LET ME SEE
Written By Linda A. Knowles
Peel back the clouds,
And let me see,
The fullness, the splendor of Your Majesty,
And let me behold my eternal home,
That New Jerusalem,
With layered walls of precious gems,
The streets of gold, the crystal sea.
The fairest bloom and fairest face cannot compare to You,
Who is of unfailing love,
Who bestows unending grace,
And Your mercies ever new.
NEVER apologize for obeying what God has told you to do (“Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” -Galatians 1:10 and “No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” -Micah 6:8).
Always take your complaints and problems to the Lord because He is the one who can guide your steps and give your soul rest (“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.'” -Matthew 11:28-30 and “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”).
Keep your mind fixed on the things of God because He keeps you in perfect peace (“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.” -Isaiah 26:3-4).
It doesn’t matter what any man or woman says about you, what matters is what God has to say about what you do and say, and it’s more important for you to know God (“‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts'” -Isaiah 55:8-9 and “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” -Hosea 6:6).
WHAT MATTERS MOST is “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5) and “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:14).
JEZEBEL’S WEB
The widow weaves her web so steadily,
Each silk strand in its place,
That dark corner that will ensnare,
Those simpletons in her space.
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She’ll go against the Word of God,
And set the trap in place,
And there so obvious are her victims hung
On each and every strand that’s strung.
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Her web expands in width and height,
The depths not truly known;
But each and every single strand
Holds those known and unknown.
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She spun them in her silken web and slowly drains their blood,
Her victims with eyes sunken and ashen faces,
So pale from her unloving embraces,
But she cradles her human slaves,
Now bound by her vicious silken strands.
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You see her web has stretched so far and wide,
Her dungeon blackened and damp;
And fools go down into her place,
To find themselves dying in disgrace.
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Be careful for those dark corners,
Where sin is allowed to dwell,
Where transgressions are celebrated,
Where lies are free to swell.
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Be careful for the black widow,
Who would try to claim your soul,
For the wickedness that is her,
Her name is Jezebel.
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Written By Linda A. Knowles
It was that moment I knew I would be standing alone, but I didn’t see where I had a choice if I wanted a deeper walk with the Lord, if I was to do the task He called me to do. So with every ounce of strength He gave to me, I stepped out in faith and obeyed. It was like jumping off a cliff, but when it was done, when it was finally done, I felt like I was able to breathe for the first time in a long time, and freedom came rushing in.
It didn’t matter if those around me understood what I was doing. The only thing that mattered was doing what God wanted me to do, what He told me to do, and simply following the leading of the Holy Spirit. It didn’t matter if the words I spoke would be received or not. I simply had to let go and let God, and then I had to get out of the way in full surrender and say, “It’s all yours, God. I did what you wanted. You take care of the rest, and I’ll stay out of the way.”
…because at the end of the day the only thing that matters is GOD’S APPROVAL, not man’s …because when all has been said and done, it is knowing and understanding GOD’S GRACE IS MORE THAN ENOUGH to sustain us …because His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts …because of what Christ did on the cross and because of His resurrection, we are able to live a life of victory.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” -Hebrews 12:1-2
You do NOT have to explain your relationship with God to anyone nor do you have to explain how God speaks to you. Just keep following God, leaning on Him, and relying on Him alone for strength. His grace is more than enough.
Whatever God has told you to do, just obey. Yes, it’s worth it all. It may not be easy and the road may be rocky, but it’s worth it all. What influences you? What is stopping you from obeying God? Who are you listening to? What are you allowing your eyes to take in? What do you have to lay down in order to have a deeper walk with God, for Him to take you where He wants to take you? What will you give up? Do you care more about the approval of God or the approval of man? Where does your heart lie?
Lay it all down before the Lord.
Nothing short of full surrender will do
Let Him break the chains.
Much love to all,
L.A. Knowles
WE WILL NOT BACK DOWN
Written By Linda A. Knowles
We pledge allegiance to God Almighty,
Creator of the Heavens and the Earth.
Representing Him who holds our citizenship in Heaven,
we will strap on the full armor of God
so our loyalty will not waver as we stand firm
in the face of opposition.
We will be strong and courageous,
without fear,
without dismay.
Leaving everything behind,
we offer our lives as a living sacrifice
unto Him who spared no expense to rescue us.
As we are striving to serve Him wholeheartedly,
we know the battle is not ours, but God’s.
With a steadfast determination and the strength He gives,
we will not back down.
You may be left standing alone as you stand for what you believe.
You do NOT need man’s approval.
You need God’s approval because
His approval is the only thing that matters.
DO NOT COMPROMISE FOR ANYONE. Mankind is as temporal as everything else. First John 2:15-17 states, “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”
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Just like everything else, mankind is temporal, not eternal.
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Even if you were deserted by family and friends and neighbors, be assured you are NOT standing alone, God is The One Who Has Got You Covered all around. He is your Hedge of Protection, your Strength, your Shield, your Portion. He is your All and All; He is Everything.
“‘I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning! I have a terrible baptism of suffering ahead of me, and I am under a heavy burden until it is accomplished. Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other! From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against—or two in favor and three against. ‘Father will be divided against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; and mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’ Then Jesus turned to the crowd and said, ‘When you see clouds beginning to form in the west, you say, ‘Here comes a shower.’ And you are right. When the south wind blows, you say, ‘Today will be a scorcher.’ And it is. You fools! You know how to interpret the weather signs of the earth and sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the present times. ‘Why can’t you decide for yourselves what is right? When you are on the way to court with your accuser, try to settle the matter before you get there. Otherwise, your accuser may drag you before the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, who will throw you into prison. And if that happens, you won’t be free again until you have paid the very last penny.'”-Luke 12:49-59
Much love to you all,
L.A. Knowles
Do you have a roof over your head? Do you have clothes on your back? Food on the table? Do you have family… friends? Did you wake up this morning?
IF YOU HAVE ANSWERED YES TO ANY OR ALL OF THOSE QUESTIONS, YOU ARE BLESSED.
Put a smile on your face. Count your blessings. You have been given another day, a fresh start, another chance. Rather than focusing on yourself or all things negative, DO SOMETHING nice for someone else. Look for opportunities to commit random acts of KINDNESS. Believe it or not, those opportunities to commit random acts of KINDNESS happen quite frequently. Extending yourself to help someone else will help begin the mending of a broken heart or a crushed spirit.
The most miserable people are those who have not learned to be content with what they have and not learned to be grateful. Develop an attitude of gratitude; it will carry you through good and bad times
Much love to you all,
L.A. Knowles
“Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.” -1 Timothy 6:6
Stained Glass Confessions 