Vista Views

A Walk to Remember...

Poppy Palooza!

Happening upon a field...

 

 

John

Sardis

“This message is sent to you by the one who has the sevenfold Spirit^[f] of God and the seven stars.

“I know your reputation as a live and active church, but you are dead. ² Now wake up! Strengthen what little remains—for even what is left is at the point of death. Your deeds are far from right in the sight of God. ³ Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly and turn to me again. Unless you do, I will come suddenly upon you, unexpected as a thief, and punish you.

⁴ “Yet even there in Sardis some haven’t soiled their garments with the world’s filth; they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. ⁵ Everyone who conquers will be clothed in white, and I will not erase his name from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that he is mine.

⁶ “Let all who can hear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

What are the stars?  Are they angels?  More specifically they are the angels of the seven churches...  Is your church dead or alive?  Does it matter?  What if your life depended on it?  Then would it matter to you?  Unfortunately it matters a lot because if you don't know what this means then you are going to regret it for an eternity...  Or prove yourself in the tribulation to come...

Lysa Terkeurst

Good Boundaries and Goodbyes

This is a book that is on my "to read" list...  Because some people seriously lack boundaries to begin with...  And I am always looking for more information on boundaries so that I can become more adept in the application of...  so to speak...  

I feel that I actually have good boundaries but it is how to deal with the ones that don't that remains the challenge!?!

 

Roses Are Not Red

Nor Are They Blue

 

John

Thyatira

“This is a message from the Son of God, whose eyes penetrate like flames of fire, whose feet are like glowing brass.

¹⁹ “I am aware of all your good deeds—your kindness to the poor, your gifts and service to them; also I know your love and faith and patience, and I can see your constant improvement in all these things.

²⁰ “Yet I have this against you: You are permitting that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach my servants that sex sin is not a serious matter; she urges them to practice immorality and to eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols. ²¹ I gave her time to change her mind and attitude, but she refused. ²² Pay attention now to what I am saying: I will lay her upon a sickbed of intense affliction, along with all her immoral followers,^[e] unless they turn again to me, repenting of their sin with her; ²³ and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches shall know that I am he who searches deep within men’s hearts, and minds; I will give to each of you whatever you deserve.

^24-25 “As for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, really), I will ask nothing further of you; only hold tightly to what you have until I come.

²⁶ “To everyone who overcomes—who to the very end keeps on doing things that please me—I will give power over the nations. ²⁷ You will rule them with a rod of iron just as my Father gave me the authority to rule them; they will be shattered like a pot of clay that is broken into tiny pieces. ²⁸ And I will give you the Morning Star!

²⁹ “Let all who can hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.

Do you hear what I hear?  Do you understand what you're hearing?  Hearing needs to be followed by doing...  Note what it says on overcoming?  Are you an overcomer?  If you're not an overcomer, what exactly does it mean?  

John

Pergamos

“This message is from him who wields the sharp and double-bladed sword. ¹³ I am fully aware that you live in the city where Satan’s throne is, at the center of satanic worship; and yet you have remained loyal to me and refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you by Satan’s devotees.

¹⁴ “And yet I have a few things against you. You tolerate some among you who do as Balaam did when he taught Balak how to ruin the people of Israel by involving them in sexual sin and encouraging them to go to idol feasts. ¹⁵ Yes, you have some of these very same followers of Balaam^[d] among you!

¹⁶ “Change your mind and attitude, or else I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

¹⁷ “Let everyone who can hear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches: Everyone who is victorious shall eat of the hidden manna, the secret nourishment from heaven; and I will give to each a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one else knows except the one receiving it.

Sometimes we do something that pleases God and then again we do something that infuriates him...  Could you imagine living in the city where you know who resides?  Do you think it would be harder to live a life that is pleasing with the tempter in close confines?