by G. D. Watson
If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 16:24-25
If God has called you to be truly like Jesus in all your spirit, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility. He will put on you such demands of obedience that you will not be allowed to follow other Christians. In many ways, He seems to let other good people do things which He will not let you do.
Others who seem to be very religious and useful may push themselves, pull wires, and scheme to carry out their plans, but you cannot. If you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent.
Others can brag about themselves, their work, their successes, their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing. If you begin to do so, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.
Others will be allowed to succeed in making great sums of money, or having a legacy left to them, or in having luxuries, but God may supply you only on a day-to-day basis, because He wants you to have something far better than gold, a helpless dependence on Him and His unseen treasury.
The Lord may let others be honored and put forward while keeping you hidden in obscurity because He wants to produce some choice, fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade.
God may let others be great, but keep you small. He will let others do a work for Him and get the credit, but He will make you work and toil without knowing how much you are doing. Then, to make your work still more precious, He will let others get the credit for the work which you have done; this to teach you the message of the Cross, humility, and something of the value of being cloaked with His nature.
The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch on you, and with a jealous love rebuke you for careless words and feelings, or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seem distressed over.
So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign and has a right to do as He pleases with His own, and that He may not explain to you a thousand things which may puzzle your reason in His dealings with you.
God will take you at your word. If you absolutely sell yourself to be His slave, He will wrap you up in a jealous love and let other people say and do many things that you cannot. Settle it forever; you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue or chaining your hand or closing your eyes in ways which others are not dealt with. However, know this great secret of the Kingdom: When you are so completely possessed with the Living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of heaven, the high calling of God.
Possessing the Treasure 
Thank you, Mike, you are a true brother in the Lord. I have changed the picture back to my picture and have sent the owners of my blog an email to check into how I can protect my sites. Thank you for your prayers…we all sure need each others’ prayers!
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Sarah…sorry this happened to you…
Pray for that person.
May we know that we will always be hated for what we believe.
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Am sad this has happened to Sarah and glad to hear it is fixed. Sarah, this is not your embarassment. It is the embarassement of the one or ones who did such a thing. I pray that they come to know their shame, and it makes them broken and contrite in heart.
May the Lamb that was slain receive the glory He is due!
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And the Spiritual warfare for a personal attack is different than a doctrinal battle. Rejoice, Sarah, and be glad. for great is your reward in heaven. For so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Keep seeking Him, they hate you because they hate Christ.
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Sorry to know that this happened, glad to know that everything is fixed now and lets pray this will not happen again and with any one else as well. And lets hope and pray that the truth will shine on the person who has done this!
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Should we be sorry that this happened? I think not. God has just opened a door that gives an opportunity to pray the for salvation for the person/s responsible for the act. Just think how powerless the person/s is against the prays of the righteous – this surely is an opprotunity that God has given us.
I do pray, “My most gracious Lord and Saviour, thank you for this opportunity. Please put someone in the path of those that changed Sarah’s avitar that can lead them to the Truth, that they will keep stumbling on the Truth and their eyes will be opened to Your truth and gift of salvation. Keep them Lord I pray in your sight and hand, guiding their lives to You. I pray Lord that you will be glorified in them finding You. In your will and in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”
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Amen, Paul
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