Category Archives: Thoughts

09/5/11

Some Wisdom from Tommy Tenney's "Finding Favor with The King".

 

Book of Esther

I listened to a sermon on CGNKorea (Christian Global Network) based upon the book “Finding Favor With The King’ by Tommy Tenney. This book, which is written about Queen Esther, reveals ways in which we can approach the King and rest in the surety that we are leaving the battle in the King’s (Jesus’)hands. Tommy Tenney was preaching from his own book and there were many profound things said that I want to share with you. I hope for a strong degree of accuracy in the paraphrasing. No copyright infringement is intended.

“Once you become a believer, it does not mean that you discontinue to practice what made you become a believer”(what brought you to your knees) (insert mine).

“To ask the right question at the wrong time does no good”.

“Learn to worship with the enemy at your table”.

“Worship the King while obstacles are in your way” You cannot overindulge the King in Worship”.

‘I will not allow my enemy to dictate my destiny”.

“The presence of the enemy does not mean that God is not there”.

“Refuse to let the pressure of problems cause separation from GOD”.

Depression and other problems–“I’m going to take you to worship with me”  (and there you shall be defeated) (insert mine)

“Satan will try to defeat you by making you fight the right battle on the wrong battlefield”. (A lesson in futility).

“If your enemy becomes the King’s enemy, the battle then becomes the LORD’s”.

“Cleanse your heart; cleanse your life”. (Prepare your life as a banquet table for Christ).Your worship is an incredible feast for GOD.

“I love you, Jesus” is a banquet table”.

“My worship controls my destiny”.

I pray that what I have shared here has helped you. I believe that Evangelist Tenney would hope for the same.   Rev. Charlene

 

 

08/19/11

1 Samuel 2 — The Prayer of Hannah

1 Samuel 2

New International Version (NIV)

1 Samuel 2

Hannah’s Prayer

 1Then Hannah prayed and said:

   “My heart rejoices in the LORD;
   in the LORD my horn[a] is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
   for I delight in your deliverance.

 2 “There is no one holy like the LORD;
   there is no one besides you;
   there is no Rock like our God.

 3 “Do not keep talking so proudly
   or let your mouth speak such arrogance,
for the LORD is a God who knows,
   and by him deeds are weighed.

 4 “The bows of the warriors are broken,
   but those who stumbled are armed with strength.
5 Those who were full hire themselves out for food,
   but those who were hungry are hungry no more.
She who was barren has borne seven children,
   but she who has had many sons pines away.

 6 “The LORD brings death and makes alive;
   he brings down to the grave and raises up.
7 The LORD sends poverty and wealth;
   he humbles and he exalts.
8 He raises the poor from the dust
   and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
   and has them inherit a throne of honor.

   “For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s;
   on them he has set the world.
9 He will guard the feet of his faithful servants,
   but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness.

   “It is not by strength that one prevails;
 10 those who oppose the LORD will be broken.
The Most High will thunder from heaven;
   the LORD will judge the ends of the earth.

   “He will give strength to his king
   and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

 11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before the LORD under Eli the priest.

GOD PROVIDES

I Samuel 1 & 2 feature the story of a barren woman, Hannah, who receives a son from the Lord because of her diligent prayer, humbleness, and sacrifice.

Hannah had lived for many years in the shadow of her husband Elkanah’s first wife, who had borne many sons. It was important in this time in Israel’s history for a woman to produce children to bless her home, as it has been important for all time.  Hannah was barren, therefore she was subject to the teasings of her sister, and while Elkanah worked in the temple as a priest, Hannah prayed to ask GOD for a son. She covenated with GOD that if he would grant her desire for a son that she would give him to the temple priests to raise in the House of The LORD.

In due time, GOD gave Hannah a son whom she named Samuel, and when she had weaned him, she presented him to Eli, the Head Priest,as a gift before GOD, to live his life in the temple and to serve GOD all of his days.

My concentration today is on 2 Samuel 2:1-11. This is called ‘Hannah’s Prayer’ much like we find the ‘Song of Mary’ in the Book of Matthew. In this prayer, Hannah teaches us about the fruit of longsuffering and how diligence in petitioning the LORD will bear Godly fruit.  She speaks of overcoming her enemies through God’s intervention, and how those who seem to prosper will be brought to accountability in Him. She acknowledges the Sovereignty of the LORD GOD, and how he who owns all things will be the one to raise up and to put down.

In our everyday lives, we are bombarded by many plots and ploys of Satan to bring us down and to destroy our dedicated work in Christ. If we can just take the advice and example of Hannah, who GOD truly blessed, we will stay the course through many trials, and emerge victorious on the other side. We can only be defeated by our own inability to lean and depend on Jesus. 

Scripture is for edifying the body of Christ, and fellowship and community are there to shore us up and to support us through the hard times. Time is running out, and if we do not gain an understanding of the Holy Trinity, we will be lost.

                                                                                                                Charlene

07/5/11

Psalm 91 — A Song of Deliverance

 
 Psalm 91 is the favorite Psalm of many people. It is a Psalm of Comfort, a Psalm of Joy, and a Psalm of Deliverance. It speaks to us about trusting and resting in the shadow of God’s wings. We are assured that disease will not defeat us and those we love, and that the plotting of evildoers will be foiled.
Also, the most important lesson to learn is that you cannot logic all that God is and represents.
 
Trust is the key to understanding this Song from the Scriptures. Trust will allow you to relax in Christ, knowing that he has your interests and your welfare covered. Jesus’  blood covers all circumstances.   Charlene
 
 
 

PSALM 91

 1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
   will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a]
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
   my God, in whom I trust.”

 3 Surely he will save you
   from the fowler’s snare
   and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
   and under his wings you will find refuge;
   his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
   nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
   nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
   ten thousand at your right hand,
   but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
   and see the punishment of the wicked.

 9 If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
   and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
   no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
   to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
   so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
   you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

 14 “Because he[b] loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
   I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
   I will be with him in trouble,
   I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
   and show him my salvation.”

 

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 91:1 Hebrew Shaddai
  2. Psalm 91:14 That is, probably the king
New International Version (NIV)

 

10/4/10

Words from The Lord

      Word 1:  A Heart Applied Appropriately

          Will Always Be A Prayer

 

Word 2:  I Am the One in Control

    Follow after Me, not after man

For I AM the One you will be

standing before in judgment

Man will not judge you,

I will judge you

Follow after Christ,

not after man

And do as I command you to do

 

08/12/10

The Third Person of The Triune GOD Revisited

Scripture testifies of the person of GOD’s Holy Spirit.

Genesis 1:2 GNB  “The raging ocean that covered everything was engulfed in total darkness, and the power of GOD was moving over the water”.

Isaiah 61:1-4 GNB “The Sovereign LORD has filled me with His Spirit. He has chosen me and sent me to bring good news to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted, to announce release to captives and freedom to those in prison. He has sent me to proclaim that the time has come when the LORD will save His people and defeat their enemies. He has sent me to comfort all who mourn; to give to those who mourn in Zion. Joy and gladness instead of grief; a song of praise instead of sorrow. They will be like trees that The LORD Himself has planted. They will all do what is right, and GOD will be praised for what He has done…”.

Psalm 51:10-13 GNB  “Create a pure heart in me O GOD, and put a new and loyal Spirit in me. Do not banish me from your presence; do not take your Holy Spirit away from me. Give me again the joy that comes from your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach sinners your commands, and they will turn back to you.”

The Great Commission is the work of GOD’s Holy Spirit. Jesus sent the Comforter to us to guide us in the work of salvation. Therefore, there has been an unction put upon my heart to teach the concepts of the work of God’s Spirit. 

I sometimes forget that there was once a time when I did not understand the Holy Spirit’s work for myself. It is the responsibility of  God’s saints to impart teaching and wisdom to those who have not yet tasted of His Spirit. Therefore, GOD provided an opportunity for me through His servants to learn of Him.

I can remember the first time that I was exposed to the gifts of The Spirit. I was 24 years old and finally learning how to drive. My high school did not offer a full Drivers Ed program, so my Dad had tried to teach me and had failed. I had wrapped the fender of his car around a pole and that was the end of lessons. When it became imperative for me to learn to drive,  I sought the help of a driving school.  The instructor was Dan, a born-again charismatic Christian.

From the moment that we met Dan took it upon himself to educate me in the ways of God’s Spirit. I was a Christian, saved at five-years-old, but I did not understand the work of The Spirit. I did not even understand that Holy Ghost and Holy Spirit were the same person. As we drove here and there, in the midst of teaching me how to corner, etc, etc; Dan talked to me about the Scriptures. I could hold my own here because, after all, my Daddy was a preacher. There wasn’t much that this guy could teach me, right?

I was almost finished with my driving lessons. All that was left to do was night driving.  Late in the evening  Dan picked me up and had me drive to his friend’s house for Bible Study. This was his concept of training for night driving. I thought this was a bit unusual, but did what he asked. Upon arrival I was introduced to several nice Christians who proceeded to welcome me to study with them. I saw no problem here–so I joined them in a very interesting Bible Study in  First Corinthians.

After the study they started to pray, and this is where things began to get weird. At least to me they were weird. Someone was speaking in an entirely different  language, and not only was it unfamiliar to me but there seemed to be a change in the atmosphere of the room. It made my hairs stand up on the back of my neck. I was sitting in the back of the living room and could not escape so I was subjected to an hour of several people praying in what I now know to be tongues, and others giving interpretations.

After what seemed like an interminable time, Dan told me that we could go. Once in the car all was silence until he said, “Was that frightening to you”? My Protestant guns were ready to fire. Suffice it to say that he got both barrels. Dan suffered my fearful utterings, then said, ” I thought it time that you learned about the gifts of the Spirit. I have been listening to you talk about Jesus and God for two weeks–but you never mentioned The Holy Spirit. He went on to tell me about the Third Person of the Holy Trinity and about His work with mankind. I was totally blown away. It would not be until three years later that fruit would grow in such a heavenly, sovereign way that I could not deny the truth of God’s Spirit.

My older sister had invited me to another Bible Study. This time it was being held at a small, local church not far from home. I was reluctant to go because I had heard of the type of meetings they had. People were reportedly slain in the Spirit at every meeting, and lives were being changed. I did not want to be convicted because I knew that I was not living by God’s Word.  I did not want my life overturned. My sister convinced me to attend.

The Bible Study was good, holy, and convicting. At the end of the evening there was an altar call and many people went forward for prayer. I did not want to be among them but something ( I now know someone) urged me forward. The line was long and I shook as I watched person after person hit the floor. I tried to turn back but the crowd was too thick behind me.

The Pastor was smiling at me as I arrived at the front of the altar. He asked me for my name and reached towards me, and that is all I can remember. When I came to myself, I was lying in the floor, and I could feel a Presence so strong that I was unable to rise to my feet.

I have never been the same. Nothing changed overnight except my understanding of the Holy Spirit’s work and a growing awareness of His presence inside of me. As time progressed, everything in my world fell apart and then GOD mended it. It took several years for me to fully understand and to receive the gift of tongues, with other subsequent gifts from God’s Spirit. Everything that has happened in my life since that time has been walked through, prayed through, and resolved through The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They have been my Comforters through two difficult pregnancies, breast cancer, removal of my gallbladder, debilitating back pain, and my husband experiencing a near-fatal heart attack. Miraculously, my husband and myself are in full recovery. God has been my deliverer and provider through all of these things. Now I face life changing events that promise a renewed future and dedication to The Trinity’s work and Persons, and I can only say ‘ “Thank You, Holy Spirit”.

All scripture retrieved from Good News Bible: Todays English Version.  Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc under license from the American Bible Society 1976.

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03/24/10

What Is the Power In a Name? Part 1

Revised February 2016

 

That a name can have spiritual power is understood from the Holy Bible. It is through the power in the name Jesus Christ that heavens are moved and the earth is shaken. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved”  Acts: 5:12 NIV

Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him”. NIV

 

 The origin and meaning of the name of our LORD, Jesus is rooted in the Hebrew Yehoshua or Yeshua of which the English form is Joshua.  This is taken from the Latin “Iesus”, an anglicized form of the Greek “Yesous”. “Yeho” is in reference to YHVH, Yod-He-Vav-He, the Tetragrammaton, GOD’s four letter name. 

 

Literally translated Yeshua means “GOD is salvation” thus revealing the Father’s plan in naming His Son, Jesus. Salvation is in His name. Acts 10:37-38 states: “You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached–how GOD anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because GOD was with Him” NIV. Anointing through GOD’s Holy Spirit is a consecrated act of setting apart the individual for service in the work of a Holy GOD.  Jesus was epitomized through the meaning of His name. Since we are made in GOD’s image I believe that we would be the same.

As we explore this teaching together, we will be examining how Jesus’ name and our own name form a covenant partnership, and how we are led to be what is expressed in the meaning of our name. Does your name have a negative meaning or no apparent meaning at all? We will explore how what we believe, say, and do can influence the meaning of a name.

What is in a name? I have always been fascinated by the field of etymology (word origins and meanings) especially the meaning of names. My own name, Charlene, has never been the most popular on the baby name list. However, in my own family it has a significant meaning and contains a morsel of family history.

 The Korean War came on the heels of World War II. My Uncle Charles was deployed in 1950 to serve in Korea, and my mother, Irene, in an effort to preserve what they meant to each other as siblings, combined Charles and Irene to form my name, Charlene. What was interesting was the fact that she did not know that the name already existed. Charlene was such a rarity that when I met a schoolmate in the eighth grade named Charleen–she was the first person I had met with a form of my own name. Since that time I have discovered many people named Charlene, but it is still difficult to find my name on curios or placards.

It took several years into my adulthood before I felt compelled to search for the word origin and meaning of my name.

Charlene is a feminine form of Charles, which is a French name meaning “a manly freeman; a warrior”, so Charlene as a female diminutive means “a  womanly free woman; a warrior”. I could stop there except I must include the meaning of Irene. “Irene” is of Greek origin and means “peace”. Therefore, when combining the two names I get the meaning “free woman warrior of peace”. What a wonderful legacy! All that I wish to be is expressed in my name, and through the power of Christ I can  live according to the name given to me by the leading of the LORD.

Surnames are also important, so I am going to explain the meaning of the name Kirst. Some find it hard to pronounce this name, especially if they haven’t seen it in its written form. Therefore they mistakenly pronounce it “cursed” which is not it’s true meaning or pronunciation. There is a t at the end of Kirst ( pronounced Kurst or Keerst) which gives a clear, crisp ending to this name. My husband’s family for generations has pronounced this name Kirst(Kurst). I tell people, “you’re first with Kirst” as a guide to pronunciation.

The name Kirst had its origin in Northern Germany. It is a short form of the name Kirsten which derives from the Greek name of Christian.   This is derived from the Greek “Christos” which means “anointed”, which is rooted in “chrio”–“to anoint”.  In the Hebrew “Christos” means “Messiah”. There is a clear connection between Christ and Kirst, a wonderful covenant relationship that I pray will go on for as many generations as GOD has ordained.

My family has a book called “The Book of Kirsts” which contains everything about Kirst that you can imagine.  The meaning of the name as defined in that book is “descendants of followers of Christ”. Rejoice! Rejoice!  Now I can say that my name means “a free woman warrior of peace who is grafted into a family that follows Christ“. Hallelujah!! This revelation comes with responsibility to live what this name means. Since I have the name through adoption into this family (marriage) it reminds me of how I am adopted into the inheritance of Christ and therefore into all of the privileges and power of His name.

Everyone has meaning to their name. I hope that this will encourage you to seek that meaning, and to use wisdom when prayerfully choosing names for your children.

Part 2 of this teaching will concentrate on how our actions influence the meaning of our name.

May GOD Bless You.   Charlene


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