the work of the Holy Spirit.....

Over these last 3 years , I am learning about Someone and appreciate His work in a way that is furthering and deepening on a daily basis a fellowship that I can not live without! The Holy Spirit. The only way one can explain "how" you walk through a valley as we have, is in and through the mysterious work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said "it is expedient that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you." No man, not even my family, my dear husband has been able to relieve my heart of this misery of grieving. It has only been through the Words of the scriptures and the Holy Spirit's Name of Comforter, His work, that I can learn to live with the death of our little Joel. I have had many tell me or write and say "I do not think I could do that, go through that." I would have said the same thing prior to all of this. Its horrible and dark!!! But what happens when us pilgrims pass through these treacherous waters, we learn and grow and I have come to know more of this great Person the Holy Spirit. He gives a peace that is is beyond understanding or comprehension. It has to be Him because we as humans can not fathom walking through these unimaginable providence's. In another way that I appreciate the Holy Spirit is how He moves and works in heralding the "good news" to lost hearts. Remember this post and how I shared how we need to travail and labor again for the "birth" of our children. We as parents do not save them, Jesus does, but we labor in prayer for them and then go on praying for them until Christ be formed in them......praying for them all our days and their's!!! I mentioned that we still had three in our family that needed salvation, to be saved. Joshua 12, Josiah 6, and Mercy 4. Joshua is soon to have his 12th BD in April and I have really been burdened for him and actually pleading and praying scriptures over him and for him and of course asking that the Lord save Josiah and Mercy soon in their lives as well, but especially praying fervently for Josh. It kinda funny on my part, Saturday evening it was time to unload the dishwasher and I needed the person, Josh to do his job! I was not mad, but because we have 14 people, our house is VERY loud(!!!!!!) so I was speaking loud and calling out for him. I heard Hosanna say in the distance somewhere "he's in the back gettin' Jesus in his heart!!" My heart leaped with excitement, I was sayin' "yes!!" Soon the door opened and Terry called me in the room and low and behold Joshua and Josiah were both in there talking. They both shared with me what happened and I was so excited for Josh, and totally surprised with Josiah. I asked Terry the scoop and he said Josiah came to him all by himself and said he wanted to get Jesus in his heart and Josh came within moments as well telling Terry the same thing. Terry spoke with them and he felt they both came with sincere repentance. Josiah even with tears. So again, I am in awe of the Spirits work. We can not come unless he bids us. I have shared with Josh so many times, one on one basis and of course we just talk of salvation so very often. Our job is to keep telling, sharing and speaking the truths into their hearts, with our children and those all around us. I was reminded of the scripture in John, The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is everyone that is born of the Spirit. We can not see the wind but we encounter the "results" of it. we must be faithful to pray for our children and others and let the Holy Spirit work, convict and make new creatures in Christ. I can not tell you how concerned I was getting for Josh, his age and just wondering if he would be older and probably allowing my mind to "think" toooooo much! I was really asking the Lord to save him before his 12th BD, his manly party, we celebrate with blessings and a special to do of it! I am so grateful for the Lord's mercies upon Josh. And so surprisingly joyous for my little Josiah. I told him, now he will get to see his "Balley!!" The Lord brought an incredible thought to my mind relating to these two salvations in one evening. remember awhile back, in Sept. 09, that Jeremiah and Hosanna both came to Terry one evening and shared they too wanted Jesus in their hearts. The thought was this, the Lord granted us to have two sets of twins naturally, here on this earth (Caleb, Daniel and Joel and Josiah) and now He has allowed us to have two sets of "twins" (Hosie, Jeremiah at the same time and Josh and Josiah at the same time) to be born for eternity. The Lord truly has given back in a sense! So the great work of the Holy Spirit is incredibly needful. We need Him in our trials and we need Him to experience the greatest joy a parent can have besides their earthy birth, their heavenly birth. Later that evening, or Sunday morning I quickly turned to the scripture in Luke, I say unto you that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. The Lord brought this passage to mind as I was so happy for Joel and Josiah, that they WILL be together again one day!!! I thought too of how this speaks of how there is joy over one that repents, so people do know somehow in heaven. I thought of how Joel might have been the coordinator of a huge party for his brother Josiah (and Josh!!!) I could just picture him jumping up and down, clapping his hands. This was the scripture that tells us what happened in heaven and here's a scripture that tells what is take place on this earth...... And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. Luke 15:6

So rejoice with me, with us...........two more have been found!!!!!!


P.S. on a cute and tender note, Mercy after all this had taken place was very persistent that she "wanted to get Jesus too." Terry and I don't doubt young ones can be saved, but in talking with her, she did not seem to totally understand "sin" and you know all of that. She, then as I was holding her said she did know very emphatically and that Jesus died on the cross, she soon was crying and wanting to be baptized and begging Terry to baptize her in the bathtub, anyway we'll just pray for her sweet and tender heart and trust the Lord will call her unto Himself soon in her life....... also another note, Daniel and Bethany were saved when they were 6 years old like Josiah and Caleb was saved at age 12, like Josh is soon to be 12, April 2.