Sowing, Watering, and Reaping

 Disclaimer: Obviously I am not an actual angel. However, I feel like God speaks to my heart and I would love to share it with you. Please enjoy.

When my father was alive he would constantly talk to strangers about God. He was a pastor and always talked to most everyone he met, and the conversation almost always came around to witnessing to them.

About a month after he died I was sitting thinking about him and suddenly I thought about all the people he would have told about God, but now he was gone. I was overwhelmed with the thought and I asked God who was going to tell all those people about salvation now that Dad couldn’t do it. I felt God very clearly say, “That is your job now. Your father has passed the mantle to you.”

That was scary for me, but I knew it was true.

I tried to speak to people about God but I wasn’t very good at it.

Then my mother ended up in a nursing home for the last few months of her life.

One evening I went in to see her. When I got there a new lady was in the second bed. She told me mom was asleep. She said her name was Pearl, and said she had cancer and it was very painful. She also told me she wasn’t going to live much longer.

I instantly knew God wanted me to talk to her about Him but it scared me to death. I told God I didn’t know how to talk to a dying person about eternity. I was afraid it would upset her, after all she didn’t even know me. God let me know I had to talk to her anyway. I said I would get to know her for a few days and then I would do it.

Fortunately, He wouldn’t let me off the hook. He said she might die before then, or she could be moved to another room or hospital. After several minutes of arguing with God, I finally sighed and told Him He would have to help me because I had no idea what to say to her.

I mustered up all my courage and started talking to her. To my surprise, she was very happy about it. I asked her if she would like to pray and she said “yes”. Laying my hand on her shoulder I said to just talk to God and ask Him to forgive your sins. I didn’t tell her what to say but I prayed out loud in a way I thought would be an example to her. Then I heard her praying also. Opening my eyes, I saw she had both hands raised in the air and was pouring her heart out to God.

When we said “amen” she turned and looked at me and said her children were going to be so happy. They had been trying to get her to do that for over 30 years.

Instantly I felt so guilty. In my heart I said, “Oh God, this is so unfair. Her children have been trying to lead her to You for over 30 years, and then I walk in here and lead her to you in just a few minutes. They should have gotten to do this, not me.”

God comforted me by telling me this is the way He does it. One person sows a seed, another person waters, and another person reaps. He explained it to me by reminding me of all my friends in Connecticut who I should have witnessed to, but at the time I lived there I wasn’t even serving the Lord, so I never said anything to them. I have completely lost touch with most of them and have no idea where they are. But, I pray for them all the time. God told me that because of my prayers He sends people to talk to them.

In eternity I believe some of them will walk up to me and thank me for the prayers. I could not witness to them myself but God had someone to reap.

From the day Pearl gave her heart to the Lord, every time my sister Diane and her husband Harold (they are ministers), or I walked into the room, Pearl would be praying or reading her Bible. She would look up and say, “Just spending a little time with my Jesus.” A few weeks later she was sent home. After about another month her children called Diane and Harold and told them she had passed away. They wanted us to do her funeral. Harold did the service and sermon, Diane played the organ and I sang.

In about 2 months time we went from not even knowing her, to handling the funeral for a wonderful Christian lady. That would not have happened if I hadn’t done what God told me. Believe me, I did it kicking and screaming because I was so scared. No matter how afraid you are, do what God tells you to do. You will never regret it.

Sowing, watering, and reaping is God’s system, and it really works. When you sow or water, trust that God will send someone to reap. And, when you reap what other people sowed or watered, never feel guilty about it. That is the way God answers our prayers about people who might be halfway around the world from us. We can’t be everywhere, but God is.

Sowing, watering, and reaping is a very efficient system. Trust it. God knows what He is doing. If you do your part, God can do His.

Think about it.

If you enjoy my blog but are not currently receiving my email notifications, you can send your first and last name, and your email address to austinlass1948@gmail.com and I will notify you each time I post something new. I promise I will never give your information out to anyone or use it for anything other than my notifications to you. Please share my blog with your friends and family to help me spread the words from my heart with others. Also, if you have any family or friends who you believe might enjoy my blog posts and live in another country, I would especially love to have you share it with them. I am trying to reach more countries around the world. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Janice Austin Bates

The Three Parables

 Disclaimer: Obviously I am not an actual angel. However, I feel like God speaks to my heart and I would love to share it with you. Please enjoy.

Have you ever thought about the parables of the prodigal son, the sheep that was lost, and the coin that was lost?

The stories are pretty much the same. Something is lost and someone wants it back. So why do we need three so similar stories? God doesn’t waste words. Everything He says is important.

I was thinking about this one day and asking myself why. Suddenly I felt like I understood the difference between the three scenarios. This is what I believe God impressed on my heart.

I will start with the parable about the prodigal son. He was living at home with his father. His father was wealthy and he had everything he could possibly want or need. So why did he insist his father give him his inheritance, then he took it and left?

He didn’t appreciate what he had. He was rebellious, wanted to live life his way, no matter what his father said, and wanted to live a wild party lifestyle. So, off he went with his new fortune.

The new friends he made weren’t really his friends. They used him for what he had. He threw lots of parties and wasted his inheritance on people who cared nothing about him. He didn’t care. He was defying his father and living life his way, no matter what the consequences.

When the money was gone, so were his friends. They cared nothing about him including whether he lived or died.

When he ended up living and eating with the pigs, he finally came to his sensed and knew he was going to die if he didn’t go back home to his father.

As he approached his father’s home he thought he would be rejected. However, to his surprise, his father was watching down the road, waiting for his son to come back. When he saw his son he ran to meet him. He clothed him, put a ring on his finger, and threw a feast for him.

So, what does this parable tell us? It shows us that even though we are foolish and rebellious, purposely walking away from God, He still loves us and is anxiously waiting for us to come back. Just because we turn our back on Him doesn’t mean He stops loving us. He will still do anything He can to get us back.

Next we have the parable of the sheep that was lost. It wasn’t rebellious. It simply got distracted and wandered off. When he looked up he was nowhere near the rest of the herd and the shepherd. In his distraction he might even have fallen down a ravine and couldn’t get out. Wherever he was he couldn’t get back to the shepherd. He didn’t know how. The shepherd didn’t refuse to deal with the hardship of scouring the hills to find the sheep because after all, he had been careless and got himself into this situation. Instead, because he loved this careless sheep, he left the herd and went looking for it. He wasn’t going to come back until he found him and rescued him.

That is what happens to many of us also. Even though it is our own fault that we allowed ourselves to get careless and lose our way God will not abandon us. He will go find us and bring us home where we will be safe once again.

Now, what about the coin that was lost. The coin wasn’t rebellious. Neither did it get careless and roll off the table and into a corner. The coin had no control over it’s circumstances, but the old woman looked everywhere and swept under and behind everything in the house until she found it. Then she rejoiced.

So, how does this apply to us? I believe this is referring to people who are away from God, but it is not their fault. Perhaps they grew up where there was no one to teach them about God. Maybe they were raised in a family who were not interested in God, so they didn’t teach their children about Him. They might even have grown up in a family of atheists who hated the very idea of God. Because of this they were brought up to believe there is no God, or even taught to hate the very idea of God.

This person was not responsible for how they were raised. But, now they are old enough to decide for themselves. God in His loving mercy will search for them and bring him into the arms of God if the person will allow Him to.

I believe the three parables are showing that no matter why we are lost, whether it is because we purposely walked away, got careless and wandered off, or had no control over our situation, God still loves us. He wants us back.

How could we not love a God who loves us no matter what?

So, if you are out there like the rebellious prodigal son, like the careless sheep, or like the helpless coin, God wants you back and is searching for you. Will you come home with Him? The choice is yours.

Think about it.

If you enjoy my blog but are not currently receiving my email notifications, you can send your first and last name, and your email address to austinlass1948@gmail.com and I will notify you each time I post something new. I promise I will never give your information out to anyone or use it for anything other than my notifications to you. Please share my blog with your friends and family to help me spread the words from my heart with others. Also, if you have any family or friends who you believe might enjoy my blog posts and live in another country, I would especially love to have you share it with them. I am trying to reach more countries around the world. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Janice Austin Bates

Peter With The Wet Clothes

 

Disclaimer: Obviously I am not an actual angel. However, I feel like God speaks to my heart and I would love to share it with you. Please enjoy.

So, there they were in the middle of the Sea of Galilee and a wind came up. Mind you, it was no small wind. The waves were huge and the disciples thought they might go down.

They were all alone out there because Jesus had stayed on shore to pray. Just when they thought it couldn’t get any worse, it got worse. Suddenly they saw a ghost walking on the water. Now they were terrified.

But then Peter thought he recognized Jesus and said, “Lord, if that is You, tell me to come to You.” To Peter’s relief Jesus told him to come.

Do you think you would have had the courage to step out of the boat and try to walk on water? I would like to think I would have, but truthfully, the odds aren’t real good that would have happened. However, Peter found the courage and the faith to take that first step. And it worked.

There he was, a simple man like all of us, walking on water. People can’t do that. Only God can walk on water, unless of course God tells you to do it. Then you can. Peter became very famous for having the faith to step out.

A lot of people think that was the most important part of the story. Don’t get me wrong, that is a very important part. But then other people talk about how Peter failed because he looked around at the situation and became scared.

LOSER! He took his eyes off Jesus and sank. The foolish man. Why didn’t he just keep his eyes on Jesus and stay on top of the water? So now he is famous for failing at his attempt to walk on water, because his faith faltered. Many people think that is the most important part of the story. Peter failed.

Truthfully I can tell you there is very little chance that I would have failed at it. Not because I am so super spiritual and full of faith, but rather because I seriously doubt that I ever would have found the faith and courage to step out on the water in the first place. You can’t fail at walking on water if you never step out.

But, I don’t think the fact that he became frightened and sank is the most important part of the story either. To me, what happened next is the real lesson.

I don’t know about you, but if I suddenly found myself sinking in the Sea of Galilee in extremely rough waves due to the strong winds, I would have panicked. Probably the only solution I would have seen would have been to do my best to turn around and try to dog paddle back to the boat. There is about a 99 percent chance I would have drowned.

What did Peter do when he realized his faith had waivered and he was sinking? He did the only thing he could. He looked up and said, “Lord save me.” Jesus immediately reached down and took Peter by the hand and pulled him up. And yes, even though Jesus rescued him, now his clothes were soaking wet and he was even colder than before, but he was safe. If he hadn’t lost faith for a moment he still would have been dry and not as cold. But, I can’t criticize him. After all, he is the only human who has ever walked on water.

So, yes this is a story of faith and failure, but more importantly to me is that it teaches us what to do when we fail, because we all fail. Do we try to save ourself, or do we turn to Jesus and ask Him to save us? Only one of those scenarios works, and it works every time.

Think about it.

If you enjoy my blog but are not currently receiving my email notifications, you can send your first and last name, and your email address to austinlass1948@gmail.com and I will notify you each time I post something new. I promise I will never give your information out to anyone or use it for anything other than my notifications to you. Please share my blog with your friends and family to help me spread the words from my heart with others. Also, if you have any family or friends who you believe might enjoy my blog posts and live in another country, I would especially love to have you share it with them. I am trying to reach more countries around the world. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Janice Austin Bates

God's Breath

Disclaimer: Obviously I am not an actual angel. However, I feel like God speaks to my heart and I would love to share it with you. Please enjoy. 

I’m sure you have noticed that when God created the birds of the air, the animals on the land, and the fish in the water that He didn’t breathe into them. He just spoke and they came into existence already breathing.

However, when He created mankind we weren’t spoken into existence. He formed us by hand out of the dirt. When He had us just the way He wanted us, He breathed into us. He didn’t use a bellows to pump air into our lungs. He breathed His own breath into us. How awesome is that.

I believe that breath has been passed down to every human being who has ever lived. Surely He wouldn’t have just given it to Adam and Eve and given the rest of us just plain air for our lungs.

So, what does this mean to us?

It means we have God’s breath in us still. The air we pull into our lungs with every breath we take is still God’s breath going in and out of us.

Now ask yourself, what are you doing with that breath?

Are you using His breath to praise Him? I hope so. Do you use it to speak kindly to others and tell them about God’s love? Or, maybe you use it to curse or be mean to others. When is the last time you used God’s breath to tell a dirty joke? Do you believe God would want His breath used that way?

Perhaps you are gossiping or telling lies. Ask yourself, would God use His breath like that. Absolutely not. Maybe you are smoking and drawing that harmful substance into your lungs polluting His breath. Do we really have the right to treat His breath that way?

When God shared His very breath with us it came responsibility. Something that precious must be handled with great care. We owe it to God to treat it with the love and respect it deserves.

So, I ask you, how are you using God’s breath?

Think about it.

If you enjoy my blog but are not currently receiving my email notifications, you can send your first and last name, and your email address to austinlass1948@gmail.com and I will notify you each time I post something new. I promise I will never give your information out to anyone or use it for anything other than my notifications to you. Please share my blog with your friends and family to help me spread the words from my heart with others. Also, if you have any family or friends who you believe might enjoy my blog posts and live in another country, I would especially love to have you share it with them. I am trying to reach more countries around the world. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Janice Austin Bates

Clouds

Disclaimer: Obviously I am not an actual angel. However, I feel like God speaks to my heart and I would love to share it with you. Please enjoy.

One morning as I was out for a walk I started looking at the clouds in the sky. They were thick, extremely dark, and covered the entire heavens. As I was walking along under them I began thinking about how black and ominous they were. The whole world looked gloomy because of them.

As I was thinking about how black the clouds were it suddenly dawned on me that actually they weren’t black at all. The truth was they were simply full of rain. There was so much rain in the clouds that it was blocking the light of the Sun.

If I had gotten into an airplane and flown up above the clouds I would have seen they were still just as pearly white and beautiful as they had always been. The Sun was still there and the clouds were still reflecting it’s beauty.

The problem was that I was looking at the clouds from my earthly point of view. All of the rain in the clouds had gotten between me and the Sun. My view of the Sun was completely blocked by the rain. If you had asked me how the sky looked I would have told you there was no sign of the Sun today. That couldn’t have been further from the truth.

If I could have seen past the rain in the clouds I would have seen the Sun shining as bright and warm as it had ever been.

I felt like God spoke to my heart and told me that is the way it is when there are heavy problems in my life. They are like the rain in the clouds in my world. Usually the clouds in my life are white and fluffy. The light from the Son of God shines through and the world looks beautiful.

Then suddenly big problems arise in my world and my clouds are now full of rain. Everything looks so dark and there is no sign of the Son. But, the Son has not left me. I just can’t see Him because I am focused on the rain in my life.

If I could get past my rain clouds I would see the Son is still there as always. From His point of view the clouds are still snowy white and reflecting the beauty of the Son. Everything is okay because the Son is still watching over me and everyone else.

The reason things look so dark is that I am focusing on what is right before my eyes instead of looking past the black clouds to see things from His perspective. The Son is there. He is always there. One of these days the dark rain clouds will move on and I will be able to see Him again.

Always remember the color of the clouds in our lives is just a reflection of our point of view. Are we looking at them from our lowly view from earth, or are we rising above to see them from His point of view? It’s our choice.

Think about it. 

If you enjoy my blog but are not currently receiving my email notifications, you can send your first and last name, and your email address to austinlass1948@gmail.com and I will notify you each time I post something new. I promise I will never give your information out to anyone or use it for anything other than my notifications to you. Please share my blog with your friends and family to help me spread the words from my heart with others. Also, if you have any family or friends who you believe might enjoy my blog posts and live in another country, I would especially love to have you share it with them. I am trying to reach more countries around the world. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Janice Austin Bates