Remain
Just a little farther, I pray I’ll make it Lord–
My strength is gone; I’m running on mere fumes
I need your Grace to save me from this heaviness and gloom…
I’m tired, I’m spent, muscles sore, emotions raw—
I can’t even lift my head to draw, a single breath, little lone a smile—
Help us Jesus, to go, just one more mile—
Step by step, I’m struggling to lend a helping hand…
It’s more than I can bear dear Lord; this is more than I can stand—
Seeing the suffering this one endures, like an hour-glass of sand…
Pouring slowly from her life; O God if you don’t help us, no one can…
Then suddenly, a gust of wind comes rushing in, and lifts me to a new refreshing—
I don’t know how I got here…
All I know is a reprieve has been sent…
Still numb from all the work Lord; my back is tired and bent—
You promised grace for the journey and for every moment…
When I turn my eyes to look at you, all pain and anguish leave
Even in the midst of this fierce battle; all I have to do is believe.
I know it’s not over yet—
Renewed in spirit and refreshed in mind…
My face is fixed as flint…
Rivers of living water flow from Emanuel’s veins…
I’m here Lord, and here I will remain!
She’s in your hands, God-Healer, until we meet again…
–Marla Shaw O’Neill May 5, 2017
If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. John 15:7 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Follow the Light
Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Genesis 1:3
Man’s definition of Light
Light is a transverse, electromagnetic wave that can be seen by humans. The wave nature of light was first illustrated through experiments on diffraction and interference. Like all electromagnetic waves, light can travel through a vacuum.
The Nature of Light – The Physics Hypertextbook
What is Light?
It’s more like, Who is Light…?
God said, Let there be light…and there was light…illumination, brightness, brilliance, radiance, sunlight, moonlight, starlight, lamplight, firelight; enlightenment, comprehension, awareness, truth…Jesus/Yeshua…is the Light!
Jesus said, I am the light of the world, whoever walks in the light will not walk in darkness…but will have the light of life…John 8:12 English Standard Version
Follow the Light…
See there as the sun, bursts, in…
A light beam glowing…a brilliance shining through the world…
Standing still we look upon this illumination…
Black and void we could not see
Who it was until light, came to be…
All creation awakened from sleep
Morning had opened the sky to speak…
And through the window of God’s heaven, peeks
Light was given birth…
We meet…
Ignited was the soul of man…
No one could see or understand…
Until that light burned fierce and deep…
The light of God revealed; we awakened from the darkest sleep…
Shine and glimmer, we travel in delight…
When blessed we were, to receive our sight…
Light, I follow day and night…
Daystar…living, giving us might!!
To carry on in a darkened place…
Jesus is the light of grace…
Waves of brilliance…fill the face…
Of the heart, who follow the Light!
–Marla Shaw O’Neill
The Servant Seeks, the Soul Responds
The Father said to his servant:
Go to my home town and there you will find
A woman for my son. Tell her father, I’ve sent gold, silver and wine…
The servant goes and finds, in the town of his master’s birth
A young woman of honor, virtue, and great worth…
“My master has sent me, to betroth you for his son.
Are you willing? Are you the one?”
Soft eyes and soft heart she speaks in humility…
“I am most willing, to go with thee…”
The servant was sent to bring the woman to the son…
New life, new hope, new journey, has begun….
The servant went to find (A wife for Isaac)
So they called Rebekah. “Are you willing to go with this man?” they asked her And she replied, “Yes, I will go.” Genesis 24:58
God sends the Holy Spirit, to seek us. So, are you willing to go? Your response, “Yes, I will go.”
(Ephesians 5:27) “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”
Come…
Do not walk….but run to the place of the shadow of the almighty and stay there for as long as it takes!!!
He is there waiting for you!!
He wants to give you, unbelievable, unshakable, undeniable, indestructible, Full, Miracle sustaining PEACE!!!
Are you sick?
Are you afraid?
Are you fighting a battle that can’t be won in your own strength or knowledge?
Have you exhausted every avenue and no one is able to help you?
Are you carrying around unforgiveness, bitterness, envy, hatred, cares, or low self-image?
Are your best friends doubt and confusion?
Are you tired so tired you can’t sleep?
Are you dying?
Are you alone and lonely?
Are you broken, shattered into a million tiny pieces?
RUN…RUN…RUN, to the dwelling place, the secret place where God is calling…
Come!
Come to me all you who are broken, I will mend your broken heart…
Come to me all you who are tired and worn out, I will give you my Joy for strength…
Come to me all you who are lost and afraid, I will protect you and put my Spirit of Courage within you…
You will stand strong because you are equipped with my weapons to fight…
You will no longer hang your head in despair…
You will no longer sit in self-pity and doubt…
I will lift you up on Eagles wings and you will soar in the heavenly places…
You will see me as you sit with me in my dwelling place…
My light will shine on you and your countenance will glow…
Because you dwell with me in the secret place of safety and fullness….
I am your hiding place…
I am your strong tower…
I am your provision and strength and health and help…
Run to my dwelling place and you will find rest…
For I have fought the battle it is already won…
And as you dwell under the shadow of the Almighty and tarry in my presence…
You will be renewed with vitality…and encouragement to stand…
You will not fall…
You will not die…
You will live and declare the wonderful works of the LORD…
Come on…and you will see…do not wait, come now and dwell with me!
~Abba
–Marla Shaw O’Neill
Psalm 118:17-20The Message (MSG)
I didn’t die. I lived! And now I’m telling the world what God did. God tested me, he pushed me hard, but he didn’t hand me over to Death. Swing wide the city gates—the righteous gates! I’ll walk right through and thank God! This Temple Gate belongs to God, so the victors can enter and praise.
Make the Call
I have something I want to share with you. I’ve been thinking about it for some time now. It’s serious and heart breaking. It’s about a young woman I knew years ago. I’m not going to give her name but it’s a story I feel I need to share at this time.
She was a young woman of thirty-eight with three children. When I met her she was bright and cheerful and loved life and people. When she was herself she was a joy to be around. She was happy, everyone’s friend. She’d do anything she could to help you.
But…her life was in total chaos. From an injury, she got hooked on pain killers that took her down a path no one should ever go.
She told lies upon lies, so that she could get that fix…
Drugs were her only focus…
Prostitution…stealing and time spent behind bars…
Over and over and over and over; like waves tossed about in an ocean she lived in endless torment…Years and years of living a life of hell and defeat…
People who loved her could not trust her, and were done trying to help her…they were exhausted from years of trying, they told her…it was up to her now…
I’m telling you all this for a reason, please bear with me…don’t tune me out…
On this one pivotal day, she appeared at my house…she was dirty, wearing only a house coat…and no shoes…she was frantic, scared and haggard in every way…
She ran to me and hugged me it seemed like a death grip…she was holding on to a life-preserver not wanting to let go…
I said, “Come in let’s get you cleaned up.” There was such a wild look in her eyes but a sigh of relief on her face as she came in…
She took a shower and I gave her some clothes and shoes to wear. She sat down in a chair and I sat across from her. She said, “Marla, I need God!”
I said, “It’s OK, God is right here with you.”
The wildness left her eyes. But she was fidgety.
She was taken to the hospital…she vowed to continue recovery…and she was released to go home.
She came to my house for Christmas she looked rough but hopeful…that was in December…
In February her cousin, a beautiful woman, committed suicide…we all attended the funeral…
In March, this beautiful, broken woman was found…thrown into a shallow grave…she had been murdered…
I’m sorry if this is shocking…but I hope to get your attention I hope that you will hear me…
This life is hard…and it’s messy and it’s terrible and its heart breaking…without Faith and hope and love…even in the best of circumstances…we fail miserably without the Savior…
Why do I write…?
I write to tell you that without Jesus, I could have been that woman…I was going down a path that was leading me straight to hell…and it was only by the grace and mercy of God that I got out of it…
We all have our stories to tell…maybe you know someone like this young woman…maybe she’s you…but you don’t have to continue on that path…there is hope, there is an answer, there is a way to freedom and life and health and joy…
This is the reason I write…to give you the answer…I couldn’t save that one, I couldn’t help her…but maybe just maybe something I write, might help someone to see and change and walk another path….
To this day as far as I know, they never found the person who murdered this young woman…But God knows…
If you are hurting and lost and need help…don’t wait…don’t put it off…the nudging you feel within you is the Holy Spirit saying, make the call…
The pits you’re in, you don’t have to stay in them…
There is hope…
God is with you…
There are two paths in life…
One is Broad…it’s wide open…but it will take you to a shallow grave…
This path will be where the party is…lots of people success, fun times… until it gets you in its grip…deception will stripe you of honor and health and will leave you on the streets with no one and nothing…it will leave you craving for more…there is never enough…
The other is Narrow…there’s just enough room for you and the Savior…it will take you to life and peace…
This path will seem lonely and not popular…there will be tears yes, but you will have peace that passes understanding, more love that can fill the sky…and it will give you people you can trust and depend on, a family that sticks together through everything…there is always enough…
The choice is yours…
#1. The Broad Path or
#2. The Narrow Path
–Marla Shaw O’Neill
“Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention. Matthew 7:13-14The Message (MSG)
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matthew 7:13-14New King James Version (NKJV)
Psalm 34… O taste and see that the Lord is good…
This morning as I woke, I heard, “O taste and see that the Lord is good….and For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you show the Lord’s death until he comes…” These thoughts came to me, over and over again…
Being a Christian, if we dwell in the natural, if our thoughts are on what’s happening around us, and what’s happening to those, around us, we can become anxious, fearful, negative, and complain, and unpleasant to be around.
But…
If we take a few moments and taste of the Lord and his sweetness…O what a difference it makes in us. We will eat of the bread of life and drink the cup of sweet goodness…our thoughts become healthy and joyful…there’s freshness in our souls…Then we have tasted of the goodness of the Lord and we have seen his benefits…and then no matter what we are challenged with in our day…we know our strength and our help is in Him. For as often we do this, we will remember it’s him who died to give us life! Our life is in, Him.
Psalm 34 The Message Bible
A David Psalm, When He Outwitted Abimelech and Got Away
I bless God every chance I get;
my lungs expand with his praise.
I live and breathe God;
if things aren’t going well, hear this and be happy:
Join me in spreading the news;
together let’s get the word out.
God met me more than halfway,
he freed me from my anxious fears.
Look at him; give him your warmest smile.
Never hide your feelings from him.
When I was desperate, I called out,
and God got me out of a tight spot.
God’s angel sets up a circle
of protection around us while we pray.
Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—
how good God is. Blessed are you who run to him.
Worship God if you want the best;
worship opens doors to all his goodness.
Young lions on the prowl get hungry,
but God-seekers are full of God.
Come, children, listen closely;
I’ll give you a lesson in God worship.
Who out there has a lust for life?
Can’t wait each day to come upon beauty?
Guard your tongue from profanity,
and no more lying through your teeth.
Turn your back on sin; do something good.
Embrace peace—don’t let it get away!
God keeps an eye on his friends,
his ears pick up every moan and groan.
God won’t put up with rebels;
he’ll cull them from the pack.
Is anyone crying for help? God is listening,
ready to rescue you.
If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there;
if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath.
Disciples so often get into trouble;
still, God is there every time.
He’s your bodyguard, shielding every bone;
not even a finger gets broken.
The wicked commit slow suicide;
they waste their lives hating the good.
God pays for each slave’s freedom;
no one who runs to him loses out.
1 Corinthians 11:26-28New King James Version (NKJV) For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
From the Heart of God
Child, I see you. I want you to know you are not alone.
You are not going through all of this alone.
I know you don’t understand. I know your heart is broken and I know you’re stress level is off the charts. I know life gets messy. I know you have questions and no answers. I see the situation.
I know you’re a young woman with a family and a husband and responsibilities and I know the sickness that has invaded your life. I see you and I want you to know I am right here with you in it.
I know you are an elderly person. You’re confused and living alone. I understand the loneliness you feel and that you are feeble. The doctor visits, the medications you have to take every day. It gets overwhelming. Your body is weak and you’re in pain most of the time. I am with you, you are not alone.
I know you are a young person with a struggling career. Juggling finances to make ends meet. Running on energy drinks and Ramen noodles and trying to please a boss who’s a tyrant. I want you to know, I am right here with you. You are not alone.
I see people everywhere running and stressed and complaining…I see wars and disease and killings and hatred. I see women and children abused and perversions of every kind. I see husbands and wives in despair doing the best they can for their children but failing in their attempts. I hear you scream, “Why?” I see your frustration and anxiety and depression. I have never left you, not even for one second. But you refuse my help. You refuse my guidance. You refuse the answer. You won’t even acknowledge me.
I gave you all you would ever need to face all these things. But you refuse, reject and deny me. I love you so much. But you don’t accept my love.
I sent the one who can save you. I gave you my son. Some of you have met him, but you deny his power. You deny his name. You deny that he can do anything to give you the very thing you seek.
I gave you my word, and my will, to protect you, to heal you, to deliver you. I kept my promise to give you another Friend, to be with you and to live inside of you. But you say he is not real.
There is nothing more I can do. You, have to do something. You have to believe. You must ask. Then you will hear me say, Hear I am, I am with you. I will never leave you or forsake you. I will heal you. I will deliver you from death and give you a full life. I will give you my peace and my joy and put my love within you. But you have to do your part. That part is, to trust me.
Right now no matter what you are facing…no matter what your problem or challenge is…stop, take a breath and simply ask, and I will step into your circumstance and turn everything around and move heaven and earth to give you my peace in the midst of what it is you’re going through.
Listen. Did you hear that man over there telling you everything is going to be OK? That was me telling you. Did you see that nurse holding your loved ones hand and say don’t be afraid it’ll be alright? That was me.
Did you just read that post that said, God is love and he wants the very best for you? That was me.
I AM WITH YOU!
Do not be afraid. Do not be anxious. Open your heart wide and let me live in you. It’s my love that will sustain you. It’s my faith living in you and reaching out to everyone you come in contact with.
Open your heart and mind and let me come and sit with you and talk to you and tell you everything is going to be alright!
I love you more than you can imagine…
~Your loving Abba…I am closer than your heartbeat…but if you want my help, you have to let me in…
~Jesus
John 15:7-8 The Message (MSG)
“I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.
Psalm 68:6 New King James Version (NKJV)
God sets the solitary in families;
He brings out those who are bound into prosperity;
But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
Matthew 6:25-34 New Living Translation (NLT)
“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
–Marla Shaw O’Neill, April 22, 2017
There is Now therefore No Condemnation…in Christ Jesus
You are forgiven…
So you were a drunk…
You were a junkie…
You were a pimp…
You were a prostitute…
You were a gambler…
You were an adulterer…
You were a murderer, a liar, a thief, and embezzler…
You were a child abuser…
You were self-righteous…
You were a bigot…
You were, you fill in the blank…
Whatever you, were, the second you asked Jesus to come into your heart and be the Lord of your life and mean it with all your heart…
YOU ARE FORGIVEN…
You are a NEW Creature in Christ Jesus…
New Born…New Life…
Sin, no longer has a hold on you; you are Redeemed, Set Free from Sin and Death! By the blood of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit!
So when someone comes to you and starts throwing your past in your face…you do not have to be defensive, because the person you once were, no longer exists…You are a new person in Christ Jesus.
If you try to bring up your past sin to God, He will look at you and say, “What sin? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
When the woman caught in adultery, was brought before Jesus and the religious men of the day wanted to stone her…Jesus said, “You who are without sin, cast the first stone…” They dropped their stones one by one and walked away…Then he looked at the woman and said, “Woman where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”
“No, Lord,” she said.
Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.” (John 8:10-11 NLT)
So, I’m telling you this, go, and do not sin, again.
When we confess our sin, Jesus takes them and cast them as far as the east is from the west… (Psalm 103:12 NLT)
No condemnation…No sin…we are forever changed. Sin no longer has hold on us. So don’t let anyone tell you, you aren’t forgiven. Don’t let anyone put guilt or shame on you ever again…Jesus died so that you can live…He did not rot in the tomb…He took the keys to hell, death and the grave and He is alive. He is sitting at the right hand of our Father in heaven and he is praying for you…
So don’t you ever doubt your salvation…EVER!! Amen!
Romans 8:1-15 New International Version (NIV)
Life Through the Spirit
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to son ship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
–Marla Shaw O’Neill April 20, 2017
A Six Year Old’s Encounter
