This morn, as always

Praise the LORD!!!

   If you're a regular follower and have been reading this morning's post. You'll know that I've been "attacked" twice by the Christians relentless adversary.

   First by a computer issue. A "black screen(?)". A first time. My computer, just decided to shut down and restart on it's own. No blue screen, or warning of any kind. It just shut down as I was preparing to post "Devotional(s)" for the day!!!

   This was quickly remedied by the LORD. With a quicker than normal restart. To be a fact, everything started right up. No "sluggishness." No "not responding" programs.  Everything just loaded right up and ran perfectly. Allowing me to begin posting within a short time.

   Then, just as I was getting ready to prepare for work, the second attack came. Though my hip has been aching all week, I've been blessed to overlook it and work on. But this morning, as I was getting up and heading for the kitchen, it "Popped," like a shot. Fortunately, I was only a foot or so from my chair and fell back into it. Wrenching from the sudden pain. The result, as most would utter, were not grimaces, or curses, but "Praises." Which. thanks to the LORD, is my standard "mode of operations."

   If you've read my testimonial book, "Out of the LIGHT," you'll know, that my walk with the LORD, has been centered on a life of praise. An understanding, that GOD is sovereign and that no matter what happens, HIS hand is at work through it, and then offering HIM praise and thanksgiving for such.

   That which was meant to deter, slow down, or stop, only ends up working to the glory of GOD!!! I mean "EVERYTHING !!!"

   To often, many Christians forget. GOD is in control, not that other guy and his cohorts. GOD is sovereign, and all other powers and principalities, are created by HIM. Sure, they may of been given dominion of this world and constantly wrecking havoc in it, but they still are under GOD's control and can do NOTHING, that HE doesn't allow to happen.

   So the next time that all hell seems to of come against you, or that you've stepped in a big pile of "*". Just lift up your voice and give praise and thanksgiving to GOD. The ONE and ONLY, that is in CONTROL of all !!!!!!!

      "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over." (Psalm 23:4,5; AV)

   " Every valley shall be raised up,

every mountain and hill made low;

the rough ground shall become level,

the rugged places a plain.

 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,

and all people will see it together.

                                          (Isaiah 40:4,5; NIV)

"The grass withers and the flowers fall,

but the word of our God endures forever"

                                           (Isaiah 40:8; NIV)

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary;and they shall walk, and not faint."
                                                                                                      (Isaiah 40:31; AV)

" Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
                                                                     (1 Thes. 5:16-18; AV)

Use these verses, but don't stop with them, cross reference and seek out GOD from within HIS WORD!!!


 GOD bless and good day,
 Rev. Marshall Barth
 Vine of CHRIST Ministries 

One to think on!

 Praise the LORD!!!

    Anyone whom is familiar with me and my post, either through reading of my book(Out of the LIGHT), the ministry, or just my post in general, will know that my life revolves around "Praising the LORD!!!" This is far from an easy practice to maintain, for the greater one lifts their voice in praise unto the LORD, the greater will be the attacks of the adversary allowed.(Yes, allowed! For satan must ask GOD's permission before attacking Christians!)

   An example of this, that I will give for you to ponder the implications of, was when I was baptized in prison back in '06.' Upon coming up from the water, I began to praise the LORD and thank HIM for HIS blessings upon me. All was well for a week, until I was escorted during count time (9 PM) to the main office. Now this was no ordinary escort, there were two officers and a lower ranking guard taking care of me. Normally, most things will wait until after an official count and I'd yet to witness an escort of such rank being involved.

   Upon being taken into the office I was greeted by the Chaplin and this really got my attention. She first asked me how things were going. To which I answered, "blessed." Then the hammer fell. She told me that there had been an car accident involving my family and that my step-daughter, April (12 yrs. old) had been killed in it. The first words out of my mouth were "Praise the LORD!!!" Well, you'd of thought I'd just  given those three this same tragic news, for it sounded like the air within the room had suddenly been sucked out. The Chaplain's mouth dropped open and I turned to see the same look of shock on the two officer's faces!

   I quickly began to explain my statement. I told them that "No, I'm not pleased by the news, it was a great lose, but that my faith was in that GOD was going to work through this event to HIS glory and that I must thank HIM for so doing!" I continued to explain my faith in the power of GOD and how HE many times works through the most tragic events to mold us and shape us into vessels worthy of HIS name. How, we of such limited intellect, can't fathom how HE works or even begin to understand HIS reasoning through events such as this. After a good while of my voice being the only one heard, I was filled in on all the events and later escorted back to my unit. Here, I was greeted by several of my Christian brothers, as they were forewarned by the guards of what had happened and were ready to comfort me.

   Now, I could go on here with more of the events that happened following, and even during, these events, but these can be found in my book. But as per this entry: GOD often works through the most, seemingly, tragic events within our lives to reveal HIS glory. HE often has allowed satan to "sift us" or nature to batter us in order to accomplish this. If when this happens our mouth begin to acknowledge HIS greatness and glory, you can surely count on a quick rebuttal from the adversary. For there is nothing that he hates more than hearing GOD receive glory for the works of his hands. So lift up your voice in praises to GOD and rest assured all hell will soon follow in their way. But let not this constrain your praises from being sung, only increase the volume of them. For it will soon be GOD's turn to reveal wonders upon wonders for all that you've sung unto HIM about!!!


Prayer request can be sent to: prayers@vineofchrist.org 

GOD bless and good day,
Rev. Marshall Barth
Vine of CHRIST Ministries

Something a little different...

Praise the LORD!!!

   Today, there won't b a Bible verse, actually none at all. I'm going to grace you with something a little different. Most of last night and the majority of today, I've been fighting computer problems. So very little along the lines of work for the LORD got accomplished. This all came about yesterday when I received a bulletin on myspace about the emergency needs on the Lakota Indian reservation. Since I'm unable to assist at this time financially or physically I did what I could, well at least began to.

   I began to post the bulletin on every one of the sites, that I network for the ministry and even a few others. After getting this started, and I do mean 'just' started, my computer began to slow down. Within an hour of starting, I had to shutdown my browser and restart it, but in just a short time it  was creeping along again! Imagine what its like having a high speed connection and working at dialup speeds, well this is what I was doing for the most part. Now my computer is old, a 1 G. Pentium with only 256 M of RAM, but it truly shouldn't be that slow. So what was the cause of this and why isn't it the first time it happened?

  Two very good questions, but with only one answer. satan, he doesn't like what I'm doing online and has tried at every opportunity to stop it!!! If I were to spend the day chatting in a room somewhere or visiting a porn site, not that I would(just examples), I'd have no problems at all. But being that I'm bring the attention to the LORD that I am, he can't stand it and must try to hinder it or stop me in any fashion possible. Since most of my work lately has been online, what better way to bring me troubles than to effect the computer that I depend on the most.

   If you're a Christian and are doing works that truly bring glory to the LORD, you can count it as good as gold that satan is going to be hindering you in every manor he can. The greater the works the greater the troubles that will come your way and the more often you'll be having them. Now it is a common misunderstanding of many new Christians, that once you've given your life to CHRIST everything will be perfect! Well let me tell you something. It ain't so!!! Many preachers and pastors kind of 'sugarcoat' the GOSPEL, and don't fill people in on the whole story. Or they just give you the first part of it and allow you to find out the hard facts about being a Christian all on your own. Now this is wrong, totally wrong and has become a common factor because they're to worried about getting the 'numbers' in. The more people within your church, the larger the tithe, hence more money for projects, making more room for more people. Do You get the idea yet? Its the world creeping into the church. Money, money, money!!! What would you think JESUS would do today if HE walked into one of the 'mega churches', with their tape and CD sales area, coffee and gift shops? I think it'd be a replay of when HE walked into the temple and over turned the money changer's tables!!

   If anyone has ever told you that being a Christian is easy, if it weren't against the Christian manor, I'd say find them and slap them. Being a Christian is most likely one of the hardest things you will ever undertake within life. Living a worldly life is a breeze in comparison to it. Not just the fact that it is so much different, but the fact that once you've begun to really show CHRIST within your life, you've suddenly got a whole new set of enemies. For all the demons of hell will be against you. Living life is hard enough, but when you've begun to witness for CHRIST and truly showing HIM within your total being, to the point that others that see you wonder what makes you so different. The troubles will really begin to pile up and sometimes to a point of almost totally overwhelming you.

   Well how will you handle this happening is the question!?! There are many ways and most are wrong. Thats right, wrong. Not wrong in a complete sense, but wrong to say the least. You can rebuke satan. You can pray for the LORD to rebuke satan. You can cast out the evil. Or you can rant and rave about all of this happening. In all these cases, you'd be wrong. Because in all of them, you are giving glory to satan by acknowledging his part in the troubles. The best way to handle these, sounds a bit unusual, but in all right is the only true way of handling them. Give glory to GOD and thank HIM for finding you worthy of having such trials and tribulations within your life! I can hear some of you now. "Say what? Are you nuts?" I may be, but I'm crazy for my LORD and I understand that HE has allowed everything that happens within my life to happen so that in the end HE will be the one to receive all the glory. Whether its trials and tribulations or smooth sailing, they all have been allowed to happen by HIM and for HIS glory.

   Now I know there are going to be those that say this is un-scriptural. It's not! WHO created all? GOD. WHO created both the LIGHT and the darkness? GOD. WHO is in total control, that not even a single sparrow falls to the ground without HIS knowing it? GOD. GOD is and always will be in total control and I don't care what theologians or any preachers say, GOD has allowed evil to coexist within this universe for a reason. How would you know what was right, if there wasn't that to judge it against, hence evil exist. It always has and always will be an everyday part of life. Where there is good, you will find evil. The more of one that is abundant, the more of the other will be close at hand. So instead of giving the glory to the wrong power source, give the glory to GOD and thank HIM for allowing you to under go it's touch and also thank HIM for giving you the strength to bear up under the weight of it. Give HIM the glory, for HE is and always will be the only true power in all of heaven and earth!!! Praise GOD, hallelujah, praise GOD!!!!!!!

  



Use these verses, but don't stop with them, cross reference and seek out GOD from within HIS WORD!!!


Prayer request can be sent to: prayers@vineofchrist.org


GOD bless and good day,

Rev. Marshall Barth

Vine of CHRIST Ministries

Vine Ministerial Network International