Salt in the Christian Life

While reading the scriptures, I read what Jesus said about we are the salt of the earth. I have a Dake Bible, and I looked up salt in it. In Bible times, if they had a covenant between themselves, and someone else, they used the expression, "There is salt between us."

I wanted to fully understand the meaning of what Jesus said, so I prayed about it. I was reading in my Amplified Bible, and the Lord opened up my understanding of salt.

II Kings 2:19-22 Amp

19. And the men of the city said to Elisha, Behold, inhabiting of this city is pleasant, as my Lord sees, but the water is bad and the locality causes miscarriage and barrenness [in all animals].

20. He said, Bring me a new bowl and put salt [the symbol of God's purifying power] in it. And they brought it to him. 

21. Then Elisha went to the spring of the waters and cast the salt in it and said, Thus says the Lord, I [not the salt] have healed these waters; there shall not be any more death, miscarriage or barrenness [and bereavement] because of it. 

22. So the waters were healed to this day, as Elisha had said. 

When I read verse 20, that the salt is the symbol of God's purifying power, I thought of how the Holy Spirit refines us in our Christian walk. I also thought about God's covenant with us, through His Son, Jesus Christ. He gave us the Covenant of Salvation, so we can also say that "there is salt between us." I also thought about the scripture, "Greater is He that is within us, than he that is in the world.

Also, remember what happened to Lot's wife? She turned into a pillar of salt when she disobeyed God. She was told to not look back and she did.

When I read this-the Lord showed me what Jesus meant when he said we are the salt of the earth. Salt is used as a seasoning, and also as a preservative. If left out on the bare earth or exposed to the sun, rain, and air, it loses its savor which makes it worthless.

Matt. 5:13 KJV

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is henceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 

I think Jesus was talking about us taking care of our salvation, our covenant of salvation. Also, I ran across this article about salt and light that you may enjoy reading.

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God is so faithful

 

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

- Isaiah 41:10

 

This is a great scripture to use when things become too hard to handle in your everyday life, and fear and anxiety grip your heart.  If you quote scriptures like this every day, it will give you what the Bible talks about, the renewing of the mind.

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me

Vickie, you posted this scripture in a post recently and it inspired me to tell you just how this scripture has helped me. Thanks for asking me to post it on your website.

A few years ago i had to quote this scripture each day before going into my new job that was totally intimidating...911 Center. Not only was it intimidating because of the high volume of information I was expected to learn it was also very stressful because lives often depended on me. And to add to that stress there were a few of the girls that were in charge of training me that seemed to be determined that i fail at making it as a dispatcher and were also very mean. But this scripture got me through each day and held me in place until God blessed me by opening another door for me. I was given the rare opportunity to go to work in the jail. The director told the Captain at the jail that I was too valuable to lose and she would not recommend just anyone. So my 3 months of not giving in or giving up at the 911 center paid off because I ended up loving my new assignment as Jail Officer. This was not my permanent home but a holding place until God once more opened another door for me and showed me favor by giving me the job i have had now for the past 3 1/2 years. My Captain even called the owner and hiring manager in the new company that I desired to work for and put in a good word for me. So...my thoughts are...we do all we can do and let God work out the rest. He will walk with us and then carry us when we need to be carried. Praise God, He is so awesome!!!

My point is, I had no idea if i could do the job but i decide to raise the bar high for myself and try. If I failed then at least i tried and wasnt left with always wondering if I could have been successful. took the scripture literally. It said I COULD do it with God's help. So my part was to take the required test to get in, show up for work everyday, ignore the girls being mean to me, which was NOT easy. I had to bite my tongue a lot or walk outside to keep from strangling them or backhanding them a few times...pray. Pay attention and do my best and let God take care of the details that i couldn't. Even though I didnt succeed at 911, God had a bigger and better plan then I had for myself because when I went to the jail, which was even more scary and intimidating, I ended up liking it far way better than 911. The 911 center gave me experience that prepared me for the job i am doing now and the jail gave me experience that I am glad I was able to get. Once I got the job I am at now i felt job security enough to move the kids and I out of moms house which was very cramped, and to a place of our own. So God works, we may not always see what His plan for us is but you can always bet it will be something better than we ask for or expect.

When I was able to walk into a cell block alone with 30+ men-criminals and be locked inside with them and not be afraid, you know God was with me. I had an officer watching from the tower but if they had decided to attack me or shank me, there would still be a couple of minutes before other Officers would be able to get to me. A lot can happen in that little of time. But I never felt afraid. I was careful and followed the rules but again I believe God showed me favor in the inmates eyes because they NEVER gave me any problems. Even the ones that would come in combative became calm when I came in to finger print them, search them, ect. I remember thinking each time something like that happened..it was God causing that to happen. Kind of reminded me of Daniel in the Lion's Den. :-)

While i was working at the jail i remember praying for God to make me a usable vessel. I didnt feel i was doing anything for Him and I didnt know what it was He wanted to use me for. I really just wanted to be open and let him show me what he wanted. I woke up at 5am and He showed me what he wanted me to do. So i opened a post office box in the name of what i called New Hope Ministries and started printing stuff off the internet like "Dealing with Anger God's Way" by Joyce Meyer or from other websites that dealt with life's issues like forgiveness, bitterness, repentance and obedience ect and mailed them to the inmates. They had no idea who it came from or how their name was gotten. But after a while i could see it was touching their lives. Most of these inmates had nobody writing to them and felt nobody cared. They were in a place where they were open to the Word of God. They couldnt just pretend in front of me because they didnt know it was me. they thought it was a church. I believe that idea and inspiration came straight from The Holy Spirit. The officers would make snied remarks about jailhouse religion and i understand that but i really believe God reached some of those inmates and at least there were seeds planted. I did my part...researched, read, printed and mailed the letters and prayed for God to do the rest and that was to prepare their hearts and minds to receive His Word and it be planted in good soil and then to bring someone else in to their lives to water the seed and help it grow and bear good fruit and change their lives and use them to do the same. I have faith that HE DID do that because that is His will. It is not his will for anyone to perish but for all to come to the knowledge of His saving Grace. He would not have told me to do all of that and not hold up His end. Amen.

Satan laughs and says...who are you? You are nobody special. You are not Holy and perfect, you have no right ministering to anyone. I may not be perfect, I may stumble and fall, but I am only defeated if i stay down. I sometimes let the flesh take over but God reminds me that I am not where I use to be and He isnt finished with me yet. I just repent and ask God to make me usuable again. I never claimed to be a Spiritual leader but God can use the lowest of the low. If God can use someone like me then He can certainly use you. All he wants is a willing vessel. Some of the people God used in the Bible werent perfect either. None of us will be perfect until Jesus returns for us. So open your heart and mind to the leading of the Holy Spirit. If you feel like you arent doing anything or enough for Christ then ask Him to show you. Ask him to cleanse you and make you a usable vessel and to reveal your purpose to you. Even if it is short lived things, little things. Sometimes we have to start out small until we mature and are ready for bigger and more responsibility. I hope this blog will bless and inspire every one that reads it. - Karen

The Prayer of Agreement

The Holy Spirit has brought some scriptures to my mind, and has given me a message. The Bible says that a three-fold cord is not easily broken.

I heard a story about a man with a stick. He could break the stick easy when there was one of them. Then he got another one. It was harder to break the sticks. With each stick that he added, it became more difficult to break them. It is the same way with the prayer of agreement. The Bible says that one can put a thousand to flight, and two can put 10,000 to flight. The prayer of agreement is the key.

Several months ago, I had a cousin who was in bad shape at the hospital. The whole family was praying for her, and she went home to be with the Lord anyway. I asked several family members how they prayed for her. Several of them told the Lord, "If it be your will, then let her come out of this." I was believing for her complete recovery. The point is, we weren't all praying the same way. The lord even told me that she was going home, about a week before she passed away. At the time I thought he meant her earthly home.

I told of this experience to make the point that it is the prayer of agreement that gets God's attention. He can only act on His Word, and on our Faith. Where does the faith come from? Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  Faith comes from the heart, and is given three ways.

1. Faith is a fruit of the Spirit. See Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. ...
2. Faith is a Gift of the Holy Spirit, see 1 Corinthians 12:8–10 :8. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
3. "Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God."--Rom. 10:17.

On the day of Pentecost, the Bible says they were all in one mind and accord when the Holy Spirit came like a rushing mighty wind. When you agree with someone in prayer, you need to be in complete agreement with the other person. The Bible says: "I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven." Matthew 18:19 NKJV

Isaiah 54:17 No Weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper

^{Isaiah 54:17} 

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

I was watching Rod Parsley on the Daystar network, and he was preaching about this scripture. To be honest, I hadn't thought of this scripture for a long time, even though I read my Bible everyday. A few days later, I was reading Perry Stone's new book, Purging Your House, Pruning Your Family Tree: How to rid your home and family of demonic influence and generational oppression, and the same scripture was there again.

I think that sometimes the Lord speaks to us in different ways. I think The Holy Spirit was directing me to read this scripture and claim it's promise for the circumstances that has been going on in my day to day life. Perry Stone told a story about a Mayor and his wife who were being attacked and ridiculed by constituents, and the Mayor's re-election was in jeopardy. The wife wrote that scripture down on little notes to him at various places to get her husband to believe that scripture and to get it into his spirit. They won the battle, he won re-election, and some lies that had been told on him were debunked. Praise God!

I have been quoting this scripture for the past three days, and have noticed some differences happening to me. I have noticed that some of my thought patterns about people are changing, and that situations in my life are also changing. I also told a friend of mine about this scripture, and also some family members. My mother has asked me four times where it is in the Bible, and each time, I tell her again. I am going to write it down for her.

When you stand on the promises of God, the Devil has to back down. I have been battling a sickness, with a fever and a sore throat, and have been getting better, I believe, due to this scripture. That is what we have to do, use God's promises and His Word to defeat the devil in our lives. I challenge you today to begin to meditate and use this scripture every day, and see what happens in your life! 

Mustard Seed Faith

I have been thinking about what Jesus said about faith. A mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds there are. It is put into the ground, and then starts to grow. When it grows up, the birds of the air have something to lodge in.

I once bought a kit that had different kinds of African Violets in it. It had a little greenhouse with it. I had to plant the seeds into the soil that was provided in the kit. The seeds were so tiny, they looked like dust to me. I planted them according to the instructions, and about two months later, they came up.

How could a seed that tiny make such a beautiful plant? Only our Great Creator, Jehovah, knows the answer to that question. He is a wonderful God. If faith is as a grain of mustard seed, then it can grow. Through the tests and trials that we go through, God can make something beautiful out of your life.

The Bible tells us that every man has a measure of faith. Body builders have to exercise to strengthen their muscles, and we have to exercise our faith. In all situations, you have choices to make. You have to make the choice on how to handle the problem, and you have to decide the attitude that you want to have about it. There are always choices.

Do you want to live in defeat, or do you want to be victorious in your life? You want to be victorious, right? Then put your faith and trust in God. Even if your faith is as small as an African Violet seed, or a mustard seed, it is a start. That is the unique thing about our God. He can meet you at the level of faith that you have right this minute.

The Bible tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of  things not seen. To often, we look at circumstances, instead of  looking to God, the source of our total supply. I like what the Amplified Bible says about Faith, it calls it a firm, relying trust in God. I love the scripture that says to trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thy own understanding, but in all thy ways acknowledge Him and he will direct your paths.

All things are possible to them that believe. We serve a God who is more powerful, then anyone or anything. His hands are not to short to reach and touch us at any time. You have to feed your faith on the Word. Jesus Christ was the Word made flesh.

Secrets from Beyond The Grave: A biblical guide to the mystery of heaven, hell and eternity

April 27th, 2011 Tornado in Ringgold, Ga.

Here is a link to youtube videos. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWMuVxAcAUU&NR=1

This tornado has devastated many families. Also, it hit Alabama. It breaks my heart to see these videos.

Water for Elephants

Usama Bin Laden has been killed

It was confirmed on the news tonight that he was killed in Pakistan by US Special Forces. The State Dept. has issued a warning to Americans overseas in the advent of attacks to avenge his death. Several others were killed along with him.

Crowds have formed in front of the White House chanting USA, USA! Let us pray for our troops who are in harms way, and respectively pray for the families who had loved ones killed on 9/11.

Potter's Hand

I would like to dedicate this video to those in this world who are in any kind of trouble. No matter what the problem, no matter the care, just know that Jesus is there. All you have to do is reach out to him with all your heart and He will meet you.

How Great Is Our God

Kathryn Kuhlman with Sid Roth

Judy Jacobs on TBN

Judy Jacobs-Days of Elijah

I love this song, it blesses me every time that I listen to it. I hope it blesses you also.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUIa674GGCo



Here are some links for Judy Jacobs:
Days Of Elijah
I Feel A Change
No God Like Jehovah
Worthy
No God Like Jehovah
Take It By Force
Above & Beyond
I Feel a Change 4:34
We Agree 6:46
Agnus Dei

Little By Little

Why do you suppose that God told the Israelites that he would deliver them little by little when they were coming into the promised land?

Deut. 7:22 Amp.

And the Lord your God will clear out those nations before you, little by little; you may not consume them quickly, lest the beasts of the field increase among you. 

For one thing, the Israelites didn't have a very good track record. They suffered from having a hardness of heart towards God, and they often rebelled against him. If they had been able to the land immediately then they would of just taken God for granted again
.
The beasts of the field could have been their attitude. They murmured and complained, made a golden calf and worshipped it, and they often had to be punished for their sins. They were often guilty of the sin of pride, and they also didn't trust God like He wanted them to.

When I was reading about this, I remembered a scripture from Proverbs.

Proverbs 13:11 Amp.

Wealth [not earned but] won in haste or unjustly or from the production of things for vain or detrimental use [such riches] will dwindle away, but he who gathers little by little will increase [his riches]. 

The King James version of the above scripture uses the word labor instead of little by little. This scripture is referring to how you get your money. If it is made honestly, then God will let you keep it. You could also regard spiritual riches in this verse also. It doesn't just mean monetary wealth and riches.

What kind of track record do you have with the Lord? What can he trust you with? Do you expect God to honor His promises to you, and when it comes to doing your part, do you fail Him? There have been times that God has delivered me from situations and has moved for me immediately. If I didn't fully obey Him, then the next time I asked for His help I had to wait awhile, and my deliverance didn't happen as quickly as it did before.

It is time that the Christians got down on their knees and asked the Lord to help them become honest with God, and with self. When God gives you deliverance little by little it is for a reason. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what it is. If you really want to know, He will show you.

Sometimes God does it to help you increase your faith. Also, it may overwhelm you if He gave you deliverance all at once, and may hinder your Christian growth. Or, it could be God testing you to see how strong you are in believing Him for your miracle. If you got your miracle all at once then you may get puffed up with pride. Little by Little isn't always a bad thing. God's ways are much higher than ours, and so are His thoughts. Sometimes God uses the little things to confound the mighty. Sometimes Little by Little is used to strengthen us in faith.

Lets get honest with God. If you open up your heart to Him, and worship Him, Love Him, and Honor Him, He will do the same things for you. The Bible says it is the "little foxes that spoil the vine". One little thing in your life can cause you to stumble if you aren't careful. Jesus taught us to watch and pray that we might not enter in temptation. When the devil tempts you, it starts with something little, like a thought that he puts into your mind. Acting on that thought is what gets you into trouble.

What is the opposite of "little foxes spoiling the vine"? Little by Little, God gives you your victory!