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12:28 am
January 30, 2010
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Susan
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Post edited 4:25 pm – February 25, 2010 by Susan
Are you attending a local class that is studying The Character of God? If so, here's a good place to talk with others who are taking the same course (perhaps in a different location). This is a public forum.
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8:29 pm
February 20, 2010
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SaraMcD
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About 11 of us are taking this course onllne at the moment and we are enjoying pondering the Character of God which always leaves us in awe. We are spread throughout 7 states, Japan, Canada and Cuba! It is wonderful to be connected spiritually while we live so far apart and each bring the pieces of puzzle and insights that God is giving us to our online class forum. With permission, I plan on sharing some things from there on this forum as we go. Here is something I posted from week one. God is Timeless and Unchanging:
The phrase that the Lord used to teach me this morning was from Deut 33:27, NLT:
"The eternal God is your refuge and His everlasting arms are under you."
He told me:
"Sara, My everlasting arms surround my children at all times but how it delights my heart when my children sit still to pay attention and listen to me and we make eye-contact! Yes, I am always there loving, protecting, guarding and guiding, but eye-contact leads to heart contact and it is only this that allows me to sooth your soul with my love."
It just reminded me of how we try to get our children's attention by telling them to look at us. Then we know they are listening. As you sit with scripture and your journal, you are looking into the face of God, don't be afraid to make eye-contact and let HIm teach you who He is and how much He loves you. His eyes are pools of salvation from which to drink.
Much love to you all. Jump in, the pool is deep and refreshing!
Sara
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2:07 pm
February 21, 2010
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brandy
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This is from Lesson One:Timeless and Unchangeable
Hello to all!!! As I have been walking through this week I see that a lot of what my heart's focus on is God's Timelessness. I remember always gently encouraging the moms to be on time, especially our leaders. However, when they were late I would always tell them. "You got here right when you were suppose to, I'm so glad you came." And often to my frazzled leaders, remember now MOPS stands for Mothers of PreSchoolers, "Don't worry about when you get here, just get here! God knows when every single one of us will be late and he will provide what is needed. The success of our program doesn't depend on our effort but His faithfulness." Now trust me, did I always believe what I said, yes and no. I knew that God was bigger than any of us and I knew that He can, and does, over come our short comings but I said it more to affirm in my heart that He was in control and not me. And I see myself visiting the same lesson again!!! Only this time it is dealing with just myself and my great desire to get everything done in one day. But He is showing me that if I just take care of what needs to be taken care of first, then everything else will find its correct place on my to do list. Mark Cahill came to speak at our church 2 Sunday's ago and what a great reminder he was of the F-A-C-T that God is not constrained to our time line, so when I'm not "getting" something that is okay it means I'm not meant to "get it" at that moment and must rest in assurance that God will give me just what I need at just the right time!!!
Day Four:
My Father, to think that we are a work in progress yet the work is completed is so mind bending at times.
"Nothing can be added or taken away from it," my daughter. The work that needed to be completed was finished by Christ on the cross……..
There is nothing for you to change in the world, Christ did that, but only to seek out what Christ is transforming within you AND then like Jonah will you be able to carry the message I give you to the world!
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8:11 am
February 22, 2010
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Jaque
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Learning to thrive in God's timing is a huge lesson. It has been for me for many years. I like what you're sharing gals…and the concept of looking God "in the eye" is most intriguing Sara. That is truly "focused attention." Yesterday Glen and I were talking about goal setting. At church our Pastor quoted Jack Hayford, a well known Pastor in Calif. He said to the affect, "I don't set goals. I'm not trying to build a big church, I want to build big people." I like that. Goal setting takes a lot of time when the plan and strategy are the big deal. I conclude for myself that we all have goals (and should have) but that the goals should never distract us from "looking God straight in the eye" so that we hear His voice, see His expression, and understand His intentions "in the moment". If we live "in the moment" hearing His voice and obeying His command everything will be accomplished. I also shared with Glen these thoughts.
I could never say that I enjoy a deep, personal, and intimate relationship with God if I didn't (most of the time) follow His specific "timely" instructions. I'm the daughter who usually says, "No, I don't want to do that Lord." and then go ahead and do it. What I have received in return is an absolutely miraculous life in Him. 
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Living 'loved' by keeping myself in His love… Jude 21 |
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5:46 am
February 23, 2010
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brandy
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Just finished listening to lesson 2 and this really spoke volumes to me:
- It’s not the sacrifice that God wants it’s the obedience. God doesn’t want us to give Him what we think we should give Him. He wants us to give Him what He has told us to give Him.
and
- None of our plans are true if they are separate from Christ.
Wow talk about a way to adjust your agenda!!!!!
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7:54 am
February 23, 2010
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Belinda-Marie
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For the past couple of weeks, the Lord has been teaching me about sin and accountability as believers. On day 6 of Lesson two, he walked me through a process, step-by-step. I thought I would share it.
My mercies are new every morning, through the work on the cross, in the act of repenting and redemption. Salvation is not a free pass, but the reason & ability to live beyond sin. The law serves as a carefully constructive fence, not to restrict you, but to protect you from having the light marred by dark clouds. Even though those living in the promise ad have been forever snatched from the enemy’s hands, a stroll beyond the fence will for sure cause you to lose your way and therefore ineffective for My Kingdom. Satan’s most effective weapon is one of mine in the darkness.
The cycle of Daily Love: Love is the sacrifice made to restore my lost children (my Belinda-Marie) to Me and the daily strength to resist all that is not good and threatening of that restoration and move forward; it is the act of wiping sin away, never to be thought of again.
…Conviction is a call from the Sheppard to turn back from the gate when you are nearing the edge.
…Rebuke is a stern reminder of the danger (sin) that crouches behind the door waiting.
…Confession is the acknowledgement of the child (Belinda-Marie) that he/she still needs a daily-Savior to forever protect from the enemy until the day of Christ…footprints to follow…a Christ inhabiting her; not from doing harm to her, for she is forever safe, but from harming her effort to reach others, by distorting her witness.
…Repenting is a recommitment of faith and discipleship and the acknowledgement that I AM the LORD her God!
…Forgiveness is never-ending grace that my Son lovingly covers you, yet again…the blood is a never-ending supply.
…Mercy is removal of sin as far as the East is from the West; never to be recalled again.
…It all comes back to daily love; the restoration, the daily strength to resist and walk-on; the complete blotting out of iniquities so that I may never use against you.
…and each time around the cycle, makes you a little bit stronger and a little more attentive and and a little more resistent & less likely to stray in the first place.
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You’ll never know Christ is all you need, until Christ is all you got!
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11:21 am
March 1, 2010
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Belinda-Marie
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Wow! That is definitely something to seek the Lord on. I've never considered His omnipresence in the context of hell…but present everwhere would probably include hell. Seems logical. The fact that sin is the opposite of God and sin can't exist together and those who are of sin on the day of the Lord will be cast into hell and closed forever…is illogical, but none-the-less true. God and logic can't exist together either, in my opinion, because logic is confining and God cannot be confined.
To the best of my ability to understand the non-comprehensive infinince (is that a word?) of God…I believe God's presence in Hell is that of His wrath. The promise of heaven is glory…as in no pain, no tears, no sorrow…nothing but infinite and eternal joy & praising forever and ever and ever…tells me that God expells that part of Him that is wrath. Can that part of God exist inside the confines of heaven? Doesn't seem logical??? 
Deep! Might need a hand to get out of this one. 
Now, what's 5 +4? 
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You’ll never know Christ is all you need, until Christ is all you got!
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4:36 pm
March 1, 2010
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Georgia
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I love how we can converse online – we never have to worry about being interrupted! And there’s plenty of room for everyone to "talk." !! 
Here are my thoughts on God’s presence in hell. God is love – that’s the essence of who He is, and He never changes. To sinful man, His love can feel like wrath, even though "love" is not how the sinner perceives it, like when a parent has to reprimand a child to teach him not to do something harmful, and he puts on an angry face. What if the fire of God’s glory is the very same fire experienced in hell by those who cling to their sin and refuse to come to God for His redemption? They would rather be as far away from God as possible (if that WERE possible), so to them that would be hell, and the glory of God would be a torment to them.
Food for thought,
Georgia
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