Good Morning. I am up makin' coffee and straightening up the house. It is so cold in this house, and my e machine gets cold. So the keys stick and have to be warmed up. So I do some replies to get the keys warmed up and then I do the regular writing. We put our heat down to just over 60 degrees at night. So when I come out here, it is COLD. I have to get warm and my e machine, too.
Sunday I needed to rest so watched this telethon for this Christian channel. Funny? Oh, my mercy! Well, this one Fat Cat was kinda interesting at first. Not scriptural, by any means, but he was good for entertainment. I just wanted to be distracted for a while. So he tells everyone how he gave his money away until he became rich. Well, you know he is tryin' to hoodwink the sheep into giving him their money. The funny part is, he acts like his audience is money starved monkeys. And if it does, indeed, work to give money and you get all this money back, then why don't he give more money so he can get more back? And why is he buggin' the sheep for money? If it's that easy, what's he doin' on TV beggin'?
And ya know, money is not what most people need to make it. When I get down and out, you could throw twenty dollar bills at me all day long and it wouldn't help me. If I don't hear from God and if He don't help me, then no amount of money will help. I mean, some of us do need money but we need a word from the Lord first. If we can get a word from the Lord, then the money will come. But to run out and chase money is the wrong way to go. And, sure, we need an open hand to give and to receive. But this plan of give your money away to the hungry wolf and expect it to return so you can pay the rent. No! And this was a message that started in the 70's and if it had worked, all of us Christians would be millionaires by now. But all it did in reality was to make the Fat Cats Fatter? So now they are doing good and the believers are gettin' poorer.
See, the wolves try to get you to think that the more money you have, the more blessed you are. But the word says that some among us suppose that gain is godliness and from such we need to turn away. Jesus was poor and lowly of heart and He is our example. Often when I hear the Cats cry out for their money, I think of Mother Theresa in India. Oh, what an example she has been to me. She was a true servant of God. Who but a true servant like her would drag dying unbelievers out of the sewer to wash them of maggots and tell them of the love of God. Those Cats on TV wouldn't dirty their hands to do that. They want your money and that is all they want.
Christine, John's wife, was reading some of my writings and howled with laughter over Jim in the 70's asking Jim Baker for some money. The last time they were over, we got to laughin' over that and almost fell off our chairs. Leave it to Jim to beg money from Jim Baker.
See, this teaching starts out with telling the Christians they should have the best house and the best car and the nicest clothes and on and on. So the Cats tell the wife this, too, as often she is there at church without her husband. So the little woman thinks she needs a better job so she can be blessed by God better and be able to give Hungry Fat Cat more money $$. So the preacher has Mother out workin' her buns off at an outside job so that she can be blessed. It's a teaching that makes women slaves and they can never relax and be a mother and keeper at home.
Sure, Fat Cat gets more money all the time and he is indeed rich. Ya know why? Because you are driven by the sins of your own lusts and pride and you keep giving him money. And he keeps goin' with his message because he makes a lot of money at it. But it ain't all about money. And why not work for your money the old fashioned way? It's a lot easier and more honest. See, folks are payin' for a lifestyle and not a life. Many are so in debt and will die that way.
See, it's not a sin to be poor. Jesus made no reputation for Himself and we shouldn't, either. He was man enough to be poor and honorable and we should be, too.
All of this debt that some folks live under, just so they can look good, is ridiculous. I barely spend any money because there is little I want. I am happy that I hung onto our home through many trials and now it is paid off. I have something to leave my children so each of our six children will have some money to put down on a house. We want to leave something behind for our kids. And how many times before we remodeled did friends tell me I should move and get a fancy apartment. Well, I could squander my children's inheritance but I think that would be an ungodly thing to do. And to be poor with dignity and purpose is a rare life these days. But who has enough guts to do that. It takes some strength of character.
Who are you if you have nothing but yourself to offer. I mean without the expensive car? I came from a background of upper middle class. As a child, I had everything. The best of clothes, etc. Dad had a good factory job and always a nice car, boat, and we went on nice summer vacations, etc. But my life was empty and void to me. I needed Jesus and, when I met Him, I got rich.
I call Jim my Million Dollar Baby. I mean, when he was down and out, no amount of money could set him free. But Jesus, my Daddy, heard my cry and He gave Jim deliverance. My rich Daddy Jesus loved me so much and heard my cries for a husband to love me and gently care for me as a Good Shepard here on earth. Jesus knew that I wanted to have children for His glory. Jesus heard my cries and gave me a husband to love me and care and to shelter me. I had no money when Jim got healed. I gave Jesus my life, not my money.
Jesus can't be paid off like a Mafia gangster, so that you can get your needs met? To pay Fat Cat for protection? I mean, we are children of the Most High God. He is spiritual and we must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. He asks His followers for no more than He, Himself, gave -- His life! He wants our life, rich or poor. And Fat Cat says he wants the money for the Gospel's sake. And I have never heard some of them preach the gospel. All they preach on is how to give them your money. And they ain't gonna preach anything else, no matter how much money you throw at them.
Same way with Public Education. Folks think we need to throw out more money for better teachers. And then our kids will be able to read. No, what we need is the truth and this sets the captive free.
One man with the truth will go anywhere in the world without money. I can give my message out for free to anyone. And if I get so full of truth that I out grow my e machine? Then God could take me anywhere He wanted me to go. Sarah never had any money or Mary, Jesus' Mother. Their lives were so faithful that God Himself published them. God shares His glory with no man. And certainly the gospel won't be preached according to the money we give away. And the best preachers are the ones who will preach to ya and worry if you have enough money for your own family.
Remember Reverend Aldman in Little House on the Prairie? He cared for his sheep and was poor for their sakes. And this is how all the old time preachers were. And they were always like that in our country, up until about he 70's and they got ahold of this idea of seed money, etc. But before that, the Christian families gave what they could and preacher was expected to live on that. He and his family were often poor but that made him a good preacher. He suffered with the struggling families in his congregation.
I will never forget Pastor Hawkins. He was Jim's and my first Shepherd. He was just out of Dallas Seminary and, boy, did God use Jim and me to break this young preacher in. But he went for the ride and hung on for dear life. God Bless him.
He Loves Us
See, your money is not your seed? Money is what the unbeliever lives on in this world. Our seeds are spiritual FAITH prayers. Faith pleases God, not money. God needs our hearts in order to do His work. God's Word is a system of trade like money. We are to be rich or poor according to our calling in life. It's not a sin to be rich if God has called you to this place. But if you are poor, then be grateful to be there, too.
Jesus wants our heart. He wants for you to come to Him when you are in need of something. He wants to hear from you. To just throw money at preacher, thinking that God will give you money, is an insult to God. He wants us. He wants our hands and arms and minds and our spirits. He has a plan for us to walk out of the snares and into His light and victory. He wants to give us miracles so that He can be glorified. In our lives, we are to show the world a loving Father God. We are to walk out this love of God to show folks that God loves them.
As women, we won't be preaching the Gospel. But as we walk in obedience, we move spiritual things around like the wind moves the branches on the trees. We gently care for the baby and we return good for evil to our older children. As we do, we move the hand of God. We move God's heart and mind. We change His mind by our kindness when we return blessings for evil. But we refuse to walk out Satan's plan for our life. And in so doing, we move huge rocks in the spirit realm. We break down strongholds and we refuse to believe the lies of the enemy. We choose rather to believe God in the face of injustice toward us. We don't cry out for our way but His way. We refuse to be taken up with the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches. As we grow as believers, we understand that He is all we need. He satisfies our soul.
I write this out of a spirit of truth and having lived it. Jesus is my heart and soul. I feel as though I have died many times in my soul, and all I am now is Him in me. For I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live. Yet not I but Christ in me. And the life I now live I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave His life for me. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.
As I was writing this first part, I could feel the Lord's warm presence upon my back. He said, "Connie, you are my girl. I have never let you down and never will. You love me and me alone and I won't forsake you. You are my own daughter. I have cared for you all of your life. You haven't exhausted my resources. You haven't come to a bend in the road that I don't know about or have run out of answers for. I am with you even until the ends of the earth." Oh, His precious presence is so sweet to me this morning. I can feel His Love.
Weeping lasts for the night but JOY comes in the morning. It is a lovely sunny day as I write. Oh, His love always comes to our forsaken souls. We cry out, "Lord, why have you forsaken me?" We forget all of His many miracles as we sit in a darkness surrounded by demons. But He comes quickly to deliver us and gives us His love.
When Jim got up this morning, I was sitting in the chair crying. "What's wrong?" Jim asked me. I said, "God is giving me such a sweet prophesy. He says I am His girl and that He loves me. And He says that you are my gentle shepherd of love."
