Training & Growing in the Lord

Well it's been six months since I started this job in Northern Alberta. I asked to be trained on coach buses a number of times and I was told that I would have to wait my turn.  Well this week I  got asked to train on coach buses and I am learning so much! The first two training sessions I was overwhelmed, I must admit, but now it's all coming together.  I had no idea that there were so many things you had to look at differently when you drive a 45' bus!

Growing with the Lord is like that.  We coast along for a while and then if we ask, we'll get the opportunity to learn a lot more.  At first when our eyes are opened to the new possibilities it can seem overwhelming... but I want to encourage you to stick it out because it will soon become a lot easier.  God will not leave you or forsake you and He's way better at teaching than any trainer on earth.  Hallelujah!

If you don't give up you'll have another trophy for the Lord, to trade with on the sea of glass. And if you fail... no worries! Practice is never wasted, even when you make mistakes!  In this game we get to keep trying till we succeed or choose to give up.  It's up to us.

Also, If we don't succeed the first time we'll grow in compassion and will be able to comfort others with the comfort we ourselves have received from the Lord.

So Thank You Lord that we are not quitters!  We can't fail for winning, we can't lose for succeeding and in all things you will cause us to triumph! Hallelujah!  Let's keep going... Thank You Lord that we are bright, witty, wise, and a joy to be around.  Thank You Lord for making all our enemies our footstool today.  Thank You Lord for the fear of You in our lives because it leads to wisdom.  Thank You Lord for the fruit of the Spirit in our lives today as we fellowship with You.  Thank You Lord for joy in our journey today.  May we always be so grateful for all You have done for us!  Amen!

Have a great day with Holy Spirit!

Big hugs and many blessings,
Brenda Gale Thompson

Own the Revelation

Teaching and teaching without testimonies is fruitless and I am tired of it.   I want to go hear preachers that have gotten a revelation from God and are walking in it.  I especially want to hear testimonies about people who have done stuff I haven't done yet, like raising the dead.  I have been practicing on dead animals and renewing my mind with the promises of God but I haven't found a dead person to pray for that wasn't under supervision. LOL.

When I was 20 I went to the Christian camp that my mom liked to go to and I heard this fellow teach about the revealing of the sons and daughters of God and how all creation is awaiting for us. (Rom 8:19)  He taught with authority because he had commanded thunder storms to move and they did for him.  I thought, "Wow! I've never heard of stuff like this!"

Less than a week later I was confronted with a nasty thunderstorm over the highway I had to bicycle down to get to work. I remembered what I had learned the previous weekend, now what was I going to do about it?  I thought... well God is not a respecter of persons, so what worked for him will work for me!

So... I asked the Lord to move the thunderstorm out of the way for me and to leave a tiny piece of it so I would know that He had answered my prayer.

I continued getting ready for work and about 10 minutes later I looked outside again.  Imagine!  I saw the huge dark clouds moving really fast to the left and there was a tiny piece of the darkest cloud left over the highway.  Impossible you say?   Nope!  I saw it myself.  It was so amazing because the lighter clouds were stationary, just the dark thunderstorm clouds were moving fast.

I never forgot that day.  I rode my bicycle under that little piece of thunderstorm cloud about half an hour later.  God held it in position for me.  The rest of the storm was miles away by that time.  Another miracle.  Oh I did I forget to mention that I didn't get wet?  It rained before I got under that cloud and after I passed. I could see it falling.

I never forgot it.

May you be encouraged to own the revelation you have been taught so far and to speak to your mountains (or storms). Truly, all creation is awaiting for us to stand up and do the works of God. (Rom 8:19,14)  We are all sons/daughters of God through our faith in Jesus Christ. (Gal 3:26)

Big hugs,
Brenda Gale Thompson

Sword Drill

Yesterday was a hard day with no water at all and other troubles and it's so easy to use the word of God as a weapon.
Wait, hang on a minute! I don't want to hurt family members and use the word of God as a sword to cut them down or put them in their place. No, no, NO!

That's a sneaky way to drive them away from the Bible and God. Hmmm, I think I found one of the answers to the question I asked the Lord yesterday, "How do I recognize a religious spirit?"

We all know in theory that it's Holy Spirit's job to teach, correct and edify Christians but we sure like to help Him when people tick us off! Been there and done that to my chagrin. Yeah, I have done my share of repenting and apologizing to family members and friends for 'slicing' them with scripture. (ref. 2Tim. 3:16)

If there's no love showing, we need to pause and check our hearts before we correct someone with the word of God, especially when our tone and body language are hard and critical. For me, I choose not to do the devil's work for him. It's the love and goodness of God that leads us to repent (myself included).

I want grace and mercy for myself, therefore, since I reap what I sow, I better show mercy and grace to others. Now that's not to say that I don't have to correct my children, but I better make sure my heart and motives are clean before the Lord. I have learned that when I have a questionable attitude, I better not say anything. We don't fight against flesh and blood after all.

Yesterday, I told my flesh to shut up and I prayed the Lord's prayer for everyone. I also told a couple of friends so they could back me up in prayer. I am happy to say that there was great peace in my home yesterday evening and we got everything fixed that needed fixing. Yay God!

Let's pray...Lord Jesus please help us to use our swords properly, not to hurt others but to take out the enemy wherever we recognize him. Help us to listen to You to know when someone is ready to hear a 'word' and when they are not. Thanks for keeping our families safe from our 'sword drills.' May we always know when we are going to cross the line and use our swords for wrong purposes. Amen.

Women Teaching And Preaching? Sure!

I'm writing this because I was told eight years ago that women couldn't minister. Didn't I know that women were supposed to be quiet and learn? I was told I could share testimonies on a certain web site but that I could not share with people how to get the same results. Of course I stopped writing immediately. In hind sight I realize that this was what the devil wanted. So I've started writing again.

You see, my dad raised me to believe that I could do anything for a living. I was always trying to help my Dad, whether it was fixing the car or building something downstairs. It was my Dad who suggested I go into Engineering studies at University. My dad believed in me.

In Western society we've come to realize that women can be good engineers, doctors, lawyers and executives. And yes, they can be good preachers. That's why these unfair judgments or shackles hurt so much.

Thank God for moms. She gave me a book titled "Why not Women?" by Loren Cunningham, (the Director of Youth With A Mission) and David Joel Hamilton. That book helped me so much. Husbands get it for your wives. Fathers get it for your daughters. It's that simple. Let me share what impacted me the most, and I didn't read the whole book. (Oops!)

This book helped explain how Paul was a woman's best friend because, in a cultural time when woman were not taught anything, he told the men to teach their wives. "Paul was encouraging the women in their desire to learn. He was urging them not to stay on the sidelines but to equip themselves for full participation in the Body of Christ! These words were a radical break with all the surrounding cultures." (pg 201)

I also found out that in a cultural time when a woman's only expression was to moan or wail in services he asked that they be quiet. (1Cor 14:34) I completely understand this. The women had no freedom to praise and worship or say 'Hallelujah!' or shout 'Amen!' in a service. They were only allowed to "moan or make ululations, which are high-pitched cries." (pg 197) Talk about shackles!

Well, guess what? Jesus took our shackles off two thousand years ago and Paul confirmed this freedom we now have, when he said that 'There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." (Gal. 3:28).

So why do men keep putting these shackles on us? Ignorance, insecurity, pride who knows?

It's time we educated ourselves. Time is running out fast and the devil has hamstrung 60% of the body of Christ with this false teaching. Therefore, I am going to make up for lost time.

Fast tract 5 years. I'd started street preaching and was learning by the seat of my pants. A friend of mine told me about his pastor who also street preached and I was so excited to meet him. I finally got the opportunity and you know what? He didn't want to even sit with me for a tea or coffee, because I was a woman preacher.

"Where's your husband?", he asked me. Can you believe it? He asked this in the 21st century no less.

This preacher was referring to 2 Tim 2:12 where it says "But I suffer not a woman to teach,". Paul made this troubling statement and it's been taken out of context for 2,000 years. I am not a Greek scholar, but if you translate the verses properly, and not out of context, the scholars can see that this verse was directed to one woman, who was probably responsible for the heretical teaching in the Ephesian church. (reference pg. 213)

This is also backed up by Paul's words in 2Tim 2:22 "And these things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable [persons, that is, men and women] who will also be qualified to teach others." (pg 221)

Let's go back to this preacher's question about my husband. Now anyone that knows my husband, is aware that he is an introvert. He once told me that if there was an introverts society he'd be the president and the phone number would be unlisted. Face it, not everyone is cut from the same cloth and not everyone is going to be thrilled to go street preaching.

My husband is very happy about me going out and preaching and he gives me lots of current event material to tie in to the gospel message -- but him speak publicly? It's not going to happen without a miracle.

I once brought him up in front of a congregation where I was sharing on evangelism and afterwords he told me not to do that again. All I did was introduce him as "my handsome husband!"

Now you can see why I thought this street preacher was way off the mark. He had a heart to get people saved, God bless him for that. I just would have thought that he'd be happy for some help!

I've learned that if you want to do a good work for the Lord, persecution and opposition will come and sometimes it's surprising which quarter it comes from.

Finally, my advice to you is witness, share, testify and preach about our Lord and His gospel as often as you can. Do not let someone silence you, with their condemning words, like I was. I am going to make up for lost time. I have so many testimonies that I have written down in my journals and I am going to post them on this blog site. Plus, I fully intend to tell you how I got these results. I will share all my bloopers too, because you learn more from your mistakes than your successes, right? Right! Holy Spirit is such an encourager and He is so helpful. When you realize how much you are loved, it's easy to be real and share your bloopers.

Right now, I bless you In Jesus Name with the "spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;" (Is.11:2) May you know HIM in a greater way today and every day this year, in Jesus' name!
Amen!

Till the nets are full,

Brenda Gale Thompson