Just As A Ripple In A Pond...

"Just as a ripple in a pond, so does the sting of a painful memory fade away when we let it go."

I really like this quote. It made me think..if you've got a painful memory of the past that has kept you imprisoned, pick up that "painful pebble" and give it a great toss into the "water of forgiveness", let it go, and watch it disappear as that painful memory fades away! LEAVE IT THERE and walk away!

Assembling Ourselves Together...

Don and I just finished reading a new book by Dennis Callen, "Faith To Raise The Dead". I'm reading it again but slower this time hoping to get something new out of it. And I'm glad I started again.

I wanted to share about his take on Hebrews 10:24-25. "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."  The key words being 'assembling' and 'exhorting'.

You know the Scripture. We've heard it preached numerous times, especially when people are always 'missing' church. I think this Scripture is totally misunderstood. Even though we call our church gatherings an "assembly", the people are not assembled. They are gathered together. The way we are assembled together is through an intimate connection of friendship and fellowship. Let me explain further....

Using a factory as an example: We gather the parts together to build the final product, but until the parts are assembled together and connected, they cannot function for its proper use. All the parts are designed to operate together.

So with the Body of Christ. We love and accept everyone into the Body of Christ, but there are certain people we are suppose to be connected to in order for us to operate properly the gifts God has put in us.

Just think about this now, how there are so many churches who just have people gathered together, but not assembled (no connection through operation of the gifts). I see there are so many actually "forsaking the assembling of themselves together" and don't even know it, because they think gathering together is assembling....and it's not. We think just because we are attending church regularly, we are fulfilling this Scripture, but we can be GATHERED yet NOT ASSEMBLED. Interesting....huh?

Check out I Corinthians 14:26 -  How is it then, brethren? when ye come together (assemble), every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.

As far as exhorting, so many people out there already feel bad about themselves, so they don't need to be told all the time their faults. People need to hear more good about themselves, so it is good that we have each other to exhort or encourage one another.

I don't know about you, but my husband and I are finding it more difficult, as we get older and more mature in the Lord, to find the right people, of like faith, to be connected to. Some we have made a connection with, but life circumstances would some how take us in different directions. I am thankful that we have a few great connections still nearby, and I'm praying as time goes on, that we can have more and more connection, assembling, and ministry together with these individuals.

How about you? Are you attending a church regularly yet find yourself guilty of "forsaking the assembling of yourselves together" there? 


Blessings,
Connie J. Schmoll

Looking Unto Him

Do you ever think you really know someone – I mean really and truly know them and then all of a sudden you are taken back by something they do that is very disappointing and very hurtful? I'm talking about a person you really look up to.

I have experienced this numerous times and yet I still couldn't seem to get what the Lord was trying to teach me, until now.

Here I was, my heart crushed, another deep disappointment hovering over me like a cloud of gloom. When moments like these would happen, I found myself always withdrawing from everything and everyone – especially the person who disappointed me. I didn't like this pain that would come and I began to fear being around others – for fear of making myself vulnerable to be hurt again. I would lose trust in people.

The one thing that hurt me the most is once again I lost a true example for me to look to. My heart desired so much for a true example to follow, someone whose life was real! I guess I was more or less needing someone perfect (according to my standards that represented perfection). I realized the reasoning behind this was, if I could find this person and they accomplished this “perfect life”, then this could mean there was hope for me.

The Lord revealed to me through a friend that I was harboring inside of me fear – fear of always being a disappointment to people. Maybe I felt most of my life I had been a disappointment to everyone and therefore felt there was no hope for me of ever being any different – so deep inside there was this longing to find that someone who could show me proof that it could be done – a person could live their life without disappointing someone – then there would be hope for me.

I remember that night, I laid in my bed, my heart breaking from yet another disappointment! I cried to the Lord saying, “Why can't I ever find that person I need in my life – that true example?!”

The Lord softly spoke my name and replied, “Connie, I AM that perfect example! LOOK UNTO ME!” And He directed me to His Word, 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!

Once again, I had let my eyes look to people when I am to keep my eyes upon the LORD! And through this revelation, He also brought deliverance of fear....fear of being a disappointment. We are all going to make mistakes and disappoint someone unintentionally, and people are going to disappoint us, but that is why we must always “live to forgive” and always keep our eyes on HIM.

LOOK UNTO HIM....the AUTHOR and FINISHER of our FAITH!

Connie J. Schmoll

These Signs Shall Follow...

Mark 16:14-18

These Signs Shall Follow.....But Only If You Believe In Them!

After Jesus had risen and showed himself to some, there were the others who did not believe it, so later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart because they did not believe those who had seen Him after he had risen.

He told them to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He said He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who doesn't believe, will be condemned.

Then He proceeded to tell them what signs (miracles) will follow them who believe. He said in His name (authority), they will cast out demons, they will speak with other tongues, they will take up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them, and they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.

A statement was made in a church gathering by the leader that if you don't have these signs following you, you will not make it to heaven. If you have not cast out a demon, you will not make it to heaven! I do not believe this statement. I have never cast out a demon, so this means I'm not going to heaven? Ridiculous! I do not remember that being part of salvation. My salvation is based on what Jesus did, not what I DO! Our salvation is not based on works!

I believe from this portion of Scripture in Mark, it says these signs shall FOLLOW us IF we believe. If we have the faith to believe in them! We don't go LOOKING for demons. In other words, if the opportunity arises, we have the authority to cast out demons, but we are not to go looking for demons just so we can make it to heaven. Just like the drinking of poison, or handling of snakes, we don't go doing those things. We are not to tempt God! The Bible is stating that if we happen to drink something poisonous, or are made to drink it, or if we are bitten by a snake, God will protect us....just as he did Paul when he was bitten by a snake. No harm came to Paul. (Acts 28:3-6)

We are to do all things in the power and demonstration of the LORD. I will not lay hands on just anybody, nor will I let just anybody lay hands on me. You never know what can be transferred from a person onto you. When the opportunity arises and God directs me to lay hands on someone that they may be healed, I will do so. I am to have the faith that they WILL recover. The same as everything else. The opportunity came when I spoke in tongues, receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost. I believed and I received!

Making judgments on others, saying that they won't make it to heaven because they have not cast out a demon, or spoke in tongues, or drank deadly poison or handled a snake or laid hands on the sick so they can recover, is very wrong!!

The key word is “follow”. These signs (miracles) shall follow them that believe. As I stated before, we don't go looking for them. When the opportunity arises, we have the authority, and we have His protection. But we have to believe!

You have to believe or these miracles won't follow. They are not going to happen, if you don't have the faith to believe. The Bible isn't saying you're not truly a believer if these signs don't follow you, thus keeping you out of heaven. If that were true, we all need to be going out and looking for demons to cast out, and poison to drink and snakes to handle all the time. Our salvation is NOT based on what WE DO. It is what HE DID FOR US! 

It was the faith of the eleven that He was focusing on or was targeting.  Jesus was telling them that these signs (miracles) are going to be following them but only if they believed for them to happen!!  Because as you see in the beginning when He first sat down with them, He was rebuking them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they didn't believe those ones who had come and told them Jesus had appeared unto them. One of them was actually Mary Magdalene whom Jesus had cast 7 demons out of! 

Connie Schmoll

Stay On The Straight Path

I have heard it said a lot that we need to thank God for our trials, but I don't know about you, but when I'm going through a hard time and something bad is happening, I have a really hard time thanking God for it. But then, I realized that He is not asking us to thank Him FOR the circumstance but we are to give thanks IN the circumstance. Instead of complaining during those times of trial, just begin thanking God that He is in it with us and is working all things for our good.

In I Thessalonians 5:18 it says, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you”. IN everything give thanks....not FOR everything give thanks. We are to give thanks in every circumstance.

James 1:2-3 says to Count it all joy when we face trials, knowing that the testing of our faith brings perseverance. I do not believe this Scripture is telling us to be happy about our circumstance, but it is merely encouraging us to keep a good attitude about it while in the trial; an attitude that even if we don’t see the purpose of the trial, God will use that trial to build into us what we need for life. This is a promise of Scripture that goes beyond what we currently see.

I remember a guy at church said that he couldn't understand why people should be thanking God for their trials because God had shown him two paths: one was a straight path and the other a squiggly path representing those times when a person falls by the wayside for whatever reason and then gets back on the path. Off and on, off and on constantly. Now just picturing this path, it is obvious that it will take us much longer to get where we need to be, by constantly going off and on the path constantly.

Do you think it is possible to always stay on the straight path without ever being side tracked? I do.

Just look at what Proverbs 4:11 says, “I will teach you wisdom's ways and lead you in straight paths”. (NIV)

Just picture for a minute that path that God has set you on. Paul refers to it as “running the race”. And he tells us to lay aside every weight that so easily besets us. (Hebrews 12:1-2) No path is going to be perfect. There are going to be obstacles along the way, but the key to staying on the path is how we handle those obstacles. Are we going to let them knock us off the path by our murmuring and complaining  or are we going to stay on that path by acknowledging God in it with us and continue to keep our eyes on Him, trusting Him to help us make it over that obstacle without ever leaving the path?

Proverbs 3:6 tells us to Acknowledge Him and He will direct our path. He'll make our path straight, but only if we acknowledge Him in it with us, which is actually initiating our faith in Him.

I honestly believe that during this journey of life set forth by God, He will get us to where He wants us, and that anytime we begin to set our eyes upon the circumstance instead of keeping them on God and the finish line that is ahead, we make the situation a lot harder for us and it causes us to remain in that trial a lot longer than God intended.

Have you ever heard the saying, “If You Complain, You Remain?” Remember the Children of Israel? They wandered in the wilderness for 40 years and all they did was murmur and complain. I think it is very important how we react to our wilderness moments. I think our reaction will determine how long we remain there.

When you focus on your problems, it cuts off the revelation, the faith and the victory. Possessing a grateful heart and expressing it daily will affect how you see things. You begin seeing and believing something before it actually is manifested. Your understanding is no longer darkened. Did you know that Romans 1:20-21 states that unthankfulness darkens the mind? So you see, something as simple as saying, "Thank You" can bring light to a situation that seemed hopeless. Keep your eyes on the Lord and always cultivate a lifestyle of thanksgiving and He will keep you on the straight path!

Connie Schmoll

When Will We Finally Listen?

I Corinthians 6:19,20 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

God is a merciful God and does/will heal instantaneously, but other times, He will guide you to the KNOWLEDGE needed on how to take care of the body. Also God will heal but He wants you to also know how to keep that healing and not continue to do what you were doing that caused your sickness or pain in the first place. 

What changes has GOD been talking to YOU about making that you haven't done, YET you continue to murmur and complain about your situation or your health issue?

When will we listen?! Why do we allow FOOD or any other situation to have such control over us, that we're not willing to let go of it even when it could be a matter of life and death?! My situation was food, overeating, obesity, all leading to health issues.

We who have the Spirit of God in us have the greatest source of power ever to help us to be Overcomers! Why are we not using that power!?!?!

In churches today, we hear so much of how alcohol, drug use, sex outside of marriage, etc are all sinful and bad for us, YET we never hear it preached much about how we abuse our body, the temple of the Holy Ghost, by overeating, or putting acidic foods into the body. I personally think we need a ministry in the church specifically for this because our health problems are keeping us from being able to fulfill the ministry God has called us into.

I Thessalonians 5:23 says, Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

We hear a lot in church about we are renewed in spirit (new heart) and renewing of our mind (soul) but we barely hear about our body supposed to be preserved blameless too.  We need to take care of our body, the temple of the Holy Ghost.  If we aren't, our "sin" is very noticeable.

I remember when God opened up my eyes to my own personal situation. I was reading through Hebrews 12: 1-11 and He began talking to me and I could see just how disobedient I had been and was now serving the consequences of my sin. God's desire for our life is to live an abundant life and it gets very hard for us to do that when we are weak and sick in body. He wants us to be fruitful and if we are not, He will try His best to help get us there. You've heard the saying, “I just love you to death!” Well with God...He loves us to LIFE! He knows the causes of why our life is not bearing fruit and will go to extremes to get us to where we need to be to live that abundant life for Him! But even then, it's up to us to be obedient when He speaks.

I can look back now and see just how much God had tried to help me by speaking to me through His Word and Spirit. But food had such a hold on me. I am an emotional eater and I was running to food for comfort instead of running to God. God made us all to crave Him but I was giving in to the craving of the flesh (food) instead of the spirit (God).

In Hebrews 12:5-6 it makes mention of three degrees in which God works to get us to Abundant Life! Rebuke, Chasten and Scourging. These degrees of intervention in which God works is not necessarily joyful but can be painful, but he knows exactly what each of us needs to discipline us.

Hebrews 12:12 No chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Proverbs 3:11.12 tells us not to despise the chastening of the Lord and not to detest His correction because He does this because He loves us! He disciplines us for our good – out of LOVE. He loves us to LIFE!

A REBUKE from the Lord is like a verbal warning for some poor choices in our life, or some hurtful wounds we are carrying around that is the cause of wrongful behavior or attitudes, etc. His rebuke is to spare us from further pain. His rebukes can come in different ways such as a prick of the conscience, a timely word from another person, a Scripture, preaching of His Word or conviction by the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 4:12 tells us how quick and powerful God's Word is, sharper than a two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

*Instead of listening to that rebuke, I would use food to medicate my pain.

If we harden our heart and close our ears to God's rebuke, we force our Father to intensify the correction.

TO CHASTEN or discipline happens when our loving Father steps in to lift us away from our own destructive and unfruitful pursuits. (Deut. 8:5)

With chastening, we find ourselves nagged by the subtle feeling of defeat, disappointment and frustration. This crushing cycle of powerlessness that is hated continues. What used to bring us joy, now doesn't. Pressures increase at work, at home or in our health and finances, unfulfilled at church, critical to friends and “on the outs” with God. If we have any of these symptoms, the answer is not to go to church more, read our Bible more or any of that. We need to look for ongoing sin or something that seems to be cutting us off from God's best for your life, like anger, bitterness, unforgivness, overeating, etc. If we don't respond, love will compel your Father to take more drastic measures. What is the source of our pain that is causing our pressures in life or our discontentment we feel, or that cycle of defeat?

*I knew that food was not the answer, but it was a habit now that I couldn't break and it made me feel good (for awhile).  I knew deep inside that it was not going to help me. It was only hurting me. I knew exactly how I would feel afterwards. But at that point and time, food was more important to me and I didn't care about anything else. I needed that "food fix".

TO SCOURGE is to whip or to inflict punishment. Everyone hates pain, but it sure gets our attention, doesn't it? I like what C.S. Lewis says: “God whispers through pleasure but shouts through pain.” Sometimes our Father has to shout! Sometimes our sins bring judgment to us. As Paul said in I Corinthians 11:30 “This is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died”. We will suffer dire consequences for our wrong doings and attitudes we carry that are not fruitful for God.

As I said before, I now am able to see how all of these interventions were used on me when it came to my eating. I was rebuked and warned of my eating habits. I believe God even led me to knowledge of how to eat, and when I didn't listen, or tried but failed, then chastisement came and my life became full of frustration and more defeat, depression, not happy with self and when I did not heed to His Word, the scourging came. My “sin” brought judgment, consequences like painful health issues.

What stops good people from cleaning up their act?!  Many are held captive for years from misguided beliefs, and habits. I don't know about you, but I don't want to wander around anymore on a fruitless path unable to enter into the abundant life God has for me!!

*I reached a place of hopelessness and my heart was becoming sick, literally, which God showed me through His Word in Proverbs 13:12 "Hope deferred makes the heart sick but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life." He told me that I had lost all hope of getting better. I had tried everything but always ended up in defeat. I was angry with God because He wouldn't just heal me. But would it have done any good for God to heal me and I just continue to do what caused my health problems to begin with? What was the source, the reason I was running to food and not God? 

God's concern is the condition of our heart. He wants to heal the deep seed of pain that was planted deep inside us that is the main cause of our destructive condition. SO....When I finally surrendered it all to God, He is healing the wounds deep within. He restored by hope and led me to Genesis Pure products and again reminded me of all the knowledge that He led me to and once I began to follow what I know, and began giving the body what it needed, my body is beginning to heal itself. I am starting to eat right, I am losing weight and I am getting my health and life back. 

Maybe your issue today is not eating, not being overweight. Maybe it is something else God's been talking to you about and you haven't been very obedient to His voice.  Are you now able to see the progression of the degrees of intervention that God has been taking in your life, trying to get your attention, trying to "love you to life!"?

PLEASE begin heeding to the rebuke or early warnings from the Lord, to keep yourself from having to endure symptoms of defeat and the consequences of disobedience that brings judgment leading to painful health issues and an unfruitful life. Be determined to live the abundant life promised by God by being obedient to His voice and instruction. He loves you and so do I. 

 Connie J. Schmoll

The Footstool

Hello Friends, Family and Fellow Subscribers!  I know it's been a while since I've posted!  I feel led today to REPOST this:

Do you let circumstances in life or people around you always discourage you about your dreams? Do you allow "enemies to reside inside" such as anger, unforgiveness, hate, etc to disrupt the plans God has for you? Don't let these "enemies" dictate your destiny. Look to the Creator and find your true self. Re-discover your potential and purpose in life and just allow those “naysayers” to actually create the momentum needed to lift you off toward your dreams and goals. Jesus said he’ll make our enemies our footstool. What does a footstool do? It lifts us to higher heights, helping us to reach what we couldn’t reach before!!

Consider the enemies of Jesus Christ; they spent much effort in convincing and conspiring for three years until He was finally brought before Pilate. Because of His enemies' efforts He was severely beaten... thus enabling Him to fulfill Isaiah 53:5 "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

His enemies became His enablers.

Because of His enemies efforts, He was crucified...thus enabling Him to set all of humanity free from sin and death.

His enemies became His enablers.

Without these enemies, He could not have fulfilled His destiny which was cloaked in "the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would NOT have crucified the Lord of glory." (1 Cor. 2:7-8)

It is upon the 'footstool' of our enemies that we are enabled to reach the 'high calling' of our destiny in Christ. Yes, the enemies are very real and would seek to destroy us if possible, and many times even remain our enemies as we tread upon them as a footstool... yet they are our enablers....IF we allow them to be.

"The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool."   Psalm 110:1

Connie J. Schmoll