The Seal of God

One Sunday morning, a lady in the Church came to the front and began to share about when she had been called up to pray for a young girl. She didn't know the girl's story, but knew she was in some kind of trouble. As she began to pray for the girl, God directed her to pray protection over her. She later found out this girl was going to prison. When she was finished praying, she wasn't aware of it at the time, but her forehead was directly up against the girl's forehead. She began to explain about the Bulwark Protection. I had never heard of this so out of curiosity, I went home and began to pray, study and do research.

Bulwark is a wall, strong tower, defense, a fortress. It is where the line is drawn and defended at all costs, without retreat, without compromise, ever.

I read Deuteronomy 20:20 “...and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it is subdued.”

Then Proverbs 18:10 came to mind. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run into it and are safe.”

This assured me that whatever is coming against a person, whatever is making war against them, we can pray a wall of protection around them, a place of safety, in Jesus name, so they are protected until the enemy is subdued.

But then as I thought deeper and began to pray about what was shared at church about their foreheads being up against each other, I started thinking that there must be something more to this. So I began searching Scriptures with the word Forehead in them. God led me to Revelation 9:4 and He began to send more information across my path. I believe that this was just the beginning of a Word that God wants me to share with His Church.

Amos 8:11-12 “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water; but of hearing the words of the Lord. And they shall wander from sea to sea and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.”

There is a famine spreading around the world today and it is for the hearing of the Word of God with understanding. The traditions spread today are being called the Word of God yet are just fragments that have been contaminated. This is why it is so important to know exactly what the Word says and have it sealed away in your mind.

Upon the arrival of the Antichrist at the sounding of the sixth trumpet, you will either be sealed in your mind (forehead) or not. If you are, God will give you His protection. Those who are not, Satan, the Kenites and the fallen angels will have a field day with their minds. In Revelation 9:4 Jesus is giving instruction to Satan as to who he can and cannot touch.

Revelation 9:4 “And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither the green things, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.”

The Seal of God is the Word of God, and it is your mind that is in your forehead. You will either know the Truths of God's Word or you will follow those fragments that are lies. Jesus taught in the simplicity of His Word and we are to accept those Truths as they are given. God's Word is not just for information but it's for our transformation!

The time is coming, spiritually speaking when we must be prepared for Spiritual battle like we have never faced. It is a time we should study and each of us have our spiritual armor on and in place. You see, the battle that we will fight is not in some distant land, but in our minds. It will be fought with words, ideas and concepts that come right out of the Bible, only many of those fragments will be contaminated and be nothing but lies. And we have to know which are!!!

You were given a mind, and Christ expects you to use it. Always check up on what others teach you. Know the Truth from the untruth. We spent 15 years in false teaching and we are seeing this very thing happening in many Churches, so it's been very important to us that we not find ourselves in that place again. That is why I feel such an urgency to warn and say that it is important to get into the Word yourself. A relationship with God through His Word and Prayer are crucial for these times.

Oh and I remembered something else in Deuteronomy 6:8,9; 11:18

Moses was giving God's Commandments to the people and he told them "...You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontlets on your forehead."

Frontlets: To go around to bind, a fillet for the forehead. Frontlets were objects containing Scripture passages worn on the forehand and between the eyes, primarily at prayer times. Jews followed scriptural commands, literally, writing Exodus 13:1-10, 11-16; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:13-21 on small scrolls, placing these in leather containers and placing these on their foreheads and left arm.

By the N.T. Times, the frontlets were known as phylacteries. (Matt 23:5). And they also wore them on their forearms for when they crossed their arms, it was close to the heart. Jesus condemned the ones who called attention to themselves by wearing larger than usual ones.

We are to hide His Word in our hearts so we don't sin against him, it says in Psalms 119:11.

Please be alert! Build up those bulwarks of Truth, for defense purposes. You must have the Seal of God on your forehead, by being equipped with His Word. Wear the frontlets daily by speaking His Word over situations and all circumstances of life! Draw the line and defend at all costs. Do not retreat. Do not compromise, ever. Stand strong on His Word. And always be equipped with the full Armor of God. (Ephesians 6:10-18) Know the Word of God and the God of the Word!

Speaking of a future Jerusalem for those who have “held the line” in this life:

“We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the Truth may enter in. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.” (Isaiah 26:1-3)

If receiving this by email and you are unable to view the video, go to my site to view the song, "Living Word" by Jeremy Camp

Follow Me

One Sunday morning, Don and I had come into Church, sat down in our seats and a few minutes later, Shelly, one of the new Christians in our Church came bouncing in.  She always says that Don and I have taught her so much!. But what Shelly doesn't know is how much she has taught ME.  She always comes in with really good questions for Don, but this Sunday, she walked up between us and said, "I was reading in Matthew last night and Jesus said, "Follow Me."  (Silence) Then I said, "Wow! Something so simple yet so powerful!". 

God never meant for His Word to bring confusion or frustration.  He simply says, "Follow Me." I told Shelly that we all need to be reminded of this. I know I did! I find Jesus saying, "Follow Me" five times just in Matthew.

Matthew 4:19 - "And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Matthew 8:22 - "And Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead."
Matthew 9:9 - "And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow Me. And he arose and followed him."
Matthew 16:24 - "Then Jesus said unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let hm deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."
Matthew 19:21 - "And Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me."

Throughout our walk with God, it can be so easy to leave the right path, taking our eyes off of Jesus and onto something or someone else.  And when we do, we end up in chaos, or even a storm and we are left wondering what happened! All because we took our eyes off Jesus.  Remember Peter? When Jesus bid him to come and walk on the water? When he took his eyes off Jesus, and looked at the storm, he began to sink.

This brings to mind a devotional that I wrote a few years ago titled, "Looking Unto Him."  When I was growing up, I always felt like I was a disappointment to everyone. And I know that from age 15 through 23 up until I was saved at age 24, the lifestyle I lived then: drugs, alcohol, premarital sex...I definitely was a disappointment to my parents and others.  Then after I get saved, I once again found myself in the same place where the leaders in my home Church always made me feel like a disappointment to them and I didn't know why.

So here I was, as years went by and I was growing in the Lord, I was always searching for someone that was "real" that I could look to as a good Christian example.  When I would find someone, they would end up doing something that disappointed me and I was so heart-broken and I'd withdrawal. This happened several times, until I finally realized what God was trying to show me. I went to my room and cried out to God, asking Him, "WHY?!!  Why can't I ever find that person I need in my life - a perfect example! Somebody I can look to!"

You see, since I had felt like a disappointment to others all my life, I was looking for someone to be that perfect example that I could look to, because if I could find somebody like that, then there was hope for me...to change!

I know, I know!  Pretty stupid, right? We know that nobody is perfect. But that is the place I was at back then.  So that night in my room, crying out God, asking why, the Lord softly spoke my name and said, "Connie, I am that perfect example!  Look Unto Me!"  And He directed me to Hebrews 12.

The Lord has given us examples to follow in the Bible and we cross paths with many great Christians throughout our life, but God never expected us or them to be perfect. He gives us leaders, examples to follow but He is our ultimate example! We are to be like HIM! No one will ever project that image of perfection except Jesus Christ! If everyone was perfect, why did He have to come? 

 

And yes, in Scripture, it was Paul who said, "Follow me as I follow Christ". In every example in the Word where it tells us to follow Paul, it is translated, from Greek as, "Follow my example" or "Imitate Me as I follow Christ's example and Imitate Him."  (1 Corinthians 11:1) The examples that God puts before us, we need to be sure that they are following Christ. But our eyes are to ONLY be on Christ!  He is the only Ultimate Example of Perfection. And we must follow only Jesus and keep our eyes on Him!!  Praise God!

 

Now, I no longer let "life's disappointments" cause me to run to my room and cry.  God has shown me in His Word, what to do. Did you know that if you are filled with the Holy Ghost, that you have the power to never let anyone hurt or disappoint you ever again! His Word simply says, "Guard Your Heart!"  And that's what I do.  We have the power to let something in or keep it out. It's our choice!  And if you have allowed some hurts and disappointments in, simply FORGIVE, let it go and move on. Our time is too short and it's not worth harboring bitterness in our hearts. We are not hurting anybody but ourselves when we do that. If there is someone you haven't forgiven, please do it today!
  My husband, Don introduced me this song, titled, "It Is You".  I am sharing it here (the link if viewing from email).  Whenever I feel myself shifting and my eyes start to leave focus on Jesus, this song immediately helps me get back to one with Him.

Just worship the Lord while listening to this song. Let it bring you into oneness with Him!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZqGmrxJ4b8

The Miracle Within

Message today from Acts 3:6
Peter said to the lame man..."...Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk."

The lame man was sitting at the gate of the temple, called Beautiful asking for alms. It was the hour of prayer. As Peter and John reached him, Peter fastened his eyes upon him with John and told the lame man to look upon them. And the man gave heed unto them expecting to receive something of them.

Peter spoke, "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."

He took him by the right hand and lifted him up; and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking and leaping and praising God!

If YOU have been Born Again, and been Baptized with the Holy Ghost - God's Spirit living in you, then YOU have a miracle within you for somebody else. Step out in faith and let God use you!!.

Read Acts 3:1-8 This man was EXPECTING to receive something from them. Somebody is out there waiting on YOU!!

It is the same as the woman in Luke 8:40-48 with the issue of blood who touched the hem of Jesus's garment and was healed. So many times when reading the story, we put ourselves in the place of those who witnessed this or the one being healed. We identify with everyone else but Jesus! But He sent us to be His witnesses, to imitate Him, and to stand in His place, not everyone elses. We are to put ourselves in the place of the one wearing the garment - the anointed one. We have been anointed by God - we have His Spirit living in us - we have a miracle inside of us for someone else! 

Take Your Place! Begin to pray every morning for Divine Appointments from God and go throughout your day, expecting God to perform a miracle through You!! Praise God!!

Connie Schmoll

Vision & Mission

Sharing another message from Bro. Jackson Mongaine Lemeleny, from Kenya.

What are you living for?

Vision is the whole essence of your living. The reason you are sent into the world by God is for you to fulfill a vision. If you can see it, you can have it.

WHAT IS VISION?
· Vision is a discovery of God’s plan as it relates to your life.
· Vision is also foresight with insight
· Vision also means beginning a thing with the end in mind

No man ever saw glory without first seeing the vision. Whatever the mind can conceive, believe, it can also achieve. Vision is conceived with the mind.

To have sight without vision is worst than being born blind. Vision is not the same as ambition. While ambition is what a man desires to become in life, vision is what God created him to become.

The only meeting point of the two is where the will of a man is lost in the will of God. Vision is higher than ambition.

To become truly successful in life, your vision must become your ambition.

-- Bro Jackson Mongaine Lemeleny

Note added by Connie Schmoll:

God has a purpose, a mission for each one of us.  What Vision has He shown you for YOUR life? We are all connected in some way, for the work in the Kingdom of God.  Where do YOU fit in? What is Your Purpose and Mission for God? God gives the PROVISION for the VISION!

Worship

Bro. Jackson Mongaine Lemeleny from Kenya, visited our Church last month and shared God's Word with us. Just meeting him, we knew that he was a man of prayer and that he spent time in God's Word. His messages were anointed and brought change in my life. I wanted to share a short message that he had posted on his page that really spoke to my heart and showed me the importance of Worship.

His message was from Acts 13:2 - "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the week whereunto I have called them."

They were ministering to the Lord (worshiping)  and fasting (abstain from food), when the Holy Ghost separated (appointed) unto them where they were called to go.

WORSHIP is the key note of Destiny...
WORSHIP creates the atmosphere for hearing God's Voice.
WORSHIP opens the eyes and the ears of the heart to hear God's Voice.

If you are wondering what God's plan is for you, begin to spend time in prayer and worship to the Lord, and in His Word, and He will speak to your heart the will of God for your life.

A friend shared with me once, that the word EAR is in the word HEART. We must always keep our ear right up next to God's Heart, always open to hear His Voice.

PRAISE GOD!

As I Have Loved You

I was saved in February, 1985. As years went by, a devastating emptiness settled upon me about my relationship with my Heavenly Father. I had worked and worked to please Him, yet didn't feel His love.

The Galatians knew this kind of emptiness. They had accepted Christ as Savior and thrived under Paul's teachings and care. But when Paul left Galatia, the Judaizers moved in, telling them they still had a long way to go before they could enjoy true closeness to God.

These Jewish Christians believed ceremonial practice of the Old Testament (circumcision) was still binding upon the New Testament Church. They said Paul had inappropriately removed legal requirements from the Gospel in order to make it more appealing to the Gentiles.

Just as the Scribes and Pharisees added rules and regulations to the Law, so the Judaizers attempted to mix a new form of legalism in with the Gospel of Grace. They wanted an outward manifestation of what could only be an inward work.

This is why Paul sent a wake up letter to the Galatian Church (Galatians 3:1,3) “O FOOLISH Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received y the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?”

After beginning with the Spirit, they were now trying to attain their goals by human effort. This was where I found myself. I lived in constant fear of losing my salvation, always working to try and keep it. We were being taught that our salvation was based on our works and appearances. It was the book of Galatians that God led me to and revealed to me that I had fallen from Grace. Once I received that true revelation of Grace, it was like I was saved all over again.

Oh I knew I was already saved, yet somewhere along the way, I had twisted God's love into something I had to earn. If I could just be good enough, then God would love me, but again I would stumble. Constantly sewing “fig leaves” to try and cover up my inadequacies. But the one who lives in fear has not yet had His love perfected in Him. They are not secure in His love.

John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”

Listen! God will reveal the condition of our soul. If we listen closely, Jesus says Come! Come find love, a love so perfect, it covers all our faults and pronounces us not guilty. Come find a love that chases fear out the door. Come find all we've longed for. Come find peace for our soul.  There are many things that make us anxious, but the one thing that calms our hearts is....Himself.

 

Jesus, before leaving this earth, He met with the disciples. His last message to them was to "...love one another, as I have loved you.” (Read John 13:34,35) Notice what He said to them was in the form of a command, not a suggestion.  "A new commandment I give unto you..."  But, the reason it is so hard for Christians to “...love as I have loved” is we can't give away what we don't have.

First of all we must realize that the love Christ has for us is unconditional. He does not love us because we are lovely. He does not love us because we read our Bible or anything else we do. He loves us without condition. His love for us is not based upon our performance. No matter how many times we may fail Him, His love never changes. He continues to love us unconditionally. Yes, He is constantly working through His Spirit to perfect us, but when we fail at times, He continues to love us the same. Once we comprehend this and truly receive His love, it is then easier for us to show love unconditionally to others, as He commanded us. It is possible or He would never have made it a command.

I know it's been hard at times for me to love others as I should. It's impossible to love someone when you are judging them. I realized also that I had a difficult time believing God for things. It was then that God told me that when I had a hard time believing, it was because I doubted His love for me. I had not yet been perfected in His love.

The pathway to loving others starts and ends with understanding how much God loves us and learning how to receive His love. Perfect love isn't something we can achieve in our own strength. But as we experience God's love in our life, we can then give it to others, because we can't give away something we don't have. I know it can be hard at times but we must love people right where they are at.  It is God's love living in us that will draw them to Him.  Jesus said that if we have love one to another that this is when men will know that we are His disciples.

1. Know who you are in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
2. Let go of guilt and condemnation. (Romans 8:1)
3. Get rooted and grounded securely in God's love. (Ephesians 3:17-19)
4. Listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit in your life. (John 14:26)
5. Live each day confidently, knowing God loves you. (I John 4:16)
6. Love others as Christ has loved you. (John 13:34)

The only way you can achieve these things is through Prayer and spending time Reading God's Word. Without a relationship with God, we are incapable of loving others the way God loves us. We cannot give to others what we don't have ourselves.

I John 4:17,18 “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”

Sanctified Affliction

As Christians, we all want the resurrection, the power, and the ministry but seldom do we want the suffering.  Paul says in Philippians 3:10 "That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death."  That all sounds good except for the suffering part, doesn't it?  But we can't have the "gold medal" without the suffering.

I started searching God's Word for Scriptures about affliction and found that suffering can be very beneficial.  The idea of sanctified affliction can be found throughout Scripture. Matthew Henry says, "Sanctified Afflictions are Spiritual Promotions."

We hear cries in the Bible that say, "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word." (Psalm 119:67) And "It was good that I was afflicted so that I might learn your statutes." (Psalm 119:71). Suffering is good for us to pay attention to His decrees.   

Affliction is a good thing, especially when it draws us closer to the heart of God.  The Lord changes us to the better. It is important to understand this idea of Sanctified Affliction, because if we do not know that God is doing something good in our life with affliction, we will be without hope. The sovereignty of God in our trials is a glorious truth we must comprehend, but when we are in the midst of sanctified affliction, it may not seem sanctified. In fact, it may feel like utter darkness. But I want to encourage you, that for some reason, God has seen fit to allow you to go through a dark and difficult time to awaken you to your sinfulness. He is always working to sanctify and cleanse us. God brings the dross to the surface of our lives to wipe it away.

Isaiah 48:10 says, "Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction."

Affliction can provide healing to the soul by deterring from evil courses. Until we, as Christians learn this Bible principle, we will live in a ferment of doubt and uncertainty. Every experience of disappointment will raise fresh questions concerning God's justice and love.  Many Christians think that because we have accepted JESUS, and because He loves us, He will use His mighty power to preserve us from every pain and trial. But the inspired record reveals that because he loves us, he will often permit us to pass through the fires of affliction. We must have the assurance that God will not permit any circumstance that is not for our best good. This requires faith. Many situations may not seem to us like something good, but looks like terrible tragedies. But God will always bring good results from every trial we endure.

Sometimes it takes painful experiences to make us change our ways. We must be hurt in order to know, fall in order to grow, and lose in order to gain because most of life's lessons are learned through pain.

Paul refers to his afflictions as "light afflictions" in 2 Corinthians 4:17 "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."

I have learned to trust God by always acknowledging Him in every area of my life. He knows the beginning and the end. We never know where He has to take us before we fully let Him in to rule and reign in our lives. Acknowledging God in every area of our life helps us to incorporate our trust in Him.

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding; in all thy ways, acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5,6