Treasures Of The Heart! by Myra Boozer

Proverbs 2:1, “My son, (or daughter) if you will receive my words and treasure my commandments within you, 2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding; 3 For if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding; 4 If you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God.” NASB

The things that I love and hold dear to my heart are just borrowed they're not mine at all... Jesus only let me use them to brighten my life...So remind me, remind me, dear Lord. The words of an old song hold true today. I have loved and held many things close to my heart. I have had so many blessings and material goods. No, I am not wealthy compared to some. But compared to others, I am. I have had my share of the comforts of life, not extravagant things but enjoyable things. Some have been very useful and some just pretty to look at and some just plain and simple little treasures. But, things are just that, they are “Things.” Things can be replaced if lost or stolen. They are disposable and transferable. They are things.

Sometimes things get in the way of what is important. They can become too meaningful and take our time and energy away from what really counts. I am learning to lay them down. Day by day they are losing their value to me. I have been letting them go from my heart for some time now because I will not take them with me. They have served their purpose thus far and I am very thankful for all I have been given to enjoy along the way.

I have always tried to keep my head straight as for how I spend our money. I have tried to be saving and practical, you know the bargain hunter kind of person. But even at a bargain, the “things” you have can become a part of you. You become familiar with them and they sometimes become “treasures.” They may not be worth much to anyone else but you. They are special to you.

Well, I have had lots of those special things hidden away in old hat boxes or the dresser drawers and in closets, even under the beds. Things I have saved from our only little boy, baby clothes, little cars and things he saved thru the years. Things that make you smile, like a costume I made him for his 1st-grade play, pictures he drew of his house, family and the neighbor's dog. The dog stayed at our house because he loved it so much. You know “treasures” that I don’t plan on throwing out but my heart is letting go.

I think I understand the purpose is for letting go. It isn’t wrong to have things but it is wrong for things to have us. When what we have and what we do is all about things and we just want to live on and on so we can secure and protect our treasures, we need to release them. There are no U-hauls going to heaven. I don’t want the tears that are wiped away from my eyes to be about the “things” I have accumulated. I will leave all that behind. 

1 John 2:15, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world...” I am letting go! The greatest treasures I have are My precious Family, My Relationship with the Lord and My Understanding of His Word. I celebrate the fact that He died, that I might live and that has nothing to do with “things.” That is my greatest treasure! And, that my friend, I must hold on to for ever and NEVER LET GO. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,” Matt. 6:21.

The Gift Of God Is Eternal Life!

Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Our frail human mind is incapable of fully comprehending the magnitude of God’s gift to us. How can someone whom we haven’t previously known be willing to sacrifice His only Son for our benefit? Romans 5:6, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

When we knew not how lost we were, God had planned for our total and complete deliverance. Through the precious blood offering of His Son Jesus, the pure and spotless Lamb of God, the penalty for sin was paid. When barely for a righteous man and possibly for a good man some would dare to die, God loved us when we were still sinners.

Jesus died for us and we are justified by His blood. We are saved from the wrath of God as we look to the cross and believe. When the sin in us made us enemies of God we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son. We have now received life through the atonement for our sin by Christ Jesus. He died and rose again to provide our deliverance, to free us from the curse of sin and sin’s punishment.

God’s desire is for all men everywhere to be saved. 1 Timothy 2:4, “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all...” God has prepared the way through the gift of His only Son. The penalty for sin has been paid. All one needs to do is repent of his sins and accept the Lordship of Christ in his life. 

Pray this prayer with me and receive God’s unspeakable GIFT of salvation. “Lord Jesus Christ, I desire to be saved from the curse of sin and sin’s punishment. Thank You for paying my penalty for sin. I believe You gave Your life to ransom my life. I believe You died on the cross but You rose victorious over death, hell and the grave on the third day just as You had promised. I’m tired of my life of sin. From this moment forward, I give my life to You. I belong to You. Use me for Your honor and glory and give me an eternal home with You in heaven. Thank You for Your GIFT of eternal life in Jesus Christ! Thank You for saving me! Amen!”

So Simple, Yet So Deep! by Myra Boozer

This is for anyone that just might not know your purpose in life as of yet. Well, here is Good News! Read John 15:4, "Abide, in me, and I in you." So simple, yet so deep and rich. In abiding, you seek, long for, thirst for, wait for, see, know, love, hear and respond to. More abiding means, more of God in your life, more of Him in your activities, thoughts, and desires, more of Him in your hopes and dreams.

When we really abide in His love, we feel so nourished, so cherished. We are His beloved child, a worthy heir. We are a child of the King, more than His creation if we have surrendered our heart to Him. Now abide! "As the branch, it cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide, in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in Me," John 15:4. My thoughts were inspired by Secrets of the Vine by Bruce Wilkinson. 

Sometimes we get confused as to what God wants from us. I think this is it and the rest will come as we keep running to Him. We understand completely what his plans are for our life. Day by day, little by little, moment by moment we just rest in Him and look for doors of opportunity that He places in our path. We follow His lead and stay close to Him. So Simple, Yet So Deep!

Go Back To The Beginning!

Wake us oh Lord to the full measure of your truth. We will not be content with only the resemblance of truth. Baptize us in your truth. Immerse us in your person. Let us put on the Lord Jesus Christ and be a living example because He is in us.

Go back to the beginning! God is the beginning and in Him we live and move and have our being. He is the beginning, the beginning of time, the beginning of creation, the beginning of life, the beginning of man, the beginning of love, etc. James 1:16, “Do not err, my beloved brethren. 17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 18Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” In this chapter, James is addressing the mortal weakness of man and his propensity to sin. And right in the middle, he plants this golden nugget. Sure there is imperfection all around us but our life comes from above, from the Father of lights who never changes and there is not even an allusion to His changing. He is always the same, consistent, loving, compassionate, powerful, delivering, victorious Father.

Before the existence of anything, God was! In the beginning, God! Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” I feel that He is pulling us back to Himself as in 1 John 1:1, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;” John’s reference is to Jesus, the Word of Life being the incarnation of God who was from the beginning.

He has been with us from the beginning of THIS journey and He wants us to understand that it is through Him that we will finish. There is no other power, presence or virtue sufficient to complete our assignment. He will magnify our efforts and ministry as He receives the honor and glory for the results. The Holy Spirit is calling “come wrap yourself in the power of His presence and allow Him to perform in you His glorious works!” I am weak but He is strong. If we allow Him to fully control our lives, we are made strong in our weakness because our weakness is God's strength. There is no enemy that can stand against Him, there is no foe that He cannot overcome. There is no fortress that can withstand Him and no opposition that He cannot vanquish. Come, come to Him now. No! Run, run to Him now and allow him to wrap you in His mantle of authority and shelter you from the storms ahead. 

I hear the rumbling in the distance, the sound of a mighty army moving into position. It is a well-prepared force, each warrior is in his place and prepared to do his duty. There is no fear in their number because they have been washed clean. Though their sins were as crimson, their raiment is white as snow. And there is one with them whose name no one can know except that His eyes are a flaming fire and He is clothed with a vesture dipped in blood and His name is the Word of God. Out of His mouth comes a sharp sword to smite the nations and rule them with the rod of Truth and He tramples the wine-press of the wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His garment and on His thigh written the name, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. At His appearing, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that JESUS IS LORD.

Go back to the beginning. The beginning is the revelation, the vision, the dream, the communication of heaven. What is the foundation of your revelation, vision, dream or Word from the Lord? Your future depends upon your revelation. Is your life built upon Jesus Christ and His Word? Matt. 7:24, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” 

We look at the condition of our world and know that we are living in perilous times. But it is going to get worse. We don't know exactly when the Church is going to be caught away (raptured), but we do know that conditions are going to get progressively worse. The foundation of our revelation must be the Truth of God as revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost! Go Back To The Beginning!

Jesus Take Control! by Myra Boozer

There comes a time in all of our lives when the things we thought would happen just didn't happen for whatever reason. But, God wants us to be still and know that He sees every tear and every challenge we have faced. He is telling us to "Be still, and know that I am God..." Psalm 46:10.

Being still is so very hard for a child, and sometimes as an adult, we get very anxious acting like a little child, wanting what we want, thinking we have everything figured out. We may think we have grown to maturity and think we have the bull by the horns. We have not! We must stand and look into the face of our great and mighty Maker and say woe is me for I am still childish. 

“Take control of my life Lord and bring me to the place you want me to be, even though I may be kicking and rebelling all the time against you and your plan for my life. Yes, Lord please pick me up and correct me as I know you are a good Father and what you do will be for my own good. Times are changing fast and I lose my way. I must have your supervision in order to make my way to the place you have prepared for me and my family. Change me, Lord, into your image and into the Christian adult you want me to be. In your Holy Righteous Name I do humbly ask." Jesus, Take Control!

Is This The Beginning Of The End?

Acts 3:18, “But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. 19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.”

The prophecies by Old Testament prophets concerning the coming of Jesus Christ and what He would suffer were fulfilled perfectly. Jesus was crucified and rose from the grave becoming victorious over death. His disciples saw Him ascend into the heavens where He sits at the right hand of the Father. He will remain there until the time of "restitution of all things." Then the prophecies concerning His second coming with be fulfilled perfectly just as the first advent.

Are we near the “restitution of all things.” The stage is being set and the players are taking their places. God is moving the course of human events to the culmination of this age. Current events are a testimony to where we are as we approach the final curtain.

As I was reading and meditating on the question, “Is This The Beginning Of The End,” I came upon the following article entitled, “Jesus Is Coming.” This was written by Bishop Samuel Clements, General Overseer of the Church of God of Prophecy and published in the church’s magazine, The White Wing Messenger, on April 26, 2016. In light of the events that have engulfed our world, I feel impressed to share it here.

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:25–28).

“Jesus is coming! He is coming swiftly! He is coming suddenly and we must be ready. In Matthew 26 Jesus said, “Nevertheless I say unto you, hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven.”

The angels said He would come again. The Holy Ghost, by the mouth of the apostles said He would come again. Paul said, “But ye brethren are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you as a thief.” In the fourth chapter of the book of Thessalonians, Paul wrote “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first.” The last book of the Bible, Revelation, begins and ends with the theme of His coming. Every chapter relates to this subject. World events revolve around it. Jesus is coming and nothing or no one can stop Him.

The second coming of Christ should be the foremost hope in our minds. It is the key factor in our faith. At the time of His ascension, the angels stood by and spoke to those who had been with him and said, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven.”

At His first coming he put off his glory and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men. He was clothed with the veil of flesh, but at His second coming, he will be clothed with the garments of God. At his first coming, he appeared in weakness, an infant in a manger, but at his second coming, he shall appear in power as the King of Glory, the sign of His exaltation before God the Father.

He is coming in the glory of the Father, He is coming in the glory of the angels as the Captain of the Host of Heaven. He is coming in the glory of the church as the bridegroom with the bride. The Son of God, the root and offspring of David. The Son of Man; born of a woman, the crucified man, the risen man, the infinite eternal man; the one who was God and man—Jesus Christ. He is coming as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. “He which testifieth these things saith, surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).” 

Thank you Bishop Clements for this timely message. My prayer is that God will open our eyes to understanding the significance of current events. God reveal to the Body of Christ the urgency of Your message! The world is doomed to eternal darkness except they turn to Jesus Christ in repentance. “Repent ye therefore...” Acts 3:19

Lord, I Will Trust In You! by Myra Boozer

When I was just a young girl l felt such rejection, loss, and despair. What went wrong? How did it all fall apart? I surely had made some horrible mistakes that caused my father to walk away and start a life without us. Our Mother was broken and cried so much! How would we make it? What would we do? Where would we go? We had to leave our new home, our school, our church and all our friends behind, not knowing what was going to happen to us.

I actually felt like a rag doll with no strength or courage to go on. But You Lord became the one that I called upon. I am grateful for your love that brought me to my knees as my heart cried out in despair. You picked me up and gave me the courage to face the life I felt was utterly destroyed. I was amazed that you could bring life to something that felt so lifeless, so dead, so empty. You put a smile back on my face as I was flooded by your great mercy and grace.

You filled me with your Spirit and put a song in my heart. You allowed me to sing in many different places, my church, other churches, larger church gatherings, and Youth Camp. You Lord gave me a purpose and I began to allow you to be my Hope. You even brought my Daddy back home. It was not always easy but you put our family back together.

I saw your hand of guidance and protection everywhere. I learned that I could trust you and there was no need for despair. You looked down thru time and counted me worthy to become your child. So I must never forget your willing heart to obey your Father. There is no greater sacrifice than when you accepted your assignment and walked the dusty road to die on Calvary's wretched cross. You washed me in the blood you shed and made all my sin as white as snow. You picked me up from my hopeless life and took away my sinful guilt which freed me from the debt I never could repay.

Lord I must Trust You to work your will in my life daily. I surrender to you, at this moment and every moment. Please help me to stay surrendered for that is the only way for me to feel secure. Lord sometimes the path seems too steep and you must hold my hand, even carry me when the way seems long, difficult and scary. I love you Lord, and I am still learning to accept your love for me. I feel unworthy! 

Help me to always follow in your ways. Lord this is not an easy prayer but neither was your prayer as you prayed all night and concluded with, “Father, Not my will but thine be done!" Lord, I Will Trust In You!