Just Keep Knocking

I am reading in Acts 12:1-19, and it is long, so I will summarize some of it, and I will quote some of it. Herod was the king of that time period, and he stretched out his hand to mistreat some of the church (the people of faith in Jesus Christ). And he killed James, the brother of John, and he seized Peter, and he put him in prison. But the church was praying for Peter. And that night an angel of the Lord delivered Peter out of the prison and set him free.

 

Acts 12:12-17 NKJV

 

So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. 13And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. 15But they said to her, “You are beside yourself!” Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, “It is his angel.”

 

16Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Go, tell these things to James and to the brethren.” And he departed and went to another place.

 

In Prison to Sin

 

And that is an awesome account of God’s grace, is it not? But as I read this account from the Scriptures this morning, I could not help but see a parallel here over to the grace of God in delivering us out of our bondage to sin. For to be living in addiction to sin is to be in prison to sin with no way out that we can create on our own, in our own flesh. And the “king” who put many people there is their own selfish will, and their unwillingness to be set free. Pride and self-glory and stubborn rebellion will keep many in prison to sin.

 

But the church was praying for his deliverance. And the church should indeed be praying for the deliverance of all people who are living in bondage (slavery, addiction) to sin. But sadly, in our day and time, at least here in the USA, much of what is called “church” is actually placating people in their sin who profess faith in the Lord, keeping them still bound in sin but convinced that all their sins are forgiven and that heaven is their eternal destiny. So, in a way, “the church” serves as the jailers which keep people in prison to sin.

 

Set Free From Prison

 

But, praise be to God, Jesus Christ was put to death on a cross to put our sins to death with him, and he rose victorious over death, sin, Satan, and hell, on our behalf, that we might now die with him to sin and live for him and in his righteousness in walks of surrender to our Lord in obedience to his commands. For Jesus taught that if anyone would come after him that he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and self) and follow (obey) him wherever he leads us in doing all that he commands us to do.

 

Don’t Give Up!

 

And many of those who have truly been set free from their imprisonment to sin are knocking on the door of “the church,” and they are requesting to be let inside so that they can share with them the message of the gospel of our salvation from sin. But so much of what is called “church” here in America is not listening to the one knocking, and is not believing them, and so is not letting them inside. And sadly, if the Lord chooses a woman to be his messenger, she is often treated as though what she says is worthless.

 

But if we do not give up, and if we keep knocking on the hearts of the people of this world, including on the hearts of many who profess Jesus as Lord, but who are still living in prison (bondage, slavery, addiction) to sin, perhaps some of them will let us inside (not inside buildings, but inside their lives). And they will listen to us share with them how Jesus sets us free from our prisons. And they will, in turn, repent of (turn away from) their sins and they will now serve the Lord Jesus with their lives in surrender to his will.

 

And then we should encourage them to go and to share the good news of our salvation, that we can, by the grace of God, in the power of God, and by biblical faith in Jesus Christ, be crucified with Christ in death to sin, and be raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but now as servants of righteousness in walks of obedience to our Lord in doing all that he commands us and he leads us to do, for his purposes, and for his glory, and for the salvation of human souls from hell.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

There’s a New Song in My Heart 

 

By John W. Peterson

 

Once my life was filled with discord, sadness reigned within,

For my heart was heavy laden with a weight of sin.

 

What a wondrous transformation in my life was wrought

When I trusted Christ as Savior and His pardon sought.

 

Someday, I will go to heaven where the angels sing,

And I’ll join their happy chorus, praising Christ the King.

 

I shall never cease in praising Jesus Christ my Lord

For the wonderful salvation that He did accord.

 

There’s a new song in my heart

Since the Savior set me free;

There’s a new song in my heart,

‘tis a heavenly harmony!

All my sins are washed away

by the blood of Calvary;

O what peace and joy nothing can destroy:

There’s a new song in my heart!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8OmrDyXeK4

 

Caution: This link may contain ads

 

Just Keep Knocking

An Original Work / May 28, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

But God Has Shown Me

The passage of Scripture is from Acts 10:1-48 and Acts 11:1-18, which is all one story, so I am going to summarize much of this and I will quote sections of it, so I would encourage you to read the whole passage of Scripture.

There was a man named Cornelius, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who prayed to God always. And one day he had a vision of an angel of God calling his name. And he said for him to send for Simon Peter, so that is what he did. And the next day Peter had a vision where he was told to eat that which had been forbidden under the Old Covenant law. So, he said, “Not so, Lord!” But the voice spoke, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” And this was done three times.

While Peter thought about the vision the men sent from Cornelius showed up at Peter’s house. And the next day Peter went away with them to see Cornelius. And many people had gathered there to hear Peter. 

Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. 29Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?” (Acts 10:28-29 NKJV)

Then Cornelius told Peter his story. And then he said, 33“Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God.” 34Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. 35But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. (Acts 10:33-35 NKJV) 

Speaking of Jesus Christ, Peter said, “Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, 41not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. 43To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.” 

44While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 45And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.

Then Peter answered, 47“Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days. (Acts 10:40-48 NKJV)

The Lesson For Us

God can and will speak to us through visions and dreams and parables to lead us in the way that he would have us to go if we will be willing to let him do that. For, even though the Scriptures do teach us the ways of the Lord, and they give us his commands in the “do’s and do nots,” the Scriptures do not lead us all in very specific ways the Lord has for us individually in letting us know where to go and what to do and what to say. And this is one reason we are given the Holy Spirit within us to counsel us in the ways we’re to go.

For God has gifted us with spiritual gifts, who believe in Jesus, and he has given us our “body part” assignments within the body of Christ, and he has very specific callings upon our lives individually. And he has specific tasks he wants us to do each day which we may not know what it is until that day comes. And so he has to have a way to communicate those things to us. And so sometimes he will use dreams and visions and parables as a means to get across to us his very specific assignments he has for us, one day at a time.

Now, when I was young, and I would say, “God showed me,” I was scolded by my pastor and told I should say rather, “I think,” as though it was just my opinion. But that wasn’t true that it was just my opinion, for the Lord did speak to me in ways that were specific to my life as I studied the Scriptures and as I was being led by the Holy Spirit living within me. And that is how I knew what I was to do and where I was to go that was very specific just to me and not general instructions given to all followers of Jesus Christ.

But what if Cornelius and Peter had ignored their visions from God? What if they refused because someone told them that God doesn’t speak to us that way, although he certainly did speak that way to people in the Bible? The people who were saved may have been saved anyway, but they would have missed out on that blessing from God and how God wanted to use them. And then God couldn’t use them in the ways that he did because their ears and hearts would be closed to allowing the Lord to lead them in that way.

But because they both heard from the Lord, and they listened, and they did as they were instructed, many people who did not know Jesus previously believed in the Lord and received the Holy Spirit. And from that the gospel of our salvation was spread to the Gentiles, which had been prophesied in the Scriptures a long time ago. And because I obeyed the Lord’s calling on my life, the message of the gospel is going to people all over the world via the internet. And people are hearing the truth of the gospel. All glory to God!

So don’t shut out the Lord’s voice speaking to you through dreams, visions, or parables in order to show you specifically what he has for you to do. Test what you are seeing or hearing against the truth of the Scriptures, and in prayer, to make certain that what you are hearing or seeing is from God, and that it aligns with the Scriptures, but then follow the leading of the Holy Spirit within you. Go where he sends you, and say to the people all that he gives you to say, and do not put out the Spirit’s fire because men say to.

[Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 28:18-20; John 4:31-38; John 13:13-17; John 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18,42-47; Acts 26:18; Romans 10:14-15; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:11-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20; 1 Peter 2:9,21; 1 John 2:6]

There’s a Stirring

By Annie Herring

There's a stirring deep within me

Could it be my time has come

When I'll see my gracious savior face to face when all is done

Is that his voice I am hearing?

'Come away, my precious one'

Is he calling me?

Is he calling me?

I will rise up, I’ll rise up

And I’ll bow down 

And lay my crown

At His wounded feet

There's a stirring deep within me

But God Has Shown Me

An Original Work / May 28, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

A Chosen Vessel of Christ's

The apostle Paul, formerly called Saul, had been a persecutor of Christ’s followers until Jesus, in the spirit, appeared to him on the road to Damascus, and he called Saul (Paul) to his service. Then the Lord spoke to one of the Lord’s disciples named Ananias, and he called him to lay hands on Saul so that he would receive his sight, but Ananias was hesitant because of Saul’s reputation as a persecutor of Christ’s followers who were of “The Way.”

 

Acts 9:15-16,19-20,22-27 NKJV

 

15But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 16For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” “19… Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus. 20Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.” “22But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

 

23Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him. 24But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him. 25Then the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a large basket. 26 And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. 27But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles…”

 

A Chosen Vessel

 

In actuality, all of us who are of true faith in Jesus Christ are God’s/Christ’s chosen vessels. All of us have been called to be servants of the Lord in taking the message of the gospel of Christ to the people of the world. All of us are to proclaim the excellencies of God who called us out of darkness (sin) into his wonderful light (truth, righteousness, obedience to God). We are all to be his witnesses throughout the world in making disciples of Christ of people of all nations, teaching them to obey our Lord’s commands.

 

[Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 9:23-26; John 4:31-38; John 10:27-30; John 13:13-17; John 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 26:18; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 10:14-15; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-14; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Peter 2:9,21,24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

 

Some of us the Lord calls to do this full-time, as our full-time assignment from God, pay or no pay (financially). And others are not called to do this full-time because they have other jobs (so as to pay their bills), and they have families to care for and houses to take care of. But that doesn’t mean they are not called of God, i.e. that they are not also chosen vessels of the Lord to bear his name and his gospel message before the people of the world. And this doesn’t have to all be on the clock, for God gives us divine appointments, sometimes when we least expect it, so we need to be on call.

 

How Much You Must Suffer

 

But along with being called of God to be his messengers (vessels) in taking the truth of the gospel of Christ to the people of the world, we will be opposed, criticized, ridiculed, mocked, rejected, scorned, rebuked, cast aside as unwanted, and ignored. And there will be people who will oppose us fiercely, and some who may even want us dead. And we will have other “Christians” who will pull away from us because they will think we are just weird because we no longer blend in with the people of the world.

 

Yet, when Jesus called Saul (Paul) to his service, as his chosen vessel to take the message of the gospel to the Jews and to the Gentiles, the Lord told Ananias that he would show Saul (Paul) how much he must suffer for the sake of the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And when we read the Scriptures today about what God requires of us who bear his name, he also lets us know that being Christ’s followers means that we will suffer for the sake of the name of Jesus and for his gospel. But don’t let that dishearten you. Keep pressing forward and keep sharing the truth that Jesus taught.

 

The Gospel Message

 

For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

 

And Paul taught that by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23; and Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-10).

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

There’s a Stirring

 

By Annie Herring

 

There's a stirring deep within me
Could it be my time has come
When I'll see my gracious savior face to face when all is done
Is that his voice I am hearing?
'Come away, my precious one'
Is he calling me?

Is he calling me?

I will rise up, I’ll rise up
And I’ll bow down
And lay my crown
At His wounded feet

There's a stirring deep within me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yocTjkB6hV8

 

A Chosen Vessel of Christ’s

An Original Work / May 27, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Our God of Second Chances

Corrected by The Lord

 

Acts 9:1-6 NKJV

 

1Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

 

3As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” 6So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

 

Saul, who later became the apostle Paul, was then a persecutor of the church, the body of Christ who believed in Jesus Christ as their Messiah and Lord, a faith in Jesus Christ which was then called “The Way.” But God had a different plan for the life of Saul/Paul. He planned that Saul/Paul would no longer be a persecutor of Christ’s followers, but that he would become a follower of Christ himself, a servant of the Lord, and a minister of the gospel of Christ to the people of the world. And that he did faithfully to the death.

 

So, Jesus Christ, in the spirit, visited Saul who was on his way to persecute, and perhaps also to put to death, even more followers of “The Way.” And this is interesting how Jesus approached him. He said to Saul, “Why are you persecuting me?” So why did he say that when it was the followers of Christ he was persecuting? Because, as followers of Christ, we are part of his body, and therefore how others treat us who are truly his followers, they are treating Christ in the same way. And that is an important thing to realize.

 

For if anyone who claims faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and/or including the Lord Jesus, is mistreating a genuine follower (disciple) of Jesus Christ who is speaking truth to the people, that person is also mistreating the Lord Jesus. For to “kick against the goads” is to fight against the will of God, against the leading and direction of God in the lives of those who profess his name, but out of a desire to go it their own way. And so sometimes the Lord has to discipline his people to get them back on track.

 

But Saul responded to the Lord’s correction and discipline with the right heart, mind, and attitude. Instead of resisting the Lord out of a stubborn heart, mind, and self-will, Saul submitted to Christ and to his will. And he said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” And this is the kind of response and attitude that all of us should have when we are corrected by the Lord if we are, perhaps, going the wrong direction. I was there once, and the Lord corrected me, and he brought me back, and he showed me, too, what to do.

 

Called of God to Ministry

 

Acts 26:14-18 NKJV

 

And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 16But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. 17I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, 18to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’

 

Here Paul shared his testimony of his conversion with his opposition. And here we read what Jesus assigned Paul to do. He was to be a minister and a witness of the things which he had seen from Christ and the things which Jesus would yet reveal to him by the Spirit. And the Lord would deliver him from those who would come against him and who would certainly persecute him for his faith in the Lord Jesus, just as he had done to others. And he was in the middle of one of those situations when he shared this testimony.

 

But he was to go to the Jews and to the Gentiles, many of whom would persecute him, and he was to “open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in” Christ. And this is the essence of the gospel message that, by faith in Jesus Christ, we will now turn away from our sins, and that we will now walk in faithfulness to our Lord and to his commandments.

 

And this is the call of God on the lives of all who profess faith in Jesus Christ, first that we will be those who repent (turn from) our sins and now obey our Lord’s commands, in practice, in the power of God. And then that we would share that message of the gospel with the people of the world as often as possible, wherever possible, and especially on the internet which is presently still open to most of us to share the truth of the gospel with the people of the world. But it won’t be long before that all is going to change.

 

But if you are someone who professes faith in Jesus Christ, but who is still living to please the flesh, and not God, don’t think that there is no hope for you or that God could never use you after you did “such and such.” We serve a forgiving God and a God of second chances. But we must turn from our sins, and we must now obey our Lord, in practice, and make him truly Lord of our lives. For this is not something we can do in the flesh, but only in the power of God as our lives are surrendered to him and to his service.

 

[Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 28:18-20; John 4:31-38; John 13:13-17; John 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18,42-47; Acts 26:18; Romans 10:14-15; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:11-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20; 1 Peter 2:9,21; 1 John 2:6]

 

Servant of the Lord

 

Based off Romans 1:1-17

An Original Work / July 26, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Servant of the Lord;

For the gospel you’re set apart.

Promised through the prophets of old:

Jesus, Son of God.

Through Him, and for His name alone,

We receive His grace

To call people, Him to obey;

Coming from their faith.

Servant of the Lord,

For the gospel you’re set apart.

Promised through the prophets of old:

Jesus, Son of God.

 

You belong to Christ;

Loved by God, and called to be saints;

Serving God with whole heart and mind;

Preaching Jesus Christ;

Always praying for others’ needs;

Helping hand to lend;

Giving courage to others’ faith,

For the praise of God.

You belong to Christ;

Loved by God, and called to be saints;

Serving God with whole heart and mind;

Preaching Jesus Christ.

 

Servant of the Lord;

Of the gospel, I’m not ashamed;

For salvation, power of God

To those who have faith.

In the gospel find righteousness:

Being right with God.

Turn from sin, and trust Jesus Christ.

By faith, live in Him.

Servant of the Lord;

Of the gospel, I’m not ashamed;

For salvation, power of God

To those who have faith.

 

https://vimeo.com/119511640

 

Our God of Second Chances

An Original Work / May 27, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

King James Only

This is something I run across frequently.

FYI: To all who are on here who are “King James Bible” only people: The Scriptures did not originate with King James, who commissioned the translation to take place, and who, from what I have read, was not a man of God. The King James Bible was a translation mostly based off earlier translations. It is not the original inspired word of God. The original manuscripts, from what I understand, no longer exist. So what we have are copies of copies and multiple layers of translations by human beings who are not infallible. 

Therefore, the King James Bible is not the “only” acceptable English translation of the holy Scriptures. And it is not written in American English of the 21st century. So for me, for instance, who grew up reading that translation, but who started college reading on a 4th grade level, I do not understand the King James Bible. I need something written in my language that I can understand. There are other good translations out there, as well as some that are bad.  We should test them all under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

So don’t judge other Christians by whether or not they read the King James Bible only. Judge them based upon what they are teaching and how they are living and whether or not they are true servants of the Lord Jesus doing his work. That is true to Scripture. Thank you.

P.S. I just recently started using the New King James Bible translation because it is written in the language that I speak, which is 21st century American English. I like it so far, but I test it to make sure it is on point. I do pray earnestly that what I share here will always be the truth of God's word if what I am sharing is the Scriptures. I take the Word of God very seriously. And I pray for the Lord to lead me in what to write, and this is the first thing he put on my heart this morning to share with all of you.

Divine Appointments

An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, leading him to go down a particular road. And there he saw a man from Ethiopia sitting in his chariot, reading Isaiah the prophet. And the Holy Spirit told Philip to go near to his chariot.

 

Acts 8:30-38 NKJV

 

So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. 32The place in the Scripture which he read was this:

 

“He was led as a sheep to the slaughter;

And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,

So He opened not His mouth.

33In His humiliation His justice was taken away,

And who will declare His generation?

For His life is taken from the earth.”

 

34So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” 35Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. 36Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” 37Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” 38So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.

 

The same Lord as who spoke to Philip, first through an angel, and then through the Holy Spirit, is God – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit – the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And he is still in the business of speaking to his people via angels, the Holy Spirit, dreams or visions, revelations (prophesies), and the written word of God. The Spirit still speaks truth to our hearts within us, and he leads us and guides us in the ways of the Lord in doing the will of God for our lives. We just need to listen.

 

But so many people today have been scared off from hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit within them showing them the way the Lord would have them to go, not just generally, but more specifically in individual situations. And partially this is due to the vast amount of misuse and abuse of the Spirit by people who are going by their emotions rather than by walks of faith and obedience to our Lord and to his commands. For so many are fakes and phonies who claim being led by the Spirit when it is the flesh leading.

 

But just because some people abuse the Spirit and present what is fake, rather than what is genuine, it should not deter us from hearing the Spirit’s voice speaking truth to our hearts and leading us where the Lord would have us to go in doing what our Lord commands that we should do. But we do need to be discerning. And we need to be those who test the spirits to see which ones are of God. And we should test to see if what we are hearing is in line with the teachings of the Scriptures and not against God’s Word.

 

And then we should follow the Spirit’s voice within us leading us in the direction he would have us to go. Yes, the written word does teach us the ways of the Lord and the ways of righteousness and holy living, and it warns us against sin and what is false and not of God. But the Holy Spirit gives us very specific directions in what to write, and who to see or who to call or text or email in very specific situations, so we need to hear his voice and heed his callings upon our life to go where he sends us and to do his will.

 

For, what if Philip had ignored the angel and the Holy Spirit in where they were leading him because what they were telling him to do was not in the written word of God? The same with Paul and Peter and the other apostles. They were led by the Spirit in who to talk to or to go see or who to not see. And because they obeyed and went and spoke God’s words to the people, many people believed in Jesus Christ, died to sin, and were reborn of the Spirit of God to walk in obedience to our Lord in fellowship with him.

 

So, we, as well, need to be in tune to the Spirit’s voice so that we don’t miss the opportunities given us by God to share his gospel with the people of the world. I mean, I would not be here on the internet writing what the Lord leads me to write each day if I did not listen to the Holy Spirit’s voice speaking to me leading me here and where to post and what to write. But we always need to test the voices in our heads against the character of God and his teachings, because the devil imitates the voice of God, too.

 

[Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 28:18-20; John 4:31-38; John 13:13-17; John 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18,42-47; Acts 26:18; Romans 10:14-15; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:11-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20; 1 Peter 2:9,21; 1 John 2:6]

 

The Spirit Calling

 

An Original Work / November 12, 2019

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Hear the Spirit calling.

He’ll keep you from falling.

Tenderly He’s calling,

“Come and follow Him.”

 

Walk with Jesus daily.

Don’t give in to lazy.

Folks may call you crazy.

Fellowship with Him.

 

Follow where He leads you.

Eat what Jesus feeds you.

His love will renew you

If you follow Him.

 

Do what Jesus tells you.

Don’t let your faith fail you.

His love will avail you

If you walk with Him.

 

Jesus, Lord and Savior,

Reigneth now forever.

He gave us His favor

So we’d live with Him.

 

Turning now from our sin,

Holy Spirit live-in.

Holiness we walk in,

Purified by Him.

 

https://vimeo.com/373006449

 

Divine Appointments

An Original Work / May 26, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Being Right With God

Receiving the Holy Spirit

 

Before Jesus’ death and resurrection and his ascension back to heaven to be with God the Father, he promised his followers that after he ascended back to the Father that he would send them the Holy Spirit who would be in them and who would teach them all things pertaining to Christ. He would be their comforter, encourager, teacher, counselor, and guide, and he would speak to them the words of God, and he would empower them to live for the Lord and to walk in his ways and to be his witnesses, and to be Christ in them.

 

So, the apostles, if they heard that there were those who were of faith in Jesus Christ, they would go to them and pray for them and/or lay hands on them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. But since that time, we receive the Holy Spirit at the moment we believe in Jesus and we die with him to sin and we choose to follow him in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living, by the grace of God. For, if we do not have the Spirit of Christ dwelling within us, we do not belong to Christ (Romans 8:9).

 

[John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:13; Acts 1:8; Acts 10:44-45; Romans 8:9-14; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Ephesians 1:13-14; Titus 3:4-7; 2 Timothy 1:12-14]

 

A Heart Not Right With God

 

Now there was a man named Simon who was a sorcerer who believed in Jesus Christ. And he was amazed at the miracles and signs being done.

 

Acts 8:18-24 NKJV

 

And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, 19saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

 

20But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! 21You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. 22Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. 23For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”

 

24Then Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.”

 

There are many people who profess faith in Jesus Christ, who want all the benefits that come along with such faith, but their hearts are not in the right place, i.e. they are not right in the sight of God. Their motivations are not godly, not morally pure, and not upright in the eyes of the Lord. For their minds are still set on the things of the flesh, and what are not of God. They are still looking for what’s in it for them, but not with the heart attitude of service to the Lord in putting sin to death and in obeying our Lord.

 

For their desires are selfish and self-centered, and not godly. Although they profess faith in Jesus Christ, and they may even go through some of the motions of religious practice, perhaps to impress others, and/or to cover up what they are really like, and what they are really doing behind closed doors when no one else is looking, still their hearts are not given over to the Lord to his service to live holy lives, pleasing to God. For their “faith” is all in performance only, but not in actual practice in the power of God.

 

So God is saying to them that they need to repent, to turn from their sins to now follow Jesus in walks of obedience to his commands. For to repent is to have a change of heart and mind resulting in a change of behavior. It is not just saying we are sorry that we sinned, but it is turning around and now going the opposite direction of what we had been going. We were walking in sin and living according to the flesh, but now we are walking in righteousness in obedience to our Lord’s commands, because we love God.

 

And many who hold on to their sins, even though they profess faith in the Lord Jesus, do so because they have hearts which are filled with all sorts of bitterness, anger, hatred, unforgiveness, pride, self-importance, and sinful addiction. So they are not willing to relinquish control of their lives over to God, for they want to still be the ones in control. For what they truly worship is not God but the idol of self and selfishness and self-indulgence. So they hold on to what is in their hearts, which comes out in their behaviors.

 

And yet they may ask others to pray for them, and they may even be somewhat honest about what they are doing, or had been doing, and yet still not relinquish control of their lives over to God. For they want to give the impression that they are going in a forward direction but while they still linger in living according to self. So they are the ones still trying to figure it out but while they ignore what God already said about what they are doing and what the solution is if ever they are to be free from bondage to sin.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

Servant of the Lord

 

Based off Romans 1:1-17

An Original Work / July 26, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Servant of the Lord;

For the gospel you’re set apart.

Promised through the prophets of old:

Jesus, Son of God.

Through Him, and for His name alone,

We receive His grace

To call people, Him to obey;

Coming from their faith.

Servant of the Lord,

For the gospel you’re set apart.

Promised through the prophets of old:

Jesus, Son of God.

 

You belong to Christ;

Loved by God, and called to be saints;

Serving God with whole heart and mind;

Preaching Jesus Christ;

Always praying for others’ needs;

Helping hand to lend;

Giving courage to others’ faith,

For the praise of God.

You belong to Christ;

Loved by God, and called to be saints;

Serving God with whole heart and mind;

Preaching Jesus Christ.

 

Servant of the Lord;

Of the gospel, I’m not ashamed;

For salvation, power of God

To those who have faith.

In the gospel find righteousness:

Being right with God.

Turn from sin, and trust Jesus Christ.

By faith, live in Him.

Servant of the Lord;

Of the gospel, I’m not ashamed;

For salvation, power of God

To those who have faith.

 

https://vimeo.com/119511640

 

Being Right With God

An Original Work / May 26, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love