Anger or Love

This past week I found myself in a couple of situations that rose up in me some angry feelings. After examining myself closer I noticed these feelings of anger were rooted in pride. I was prideful that these people who were the cause of this anger didn't understand me and were judging me wrongly. I am thankful I curbed my tongue before I said something wrong and spent time in prayer with Father allowing Him to show me the cause of the anger. 

Even when Jesus was being tortured for us He never complained or became angry. No, as He hung on the cross He said instead, 

Luke 23:34

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

  Friends, I encourage you when someone misunderstands you or mistreats you do not become angry but love them and pray for them. That is what Jesus did and we are to follow in His footsteps not the footsteps of the world. 

I'm linking up with Barbie for The Weekend Brew

Blessings,
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Trick or Treat? Yes? No?

So, what’s the big excitement about Christians having nothing to do with Halloween? After all it is really All Hallows Eve and November 1^st is All Saints Day. I mean when you look at it Christmas and Easter are pagan holidays and yet Christians celebrate these too. Yes, the focus is not the pagan celebration but on Jesus, His birth and His death and resurrection. But, what is the focus on Halloween? It is nothing more than a Pagan holiday and there is nothing Christ centered about it.

What does God say about Christians celebrating pagan holidays? Let’s see.

Deuteronomy 12:29-32 ESV

“When the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?—that I also may do the same.’ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods. “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.

Colossians 2:8 ESV

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

Matthew 15:3 ESV

He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?"

1 Corinthians 10:21 ESV

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.

Ephesians 5:11 ESV

Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 ESV

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

Romans 12:2 ESV

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Ephesians 5:6-12 ESV

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. ...

There are a lot more verses that are against worldly ways but I don't want to bog you down, I think you get the idea by what I have shared. So is it wrong for a Christian to take part of the fun? Well, there is a lot more to Halloween then meets the eye. It is a strong hold for satanists and there are a lot of sacrifices going on but really Halloween is not the most powerful time for these people. They rely more on full moons and solstice. But even with that our God is bigger and He demolishes strongholds in the heavens. With the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ those who trust and believe in Him are free. 

I do believe that even give us the freedom to take part of Halloween.

There is more though.

What does God want from us? He wants us to love Him and put Him first. He wants us to love our neighbour. He wants obedience from us. To love Him means we obey Him and He detests all things that are evil and Halloween has nothing to do with God but all to do with the world.

Consider this...

How much do you really love God?

Joshua 24:15 ESV

And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Blessings,

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Not Hate But Love

Not Hate But Love

At the cross Jesus defeated Satan. He was broken and He surrendered to Father's will in order to rid us of the curse. It was His love for us, His deep, sweet love for us that broke Satan in two. Love is powerful and this verse 1 Corinthians 16:14 Let all that you do be done in love has a deeper meaning then we understand. Love undoes hate. Love conquers all evil.

Linking up with Barbie for The Weekend Brew.

Blessings,

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Will You Make It?

I have some pretty amazing on line friends that inspire and encourage me. :) This post was inspired by Lisa at My Heart's Home. She wrote an amazing raw post on Friends talking about forgiveness and that got me to do some pretty serious thinking.

Luke 21:34-36 NIV
“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

According to the above Scripture we see that in the lat days one can be weighed down by multiple things one being the anxieties of life. From listening to and taking part of conversations I am realizing that more and more people, as time moves on, are being weighed down by the anxieties of life. Could this be caused by making merry with lots of strong drink? Maybe, or it maybe the fact that as we grow closer to the time of Jesus' return, Satan is throwing the concerns of life at us.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 NIV

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

That is a very hard word to take to heart. Friends, I am seeing this. Me, who lives a lot in solitude am seeing this in the few people that I associate with. I am seeing a bitterness and a hardening of heart weave into the church, into people who I knew to be kind, loving and very forgiving. I see the affect of a selfish world penetrate into God's people. We truly need to be diligent in seeking after the heart of God, turning the other cheek to those who lash out at us. We need to keep our focus on God and His love seeking after a forgiving heart even when others hurt us.

A really good example for me comes in the form of driving. ;P I use to be a transport truck driver and I drove all over Canada and the United States. I consider myself a very good, professional driver who obeys the rules of the road and the unspoken common courtesy, like not driving in the left hand lane except to pass. Here, Satan can really get under my skin and my temper can rise when I see arrogant, foolish people doing 10 K or more under the speed limit sitting in the passing lane. This is a form of selfishness and it is on the increase here in Canada. Where the rule of thumb, even in Toronto on the 401, use to be always keep the left hand lane clear, is now being filled up with those who do not follow these rules. I know this is minor and really not a huge issue but it is one that shows the underlying heart of a person.

Brothers and sisters, we need to walk the talk. How can we be sure that we will go to heaven if we do not do what we are told to do?

QUESTION: If Jesus raptured His church today are you sure you would go? 

This is something I am really thinking on and examining my heart over. Am I living in sin? The sin of anger and unforgiving of that person in the left lane clogging up the traffic.

No, we are not perfect and we will continue to sin, but are we holding on to that sin and wallowing in it like a pig wallows in a mud hole?

Galatians 5:13-26 NIV

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

The more times I read this above passage the more I am understanding that walking in the Spirit goes against our 'feelings'. We may feel anger and hatred but we are not to act in anger and hatred but we are to act in love and forgiveness and the more we act in love and forgiveness the feelings of anger and hatred will dissolve. The more we love and forgive the easier it will be to spread this and hopefully show others the Spirit of God and allow them another chance to see who God is and hopefully they will consider Him and give their lives to Christ. After all that is the biggest concern for the Christian, to win others to Christ through our actions. :)

Blessings in Christ Jesus,
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Love Conquers Hate

Matthew 5:43-48 NIV

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Linking up with Barbie from The Weekend Brew

Blessings,

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Walk in the Spirit

Galatians 5:16 NIV

 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Our flesh fights with the Spirit and we are not to do as our flesh desires but what the Spirit desires. The Spirit of God calls us to love, joy and peace. When we make ourselves focus on the fruit of the Spirit then we will start walking by the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23 NIV

 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

I'm linking up with Barbie for Fresh Brewed Sundays.

Blessings,
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Praise to God

A prayer request and some praise reports

Psalm 68:19 NIV

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,

    who daily bears our burdens.

Information from: Chelle's email concerning Wayne, Joy's Facebook page, Joey's CaringBridge page.

PRAY

Wayne:  

He has been having radiation and will actually be done with it on the 8th. But for right now it is making him sick and unable to eat much. They are hitting the cancer hard and some of the lymph nodes are right beside the esophagus. Sometime in mid December they will do a pet scan to see how things are going. Wayne could really use some prayer today as he is having a hard time right now. 

Thank you Chelle for keeping us up to date.

PRAISE

Joy:

Thank you all so much for your love, support, prayers, and encouragement. We are humbled by the way our God is using our little girl. Your stories and words speak to our hearts everyday. We are blessed!

Joy is doing well enough for them to try to wean her off of the bypass (ECMO) machine. They have just started doing this now. Please continue to pray for our Joy, we can SEE GOD in this room!

Joey:

•he has had no more seizures!

• (consequently) sodium holding strong at high 130's with last reading at 140. Really good!

•we just moved back over out of PICU to HemOnc floor. Always the last stop before heading home

We still have concerns and he has benchmarks we need to hit before anybody feels comfortable taking him home, but we are certainly moving in the right direction. 

...Thank you TEAM JOEY for praying for us. 

Psalm 103:1-5 NIV

Praise the Lord, my soul;

    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Praise the Lord, my soul,

    and forget not all his benefits—

who forgives all your sins

    and heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit

    and crowns you with love and compassion,

who satisfies your desires with good things

    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Thank you for reading and joining in to pray for these sweet, precious people. 

If My People 2012

Click on the link above and join in with Joel Rosenberg for a 5 minute prayer for Israel. God tells us to pray for the peace of Israel and I found this a neat, quick way to join in with millions to pray for God's chosen people. 

Psalm 122:6-9 NIV

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

    “May those who love you be secure.

May there be peace within your walls

    and security within your citadels.”

For the sake of my family and friends,

    I will say, “Peace be within you.”

For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,

    I will seek your prosperity.

Blessings,

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Furious Love

Furious Love official trailer WARNING! glimpses of demonic possession. Some swearing in the 'up next' videos containing the confession of an ex-Satan worshiper; viewer discretion is advised.



What a very powerful movie, an eyeopener to what our battle really is about and how the love of Jesus can and will break the power of Satan and his attacks on people. We are born into a battle that we really have no idea about. The earth is breaking up around us, (click here for a great blog on the reports of natural disasters, The End Time by Elizabeth Prata) in the form of earth quakes, tsunamis, fire, and all kinds of natural disasters, and the church (the people of God) are doing nothing but sitting in their homes living their lives for themselves and trying to make things better for them.  There is a sleepiness that has been prayed on us, kind of like in the Wizard of Oz, when Dorthy and her buddies were walking through the field of flowers and they fell into a deep sleep. We need to shake this off and toss cold water, in the form of the Living Water, the Holy Spirit by reading and studying and praying into the Word of God. Then we need to act on His Word by doing His work in our everyday lives.

We need to wake up and pray. The followers of Satan are praying and they know the extent of the battle. If you haven't already done so listen to the confession of Ester, the former Satanist, she explains things very clearly. There are 3 parts to the 'up next' video and Ester explains our battle from eyes of one who was deeply involved with Satan and has been set free by the love of Jesus.

1 John 4:16-18 NIV

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

How do we show this love of Jesus to others? This is something I am really working on in my life. We need to live in love who is God and we do this first by spending time in His Word and then spreading this to every single person we meet. When they ask us the reason for our joy we just simply explain the gospel. Simple, or as my friend Summer would say, easy peasy! 

Church, children of God, we need to pray for all things in all things and through all things. The children of Satan are praying and living very active lives for him and he is on the rampage but the power that we have in Jesus Christ out weighs all that Satan does and we accomplish this by loving each other as we love ourselves.

I would highly recommend watching this movie, Furious Love, it is a real eye opener to the power we have through Jesus Christ.

Trying to live in the love of Jesus,
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Its a Spiritual Battle

Ephesians 6:11-13 NIV

Google Image

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.

We are in a spiritual battle between God and Satan. With Jesus dieing on the cross the war has been won but the individual battles will continue until the last Gentile, Romans 11:25, has given their life to Christ. Only God will give the victory over Satan so we must fight in the spiritual not the physical. How do we accomplish taking our physical selves with material needs and focusing on the spiritual, something we cannot see? By turning our mind towards love, because love covers all and God is love. Matthew 7:7 tells us to ask and we will receive. Ask God to fill you up with His love for His people and He will for this pleases Him. If we go into this spiritual battle without love then we are only asking to be beaten up and shot. Only God is able to win the battles against Satan for Satan is spirit and so is God. This is His fight and although we are caught in the middle of it we are not capable of battling this in our own strength for we are carnal and Satan uses the flesh to fight and win. We need to go into the deep love of Jesus and the word of God in order to win and we accomplish this by praising God and worshiping Him.

King Jehoshaphat was told that the Moabites, Ammonites and Meunites were preparing to wage war against him. Jehoshaphat went straight to the Lord for help and instructions on what to do. 

2 Chronicles 20:14-24

Then the Spirit of the LORD came on Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly.

He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.

Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel.  You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.’”

Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the LORD. Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:

   “Give thanks to the LORD,
   for his love endures forever.”

As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped.

Google Image

Did you catch that? Jehoshaphat sent out in front of the army, men to sing worship and praises to God. It says that as they began to sing and praise, the Lord set up ambushes. Now how cool is that! Prayer and worship to our God is very powerful. I guess if I had to compare spiritual warfare to something tangible I would liken it to biological warfare towards people and the internet. It sneaks in without us knowing, is very deadly and spreads rapidly. God has given us the key to use on spiritual warfare, the antidote to the poison that Satan spreads through hate, and it begins with loving God, praising and worshiping Him and taking that love and loving the people that God created in His image. This is the switch and when we flick this switch then God goes ahead and does His thing by reversing the effects of hate and evil.
 
We have all heard it said that the truth will set you free but the knowledge of this phrase cannot do anything to stop Satan. The more information we know only allows for more places that Satan can come in and warp our minds. Even if you did find a way to stop Satan from twisting your mind around to suit his pleasure then he would just attack you physically through our senses, illness or financially or come in through relationships and so on. The truth that sets us free is through a personal ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ. In an intimate relationship with Jesus we engage all aspects of ourselves through, thoughts, knowledge, wisdom, feelings, experiences, memories, deeds, tastes, time and so on. If every part of you is involved with Jesus it won't matter how Satan attacks because Jesus will be there to deflect and counter the poison that Satan tries to ooze into us. Even the worst tricks and schemes from Satan can be turned into good to glorify God. 

A good place start this spiritual warfare is by loving God and worshiping Him, so go ahead and find some worship music and pour your heart out to God in songs of praise and watch Satan melt way like the witch from Dorthy in the Wizard of Oz. 

Philippians 4:4 NIV
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

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What is love?

SOTK photo

1 John 4:7-21 NIV

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.  

This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

Hi Dad,

I am feeling a need of love right now; Your love to be spread to the people of this world. My heart is breaking, crumbling in two for the people of Japan, for the people who do not know You. I am bleeding Lord. Is this You? Daddy it hurts...they hurt...they cry...they are over whelmed. There is a need, a complete need for Your love to pour out over and through them, Father have mercy. :( Lord, my God have mercy and take pity on them. Yes they have ignored You and turned their back to You but You are just and loving and kind. Send in messengers to spread Your love and Your word. Open their hearts to You, let them see the foolishness of their ways and draw them into repentance. Jesus You are good, Your Holy Name I hold up and praise. Have mercy. 

I love you Dad, please cover the people on my heart, You know those who lie special in my heart, cover them in Your blood. Forgive me for any sin I have not acknowledged, show me my wrong and cleanse me of it. I want to pray Your heart. I desire You and Your ways.

Precious Jesus, in Your might Name I pray, amen.

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Day 10 L.O.V.E. Challenge--Valentine's Decor--

Summer's challenge for today is Valentine's Day decor. I am not the type of person that puts decorations up so if I did choose to do some decorating for V Day then it would look something like this.....

Google Image Rose Petal Heart

                                                                              ON

Google Image Table Cloth

                                                                          WITH

Google Image Cinnamon Heart Candies

Psalm 36:5-9 NIV

Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens, 

your faithfulness to the skies.
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, 

your justice like the great deep. 

You, LORD, preserve both people and animals.
How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! 

People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 

They feast on the abundance of your house; 

you give them drink from your river of delights. 

For with you is the fountain of life;

in your light we see light. 

Loving Him,

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14 Day L.O.V.E Challenge

Summer's Story

Summer over at Summer's Story is hosting a 14 Day of L.O.V.E. Challenge and I thought I would join this sweet girl. Join in if you feel so inclined....below are the rules for this challenge......

'Anywho the idea of my 14 Day of L.O.V.E. Challege is to post a picture that reminds you of love, a photo of your love, a photo of your kiddo dressed in cuteness for love month, someone you want to remember who you love, a quote of love, a picture of randoms that remind you of love, your valentine's decor, anything really and you can link up one day or all 14 days of my challenge.... Just include a different picture for each day you link up and you can 'splain about it or not it's totally up to you....just have it related to L.O.V.E....LOL :)'

Google Image

 Song of Solomon 1:2-3, 9-11

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
   for your love is more delightful than wine.
 Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;
   your name is like perfume poured out.

I liken you, my darling, to a mare
   among Pharaoh’s chariot horses.
 Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings,
   your neck with strings of jewels.
 We will make you earrings of gold,
   studded with silver. 

Kim Walker; Jesus Culture

Oh how He loves us!! Oh how He loves!
Kim Walker says it just right. I love her music and this really brings me into His Spirit and I want to dance before our King!
Revelation 1:5 NIV ...and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the first born from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood.

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