"You have not, ...

because you ask Not!"  Thank you Jesus for telling us.  If you want anything from GOD, ask Him for it! He is your father, He wants to bless and protect you.  Jesus reminded us that were were wicked and if our children asked us for bread  we wouldn't give them a serpent or a stone.  He said even wicked parents give their children good gifts.

What are you lacking? What is it that you want? Ask GOD for it, tell Him what you want.  Asking is praying.  Go into your secret closet, pray and meditate.  Don't want something because the world tells you that is what you want.  The world will mix you up, have you following every fad and every narrow minded hater.

Find your purpose.  Explore your gifts.  Please let this mature woman save you a great deal of time.  Every one cooing in your ear does not love you.  "Look at their fruit!" Listen to their conversation.  If they are delighted in the downfall of one of your siblings.  Be real, what do you think they really think about you?

Understand the word Salvation.  It means that you have surrendered your life to Christ.  That you are trying your humanly best to live like Him, to love everyone like Him.  It means that you have been set apart.  You don't do the mean things you used to do.

I used to carry a .32 H/R every where I went in Atlanta.  I  had a beautiful little leather case for it.  It looked like a fashion accessory.  I said I carried it for my protection.  Which I did.  But, I also carried it to threaten and intimidate people.  I let every boy friend and finally that husband know that I would shoot them.

I look back over my early childhood and youth and know for a fact that I was very violent.  I took a personality test my senior year of college.  My professor told me that my "personality index" described me as hostile.  And I looked at that professor and snarled; "What the F***! you mean I'm Hostile!!!" (true story)

But, GOD has worked on me, taken and explained that hostility.  If you know and love the LORD you know that He is going to take care of you.  Have no doubt.  What ever your problems.  Let GOD work them out.  "Take your burdens to the LORD and leave them there."

Don't worry about the problems of this world.  Inflation, unemployment, the economy,  ... all distractions are from the devil, evil, what ever you want to call or label  negative forces.

Love the LORD! Love yourself. "Seek ye first the kingdom of GOD and everything else will be added unto you." That's Bible, that's the Holy WORD.  I didn't have to wait and read that in the Bible.  My granddaddy taught me that.

I look back over my sometimes very painful life and wonder aloud; "Where would I be without the LORD on my side?"  One of Martha's "girlfriends" ended up a "two dollar 'ho", working the truck stops for "crack". When Mathy told me she was very happy.  I could tell that she was delighted to see her friend in this condition. It struck me as strange and cruel.  Then I had to admit, the woman has always been strange and cruel.

She had a baby at 42 and I was 17.  She tried to blame it on me!  She told people that her son was her grandson!  What kind of idiot does such? I shook my head and went on to college.

You have all kinds of people on this earth.  Some are just ignorant.  They are poisonous, you can't help them. Stay away from them!  "Walk not in the counsel of the ungodly!" The ungodly are not going to tell you or announce to you that they are evil, demonic, an imp seeking your destruction.  If they tell you the truth you will shun them.  Then they will have to hunt for some other victims.

No, they are not going to change.   May I say it in my best British accent; "Not bloody likely!"

My FB friend posted 1 John 1:9 today.  That is some good scripture.  It is the WORD! "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

"If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His WORD is not in us." (1 John 1:10)

Confess your sins.  Admit that you were ignorant, wrong, devious, corrupt, had some issues.   We all have issues.  We have issues because we had pain that we tried to heal ourselves.  We tried to look out for or protect ourselves.  We didn't trust GOD.  We said;"GOD's too slow!"

I've learned that GOD is right on time.  Trust Him! "He will do just what He said!" Praise the LORD!

Stay in His WORD children.  Remember;"Apart from Christ we are nothing."

May GOD's Grace, Mercy and Truth, engulf you, cloak you and keep you in Perfect Peace,
Rachel Gwendolyn (the exceedingly proud granddaughter of a great Patriarch, JEROME WALTERS)