GOT IT COVERED

People who believe in Jesus and PRAY ~ are under His covering. Our hearts are uplifted and illumined by the FAITH He has given to us. For in Him we have our being and His abiding love for us is made known. Often times people will fail us, but our God is faithful and when we cry, when we hurt, He is there! God commands His angels to surround us, and the indwelt Comforter, and the Presence of Jesus is felt as He hugs us. When we face the fires of this life, as we draw near to Him, He draws near to us and the darkness is dispelled by His holy light.
"For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways." Psalm 91:11 ~ The word covering is defined by Webster: Something laid over or wrapped around a thing, especially for concealment, protection, or warmth. We are that “thing”…wrapped in the prayer of others. There is no other explanation for how we step through these difficult days in Stockton. There has not been a single area of life that is not under attack,
and yet,
We breathe.
Our bodies move.
And we have the joy of the Lord as our strength as we focus our thoughts on Jesus. We are enabled supernaturally to face each day knowing that we are NOT alone. God has placed such a tender covering around His beloved and He has used a band of angels to guide us to a special group of women to pray us through. Our Father blesses us with a range of emotions and as tears are released the soul is refreshed. "Be still and know that I am there". Jesus is there as our Avenger, the Keeper of His promise to deliver us from evil and usher us into His peace. There is an ongoing spiritual war for our souls and the deceiver comes to rub us of the Joy of the Lord. In war no one is spared from the fright, but those who pray for the protection of their mate, or their child ~ FEEL His Word at work in the situation and we are assured that God will finish the work He has begun in them, and in ways that are beyond our understanding. "Do not be afraid...I GOT YOU COVERED even when you fail to recognize your need. Serving others can be as simple as sharing a SMILE, or filling an empty glass, or dropping a plan to take care of the needs of a parent. Some days we feel like giving our time, and some days we do not. We can all admit to avoiding those energy draining people who are cranky and disrespectful of all we have already done for them. Many times Ambassadors of Kindness receive pain in payment for good, rejection for acceptance, and anger for our sensitivity. However, those who choose Christ are changed by His presence. Christ in us, His hope for glory ~ replaces our stubborn hearts with better thoughts about the convenience of His ability, His grace in the midst of our bluster about not having the time to be of service. Our choice to show God's love, regardless of the behavior of the recipient is His doing through us. Hallelujah! When God steps into our heart, His love is unconditional ~ and over time, by His grace, we become more like Christ in our caring and sharing of His goodness. Jesus loved me even when I had selfish motives in my giving. As I was giving to another to gain their favor, God steadfast in His love, forgave me even when I did not think to ask to be forgiven for my selfish motive. God gives us favor without expecting a return. ONE LESSON: PURE AWE and RESPECT for HIS WAYS are purrrfect! His love is so BRILLIANT, so consistent, so BLINDING to my FOPAWS ~ that I gotta wear shades! His insistent, persistent LOVE COVERS a multitude of sins, and in His holy Way, with faithful compassion, His love fills in our gaps with generous grace and He gently reshapes us to understand that our Father does not reward us in proportion to our service, but He blesses us, He transfigures us by His overflowing, His unending good abundance! Because our Father loves us, He also warns us in His unchanging faithful Word. "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." 2 Tim 3:1-7 NKJV ~ Know this: Entirely selfish people will attempt to invade the space of your home. With impure motives they come to change your mind, to possess the thoughts of those who do not have healthy spiritual boundaries. Believers must exercise wise physical, emotional and spiritual boundaries. Those who possess the living Word of God, those who have matured by their pursuit of His discerning wisdom are not likely to become a victim of false doctrine, or to be persuaded that God will love them even more if they..... Mature women of the Word are strong in the Lord and in His mighty power, their shield of faith protects them from a cunning devil dressed in sheeps clothing. "Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed." James1:13-14 NKJV Let us thank God for selecting us to be the witness of Christ to the watching world. We are commissioned by Christ to represent Him, to present Him in Stockton and with those who we are in relationship with. We are called to serve Him by praying, and giving our time outside our immediate sphere of influence, even unto nations outside of our own. My Jerusalem is Stockton; My Judea/Samaria is Lodi/Acampo; My world is the orphanages in Chapala. Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for Your indwelling presence and for the blessing of fulfilling Your purpose through Your chosen Ambassadors of Christ.Marge served in the Phillipines for 20 years. Paula serves at Bear Creek Church in Lodi. Michael served for 30 years in USA and the Phillipines. John 15:13-16 NKJV "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. (Bobbi lays aside her family to serve Christ and pray for a gaggle of woman in Stockton) You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you."

RE-BORN for His purpose

PEOPLE fall into dark holes of depression, into pits of pain, and walk into caves of curiosity. Seeking "Who am I, and why am I here?" Our desire to know the TRUTH to finalize our quest for meaning leads us to follow and fall into MYTHICAL beliefs. The reality is, the truth is --- Who relieves suffering? Who meets you in the pit? What living visible being can say that they have seen God? Nobody can adjust, change or influence what we know for certain happened to us. CONSIDER the last time you felt alone, in a pit of depression? WHY the gradual shift of thought? What compels us from within to choose a new focus? AFTER we get over the shock of an unwanted event, after we surrender our pity party, after we realize that our ways do not work, we then begin to see the value in the ongoing reality of how powerful our Source of life is. We can all speak confidently of how God has changed us. Sharing the gospel of truth, is sharing who we were on our own without Jesus, feeling perhaps fearful, unwanted, insecure ---to knowing by faith, that by accepting Jesus as Lord, the entire body, person and strength of the Holy Spirit was immediately deposited within us...to instruct us, comfort us, and to transform us from who we were, to who we were re-born to be. Thankful for a 2nd life of service to the One who gave us new life in Him, for Him. Remember THE HOLE, the pit in which you were found? Remember trying all other ways to get out on your own?Remember crying out for help? Remember Who came down from heaven, Who picked you up and carried you out? Who wants to live alone in a dark hole? REMEMBERING what Jesus has done for each soul that called out for HELP! I am cheering the work that Jesus is doing in the hearts and minds of all those who committed to come together in His precious name during this season in 2012. Answering the call, we simply show up, invite Him to personally counsel us, comfort us and teach us --- and we get to witness, to observe in AWE a confidence growing! That as as we individually and earnestly pursue more of Jesus...that He joyfully responds with soul satisfying nourishment! The royal edible living, life changing Word of God is the gift of the Holy Spirit to all who would but receive Jesus as the Son of God. A growing group of believers, are awakened and aware of His ever Presence! Celebrating His manifest Presence, we feel His peace, joy and delight randomly throughout the day! Jesus hovers above us bursting with joy to watch and listen to His chosen share their delight in Him. The Person of the Holy Spirit speaks personally to all who are focused to hear a personal word from the Lord. It is so very thrilling and over-whelming to REJOICE with others in our very own relationship with Jesus Christ, our Lord --- our ever present God of tangible love and life altering power.

LIFE SONG

Delight your self in the Lord and He will lift you up! JOY is delight, bliss, gaiety, favor and good fortune! The first fruit of the Spirit is love followed by JOY! God's love for me, and in me are my assurance of His JOY which sustains me regardless of the chaos around me. "For in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said 'For we are also His offspring.'" ACTS 17:28 NKJ ~ As the offspring of GOD, I choose to languish NO more ~ as I have the indwelt power of the Holy Spirit, therefore I no longer lack vitality, for He is strong in my weakness, and I am given wings like an eagle to fly above any chaos and see through the eyes of God. ~ "and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, Who LOVED me and GAVE Himself for me." Galatians 2:20 NKJV ~ Many Christians have been unjustly punished, and just like Paul and Silas no man, no demon can rob us of our JOY unless we allow it. ACTS 16:26 Yes my Lord releases captives even in 2012! As my God said to me "for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." Romans 14:17 ~ NOW this is the day that the Lord hath made and as a believer, I acknowledge that I am not merely an observer of Christ and His Kingdom, I am not simply reading His word, waiting around for my departure from earth into His Presence, NO, NO, NO ~ as the holy scripture details the steps of Jesus, the good works of Jesus back then, today the Holy Spirit, the Presence of Jesus dwells within me and I acknowledge my experience of the omnipresence of God with a SHOUT of HALLELUIAH JOY! Consider our brother Moses whose retiring motive of heart was to finally reach the promised land ~ but God instead did not require that the elderly Moses walk across the Jordan River ~ our Father God instead gave Moses His highest reward, the promised land of His Kingdom, was a personal face to face encounter with God. "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem (Stockton) until you are endued with power from on high.” Luke 24:49 ~ WOW our Father fulfilled His promise in those inhabitants of Stockton who believe in Him ~ God sent the Holy Spirit upon us, to fill us, teach, protect and give us His words to utter to defeat the schemes of satan! "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:7-8 NKJ ~ to the end of the earth includes Stockton. The purpose of the indwelling presence of God is that we know, that we claim, that we utilize the power of the Holy Spirit, by surrendering our plans to His way, will and words that we may share His JOY, His pleasure and by so smiling with His radiance, attract others to Himself. " I will satiate the soul of the priests with abundance, and My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the Lord.” Jeremiah 31:14 NKJ ~ Therefore let us exodus from DOUBT and let us unify with the Holy One as we BE STILL and hear what the Spirit is saying "And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." Exodus 19:6 NKJ - Who was God referring to? "This means a “better” hope for us because Jesus has become our priest by the oath of God. Other men have been priests without any sworn guarantee, but Jesus has the oath of him that said of him: ‘The Lord has sworn and will not relent, You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek’." Hebrews 7:20 Phillips Bible Translation

CRAZY MAKERS

Pastor Rick Warren, author of many GREAT biblically based books, put together an awesome series on crazy makers. GET NEEDED SKILLS that you did NOT learn in school, or maybe even from your parents or at church. Five SUPERB messages to hear and share:

1) Wise people never do these things in relationships (James)
2) The button people who purposely try to provoke us into anger
3) Biblical steps to resolving conflict in a world full of trials
4) Healthy Boundaries, by Doctor Townsend
5) How to identify and avoid getting married to a crazy maker

“The righteous chooses his friends carefully.” Prov. 12:26 (ESV)
GOD does not choose our mates for us. FOOLISH: I am not going to date, I am going to wait. GOD can steer a car that is moving, He cannot steer a parked car. GOD leads us, GOD guides us. TRUTH is biblical, not logical. Being single gives you a solitary purpose. A bad union is worse than being single. ASK GOD, and choose wisely. “Stop forming inappropriate relationships with unbelievers. Can 'right' and 'wrong' be partners? Can light have anything in common with darkness?… Can a believer share life with an unbeliever?” 2 Cor. 6:14-15 (GW) Romantic myth is that there is only one person on the planet for us to marry. GOD gives us choice. LOVE is a CHOICE. Love is not enough to get married. NON negotiable points that prevent God's best - Seek God's blessing and protection, and trust His word for a marriage that will bring Him glory:1) Spiritual Unity is a must for emotional and sexual intimacy
a) attend church together b) read bible together c) pray together

“I want us to help each other with the FAITH we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you.” Rom. 1:12 (NCV) Don't get involved with missionary dating, to convert them to your faith after the marriage. It is easier to pull somebody down than up. 2) Life Purpose Compatability, headed in the same direction for God's purpose. Standing before God, He will ask "Did you fulfill your purpose?" God shaped me and gifted me for His purpose. He will not ask what denomination you attended. ASK before you leap: Are we ONE in CHRIST to work towards a compatible purpose? “Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?” Amos 3:3 (NLT) “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Eph. 2:10 (NIV) “Each of you has received a gift from God for serving others. Now you must be faithful to develop and use that gracious gift from God!” 1 Peter 4:10 (NCV) “Brothers and sisters, you are holy partners in a heavenly CALLING.” Heb. 3:1a (GW) 3) BOTH MUST BE EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY - not perfect, but aware that both are BROKEN and in NEED of grace. We all marry sinners, the bible says "we all have sinned and fall short" Some are more broken than others. They may look good, smell great and treat you like royalty, but emotionally they remain in denial about their fears. God says to AVOID these people: “Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man! Do not associate with one easily angered.” Prov. 22:24 (NIV) “Don't associate with people who drink too much, or stuff themselves with food.” Prov. 23:20 (TEV)
a) NO uncontrolled anger
b) NO addictions (drugs, porn, sports, spending,food)
c) NO bitterness
“Make sure you all have experienced the grace of God so that bitterness doesn't take root and grow, because that causes much trouble and will corrupt you.” Hebrews 12:15 “If you curse your father or mother, the lamp of your life will be snuffed out. “ Prov. 20:20 (NLT) Whatever we resent we begin to resemble. Whatever we resist, we persist. "I will never be like my dad!" Repent, do not resist - confess any bitterness towards anybody! Any issues with a parent, the mate will take the brunt of any unrepented bitterness. 4) NO SELFISH PEOPLE - “Selfish people cause trouble.” Prov. 28:25 “People who do not get along with others are only interested in themselves; they will disagree with what everyone else knows is right.” Prov. 18:1 (TEV) CONFLICT = I want what I want, and you want what you want. “A greedy man brings trouble to his family.” Prov. 15:27 “Don't eat at the table of a stingy person.” Prov. 23:6 (TEV) Greedy people buy what they dont need to impress people they do not know. “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” Prov. 11:25 (NIV) CHOOSE the opposite of SELFISH, choose a GENEROUS, KIND person. “A kindhearted woman gains respect, and a kind man benefits himself, but a cruel people brings trouble on themselves.” Prov. 11:17 5) NO LIARS - CHOOSE an honest person. God says nothing about appearance, for God looks at the heart, not what people wear. Do Hollywood marriages last? “A righteous person lives on the basis of his integrity. His children will be blessed, even after he is gone.” Prov. 20:7 ~ BE WISE and ask God for the courage to END A dead-end dating relationship that does not meet what GOD says will bless you. “In the end, people appreciate frankness more than flattery.” Prvb. 28:23 (NLT) GOD always gives His best to those who look to Him when making life decisions. DETERMINE within the first few dates; talking ~ establish compatibility and choose.
MEMORY VERSE lesson 4 "IN HIS PRESENCE" "You reveal the path of life to me;in Your presence is abundant joy; in Your right hand are eternal pleasures. " Psalm 16:11 NKJV ~ What is the purpose of the manifestation of God's presence to His inner circle of Peter, James and John? It is believed that the presence of Moses and Elijah represents the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets by Jesus Christ. In this holy encounter Jesus is preparing His followers for what is about to occur. Their FAITH will be tested, but by reflecting on this mountain top experience, it will bring to mind that God confirmed Jesus will change their LIFE and destiny in supernatural ways. Jesus said "ELIJAH is coming and will restore everything." Matthew 17:1-13 NKJV ~ The disciples questioned why the scribes say that Elijah must come first? God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit must come first, and He has already come, that you may have LIFE and live it fully!

GOOD NEWS in AVOIDING THE CRAZY MAKERS; Continual JOY is based on the everlasting, un-impeded, presence of God. Choose someone that will NOT impede or prevent the JOY of the Lord in your heart, home and relationship. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, NEW things have come." 2 Corin 5:17 HOLMAN CLICK into LINK on the right and don't BLINK or you will miss the important TOOLS to deal with the CRAZY MAKERS in your life. Saddleback is a HEALTHY thriving church in Southern California, it is the birth place of Celebrate Recovery.

In His Presence

"Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly." Exodus 19:16-18 WHY did God manifest His presence in such a dramatic way to His people? Maybe to instill AWE and RESPECT for Who God is ~ God's presence then ascended like smoke in a furnace after descending down to show Himself like Fire. WHAT was God's PURPOSE for manifesting Himself to the people of Israel on Mount Sinai ? For certain, God showed them the LIGHT of TRUTH, and perhaps His purpose included shaking them loose from making Moses an idol to worship - God's chosen people have often been caught up by what is SEEN, and they sought visible manisfestations, or miracles to increase their faith. God is holy, and above all He is to be praised. We are to bow to God alone, not to a prophet, not a president, not a party of people, not a church, not to an angel ~ God manifested Himself to His people to increase their faith in Him, that He alone is worthy to be praised! WHAT is the response of the people to God's manifested Presence? The people feared the Lord, they respected His power, and trembled. The ground quaked, God shook the foundation of their FAITH in Moses, to get their eyes on Him. WHAT did GOD need to communicate to Moses and Aaron without the priests? ASK GOD, search the scriptures, seek Him with all your heart and the CONFIDENCE of Who God has always been will KEEP you in His presence, in His peace about each life situation. Then the Lord said to Moses: “Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest He break out against them.” So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them. “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. “You shall have no other gods before Me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God ~" EXODUS 19:19-20 WERE the people of Israel making Moses an idol? Were not the people of Israel just released from the bondage of slavery in Egypt and entering into a relationship of misguided worship towards Moses? WHAT was God's message to His children? Does God warn us out of love? YES, our Lord disciplines us because He loves us. JESUS speaks strongly to us today by His Spirit in this: "Did not Moses give you the Law? And yet not one of you keeps the Law. If that is the truth why do you seek to kill Me for not keeping it? The crowd answered Him, You are possessed by a demon! You are raving! Who seeks to kill you? Jesus answered them, I did one work, and you all are astounded. Now Moses established circumcision among you—though it did not originate with Moses but with the previous patriarchs—and you circumcise a person even on the Sabbath day. If, to avoid breaking the Law of Moses, a person undergoes circumcision on the Sabbath day, have you any cause to be angry with, indignant with, or bitter against Me for making a man’s whole body well on the Sabbath? Be honest in your judgment and do NOT decide at a glance, superficially and by appearances; but judge fairly and righteously. " John 7 ~ AMP LESSON: Do not worship man, read the scriptures and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth, whom shall I judge? God is the judge, and we are to bow down to no man, no council member, no sports idol, no rock stars. By His command we are to keep our eyes on Jesus, for He has got the ball, the world in His hands. Listen for His voice and mingle in the world and feel His manifest Presence tingle. His greatest command is that we love ourself as we are loved by Him, without a condition, and full of compassion. We are to confess our sins, then forgive ourself as He remembers not, and He forgives all. All sickness, all disease, the entire curse has been forgiven and healed by the blood of Jesus. Our Father takes pleasure in us, it is His will (and we know His will, becuase we are people of the Word) that we enjoy life and judge not. Jesus came for the lost, the broken, and He challenges those who take pride in their knowledge of the scriptures, to be found faithful and remain surrendered to not fully comprehending all His ways. Our light, our laughter, our joy, our kind acts, our grace, our love will attract more to God than our rigourous attempt to keep the law of Moses. And God said through Paul, a man carried away by his lofty thoughts, a man blinded by the pride of his study of the old testament. The risen Lord Jesus revealed the truth to Paul. "For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, in every way from anyone’s control, I have made myself a bond servant to everyone, so that I might gain the more for Christ. To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to men under the Law, I became as one under the Law, though not myself being under the Law, that I might win those under the Law. To those without (outside) law I became as one without law, not that I am without the law of God and lawless toward Him, but that I am especially keeping within and committed to the law of Christ, that I might win those who are without law. To the weak (wanting in discernment) I have become weak (asking for discernment) that I might win the weak and over scrupulous. I have in short become all things to all men, that I might by all means, at all costs and in any and every way, save some by winning them to FAITH in Jesus Christ. 1 Corin 9:19 ~ As I was born on 9/19 this is my LIFE VERSE. Thank You Jesus for Your grace and Your MANIFEST presence. Halleluiah! Your living Word abides in me and it reminds me to hold each thought captive and measure it against the perfect Word and will of God. "I beg you that when I am present I will not need to be bold with the confidence by which I plan to challenge certain people who think we are behaving in an unspiritual way. For though we live in the body, we do not wage war in an unspiritual way, since the weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to obey Christ. And we are ready to punish any disobedience, once your obedience has been confirmed. Look at what is obvious. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should remind himself of this: Just as he belongs to Christ, so do we. For if I boast some more about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for tearing you down, I am not ashamed. I don’t want to seem as though I am trying to terrify you with my letters. For it is said, “His letters are weighty and powerful, but his physical presence is weak, and his public speaking is despicable.” Such a person should consider this: What we are in the words of our letters when absent, we will be in actions when present." 2 Corin 10:2-11 HOLMAN ~ Jesus commanded "Do not be afraid" When I stand in Your glorious manifested Presence, I shall speak in FAITH, I am covered by the blood of Jesus, and I am healed from all insecurity as my confidence is in my Lord, it is His gift to me and I receive it. AMEN

FAITH in GOD

An unschooled 15 year old girl was found faithful by God and she remained faithful to His spoken word. Today, regardless of what the world looks like, our future is found in our faithfulness to God. People of faith are faithful, but are they faithful to their rituals, to what the denomination preaches, or to God? How important is it for a believer of Jesus Christ to be faithful to God, and remain faithful to God? God says "Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." 1 Corin 4:2 NIV ~ NOW would be today in 2012. God requires that those who have been entrusted with the Holy Spirit, that we must be proved faithful. "Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful." NKJV ~ We are considered to be good or bad stewards of what we have been given, which is the GIFT of FAITH, and that FAITH is in God. We are to be found faithful in God, and in His Word, NOT man's commentary, or in the opinion of the saints within a church. God did not say that we are to be found correct, but that we are found faithful to the Word of God, to the end. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." God is faithful to His word, and righteous in the forgiveness of our sins when we confess them. God does not require us to WORK for our forgiveness, He simply requires us to confess our sins and by FAITH we are saved, over and over and over again. Let us read through the HALL OF FAME of those who were found faithful: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. Faithful Abraham By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. Our Heavenly Hope: These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them." HEBREWS CHAP 11 - NKJV Where is your FAITH placed? Oh Lord we draw a circle around the City of Stockton, we draw this circle with the blood of Jesus and we speak boldly, in the name of Jesus that the city be delivered from evil, and we stand faithful in prayer, in the midst of this city until you deliver it. AMEN

BE ENCOURAGED BY OUR USA HEROS OF FAITH: 52 of the 55 signers of The Declaration of Independence were orthodox, deeply committed Christians. The other three all believed in the Bible as the divine truth, the God of scripture, and His personal intervention. It is the same congress that formed the American Bible Society. Immediately after creating the Declaration of Independence , the Continental Congress voted to purchase and import 20,000 copies of scripture for the people of this nation. Patrick Henry: "An appeal to arms and the God of hosts is all that is left us. But we shall not fight our battle alone. There is a just God that presides over the destinies of nations. The battle sir, is not of the strong alone. Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it almighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death." In 1776, he wrote this 'It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here.'
Thomas Jefferson: 'I am a Christian, that is to say a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus. I have little doubt that our whole country will soon be rallied to the unity of our Creator and, I hope, to the pure doctrine of Jesus also.'

George Washington: His farewell speech on September 19, 1796: 'It is impossible to govern the world without God and the Bible. Of all the dispositions and habits that lead to political prosperity, our religion and morality are the indispensable supporters. Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that our national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.' President Washington wrote these words in his personal prayer book: 'Oh, eternal and everlasting God, direct my thoughts, words and work. Wash away my sins in the immaculate blood of the lamb and purge my heart by the Holy Spirit. Daily, frame me more and more in the likeness of thy son, Jesus Christ, that living in thy fear, and dying in thy favor, I may in thy appointed time obtain the resurrection of the justified unto eternal life. Bless, O Lord, the whole nation.