Snow

"Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns." Revelations 19:6

I have a confession to make. In Paterson, where I used to live, I love to go by the Great Falls over there and park. I close both eyes (ok that is not true, in this area-you have to keep one eye open, but you get the point)and I listen to the sounds of the water coming down. It is like no other sound you can hear. The sounds of that water rushing down exudes power and majesty from a beautiful natural source that God has provided for our pleasure.

Nature has its way to reflect us back to its Creator. When I see ANY waterfall, I am reminded of the "voice" of God. Imagine what John heard!! And felt!!! My goodness, to know that the God of all creation desires to commune with us--US???--is enough to make me weep in His Presence. It is no wonder David said, "What is man that You are mindful of him?" I would ask the same question!

Yet, our Creator desires to talk with us. To beat us down? No way--He could remove us with one blink of an eye. He desires, like any good father, to be a part of our lives--for He created us to worship Him. For His own good? No--for OURS.

Life can suck us dry. The Lord, who has the voice of many waters, desires to fill us back up again with that "living water" that never, ever runs dry.

Have you had your drink today?

God bless you,

Sis Anna B.

New Baby ;-)

I am so happy! One of my closest friends had her baby yesterday. Wow what an experience. The Lord is so faithful to us.

I was holding this little guy-who is not so little-in my arms and just marveling at the goodness of God. This baby already has his reflexes working and all of it is in order! He turns to the left or right searching for the breast so he can nurse..and he can feel cold and also reacts to loud, sudden noises. I looked at his eyes, ears, nose, fingers..and was in awe of the wisdom of our Father.

It got me to thinking....


If God can "think" and "create" the human frame and all its inner working parts...what CANT GOD DO? This was a very humbling moment to me. I have many but this one was really working in my heart. I sat there, at 3am this morning, with this bundle of joy close to my heart and thanked the Lord for who He is.


God is El Shaddai, the Breasted One, and He feeds us His nourishment from Heavenly Places. He looks down from on high and has tender mercies on that which He has created. His eyes are on the righteous and He is attentive to their cries. He answers our heart's cries and He orders the steps of His beloved. His thoughts towards us outnumber the grains of sands in the sea, and before my feet ever hit the ground in the morning, He has covered me with brand new mercies. He is faithful, loving, kind, slow to anger and abounding in grace and mercy. He is Daddy, Abba Father, and He is our Lord, also our Cloud by day and our Fire by night. Let all of His children lift up a shout of praise to His Heavenly Dwelling--for no good thing will He withold from those that love Him and are called according to His purposes.

Be blessed and encouraged..in the Lord, El Shaddai. May He hold you close in His arms.

Sis Anna Barreto

Things Don't Make Sense Sometimes

That is a weird title today, huh? But it is so true.

Sometimes, life just does not make sense.

Yes, I know who Jesus is. And I know he loves me and that I love him.

I know about and have experienced God's Providence, His Sovereignty, and His Great Love towards me..and He has NEVER failed me. NEVER.

But the Lord allows us, His creation, to go through the "go through". Why? I DO NOT know!!! I mean, I know, but I wish I didn't. LOL.

The "go through" keeps us humble. OR I should say it HUMBLES us. And hopefully it can teach us COMPASSION for others. I am never interested in how much someone knows unless I know that they have walked a path of suffering of some sort. I respond greatest to preachers and teachers that open their hearts and are TRANSPARENT in their struggles. People that act like the Shulamite woman scare me.."All is well...All is well.." Meanwhile she had a dead boy on her mule. Yes, I know she was going to the one that could help..this verse can be preached in sooo many ways, but what I am saying is that she was hurting !!!!!

Sometimes the GREATEST GIFT we can EVER give others is LISTENING. PERIOD. Don't give a verse. Don't give a REASON. Just listen. And maybe be like Jesus. AND WEEP. It simply says, "I feel your pain."

Anyway, I am just venting today. Just opening up my heart and pressing on.

God bless !

Romans 8:28

We have to believe that no matter what circumstance we may find ourselves in right now, if we are a child of the Living God, those circumstances will work together for the good for those that love the Lord and are called according to His purposes.

I am dealing with several situations right now that are very heartbreaking. There seems to be NO hope from the outside looking in. One is a dear woman afflicted with cancer, another is a child vexed with many addictions, another is a marriage on the verge of divorce, and still another is a sister on the edge of a nervous breakdown.

It looks bleak.

But everyone of these precious people know and belong to the LORD. And believe it or not, I can see HIS Hand upon every single situation. I never lose hope with any of them. I believe He will carry them through to complete healing (whether on this side or Heaven or not) and that He is true to His Word to "never leave nor forsake" us. He is TRUE TO HIS WORD saints of God! Do not lose heart! Remain steadfast in the love of the Lord and just lean on His understanding and not your own.

Father God, my situation looks hopeless right now. However, I refuse to look at my problem, and in faith, I turn this problem over to You. Lord, you alone hold the power and the wisdom to deal with anything that concerns me. Although I feel heavy burdened, I trade that for your light burden and your easy yoke. Lord, thank You for being ever so patient with me. Teach me to remain steadfast while you bring the answers that I need. Amen.

God bless you all.

Sis Anna B.

Number Our Days Unto Wisdom

Everytime I head home from church, I am privileged to catch a full view of the NYC skyline. If I am traveling Route 3 eastbound, the sight is breathtaking. It is literally right in front of my eyes. At night, I get drawn into the city lights, and of course, the Empire State Building is there with all it's stature. As I drive, I seem to get hypnotized--only for a moment--at the beauty of the outline of this great city against the dark curtain of the night.

But then I remember the Twin Towers. And I remember where I was on that dreadful day. I recall how it is missing from the great view of NYC. And my heart pains. But it leads me to intercede on behalf of those I dont even know in NYC. I plead with God to save souls so that they wont perish in the days to come. For something IS coming to this great city and only the mercy of God will save lives on that terrible day. I dont believe in "doom and gloom" but in my heart, as well as many, many others, we know that it is destined to come--for this city is wracked with darkness and sin.

Nevertheless, I try very hard to number my days unto wisdom and do what I was called to do: intercede on behalf of the lost. Whether it is for people in NYC or in the Shop-Rite, I ask God to teach me to pray and make every moment count. Some days, I just dont do it because the dumb flesh wars..but by His great grace, I do pray more than I dont.


It is a privilege and an honor to pray to God for souls. I believe wherever we put our feet, we are blessing that land in the Name of Jesus, and we need to speak out LIFE over that LAND. We need to remember that our lives are but a vapor, and we need to ask God to humble us so that we dont take life OR each other for granted, ever. Let us be found with oil in our lamps and intercession on our lips. Let us be watchwomen ---standing---looking out---waiting---prepared---and vigilant---for the Day of the Lord is soon coming. It is upon us..do we not perceive it? The wars, the floods, the earthquakes, the fires, the crime, the diseases..all point to that DAY.

Martin Luther King Jr said it best: "I live for TWO DAYS. THIS day and THAT DAY!!!" He was referring to the coming of Christ Jesus. May this be our heart's cry !


Father, teach us to number our days unto wisdom as Your Holy Word declares in Proverbs. Father God, help us to keep our lamps filled and our wicks trimmed..let us not be foolish with our time..but let us discern the times, like the Sons of Issachar (1 Chronicles 7). Father God, we trust You to lead us in the right direction by the Power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Peace

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27


Amen....meditate on those words :-)


Sis Anna

Verse of the Day

This verse came to my mind today:

"To whom much is given, much is required." Luke 12:48

Many of us forget to leave out the rest of that verse which reads: .."and when someone is entrusted with much, even much more will be required."


This verse is very riveting. We go around quoting it all the time. However, do any of us really understand what it is to be required of "even much more" ?



I will give an example...



Many people are in awe of great speakers and preachers like Joyce Meyers, TD Jakes, Paula White, etc. etc...but few see the type of disciplined life these mighty men and women of God have to have in order to keep up with the demands on their time.



I once heard Paula White speak and she said she is up every morning at 5am to run 5 miles !!! On her treadmill!! I was blown away! She said in order for her to do all that the Lord is "requiring" of her, she has to keep the temple of the Lord in shape!


Hmmmm...Lord, I will stick to my once every so often speaking engagements for now!! That is the thought that ran right through my head. But then the Lord's heart begins to permeate mine...what do I want from this life? I want to do His Will. If His Will were to require more of me (which it does) then there are many changes I need to make and NOW!


Frankly speaking, there is no more time to procrastinate. On any level. There is Kingdom Business to accomplish and we must be faithful with what He is giving us to do. And then when the "much more" comes, we must be "much more" faithful!


The beauty of our Lord is that He only gives us what we can handle...and from glory to glory. Thank God !



Father, help me to be mindful of the tasks that you have required of me to complete on this earth. Let me be found faithful with the little, and take fear from me to ask you for the much. Lord, I desire only your will, and I ask for the grace to complete it. In Jesus' Precious Name, Amen.

Praise Belongs to You Oh Lord !

“In my distress I called to the LORD;
I called out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came to his ears...."

“He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the LORD was my support.

He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me."

2 Samuel 22:7-20

There is NO GOD like JEHOVAH. He reigns and HIS KINGDOM rules. He is fire like no other and no kingdom can quench His Power. For His children, He battles every foe and He rises up and swoops down to meet them when they call upon His Great Name. He is more than able to perfect that which concerns us. Our Lord knows what is best for His children and He delights in showing and teaching us of His ways. He wants His children to have success so that the wicked's treasures will be shattered and the righteous will receive what is theirs in the land of the living. Let all the earth bow down at His feet and proclaim that the Lord is Our God and His Kingdom shall reign eternally!

All praise and glory to our God!

So anything new?

"Behold I make all things new." Revelation 21:5

What a beautiful scripture from the Lord. I love this..I love how He makes ALL things NEW.

There are things that I sure need to be NEW in my life.

I need a new perspective, because my mind can get cluttered from the stuff of this world. Jesus warned us that our feet would get dirty walking in this world, but we are reminded that he washed the feet of even his betrayer! So how much more will he wash not only our feet, but our heart, soul, and mind. Jesus never leaves anything out. I love our Shepherd. He is tender and full of compassion.

I need a new mercy everyday. And he gives them. Brand new and fresh the minute my eyes open up. I thank God for these new mercies. Some days can leave me feeling like I really blew it with God. Not so. He forgives and restores a truly repentant heart. I love this about Him. His love is unconditional.

And I need new direction. Life can get confusing. But He is not the author of such confusion. He will make all the crooked paths straight. And His Word is a light unto my feet and a lamp unto my heart. I thank Him for direction..new direction...and the directions to go with it LOL !

Lord, on this day, I thank you for making all things new. Father, have your way in my heart so that I may exude a new, fresh, inviting fire from within! I want to attract people to the Jesus that I know, not my flesh that can easily choke the life out of me. Lord Jesus, be my Shepherd and wash me..inside and out. Amen.

2011 !!!!

Praise be to God for another brand New Year!! Let us anticipate great things but also know that when-not if-but WHEN the hard times come, for they always do, that our God is going to be right there with us! Enjoy your weekend !!



Love,

Sis Anna :-)