The Book of Life

Angel Writing In The Book Of Life Pen & Ink Illustration © S.D. Harden All Rights Reserved.
Angel Writing In The Book Of Life Pen & Ink Illustration © S.D. Harden All Rights Reserved.

The Book of Life Prayer Song & Video Music & Lyrics © 2014 Suzanne Davis Harden

Revelation 3:5

“He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.”

Philippians 4:3

“And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.”

 Revelation 20:11-15

“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” ~St. John writing in his vision

 The Book of Life

 God cherishes each one of us. The bible says that “God our Savior…wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3-4) Jesus Christ told Nicodemus, a religious leader who came to Him one night,  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” ~(John 3:16-17)

 The Lake of Fire mentioned by St. John in the book of Revelation was prepared by God as an eternal punishment for the devil and the angels that rebelled against Him.

Gustave Dore Lucifer The Fallen Angel
Gustave Dore Lucifer The Fallen Angel

It was never intended for man whom God made in His own image.

Yet, the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, fell away from God when they rebelled against His command. The result was spiritual death and a loss of divine fellowship.

 

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Gustave Dore Adam & Eve Expelled From Paradise

 

 

 

 

 

All of their children would, like them, be sinners or rebels against God. They would never be able to enjoy perfect fellowship with God because God is holy and cannot dwell with sin.

God’s word says that sin must be paid for with a sacrifice. Hebrews 9:22 says: “In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.”

The only One worthy to pay for our sins, to redeem our souls from eternal destruction and to bring us back into fellowship with God, was God Himself, for He alone is perfect among all His creation. He is sinless, spotless, without blemish.

God the Son, Jesus Christ, came to earth clothed in flesh so that He could become a living sacrifice and shed His holy blood to pay for our sins. He loved us that much.

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Christ on the Cross ~ from the San Xavier del Bac Mission

God could not die unless He became human. That is why He had to be made like us. He suffered a horrible death on the cross so that our sins could be forgiven and so that we could live in Paradise with Him forever.

Not only did He want us to enjoy eternity with Him, He wanted us to be able to enjoy fellowship with Him now.

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Once we accept Jesus Christ into our hearts, we become God’s own children. The Father sends His Holy Spirit into our hearts to seal our salvation as a sure sign that we belong to Him. We will never be alone again from that point because He will never leave or forsake us. His love will keep us firmly in His strong grip. He will help us weather every storm. He will meet our every need. He does not promise freedom from trials-for “many are the afflictions of the righteous,“ God’s word says, “but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”

My Testimony

Angel Writing In The Book Of Life Pen & Ink Illustration © S.D. Harden All Rights Reserved.
Angel Writing In The Book Of Life Pen & Ink Illustration © S.D. Harden All Rights Reserved.

The moment I invited the Lord Jesus Christ into my heart I felt a beautiful peace envelop me and a warm glowing presence filled the room. I heard the Lord speak to my heart. “All will be well, You are going to be all right.”  I was only 16 years old.

As I lay in my bed that night filled with Christ’s peace I saw an image in my heart of an angel writing my name in a huge book.  Though I had gone to Catholic school, I had never heard about  the Book of Life.  I wondered what the vision meant.

Not until I began to read the bible on my own through the discipleship of our neighbor did I learn about the Book of Life and what that vision meant.

God was showing me that He had recorded my name in His book of life that night when I had accepted the Lord Jesus Christ into my heart.

It comforted me to know that my name was written up in Heaven.

When I grew up and my children were in Sunday school I created a picture of an Angel writing in the Book of Life. I made it into a Sunday school book cover for the children in the church we were attending. I wanted it to comfort them to know that after they had accepted the Lord as their Savior, their names were written in Heaven, and when the Last Day comes, and the books are read, they will be judged “Not Guilty,” because they are wearing the righteous robes that Jesus has given them. Their sins have been washed away by the blood of the spotless Lamb of God.

Rev20 How do our names get into God’s Book of Life? The Book of Romans says: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” ~Romans 10:9-13

That night when I was 16 years old I simply called upon the name of the Lord and He came to me. God is no respecter of persons. The Lord Jesus said He would never reject anyone who called upon His name. (John 6:37) And once a person receives Him into their heart, He will write their names in His Book of Life.

PRAYER

 Heavenly Father, may You bless all those who call upon the name of Thy Son Jesus Christ and write their names in Thy Book of Life. May they live with You forever. Thank You, Lord, In Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

The Prayer Song “The Book of Life” is from my new Album “Paths of Peace”~available on Itunes, Amazon, CDBaby, and on my music website http://www.peacefulprayersongs.com

 Prints of the Angel Writing in the Book of Life are available in my Etsy shop as Notecards and as a Triple Matted Fine Art Print.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/WingsPublications

 

 

If I Take The Wings of The Morning

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If I Take The Wings Of The Morning (A Prayer Song)

© 2014 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.

 Oh where could I go from your Spirit,

Oh where could I flee from You, Lord?

If I take the wings of the morning

If I fly to the farthest shore,

If I ride to the heights of heaven,

If I fall to the depths of Sheol,

Your mercy will come and find me,

You will seek and find me, Lord

Your grace and mercy find me

No matter how far I flee,

Your love is everywhere I go,

My heart You will never leave.

When all the blessings go away

In the midst of the Shadowlands,

Lord, Your love will never leave

You’ll hold me in Your hand.

Your blessings, Lord, they are not You,

Oh may I not mistake

Your gifts as symbols of Your love,

And think my soul You hate,

When all the blessings go away,

Lord, in the fiery trials~

You’ll never take Your love away,

Forever I’m Your child.

 Oh where could I go from Your Spirit?

Oh where could I flee from Your love?

You’re in my heart forever, Lord,

And I’m in Yours, oh God.

Gods-Hand

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us so much that Your word promises that You will never leave or forsake us. You watch over us everywhere we go; You are with us in every moment of our lives, sharing in all our joys and suffering with us through all our sorrows and pain.

When we stumble on our path, You are there to lift us up, dust us off and help us to our feet again, ever ready to forgive knowing that we are not perfect. You cherish us for we are Your masterpieces, made in Your own image and You long for us to know how much You value us.

Help us to come close to You, to hear Your voice, to see Your face in the face of Your beloved Son Jesus Christ who died on the cross that we might be saved from our sins and be given eternal life.

Thank You for the wonder of Thy grace and of Thy measureless love for us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

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*To Read this Original Message and Stream Peaceful Music while you read visit my music website http://www.peacefulprayersongs.com

Angel Song  Pen & Ink Illustration (Psalm 139) “If I Take The Wings of The Morning” © 1990 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Prayer Song Excerpt “If I Take The Wings Of The Morning” © 2014 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Featured Detail of Main Image © S.D. Harden All Rights Reserved.

 

 

For My Thoughts Are Not Your Thoughts

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MY THOUGHTS ARE NOT YOUR THOUGHTS

First of all, let me just say that I’ve done many wonderful things with my IPad since my husband gave it to me last Christmas; created prayer songs, composed music, created innumerable paintings and cards. But the other day my iPad and I got into an argument– of all things!!!!
For the life of me I don’t know how it happened. They make these devices too human for our own good.

For my readers who don’t know, an IPad is a mobile tablet device made by Apple. They have this application on the device known as Siri – Wikipedia defines Siri as “an intelligent personal assistant and knowledge navigator.” Apple claims that the software “adapts to the users individual preferences over time and personalizes results.”
Well, I don’t think this could be true based on what happened with me the other day with Siri.

First of all I had a migraine. I should’ve known better than to talk to Siri with a migraine. But who could have known she would have reacted like she did it?
I said, “Siri, help me find a new keyboard.”

“Okay” says Siri. “Let me see. Here’s what I found.”
She brings up some geeky computer keyboard with a thousand things I don’t want.

“No Siri! I want a professional musical keyboard like Yamaha makes!”
Then Siri informs me, “You make me blush!”

“WHAT DID I SAY TO MAKE THE THING BLUSH?”

The transcript of our conversation records that I have called her a #%€£# and now she has brought up myriad websites on “Why I Hate Siri.”

!!!!!!! NO SIRI! I DID NOT SAY THAT!! I mean – you misunderstood me!!!

What am I doing? I thought to myself. I’m arguing with my iPad! —Defending myself…This thing isn’t a person!
It falsely accused me – it said I called it a word I would never have said! Alas.
How did it think I called it that word when all I said was……

My migraine grew worse.
Later, when I told my daughter about what had happened, she pointed out that her husband “uses Siri all the time and he never has a problem with it.”

!!!!

I felt grossly misunderstood and mentally inferior to my mobile device…until I remembered all those “I Hate Siri” websites that Siri herself had so graciously directed me to.
I took great comfort in knowing that I must not be the only one who had issues with this “intelligent personal assistant and knowledge navigator.”

Anyway Siri is not the only one who has ever misunderstood me.
I have said things to people, and they have either misheard me entirely, or totally misunderstood what I have said. Just like Siri.
It is uncanny how this can happen to people who are not the least bit deaf.
I’ve been guilty of this myself.

Therapists tell us that this happens because each of us have something inside of our hearts called filters. We listen to what others say through filters so that sometimes what we hear gets distorted by things we’ve experienced in the past, our feelings at the moment, how we feel towards the person speaking to us, how well we are listening, how we feel about ourselves, or any number of things.

The only person who listens to us without any distortion, without any
filters is Jesus Christ.
When we pray to Jesus, He understands us completely.
He knows exactly what we mean by every word, every thought. He does not ever condemn or accuse us.
If we ever have condemning or accusing thoughts, the Bible teaches that these thoughts are coming from Satan who the bible calls “the accuser of the brethren.”
“Satan…brings charges against them before our God day and night.”(Revelation 12:10)

St. John goes on in the same verse to tell us how to defeat Satan’s lies and poisonous accusations:
Revelation 12:11 “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…”
We rebuke Satan’s lies by pleading the blood of Jesus over our thoughts and by speaking the word of God’s Truth.

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. We become living epistles of God’s Truth by learning the Bible and obeying it. Knowing God’s truth overcomes the enemy’s lies.

God wants us to have positive thoughts about ourselves and others.
Jesus said, “God sent His Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but to save the world.” John 3:17

The Bible teaches us to think on “Whatever is true…noble..right…pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent, or praiseworthy – think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

God wants us to be like Himself. God is holy, He wants our thoughts to be holy.
Satanic thoughts are condemning, accusing, and negative. They are worry thoughts, fear thoughts, rebellious and disobedient to God’s revealed will and nature.

God thoughts are positive, encouraging, peaceful, and good. They will never contradict His Word.
Isaiah 55:8 “My thoughts are not your thoughts, and my ways are not your ways,” declares the Lord.</

“God is love.” 1 John 4:8

What does God’s love look like?

God’s Love looks like Jesus, the eternal Son of God, hanging on the cross of Calvary, bloodied, beaten beyond recognition, wearing a piercing crown of thorns, suffering for sins He never committed, bearing my shame, my sicknesses, and all my sorrows. He bore the wrath of God I deserved for my sins so that I could be forgiven, so that He could wash my sins away forever with his spotless blood. He wanted to wrap me in a robe of His own righteousness that I never earned. He did this so that I could enjoy eternal fellowship with Him in Heaven.
It was all a free gift of His incredible love.

God loves you and me.
God does not condemn you or me.
Our God is purest Light and purest Love.

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Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us. You know every word before we speak it and are acquainted with all our thoughts. Help us to run to You with every need in prayer, knowing that You will always understand us perfectly and fill our hearts with Your Love, Acceptance, and Peace. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for dying for our sins so that we could live with You forever! We love You! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

*For the record, I do NOT hate Siri, especially since I have now discovered that I can EDIT what she thinks I say to her with the keyboard!! Oh PRAISE JESUS! But in my frustration I downloaded Google Search and so far there have been no disagreements or misunderstandings. 🙂

For My Thoughts Are Not Your Thoughts, © 2013 Suzanne Davis Harden, All Rights Reserved.

Nothing Is Impossible For God!

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WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE
© 2013 PRAYER SONG

Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.

With God, all things are possible,
Though hope for now seems dim,
Oh never stop believing,
Trust everything to Him.

With God all things are possible,
He will not let you down,
If you’ve stepped out of the boat,
He’ll never let you drown.

If you’re walking on the sea
By faith in Jesus’ hands,
He’ll make the water hold you up,
As if it were dry land.

With God all things are possible,
By faith He’ll see you through,
Every work, yes every task,
He’s calling you to do.

And if it seems too hard for you,
The Lord will be your strength,
He’ll guard you and protect you,
He’ll empower you with faith.

With God, all things are possible
Your mountains fall by prayer,
“Ask of Me,” your God has said,
“I hear you and I care.”

“Oh come before My Throne of Grace
With every care and need,
And all your mountains they will fall,
Yes, fall into the sea.
I hear you’re every prayer, says God,
I’ve bottled every tear,
Oh nothing is too hard for Me
Have faith and do not fear!”

“With God all things are possible,
Yes, trust in Me, believe!
I will not let you down, My child,
Nor your heart deceive.
Walk with Me on the water,
Walk with Me through the sea,
I’ll see you through, My little one,
Just keep your faith in Me.”


Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You that Your word assures us that NOTHING is too hard for You. You are the God who moves mountains for us when we pray in faith. And Jesus said we must always pray and never give up. The Angel Gabriel told Mary, “For with God, all things are possible.”
Help us trust and believe in Your mighty power to meet our needs no matter what our circumstances are, because Your word says, You are the God of all flesh and that NOTHING is too hard for You. May we never underestimate Your power to rescue us, to meet our need, however great, or to heal us, however sick we may be. You are the God of the Impossible! Thank You, Lord
! We love You! In Jesus name, Amen.

Prayer Song: “With God All Things Are Possible” © 2013 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.