Harper Woods High School Pioneers Marching Band!

 I have posted videos of this great little band on previous posts, but now they need the help of everyone who is so inclined to help. Band Camp costs for many of our families is outside the realm of their budget and since every eligible student is beneficial, we're trying to make sure they all put in an appearance for the 2016-2017 school year. Check out our link and prayerfully consider a donation of at least $10 and encourage those you know to do the same. We'll be forever grateful for your kindness and consideration.

https://www.gofundme.com/hwpioneers

Who You Gonna Call?

And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the LORD
Shall be saved.
For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance,
As the LORD has said,
Among the remnant whom the LORD calls. Joel 2:32 NKJV

When we hear a small child crying, every mother in the vicinity listens as our ears perk up because every mother knows her child's cry. If the child can talk and we hear, "Mama" we run to save our child from whatever is making them call us. God, our Father, knows the cries of His children and He will respond.

Considering the many gods people worship, I wonder which of them will respond to a plea for help when the people who worship them call on them.

Will Buddha respond to a cry for help?

Will any of the prophets respond to a cry for help?

Will any of the beads, the crosses, the idols that so many worship respond to a cry for help?

Nothing made by the hands of man can respond to a cry for help or anything else. They have no life in them and therefore cannot do anything to save life. The only thing that things can do is what they are manipulated to do by the hands of man.

A car--and so many worship their vehicles--is a non-living entity and can do nothing on its own unless manipulated by a person--someone controlling what it does.

Houses--those structures in which we live and that some people worship--made by the hands of man and have no life of their own--cannot save anyone.

Equipment--made by men and manufactured to save lives--is marvelous when used correctly by men/women and can save lives, but if we simply look at them and call upon them, they will not respond.

When we are in trouble as those were at the time Joel was prophesying as God spoke, we can know there is but One who will respond to our call for help and save us from ourselves--The Lord. And just as a remnant--a handful--were saved then, there will come a time when another remnant--those who refuse to budge from their faith and stance pertaining to The Word of God--will be saved when they call upon the name of The Lord.

Not one person--especially those running for political office has the power to save us--individually or as a nation and they should all stop lying to appease the media and the masses who are gullible enough to believe them.

What this country needs is total reliance and dependence on Jesus Christ--living every day according to The Word of God, seeking His wisdom--constantly and ignoring all the hoopla and loud noises of those who can't save themselves and certainly cannot save others.

Okay--we still have time to seek God and His wisdom in order to put the right person in the White House--someone who cares about all Americans, not just the rich or 1%, but all who live in the land.

Lord,
You said if we called upon You in the time of need You would save us and deliver us from evil. Right now, I'm calling on You to give us direction and wisdom to select the person who knows You and with whom You have an airtight relationship. Thank You for hearing and responding to this plea for help for the nation. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen!

Assistance Needed!

One of my followers on Twitter is in need of assistance and I have pledged to donate half of the proceeds from the sales of my book myBook.to/ElevatedHijinks through Saturday.

I pray those who have a heart will purchase--just 0.99 and encourage others to do so as well.

Thanks for assisting in doing what Jesus would have us to do--help the needy.

Our Help!

"On my bed I remember You; I think of You through the watches of the night, Because You are my help, I sing in the shadows of Your wings. I cling to You; Your right hand upholds me." (Psalms 63:6-8 NIV)

Whenever we think that we are in a situation or a challenge alone, we must remember we're never alone, for He is always with us and will be with us when all others forsake us.

This is one of those times when I really needed this reminder. All week long, I've been battling Murphy's law--trying to keep my head up, my faith in tact and my temper under control.
Whenever I felt like lashing out, Holy Spirit quickly checked me and reminded me I am not alone. Even though so many things have happened at the last minute to threaten the success of a major fundraiser for which I'm chairing--I can move forward--slightly disheveled and lighter in weight--but still smiling, still expectantly waiting to see what great things The Lord has in store for us.

Throughout life, no matter how carefully we think we plan an event, we must always be ready to respond to the unexpected--the changes that appear to thwart our success, but are actually there to test our mettle--how do we respond to irksome situations over which we have absolutely no control.

In every situation, we learn from experience that we must have a contingency plan (hearing God every step of the way). I'll admit, sometimes we get so caught up in trying to make sure that every thing turns out right that we get distracted and miss pertinent instruction because of the "noise" of distraction.

No matter how many times the enemy has attempted to speak to my mind and stir up doubt--I have moved forward with tenacity--determined to see this event through to the end and no matter what else happens, I will be thankful for the opportunity and grateful to God for seeing me through it--He is my help--when I can count on no one else--He gives me insight and direction and strength to keep going. Through the pain of an afflicted body and through the tears shed when no one is looking, I hold onto His love and know that He'll never let me down. And though I seek success based upon how I define success--the end result will be all that God intends it to be--all to His glory.

Our help--comes from the Lord! It is He who divinely inspires us to keep going. It is He who strengthens tired bodies and minds, and it is He who speaks to the hearts of others and stirs them to want to help. It is He who gives us joy and a song to sing in praise of Him. It is He who provides what we need in spite of naysayers and doubters. O Give Thanks to The Lord--Our Help in times of need.

I'm thanking God for all the people who are hearing Him speak to their hearts and obeying His voice. Our Help--from the generosity of donations of goods, to the volunteers streaming in to help us--are all a direct result of prayer and faith in Him who knows all things and does all things well. Hallelujah!

He Will Help!

"For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." (Isaiah 41:13 NIV)

When we we're in need and can't call a friend,
Who are we going to call upon?
Jesus!

When we can't see beyond the moment,
Who are we going to call upon?
Jesus!

When our bodies are wracked with pain,
And doctors have given us no hope to gain, relief,
Who are we going to call upon?
Jesus!

When children and grandchildren go astray
From all they were taught, and led away, by evil,
Who are we going to call upon?
Jesus!

When there's no food in the fridge, the cupboard bare
No money in the bank,  and we sit pulling our hair,
Who are we going to call upon?
Jesus!

When darkness tends to blind hope and light,
And we realize, it is not through our might, change comes
Who are we going to call upon?
Jesus!

There is no other name, by which a man be saved,
With Him, our path of success is already paved,
In Him, through obedience to His Word,
His name is Jesus! He will help!

Help in Every Situation!

"My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth!" (Psalm 121:2 NLT)

I know a number of people who are always looking for someone to come to their rescue, when they need help. Some people are gifted to help others--whether with a kind word, encouragement, or comfort--whether with financial contributions, or other tangibles--the gifting comes from The Lord.
When we are in Relationship with God, Holy Spirit speaks and we hear and obey and do what The Lord tells us. It is The Lord speaking to people to "help" others that keeps us going, no matter how dire the situation might be.

Some people think--"God helps those who help themselves" is scriptural when it is not. God never designed us to live independent of Him--He wants us dependent on Him and through Him, He speaks and we obtain the help we need.

When I see suffering in other countries because the leadership in those countries are too greedy to help their own people, I pray that God will give the leaders a heart of compassion. After all, if they are too blinded by their own greed that people starve and die needlessly, the suffering of the people shall be on their heads.

While I admire those in this country who have hearts as large as the universe and who are always giving, I often wonder just how much of what is given is actually reaching those in need. When corrupt leadership smacks its lips and rubs its grubby hands at the mere thought of obtaining more riches through the auspices of the kindhearted, are the needs of the people really served?

I am not against helping those in need and have--with The Lord's guidance--given far beyond my means to help others, but it is only when I hear The Lord speaks--not the commercials--designed to tug on hearts. I have--with careful observation and through prayer for truth--detected deception in much of the public service announcements. One only needs a discerning spirit to notice.

We have to remember--that it is The Lord--who is our provider and He will also provide for others through us, when He speaks to our hearts. It is He who is our help in every situation and since He is not a respecter of persons, will He not help others who are open to hearing Him?

Lord, in every country, region, state, city,  and village all over this world, speak to the hearts of leaders and create in them a heart of compassion to see to the needs of their people. Let every decision in every situation be a result of direct counsel from You and not dependence by deceptive means. Only You, Lord can change the landscape of every heart and see that no one who loves You, shall be hungry or thirsty or in need of shelter, ever again. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen!

The Lord Helps!

"My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:2 NASB).

Many people look for help for a variety of situations from various venues. Some people--standing on the street corners look for help from those passing by them. Some people seek help from non-profit organizations. Some people seek help from government agencies. Some seek help from family and friends. And then there are those who know-our help comes from The Lord!

To make this clear, God uses people to help people, but ultimately, it is He who determines who will be used to help those in need. I make this distinction simply because there are some people who pray and do nothing else. And when nothing happens, they get mad at God. For instance, it is absolutely pointless to pray for a job and never apply for one. It is absolutely pointless to pray for a mate and never prepare to be one. It is absolutely ludicrous to pray for anything and not do something. Prayer without action, is a waste of time. We must do something before, and after prayer to see the prayers answered.

THIS DOES NOT NEGATE MIRACLES! I know of too many times when people prayed and God touched hearts to respond to the prayer. But He still used "people" to address the issues for which people prayed. 

"We don't have what we need because we don't always know how to ask for it." When we pray, we must believe that God will answer in order for us to receive that for which we prayed in accordance to His will. We cannot ask for foolish things and expect to receive anything from God. "Seek and we shall find. Ask and  that for which we ask, shall be given if we have the faith of a mustard seed to receive it"

Ultimately, all of our needs are met through Christ Jesus (by whatever venue or person He decides to use) and He gives us the desires of our heart when we please Him. All of our help-comes from The Lord--who loves us and will not withhold any good thing from us. Praise Him for His Goodness and be grateful for His Love and Mercy! Praise Him for speaking to the hearts of people who are in a position to be the answer we need. Praise Him just because of who He is--our Help in all things!

Father, in the name of Jesus, help us to understand that You are not a man--that You change Your mind about anything You have said. You have promised to meet every need and all of Your promises are Yes and Amen. You have said in Your Word that if we seek the Kingdom of God (come to You) all the things we have need of would be ours. Give us wisdom to understand You clearly and determination to obey You in all things.

Created To Do Good!

"For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared for us in advance to do" (Ephesians 2:10 NIV).

Before we were formed in the wombs of our mothers, God had a plan for us and He prepared that plan specifically for each of us--in advance--of our acceptance of the work on the cross, inviting Christ into our hearts and in making Jesus Lord of our lives. 

We are created in the image of God who can only do good works and therefore, if we love Him, we can do the works He created us to do.  God cares and so should we--about the plight of the poor, the vulnerable, the sick, and peace in the nations.  Since we were created to do good works, what's stopping us?  Are too busy or too blind to see?  Are we too hard-hearted to care? Are we too insensitive to feel?  Are we limited by our own sense of insecurities and shortcomings?  If we take our focus off of us and what we want--we can see the needs of others, and know that we can do all things well through the strength we are given and can operate in by the Holy Spirit.

Lord, help us to see the needs of others and to do something about them when we see them.  Keep our focus on doing what You would do--loving all and helping where and when we can.  Help us to be the beacon of light that draws others to You so we can eradicate darkness and dark works that keep people in bondage.  In Jesus' name I pray, Amen!