Showing posts with label mercy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mercy. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Christ-mas in July, The Real Reason for Christmas! Jesus is the LORD and Savior of Each of Us- You and me! Poems and A Salvation Prayer


Image result for image free of Jesus at Christmas


There is a little movie of some age that is so very, very sweet and endearing...I found it on late night movie television.  It is "Christmas in July" staring Dick Powell and Ellen Drew.  Its release date was October 18, 1940.  It is a touching film that you may want to check out at your library or to look for a copy to watch at home.  It is a frolic in fun, not sure I remember if it is the true story of Jesus at Christmas, or not.  I highly recommend it- for the whole family.  Very nice.

Since I saw that film, I have had a soft spot in my heart for the term, "Christmas in July".

Sweet little Dove 

From heaven above:

Come down, from on high,

To prove Yourself King By and by.

Donna February, 2008



Long Memories and Gratitude
Oh, Lord, keep our memories long
With plentiful gratitude
For what you have done.
May we not be as
We were from Egypt
To the Promised Land:
Longing for meat, instead of Your manna
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:6


 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Good News of Jesus Christ
Is that He lives today among us,
His believers,
And He reigns o’er the entire world
That none of us should perish.
The Holy Spirit works and hovers
To move us to Christ.
So come, come now
To Lord Jesus
Your Savior.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
God usually speaks
I have found-
In a quiet voice.
You will hear
Him clearly, softly.
It is definitely
There.
Make no mistake.
Avoid the oft
Human response
Of overlooking,
Procrastinating,
Going on.
Have you noticed?
How God seems
To speak quietly
When guiding,
Then sometimes
Comes deeply
Through action
To get our attention?

However He leads and
Speaks to you,
We should definitely
Listen, friends!
He is our Creator.

He made the world and
All that is in it.
Most importantly,
You and me.
Donna 2006

Jesus took what was owed us


And offers



Redemption, salvation, and everlasting happiness,



So that we may be together



Forever, in more glory than our minds can fathom.



Just take it, that is all.



It is so little to ask in return-

Why wouldn’t he want our free will?

He never forces anything on us-

No, not even Himself,

For He is never the oppressor,

Always the liberator.



He knows the marrow of our insides,

The thoughts of our fancy,

The desires of our heart,

The deepest, most covered feelings

That no one else knows,

Sometimes, not even ourselves.



Never fear, for Christ loves you

In a way that is indescribable,

Magnificent,

Almost unreachable- for now,

But nonetheless, ‘tis so true!

Accept, rejoice, and

Live in His likeness!

By Donna McCoy-Harms, Winter-Spring, 2003




However!
God is Holy, 
there is no one above Him, 
All the glory always goes to Him,
and He alone! is sovereign...
Over All- that includes
most certainly,
You and me.
A note: God speaks to us in a myriad of ways!!  He is all-capable.  One of the best pieces of advice ever given me was by a Christian friend, Joni Ames; don't put God in a box.  She was right- He cannot be put in a box!  The Lord spoke to me one day a few years ago in a very crowded and loud foyer at church while I was talking to a married couple, who are friends of mine.  God's Voice and helpful directive in a sentence was unmistakable. 
My point: God speaks to us, not only in quietness, but in so many ways!  He can and does break through to us!!  Ask Him to help you in your belief and your walk. Even if you are an unbeliever as of now, ASK HIM to help you to believe!  
He will!! 
Many true believers, disciples of Christ, find that spending time in The Holy Bible (the Bible) with God in His Word, in prayer and listening, is a great way to learn about our Lord: the Trinity, Who is the One, True God.  We show El Olam, the Everlasting God, that we love Him enough to take some dedicated moments with Him~ alone~ each day- and to hear His Voice for guidance.  
The Lord Almighty always refreshes us, never drains us or makes our time feel like work/toil.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In His Presence


Won’t we be softened

By being in the presence

Of our Lord?


Won’t we be purer

When we sit at His feet?

In His shining countenance,

With loving, outreached arms


For us,


In the fragrance of His Home-

Oh, it will surely be sweeter

Than any earthly fruit could bear

Our clear faces will reflect

Precious Jesus’ smile,

And when we look back at Him,


He will see the love
We were meant to have for Him
In the beginning.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I love the way
Everything just stops
For a little while
At Christmas…
All of the craziness
Ceases,
And we bow down
To worship
Our Lord and King, Jesus.
It’s so soundlessly
Beautiful,
As we all stop
To stare
At the newborn Savior
Of heaven and earth.


God  loves you, Friends, with everything that He has! and
that He has plans for good, no plan for harms.  Accept Him, and your Life will be filled with some real Joy and Excitement; you may feel a tingling in your spirit.  It will not be all high mountain experiences, however, it is the most worthwhile things ever imagine.  Then, one day, you will join Him with all of your loved ones who wanted to be there, with God's blessings, forever in more fun than we can only begin to know on planet Earth, right now.

 Salvation Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, I have gone my own way and made mistakes that would not please You.  I want to be freed and forgiven in Your eyes and heart.  I know you sent Your Only Son, The Savior and LORD to release us.  He took ALL OF THE SIN UPON HIMSELF and was the slain Lamb of God so that we could be freed forever to walk in His ways and to be in Heaven for eternity when my Life as ended here.  I want to learn more. Please help me.
In Jesus' Name, Amen

You can tell God in  your own words from your heart and soul, also.
Check these four prayers to tell God- the one that feels like you are talking to Him.  He most certainly will listen, and most happily and gladly accept you with His Open Arms! Thank you.  You have made the very best decision of your Life.
 I am putting a direct link just here below in the light purple color to several Prayers to say with your heart and mind, to read and really mean to join God the Father, His Son Jesus and your Savior, and the Holy Spirit will come to live with you and guide, comfort, and correct you, preparing for God's Kingdom, Heaven, forever, and ever!  It will be the most secure, beautiful, cozy, and yet wondrous place of safety and love that we ever tried to imagine!
If you are unsure, speak to God, pray, and take it up with a very trusted friend or pastor to discuss.  Much love to you.

The Sinner's Prayer, 4 Examples crosswalk.com
Donna M.-H.
July 31 2018
Whew!  I just barely made it to be with this title,
"Christmas in July".      : )

Saturday, May 23, 2015

The Lord God Jesus Christ Healed the Migraines that I had Suffered for 23 Years!



Jesus Heals Many People, Pinterest

Healed from More Migraines- Praise Our Precious LORD!


Healing from migraines for Donna via the Lord through laying on of hands and prayer of Christian Women

My prayer and hope is that this true story of the terrible migraines that I, and also my family suffered with me for so many years, will help someone to have hope, to take a step forward to ask for prayer at a good church and with Christian friends who believe in the miracles of healing through our Lord Jesus Christ. This includes, most certainly, His abundant love and provision through true healing peoples He has gifted with degrees in medicine and other bonafide, good (nothing bogus or of evil) means of helping people get well or be cured/healed. I still have many conditions, and I know people suffer far more than I have, so I do not want to be self-centered, but we need to boast of the LORD! He wants His children to be well!! Thank you so much, God, for your compassion for us and for the ways you bring healing and comfort from illness. You want us to be whole in all ways...spiritually in You through Jesus Christ, Your Son, the Savior- our Savior; physically so that we may be happy to help others as we help ourselves; in our minds and hearts- to be sound and of good spirit.

To Have an Understanding of the Situation

I had suffered with chronic migraine headaches for 23 years. We had tried everything it seemed- medications galore, a few homeopathic or herbal/supplemental medicines; chiropractic; medical acupuncture by an M.D. (medical doctor) who had been trained in Asia by experts; relaxation techniques including biofeedback; healing touch/therapeutic touch from a registered nurse who is a Christian woman, and on the list goes. Our family, friends, and church had prayed for me for many years.

I was in my young 30's then, and I am in my mid-60's now.

The migraines really started and became full blown, at age 33, when our little daughter was not much more than two, then persisted throughout my pregnancy with our younger child, and onward for many years. Only the medications and God's good grace and mercy helped me to maintain any quality of life whatsoever...of course, my precious and loving husband stood by me without fail.

In order to get better, I hoped, and to function, I tried good and proven methods to rid myself of these devastating headaches. I saw my regular doctor, neurologists, a psychiatrist at one time, and had counseling therapy to find the root of the cause, any reasonable recourse to get better. The migraines and their episodes could last for a day, overnight, and many times for 1-3 days at a time, sometimes having 2-3 major episodes/month. Toward the end years of these migraines, I was constantly having the migraine, recovering from it, or getting yet another one.  The medications helped a bit, but even combinations of drugs never got rid of the ghastly migraines, barely touched them, or most certainly- did not cure them.

It is only through the compassion of God with good medical help that I was able to function as a part-time teacher and special educator, a mother, and a wife and person~~~ to have some semblance of a normal life with a family and responsibilities. I cannot tell you how many meetings or dates with a friend or to a function that I had that I was forced to cancel; I hated doing that- letting people down, disappointing both them and myself, especially when it had to do with my children and family, such as a weekend drive to spend time with our parents and siblings.

I must mention the guilt that folks suffer who have debilitating, ongoing illnesses. You fuss, are irritable, become upset, are frustrated, worry, and you begin to think the illness is your fault- or at best, what else could I do to get better?  If you suffer a debilitating illness, please, do NOT think along the lines of blaming yourself or get caught up in what others may think or say; all of that does not matter. (Most people are far more understanding than we realize or give them credit, especially if they have hard times of their own and are not self-righteous.) YOU know if you suffer extreme illness or condition, God knows, and I hope you have at least one understanding friend or loved one.

I know my husband got discouraged, but he was loving and very caring and only wanted me to get better. We prayed a lot. People were great! They knew me, and they knew as well as one could, that I truly wanted to come and to be well, to help and participate at the various goings-on! The Lord helped me to accomplish and do quite a bit...I was able to be Room Mom for each of our children, alternating each year for our daughter's classroom, then for our son's class.

I want to say how much God truly watched over me and mine throughout these times! The headaches tended to start when I woke up, or by the afternoon, so I could teach half-time in the morning, do errands, go home to prepare for our daughter and son to return from school, pick them up from school as necessary, and then get home before I was so sick that I had to stay in bed to recover. I have realized over and over again how the Lord God just worked out all those details before me and for me (making His magnificently orchestrated pathway) with schools, administrations, other teachers, a dozen more things, and some things He managed I will never know unless He shows me them in Heaven. How thankful I am to my Lord! His mercies are new each day, just as the Bible says!

Sometimes I felt as though I was raising our two children from the couch or bed, although the Lord gave us a good life~ love and our faith. I could not have done it without the man I married, whom I am absolutely sure God found for me; he is the earthly rock of my life! As I said, God allowed me to work part-time; we really needed two full-time incomes, but I look back and think: what would our home have been like with all the stresses that families have, I think especially today, and that they must endure~ if I had worked full-time?

In retrospect, the migraines kept me from working full-time, which might have brought our house completely down.

~The Incredible Power of Prayer to God!~

I was and still to this day am very, very close friends with dearest Christian women,Vicky Thomas and Jan Bracken, sisters-at-heart in the Word of God; and Michele Cole, dear ministering lady of the Lord and friend in the faith, who expanded my awareness about God, the not-putting-Him-in-a-box-kind of faith; like our friend Joni Ames had told me once (don't put God in a box).  They are each and all Friends and Mentors in Christ. 

Enter the three of us, Vicky, Jan, and me~~~ who wanted to grow closer to God, through diving into our Bible, in worshipping Him, and learning more about this thing called prayer and to pray for people. As we grew, the Holy Spirit opened more yearning within us to desire helping lead people to Jesus as their Lord and Savior, to share the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We prayed many times one to two hours or more, and we prayed for people we knew of, who needed help: family, friends, church, work, friends of friends, people we had heard about, our nation, the world and its peoples, and specific people we did not know whatsoever. We prayed for their belief in Jesus Christ, helps from the Lord in health, provision, with relationships, their children; we could be very specific or more general, often asking God's will for this person or situation.

We prayed for the salvation of our children, grandchildren, future generations, folks at church, and many specific people who had come to our attention. We had tremendous outcomes that we noted and rejoiced in! Some, we never knew for sure what happened. Being present with God, through the Holy Spirit, there was a free-flowing openness with love and fellowship/friendship, and we learned what it could mean to be sisters in the Lord, Prayer Warriors, and fellow disciples of Christ.

Along the way we discovered many aspects of our Lord and how He desires communication with us; He wants a closeness and dependence upon Him as our Father, Savior and Holy Spirit. He will take the problem away, help us to go around it, walk us though it- including carrying us, or ultimately, He will take us Home to Heaven to be with Himself. We learned that it is the Holy Spirit who woos us to Himself to want to ask Jesus into our hearts, minds, and lives~~~ and so He wants to teach, to guide, and to prepare us for His Kingdom! ~~~"Just a closer walk with Thee"~~~

God wants us to know Him.

When we are weak, He is strong. He makes the foolish- wise, and many times, vice versa: the wise to be confounded so that they may rely, need, and be close to Him (if they are wise to realize- they NEED the LORD).

~The Lord Moves in our Hearts and Minds~

Vicky, who had opened her house for us to meet weekly, had a younger woman she was mentoring in the Lord Jesus Christ.  This younger woman is Michele Cole.

Michele had answered a call from the Lord God one day when she was out driving and working, and God told her in her mind to go to Vicky's to lay hands on Vicky's back and to pray for healing in that area where Vicky had been injured much earlier in life.  (Vicky had/has many areas where she suffered injury and pain.) Michele phoned Vicky to come over; later, each had said that she was tired, not really wanting to get together that day, but they wanted to be obedient to God's calling (in their hearts and minds).  After Michele prayed that day by laying her hands on Vicky's lower back area, Vicky has never had to have another radio frequency ablation that she had been undergoing for a long time to squelch that particular pain, and she no longer suffers from terrible lower back pain.

After Vicky knew for sure within 3 days that God had healed her lower back, she told me, and I said with much feeling, "I want that for myself!!" I asked Vicky what I should do, and she gave me Michele's phone number and said to call and ask her. I did so. Michele asked me to pray about this, and that she would be praying, also. I am not sure how we ended the conversation, except that I said that I would pray, and I thought she was going to call me. Indeed, I prayed, and it was several days later, and I was getting somewhat frustrated and even a little bit angry that I had not heard back from Michele yet! I decided that I was going to wrestle like Jacob had with the Angel of the LORD (Jesus Christ). I am not at all sure if I were fighting with God, Michele, or myself. Jealousy, during my life, had been a problem for me from time-to-time. I would think, "Why won't Michele do this for me? She came for Vicky." In the natural, I realized that Michele and Vicky were close friends, and I knew that Michele and I were only acquaintances!  A week passed, and I went to our Wednesday group of prayer and Bible study.  A lovely lady of the Lord named Beth had joined us that day; she had come to our Wednesday group for a short period of time.  I had been praying that Michele would come that day and pray for me! During the beginning of the meeting, Vicky said that Michele was coming, and I was thrilled and filled with expectation!  Michele was obedient to the Lord's call, and I know she had prayed beforehand, also. 
Please be sure to see the Note***, ^^^References to people/blogs/writings, and ****Further Notes toward the end of today’s posting.

The Healing:

 Michele came in toward the end of our time together at Vicky's where we had been singing, praying and studying, and Michele said that she would wait until the end to pray for me. Before we started, we seemed to all take a deep breath. Michele said that on her way over, God had dropped the word to her, "emotion." Michele asked each of us to take a moment as we first gathered, to ask God quietly/silently to forgive any sin in our life. All the ladies and Michele put their hands upon me. Michele had her hands upon my head, and she began to pray for the LORD to heal me of the migraines. The time that passed, how long, I am not certain. It seemed to be a while: 10-15 minutes or perhaps, much more. It was intense, and the air was heavy as I remember. Michele would ask me after each prayer for health/healing how I was feeling. I kept my eyes closed the whole time, and I remember at first saying that I did not feel worthy, and I began to cry. Vicky and Michele, Jan and Beth in their minds were silently praying to God for Him to help me, to heal these migraines completely;  They reassured me that God wanted me to be healed of this sickness.
I said that I was so tired of taking care of my mother who in a nursing home for 7 years with Alzheimer's; she has passed on to Glory in Heaven 7 1/2 years ago now.  I have since she passed away,  never regretted a moment of time I spent with her whatsoever :) During the prayer, I spoke of when I was little, and even though I was the younger, it seemed I ended up taking care of everyone.  (I felt this way. I am not totally sure that my perception was accurate.)  I cried about how stressful my family had been then, growing up, and now my own family, too. Throughout this prayer for healing, Michele asked me what I was experiencing or how I felt, and I told the women usually, "about the same" or "okay."
Michele eventually said... "If there is anything evil in there, come out in the Name of Jesus!" Michele's hands shook some throughout this process. Exactly when she said this- I saw a slight light behind my eyes (I still had closed eyes).  I told the ladies what I saw~ the ever-so-slight light behind my eyes.  They prayed a short while longer. We separated a bit, and I stood up and hugged each of the women, still crying, saying how much I appreciated their prayers~~~ to the Lord, certainly! I thanked them and of course Michele. In my heart, I thanked God for this opportunity/healing...I also was not sure yet if it had occurred, that I had been healed of the debilitating migraine headaches. 
I think I kind of staggered out of the house because it had been so very intense and quite emotional.  (There was that word from the Lord Michele had heard on her way over to Vicky's house- "emotion.")  Powerful. I left thinking that I didn't know if I were healed or not. Michele told me as I left, and the women agreed, to keep praising God for the healing and to rebuke the devil if I started to feel bad or to get a headache. I did do these suggestions over the next week or two. I still claim my healing occasionally, even now, sometimes when I get a headache...
NEVER a migraine, 7 1/2 years as of this last October (2014)!!!
THANK YOU, LORD, always and forever.
Aftermath and Conclusion:
I went home that day, very late in the afternoon. Our worship/study/prayer sessions were very long on Wednesdays as I earlier noted, and the laying-on-of-hands and praying for healing for me made the day extra long. When I arrived home that late afternoon, my husband Royce said, "You look terrible!" I told him what had happened. I know he was praying for me, too. I am sure that we prayed together at meals during the ensuing time period of days and thanked Jesus for His healing.

That first night as I was going to bed, I remember thinking that, very strangely, I did not need codeine for a headache!! I praised God!! I woke up in the night, and still, no need for medication!! Totally unheard of in my life during this last phase of headaches, which could change a bit in phases over the years, but had remained always very bad overall.

This continued for about two weeks, and then I definitely knew and claimed that I had been healed!! I waited for that time period of two weeks when I was as sure as I could be that this was a healing of those sickening headaches. Our whole family was around the table- Royce and me, our two grown kids, and our son-in-law, who is like a son to us, too! I told them the whole story in detail, from the beginning of Vicky's healing in her lower back and then talking and waiting for Michele and the Lord! I continued to that most special day when Michele came over at the prodding of the Lord and everything that took place.  My husband and our grown children knew MORE than anyone, but the Lord Himself, how I had suffered all of these years: the frustration, pain, constant intrusion and search for the answer to be well and to be free from migraine headache!! It was super quiet at our dining room table as my family listened how God loved me this much. These grown children had known me to be sick all these years, even after my bad car accident, the severe migraines had continued. Sometimes I had felt as though I mothered them from the couch and the bed when I was home and not teaching at school. The Lord had been good, though, because somehow we managed life, went to church, and I could be a homeroom mom each year, trading back and forth with each child as they grew up.

I wondered what they would think as they listened to how God had healed me by sending a friend in Christ and that they might wonder why God hadn't healed me way back earlier in our lives as a family. Royce reached over and touched my arm, and said, "I love you" after I finished telling them the complete story.
God is Jehovah Rapha, God our Healer, and He did it all, I know that full well, and for Him and His love and power, I rejoice!!
I know the healing of the migraine headache in my life! ~ my family’s lives included~ had a profound effect on their understanding of Jesus Chris, as well as my own understanding of Him. This healing has completely changed my life for the good, and it continues to be a powerful testimony of God's love for me, one of His children.

Bless you, Donna M.

***NOTE: Some people complain about the medical field and pharmaceutical drugs. There is such a thing as rebound headaches, which I will not go into, but I am extremely thankful that I live in America and have access to fantastic doctors to the greatest degree, plus we have companies that do research and have relieved the suffering of people thoughout the world. How horrible not to have anyone or medicines, but to be lying along a road somewhere with no help- living in utter horror and pain. Thanks be to the Lord for people who train to be in medicine, giving of their lives and time to help people all around the world, I say!  Praise Jesus Christ, Who was, is, and shall ever be~~~ forever.

^^^(To read Vicky Thomas’ story on her blog, www.activementoringinchrist.com about her personal story of the Lord’s great love and intervention in her life after she sustained a horrible accident of being struck by a car when she was walking as a pedestrian while at college: http://www.activementoringinchrist.com/2014_08_01_archive.html The first link will take you to the  most recent posting on her blog~ insights,  knowledge, study, and wisdom about Active Relational Christian Mentoring! She has a book that is to be published on this timely subject.  Michele Cole set up my blog from the very beginning, for which I am so thankful and indebted because this blog is a calling for me in the Lord. I would have never gotten it going without Michele's skillful love and help!  You can find Michele’s blog at: www.wantinsight.com Likewise, Joni Ames, Christian writer with spiritual gifts in teaching and the prophetic, (www.joniames.com) told me on several occasions that I must be writing books, books, books and that included a blog, which I was not interested to do whatsoever at the time! I feel I really owe the beginning of the writing of the blog, of course, to the Lord, with an extreme thankfulness to Joni's prophetic counsel over a period of time that was wonderful insistent, or my mind would have never entertained the idea so that God could mold me and shape me through the writing of a booklet of poems for friends, that then gave me content which I began to see I could apply in a blog!  God had His plans for my life in this endeavor, and through various happenings and the changing of my heart and mind, I cautiously began "The Healing is Always Christ." Jan has two sections of poetry in the blog and is a regular contributing author!  She is the most ever-present lady of the Lord in my life for some time and now, so wise and discerning. Here are the two direct links to her postings:



The Wedding Invitation and GO! by Jan Bracken AND A Salvation Prayer in Jesus Christ!
How could one be thankful enough to our Lord God Almighty for what He has done for us?  Life, health, to have our living and being- in Him, sight, sound, touch, children, parents, friends, our animal friends, ETERNITY with HIM through JESUS CHRIST alone!  Indeed, I am so grateful to God, my Father, for bringing these lovely Christian women (and more) into my life to help me day-by-day, to enrich and to teach me, to care for me, to show me The Way in Jesus, to listen to me---the list goes on.  I thank Him for these Friends; He has made my life so MUCH richer in our paths crossing- for me, anyway :)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.

Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings.

Hebrews 11:6

Psalm 145:18

Psalm 17:8

****FURTHER NOTES: Early on in having these debilitating headaches, I went to a nearby town from where Royce and I and our two kiddos lived...to see John and Frances Hunter (the Happy Hunters), who were Spirit-filled Christians (all true Christ-followers are filled with the Holy Spirit and have spiritual gifts) who traveled and would stop at a church for a night of ministry or perhaps several days for good purposes for the Lord such as spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ and prayed for people for healing and other needs- spiritual, emotional, and physical. Many times people were healed in Jesus' Name. I was not blessed with a healing of the migraine headaches at that time.
>>>Picture at top of page of Jesus Hugging Girl, by lostseed...copyright free graphics... www.lostseed.com