Do you believe?
It’s all in there, all the answers are in the Bible. We were once blind and now we see. I am so grateful for each and every step I took in my life, because had it not been for my taking the “scenic route” if you will, I would not have this grateful heart that I have today…..From the day I got saved over 20 years ago I was told to “Just Believe” and I did. My Mom told me “Florence your faith is stronger than your will” I was sober 3 months when she told me this. I am now, by the grace of God sober coming up on 21 years sober come this January 14, 2020. So when you come from where I came from you can’t help but be grateful, grateful for the journey, grateful God never giving up on me and grateful for the beauty of the freedom or our Risen Lord!! I share this to let you know, you are not alone. If God can use me, He can and He will use you to serve Him. I am living proof!!
The Bible should have “caution” tape around it because like it or not, and the world today does not, the Bible has transforming powers. All your stories that you share with us in your profiles, we here at CLI see proof of God’s amazing love and Jesus’ transformation/restoration powers. Jesus gave up His glory so we can have our story. My story is not about me, it’s a story about the unshakeable love that Jesus has for me and for you.
Once one gets a taste of God’s goodness, they will run to the Bible run to it like a man in the desert looking for a cold drink of water. I personally ran out of the grave like a gal with her head on fire looking for a lake to jump into. Jesus meets us where we are, and He helps us. Please journey with me through these amazing scriptures that were shared with me by all of you. The ones that impacted you when you were saved.
I learned early on Ephesians 2:8
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God
Quickly after Joel 2:25
25 I will restore[a] to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.
I kept repeating these in my mind riveted them in my heart.
We all know these following scriptures, we just believe….:-)
God has been speaking to His children since the beginning of time
Genesis 48:14-22
14 And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn). 15 And he blessed Joseph and said,
“The God before whom my father’s Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,16 the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys;
and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac and let them grow into a multitude[a] in the midst of the earth.”
17 When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.” 19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude[b] of nations.” 20 So he blessed them that day, saying,
“By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying, God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.’”
Thus, he put Ephraim before Manasseh. 21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. 22 Moreover, I have given to you rather than to your brothers one mountain slope[c] that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”
He never leaves us and is always around us, we can’t wrap our heads around this because of our limited minds.
Do you believe?
Psalm 40:5
5 You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told. King David is saying God your good deeds are so many I could never tell all of them. This is so powerful!!
Anyone with Children know Proverbs 22:6
6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it. But how wonderful is it to know that even when we are not “trained up as a child” and we come to know the Lord later in life, it’s wonderful to know that He is faithful regardless of when we come to Him. Everyone’s journey, everyone’s “come to Christ” moment is different but in all the same way they are personal to God and He loves you right where you are, no matter how you got here.
Jeremiah 17:9
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
The important thing is we come, and as Jeremiah says:
Jeremiah 33:3
3 Call to me and I will answer you and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. You just have to believe….
King David’s life was far from perfect and God refers to David as a man after His heart; he will do everything I want him to do. (Acts 13:22)
Are you all in? are you doing everything He wants you to do, not perfectly, but by willing to lay down your life and know that when we “mess up” like King David, God is there for us. It’s better to try and fail, then never to try at all. David failed many times, but his heart was for God. We are not perfect, and God knows this, so that in it of itself brings much comfort to our hearts.
Jeremiah 31:13
13 Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.
While God is God, full of mercies He is Holy and cannot and will not tolerate sin but again we find peace in knowing this because we have this scripture.
Proverbs 28:13
13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
Glory to God!! He is so loving, and we are a blessed people.
David was in constant contact with our heavenly Father, even when he messed up and know that David was so much in communion with God that when he messed up he could go to God, have full conversation with God and he would be lifted and comforted.
Psalm 118:24
24 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it
He would rejoice in God always, good or bad.
Isaiah was full of prophecies in the old testament and they were for filled in the New Testament.
Do you believe?
Psalm 46:10
10 “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
Isaiah 1:18
18 “Come now, let us reason[a] together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
We are so blessed because unlike old Testament days we have all 66 books of the Bible we have Old testament pointing to New Testament and New confirming Old testament. I feel that blessed were people of the Old Testament days that worshipped God because they had to have an extreme amount of faith. Yes, they have the miracles they experienced but we have Jesus! We need to rivet this in our hearts and “know” as John writes 1 John 1:4 “And these things we write that your joy may be full”
I like to think of Psalm 91 as my 911 my go-to scripture for help, my distress call, King David yet again lifts us up here in Psalm 91 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say[a] to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.
Then silence, God was silent for 400 years. Could you imagine what it must have been like? People would be like God ahhhh hello God are you there? Oh, He was there alright, closer than anyone ever could imagine.
He had a plan, He always had a plan and God only needs plan A, no plan B needed because His ways are perfect, and His ways are good.
And who does God use to bring the most beautiful event to ever take place in human history?? A girl, that’s right God uses a female. So, ladies may I tell you, He has a plan for you no one is considered not worthy in God’s eyes. His love and callings are not gender-specific. And if any ladies are reading this and you haven’t gone through our Deacon Ordination Class, I encourage you to jump in with both feet and experience this class. It is life-changing!! So God uses Mary
And John 3:16 happens!! Hallelujah!!
16 “For God so loved the world,[a] that he gave his only Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Do you believe?
And then John 3:26
26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.”
And then the Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and Saul becomes Paul!!
So, the silent 400 years become not so silent as we have Acts 5:39. So much going on in Acts!! Do you realize we will meet all these people when we arrive home?!? It’s going to be epic!!
We are told in Matthew 19:26
26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
We are told in Philippians 4:13
13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Do you believe?
We are told in Romans 3:19-26
19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being[a] will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes a knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Paul tells us By Grace Through Faith Ephesians 2:1-3
2:1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body[a] and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.[b]
In Luke, we read Luke 22:32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
We are always to encourage one another. This pleases the Father. No parent likes when their kids are fighting or in disagreement, no, we like when they are peaceful with one another. It’s the same way with us and God, we are all in the same family. There will be no one wearing Crowns in Heaven that didn’t carry their cross here on earth, Jesus said “if anyone would come after me. Let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me Matthew 16:24
John 1:12-13
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
Paul writes
Philippians 4:13
13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Do you believe? As I am preparing this, I know you do because these are all scriptures you all have given me to compose this. I am so blown away by how powerful God’s living breathing word is, but the funny thing is God’s not, He is not surprised by any of this, because He is God!! We were created by Him for Him!!!
2 Timothy 2:19
19 But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”
We are set apart!!
Luke 1:37
37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”
Do you believe?
Acts 8:36-37
36 And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized? 37 And Philip said, if though believe with all thine heart, he answered I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
2 Corinthians 5:17
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.[a] The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Paul goes on to tell us 2 Corinthians 12:9
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
John tells us John 15:13
13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
There is no love on this earth we as humans will ever experience from another human, ever, this side of Heaven than the Love Jesus showed us by going to that cross. He died for you and for me, knowing full well we may never love Him, but He did it as it was the Father’s will that no one should perish.
In Mark, we read Mark 16:15-18
15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name, they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
We read in Revelation 20:12-15
12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
We are a blessed people to have God’s word to apply to our lives. These are just a few scriptures that were selected personally by our CLI students. This blessed me so much composing this as when I dive into God’s word my spirit comes alive. I hope this blesses you and brings you comfort and peace knowing full well that Jesus is, and was and is to come. We have an eternal destination in the Heavenly’s with God and this is all possible through the birth of one child, that came to us through a virgin woman, over 2000 years ago and God said “whosoever” believes…….
Do you believe?
Just believe!!!
Composed by:
Florence Fritz
CLI Student Relations Coordinator
CLA Global Volunteer Coordinator
12/25/2019
Ordination for Ministers
Hello. My name is Elizabeth Goodspeed, and here is my journey toward ordination for ministers. I currently reside in Missouri. I was born into a military family that traveled all over the world. By the time I was 13 years old, I had circumnavigated the globe by many planes and qualified pilots.
Early Church Life
Always challenged by each new duty station we moved to, Christ and God were my steady rock. As a family, we attended chapel services every Sunday. In our ecumenical services, we sang the hymns of generations past and honored the Christian traditions in the armed forces. At home, we prayed before our meals and prayed when we were in some crisis, whether emotional or physical. When challenges came before us, we went to the Bible to gain strength and resolution. When we lived in Jakarta, Indonesia, and our church was threatened with an attack by the local community, my father held a family service in our living room.
The problem was that the church for my family was a social norm and requirement. It was not a heartfelt desire of the soul to have an authentic relationship with God. On Sunday, we put on our Sunday best, and by Monday, we were deep into the trenches of society life. The Bible was a reference book that sat on the bookshelf until needed. Though I was well versed in Biblical stories and hymns, I lacked a personal connection to our Lord.
Near-Death Experience
As a young teenager, I had a near-death experience at an unfortunate swimming event. After begging God to remove the pain of drowning, I found myself in complete and utter darkness. It was terrifying. I cried out to God, and in return, God responded with a pinprick of light. That pinprick of light shattered the darkness.
Unfortunately, I found myself unable to move toward the light. I tried everything, reciting the Lord’s prayer, specific scriptures, and Psalms without any progress. When I became exhausted, I cried out to Jesus from my heart, and I moved toward the light. The light is magnificent. I knew as I traveled that God was God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The glory of the light made me praise God. I had to glorify the Lord along with the angels as I traveled in the light. As I glorified God, I went to a room where I learned I had to return to Earth since I had more work to complete.
God’s Call
After graduating from high school, I attended the University of Connecticut for my bachelor’s degree. With pressure from my family, I choose a field of study that was their expectation rather than mine. Just before graduating, I found myself sitting in the pews of the church on campus, asking God for direction. I heard God say, “I want you to teach.” I argued with God that teaching was discouraged by my family since the pay was inadequate, and the hours were long. And, what would I teach anyway? God said, “Look up.” As I looked up, I saw the minister walking toward me. I heard God say that is what I want you to teach. My response to God was a laugh like Sarah in the Bible, “Ha! I am a woman; I cannot teach the Bible.”
Dismissing God’s instruction, I went into the retail world and found myself completely miserable. With the intervention of one of God’s angels (a story for another time), I found myself going back to school for a second degree and a teaching certificate. Still, I heard God saying I want you to teach the Bible.
Journey to Ordination for Ministers
While teaching, I met and married my husband. With almost 30 years of committed life together, we have learned a lot about ourselves. God blessed us with two beautiful daughters. As I raised my girls, I determined not to raise them as only “Sunday service” Christians. I wanted them to have a fuller Christian life. We went to services on Wednesday and Sunday. I read the Bible to them, and they read the Bible to me. We were a family that volunteered in the church for the mission of the church. At every opportunity, I reminded my family that I KNOW the God of the Bible is real and that Jesus is the truth, the light, and the way.
By the time my daughters were in middle school, I was working in higher education. I taught the Bible through personal testimony and Sunday School. With much soul searching, I knew that God wanted me to be more than a Sunday School teacher. Because of my near-death experience, I felt the stirring to lead His church, not just teach in His church.
CLI Training toward Ordination for Ministers
A couple of years back, I enrolled in seminary only to find the cost was incredibly prohibiting. With the accumulating cost of my two daughters’ college education, my seminary tuition became utterly unaffordable. One day, I prayed to God, “Please, find me free tuition to do the job you have asked me to do.” In my determination, I went to the internet and found the Christian Leaders Institute. I cried when I realized this was an authentic program to raise up leaders in God’s church that was free for the asking. God provided. God answered my prayer.
Now it is my responsibility to do the work that is needed to teach and preach the wonderful saving grace of Jesus Christ. God’s Word is truth, and I tell that to anyone that will listen. I give my near-death testimony to military chaplains and ministers who may question specific truths or Biblical passages. Not that I know the answers, but that my near-death experience was authentic. In my community, when I encounter those of other faiths, I give my near-death testimony to touch them in love with the truth of Jesus Christ.
Ordination for Ministers
My academic goals with Christian Leaders Institute include Licensed Christian Wedding Officiant, Ordained Deacon, and Chaplain Minister. For the military community, I currently serve, the ordination for ministers’ credentials with Christian Leaders Alliance will be recognized and used for my ministry service. Also, I am currently working on a book describing my near-death experience.
Acts 20:24 (NIV) “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”
