Fresh Wind Ministries, Int´l

Welcome to the November Blog Carnival edition.  Following are the post submitted for this issue.

Enjoy!

ChristianPF presents Trusting God, not circumstances posted at Christian Financial Blog.

Heath Countryman presents Black Cat Ministry posted at Esprit d’escalier.

ITAKEOFFTHEMASK presents Finding Your Purpose in Life posted at itakeoffthemask.com.

Minister Mamie L. Pack presents Prepared to answer the question posted at The Life I Now Live.

Trevor Watkinson presents Prayer and Fasting posted at SaveYourSweat.com Blog.

Chris presents Trust God with your Career and your Finances | ProsperingServant.com posted at ProsperingServant.com.

Kenneth Reitz presents Christian Devotionals posted at KennethReitz.com.

ITAKEOFFTHEMASK presents So what if you?re single again? posted at itakeoffthemask.com.

ChristianPF presents 5 Bible verses about money every Christian should know posted at Christian Personal Finance Blog.

A Sower presents Shelter posted at A Sower’s Heart.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Devotionals and Inspiration using our carnival submission form.

Yvette :: Nov.14.2008 :: Devotionals :: 2 Comments »

Proverbs 21:31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance is of the LORD.(NKJ)

A few days ago I woke up to find a cat lying comfortably on our dryer in the back porch.  As some of you may know, we have three dogs, no cats.

 
I tried several times to get rid of the cat, but it would not budge.  I tossed it over the fence, tried scaring it away, putting it out on the road, but nothing.  I feared that once the dogs would see it, it would breathe its last breath.

Since the cat would not leave, I just left it and began to observe her.    I thought for sure that once the dogs saw it, she would run off. 

The time came for dogs and cat to meet, and what followed surprised me.  The cat hissed and stood her ground.  She then began to walk towards the dogs, hissing and keeping eye focus with them.  The cat did not run as most do.   The dogs backed off.

 
We decided that if this cat can hold its own with three dogs, she deserves to stay. 

This made me think of the times we face an enemy in our Christian walk.  Some believers run off in fear when the first sign of trouble comes their way.   We are the ones with the authority and power of the Holy Spirit working through us, and yet we act as though the battle has not been won. 

Friends, the enemy has been defeated in every area of our life.  It´s time to appropriate  that authority, stand our ground and look the enemy in the eye and say, ¨Move out of the way, here I come. ¨

Blessings.

Yvette :: Nov.07.2008 :: Devocionales, Devotionals, Inspiration :: 5 Comments »

I am a guest blogger at the Surrendered Scribe.

Read my post titled Thankful for Moving Time.

Blessings,

Yvette :: Nov.04.2008 :: Christianity, Costa Rica, Devotionals, Inspiration :: No Comments »

Luke 16:22-26   ”So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.  “And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.   “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’  ”But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.   ‘And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’(NKJ)

How do we explain to to people what happens when we die?  Do we pray for the dead? Where do they go, and how do we prove it? 

Living in a  Latin country,  it is customary that when a person dies  family members and friends pray for the soul to enter heaven for nine days.   After the nine days are completed,  those that have prayed feel assured that the persons soul has entered heaven and are now at rest.

But this is what the Bible has to say.

The scripture above talks about the beggar Lazarus, full of sores  and the rich man clothed in purple and fine linen.

When both men died,   Lazarus went to hell, and the poor man went to heaven.  These two  men  had  different destinies.  Both Lazarus and the rich man went to a place of departed spirits called in the Hebrew language ¨Sheol¨and in the Greek language ¨Hades.¨

The rich man was in a place of torment, and Lazarus in a place of rest. Between these two places there was a great gulf fixed that could not be crossed, in other words a gap probably larger than the grand canyon. 

This gulf could not be crossed, which means that there is no hope to change the eternal destiny of the soul after death.  Because of this, it is of no value to pray for the dead.  The decision to accept or reject Jesus as Savior must be made during this life.  It is this decision that determines the destiny of your soul.

The place of rest for departed spirits of the righteous was called Abraham’s Bosom.  This meant it was a place for those who followed the same faith of Abraham by serving the one true and living God.

While we are on this earth, it is our decision to choose our  destiny.  We have two places to choose from;  Heaven or Hell, and these two places are very real and exist. 

Why not choose Jesus, and choosing Jesus means you choose life. With that you will have life more abundantly.  Choose to live in a place and live the rest of your days in a place where  God will wipe away every tear from your eye; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.  Revelation 21:4

Yvette :: Nov.01.2008 :: Articles, Christianity, Devotionals, Inspiration :: 2 Comments »

Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.(NKJ)

 
Often times when I make breakfast, I add a pinch of salt and pepper to the eggs, scramble them then cook.  On occasion I will add ham, other times onions and tomatoes, my husbands favorite.

As I served breakfast the other morning, my husband went for the salt and I told him that I had already added it. This made me think of the verse above.  Sometimes us Christians, full of zeal for the Lord, may add too much salt to a conversation, especially when it comes to those that do not know the Lord.  In our love for the lost, we fail to measure our words and begin pouring out too much salt.  We then loose the flavor of our conversation.  

Have you ever had eggs where too much salt was added? We can´t eat it, and we end up throwing it out.

We need to measure the amount of salt we add.  Our conversations could be counsel, prayer, or an every day topic. I am sure we have at one time had those people overloading us with their  own topic, and we end up leaving not remembering what they spoke about. 

When we speak to others, it should be with faith hope and love, flavored so that they will want more from us.

If we add just the right amount of salt to our conversation, this will leave the person asking for more.

Blessings

Yvette :: Oct.29.2008 :: Devotionals :: 3 Comments »

Proverbs 17:17 A friend loves at all times

I am so blessed to have found wonderful blog friends.  Valerie Lynn from Simply 4 God has awarded me this Butterfly Award,  and I was  surprised and  honored.  Friends are dear to me,  and I have enjoyed meeting wonderful new people through the blogosphere. 

Diane from Stepping into the Light  awarded me this friendship award.   I feel so loved getting a double award!

My blogging journey has been filled with blessings.  I enjoy meeting other believers, the comments received, and especially reading uplifting and encouraging post from around the globe.  I continue to meet new people through the blog network.

What I am especially grateful for is that we we have one thing in common:  Edifying the name of Jesus through our writing.

I would like to pass on these awards to all my blog friends and to let them know that I appreciate their time and dedication it takes to maintain a blog.   I enjoy reading your post and with each post I learn and grow. 

May the Lord continue to give us revelation as we write for Him.

 Blessings

Yvette :: Oct.28.2008 :: Devotionals :: 2 Comments »

Acts 16:22-24 Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.(NKJ)

In the above passage, Paul and Silas just cast a demon out of girl. When the girls master saw that the demon had been cast out, they also saw that their profits were gone as well. The girls master then brought Paul and Silas into the market place, claimed that they were troubling the city and were teaching customs that were not lawful for them.

Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into the inner prison with a guard posted outside the door.

These two men of God had just done an awesome deed, and they received punishment for it. I don´t think much has changed today. Many times we try to do good, and our words and actions can be taken out of context and we are judged incorrectly by others.

One thing is clear though. The attitude Paul and Silas had made the difference. These men may have been in prison, but in their mind and spirits they were not in prison. They began to pray and praise the Lord and the next thing they knew, the prison doors were opened.

Some of us may be in a prison. Our prison could be rejection, fear, feeling unworthy, low self esteem and many other things. Consider Paul and Slilas; beaten, feet in shackles, most likely bleeding, did not accept defeat.

We can draw from their example and not accept defeat in our lives and circumstances. We can make freedom our reality. With Jesus in our lives, we do not have to live in a prison. We do not have to accept living in fear or helplesness. Jesus has set the captives free.

Receive that freedom in Him today, and begin living your life outside the prison walls.

Stumble it!

Yvette :: Oct.22.2008 :: Devotionals :: 3 Comments »

Matthew 28:19 -20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (NKJ)

Coming across this verse recently impacted me in a different way.   I got this feeling that through this blog I am indeed doing my part in spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.      I am sure many of you feel the same.

While we may not draw the crowds that Jesus, Peter and Paul did, we do have an opportunity to share what the Lord shows us through His  word and through  revelation.

The Lord has told me several times and through others that we  don´t realize the people we impact through this ministry.   We don´t realize how  a devotional or an  aritlce  can minister or touch a persons heart, but it does.

I have come across blog post that have ministered to me just when I need it the most. I believe that us bloggers out there  are all part of His plan to spread the word of Jesus, even if we don´t always preach from the podioum.

Blessings in Him.

Yvette :: Oct.18.2008 :: Devotionals :: 5 Comments »

Welcome to another edition of Carnival of Inspiration and Devotion.    The following are great submissions received for this edition. 

Enjoy your read!

Minister Mamie L. Pack presents Called to pray posted at The Life I Now Live.

ChristianPF presents Are you a good steward? posted at Christian Financial Help.

Minister Mamie L. Pack presents Working in Wisdom posted at The Life I Now Live.

ITAKEOFFTHEMASK presents I Dream of a Better World posted at Poems, Quotes, Essays, Prayers, Affirmations.

A Sower presents Pure Joy posted at A Sower’s Heart.

Angela Williams Duea presents Shopgirl gets over herself posted at angelawd.

ChristianPF presents Tithing in the new testament posted at Christian Personal Finance Blog.

Charlene Smith presents What are Your Peace Stealers? posted at Personal Growth for Women: Charlene-Smith.com.

ITAKEOFFTHEMASK presents I Will Smile Again! (poem) posted at Best Inspirations.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Devotionals and Inspiration using our carnival submission form.

Yvette :: Oct.15.2008 :: Christianity, Devotionals :: 3 Comments »

We have a major responsibility when we accept Jesus and become willing to follow His paths.  He promises to provide us with the power to walk those paths. However, He reminds us that it is not OUR power. Zechariah 4:6, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”  As believers, we represent Christ and are given the power to become His children but it is not OUR power.  We are not out on our own.

We are the instrument of His power when we accomplish something good.  Sometimes, though, as soon as we are acknowledged for a good work, a wrong spirit tempts us to “take the credit” for ourselves.

Jesus warned us in Luke,
“Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”  Luke 10:20.  

Imagine that we would deserve the credit for anything!  All the praise and glory goes to an Almighty God that has redeemed us and given us the honor and power and privilege to serve Him. We are nothing more than bearers of the Good News.  He has told us to Rejoice! We rejoice, not because of anything good we have done, but because, if we accept Him, our destiny is heaven.

I pray for God to open my eyes to recognize that the power is always His and Not Mine! Mine is the privilege to serve, for His glory!

By Pat Murray
www.harvestladiesministry.com
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com

Yvette :: Oct.12.2008 :: Devotionals :: 3 Comments »