soldier in your army…with honor and integrity and strength of heart and mind and body…never let me bow my head in defeat…never let me become weak…if I have one ounce of breath left in me let it be given, in love for you, to fight the enemy and know that we win…because I fight in the right, with you by my side… and never let me give up, or give in, to the enemy…no matter what! Amen!

What kind of soldier are you? Are you ready? Are you prepared to give everything? Are you alone, praying? “Lord, give me one more day; help me go one more round.”

Fight your demons and overcome…you are not in the battle alone…God is with you! Your brother and sister soldiers are fighting right beside you. Get up and fight!!

~Marla Shaw O’Neill – June 18, 2017

Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others. Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 2:1-3 NLV

 

The broad path, is the one I chose early in my life…

Careless times of living, not giving heed to what lay ahead, on this road of misery and strife

Anger, deceit, and treachery, companions they became

Lawless, reckless, destitute, these became my middle name……

Then something strange happened to me, I cannot begin to explain

But this much, I can tell you, I never was the same, I changed…

A faith woman, came to town one day, she preached a little sermon, about the straight and narrow way

Broad is the road that leads to destruction, hear this story, she wailed…

Narrow is the road that will lead you away from Hell…

Where gnashing of teeth is heard and the worm never dies,

Listen to me, she cried…

Get off the road your walking, let Jesus be your guide

Follow in His footsteps they lead to eternal life!”

I cried, I am a wretched, poor, lost sinner…not worthy of anything but death

She laughed and shouted, “That’s perfect, you’re the one he’s been looking for

A little lost lamb he came to save he’s knocking at your hearts door…”

Tears that flow like the river ran down my face that day

I’ve never been the same since, now; I’m walking the narrow way…

There is a way that seems right to man, but the ends thereof are death…

On the narrow path you’ll meet the one where wonders never cease…

You’ll lie down and sleep in his embrace where there’s perfect love and peace…

I’ve come to know what true life, is really all about…on this secluded narrow path

I’ll live and laugh and shout!

Broad, is the pathway, that will take you straight to Hell…

Narrow, is the pathway that will show you the way out!

By: Marla Shaw O’Neill 6/17/2015©

Photo by: Sallie Gandy Henry

 Do not look for the wind or the evidence of the wind…

Do not ask how long…just abide and sing the song…

Sing it out, so that all will hear…

Shout it out, and keep on singing full and loud…

You are not singing for you, or, for them…you are singing the song for me…

But those who will hear the song…will be blessed and will sing along

Do not look for where or who or what or how…

I’ve already given that to you…

All you are required to do right now is sing the song…

The song is already written

The music already prepared

The conductor is the Holy Spirit

He leads and guides your heart song…

Open your mouth and he will fill it…

This is where you belong

Each and every minute…

As the words of your life pour forth

You will become secure, bound to the Lord…

Abiding and grounded. Living, breathing, peaceful, singing, child of God…

The God-Song…

Peace, is peaceful…

Love, is loving…

Forgive, is giving…

Trust, is trusting…

Joy, is joy full…

Kindness, is kind…

Faith, is faith full

Lord, fill me all the time…

With God’s love…God’s peace…faith full!

Prayer full…Word full…

Cup over flowing…with God’s song!

Holy Father, Son of God, Holy Spirit

Heart Full…

Full with God’s song!

‘I’m my beloved’s and he/she is mine…’

~Marla Shaw O’Neill June 17, 2017

I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine: He feedeth [his flock] among the lilies. Song of Solomon 6:3Darby Translation (DARBY)

 

Solitary she was…

An unaided relict…

Jesus, sat in the court of the women,

Seeing a heart and what she had given…

Sitting silently He watched,

The wealthy impart riches, they could afford…

Jesus took notice, not of them…

But that of a poor, forsaken, matron’s heart…

One eighth of a cent, not one, but two tiny coins, she gave…

The sacrifice of this solitary life is more honorable, than all the rest…

Unaware, the Master’s eyes upon her…she gave Him, her best!!!

And now, her story has been told, throughout the ages of time…

The widow woman, has found her place; a bride, at the savior’s side!

~Marla Shaw O’Neill – August 2016

And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had. Luke 21:1-4

(It was not considered an offering at the time to give just one coin.)

Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name YAH, And rejoice before Him. A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation.” Psalm 68:4-5

Life wouldn’t be worth living without you in it

I stop, look around and count the minutes

When you are away, I bow my head and pray…

Lord, keep my sweetheart safe and sound

Let him know that until I found

Him…I was incomplete

Life was bitter, not sweet

I’d think…

If only I could meet that special someone

I would dance like there’s no tomorrow

I would sing loud and strong

For when he came into my life, I sang a brand new song

Our eyes met, and how we set

For hours all day long talking on the phone…

It was, as if, I had been born again…

Lightening flashed…as thunders blast…

True love came to me at last…

Your eyes glistened

My heart listened

No other one could fill the place

Reserved in my life but you my love…

In a thousand years there could never be

Anyone else I’d rather see

Than you staring back at me, for all eternity…

I love you, my precious one…no one else will do, but you!

~Marla Shaw O’Neill June 16, 2017

Matthew 19:6Darby Translation (DARBY)

so that they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.

 

Mary had a little lamb its fleece was white as snow…

Seven eclectic dwarfs off to work they’d go

Jack-and-the-bean-stalk…Fe-fi-fo-fum

Tittle dee and Tittle dum

Mother Goose and her Nursery rhymes

Travel through the hour-glass-of-time…

Two, three, or twenty-three, forty-three or sixty-three

All young at heart in fantasy…

Living ever after…happily…

In make believe and children’s dreams

But life is not a fairy-tale

For under the bed lurks the Big Bad Wolf…

Taking little children to Neverland…

There is no Peter Pan…

Mothers and fathers beware…

Evil lurks everywhere…

Be watchful, be prayerful…never let down your guard…

God gives us wisdom to protect

Those temporally within our care, never neglect…

Let the sword of the Spirit be swift to cut…

Slaying dragons; opening them up…

No golden egg or gambles make

Not when our children’s lives are at stake

Be wise as serpents; make heaven your goal…

Babies are treasures to love and to hold…

Now I lay me down to sleep…

I pray the Lord my soul to keep…

Pray without ceasing to see another day

Follow the truth, the life and the way.

No magic wand will ever do…

When God’s spoken word has been proven to you…

Be diligent, be bold

There is no fairy god-mother to grant your little ones wishes

It’s more important that you bestow kisses…

No Prince Charming could ever do this…

Love unconditional and with tenderness

For God is the one who grants beauty for ashes

No ring around the rosy…or pocket full of posies…

With God in our heart, we will not fall down…

Triumphantly we will wear a crown…

And live eternally.

~Marla Shaw O’Neill June 16, 2017

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in [the due] time; having cast all your care upon him, for he cares about you. Be vigilant, watch. Your adversary [the] devil as a roaring lion walks about seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist, stedfast in faith, knowing that the selfsame sufferings are accomplished in your brotherhood which [is] in [the] world. 1 Peter 5:6-9Darby Translation (DARBY)

Every word of God is tested and refined [like silver]; He is a shield to those who trust and take refuge in Him. Proverbs 30:5 Amplified Bible (AMP)

Enter into the Holy of Holies…

God is there

His presence pure and Holy, illuminating, sustaining…

Grace, Mercy, Hope and Love…

He ripped the veil.

Travels into the depths of hell…

Jesus took the keys…

No longer captives, redeemed…set free…

Full access to the Holy place

Where God’s amazing grace…

Shows us his brilliant face…

Holy Ghost and Fire promised our desire

To come into the Holy of Holies…

No more lock out

Full access

The password, His Blood …

We enter

Where only High Priest had trod…

We are able now to speak to God

Face, to, Face!!!

~Marla Shaw O’Neill June 16, 2017

Ephesians 2:18 New Living Translation (NLT)

Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

Hebrews 9:1-13 New Living Translation (NLT)

Old Rules about Worship

That first covenant between God and Israel had regulations for worship and a place of worship here on earth. There were two rooms in that Tabernacle. In the first room were a lampstand, a table, and sacred loaves of bread on the table. This room was called the Holy Place. Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was the second room called the Most Holy Place. In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest called the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides. Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Above the Ark were the cherubim of divine glory, whose wings stretched out over the Ark’s cover, the place of atonement. But we cannot explain these things in detail now.

When these things were all in place, the priests regularly entered the first room as they performed their religious duties. But only the high priest ever entered the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. And he always offered blood for his own sins and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. By these regulations the Holy Spirit revealed that the entrance to the Most Holy Place was not freely open as long as the Tabernacle and the system it represented were still in use.

This is an illustration pointing to the present time. For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them. For that old system deals only with food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies—physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established.

Christ Is the Perfect Sacrifice

So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.

Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity.

Kings searching for the one who the heavens declare…

Messiah, Yeshua, the perfect holy lamb…

Seeking til I find Him…

No woe will stop my search…

I’ll seek Him with my whole heart

I’ll find Him in this earth…

Through days and months of steep terrain

Cold nights and pouring rain…

Starlit nights to guide me there

I’ll seek until I find Him where…

Wells of living water quench my longing thirst

When I find the one, whose birth

Will save the world and set men free…

Driven by the Spirit in me…

I will seek Him and find Him, until life is what I see…

The face of Messiah sent from YHWH

My soul will not rest until I behold Him…

I will journey night and day…

Consumed every moment

I’m the seeker of the Lord…

Now, beholding Him, a small child

The search worth every moment, every mile…

Seeing Him face to face; He smiles.

I’ll follow Him with my whole heart…

The journey only begins…

~Marla Shaw O’Neill June 16, 2017

Psalm 42 Living Bible (TLB)

As the deer pants for water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. Where can I find him to come and stand before him? Day and night I weep for his help, and all the while my enemies taunt me. “Where is this God of yours?” they scoff.

Take courage, my soul! Do you remember those times (but how could you ever forget them!) when you led a great procession to the Temple on festival days, singing with joy, praising the Lord? Why then be downcast? Why be discouraged and sad? Hope in God! I shall yet praise him again. Yes, I shall again praise him for his help.

Yet I am standing here depressed and gloomy, but I will meditate upon your kindness to this lovely land where the Jordan River flows and where Mount Hermon and Mount Mizar stand. All your waves and billows have gone over me, and floods of sorrow pour upon me like a thundering cataract.

Yet day by day the Lord also pours out his steadfast love upon me, and through the night I sing his songs and pray to God who gives me life.

“O God my Rock,” I cry, “why have you forsaken me? Why must I suffer these attacks from my enemies?” Their taunts pierce me like a fatal wound; again and again they scoff, “Where is that God of yours?” ¹¹ But, O my soul, don’t be discouraged. Don’t be upset. Expect God to act! For I know that I shall again have plenty of reason to praise him for all that he will do. He is my help! He is my God!

 

 

Standing at a crossroad

On the road to nowhere

Alone and tired

Caffeine wired…

How’d I get here?

Which road should I take?

Doesn’t really matter either ones a mistake…

Turn around; go back the way you came…

No one cares which way you go,

There’s no one to argue with, and no one to blame…

Take the sure road you know where it goes…

Why’d you leave anyway, do you even know?

Sometimes you just want to go…

To nowhere…

Dead end streets…

Stopping to weep…

Stories deep…

Chimney sweeps…

Needing sleep…

I’ll just keep…

Driving, get out of my way

Beep, beep, beep

Where’s my map?

Taking a power nap…

This too shall pass…

Headed back…

To nowhere fast…

Fill the tank with gas…

Circles, traveling in circles…

Arrived in nowhere at last…

Sometimes you need to ask…

~Marla Shaw O’Neill June 15, 2017

 

The dead man listened, but how can a dead man hear? But there he is walking and talking, but he is in darkness, and blind until a tiny light is revealed and he begins to see…

Dead ears come alive to words he hears spoken

I breathe and sleep and function fully, yet, I am in darkness

I do not realize it as being dark; I do not know I’m dead

Suddenly

My eyes are open and I see a brilliant light

Heart pounding

Someone speaking, “Do you want to accept…?”

My nerves are tingling

My senses heightened… “What is this?”

I hear the words spoken, “Dead in trespasses and sin…”

Time stands still…and again I hear, “Do you accept Jesus the son of God into your heart?”

A tug of war rages within my mind

Death and life are fighting

Darkness tries to snuff out the light…but the light is too strong…

I try to speak, my mouth is dry, then I cry… “Yes! Yes I do!”

A gust of wind blows into my dead heart, and instantly God breathes new life into me, and I become a living soul…

New Birth~

First heartbeat, felt…pulse begins to beat…

I burst forth in exuberant joy…all the darkness vanishes and light comes pouring in from all directions…

I am no longer dead…I, am, alive!

God has redeemed me. Bought me back from the stone cold fingers of death. Bought me back with the blood of His son Jesus…more precious than gold or silver, that blood…

His blood poured out on Calvary now flows within me and I am no longer a…

Dead man…

I am ALIVE!

O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 New Living Translation (NLT)

And when my body is laid to rest, I will not be in a cold dark grave, Oh No!

I will enter into heavens portals alive, vibrant, singing the song of the redeemed, alive forevermore!

~Marla Shaw O’Neill June 15, 2017