"Happy New Year"

A Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes

“Happy New Year!”
John 3:3-4
3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." 4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old?

Ahhhhh, a new born baby. Just to hold one and to smell the freshness of a brand new baby. There is nothing else like it. As birth is the beginning of a life, born again in Christ is the beginning of the new life for us. We must be born again to see the kingdom of God. We must begin anew. To be born again is not like patching up an old building or a remodel. The new start is from the foundation and built from there. Would you rather have a patched up remodeled Jesus or know that He is from the very foundations of the beginning of time. Praise the Lord for evermore! He is the cornerstone. Our new birth is our salvation in Christ. I was born the first time on July 13th in the year of 1948. I was born again, in the spirit, when I was 6 years old. That was my Happy New Year! I remember feeling more love than I had ever known before and everything looked light and bright. My Jesus came down and set me on a different road. A new life in Him. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe life could be so different. I couldn’t believe I could feel soooo different inside, so wonderful and so loved. I knew then that everything would be alright, no matter what else happened. Old satan could not touch me anymore. I remember thinking these things. You might think that your children are too young to know about Jesus or to ask Him into their little hearts--That they don’t understand. I know first hand they are not too young and they do understand. Lead them to Jesus now. I was sooo glad to come to church where everyone was so loving and gave lots of hugs. Don’t forget what an impact you make on others at church. Do you remember your “Happy New Year”? As we celebrate this New Year, reflect back on the happiest year of your life, the year of your new birth in Jesus Christ.

Oh, Jesus thank You so much for coming to save me. Thank you for Your love, mercy, and wonderful grace. Such wonderful love, oh how could it be that You would save a sinner like me? You light up the way I travel each day. Such wonderful love, such wonderful love.

"The Room"

A Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes

“The Room”
Luke 2:7
And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

At Christmas Time we want abundance and favor from God. We pray and ask the Lord for extra jobs, extra money, extra time, extra-extra-extra. Then Christmas is over and things get back to normal. The Christmas Spark is gone and we have put all the decorations back in the boxes. We have taken down the tree and Christmas is over. We don’t think about Christmas again until we have to. We don’t think about the “room” we made in our hearts for The Christmas Miracle, His birth, the shepherds, the kings, or the star. We put that “room” back in a box as well and store it away. Keep that “room” in your heart open and put Jesus first all year long, not just at Christmas Time. You are His child. Be sure to keep child like faith and the Wonder of Christmas in your heart. Don’t lock the “room”.
Lord, thank You for the Wonder of Christmas. When I look into the eyes of a child at Christmas Time, I see You. I see all of the reasons You came to this earth. I see all of the reasons You were nailed to a cross. Thank You for that reason being—me. Amen

"Good Tidings"

A Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes

“Good Tidings”
Luke 2:10
10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.

Good news! Good news! I love hearing good news. That night the shepherds were doing what they always did, watched the sheep. Maybe some of the shepherds were bored and sleepy. You know, the same old grind, day after day after day. They didn’t know this night was going to be special. They didn’t know this night was going to change their lives forever. The angel of the Lord came down and God’s Glory shown all around them. God’s Glory shown so bright the shepherds couldn’t stand it. They were so afraid, they hid their faces. All of a sudden the shepherds heard “Fear Not.” This wonderful good tidings message that the angel brought to the shepherds was to ALL people. That’s you and me, praise God! We don’t have to be afraid anymore. We have the good news! Let the “good tidings” of great joy change your life forever. Of course you know the rest of the story. Oh Come Let Us Adore Him, Christ The Lord!!!!

Wonder Savior, Prince of Peace, I come to You with thanksgiving for this wonderful season. I love to celebrate Your Birthday! But most of all I celebrate in my heart. Visit me with Your Glory and change me. Speak to me with good tidings. I adore You Lord. Amen

"The Christmas Prayer"

A Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes
“The Christmas Prayer”

I Chronicles 4:10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.
Jabez called upon the one true and living God of Israel. He knew he could ask anything of the one true and living God. Jabez didn’t turn to the Gentile gods. He knew they couldn’t give him what he needed. He needed to be abundantly blessed--He needed God to enlarge his territory, that God would increase and prosper his place in the world and his endeavors--He needed God’s hand to be with him--to lead, to protect and strengthen him. God’s hand is all powerful and all sufficient--He needed to be kept from evil, the unavoidable evil of sin that would come his way and to be free from pain, the pain from enemies that might hurt him and not to suffer from his name--Jabez. What do you want for Christmas? I see this prayer as a Christmas prayer. Pray for blessings and restoration for you and your family. Pray for a larger territory to take in others and give freely to them. Pray for God’s hand to be on you and your loved ones for guidance and protection. Pray for deliverance from evil and pain. As God granted Jabez’s request, let Him grant this prayer in you this wonderful Christmas Season.

Lord of Christmas and all of my days, thank You for this Christmas Season and my freedom to worship You. Thank You for all of the presents of Christmas. Like Jabez I pray I Chronicles 4:10 for my life. Glory to God in the Highest!!!

"After Thanksgiving"

A Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes
Revelation 22:17
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.


“After Thanksgiving”

After Thanksgiving, my belly I pat
And wonder in amazement where I put it all at
I gobble and gobble all the day long
On turkey leftovers—is that wrong?

After Thanksgiving I think in my mind
How thankful I am for all of the kinds
Of food that we had and all those sweets
Oh how I dream of that banquet table of treats

There’s another Banquet Table I see
I dream of this table for you and me
The Table is long, with lots of chairs
The Patriarchs of yore are sitting there

Someone else is watching, watching
For all who are serving, serving
Bidding for His Bride to enter in
“Come,” He says “Come,” again and again
My yoke is easy and my burden is light
I wait for you tonight, tonight, tonight…..

"In The Midst"

A Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes

“In The Midst”

John 20:19
Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, F108 for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you."


The disciples were behind locked doors and were afraid. They didn’t know what to do-sooooo-they were hiding. Are you going through something in your life that is like being in a pit with no way out? You can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. You can’t even see the tunnel! Who knew Jesus could get through locked doors! The disciples didn’t. But, wait! They see someone-someone-wait, they knew the door was locked! There He is! Standing in the very midst of them! In their very midst! Could it be Jesus?? He showed them His hands and His side. Then He said something so profound, He said “Peace be to you. As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Let Jesus breath on you today. You don’t think He is able to get you out of the pit and so much more? He gave the disciples peace in the midst of their storm. He is in your midst of your life and in the midst of your storm. Have His peace that passes all understanding. Today let Him give it to you. Be thankful for His peace this Thanksgiving.

Thank You, Father for being in the very midst of my life. I want Your peace in everything I do and say and everywhere I go. Amen

We gather together to ask the Lord’s Blessing
He chastens and hastens His will to make known

"A Condition Of The Heart"

A Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes
“A Condition Of The Heart”
I Thessalonians 5:22
Abstain from all appearance of evil.
Well now, you would think this verse seems pretty clear. Just stay away from anything you know is not right and good, stay away from sin. Abstain means--don’t do--we tell our teens to abstain, we tell them, just don’t do it, just say no! Sounds easy doesn’t it? What do we do when we live in an evil world with sin all around? The Bible says we live in this world, but not to be of this world. What does that mean? We can make sure that we don’t give evil a foothold by avoiding tempting situations and concentrating on obeying God. He MUST be in every aspect of our lives. It is wrong to think we can separate our spiritual lives from everything else. We can’t live for Jesus just one day a week. Christ must control ALL of us, not just the “religious” part, and not just part of the time. It is all or nothing. In the Book of Revelation, (Rev. 3:16) Jesus calls this condition “lukewarm.” If this is your condition, it goes on to say that He will spew you out of His mouth. You might here other “Christians” use the word “moderation”, it is just another word for “lukewarm”.
Holy Jesus, I don’t want to be a lukewarm Christian, keep me as the apple of Your eye. I want to be on fire for You. Keep me humble and away from all appearance of evil. Create within me a clean heart and a steadfast spirit. Take not Your Holy Spirit from me, I pray. In Your name I ask. Amen

"Who Am I?"

A Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes
“Who Am I?”
Matthew 16:15-16
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Have you ever googled Jesus? You can type in His name and get all sort of definitions. Of course, there is our Christian definition. Jesus as resurrected Savior, all Divine, One of the Trinity, born of virgin birth from the Holy Spirit, fully God and fully man and our soon coming King. Then you have what the “other religions” say that He is. No deity, no Savior, no resurrection, just an important prophet, not the Messiah, an imaginary friend and on and on and on.
Now I have the same question for YOU. Who do YOU say that He is? Peter had been with Jesus. What Peter knew about Jesus came from the Father above. Peter knew Jesus was the Christ the Son of the Living God. He knew who Jesus was because-----Peter had been with Jesus-----When you spend time with someone you know them personal and up close. When you say He is the Christ the Son of the Living God, you are professing you faith in Him. Have YOU been with Jesus?
The One True and Living God, thank You for loving me. Thank You for revealing Yourself to me. I want to know You more and more. I want to get as close to You as I can. Holy Spirit keep me hungry. I worship You and only You. I believe , as Peter, that You are The Christ The Son of The Living God. Amen

"The Real Thing"

A Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes

“The Real Thing”
2 Corinthians 11:4
4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted--you may well put up with it!


My Grandpa King loved watermelon. He especially loved the watermelons that came from Rush Springs. He waited until those specific watermelons came into season. My Uncle Alvin grew fields of watermelons right outside of Rush Springs, Oklahoma. Grandpa, in his overalls, would visit my Uncle Alvin, in his overalls, at watermelon time and help Uncle Alvin pick loads of watermelons. They would take them to Oklahoma City and sell them. He would let grandpa bring lots of those wonderful watermelons to Ada. The family would set on grandpa and grandma’s back patio and eat until we couldn’t eat anymore. They were the best. Infact, I can close my eyes and taste them now, myself. There were no other watermelons to take the place of the ones from Rush Springs. Reminds me of this scripture. Paul is telling us to not believe any other gospel about any other Jesus. There will be people to come to you and try to lead you into another way. There is but one Spirit, one gospel and one Jesus. He is Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God. Praise His Holy Name!! He is the Real Thing!

Holy Jesus, Protect me from false prophets. Help me to renew my mind daily in the Good News of Jesus Christ. Keep my mind and heart stayed on You and no other. I ask all of these things with thanksgiving. Amen

"Are You Sleepy"

A BLAST FROM THE WORD
By Sandra Rhynes
“Are You Sleepy?”
Luke 22:46
And He said unto them, Why sleep ye? Arise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.
Jesus had come into the Garden of Gethsemane and His disciples followed. Jesus had ask them to pray that they would not enter into temptation. He knew in a little while they would be alone without Him and would need extra strength . He went a little ways further and began to pray. Jesus was in extreme agony. His sweat was like drops of blood. When He rose up and went to His disciples they were sound asleep. Jesus must have been disappointed. Do you know when a Christian is the most sleepy? When things are going smooth. When things are prosperous and we are all over that mountain top. Charles Spurgeon said “Easy roads make sleepy travelers.” Just let bad days come and all of a sudden we are great prayer warriors. We know right where the throne of Grace is when trouble comes. It is when we are in easy places that we shut our eyes and drift into a dreamland of forgetfulness. It is ok to be happy and for life to be easy. Just BE WATCHFUL! Don’t be a sleepy Christian. If Jesus told the disciples to pray so they did not enter into temptation, shouldn’t we do the same as well? Pray, pray, and pray some more!
Precious Lord, I don’t want to be a sleepy Christian. I want to be a praying Christian. Draw me close to You, Lord and keep me hungry for You. You said in Your Word that if we hunger and thirst after righteousness, then we would be filled. Fill me Lord! Fill me. With thanksgiving I ask this all in Your name. Amen

"Moment Of Truth"

A Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes

“Moment of Truth”
Revelation 2:10b
……be faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life.


My mind goes to Paul the Apostle. What do you suppose made him go through all of the terrible stuff he did for the gospel of Christ? He was put in prison, beat, stoned, shipwrecked and rejected. We have to ask ourselves this question. At what point would we have folded. Would prison have done it, or maybe being beat? Paul knew he would go through these things and yet he stayed faithful anyway. He pressed toward the mark of the high calling of Christ. The moment of truth WILL come to each and everyone of us at some time in our lives. When your “moment of truth” comes----will you be ashamed of Jesus and denounce Him or will you be faithful unto death? Will you still say, no matter what, I love you Jesus? Maybe we will have more than one “moment of truth.”

Lord, I am humbled today by these sobering words. In my heart I desire to hold on and be faithful until I die or until You come to get me. In my heart I do press towards the mark to receive from You, my crown of life. When my “moment of truth” comes keep me strong. Keep the hunger and desire for You. Draw me soooo close to You, Lord that my reply will be instantly, Yes, I will always love and serve You. I will be faithful unto death. Praise Your wonderful name forevermore. Amen

"Transformation"

A Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes

“Transformation”

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

When I go down the toy isle in stores, I see these objects that look like big massive metal looking men and if you work with them they turn into a car or some other machine. They are called Transformers, “more than meets the eye.” This is somewhat the way Jesus does us when we receive Him as our personal Savior. He comes in and transforms us to a different creature, brand new, if you will. We are to renew our minds on God’s Word daily to prove: what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. If you never read the Bible or pray to the Lord, there is no way you can be transformed into what Jesus wants you to be. I believe this verse is a command-not a choice. Others cannot tell you are His if you act, speak and do like the world. Whose are you? Do you prove you belong to Jesus or do you prove you belong to the world? Be transformed and renew your mind!!!

Lord, You are the Great Transformer! I thank You for transforming me into an image of You. Help me to renew my mind daily. I want others to know that I belong to You and You alone. I want to let Your Light shine today. Amen

"Treasures"

A Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes

“Treasures”

Matthew 6:19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

Are you laying up for yourself treasures in heaven? Are you heavenly minded or worldly minded? Our hope is in Christ Jesus, the Son of the Living God—not in this world. Jesus knows we need food, clothing and a place to live. All of these things pass away, except what you do for the Lord. Everything we do for Jesus stands. How we treat others, how we give our money, what we do with the talents He has given us. We must not hide our talents. We must use our talents for Christ. Ask the Lord to show you what He would have you to do for Him. Ask Him to show you your talents----He will. The Bible says for us to seek FIRST the things of God and ALL of the other stuff will be added to you. Stand on the promises of the Living Word. All of the promises in the Bible are yours. They are not just for someone else. Claim all of His promises for yourself and put up all of your treasures with the Lord. No one can take these promises and treasures away from you. No one can destroy or steal the promises Jesus has for you. Don’t you love it!!

Dear Jesus, Thank You for all of Your promises. I know they are ALL for me. Reveal to me Your will and Your work that You have for me to do. I am willing to obey. I want to store up my treasures in heaven and I know You will take care of the rest. In Your precious name I ask these things. Amen

"Praise Ye The Lord"

A Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes

“Praise Ye The Lord”

Psalms 61:8 So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows.

Praise the Lord! Thank You Jesus! Thank You My Lord and Savior for Your tender Mercies and Your loving Grace. Thank You for Your many, many blessing above my need. I love You Lord! I worship You Lord! I bow before You Lord! You are Holy Lord! Don’t you just LOVE to praise the Lord! There are so many ways to praise Him. You can always speak His praises and He loves to hear you praise Him, but the best way is to speak them AND live them. We must perform these praise vows daily. When we gave our lives to Him, we vowed to love, live and serve Him all the rest of our days. Living and speaking for Jesus is a daily thing. It is a way of life—not out of duty. We can never DO enough. We must live for Him and praise Him out of our love for Him. He loved us so much He died on the cross. He died a cruel death so we might have life and have live abundantly. What do you think you are going to be doing in Heaven for all Eternity???? Praise Ye The Lord!!


Lord, I will praise you now and for ever more, with everything that is in me and when I draw my last breath---still---I will praise You. With Job I say “Though You slay me, yet I will trust You, Oh Lord. Amen

"God's Army"

A BLAST FROM THE WORD
BY SANDRA RHYNES

“God’s Army”

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

We as the Christian Soldiers should be strong in Jesus, strong for service, strong for suffering, strong for work and strong for fighting spiritual warfare. Spiritual strength and courage are very necessary for spiritual warfare. All of our strength is sufficient in God. We fight spiritual warfare in the power of His might—not our own power and might. We put on God’s whole armour to work, fight and stand. We also must read God’s Word and pray. Make no mistake about it, WE ARE IN A SPIRITUAL BATTLE, and the only way to fight it is in the Spirit. Are you a Soldier in God’s Army? Are you just standing by and letting others do the fighting? I heard someone say the other day, “GET IN THE FIGHT!” Come on! Be a part of the winning side! Read the back of the Book! We are the WINNERS! Praise the Lord!

Lord and Savior, I will put all my mind, soul, strength, and spirit into being the Christian Soldier that You would have me to be. I stir up the gifts that are within me. Make me strong in Your power and might. In Your Name, Amen

"Holiness"

A BLAST FROM THE WORD
BY Sandra Rhynes


Hebrews 12:15
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:

The Lord reminded me of something this morning and I have to share. As you know His coming is so near at hand and He wants all of us to be ready. He reminded me of this scripture. You know some days I don’t feel very holy. Sometimes I don’t seem to know what holiness even is. I know I sure want to see God. Soooo I looked it up in the dictionary and here is what it says, of course is, a state of being holy. Then there is that little word mentioned next, “sanctity” this means to be set a part. That sounds a lot like sanctified, oh I looked that up too, and that is what it says as well. So if we are to see God we are to be “set apart” for heaven. Now, He said something else to me, In I Peter 1:15-16 it says “because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy” but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. Can others tell the difference between you and the rest of the world? Can they tell by your actions that you are set apart for Jesus? Strive for peace with every person and seek holiness. Peace and holiness are connected. There can be no true peace without holiness. This is what the Lord calls us to do. Faith and patience enable us to follow peace and holiness.

Lord, Jesus, I want to have peace and holiness. I seek these with my whole heart. Thank You Father, for this hunger. Help me to continue to be a peacemaker and strive for holiness in word and deed. In Your precious name I ask it. Amen

"City Of Gold"

A Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes

“City Of Gold”

Hebrews 13:14 For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.

I am sooo looking forward to that city of gold. In the book of Revelation this city is described as one with pure gold streets, a river coming down from the throne of God that is crystal clear. Then there is the Tree of Life with 12 different kinds of fruit (wonder which 12 it will be), also, walls of Jasper (a precious stone), gates of pearl, no need for sun or moon, and the Glory of the Lord God Almighty will be the illuminate light. No more tears, pain or sorrows. We will have all of eternity to praise Him. Can you imagine? I can’t. I have dreamed of it and the dreams were wonderful. The Bible states it this way, eyes have not seen nor have ears heard what Jesus has prepared for us there. Most of all I want to see Jesus, the one who died for me. You know, if you had been the only person on earth, He would still have died for YOU. Continue to seek the Lord and His wonderful city. See you there!

Oh, my Savior, I yearn to see Your Glorious face. I long to hear “well done thou good and faithful servant, enter in.” Thank You for the blessed hope of Heaven. I love You, Lord Amen

"Fruit Inspector"

A Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes

“Fruit Inspector”

John 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Jesus Christ is the true Vine and we are the fruit bearers. We must be in the Vine to bear the right kind of fruit. There is one Spirit, but much fruit, they are: Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness and Temperance. The Lord gives us gifts and we are to turn them into fruit. The gifts are for fruit bearing. Did you ever notice that the fruit you bear always includes others? Our gifts and our fruit that we have is how we will treat others. Be careful, there are “fruit inspectors” standing by. Of course, our ultimate “Fruit Inspector” is Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God! Thank goodness.

Dear Lord, I thank You for all the gifts You have bestowed upon me. Help me to use them for Your glory. Show me my gifts, whether it be: teaching, preaching, singing, praying, etc, whatever You have for me, Lord, I am willing to do and be. Here I am Lord, send me. I want to see others through Your eyes. Show me how to turn these gifts into Fruit of the Spirit. I want to be a “Fruit Bearer”. Amen

"In Him"

A Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes

“In Him”

Acts 17:28
…for in Him we live and move and have our being…

Oh, my goodness! In Him, in Him, in Him! To be in Him is the ultimate goal. Forgetting everything else, the mistakes, the wrong choices, the last hasty word, the things that so easily beset us, the people that irritate us, the situations that come upon us, all of the broken promises, you know, all of that stuff. Close your eyes and in-vision YOU, completely and wholly in Him. Let yourself melt into His arms. Everything you are, see, touch and do is in Him. He is waiting….

Lord, to be in You is so intimate. I let go of everything that I am and everything that I have and I give myself to You. Thank You, Father, for loving me this way and in every way that I need. Amen

"The Will Of God"

A Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes

“The Will Of God”

I Thessalonians 5:16-18
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

The question that everyone asks themselves sometime in their life is this: “What is God’s will for my life?” Now, I know we are usually talking about work, family, school, where to go or where not to go, when to speak or not speak, our choice of friends and so on. While we are trying to find out His will in these things, there is mention of some amazing things here in I Thessalonians. Rejoice: To be glad and take delight. Pray: Communion with God. To offer devout petition, praise and thanks. Thanksgiving: The act of giving thanks, grateful acknowledgement of benefits and favors, public celebration of divine favor and kindness. Do you act upon these for the will of God in your life? Rejoice, pray and give thanks IS His will for your life. I believe if you will do these things, then God’s will and plan for your life will fall into place. You know--first things first.

Father God, I want to be in the middle of Your perfect will. Help me to do the things I already know to do. I bow before You, today, seeking Your perfect will for my life.

"The Lifter Of My Head"

A Blast From The Word By Sandra Rhynes "The Lifter Of My Head"Palms 3:3 But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head. Don’t you just love this verse? I do, when I am down and out and nothing is going my way. You know, when you start to think you are no good and no good to anyone else---Then---I go to my rock, my shield and my living Savior. A while back, I was feeling exactly like this. I had gotten up in the middle of the night-couldn’t sleep-and I began to cry before the Lord and pray and for him to please help me. He opened up a little space in the air and began to show me a picture, like a video. There were a lot of people standing on a conveyer belt, just moving along ever so slowly. The belt would move and one at a time they would come into a spot light. I began to recognize a lot of them. I would say their names out loud. I said, “Lord who are these people and what are they doing?” He answered and said, “These are the lives you have touched.” Some of them I did not even know. I watched all the people go by and then as quick as it opened it closed. Jesus cares for you and He WILL lift you up to where He wants you to be. You just don’t know who you touch.Jesus, I love You, thank You for lifting me up when my head is hanging low. I always want to run to You when I am down and out. Keep me as the Apple of Your Eye. Help me to lead others to You. My heart's desire is to win souls. Amen

"Let It Shine, Let It Shine, Let It Shine"

A Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes

“Let It Shine, Let It Shine, Let It Shine”

Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

We will be burning and shining lights by our good living. Others will see Jesus in us by the way we live. Our lives must be bright shining lights, not as one about to go out. When we live a Godly life we will glorify Him. This is the power of God’s Grace in us. Not to be “holier than thou” or “look at me” attitude, but to show others that same grace. Everyone is the same at the foot of the cross. You know when Moses came down from the mountain, his face was so bright (it shone like the sun) the people were afraid. They knew Moses had been with God. Let your light shine in word and deed.

Most Holy God, I come before You with humbleness of heart. I want my light to shine before men. I want others to see You in me. I want my life to glorify You in all that I do and say. I ask all this in Your precious Son’s name. These things are the desire of my heart. Amen

"Questions"

A Blast From The WordBy Sandra Rhynes“Questions”John 10:3-4 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Here are a few questions for you? Are you a “sheep” or a “wolf”? Do you continually listen for God’s voice and keep your heart open to Him or are you always working to devour the sheep? Do you make sure everyone knows the faults of others or do you listen intently and pray quietly for that person? Do you know the Good Shepherd’s voice. Can you tell the difference between His voice and satan’s voice. Who’s voice do you know and listen to the most? Do you allow Jesus to speak to you? Do you obey Him? When the Lord returns and calls you by name, will you be ready to go with Him? Will you be found wanting because you didn’t recognize our Good Shepherd’s voice? Be a sheep, don’t be the devouring wolf. Lord, I know You are the Good Shepherd. You go before me to lead me, to led me to paths of righteousness and out of ways and things that don’t please You. Help me to always know Your voice. I love You and praise You. Thank You for knowing me and keeping me with Your grace. Amen

"I'm Redeemed!"

A Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes

“I’m Redeemed!”

18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

We were redeemed by shed blood. Have you ever shed your blood for someone? I haven’t either. Jesus Christ shed His blood for mankind that we would be saved (redeemed) to serve Him and to be with Him forever in heaven. He died for ALL, now some choose not to accept His death and resurrection for themselves. Either way He still died and shed His blood for ALL. It doesn’t make any difference what color you are or what country you live in or what your name is or anything, He still did it. He died out of love. He loves you completely and supremely. It is up to us to accept Him into our lives. He made the way for redemption---the rest is up to YOU. Accept Him today.
Lord and Savior, I pray for the ones You died for that haven’t accepted You yet. Call them to You. Holy Spirit send someone to them today to tell them about Your never failing love, grace and mercy. In Your Precious Name I ask this. Amen

"One Accord"

A Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes
“One Accord”
Acts 2:1
When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Jesus had died and rose again, and believe you me the disciples were ready to be in one mind and one accord. Before, there were strife among them, which one of them would be the first and the greatest in the Kingdom. But now, ahhh, now, the Lord had promised them great blessings and power from on high. They had prayed a lot together and they loved each other with a holy love. All strife and envy was gone. They just wanted to obey Jesus. And they did. The Bible says that all of a sudden, when they were in one accord, then and only then, the Holy Spirit came in and filled the whole place. He came in as a mighty rushing wind and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in other tongues as He gave the utterance. Let us be in one accord and love one another. For when we are together in unity, the Lord will pour out His blessings and the anointing will flow. Aren’t you hungry for the Holy Spirit to move as on the day of Pentecost? The answer is yes Lord, yes Lord, yes, yes Lord!!!!
Holy Spirit do the work among us today as we obey You. Come in as a rushing mighty wind and fill this whole place as we worship You in one mind and one accord. We thank You Lord for the things You are about to do in our midst. We wait for You with great expectation. In Jesus Name we pray. Amen

"Who's Your Master"

A Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes

“Who’s Your Master?”


Acts 16:17
This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, "These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation."

This verse was a real eye opener to me this week. This slave girl had an evil spirit and she could tell the future. She made her owner a lot of money. You know, satan knows if you are a servant of the Most High God and so do the people that follow you. My dad used to say that he could sum a fellow up by just talking to him and all it took was just 5 minutes. Here is my question to you, “who is following you?” When they talked to you for about 5 minutes, what do you tell them? Do they know who your master is? Do they know where your priorities are? Do they leave you hearing about a Savior? The slave girl had followed Paul and the others around for several days. Paul was just about fed up with her continuous repeating of the same words, so here is what he does. I can just see Paul in my minds eye. Whirling around kinda irritated like, he says, “In the Name of Jesus I command you to come out of her.” The Bible goes on to say that the evil spirit was gone that same hour. Her owner was not too happy, infact, he was mad. Sometimes when we tell others about Jesus, it does make them mad. Sometimes they scream, yell and slam doors. They don’t want to hear about the Lord. Especially if it touches their money or if they know they are still doing wrong. We must not let anything stand in our way of telling them about Jesus. Well, I could go on forever about this scripture, but I am running out of room. Read this chapter and allow the Lord to speak to your heart.

Lord of all, I come to you with a great awakening. I want others to see Jesus in me. You are the only Master for me. I ask in Your name to take away all the thoughts and feelings and all the things about me that You are not pleased with. Especially those things that are in the deep corners of my heart. Create within me a clean heart and a right spirit. Amen

"No More Excuses!"

A Blast From The Word
“No More Excuses!”
Psalms 18:3
I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.
David knew about salvation. Even though Jesus had not died for our sins yet, David had an understanding of how to pray. When he called on the Lord, he called on him with praise and thanksgiving. He also knew the worthiness of the Lord. If we live a thousand years and praise Jesus every minute of those thousand years, it is still not enough. We will praise Him throughout eternity. David also knew the Lord would save him from his enemies. He was talking about men. While I write this it dawns on me that we also have some different kinds of enemies. We have bad attitudes, negative thoughts, doubt, worry, fear, faithless living, no holiness, no repentance, bad habits and the list goes on. What is your “enemy” today? And it doesn’t matter if everyone around you has a bad attitude. You might say “well everybody is living this way, why should I be any different?” This is just an excuse. Throw those away too. Get some things over with in your life today and start really living for Jesus and move on with the future God has for you. Only He can save you from your enemies. Call on the Lord, today.
Father God, I do praise and worship You. I love You. Thank You for loving me. Show me the root of my problem and how to get over it. Lord, please help me to change. I want positive changes in my life. I want my life to glorify You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen

"Harvest Work"

A BLAST FROM THE WORDBY Sandra Rhynes “Harvest-Work”37 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." Jesus is the owner of the harvest. He is the Lord of the Harvest. Here He is talking to His disciples while He is looking upon a crowd of people. They looked like sheep to Him, sheep gone astray, and with no shepherd. Jesus was moved with compassion. Then He called them His harvest. So many people need Him. So many people without a shepherd. A farmer knows when his crops are ready for reaping. He looks upon a field of wheat that is ready for reaping and his heart yearns within him to go into the field and gather the wheat. When Jesus looks down on this old world, He sees the harvest and it is ready for reaping. His heart is moved with compassion for His Harvest. It is our job to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His Harvest Field. When we pray for more laborers in the field, He sends out missionaries, preachers, teachers, prayer warriors and ordinary people like you and me to tell others about His love and bring in His harvest. Allow the Lord to move you with compassion to go out into your “world” and bring in the harvest of souls. You don’t have to go to the 3rd world countries to be a missionary. When you step out of your home, I tell you now, YOU ARE A MISSIONARY AND A HARVEST WORKER. Don’t you love it! We have the opportunity to work as a laborer in God’s Harvest. Harvest work is not idle work, it is busy work. I challenge you to get busy. Lord of the Harvest, I pray for you to move upon me with the same compassion that moved the heart of Jesus. Lead me to Your people. “Lord lay some soul upon my heart and love that soul through me, that I may ever do my part to win that soul to thee.”

"An Abundant Drink"

A Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes

“An Abundant Drink”


Psalms 23:5
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.

I love the part that says, “My cup runs over.” When your cup runs over, you are so blessed. When I close my eyes and think about this, it makes me want to giggle. I visualize a giant cup of coffee filled all the way to the top and running over with my favorite flavor. This is the way Jesus blesses us. He gives us an abundant drink of life in Him. Abundant means all we need now, and all we will need in the future and more and more and more and more and more. This includes His love, mercy, grace, gentleness, healings, blessings and all of Him that is in between. And the kicker here is…it’s forever!! Yea!! Praise the Lord, now and forevermore!!!!! Isn’t this odd that our cup runs over in the presence of our enemies? I could say more about this, but instead I am going to let you think about a while.

Praise you Lord; I did not come to ask You for anything today. I want to thank You and praise You for all of the overflow You have provided for me today. For all of Your attributes I praise, today. I praise You because of who You are and for calling me Your friend. Amen

"The Spider And The Fly"

Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes

“The Spider And The Fly”

Psalms 10: 9
He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den; He lies in wait to catch the poor; He catches the poor when he draws him into his net.

We were out of a Youth Minister and different individuals in the church were taking the youth on Wednesday nights. This was my Wednesday. I had been studying and praying the night before and wondering what I could tell these kids that they would want to hear. I prayed “Oh Lord, at this age they think they are smarter than me and I didn’t face the same world they face when I was their age. What can I possibly teach these young people?” The Lord spoke to my spirit and said this, “Tell them about the spider and the fly.” When I began to think on this a picture began to form in my mind. The spider reminded me of that old serpent the devil. The fly reminded me of myself. I saw in my spirit how the devil had spun a web for me and how I had entered into that web before I knew what I had done. Then it hit me---if I could warn these teens to be on the lookout for this “old spider” and be aware of the webs that he would set for them as well, and then I knew they would listen to this old woman---and they did. Have you ever seen a fly being caught in a spider web? After they are caught the fly will flutter their tiny little wings and buzz and buzz and buzz. The fly has no escape from the spider. The fly will die in the spider web. Even though satan sets the trap and catches you, you are not like the fly, you have a way out. You will not die in the grips of satan if you turn from him and call upon the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God. Jesus and Jesus alone will snatch you out of the very hands of satan. Satan goes to and fro seeking whom he can devour. Jesus knocks on your hearts door. Open your heart and let Him in and get out of the spider web.

Heavenly Father, in the precious name of Jesus, I pray. Help me to listen and obey your voice when I am about to stumble. Stay the hand of the enemy from my life. Thank you for snatching me out of the hands of satan and saving me. I love you Lord. Amen

"The Coming Of The Son Of Man"

A Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes

“The Coming Of The Son Of Man”


Matthew 24:37
But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

The Lord Jesus is coming back for us and we will be caught up to meet Him in the air and be forever with Him in Heaven. We do not know the time or the hour when our Lord will come back for us. It is up to us to be ready to go. The Bible does give us little hints as to the signs of the time. The point is to stay ready. If you were waiting for a friend to pick you up at your home for a vacation to Florida, what would you be doing? You would get up early and get dressed. You would brush your teeth and comb your hair. You would pack your suitcase and all the while you would be watching for your friend so you wouldn’t miss him and miss the ride to Florida. Just like in the days when Noah built the ark, things will be pretty normal. You will get up and go to work, go through your daily routine, go to Wal-Mart, eat, drink. There will be nothing different happening. Then all of a sudden the Lord will appear in the eastern sky and up we will go. Praise the Lord! As God was preparing Noah for the flood and the way of escape, He prepares us for the end times and our way of escape is the Rapture. Noah’s part was to build the ark, stay ready and tell others. Our part is to be packed and ready to go up and to tell others. How will you be living and what will you be found doing when the Lord calls you home for eternity? Will you be prepared or will you be going your own way and not be worried about the things and ways of the Lord? Let us pray, read the Bible and stay just as close to Jesus as we possible can. He is the One who has the last say. He is the One we cling to. Read all of Matthew 24, it is great!

Lord of Heaven and Earth and Lord of me, I love you supremely. Keep me ready to meet You in the air. I long to be with You forever. Help me to tell others of Your love, mercy and grace. Thank you Lord for loving me and speaking to me. I want to build Your Kingdom. Amen

"Without Spot Or Wrinkle Or Blemish"

A Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes

“Without Spot Or Wrinkle Or Blemish”


Ephesians 5:27 That He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, so that she should be holy and without blemish.

Of course the “she” in this verse is talking about the church. We are the church, the bride of Christ. Wow, that’s a tall order. We can’t enter Heaven if we are spotted, wrinkled or blemished. Let me see…..we are going to have a new body. We will be changed in the twinkling of an eye, that’s pretty fast. What about our Daily Christian Living? Our Christian Living is what we are going to be held accountable for. The Bible states that each and every one of us will stand before Jesus. We are saved by Grace alone and we are to act like it. When Jesus Christ comes into your heart you repent and turn from your sins. Does this mean we will never be tempted? No!!! It is what we do with the temptation that counts. Every saved person living on this earth has messed up. Paul puts it like this, “The things I want to do I don’t do and the things I do, I don’t want to do.” Even Paul had trouble doing right sometimes. Have you ever said that last hasty word that you wish later you wouldn’t have said or opened mouth and inserted foot or here is the biggie, repeated gossip, true or not, of course you have? The Bible says we all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God. Yet, there is a Silver Lining and His name is Jesus Christ. He is our advocate to the Father. We can go to Him anytime of the day or night and He is standing on the Father’s right hand ever making intersession for us. I don’t know about you, but I need His intersession. Without it we are spotted, wrinkled and blemished. Go to Him today and let Him wipe your slate clean. He is in the forgiving business.

Holy and Forgiving Lord, Thank You for your forgiveness, mercy and love. I as Paul sometimes mess up and need Your forgiveness. Help me to always turn to You. Your word says, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Amen

"Yea!!! It's Mother's Day"

A Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes

Yea!!!! It’s Mother’s Day!
Proverbs 31:28
Her children arise up, and call her blessed…

Proverbs 31:30
Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be
praised.


My Mother is special
Yes she is
My Mother is special
She raised three kids

She raised us up the best she could
She cooked and polished
The food was good

We went to The House of the Lord
On Sundays and Wednesday nights
If the church doors were open
To show up was our delight.

We attended Sunday School, Booster Band and Youth
We loved the Bible Stories and sang the songs with zeal
Our Mamma made sure that we were there
And after church ahhhhh, the “Sunday Meal”

We still love to go to The House of The Lord, and our children too
We still love to hear the preaching, and the singing is still grand
We love, trust and lean on the Lord
All from a Mother’s Hand.

Mom, today we rise up and call you blessed.

"Can I Get A Witness"

A Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes

“Can I Get A Witness”

Romans 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

Our spirit is alive in Christ and dead to sin because of the righteousness of God, if you have ask Jesus into your heart and you are led by the Spirit, then you are a child of God. The Holy Spirit lives within you. He is the one that gives you that peace that only He can give. He is the one that speaks to your heart and replaces fear and doubt with love. The kind of love that changes you. Because He lives, you NOW can live. The Holy Spirit (the 3rd person of the Trinity) comes to you and bears witness from within with your spirit that you are in Jesus and there are not enough devils in hell that can change that. Praise the Lord! Go to the Lord in prayer and let the visit be long enough for you to feel His presence and let His Spirit bear witness with your spirit. Let us by that same Spirit bring death to the flesh and live in the Spirit. No longer do we live by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes or the pride of life. He longs for you to know Him in Spirit and Truth.

Loving Father, I come to you with a humble spirit. Keep me in the hollow of Your hand. Let me know Your love. Take fear, doubt and bondage from me. I ask this in Your name. Amen

"IF"

A Blast From The Word
By Sandra Rhynes

“IF”

Matthew 6:14-15 14 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

We have been memorizing the Lords Prayer in my third and fourth grade Sunday school class. The children are doing great! I want you to look at the verses right below the Lord’s Prayer. These are the verses we don’t care for. They make us flinch. They make us holler---ouch!!!! The word IF implies we have to DO something. We are responsible for the outcome. Do these verses mean what I think they do? IF we don’t forgive others, THEN Jesus doesn’t forgive us? AHHHHHH, but the other side of that coin is, IF we do forgive, we don’t have anything to worry about. Isn’t that GREAT!

Heavenly Father, thank You so much for Your loving kindness. Thank You for Your forgiveness even when I don’t deserve it. Help me to forgive my friends, family, church family, co-workers and any other ones that You have died for. Help me to act the way You would want me to in all circumstances. When I get before You on judgment day I want to hear “well done thou good and faithful servant, enter in.” I love you, Lord. I pray all of these things in Your precious name. Amen

"Gratitude And Attitude"

A Blast From The Word By Sandra Rhynes “Gratitude and Attitude”

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Amen!! I want everything and everyone around me to be peaceful, slow to anger and quick to say “I am sorry”. Doesn’t that sound great! Unfortunately we are all human. We won’t have a perfect world until we get in the presence of the Lord. Until then---this scripture says to strive for the peace of God to rule in your heart. We have all been around folks that need an attitude adjustment. Some of these folks live with us, oh my goodness! We are ALL called into this body of Christ to live peaceably with one another. We must be thankful and live in a lifestyle of praise to the Lord. We can always find something good in others. Christ died for them too. Turn someone’s attitude around by thanking them for something. Do you know how to cure your attitude? Give a little gratitude. Today look for the good in others and do something nice for someone. My Lord and My God, I come before you with a thankful heart. I know that sometimes I get irritated with others. Help me to see others through Your eyes. I want to love others the way You do. Give me a peaceful and thankful heart. Thank You for the many, many blessing above my need. Amen

"Pray and Tell"

“Pray And Tell” James 4:17Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is a sin.

Thus sayth the Lord….To My Churches full of Christians: Be about My business. Do what you know to do to increase My Kingdom. Preach, teach, and tell My words in the market place. Go out into the highways the byways and the hedges and bring them in. Tell them of My love for them and pray that My Holy Spirit will compell them to come to Me. Pray-pray-pray. Don’t be found wanting in My presence. My people will be held accountable. Do everything you can to bring them to me. A new day is dawning. Fear not! It is finished. How many times do we feel the Holy Spirit speak to our hearts to say something to someone and plant a seed for Christ. If we are honest-a lot-we are more worried about ourselves. We can’t seem to get past our own problems to see in the Spirit. As long as we are in this flesh we are going to have problems. We MUST let the Holy Spirit speak to our hearts and let Him woo us to speak out! Out to the hurting, out to the unsaved, out to the unloved and unlovable, out to our enemies, out to our loved ones, out to the stranger and on and on and on. Take hold of the boldness and anointing you have received from Christ. We already have it. We must step out and speak out!

Sweet Holy Spirit, come to me and speak to my heart. Change my life, purpose and thinking. I want to tell others about Your love and our Blessed Hope in You. Give me boldness, strength and courage. I don’t want to be found wanting when I stand before you on that blessed day. I want to hear “well done thou good and faithful servant, enter in.” I love you Lord and am humbled by your presence. Thank you Lord for Your presence. Thank you Lord dieing on the cross for my sins. I want to live with You forever. I want to work for You. Amen

"No Coffee"

A BLAST FROM THE WORD
By Sandra Rhynes

“No Coffee”

Mark 16:2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.

While I was reading this passage in the Gospel of Mark these words “early in the morning” jumped out at me. James and I always start our day with coffee. He usually sets the automatic button and our coffee is brewed and ready to drink when we hit the floor. Stumbling out of bed, with the light burning my eyes, I went to the kitchen to pour myself a cup of James’ great coffee---NO COFFEE!---he had forgot to make the coffee the night before. I was irritated, now I had to wait for the coffee to brew. I said to myself “I want coffee NOW! Coffee starts my day!” I felt a small tug at my heart in question form, “What did you say?” Don’t you just love how the Holy Spirit can dig right into your very being with that small still voice? Now, there is nothing wrong with drinking coffee when you first wake up. The Lord took this opportunity to teach me a lesson. What starts my day? I begin to think on that. Of course we want to start our day with Him. And if you can start the day with Him early in the morning, I have found out your day will go better and you are more in tune with Him. You have set the stage for your day. These women wanted to be the first ones at the tomb. They loved Jesus with deeply. They couldn’t wait to go and take care of Jesus’ body. What a wonderful surprise they received by going “EARLY”. If they thought “EARLY” was important, shouldn’t we?

Today purpose in your heart to start all of your days with The One and Only.
Risen Lord, I ask for Your forgiveness when I rush around to follow my own agenda and forget about You. Help me to put You first in everything I do and say. I love You and I want You to be the first One I talk to everyday. Amen

"Real Peace"

A BLAST FROM THE WORD
BY Sandra Rhynes
“Real Peace”

Luke 24:36 While they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be to you”
Five times Jesus had been seen on the day He arose from the grave, by Mary Magdalene alone in the garden, by the women as they were going to tell the disciples, by Peter alone, by the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and now at night by the eleven. They were talking about all the events that were taking place and about all of the proof of His resurrection and all of a sudden the Lord appears right in their midst. When He spoke these words “Peace be to you” they were feeling a lot of things, but none of their feelings were in the category of peace. They were afraid, really afraid. The disciples thought they were seeing a ghost. Talk about the ultimate conformation of His resurrection! Wow! He came to them with a visit of love and friendship. Though Peter had denied Him and they had deserted Him in His time of suffering, Jesus so wanted to comfort them and console them. Jesus doesn’t deal with us as we deserve, He deals with us under love, grace and mercy. He wants to come to us with intimacy between Him and us. He wants to come up close and personal with us. As close as a bride groom with his bride. Jesus will go to any length to give you peace. He longs to give you His peace that the world knows nothing about. When you are at peace with the Lord, everything else falls by the wayside. All of the cares of life get a lot smaller. With His peace and comfort you can get through anything that Life throws your way. We have something that the world can’t give and the world can’t take it away.
Today accept the peace of Christ. He has risen from the dead and is alive for evermore! Let Him comfort your heart. Lean on Him for your peace. As Jesus appeared to the disciples, let Him come to you in ways that only He can. He knows just how to come to you. Let Him come to you and give you peace and comfort.

Risen Savior and Lord, I come to You today and ask for this peace that You have. I long for Your peace. Some days, like Your disciples, I am afraid and don’t feel very peaceful. Help me to recognize You in my midst. Let me feel Your presence and know Your peace in my heart and spirit. I love You Lord. Amen

"As For Me"

A BLAST FROM THE WORD
By Sandra Rhynes

“As For Me”

Psalms 55:16-17 As for me, I will call upon God, And the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice.
“As for me” Let others take whatever course they will take, but as for me I will call on and serve the one true and living God. David was a man after God’s own heart. Do you ever wonder exactly what it takes to be a person like David? I have---and I think I have come upon an answer. I think the answer is perseverance and determination---no matter what, also, a great big dose of love and compassion to go with it. David was alone with the Lord a lot when he was young. He loved and obeyed God even when no one was looking. He loved the Lord supremely. David knew the Lord and the Lord knew David. The Lord knew David would obey Him in little things and in big things. The truth be known, there are no little things in Jesus’ eyes. All things are just under the category of obedience. When David was a lowly shepherd, he prayed morning, noon and night. I love it. If we prayed this way---no telling what would happen, maybe a revival. David is a great example for us. Even when he messed up he just ran to God as fast as he could go and the Lord was true and faithful to forgive. Jesus is no respecter of persons; He does the same for us. We have to put our pride aside and call on the name of the Lord in good times and bad times.
Jesus of the Universe spread upon me a hunger for You that I can’t contain. I want to love You supremely and live for You. I want to pray the way David did and be a “man after God’s own heart. I praise and worship You today. Amen.

"My Desires"

A BLAST FROM THE WORD
By Sandra Rhynes

“My Desires”

Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.”

We must make Jesus our heart’s delight and THEN He will give us the desire of our heart. We must go past depending on Him-all the way to-delighting in Him. This is not a promise to gratify all of our appetites and fancies. This means desires of the heart and cravings of the soul. This is a deep down desire. It is our pleasure to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God. What are your deep down desires? Today find ways to delight yourself in the Lord.

Father I delight in You. Let my hearts desires be pleasing to You. I love You and just want to live for You all the days of my life. I want to dwell in Your house forever. Amen

Run To The Mercy Seat

A BLAST FROM THE WORD
By Sandra Rhynes

“Run To The Mercy Seat”
Psalms 51:16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering.


The prophet Nathan had just called David on the carpet. He was very remorseful about his lustful sin with Bathsheba. All of a sudden David wanted forgiveness, he was desperate for forgiveness. He would have been glad to give any sacrifice to make right his sin. With all his heart he would have given it to obtain pardon and peace. David knew God’s heart and he knew what God wanted. God wanted a broken spirit and a contrite heart. This is the kind of true repentance God wanted from David and this is the kind of repentance He wants from us. So many times we try within ourselves to go on actions alone. There is nothing we can do by working or doing. All true repentance comes from the heart. The Lord can read your heart before you open your mouth anyway. He knows whether or not you mean what you are saying or if you are just giving Him lip service. David loved God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength. He knew about salvation. He knew God personally and completely. Then you ask, “Why did David commit this sin?” Well, we are the same way at times. We do things or say that last hasty word. David just kept running back to God, because he knew God would be faithful to His word. God’s word says He is true and faithful to forgive ALL of our transgressions if we but ask. God throws our sins as far as the east is from the west never to be remembered anymore. David knew about the mercy and grace of God. I don’t know about you, but I love this about God. Because as long as we are in the flesh and here on this earth, we are going to mess up. We run to the Lord and keep everything under His Blood, ask for forgiveness and He will do the rest. Our part is to do our best, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to keep all of His commandments with Love. The Bible says His mercies are new every morning. Thank goodness!

Most Holy Lord, I come in humble thanksgiving to ask for Your forgiveness. Help me run to You instead of trying to do things myself. Thank You for Your mercy and Your grace. Thank You for Your sweet Holy Spirit that talks to my heart when I do wrong. I want to keep close to You and keep my life under Your Blood. The Blood that gives me strength and will never, never lose its power. I ask this in Your name. Amen

"The Sower and The Seed"

A BLAST FROM THE WORD
By Sandra Rhynes

“The Sower And The Seed”

Matthew 13:24-25
24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.


Lets just say for a moment that we are the sower and the seed of course is the Word of God. I have asked myself a question. What kind of seed do I plant? Do I plant good seed or bad seed? Do I plant love, joy, gentleness, kindness, peace, longsuffering, meekness, faith and self control (sounds like good fruit, doesn’t it) or do I plant envy, strife, laziness, hatred, anger and lies? (sounds like rotten fruit, doesn’t it) Keep in mind; you reap what you sow. What do you want to reap in your life?

Today sow the good fruit….Heavenly Father, help me make the choice to plant good fruit into others. I don’t want to sow tares among Your people. With thanksgiving I pray this in Your name. Amen

"LOVE"

LOVE


I CORINTHIANS 13




LOVE IS PATIENT

LOVE IS KIND

LOVE DOES NOT ENVY

LOVE IS NOT BOASTFUL OR ARROGANT

LOVE IS NOT PUFFED UP

LOVE DOES NOT INSIST IT’S OWN WAY

LOVE DOES NOT BEHAVE RUDELY

LOVE IS NOT EASILY PROVOKED

LOVE THINKS NO EVIL

LOVE DOES NOT REJOICE IN WRONGDOING

LOVE REJOICES IN THE TRUTH

LOVE BEARS ALL THINGS

LOVE BELIEVES ALL THINGS

LOVE HOPES ALL THINGS

LOVE ENDURES ALL THINGS

LOVE NEVER FAILS

"Miracles"

A BLAST FROM THE WORD
By Sandra Rhynes
"MIRACLES"
MATTHEW 21:21-22
21 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done. 22 And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."
Do you believe in miracles, really believe? If we have faith and doubt not…we always say "I believe" and inside we are thinking…but what if? Now, Jesus has wonder working power, do you have wonder working faith? Every promise in the Word of God is ours. We can depend on it. We can put our very lives on the line for all of these promises. He will either remove the "mountain" in your life or show you the way over it, around it or through it. The Lord knows you from the inside out. What ever is the best for you, either way, the "mountain" is gone. You can have your miracle today! Expect it! Praise God!
All powerful and loving Father, I come to You with this mountain in my life and I ask this in Your Precious Name, the mighty Name of Jesus, the Name above all names. I come to You with faith believing, help Thou my unbelief. I DO believe in miracles because You are the Miracle Worker. Only You can do this. I say unto this mountain, "be thou removed, satan get thee behind me and flee from me." Thank You Lord for this promise. Thank you for Your wonder working power. I ask for wonder working faith. Amen

"Birds Of A Feather"

A BLAST FROM THE WORD
By Sandra Rhynes

“Birds Of A Feather”

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified in Christ’ it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

I had bought some birdseed to put in my bird feeder. Then the sleet and freezing weather came and I couldn’t get out of my house for three days. Nothing else to do, I got out my birdseed and threw it out on the blinding blanket of sleet. Oh, the birds were so lovely, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Finches, little unknown birds, all were beautiful in their own right. I began to notice something. The acted a lot like people. The Cardinals and the Blue Jays bullied the other birds. They didn’t want to eat with the other birds. They only wanted to eat for themselves. And the Cardinal would even chase away the Blue Jay. I guess the Cardinals are a lot like some selfish people I have been around. Always looking out for Number One with no thought of the others around them, only caring for themselves. One day about 2000 some years ago, one single man gave His life on an old rugged cross for our sins. When Jesus Christ comes into our hearts, all of that old selfish attitude leaves. We do an “all the way” turn around. He gives us a love for others like we have never had before. We see others through His eyes and heart. Old self has to die and decrease and then the love of Christ will come shining through and we will treat others like we want to be treated and loved. So don’t be like the Cardinals, beautiful on the outside and ugly on the inside. We can be beautiful inside and out with Christ. My grandma King used to tell me this quote all the time—“Pretty is as pretty does.”

Lord and Savior, thank You for giving Your life for me. I love You so much. I want to live in the Spirit not the after the flesh. Help me to walk in the Spirit. I want to love others as You do. In Your name I pray this. Amen

"Daily"

A BLAST FROM THE WORD
By Sandra Rhynes
"Daily"
Proverbs 8:34
Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
Wonder what would happen if we prayed, studied the Word, and worshiped Jesus the way we feed our bodies? Let me think about that for a minute……let me see….three times a day….at least twice a day…good food…love the taste…spend large amounts of money on food….spend a lot of time preparing the food….spend a lot of time shopping for the food….my, my, my, know telling what would happen. I don’t know about you, but we even recommend bathing the body daily. Now, if we take care of our inter Spirits this way (daily), you can rest assured the Lord will do His part. I can tell you His Supernatural Holy Spirit will fall on you like never before. He will tell you things you have never dreamed of. Call on Him and He will show you great and might things that you don’t know. Praise God!!!!
My Lord and Savior, keep me hungry for You and Your Word. Help me to praise and worship You daily. I love You Lord. In Your name I ask it. Amen