14. November 2011 by Bernice Davis.

Grace and Peace be unto you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Hello Everyone:

Welcome back from the weekend.   I know I was missing in action last week but I usually get down with sinus really bad about once a year and last week and this week is that time.  I’m on antibiotics but I have lost my voice.  Please keep me in your prayers.  I have a women’s conference to do on this weekend in California and I really don’t want to cancel.   I’ve never had to cancel a speaking engagement and this church is very special to me. 

Thanks for checking on me and for your patience.  I’ll be back posting on tomorrow.

Stay encouraged everyone and don’t forget to pray and read God’s word daily.

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7. November 2011 by Bernice Davis.

Grace and Peace be unto you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Hello Everyone:

Welcome back from the weekend.  I am so excited about our future in God.  I just feel so empowered and encouraged this morning.  

Today I want to talk to you about conflict.

I was studying the subject matter on this past Friday in a biblical counseling class that I am taking and I was so enlightened by the study.    The bible never ceases to amaze me.  You can have read things before and then all of a sudden when you come across it again, it’s all most like you knew read it yet you are very familiar with it.

I thought I would share with you today some of the notes:

The Bible teaches us in Romans 12:18 “if it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

As you see in the text, you may not always be able to avoid conflict but as far as we are concerned we should not participate in it.    All conflict is a result of sin whether it is a Man/God conflict or a Man/Man conflict. 

Sometimes peace may be outside of your reach.  You cannot make peace at the expense of truth and righteousness. 

There are some people with whom it is impossible to make peace.  I Corinthians 7:15 teaches that if the unbelieving depart let him depart.  A brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.    God does not hold you responsible for the sinful failures of others.

The most inspiring part of the lesson was the part where the speaker was talking about how conflict can be an opportunity to glorify God and be a witness.  People are watching us and our response to someone who is in conflict with us can be an amazing testimony to the change that God has made in our lives.

So glorify God today through your conflict.   Work it out and if the other party is resistant then maintain a stance that will be pleasing to our God.

Stay encouraged everyone and don’t forget to pray and read God’s word daily.

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2. November 2011 by Bernice Davis.

Grace and Peace be unto you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Hello Everyone:

Today, I was reading an excerpt from Billy Graham’s New Book available now called Nearing Home, Thomas Nelson, October 2011,  102 pages , $19.99 .  I intend to order it as soon as I finish with this blog.   It touched my heart so and made me realize that I can do more, be better, and I must take advantage of each moment of life.  It really just makes you put things in perspective.  I will write more comments on it once I’ve received it and finished reading it.  I encourage you to order it. This man was one of the greatest evangelists of our times.  His message was simply Jesus.   He was a true evangelist.   Even in this except and at the close of his life, you still can hear him calling the lost in. 

Here is the excerpt:

A headline on an Internet site read, “Death, the nation’s #1 killer.” The point was obvious—death is inevitable! No one can outrun death. It will catch up to all of us eventually. When I was interviewed by Newsweek in 2006 and asked to give a statement about death, I commented that I had been taught all of my life how to die, but no one had ever taught me how to grow old. That statement triggered a lot of interest, and I began thinking about a book on the subject.

I am certainly no expert on the subject of growing old, but now that I am gaining some experience, I have to admit that not all things get better with age. I have a newfound appreciation—and understanding—when I read this passage in Ecclesiastes 12:

Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, … Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed. (vv. 1, 6 NKJV)

When I read this passage as a young preacher, I can assure you I did not relate to it as I do now. What impresses me now is that Solomon, the wisest king ever to rule Israel, intended for the young to read it “in the days of … youth, before the difficult days come” (emphasis added).

When I was young, I could not imagine being old. My mother said, and the doctor confirmed, that I had an unusual amount of energy; and it followed me into young adulthood. When middle age set in, I dealt with physical weariness, but my mind was always in high gear, and it never took long for my physical stamina to return after a grueling schedule. It tires me out to dwell on it now, wondering how I ever kept up with such a jam-packed itinerary. I fought growing old in every way. I faithfully exercised and was careful to pace myself as I began to feel the grasp of Old Man Time. This was not a transition that I welcomed, and I began to dread what I knew would follow.

My wife, Ruth, however, was one of those who could lighten heavy hearts, especially mine. I will never forget when she announced what she wanted engraved on her gravestone, and for those who have so respectfully visited her gravesite at the Billy Graham Library, they have noticed that what she planned for was carried out to the letter.

Long before she became bedridden, she was driving along a highway through a construction site. Carefully following the detours and mile-by-mile cautionary signs, she came to the last one that said, “End of Construction. Thank you for your patience.” She arrived home, chuckling and telling the family about the posting. “When I die,” she said, “I want that engraved on my stone.” She was lighthearted but serious about her request. She even wrote it out so that we wouldn’t forget. While we found the humor enlightening, we appreciated the truth she conveyed through those few words. Every human being is under construction from conception to death. Each life is made up of mistakes and learning, waiting and growing, practicing patience and being persistent. At the end of construction—death—we have completed the process.

You formed my inward parts; …
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought. …
The days fashioned for me. (Psalm 139:13, 15–16 NKJV)

Death says, “This is the finality of accomplishment.” While we cannot add anything more to our experience, believers in Christ have the hope of hearing the Savior say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21 NKJV).

The apostle Paul spoke of the Christian being “rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith” (Colossians 2:7 NKJV). This is part of our ongoing construction in this life. But the Bible assures us that “if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Corinthians 5:1 NKJV). When Ruth was separated from her pain-stricken body and earthly construction was complete, she found lasting peace. Her dwelling now is eternal.

There is a stretch of highway going up into the mountains of western North Carolina that has been under construction for many years. It is rugged terrain. The North Carolina Department of Transportation has the task of blasting through boulders and mangled tree roots to carve a smooth pathway into the high country. Vehicles have been caught in rockslides and temporary road closings. Signs flash through the night, Proceed with Caution, as the road winds and twists through the hills, guiding drivers through the maze. When travelers living at the top of the mountain see the welcomed sign, End of Construction, they know they are nearing home. I have known many parents who live in that part of the state and who pace the floor knowing their teenagers are up and down that mountain all the time. Reaching their destinations safely brings relief.

Life can be like traveling a treacherous road. There are potholes that jolt us, detours that get us off course, and signs warning us of danger ahead. The destination of the soul and spirit is of utmost importance to God, so He offers us daily guidance. Some pay close attention to God’s directions; others ignore them and speed past the flashing lights. But everyone eventually arrives at the final destination: death’s door. This is where the soul is separated from the body.

Even on the cross, Jesus taught that death was a passage for the spirit into the presence of God (Luke 23:46). The psalmist declared, “God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave” (Psalm 49:15 NKJV). Have you committed your soul into the hands of its Maker? Are you following the caution signs that God has posted throughout His Guidebook, the Bible? “The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; He who keeps his way preserves his soul” (Proverbs 16:17 NKJV).

You may find yourself saying, “But, Billy, I’m nearing the end of life. I haven’t been a bad person.” There are many, young and old, who have said this as they have contemplated death, but it is my duty to speak the truth from God’s Word: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 NKJV).

As people grow older, the less surprised we are by their deaths, which often come only after an extended period of declining health. There even may be time for family members to gather and be with the dying person in the final hours. That is the way it was with Ruth. “Her body is beginning to shut down,” her doctor told me frankly. “Her death may still be some days away, but the process has begun, and you need to be prepared.” Two weeks later we gathered around her bedside as her breathing grew more shallow. I was seated by Ruth’s bedside holding her hand, and our daughter Anne was standing beside me. Suddenly Anne said, “She is in Heaven.”

Her breathing had stopped, and her hand slipped from mine. Her years of suffering were over; Ruth had entered her final home. Memories of those final months will remain with me the rest of my life: her growing frailty, her suffering, her expressions of love, our times of prayer, her certainty—and even joy—that soon she would be in the presence of the Lord she had loved and served for so many years. As I think back over those days, the familiar words of Psalm 23 come to me with new meaning, for they exemplify Ruth’s confidence as she sensed her time on earth was drawing to a close: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. … Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever” (vv. 4, 6 KJV).

Excerpted from Nearing Home by Billy Graham.

Nearing Home is available from ChristianBook.com and other book retailers.

Stay encouraged everyone and don’t forget to pray and read God’s word daily.

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1. November 2011 by Bernice Davis.

Grace and Peace be unto you from God our father and from the Lord Jesus Christ:

Hello Everyone: 

Today I was thinking on Grace.  To be honest, it was from a message that Bishop TD Jakes preached at our church on this past Sunday and it is still ringing in my ears.  He was talking about Paul’s opening address to the church at Ephesus using the Christian Greeting Grace and Peace that I always use at the beginning of my lessons.

The word grace comes from a word that means favor.  While he touched on so many things the part that really sticks out for me is the statement that he made that no matter what we are going through, God has already given us the “grace” to handle or go through.   While I know that we have all heard this statement before it was something about hearing it on this past Sunday that encouraged my heart so.   My mind seemed to click and all the things that I am going through just seemed so trivial in light of the awesome God I serve and the fact that he has graced me with all I need to be victorious.   I love this life in Christ.

Stay encouraged everyone and don’t forget to pray and read God’s word daily.

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31. October 2011 by Bernice Davis.

Grace and Peace be unto you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Hello Everyone:

Welcome Back from the Weekend.    All I can say was wow, wow, wow…  My weekend was soooo  great and church was simply AMAZING.   To God be the Glory.

Today, I would like to share with you a blog that Bishop JD Ellis shared on his face book page concerning Halloween.

Below is the article:

We all know that October 31 (Halloween) is an exciting day for many children for two main reasons.  The first is they are able to dress in costumes, with an end result of becoming a fantasy someone or something they have longed to be, and the second: CANDY!!!  But, as fun as this night looks and sounds, it’s hidden meaning can not be ignored and should be brought to the light so that parents, especially those who profess the Name of Christ, can make an educated decision about whether or not their child will participate in this affair.

The origins of Halloween can be dated back to the Celts, a people who were thoroughly pagan, who worshipped many gods, and who supposedly were ruled by kings, but the real power was actually in the hands of the Druids (a secret priestly society governed by terror and sorcery).  For the Celts, November 1 marked the beginning of a new year, in which they believed the old year died and the new-year began.  To commemorate this event, the Celts held what was called the Festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in) on the night before the new-year began; October 31.

Samhain was actually one of the Celts’ most powerful gods, the God of Death.  It was during this Festival (also called the Festival of Death) that Samhain was honored with human sacrifices.  Fires were started, and the Druids dressed in peculiar robes that typically consisted of mysterious, magical markings, and animal heads and skins.  In addition, each Druid had a large, hollowed out turnip with a lighted candle made of human fat burning inside.  Carved into the side of the hollow turnip (pumpkins began to be used in the 18th century) was the hideous face of a demon, symbolizing that a demon spirit dwelt inside.  This demon spirit served as the Druid’s spirit guide, directing and empowering his life. 

The Druids went door to door demanding either food or human sacrifices (treat).  If those in the occupied home could not comply to the demands of the Druids, then it was time for a trick in which a symbolic hex was drawn on the front door, and the people and their home were cursed with trouble, sickness and death. 

Halloween is not a Christian holiday.  Some have long been confused about Halloween being a Christian Holiday.  This confusion stems back to Pope Boniface IV when he attempted to get people to abandon the occult, idolatrous practices of the Festival of Samhain by him establishing All Saints Day on November 1.  This day was to honor the Christian dead (the hallowed ones), particularly those who died as martyrs in the Roman persecutions.

Unfortunately this attempt did not work, and instead caused more confusion because All Saints Day became know as All Halloweds, and since the Festival of Samhain always occurred the night before, that became known as All Halloweds Evening, finally evolving into Halloween.  The relationship in names and dates has caused the confusion that has long blurred the lines of Christianity for many Christians even still today.

As Christians, we can clearly see from where the practice of Halloween originated.  We can also see that the practices of Halloween are in contrast to the Word of God, and are in contrast to our beliefs.  We should not take part in practices that honor other gods because we are called to praise and worship the only True and Living God, Jesus!!!

In closing, you might think that Halloween is just innocent, harmless, commercialized fun for children.  But, I would give a word of caution that although children may feel it is fun; the origins and hidden meanings are certainly not.  As Christians, we must learn to take a stand and not compromise with something that is so directly in contrast with Christ.  If we don’t, then there will be no confusion about how the lines became so blurred, instead we will be the direct cause.  

Stay encouraged everyone and don’t forget to pray and read God’s word daily.

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28. October 2011 by Bernice Davis.

Grace and Peace be unto you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Hello Everyone:

It’s Friday and I just want to wish everyone a wonderful weekend.    I hope you are enjoying my new format where I am just sharing with you from my heart and the things that I think on daily concerning our God. 

For the past couple of days, I have been having this overwhelming passion for souls again.    I’m talking about the lost; people who have never accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

I remember the joy that filled my soul when I first got saved and how I returned to all my friends and family and told them about the new love I found.  Some followed in my footsteps and I stayed excited because I was overwhelmed by seeing people find Jesus. 

Sometimes we can be saved so long that we forget about the mission of the church which is to win the loss.

I believe that a lot of our depression and frustration will be alleviated when we begin sharing our testimony again and watching others surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ.  I’m excited.  Going for his glory.  Have a great weekend and take the time to go out of your way and find someone whose needs Christ. 

The problem with our world is sin and we have the answer which is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Stay encouraged everyone and don’t forget to pray and read God’s word daily.

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27. October 2011 by Bernice Davis.

Grace and Peace be unto you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Hello Everyone:

Our text for today is as follows: 

Psalms 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God:  I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” 

Another common language from the New Age camp is terminology such as “Listen to the stillness in your heart” or “what is the stillness in your life saying to you”?    Many of them will reference this particular psalm.   But is this psalm really about meditation. 

 The command to be still in this particular psalm comes from a Hebrew word meaning to be weak, to let go, or to release. 

The context of this text then teaches us to let go and surrender because God is in control.    It is not instructing us to meditate and then hear a command from the Lord but to live our lives knowing that God rules and has control of everything.   To let go and surrender seems to suggest that the person is resisting or fighting against.   

I was reminded by this passage today that God is the one that ultimately decides all things.   When we surrender to the fact that God is in control then we will release our fears and live in peace.  No matter what the condition of your life or this world, our God is still on the throne and everything is safe, all is well and everything is just as it should be. 

So be still and know that I am God.

Stay encouraged everyone and don’t forget to pray and read God’s word daily.

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26. October 2011 by Bernice Davis.

Grace and Peace be unto you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Hello Everyone: 

Our text for today is:

Psalms 34:10 “The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

I was so moved by this text today.   The Lion is considered to be a strong and powerful animal of the wild.  They usually dominate where they stay and have always been characterized by their courage and strength.    The Psalmist writes that even those powerful animals will at times lack and suffer hunger but they that seek the Lord will not want any good thing.  

No matter how strong, or how weak we are the only criteria for having a life where we will not lack any good thing is that we are committed to seeking God.    Please let me clarify this.  This does not take away from social responsibility.  If you seek God truly then your character, attitude and actions will line up with the word of God and you will become the person that the scriptures declare we can be in God.

The question then to ask is what really “any good thing” is?

The Hebrew word for “good thing” means pleasant, prosperous, moral good, happiness, success, ethical, welfare, etc.  It speaks to the total welfare of an individual.   Seeking God provides you the life that will be moral, ethical, and prosperous and will provide you with an overall sense of well being, peace and fulfillment.   You will not lack ANY GOOD THING.

Stay encouraged everyone and don’t forget to pray and read God’s word daily.

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25. October 2011 by Bernice Davis.

Grace and Peace be unto you from God our father and from the Lord Jesus Christ:

Hello Everyone: 

Today I was reading an old journal of mine from 1996.  I use to journal a lot but have gotten away from it over the years.  I ran across these comments that I made on this passage of scripture and I would like to share it with you today. 

Luke 5:23 “therefore if thou bring they gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;  leave there thy gift before the altar and go thy way:  first be reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift. 

Isn’t it amazing that before God accepts the things we do for him, he requires us to be reconciled to our brother even if we weren’t the ones that did the offending?  If we know there is tension whether we caused it or not, we’re instructed to be the bearer of reconciliation.     God has always been concerned about us being in right standing with our brothers and sisters.  We cannot focus on our relationship with God and be in terrible relationships with people.   A reflection of loving God is loving people.  The scriptures teach us that how can we really love God whom we have not seen and hate our brother whom we see daily.  Work on relationships today.  It really does hinder the type of relationship we can have with God.  We will not fully embrace the fullness of fellowship we can have with God if we do not begin to heal the relationships that are around us.  

Stay encouraged everyone and don’t forget to pray and read God’s word daily.

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24. October 2011 by Bernice Davis.

Grace and Peace be unto you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Hello Everyone:

Welcome back from the weekend.   Today begins a new format for me in my daily devotional.   I will be focusing on scriptures from my own daily time with the Lord and will be sharing more with you from my own personal journey. 

Our text for today is as follows: 

Matthew 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat , or what ye shall drink ; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on . Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap , nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow ; they toil not, neither do they spin :

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is , and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought , saying , What shall we eat ? or, What shall we drink ? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed ? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

The text that we are reading today is used a lot in the new age camp.  I’m sure you’ve heard of the language “in the now” or “being present.”  The concept behind those thoughts are you miss what life is trying to teach you or you don’t get the fullness out of your life if you don’t just totally be engrossed in your “right now moment.”   They talk of how distractions and worries and other things can cause you to not live life to the fullest because you’re always thinking ahead of now and miss out on the moment.  Many of the new agers will even give credit to Jesus for this concept and will quote the above passage.  

What our Lord teaches us in this passage is that worrying will not bring about change, or will not cause any situation to get better.  As a matter of fact, worrying causes things to get worse and can develop into physical and emotional problems.   While this text does not negate planning for tomorrow, it does forbid worrying about tomorrow. 

Jesus teaches us that if we focus on “kingdom business.”  Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness then all these things will be added to us.  The things that Jesus was talking about that would be added to us are our daily provisions.    The reason that a lot of Christians don’t see this fulfilled in their lives is because the cares of the world have caused them not to focus on their spiritual lives and because they have created a life for themselves that is far above what they can physically sustain.   God promised to meet our daily necessities which include food, clothing and provisions.   Many of us have created a lifestyle out of lust and greed, and coveting of what someone else had and have created un-necessary struggles.    We pray to God to give us the money to handle a lifestyle that we cannot afford and has become a spiritual downfall.    We often say that God told us to do it but if we would be honest we know that the word teaches that the blessings of the Lord maketh rich and addeth no sorrow with it.   

The text also teaches us that it is the Gentiles who constantly go after these worldly things.  That is their focus.  They seek after them but our focus should be on seeking after God.  Jesus goes on to teach that the Father knows that we have need of what the Gentiles seek after but our focus should be on HIM and HE will provide.   This does not mean that God wants us to live a poor or middle class life especially if you have a desire for wealth.  God knows we need money for kingdom business.  Wealth doesn’t come from just asking God alone.  It comes from a business plan, hard work, sacrifices, risks, etc.  

About five years  ago, my husband and I started on a journey to simplify our lives by getting rid of all of our debt, changing our mortgage from a 30 year to a 15 year to get it paid off early and we  have met our goals.  We officially only have a mortgage payment left from getting rid of over 100,000 dollars worth of credit card debt along with another 60,000 in car notes.   We hope to soon get the mortgage paid off.  Living debt free is so rewarding and liberating and allows us to do so much more for the kingdom.   It was very challenging though and it required a major adjustment in our lifestyle along with numerous sacrifices.  We sat down together and put a plan in place and we stuck to it.  God blessed our efforts and even opened up more doors for us to make money which helped us get rid of the debt earlier than we had planned.     I truly give God all the glory.  

I must admit as I am writing this, I still need to focus more on “seeking God.”    I have asked God to take the task of this world out of my mouth and to help me fall more in-love with HIM and the work of winning souls to the kingdom.     I can do better.

Stay encouraged everyone and don’t forget to pray and read God’s word daily.

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