What’s in my heart

Do you understand the Beatitudes of the Bible?

tammyrimer An Early Morning Vitamin, What's in my heart

candleDo you understand the Beatitudes of the Bible? Matthew 5: 1 – 12

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. The poor in spirit are those who are humbled, who knows they need God.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Those who mourn are not widows but rather people who have empathy for those who are suffering in this world – those who cry or mourn for those who are persecuted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. The meek are those who are humbled before God understanding we can do nothing of good and righteousness without Him, without His strength and His spirit. That with Christ I can do all things for His kingdom but without Him I can do nothing.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. God is not talking about those who are physically hungry and thirsty but rather those who hunger and thirst for justice and righteousness and want to help the world – God’s children – our brothers and sisters through Christ. We should hunger to be their voice, their justice and become God’s hands and feet. 

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. There is a part on the Lord’s Prayer that says “and forgive me as I forgive those who trespass against me.” As we extend mercy and forgiveness to others God to that same measure will extend his mercy and forgiveness unto us. We ask God to release us of our sins and release us from that judgement – yet we struggle to extend that same mercy onto those who sin against us and we hold them in judgement. The golden rule – treat others as we wish to be treated. We need to daily examine our mercy towards others.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. As we strive to live in obedience to God, our hearts will desire to be pure – clean – representing a Christ-like spirit. We will desire to turn from sin and we will desire things of purity. Will we someday be perfect – not on this world. But through the forgiveness and free gift of Jesus Christ, we will one day be free of sin, pure, in His perfect image.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. God calls us to be people who bring others together and make relationships whole. We are not to be a people of divisiveness. Our eyes are to see the world as God does – one people, our hearts are to love the world as God does – one people. We are to make peace with our enemy and love not because we are loved first, but love because that is what God calls us to do and because God loves.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. We should not fear persecution as we know this will happen. Love anyway. Our home…our life is not here – but in Heaven with God. Do not fear man for man is temporary. Live for God – not for man. Men do not understand the ways of God and they hurt things they do not understand. Stand strong anyway and be the light upon the hill for the Kingdom and trust that God will show the truth through you.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in Heaven, for in the same way they persecute the prophets who were before you.

May God bless you today as you reflect on the beatitudes and reflect on your life. My prayer is that you daily give yourself to God allowing Him to shine through you, allowing his love to reach those in need, through your life, through your actions. Be His hands and feet with an attitude of love and thanksgiving.

Come with me and I will make you Fishers of Men

tammyrimer Fishers of Men, Listening to God, What's in my heart

Matthew 4:18-22 Jesus makes an “Ask.”

fishermenWill you abandon your other pursuits and follow me? Can you leave behind your previous ambitions and follow me?

If James, John and the other disciples did not “drop their nets” and follow Christ – we, Christians, would not be here today – knowing God. Jesus never intended us to sit idly back and wait for others to reach the lost in His name. He has called each one of us to this work. Jesus wants to stretch us in every aspect of our life and teach us to trust God in every step we are called to take.

Our life with Christ is about a relationship – it is not about what church we attend or what denomination we adhere to. It is not about what neighborhood we live in or what nation in which we reside. It is totally about serving God THROUGH serving others (not ourselves).

Serving self has been a burden on my soul for the past year and a half. I have struggled with the comfortable life I live and the lack of serving I do. I claim Jesus – I have Him inside of me – and that has been where I have kept Him for many years.

When I am in front of God this feeling of “DO SOMETHING” beats at my heart like an iron fist. When am I going to “DROP MY NET AND FOLLOW CHRIST?”

I begged God to make it clear to me and I believe He has. As you go through your day – allow God to speak to you about His calling for your life. Allow Him to show you your purpose. We all have a purpose and what a shame it would be to never find it – and never live it.

Go in peace.

Don’t say it…show it

tammyrimer An Early Morning Vitamin, What's in my heart

For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools. Romans 1:21-22

When I read this I became very convicted in some areas of my life…It is so easy to get on that plateau and stop moving forward for Christ and stop thanking Him for all the GREAT blessings He bestows upon each of us…

It’s a lot easier to say the words “I love God” than to actually live a life that says “I love God.”

Today I want to remind my dear friends that God is so worthy of our honor and praise and our thanks!!! Don’t let satan harden your heart by making you think God does not deserve the honor and thanks for all the great things (and even the harder things, for there are blessings even in the pain) in your life.

Not by my strength, but only by His can I succeed!!!

Happy Saturday!

Over 60,000 people have signed up to shop at Hobby Lobby Saturday in a show of support for the company’s freedom of religion.

tammyrimer Believers standing strong, The end days, What's in my heart

Over 60,000 people have signed up to shop at Hobby Lobby Saturday in a show of support for the company’s freedom of religion.

While the number of customer commitments fall far below that of last year’s Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day which had over half a million sign up to buy a chicken sandwich on Aug. 1, Hobby Lobby Appreciation Day has still gained considerable attention and support.

“Today is Hobby Lobby Appreciation Day! Please bring your friends and remind your family across the country to head to Hobby Lobby to show their support for religious freedom and free speech,” wrote former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who was behind the wildly successful Chick-fil-A effort.
Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/hobby-lobby-appreciation-day-over-60000-flocking-to-retailer-87761/#OMs0WaieGZ524RkA.99

Enjoy The Silence

tammyrimer An Early Morning Vitamin, What's in my heart , ,

Walk in the desertIn Luke ch. 1 the  story is told of Zachariah being silenced due to a lack of faith. He was silenced for only a time – a season, by the messenger of God, Himself.

How often are we “silenced” because  of our own lack of faith – not trusting what God is doing or wants to do through us? God took away Zachariah’s voice for a season to teach him that God is all powerful in what He wants to do through us. The same holds true for us where God will bring us through season of silence or deserts to teach us and show us His mighty power. We are humbled and our eyes are opened during these times of “silence” and waiting. It is through this humbling that we are made stronger and are made ready for what God wants to do through us.

My prayer for us all is this – that as we struggle through times of pain, waiting, or wanting, that we will remember that God is in control and as your Father, He only wants the best for you. So in the understanding of God’s love for you, trust that He is bringing you through this season for a reason.

There is a very specific purpose in everything God does.

In a time of terror

tammyrimer An Early Morning Vitamin, The end days, What's in my heart

A prayer in Isaiah 37:14 from Hezekiah

VS. 15 Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “O Lord Almighty, God of Isreal, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God. It is true, O Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire and edestroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. Now, O Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O Lord, are God.”

My prayer today is that we will all look to God for our protection and salvation in these difficult days. That no matter what happens, we know that, in the end, God wins and so do those who know and love Him.

Amen.

Falling Away

tammyrimer Believers standing strong, Voice of Clarity, What's in my heart , , , ,

In these times of confusion and right seeming wrong and wrong seeming right in the eyes of the world, it is easy for believers to become confused and accepting of what the world says is right. There is a clear “falling away” of believers as their once black and white beliefs become a pale gray.

We, as believers, need to be the hands and feet and Clear VOICE of God…of truth.

I have been struggling with where my voice is…what God would have me do and say. Who to say it to and how to say it. I have struggled with the burden on my heart of stepping out and speaking loudly for God. Yet I have stayed back, talking behind closed doors, but very seldom having the guts and bravery to be a beacon of light and a voice of truth in public.   I am a business owner and I think I feared mixing the two. But at the end of the day – above all else, I am a child of God first and that trumps all.

So where do we go from here? What is our ministry? What would God have me do with this desire of being His hands, feet and voice to this dying world?

As I sit here asking God to tell me what to do, a thought, a memory came to me. I truly believe God gave us the family structure to show and explain His relationship with us. I sit here and think if my daughter came to me and said “Mom, what should I do with my life? Tell me what you want me to do.” I would say, “do whatever is in your heart, what you desire to do, BUT in everything glorify God and don’t hurt others.”

So why would our God, our Father, be any different? Why would He give a book (the Bible) that tells us how to live if He has set in stone what we are to do already? He wants us to make the decision of what to do on our own. There is no wrong answer in missing His calling for my life. His calling is for me to live a righteous life, glorifying Him and living this time, He gave me,  based on what is in my heart.

It is up to me to choose my course in a way that is pleasing and acceptable to Him. He has not set a specific task for me but rather has loved me through it all and is allowing me to find my way and glorifying Him as I walk through this journey.

Ah such clarity! So now it is time to find my Mission, my voice and glorify God.

What Is Real?

tammyrimer Believers standing strong, Listening to God, Voice of Clarity, What's in my heart

I bought a book by Joyce Meyer “How to Hear God’s Voice” but I haven’t finished it and still wonder if it is really so different for everyone that Joyce’s way may not be right for how God speaks to me. I don’t want to do anything the wrong way and miss hearing from Him.

So with all of this writing, I come back to where I started earlier. This beautiful and not so beautiful world, the end of times, and how I and my family participate in this Age. I am filled with such fear. The ways of the world are changing so dramatically and are heading to a place of “no return.” A place where Christians are seen as the enemy, the haters, the liars, the judge and the jury. And not so slowly the Christian beliefs  that this nation was founded on are being stripped away and replaced with subjective beliefs of “anything goes.” YOUR idea of right and wrong is the truth and there is no real standard of one right and wrong – but each persons idea of right is what is right.

If that is true then WHAT is REAL? Your truth or mine? Truth becomes the “Flavor of the Day” rather than a static standard of right and wrong. I fear this place that we, as a nation, are headed. It seems as though we, the Christian believer, have lost our voice. Inside I am screaming – but in reality NOTHING is coming out.

And this is what I am waiting on you, God, to speak to me about. I am trying to hear your voice and understand your will for me – for my family – in these dark days. What would you have us do?

What’s in my heart

tammyrimer Listening to God, What's in my heart ,

Image

It is about 7:45 AM on Saturday morning. I awoke at 7:15 and knew a snow storm came in the night. I went to the window to peak out at the “damage” and instead was greeted with a beautiful scene of soft lovely snow, covering a peaceful world.

I could not close the window curtain again to hide the light and go back to sleep. Instead I lye here in the darkness with only the light from the early morning sky coming in as I stare out the window from my bed, at this beautiful scene.

How perfect and peaceful everything looks. I hate the fact that soon the world will awake and disturb this beautiful scene of soft stillness.

As I lay here my mind continues to go towards God and the wonder of what is to come. It is silly but in my mind I think God has a special love for me – we have a special relationship and He won’t allow me to be hurt. Then I step back into reality, realizing all of those who have gone before me who were much more faithful to God and I’m sure felt the same way – that somehow they were protected from the pain and fear of death.

I talk to God a lot. He is usually the first one I talk to when I wake and is usually the last one I talk to when I lay to sleep. The problem is, I do all the talking. I have never been properly trained on how to LISTEN to God. Because of this, I feel trapped in a life of guessing, with a great fear of doing anything because I fear what I am doing is listening to myself and not the instruction of God and so I only stand still and then end up (after a time of standing) feeling angry, sad and frustrated.