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Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Spiritual Blessings

I received an email from a friend today and she mentioned a devotional she read that stated, "spiritual blessings come wrapped in trials".  I thought, wow, what a powerful statement. It also reminded me of a song called "Blessings" by Laura Story.

Ephesians 1:3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ"

I read a devotional today that spoke to my heart and touched a lot on this subject.  We get so upset when trials come, thinking that we deserve a problem free life.  These times are normal in a fallen world, yet we hunger for the difficult times to be resolved.  But this is false hope.  We will have trouble! God tells us we will, but He also promises that He is here to overcome anything in this world.  Through His Spirit that dwells in us, we can be Overcomers!

John 16:33 "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world".

Things are not going to go perfect so instead of seeking that perfection, we need to seek Him - The Perfect One!  It is possible to glorify God in the midst of trials. His light shines more brightly through us when we trust Him in the dark times. (Psalm 112:4,7)  We are able to do this, by casting all cares on Him.  When things seem wrong, trust Him anyway.  He is not interested as much in right circumstances as He is in how we respond to what comes our way.  If we trust in God during our times of trials, He brings us into a place of peace where we are able to rest in Him.  

I don't think we can ever have "spiritual blessings" without having to endure some trials.

Connie J. Schmoll

If you are viewing this from email, and would like to listen to the video that I included, click on this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQan9L3yXjc

Blessings by Laura Story


Tuesday, January 20, 2015

There Must Be A Change

I want to begin this writing to you with a question:

Would you really want to continue being part of something that God hates, after it's been revealed to you?

This revelation began to slowly unfold several years ago but more and more pieces have been revealed just in this past year. I've received so much understanding and many questions have been answered concerning why events happened in churches today to people I know and even situations that happened with us, that just did not seem right. Control. Mistreatment. Spiritual Abuse. Legalism.  At first I thought all this was happening in just the church we attended, because of the very core of their doctrine, (which was part of it) but then once I learned that these kinds of things were happening in all churches, I realized it was because of the very structure of the churches which was set up in the way that God did not intend! 

I remember my husband Don teaching about the seven churches mentioned in the book of Revelation, Chapter 2. He stated that he believed that this can be referring to different church age periods, or different churches or even as a personal situation found in each individual life, because after all, our body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. We are the Church.  Read Revelation 2 and 3 and see if God speaks to you in one or more of the seven churches.

Don shared that the one that God used to speak into his life was The Church of Philadelphia. God said that "...He knows his works and He has set before him and open door that no one can shut, for he has little strength, has kept His Word and has not denied His Name."  Wow, what an awesome thing, to be looked at as one in The Faithful Church.

The one that I found that spoke into my life was The Church of Ephesus. The Loveless Church. "...He knows my works, my labor, my patience and knows that I cannot bear those who are evil. And that I have tested those who say they are apostles and are not and have found them liars. He said I have patience and have labored for His name sake and have not become weary. But He said what He had against me was I had left my first love and that I needed to remember from where I have fallen and repent and do my first works". This was so true of me! I developed such a close relationship with the Lord while attending Bible College, but afterwards, my time with Him was not as often and just not the same and I most definitely could tell the difference. Wow!  It made me realize now why God has been speaking to me so much about LOVE.  His Love for Me and the Love I should have for Him and for others! Do you know that I often asked, and even heard others ask, "Where is the Love?"  For a church (we had attended) that claimed to have all truth, sure did lack the love.  But how can you have one without the other???  You can't!  THEN what He says next in Revelation was something that really opened my eyes and sent me searching and studying and brought so much revelation to me about The Church set up. "...He said that I hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which He also hates." I saw then where He mentions The Nicolaitan Doctrine when also speaking to the Church of Pergamus.

I began to study the Nicolaitan Doctrine and found out that it meant the division between Clergy and Laity. The Clergy conquering, having power over the people (laity). God never meant for there to be any kind of division in the Body of Christ. He never meant there to be a one man leadership, one elevated higher than another. 

The name "Nicolaitans" is derived from the Greek word nikolaos, a compound of the words nikos and laos. The word nikos is the Greek word that means to conquer or to subdue. The word laos is the Greek word for the people. It is also where we get the word laity. When these two words are compounded into one, they form the name Nicolas, which literally means one who conquers and subdues the people. It seems to suggest that the Nicolaitans were somehow conquering and subduing the people. 

In its ecclesiastical setting, Nicolaitans means the bishops and prelates of the Church have gained a triumphal victory or conquest over the LAITON, the laity. Members are compelled and forced to submit to the arbitrary dominion of men who have become that thing which God hates:

"The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed:  Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; NOR AS BEING LORDS OVER THOSE ENTRUSTED TO YOU, but being examples to the flock" (1Peter 5:1-3).

The teachings and preaching of the Nicolaitans are in religious and secular dictionaries. When we look for the definition of the term we find it is a "hierarchy: the power of dominion, government by ecclesiastical rulers."

Putting one man in as leader (Pastor) led to control and also caused the people to look more to a man than they do to God. People depend on the leader to answer questions or make decisions for their life instead of consulting God for themselves. People begin to expect so much from the leader that it is impossible for him to give because all that is put on him in that position.  Many of the people do not study the Word themselves but only depend on getting fed through the leader at church. Some have more of a relationship with the “pastor” more than they have with God. And it's a dangerous place to be because there will come a time when the man they looked to as “pastor” may not be there for them, and they will have no idea how to hear the voice of God, for themselves because they have not had that relationship with Him. 

I Corinthians 1: 10-13 also spoke of division in the church but how we are to be perfectly joined in the same mind and judgment, because some were saying "I am of Paul; I am of Apollos; I am of Cephas; I am of Christ"  Sound familiar?  We often hear and have even said it ourselves, "I go to Pastor so and so's church". We have even heard "pastors" say, "This is MY church."  Oh really?  I thought it was Christ's Church? Is Christ divided?   You know what I'm saying.  We've all heard it.  

10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

Ephesians 4 mentions the five GIFTS that were given to men, NOT titles. They are gifts: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers. The church is to have the five fold leadership and body ministry. 

We have heard quoted often from the Bible about “forsaking the assembling of ourselves together” (Heb. 10:25), which is mainly taught by the "pastor" when people keep missing church. But I realized that you can be a faithful church goer yet still be guilty of “forsaking the assembling...”. If you are just attending church by gathering together with others just to sit and hear one man teach, preach, etc, you are not assembled.  But people don't know! They must be taught!!

Using a Factory as an example: You have a product that you are manufacturing. You have many parts that must be assembled before the product is even of any good use. It is the same as the Body of Christ. We are a Body of many parts (gifts), and when we come together, we must be assembled, not just gathered together. We must be fitly assembled by the gifts (given to us by God) in operation.

I Corinthians 14:26 even mentions that "...when we assemble together, one hath a psalm, one has a doctrine, a tongue, a revelation, an interpretation, letting all things be done unto edification".

The Church will never reach its fullness nor any form of unity until all five ministry gifts are functioning together in the Body of Christ. The Church needs to undergo a major reformation in its structure that will enable it to handle a great out-pouring of God's Spirit.   If the people aren't ready, get them ready! Again...They Must Be Taught!   Many sit in the pews and have gifts but don't even know. Some know of their gifts but are not taught how to use them. Then there are others who know their gift yet are not allowed to use them.   Do You Know Your Gift?  

Once this revelation was shown to us, we attempt to share it where God directs. Many "pastors" reject this way because they do not want to give up the power; the position. Others don't want to give up the income, for they will have to get a job. No where in the Bible was the “gift” of Pastor ever a title given to a leader of a church. Yes, our churches are in dire need of Pastors, but not in the sense as we know them today in the church. We all want revival. We want to see lots of people come in to the church. But seriously, we are not ready. We can't even keep and take care of the people we already have that are attending.  As soon as the Pastors find their rightful place in the church, we will see much revival, healing and deliverance take place. We will be ready for those who come in. Many non Christians and Christians are walking wounded, and it is sad today, because many have been wounded not only from the world but from the churches. 

Learning what a “pastor” really is, and what their true calling is, has opened my eyes to see the very need for them in the churches today. The gift of pastor is as a shepherd is to sheep. They watch out for them and take care of them. Spend time with them. One on one time. The position the “pastors” are in, in today's churches, they have no time for what they are truly called to do.

I know I've randomly thrown out a lot of stuff here in this writing, but I do plan to write up a booklet in the future, on all this that will have so much more detailed information to help give more understanding.

This is my passion, my heart! 
The problem with the Church today is, we are not equipping the saints. I long to see the Church get to where it is suppose to be, in the rightful structure that God meant, so there will be no divisions, there will be no elevation of men above others, but that the gifts given unto men can begin to be in operation as the Holy Spirit leads and directs, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ, that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head – CHRIST, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:11-16)

If we cannot find a group that will receive, then we will assemble in a home praying for God to send like-minded people who also see it, receive it and want it! 

There is such a danger of many being tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine and trickery of man, being deceived because of sitting and learning from one man, and accepting everything they teach as truth, yet never studying it out for themselves. One man leadership is dangerous not having accountability of others. We all must be accountable to one another! There is no such thing as “a little wrong teaching” being a small thing. It's a serious thing! One wrong teaching perverts it all, and can open up doors to more false teachings. 

Please be in prayer always and study Scripture  (2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth)  for yourself if you are even unsure about something you hear taught. I cannot stress it enough just how important it is to not only KNOW THE WORD OF GOD, but to also KNOW THE GOD OF THE WORD. I will never stop stressing to others how important RELATIONSHIP is. 

Love you all,
Connie Schmoll

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Until It Happens

Well, I just joined the "Until Club".

Psalm 57:1-2 "Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in you; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by. I will cry out to God Most High, To God who performs all things for me". 

Sometimes God has to line some circumstances up for certain things to take place. But the key is to stay in the until mode. It is difficult to wait. The flesh hates waiting! But We must decide to believe God's promises until they become a reality.

THIS MESSAGE COULD NOT HAVE COME AT A BETTER TIME. (Thanks Kenneth W. Hagin, Word of Faith Magazine)

"I will not cast away my confidence, for it has a great reward" (Heb. 10:35). I will keep believing the promises of God until they become a reality in my life. No matter what obstacle comes my way, I cannot be defeated, and I will not quit until every promise in God's Word comes to pass!

I think every time I read the Bible, I'll always be aware of the word, until.  How about YOU?  Here is one that comes to mind:

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." Phil 1:6

You're always welcome to Join the "Until Club".  :-)

If God has given you a promise, it WILL happen!   

Until Then ...

Keep Believing Until It Happens!
Connie J. Schmoll

Friday, January 9, 2015

His Purpose Prevails

I am truly convinced now that ... "Sometimes our plans have to fall apart for HIS to truly unfold."

After all ... "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it's the LORD'S purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21

Thursday, January 8, 2015

With A New Hope ... We Wait

As I am sitting here this evening, my thoughts go back to the past few months. I realize the situation we've been in has been very hard to deal with and it's not over yet. After spending time with the Lord, I had to write. 

I am ashamed to admit that I have failed drastically. I was bound up by the shackles of those failures. I realized that during this time, all I saw were the struggles. Then a load of disappointments hit me all at once and weighed me down and I couldn't carry it any longer. I finally broke. What was I doing carrying it all to begin with when I know the load was not mine to carry!?! I cried out to the Lord and I finally let them all go tonight after I had talked with some friends who God used to minister to me. God's word for me was to “Lift up my head” not to be weighted down. And that no weapon formed against me shall prosper.

He later told me to “Lay aside every weight that so easy besets you. Cast your cares upon me, because I care for you”. So I did.

I like this quote by Paula White: "The key to defeating your struggle is finding your strength in God."

My husband put a music program on my iPad today. When I was listening to it tonight, a song began to play, called “Redeemed”. I've heard it many times before but tonight, I actually heard the lyrics from my heart, not just my ears. It ministered straight to my heart and spoke of many struggles my husband and I had been facing. After you listen to the song, you'll see just how much was in it that I included here. Amazing how much GOD knows!! I could have written that song myself.

God will always send what and who we need in our life at the right time needed.

It can become so easy, while in a trial, to see more of the struggle than see what God can and will do during that struggle. I felt all alone and that nobody cared what we were going through. My heart was plagued by pain and disappointments because all I could see were the struggles. It was becoming all about us instead of all about God and what He was doing. You know what I'm talking about. We've all been there.

God is working all things out for our good. He knows what we are going through and goes through it with us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. But if we get our eyes off of Him and on our circumstances, we will sink!

When disappointments come, we can start to lose hope. We don't even want to get our hopes up about anything anymore for fear of getting disappointed one more time.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12)

The DELAY of what we so eagerly desired and expected was such an affliction, that it differed little from a lingering disease; but when the desire does finally come — When the expected is obtained,we know it will be a tree of life — That is, most sweet, satisfactory, and reviving to the soul.

SO....we continue to WAIT but with an expectancy. The 'waiting room' is such a hard place to be, is it not? And the hardest part is not knowing when the waiting is going to finally end.

Yes, we are still waiting, but as I refocus, I remind myself again, I don't care what we go through or what doesn't seem to work out on our schedule, God has a reason for all that we go through and we must remember that we always have a Hope that will carry us through!! Nothing that we go through while here on this earth will compare to what He has waiting for us in heaven – our real home.

I was bound up by the shackles of my failures and the shame of who I used to be, but now I am freed by forgiveness and I am redeemed by His blood! I am no longer who I used to be! I have a new life, a new beginning and a new HOPE.

With a New Hope......We Wait!

Connie J. Schmoll

If you are viewing this from your email, to listen to the video, "Redeemed" by Big Daddy Weave, please visit my devotional blog.  

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Never Lose Your Wonder

Don and I were on our way home from church one evening, and as we rode through the darkness, I could see lightning bugs for miles, glistening everywhere I looked. It reminded me of the email I had gotten earlier from a favorite author, Morgan L. Busse. She was sharing about the 4th of July fireworks events and how she was distracted by all the fireflies (lightning bugs). She was captivated by the hundreds of lights, that it took her attention from the fireworks. Her friend sitting next to her noticed and spoke out to her, "Don't lose your wonder." She at first didn't understand, but then realized he was referring to the fireflies.

I remember as a child, we used to run and jump trying to catch lots of lightning bugs and we would put them in a jar. With some of them, we would even tear off the shiny part and put on our finger like a ring.

As time goes on, we grow up, move on and in the process, lose our wonder of the small things around us.  Can you think back, maybe when growing up or even in your early days of serving God, and remember times that caused you to be so awestruck - a wow moment?

We have so much faith as a child. We are so zealous as a babe in Christ.  Jesus says in His Word to come to Him as a little child because He realizes the faith of a child. The world says, "Grow Up!" when Jesus is saying, "Become as a child."  The thing about a child that is so great is their capacity to believe and their capacity to forgive.  I remember when it was so easy to believe God for anything. I remember the memorials of things He has done.  Why is it so hard to believe now? Why does it seem so much more difficult to endure? God hasn't moved - or changed. Have we? Have we lost our wonder? 

There are so many people who lost their childhood at a very young age.  And when we come to God it's such an amazing change and a wonderful experience!  Things are so beautiful!  God makes life so exciting!  How do we lose that so easily?

Personally, for myself, I used to notice things of nature and hear God speaking to me a lot. He always used many of my favorite things to teach me lessons as He did in the Bible using parables. For me it's been the sparkling fireflies, a beautiful butterfly fluttering by, a flower and it's beauty, a pretty rainbow stretched across the sky after a storm, and an eagle perched high in a tree or soaring through the sky. 

I realized I have moved so far away from that and I miss it. I have just recently once again captured that wonder I used to have.  I remember the excitement of first having a Word spoken over us showing us what our ministry was.  We have strayed so far from that. Isn't it amazing how far we can stray from our actual calling because of hurts and betrayal?  But I praise God that we are finally back to it and beginning to see where we belong. It's not about what state, or what church, but it's about where we belong in God's Kingdom. We can allow people to get in the way of our wonder. We must stay focused on God! We can allow disappointments to blur our vision. We must guard our heart and take no offense!

I found that the times when I had a difficult time believing God for something is when I doubted His love for me.  It happens to all of us!  God can turn around and do something so miraculous for us but then it doesn't seem long that we forget.  Why is it so easy to forget?!?!

I am reminded of the Children of Israel in Numbers 11. They were wandering in the wilderness. God provided for them and they saw miracles, yet again they would complain and murmur, forgetting all God had done.  They lost their wonder!  Our wilderness times can be hard but we must continue to stand! The more we murmur and complain, the longer we remain in that wilderness!

It seems as years pass, we seem to lose our first love. Revelation 2 mentions this, speaking to the church of Ephesus.  Remember your memorials. Remember from where you have fallen. Repent and do your first works.

If you feel you are at that place where you've lost your wonder - lost your first love, repent and do your first works. What does He mean when He mentions "your first works"? Only you can answer that for your own life. Do you spend time in prayer and study the Bible like you used to? Are you spending time with other Believers to encourage and to be encouraged? Do you pray and intercede for those in need of the circle of people God has placed you in, whether it be your job, your home, etc? Have you sought out God for your purpose, your gift and are you using it for Him?

Take a moment right now to think on the way it used to be when you first got saved. Has there been a change?   Was the change good or bad?  Have You Lost Your Wonder?  Maybe it was taken from you?

Become as a child once again and receive all that God has for you!

Connie J. Schmoll

Choose To Forgive

The WORD for today....FORGIVE. How does one know that they have truly forgiven? How does one know that they have truly "let it all go"?

You will know that you have truly forgiven by what comes out of your mouth about the person and the situation.

For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. (Matthew 12:34)

Whatever is in your heart, it will come out of your mouth by what you speak. If you harbor unforgiveness, you'll know by the words you speak.   This is one reason why people are sick in their body and cannot seem to receive a healing.  Let it go! Forgive! Be Healed!

Forgiveness is not a feeling....it's a choice. CHOOSE TO FORGIVE today. Let all that junk go that keeps you frustrated! LET the PEACE of GOD RULE IN YOUR HEART!

Be Free!

Connie J. Schmoll