Thank You For Never Letting Me Go

Posted on by Dr. Linda Agnes Knowles

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There is no better place that I have found than to be in the arms of the Eternal God and Savior.  He is unchanging, everlasting, the First and the Last, and He is Yahweh Shammah, The Lord Is There.  

May you be filled with joy and peace in this season and beyond.

Much Love To You All,

L.A. Knowles

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”

-Isaiah 43:2

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

-Joshua 1:9

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

-Isaiah 41:10

“You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.”

-Psalm 119:114

 

 

 

You, O LORD, are worthy of all honor, glory, and praise.

Thank you for never letting me go.

 

 

 

 

 

The Horrible Crabapple Tree, Plastic Sandwich Bag, & Disgruntled Me

Posted on by Dr. Linda Agnes Knowles
APPLE TREE 1On the property of the house I grew up in, there was a Crabapple Tree, and I despised the tree.  As a kid, I blamed the tree for the miserable apples it produced, giving me the displeasure of having to pick up all the apples falling from it onto the ground. I hated picking up those apples, and I most often could be heard shouting, “I hate this!” and “Stupid apples!”
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I braced myself before I started that chore, put a plastic sandwich bag on my hand because of how rotten they were, and then I would begin.  It was the worst chore, but I had only two options to go outside and complete my chore OR be grounded.  I chose to complete my chore.  All I wanted was for the Crabapple Tree to work with me.  I wasn’t asking for a lot when I shouted at the tree, “Work with me!  Not against me.”
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It was an absolutely beautiful tree, but the fruit was rotten.

WHAT KIND OF TREE ARE YOU?

APPLE TREE 3
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Are you a good tree producing good fruit, or are you a bad tree, like the Crabapple Tree in this story, producing rotten fruit?
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Jesus had this to say in Luke 6:43-45, “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit.  For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush.  The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” -John 15:16

As a child of God, you are chosen by Jesus to go forth and bear much fruit.  How you conduct yourself is very important because unbelievers are watching you especially if you are witnessing to them about the Good News of Jesus Christ.  Some will try to push you to the edge to see how you will react, and so there must be a noticeable difference between you and those who are unbelievers.  Your conduct and your speech must line up together.  If the unbeliever cannot tell the difference between you and them, then there is a problem.  All of us are to be lights in this dark world.  If you live like the world while claiming to be a child of God, you are fooling yourself and still living in darkness (1 John 1:1-8).
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In 1 Samuel 9:2, King Saul is described as handsome.  God, however, saw King Saul’s heart.  King Saul did not do the will of God, bearing the fruits of disobedience and being more concerned about the approval of man.
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God tells Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:7, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” 
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And God is still telling us the same thing today.  God wants us to do His will, and when we do His will out of obedience and devotion to Him, we are producing good fruit.  When we spend time in prayer, the Holy Spirit is working in us, convicting us, changing us.  When we conform our will to the Lord’s will, we will produce good fruit.  The only reason we are able to bear the fruit God wants us to bear is because of His grace and His mercy, and as His Holy Spirit guides and leads us into His Truth, we bear the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, and self-control.
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What fruit are you bearing?  Are your actions and your words lining up together?  Are you walking the walk and not just talking the talk?  Is there a noticeable difference between you and the unbeliever?

“The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”  (2 Peter 3:9)

 Much Love To You All,
L.A.  Knowles

Thankful Heart

Posted on by Dr. Linda Agnes Knowles

Praise The Lord

You, O LORD, are glorious, from everlasting to everlasting.  You are the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End.  You are the only Rock, the only Way;  You are Life and Truth. You are Holy, and You are King of kings and Lord of lords.  YOU, O God, are my Shield and my Buckler.  No one compares to You.  I put my hope and trust in You alone, and there is no other foundation except the foundation You have laid.  Thank You for being my Salvation, my Portion forever.  To You, Abba, I offer the sacrifice of praise, giving You thanks because You are worthy of all glory, of all honor, and all praise.

THANKSGIVING 1

 

PSALM 138 – A Psalm of David

I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.
On the day I called, you answered me;
my strength of soul you increased.

All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth,
and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he knows from afar.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and your right hand delivers me.
The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.

 

This Pretty Much Says It All…

Posted on by Dr. Linda Agnes Knowles

 

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“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  For by it the people of old received their commendation.” -Hebrews 11:1-2

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.  If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.  For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;   he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”  –James 1:2-8 (ESV)

 

 

Hidden In The Cleft

Posted on by Dr. Linda Agnes Knowles

CLEFT 1

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O You are the God in whom I trust,

You’re the God in whom I trust,

And You are the Solid Rock,

Upon which I stand;

I’m hidden in the Cleft,

Your Child I am.

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You prepare a table for me,

In the presence of my enemies,

And they will not triumph over me.

I’m determined to do Your will,.

And drink deeply from the Well.

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I shall trust in You, My Lord and My God,

As I walk this narrow road

The path of victory-

You have placed me on.

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I will trust and obey,

Following Your ways,

Determined to do Your Will,

For it does not matter what man may say.

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I will proclaim,

“You are my God my Rock,”

For I am safe in You,

And You shelter me.

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Legend In Your Own Mind

Posted on by Dr. Linda Agnes Knowles

VULTURE 1

LEGEND IN YOUR OWN MIND

Written By Linda A. Knowles

You are a legend

in your own mind

and you can’t

even seem to find

a little

not even a drop

of the dirt you threw at

the one

who dared escape

your vicious claws

and all this time

you believed

that one would continue

to drag behind.

 

 

A vulture-

That you are

and your conscience

seared

and the one

who escaped

your talons

flies high and free

above the trees

to mountain heights

having mounted up with wings

like an eagle

and soaring

through the air

upheld by His powerful hands.

 

 

Nothing Distracted Jesus

Posted on by Dr. Linda Agnes Knowles

BIBLE 1“Jesus clearly understood the reason for His coming to earth and never allowed popularity, success, opposition, threats, or even dissention within His ranks to distract Him. He remained steadfastly focused on that mission, though not without due care for those around Him. He worked hard to make the truth plain. He often repeated the invitation to embrace the truth. But He never allowed the failure of others to pull Him off course.” -Charles R. Swindoll (Walk With Jesus: A Forty-Day Journey to the Cross and Beyond)

I am so thankful nothing stopped Jesus from completing His mission.

Where would you be without the love of Christ? Without the love of Christ, I do NOT even want to think of where I would be today. I am grateful Jesus has given us life, that He paid the ransom in full (Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45), no longer bound to sin (Romans 8:12). And out of the abundance of thankful hearts, let us not forget to give all glory and praise to Him who has redeemed us (Hebrews 13:15), loving Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).

“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. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.” -Hebrews 12:1-3

Nothing distracted Him from His mission, and so let us not get distracted but each of us should continue doing whatever task God has set before us to do. Do not look to the right or the left. Do not get caught up in the temporal. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, and with grateful hearts, press forward and do that which you have been called to do. The grace of God will sustain you. His love will uphold you, and His mercy will not fail you.

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L.A.Knowles

One of these sheep is not like the other….

Posted on by Dr. Linda Agnes Knowles

MASK 6

“Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

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“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.  You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act.  Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?  A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.   A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.  So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.  Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.” –Matthew 7:15-20

Much Love To You All,

L.A. Knowles

Get Ready To Throw & Then Do So

Posted on by Dr. Linda Agnes Knowles

“I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.” -Maya Angelou

 

When we give of ourselves to help those around us, we demonstrate the love of Christ; and in the Gospels, when we see our Savior being moved with compassion, we also should be moved with compassion as we follow His example and help those around us.

May we always remember to be His hands extended.

Much love to you all,

L.A. Knowles

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BLESS 1

“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” -Luke 6:38

“For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do.” -Hebrews 6:10

“And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.” -Hebrews 13:16

 

 

 

An Attitude of Gratitude Goes A Long Way So Don’t Be Like Eeyore The Donkey.

Posted on by Dr. Linda Agnes Knowles

eeyoreDo 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

 

HAPPY 2017!

Posted on by Dr. Linda Agnes Knowles

happy-new-year

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MAY YOU ALL HAVE A BLESSED

& PROSPEROUS

& HAPPY NEW YEAR!

PLEASE BE SAFE DRIVING

AND IN ALL YOUR CELEBRATING!

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MUCH LOVE TO YOU ALL,

L.A. KNOWLES

Pen & Paper My Way

Posted on by Dr. Linda Agnes Knowles

notebook-3I’ve loved paper and pen for as long as I can remember, and when I went to college, college only fueled my love for it a lot more.  Some say I was addicted, and many have wondered what my fascination was with pen and paper;  if I could write on it, I was fascinated.  No matter where I was, no matter what I did, paper and pen were immediately within my reach.

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There’s nothing like opening a brand new ream of paper, fresh scent, crisp feel to it where secrets, thoughts, things in life that make no sense can be worked out, described in detail until everything inside is out of your system…  A safe place, a friend, and a great therapist which can be immediately ripped to shreds, burnt up, or put away depending on the thoughts and/or the confession.  I know it may sound crazy to some people, and that’s fine.  However, each of us has some way of dealing with stuff.  My way happens to be with pen and paper.

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pen-paper-3With Much Love,

L.A. Knowles