Tag Archives: Trinity

11/17/19

Thanksgiving Prayer

1 Chronicles 16: 8-12

Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name

Make known His deeds among the peoples!

Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;

Talk of all His wondrous works!

Glory in His Holy name;

Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!

Seek the Lord and His strength;

Seek his face evermore!

Remember His marvelous works which he has done,

His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth.

Abba Father,

 We have so much to thank you for. You have kept us through another year in which wonderful, as well as disastrous things, have happened. We are confident in you that we, as your people, will see more glorious days than these. It is only in drawing close to you through your Son Jesus Christ, and through your Holy Spirit that we are assured peace and comfort in the midst of life’s storms.

We are a people less sure of being able to trust this world than we were a year ago; but this also means that we are learning to trust you more with our lives and our hearts. Your Holy Spirit intercedes for us, and strengthens us.

As followers of Christ, we are eager to embrace those who do not know You. We are willing to carry out The Great Commission; to take your message of hope and salvation to hurting people all over this world. Please teach us to pray for one another in truth and sincerity; and to be willing to put aside our own needs to serve your people.

This season of Thanksgiving should be in our spirits at all times. We have something to thank you for each day. Taking time to look back upon the gracious mercies, healing, and provision you have given brings us joy unspeakable; and the knowledge that you are walking with each of us through our trials and hardships makes life easier to bear.

We thank You, Abba Father, for your readiness to hear and to forgive; for your great love to us in spite of our unworthiness; for the many blessings we enjoy above what we deserve, hope, or ask. You have been so good to us in our ingratitude, thoughtlessness, and forgetfulness of You. For your pity, long-suffering, gentleness and tenderness, we bow our heads in humble thankfulness of heart. We worship you Who are infinite love; infinite compassion, and infinite power.  Please accept our praise and gratitude through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

We your people look forward to a new world where the fullness of your peace will be revealed. Keep us watchful for that day when people of every ethnicity, language, and way of life will gather to share in the one eternal banquet with Jesus Christ our Lord. Father, through Him, with Him, and in Him, through the unity of the Holy Spirit, may all glory and honor be Yours, now and forevermore. Amen

 credit: charlene+beliefnet.com

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Charlene

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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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