Not So Very Merry Day That Ends In Rejoicing!

Here we are, getting ready for the holiday season. My daughter and I have done everything we know to do to build our Avon business, and we decided to have a booth at that Craft and Gift Bazaar at our local mall. We had such a great time the first two days, things have been going pretty well, even without a lot of traffic, we were just trusting that God would send the people through to build our business and buy our product.

After two amazing and fun days, we came in this morning, only to find that a couple of young ladies, teenagers, had raided through our products and stole quite a bit of the products and fund raising items off our table the night before. After taking inventory, speaking multiple times with security and going over security tapes, I was absolutely out of my mind this morning.

I think I was more heart broken than anything. I am the type of person that, regardless how much money I owed on something, if I know you need it, I would have just given it to you, rather than make you pay, only to find these two just so blatantly, without any kind of regard to us, just went "shopping" for themselves and walked out without any conscience whatsoever.

All I could think was, what a world we are living in, when kids just think its okay to take whatever they want and they aren't even bothered by it. Our children are so numb to breaking the law, bad behaviors, hate and deceit. It is like, it doesn't seem real to them, no big deal to do this, "why should it bother you?" type of attitude. My heart is so saddened by this, by the lack of conscience and lack of regard to others.

Even with the hardest trials and pain, there are lessons to learn. We must learn to forgive and show compassion to those who have hurt you, to show them the love of God and remember that everyone is going through something. I praise God that He has given me a heart to love. Even in a not so merry day, I can find beauty and joy through it all. I'm not saying I wasn't devastated, I surly was! I am saying that even though I had pain, I was hurt, that I was able to find something good to find out of this situation. I was able to find joy and peace in the midst of the storm. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind." II Timothy 1:7

God asks us to put away the fear of hurt, pain, and rejection to allow Him to give us the Love and Power to show compassion and forgiveness to others, to those who have hurt or wronged us in some way. I chose this, I chose God's love, power, and sound mind. To make a not so merry day, a day that the Lord has made, one that I can rejoice and be glad in it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you this season! 

From 

The Clausens

Taking a Breath!

Sometimes we all get caught up in life, struggling to just get from point A to point B, we wonder why

it is such a struggle and is it really worth it? God shows us over and over again in the Bible that He works all things out for the good, that even in the worst of times there is ALWAYS something to praise Him for in this life. Through every struggle in the Bible we see one person who stands out, who God recognizes as His Child, the one to bring other's together or to Him. What do they have in common?

They prayed, they praised, they listened, they worshipped, and they paused, yes they took a breath
. They just didn't run into every situation hot headed and saying "I am the greatest and God will do this because of who I am." No, they said, "with God's help, because He's the greatest, we will be victorious in the name of God, because of who He is..."

When we come to those times in our life when the struggle is real, and we don't know what we should do, that is when we should stop, pray, listen, and take a breath. It could be in that still, small moment of taking the time to breathe everything will become clear, that God can speak to our hearts above the loudness of the crazy and lead us in the direction we should go.

Parenting Isn't for Whimps

I can tell you, I have heard people talk about successful parenting, who they think are great parents and who they think have raised their children successfully. I wonder what criteria we gauge success on for parents? Is it that they have made it through infancy and toddlerhood without much incident? They made it through adolescence alive? Do we gauge it on being productive members of society, never been to jail or prison by the time they are adults? Do we look at how much they make, whether they have a degree or if they went on to college after high school? Or...

Do we look at their character, do we look at their lives, their hearts, and see if they are kind, compassionate, loving, forgiving and show the love of God to others. Our children are perfect in our own eyes, no matter what they do, I have seen that from others myself, but what do others see in our children? Do they see all the values and convictions you tried to instill in them? Do they see their mistakes and strange decisions as your personal failures, or something to learn from...

I had no idea when my children were small that I would worry about them more as adults, than I did when they were small. I wonder if I did enough. Was my influence louder than the noise coming from outside our home. I wonder if I taught them enough to be strong, independent and yet caring and able to love another with all they are. Did I teach them enough about my God, who He is and what He should mean to them. Did I teach them about family, who their family is, and how to embrace the good, the bad, and the ugly that comes from it all.

I remember in Proverbs 22:6 that tells me to "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

That promise I stand on everyday as a mother of three adult children. I know I did teach them, and tried to lead them, God knows I tried to do the best for Him, and He is the only one that knows for sure if I did the best job at teaching them, training them in the way of the Lord. Did I show them love, compassion, patience, and the other fruit of the spirit. Was I a good enough example? I pray everyday that I still am. I am not perfect, God knows I try, but I can only strive to be the best self, I can be for Him, and for my kids.

Remember, God promises "His word will not return to Him void..." which means when we teach our Loving God to someone through His word and His promises, it goes in and stays with that person, we may not see the fruit of our seeds in our lifetime, but God will use it in their hearts and lives and He will see a harvest in His time. A promise I give to you, IN JESUS NAME, AMEN

Give Thanksgiving and Praise

Psalms 100:4 - Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. 5- For the Lord is good: His mercy is everlasting: and His truth endureth to all generations.

Wow, what a time we are going to have when we get to Heaven. Taking our time with the Lord, worshiping, praising, and thanking God for ALL He has done for us in our lives. We will be continuously be in an attitude of worship and praise for delivering us from the depths of hell, from our sins, and from the hold Satan had on our lives until we submitted our will, our heart and our lives to the Lord, God Almighty.

He wants us to be thankful, He loves to hear our praises, He is our Father, and He longs to hear us tell Him how much He means to us. He knows that we will be grateful when we are in Heaven, He knows what the end will be for each one of us, but what He treasures more than anything is to hear us NOW.

Although we will praise Him forever in Heaven for the mighty things He has done for us, He would love to hear from us today. He wants to know that we can see Him in the little things of our lives. He wants us to see him working through us, in us, and to us now, not just in the future when we look back on our lives. He wants to see if we can look at our day and see what He has given us today.

Counting our blessings, naming them each day, one by one, seeing where our Heavenly Father worked in our lives at that moment, in that situation, with that crazy boss, and in the little things our children have said or done. Listening to friends and family who will say they saw Him in aspects of the day, when He was allowed to work in it.

Times are hard for all, there are frustrations, hurt and pain all around, but when we allow Jesus Christ to be the Lord of our lives, we will be able to see Him in so many aspects of life, daily even when we're not looking. He wants to hear our praises, He rejoices in them too. Not because they are required to be His child, but because it lets our Lord know that we see Him working in our lives. He wants know His Children love and appreciate Him and all He does here, today, in this world, not just in the world to come.

It also opens our heart, it is humbling to know that we can't do and didn't do everything all by ourselves, that we have someone watching out for us all the time, every day, who loves us and wants to give us a little piece of Heaven here on Earth.

Go ahead, give Him praise! Be thankful to Him, BLESS HIS NAME!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all and God bless you...

Can We Really Walk and Please God?

You know I was thinking about the verses in I Thes 4:1-4, it tells us that as Paul and other Apostles have taught us how we are to walk and please God, and because we have been shown this, that we should walk and please God, so we would abound more and more, that we would know what commandments He gave us, It is the will of God to be sanctified, and abstain from your sins. That we should know how to possess HIS VESSEL in SANCTIFICATION and HONOR.

Now I did not write these verses word for word, but pretty close to the text, just easier for others to understand. Paul was telling us that over and over, in the words of his letters, he has given us the best plans to be able to sanctify ourselves, in other words, how to set ourselves apart, declared holy and ready for God's use, and he also gave us verse after verse teaching us what it means to live honorably, to walk by the standards of God and how to live a life that is pleasing to God. When we continue daily, walking honorably and set apart for God we grow more and more in God's love, His grace, and in the Fruit of the Spirit, and in these things, we truly begin to know what it feels like to be in the presence of God.

When others tell you, "I would love to be that "perfect Christian" that everyone thinks we are supposed to be," You can grin and say something like, "oh, so would I, but I am working on it every day, even if it is little by little." Because, no one is an 100% absolute perfect Christian. There is no such thing. If there was, then Christ would not have had to die for us. All we can do, is what God sent Christ here for us to learn, what He gave us the word of God to read and learn, and why he sent the apostles, preachers, teachers and evangelists here to teach us, because we have to GROW into what God calls perfection. We won't be there until we get to heaven, but we grow in grace and knowledge in the word of God, in the way of God by first RENEWING OUR MIND  (Romans 12:2) . Each day we need to wake up, asking God to change our minds, to keep our minds and hearts on His word, on things He would have us to think on and to begin to help you grow and to learn to live in Honor to Him., He will help you, and as you learn you will find you will begin to have more of the Mind of Christ more and more everyday. Phil 2:5 says, "let this mind be in you, which is also in Christ Jesus." 

The second step is to Separate Yourself Daily, "And the very God of Peace sanctify you wholly: and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (I Thes 5:23) this sounds like a huge word, but what it means is that the day you accepted Christ as your Savior, God came into your spirit as the Holy Spirit and took up residence, He then Separated YOU, and claimed YOU, holy, perfect, and blameless for God's Use. As a child of God, YOU must every day, while asking for a renewal of your mind, you also ask God to keep your heart and mind separated, to keep your heart and mind on the things of God and off the things of this world. In Romans 12:2 he states, "And be not conformed to this world, but BE YE TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." To me, this shows that no matter what you do for Christ, if you separate yourself, you are separating your mind and that will renew your mind, but you cannot separate your heart and body from the things of the world without FIRST separating and renewing your mind... they go hand in hand.

You will find, this is not an easy thing to do, but when you ask God to do it for you, He will do it, and you will find choosing the things of God Daily gets easier and easier, you find that the more you do it, the stronger you feel in God, in making the right choices, and in learning to walk as God would have you to walk, stand as He would have you to stand, and think as He would have you to think. You will find, that righteous life God has created you to be in II Cor 5:17 becomes very real to you. You find that you feel closer to God everyday, and when you feel like you are getting ready to make a huge mistake, you will begin to realize that is the Holy Spirit talking to you and nudging you to think about what you are doing. It could be something at work someone asked you to do that you are wondering if it would be the honorable thing to do, it could be a place you were thinking about going, something you were thinking about getting ready to say, or even how you react to your spouse or child. As you Grow, as you keep renewing your mind and separating yourself to the things of God and walking in Him, you will find that catching yourself, making the right decisions, standing up for right, and even sharing God with others gets easier and easier.

We know NO ONE does RIGHT every single time. We would love to, but it isn't the reality of things, but I can tell you that as we read the bible building up the word of God in your heart, praying everyday, sharing your life, love, and heart with God, He will be able to speak to you in a way that is clearer and clearer to you in your ears, heart, and  mind. These are simple steps to begin to live our lives holy, separated and different than the rest of the world. They are simple steps, and because they are so simple so many people want to make it harder, they reject these things saying, "It has to be harder than that, you have to work for something, don't you? It can't be so simple, growing up I learned that there was so much more to living for God." It isn't at all, if you follow the truth of God's word, If you simply give Him your Mind and Yourself Daily, He will help you against the temptation of the Devil, He will help you say NO to your flesh, and He will Help you to STAND.

As He gave His all, His Son, and Himself for you, you need to do the same for Him. As you grow, read, pray, and begin to have that Mind of Christ, you will begin to feel that sweet communion with God. YOU can actually feel His presence in your life, in your daily walk. You will feel His pull on your heart when you are starting to "walk outside of His will" or when you are getting ready to sin. He will show your heart what grieves His heart and He opens your eyes to more and more of what His grace has covered in your life. He shows you more and more of His plan for you and your family. He lifts you up and praises you for your right choices and blesses you with more and more blessings than you can ever imagine. The joy that others talk about, you will begin to understand, more and more as you grow in Him.

Isn't that WONDERFUL NEWS? Would you like to have the Mind of Christ today? Would you like to know His peace, His will and Hear His Voice in a way you have never heard before? You can, TODAY, it is just that easy! Call on Him today.

Below are simple prayer samples for you, if you want to feel the goodness of God daily, please take time to pray a simple prayer to God Daily, if you don't know what to say, these are just simple ideas of what you may say to Him, but just talk to Him, your father, He will listen. 

If you are already a Child of God and Want to know His Will, His Way, and to have the mind of Christ, to be able to Sanctify Yourself Daily...DAILY Pray something like this:

Dear Lord, I thank you that you are the Lord of My life, I thank you that you have saved my soul from the wicked sinful man/woman that I once was. I know I am not perfect and that I have failed you in so many ways, but I ask you today Lord to help me, today and every day, help me to renew my mind and set my mind, my thoughts, my words, and my way renewed, separated and Holy for you. Help me to keep my mind set on you today, and thank you God for doing this for me. I praise you for all you are and all you have done for me, for your son on the Cross for my sins, and I know that you want the best for me. Please Father, in the Name of Jesus Christ help me to listen to you and learn your will and way for my life, daily, and let me know your plans for me as I walk with you.

In Jesus Name I pray, AMEN.

If you have never accepted Christ as your Savior, and want to Live for Him, before you pray the prayer above daily, you MUST be Saved. Please Pray a prayer, something like this below to accept Christ as Your Personal Savior...

Dear God, I come to you to day, humbly, thanking you for the Cross at Calvary, your Son who died on that Cross for my sins and for me to live for you daily here on this earth. Lord I believe that Jesus Christ IS the Son of God, that He died for my sins, and that He came to save me from Hell. I Know I am a sinner and I am sorry for my sins, and I ask you God to help me change my heart and mind, change from my sinful ways and become your child. I ask you to renew my mind daily and separate me from the things of this world. Become the Lord of my life and my father. I thank you and praise you for all you are, for being my God and my Father, and I thank you for coming into my life and making me your child. 

In Jesus Precious Name, AMEN.

Mountain Moving Faith!

Mark 11:22-24 - "And Jesus Answering saith unto them, Have Faith in God. For verily I say unto you that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." 

Over and over we are told if we have faith, if we confess in the name of Jesus that things are to happen, then by faith in the Name of Jesus Christ we will have what we claim. We we know it has happened, it shows it in the Word of God, but many of us have SEEN it for ourselves, not back in the bible times, but here, in the present, we have seen these things happen. Confession in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ with true faith in Him, Believing that He WILL do what He said HE WOULD DO, and standing FIRM on the Word of God, the Bible, and to His promises, then God will do what you ask.

I have heard so many people say, "Oh to have that kind of faith, I wished I could just see it happen, it work in someone's life, then I could believe it for myself." I wished that were true, when the people asked Jesus for signs to "prove" himself, He told them, "you have been here when I have worked many miracles, you have seen the power of God in healing, in prayers, and in the things I have done already, and you are still asking for a sign, there will be no more signs, because you won't believe them even when they come to you." (my own translation of the verses) He had just fed the 5000 men, plus women and children, a few days later, He had fed the 4000 men PLUS women and Children a second time, He had healed the woman with the issue of blood, brought a girl back to life, turned water into wine, gave sight to the blind and healed the lame, the men with leprosy, and had even released the demons from peoples bodies, and they were still asking for proof.

So many times He would say, "o ye of little faith," which I can today still hear his disappointment in His voice, something like, "O my children, why can't you just believe me? I am here for YOU and you can't see or understand what I am here for in this world." I am sure His heart was so saddened.

Here's the thing, WE don't HAVE to have this doubt, we do not have to question His works, His power, and His ability to answer to prayer, He will do EVERYTHING, ABOVE ALL, WE COULD ASK OR THINK. HE WANTS to answer our prayers, HE WANTS to reveal His power to you on a personal level, He is just waiting on you to show Him faith strong enough to move the mountains that are standing before you. He promises to do what you ask, when you ask Him in HIS NAME. Have faith in God, know that God still answers prayer, have faith that the God who made the heavens and the earth truly sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for you, and has the Power over LIFE AND DEATH, over POVERTY, over SICKNESS, PAIN, and So MUCH MORE!!! 

If you want signs and proof that He can do anything above all you ask or think, then look at our lives. Look at this ministry. Every time we call on the Name of the Lord in Faith, He has delivered us, helped us through hard times that we have created for ourselves. He has moved mountains we could have never moved on our own, but we have done all, IN THE NAME OF OUR LORD, JESUS CHRIST, IN FAITH, BELIEVING that HE WILL DO, what we ASK from Him. He has delivered our lives from addictions, pain, controversy, he has provided for us, food, homes, jobs, and  paid our bills when we didn't have a dime to our name. He has brought people along the way, in our lives to encourage us, lift our hearts, and help us through difficult and painful situations, and He has rejoiced with us, when our JOY is so FULL, it is overflowing.

HE IS ABLE TO DO EVERYTHING IN YOUR LIFE, THAT HE WANTS TO DO. YOU JUST have to ask Him, believing, and through faith in Him. Start your own life of signs, miracles and wonders as a testimony to others, TODAY!!! I believe you CAN DO IT!