Psalm 84:7 "They go from strength to strength" till each appears before God in Zion."
Is it just me, or do you, my friends, also see the Lord is so many things. I just turned on the TV, and two ladies sat down on two lawn chairs to visit, and the backs of the chairs have a brace of sorts in the form of a cross. Top to bottom, and side to side, in the middle of the back of the chair. I was struck with these thoughts when I saw that and knew I was to share with you.
The Lord braces us top to bottom, from the top of our heads....our thoughts, He strengthens our thoughts to be of His, and as we ask Him, He keeps our thoughts on Him, not on things that the enemy would use to distract us. He braces our eyes, shielding them from the enemy's deceptions; our earsshut off from the destructive words of the world, but open to hear His sweet voice.
The Lord braces our backs and our legs making us strong to do the work He puts before us. His brace extends side to side to give strength to our arms to lift others up from their misery and hurt with His love and words of encouragement. Our hands He makes stronger each day as we extend His blessing to all those we meet.
Our feet are made strong in Him so they can follow His way, the path He puts in front of us, failing not to keep us in the Light, His precious Light.
As the body weakens toward the end of the day, our precious Lord gives us rest and He restores the braces He has built inside of us with His everlasting love, His hand going back and forth, top to bottom, side to side, seeing that our heart is strengthened and braced with His special balm of healing power; that all the dings, the darts of intended hurt, all those places are smoothed over by His loving hands. When we awake, we can rise with more strength than the day before, with the braces He has restored to serve us another day in Him.
Yes, friends, all this from seeing the back of a chair. I like the thought that the chair I sit in, the chair with the braces so strong to hold me, are the lap of my Father. Can you feel His heart beating through to you, as you sit there, Strength holding you, Love restoring you, and pure Joy beating in your heart.
If you are not seeing the Lord, His hand, His thoughts in things around you in your daily life, I would like to think that you will ask Him to draw you nearer, draw you closer to Him each day. Father, let Your thoughts always flow in my mind, my heart and my spirit, and let me see You everywhere I look. I would not desire to live any other way, but Your way.
10-13-12
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Sunday, October 7, 2012
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
Numbers 23:19 "God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind."
After spending the night across town with some dear friends, I was traveling back home this morning and just spending time with my Father. I was thanking Him for being my Lord, my God, and then my spirit was just grieving for those that choose not to know Him. I was thinking about those that choose these strange, to me, religions such as Scientology and others like that. I have no idea about a lot of their ways, but I was wondering out loud to the Lord, "who do they pray to?". When they have needs, fears, who do they pray to? And I was just grieving that so many people just turn away from the Lord, when He loves us all so.
The Lord spoke into my spirit, "They all have equal opportunity, they all have the same opportunity as you to know me." Then the verse above came into my spirit. Our Lord does not lie, when He says He is our Father, He is just that. When I began thinking about His being my Father, your Father, the Lord spoke again to me and said "all are born of man, but not all are born of God". We are all born of man, but only those of us that CHOOSE to call upon our Lord, that ask for forgiveness, redemption of our sin, and choose to love Him with all our hearts, are born of God. Not all are born of God. Those even who call themselves Christians, but whose hearts are self-seeking and are using the platform of our Father for self gain, they are not truly born of God. We have all seen this, and it becomes more evident daily. Beware of false prophets......
Everyone has the opportunity to know our Lord and God. Those that have not heard, will hear, as the Lord will make certain that the gospel is brought to every man, woman and child on earth. He has said it and it will become so. So everyone will have the same opportunity, equal to all, to know Him as their personal Savior, to be redeemed of sin, and to be born of God. Until they know, they do not know or truly understand their sin. It is when we become aware of the nature of Christ, when we hear of Him, that makes our sin so evident, so besetting, so horrifying.....it makes us fall before our Lord, thanking Him for His sacrifice, for His blood, and ask Him to come into our hearts. We are made righteous only in Him, nothing of ourselves, and but for our Savior, have no hope. But in Him, and through Him, we have hope, we have peace, we have joy. All can have this same hope, the same peace found only in the Lord and the joy that makes everything worth while.
For those of you that do not know my Savior, He can be your Savior also. A minute to look at your life as it is, that's all it takes for you to recognize the path of destruction you are on, the fears you face, the emptiness you feel. Look at what you are.....now, look into the eyes of Jesus, and you will see what you can be. This is your time, your opportunity....do not look away, give Him your heart today, give Him what you are, right now, and then watch as He takes what was sin, born of man and makes perfected in Him, a new man....born of God.
10-07-12
After spending the night across town with some dear friends, I was traveling back home this morning and just spending time with my Father. I was thanking Him for being my Lord, my God, and then my spirit was just grieving for those that choose not to know Him. I was thinking about those that choose these strange, to me, religions such as Scientology and others like that. I have no idea about a lot of their ways, but I was wondering out loud to the Lord, "who do they pray to?". When they have needs, fears, who do they pray to? And I was just grieving that so many people just turn away from the Lord, when He loves us all so.
The Lord spoke into my spirit, "They all have equal opportunity, they all have the same opportunity as you to know me." Then the verse above came into my spirit. Our Lord does not lie, when He says He is our Father, He is just that. When I began thinking about His being my Father, your Father, the Lord spoke again to me and said "all are born of man, but not all are born of God". We are all born of man, but only those of us that CHOOSE to call upon our Lord, that ask for forgiveness, redemption of our sin, and choose to love Him with all our hearts, are born of God. Not all are born of God. Those even who call themselves Christians, but whose hearts are self-seeking and are using the platform of our Father for self gain, they are not truly born of God. We have all seen this, and it becomes more evident daily. Beware of false prophets......
Everyone has the opportunity to know our Lord and God. Those that have not heard, will hear, as the Lord will make certain that the gospel is brought to every man, woman and child on earth. He has said it and it will become so. So everyone will have the same opportunity, equal to all, to know Him as their personal Savior, to be redeemed of sin, and to be born of God. Until they know, they do not know or truly understand their sin. It is when we become aware of the nature of Christ, when we hear of Him, that makes our sin so evident, so besetting, so horrifying.....it makes us fall before our Lord, thanking Him for His sacrifice, for His blood, and ask Him to come into our hearts. We are made righteous only in Him, nothing of ourselves, and but for our Savior, have no hope. But in Him, and through Him, we have hope, we have peace, we have joy. All can have this same hope, the same peace found only in the Lord and the joy that makes everything worth while.
For those of you that do not know my Savior, He can be your Savior also. A minute to look at your life as it is, that's all it takes for you to recognize the path of destruction you are on, the fears you face, the emptiness you feel. Look at what you are.....now, look into the eyes of Jesus, and you will see what you can be. This is your time, your opportunity....do not look away, give Him your heart today, give Him what you are, right now, and then watch as He takes what was sin, born of man and makes perfected in Him, a new man....born of God.
10-07-12
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
IT'S CALLED DATE NIGHT
Hosea 10:12 "Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord."
I was thinking earlier about some friends that are so wrapped up in their children, their work, their play, and even, sadly, themselves. I no longer wonder why these thoughts come to mind, as I have found the Spirit of the Lord will be quickly speaking to me about it. And the Lord brought forth, date night.
In the early days of my marriage to Robert, after the first few years of adjustment, ridding one's self of baggage that was carried in from previous marriages, we settled into the work and home routine. The first three years he worked shift work, so that left little time for us, the ships passing in the night kind of thing. But when he went on straight days, weekends off, that made a difference. Every Saturday morning we would get up and have our morning coffee, look at the laundry, the dust on the furniture, and the mud by the back door.....and we would waltz out the door and go have breakfast at a local restaurant....sometimes it was McDonalds, sometimes, it was better; but the idea here is, we left the house together and had a date. After breakfast, we would do something, if it were window shopping, trade show, craft show, or whatever, we spent the better part of the day just concentrating on each other. It was time to show each other how special time together was and how we loved spending time with each other.
Yes, I know, folks have children.....but here is the deal. When all your time is spent concentrating on the children, or the housework, or whatever you can find that keeps you away from that important man/woman in your life.....there will come a time that you find ...... it will be too late. You will have forgotten what it is like to have that real, passionate love for that person. You will love them, but it will not be the kind of love that will sustain you through the years, after the children are grown and gone, after retirement comes and the job is no longer the love you had before, after the house is just exactly like it should be....when there are only two there, it can stay pretty neat. You will find that the person you fell so deeply in love with all those years ago, will feel just like you do, indifferent, complacent. Long days will turn into long nights, with nothing to say to each other as you will have become as strangers. And it might have been different had you had.....date night.
After Robert's illness overtook him and he could not get out like he enjoyed doing, we still did things together....date night does not have to be an expensive time, you can make it what works for you. We would pop popcorn and watch a movie together, or sometimes just sit quietly together on the swing on the back porch, being in each other company....undivided attention, talking together, sharing our memories, still talking of the future.
When I became a widow..... yes, I know, you are thinking, my date nights were over; you are so wrong. Now I have a date anytime I look inside my heart, when I seek out the Spirit of the One whose love I desire more than anyone on this earth, He comes to me. I would suggest to all of you, men and women alike, to make time also for the special One, our Lord and God, and spend quality time with Him. Set up a date night if you must, a special time, it doesn't need to be night but can be what works for you and the Lord. I know He will let you choose the time, because He is always free and excited to have a date with us. Date time with the Lord, so special, as He loves to pour out Himself in such exciting ways. Spoken words into our spirits, a glow that will settle all over your being, and pure chills as you feel His presence surround you.
It's called date night for a reason.....date is a time when something happens, a time set aside, Set aside time this week to be with your spouse, to share that love you have for each other, to keep your marriage true to it's beginning.....and set aside that special time to have a date with the Lord, your God, and keep that relationship true to it's beginning...for you see, He has loved You with an everlasting love, and He wants to share Himself with you too.
10-03-12
I was thinking earlier about some friends that are so wrapped up in their children, their work, their play, and even, sadly, themselves. I no longer wonder why these thoughts come to mind, as I have found the Spirit of the Lord will be quickly speaking to me about it. And the Lord brought forth, date night.
In the early days of my marriage to Robert, after the first few years of adjustment, ridding one's self of baggage that was carried in from previous marriages, we settled into the work and home routine. The first three years he worked shift work, so that left little time for us, the ships passing in the night kind of thing. But when he went on straight days, weekends off, that made a difference. Every Saturday morning we would get up and have our morning coffee, look at the laundry, the dust on the furniture, and the mud by the back door.....and we would waltz out the door and go have breakfast at a local restaurant....sometimes it was McDonalds, sometimes, it was better; but the idea here is, we left the house together and had a date. After breakfast, we would do something, if it were window shopping, trade show, craft show, or whatever, we spent the better part of the day just concentrating on each other. It was time to show each other how special time together was and how we loved spending time with each other.
Yes, I know, folks have children.....but here is the deal. When all your time is spent concentrating on the children, or the housework, or whatever you can find that keeps you away from that important man/woman in your life.....there will come a time that you find ...... it will be too late. You will have forgotten what it is like to have that real, passionate love for that person. You will love them, but it will not be the kind of love that will sustain you through the years, after the children are grown and gone, after retirement comes and the job is no longer the love you had before, after the house is just exactly like it should be....when there are only two there, it can stay pretty neat. You will find that the person you fell so deeply in love with all those years ago, will feel just like you do, indifferent, complacent. Long days will turn into long nights, with nothing to say to each other as you will have become as strangers. And it might have been different had you had.....date night.
After Robert's illness overtook him and he could not get out like he enjoyed doing, we still did things together....date night does not have to be an expensive time, you can make it what works for you. We would pop popcorn and watch a movie together, or sometimes just sit quietly together on the swing on the back porch, being in each other company....undivided attention, talking together, sharing our memories, still talking of the future.
When I became a widow..... yes, I know, you are thinking, my date nights were over; you are so wrong. Now I have a date anytime I look inside my heart, when I seek out the Spirit of the One whose love I desire more than anyone on this earth, He comes to me. I would suggest to all of you, men and women alike, to make time also for the special One, our Lord and God, and spend quality time with Him. Set up a date night if you must, a special time, it doesn't need to be night but can be what works for you and the Lord. I know He will let you choose the time, because He is always free and excited to have a date with us. Date time with the Lord, so special, as He loves to pour out Himself in such exciting ways. Spoken words into our spirits, a glow that will settle all over your being, and pure chills as you feel His presence surround you.
It's called date night for a reason.....date is a time when something happens, a time set aside, Set aside time this week to be with your spouse, to share that love you have for each other, to keep your marriage true to it's beginning.....and set aside that special time to have a date with the Lord, your God, and keep that relationship true to it's beginning...for you see, He has loved You with an everlasting love, and He wants to share Himself with you too.
10-03-12
Saturday, September 29, 2012
GOD'S RULER
Deuteronomy 25:15 "You must have accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you."
As I awoke this morning, in my spirit I saw a ruler. Actually the one I saw was this 5 foot metal ruler I have that I would use to put under the rag rugs I was making to measure them. It is fairly heavy but flexible and now just stands in a corner behind a door. I was wondering why this would be on my mind, but soon the Lord began to speak to me.
The Lord showed me a picture of a child standing next to a door frame, getting that mark put on the frame just where his head came up to. Remember those days, where we were so anxious to get taller, to grow up? The Lord asked me, "When was the last time you did this?". If you are like me, it was probably when you were 10 or so. I cannot truly remember, but it was a longgggg time ago. And then the flood gates opened as I began to see what the Lord was showing me.
So often the children of the Lord grow so much in a short time span, you know, what as children is referred to as a growth spurt....and then nothing. We simply sit on what we have learned and think we are smart in the ways of our Lord. How wrong we are. ( I am looking now at the title of this, "The Ruler of Life" knowing that the Lord is going to change this in a little while. He is showing me that this is not the ruler of life, rather something much deeper. I will know soon. Thank You, Lord.) As we seem to satisfy ourselves with the knowledge we have gained through this growth spurt, our spirits lay dormant, lifeless, regressing.
There is no length determined to our growth except in our minds. A little word here, a short thought there, and the enemy can have us puffed up enough to think we know everything we need to know, or that is to be known of our God. This knowledge, small and deceptive, will have us wandering to and fro, not knowing, not hearing, the voice of our Lord. We will go with whatever seems good to our ears at the time, never knowing the true desires of our Lord for us, or the true desires of our own hearts.
The Lord tells me there is so much more He has for us if we will continue to grow in Him. We are to stretch ourselves to know more of Him, (remember how we use to stand tall on our toes to be taller than we were at the door post?). This is not the time to stand complacent, thinking we are where we should be, but it is the time to stretch ourselves, lift ourselves up as high as we can so we can touch the hem of His garment, reach to heights where His voice is all we hear, tall enough where we can crawl up onto the lap of the Lord ourselves instead of His having to pick us up. We can go to Him if we will continue to grow up in Him.
The God of my life wants me to desire to grow, to reach heights of knowledge of Him that will keep me in His Light, not losing my way, but hearing His voice above all the worldly sounds, distractions. I am not to stop learning but to seek to find more of Him each day, in His Word, by His Spirit. This is the only way that I, that you, will know the true Word of the Lord, know His voice above all those that would lead us astray, growing in Him; not being satisfied with where we were, or by what we had, but by what lies ahead of us in Him, by the desire to be so intimate with our God, our Lord, that we find ourselves one day, walking with Him, without the real knowledge of it, but just that it is as natural as our very breath. We in the Lord, the Lord in us.
Grown me Lord, I never want to stop. I will stand tall, I will stretch myself up to You, I will call upon You each moment, letting You show me what You have for me with each new day. Your ruler, Lord, Your ruler for my life, let it be. Stretch me, Lord with Your ruler. I will not be content with what is of today, but will desire more tomorrow, and yet more the next day, till I know You as You want me to......One with You.
09-29-12
As I awoke this morning, in my spirit I saw a ruler. Actually the one I saw was this 5 foot metal ruler I have that I would use to put under the rag rugs I was making to measure them. It is fairly heavy but flexible and now just stands in a corner behind a door. I was wondering why this would be on my mind, but soon the Lord began to speak to me.
The Lord showed me a picture of a child standing next to a door frame, getting that mark put on the frame just where his head came up to. Remember those days, where we were so anxious to get taller, to grow up? The Lord asked me, "When was the last time you did this?". If you are like me, it was probably when you were 10 or so. I cannot truly remember, but it was a longgggg time ago. And then the flood gates opened as I began to see what the Lord was showing me.
So often the children of the Lord grow so much in a short time span, you know, what as children is referred to as a growth spurt....and then nothing. We simply sit on what we have learned and think we are smart in the ways of our Lord. How wrong we are. ( I am looking now at the title of this, "The Ruler of Life" knowing that the Lord is going to change this in a little while. He is showing me that this is not the ruler of life, rather something much deeper. I will know soon. Thank You, Lord.) As we seem to satisfy ourselves with the knowledge we have gained through this growth spurt, our spirits lay dormant, lifeless, regressing.
There is no length determined to our growth except in our minds. A little word here, a short thought there, and the enemy can have us puffed up enough to think we know everything we need to know, or that is to be known of our God. This knowledge, small and deceptive, will have us wandering to and fro, not knowing, not hearing, the voice of our Lord. We will go with whatever seems good to our ears at the time, never knowing the true desires of our Lord for us, or the true desires of our own hearts.
The Lord tells me there is so much more He has for us if we will continue to grow in Him. We are to stretch ourselves to know more of Him, (remember how we use to stand tall on our toes to be taller than we were at the door post?). This is not the time to stand complacent, thinking we are where we should be, but it is the time to stretch ourselves, lift ourselves up as high as we can so we can touch the hem of His garment, reach to heights where His voice is all we hear, tall enough where we can crawl up onto the lap of the Lord ourselves instead of His having to pick us up. We can go to Him if we will continue to grow up in Him.
The God of my life wants me to desire to grow, to reach heights of knowledge of Him that will keep me in His Light, not losing my way, but hearing His voice above all the worldly sounds, distractions. I am not to stop learning but to seek to find more of Him each day, in His Word, by His Spirit. This is the only way that I, that you, will know the true Word of the Lord, know His voice above all those that would lead us astray, growing in Him; not being satisfied with where we were, or by what we had, but by what lies ahead of us in Him, by the desire to be so intimate with our God, our Lord, that we find ourselves one day, walking with Him, without the real knowledge of it, but just that it is as natural as our very breath. We in the Lord, the Lord in us.
Grown me Lord, I never want to stop. I will stand tall, I will stretch myself up to You, I will call upon You each moment, letting You show me what You have for me with each new day. Your ruler, Lord, Your ruler for my life, let it be. Stretch me, Lord with Your ruler. I will not be content with what is of today, but will desire more tomorrow, and yet more the next day, till I know You as You want me to......One with You.
09-29-12
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
I KNOW THERE'S MORE
John 7:37b "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink."
Blessed, I am so blessed, Lord. Each morning when I wake, I think of where I am this day, and how blessed I am. I thank You my God, as I wake, I thank You. I never want to take what You have done for me for granted, as I know without Your grace, Your precious grace, I would not know this life You have given me.
I find that lately I have been basking in the love You pour out onto me each day.....and I feel tonight that I am missing the mark. I know You desire me to happy, blessedly happy, but I know there is another desire You have for me. You want me to want more....much more of You.
So often Lord, we get in a place where we are so blessed and, well I can only speak for myself, but I begin to feel like it would be selfish....perhaps that is not the right word....maybe greedy is the word that would describe how I feel at times. Like I am greedy if I desire more, if I want to go deeper in You, to seek more of You than I have. You have shown me Lord, that there are depths to You that I have only begun to see....I know there's more....and I want more.
Yes, I see, Lord....You desire me to come closer, to seek You, to want more of You, of Your words, of Your love, of Your sweet scent....the very smell of You gives my senses new meaning, new heights. I don't think I can be happy now, now that You have shown me it is Your desire for me to have more. I have to come closer to You, Lord God, so much closer. Seems like as I get busy during the day doing the things You have me working at, that I am distanced from You...but that is the enemy's tricks to make me think You are not near. You are showing me that just because we have life to live on this planet, in this sinful world, that we are still in You. I can be in this world but not of this world, as I am of You. When we are of You, it puts a barrier between us and the world we live in. It's a shield, the shield of faith that we wear, that keeps the splatter of sin, of evil, the wickedness that prevails on earth from wearing us down; from defeating us. Your grace, poured out like a river, the sweet river that flows down from Your throne, washes us, cleansing us, refreshing us. Your Word, written so long ago.....only You knew, Father, how the Words You gave would continue to give life to us, generations down from when it was written. Words that were meant for eternal help, eternal guidance to a people that would continue to get it wrong, to fall short, to miss the mark of You, of Your glory.
Tonight, my Lord, I want to go to places that my heart has yearned for, but my mind, thinking it wrong to constantly ask for more, would not take me....but tonight, I am going past what my thoughts would be, and I am letting Your Spirit draw my heart, my soul, my spirit to that place of new heights where You are waiting for me. One level at a time, You are showing me, where new knowledge of You exists, where intimacy will enclose me, and where I will find myself walking with the love of my life, my Lord, my God. I know there is more, and I will not stop until I have that fullness, that beautiful fullness of my Lord in me.
09-26-12
Blessed, I am so blessed, Lord. Each morning when I wake, I think of where I am this day, and how blessed I am. I thank You my God, as I wake, I thank You. I never want to take what You have done for me for granted, as I know without Your grace, Your precious grace, I would not know this life You have given me.
I find that lately I have been basking in the love You pour out onto me each day.....and I feel tonight that I am missing the mark. I know You desire me to happy, blessedly happy, but I know there is another desire You have for me. You want me to want more....much more of You.
So often Lord, we get in a place where we are so blessed and, well I can only speak for myself, but I begin to feel like it would be selfish....perhaps that is not the right word....maybe greedy is the word that would describe how I feel at times. Like I am greedy if I desire more, if I want to go deeper in You, to seek more of You than I have. You have shown me Lord, that there are depths to You that I have only begun to see....I know there's more....and I want more.
Yes, I see, Lord....You desire me to come closer, to seek You, to want more of You, of Your words, of Your love, of Your sweet scent....the very smell of You gives my senses new meaning, new heights. I don't think I can be happy now, now that You have shown me it is Your desire for me to have more. I have to come closer to You, Lord God, so much closer. Seems like as I get busy during the day doing the things You have me working at, that I am distanced from You...but that is the enemy's tricks to make me think You are not near. You are showing me that just because we have life to live on this planet, in this sinful world, that we are still in You. I can be in this world but not of this world, as I am of You. When we are of You, it puts a barrier between us and the world we live in. It's a shield, the shield of faith that we wear, that keeps the splatter of sin, of evil, the wickedness that prevails on earth from wearing us down; from defeating us. Your grace, poured out like a river, the sweet river that flows down from Your throne, washes us, cleansing us, refreshing us. Your Word, written so long ago.....only You knew, Father, how the Words You gave would continue to give life to us, generations down from when it was written. Words that were meant for eternal help, eternal guidance to a people that would continue to get it wrong, to fall short, to miss the mark of You, of Your glory.
Tonight, my Lord, I want to go to places that my heart has yearned for, but my mind, thinking it wrong to constantly ask for more, would not take me....but tonight, I am going past what my thoughts would be, and I am letting Your Spirit draw my heart, my soul, my spirit to that place of new heights where You are waiting for me. One level at a time, You are showing me, where new knowledge of You exists, where intimacy will enclose me, and where I will find myself walking with the love of my life, my Lord, my God. I know there is more, and I will not stop until I have that fullness, that beautiful fullness of my Lord in me.
09-26-12
Saturday, September 22, 2012
CAPITIVITY OF THE HEART
2 Timothy 2:22 "Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."
Close your eyes for a moment. Picture those who you would consider slaves; those enslaved before the Civil War in our own country, and those who are still slaves in third world countries. With your eyes still closed, look at the treatment of these people, consider the differences of how they were treated under a good master and under a cruel master; but still they were slaves; no freedom, held in captivity.
Now open your eyes and look around you. Do you consider yourself free? Do you see how well off you are, nice home, nice car, good job.....are you free? Now close your eyes again and look inside your heart. Look deep into those areas that you consider not important enough to deal with, those areas that no one knows of but yourself, and they don't hurt anyone. Look at each area and consider it. Now open your eyes again. Look around once more, do you still see your things in the same light?
You may not have chains around your leg; you may not be afraid of speaking your mind or going where you want to, but are you any better than those that are held in physical captivity? Let me assure you, my friends, being held captive by sin, fear, and self-judgment is a dreadful way to spend your life. It is a bondage of which there is not hope. No one is going to make a national proclamation and free you from what you hold inside your heart. No one will know that you are dying inside while you hold your head up and walk around in imaginary freedom. You are a slave to a master that only wants to see destruction in your life, chaos in your home, and your family in ruins. There is no hope as long as you will refuse to let go of those things that hold you in slavery. There is no joy as long as you continue to go into places where there is only darkness. There is no peace.
The song, "Come to Jesus" is running through my mind at this point. I can't tell you why this is on my heart to tell you today. I was reading about a group of slaves while I was in the Fitness room today walking the treadmill. These slaves were freed from one bondage only to find out that when they got to their final destination they would be in bondage again. It would be to good masters, but they still would not be free. And the Lord began showing me, the people who refuse to let the Holy Spirit clean out every area of their hearts. They keep putting it off, perhaps ashamed to let the Lord in that part of them....isn't that foolish, He knows what is in there, everything about you is open to His eyes, but He won't push Himself in there, you must invite Him in, to cleanse you from all sin, from all fear, from all bondage.
Open your eyes to the Master, the Master who invites you to become captive to His love, His joy and His peace. The Master who opens His arms to enfold you into them, to give you comfort and encouragement as He cleanses out every fear, entanglement, disillusionment, and sin from your life. Open your eyes to the One who will never condemn you, but will give you a new life in Him. Come to Jesus, come to Jesus today.
09-22-12
Close your eyes for a moment. Picture those who you would consider slaves; those enslaved before the Civil War in our own country, and those who are still slaves in third world countries. With your eyes still closed, look at the treatment of these people, consider the differences of how they were treated under a good master and under a cruel master; but still they were slaves; no freedom, held in captivity.
Now open your eyes and look around you. Do you consider yourself free? Do you see how well off you are, nice home, nice car, good job.....are you free? Now close your eyes again and look inside your heart. Look deep into those areas that you consider not important enough to deal with, those areas that no one knows of but yourself, and they don't hurt anyone. Look at each area and consider it. Now open your eyes again. Look around once more, do you still see your things in the same light?
You may not have chains around your leg; you may not be afraid of speaking your mind or going where you want to, but are you any better than those that are held in physical captivity? Let me assure you, my friends, being held captive by sin, fear, and self-judgment is a dreadful way to spend your life. It is a bondage of which there is not hope. No one is going to make a national proclamation and free you from what you hold inside your heart. No one will know that you are dying inside while you hold your head up and walk around in imaginary freedom. You are a slave to a master that only wants to see destruction in your life, chaos in your home, and your family in ruins. There is no hope as long as you will refuse to let go of those things that hold you in slavery. There is no joy as long as you continue to go into places where there is only darkness. There is no peace.
The song, "Come to Jesus" is running through my mind at this point. I can't tell you why this is on my heart to tell you today. I was reading about a group of slaves while I was in the Fitness room today walking the treadmill. These slaves were freed from one bondage only to find out that when they got to their final destination they would be in bondage again. It would be to good masters, but they still would not be free. And the Lord began showing me, the people who refuse to let the Holy Spirit clean out every area of their hearts. They keep putting it off, perhaps ashamed to let the Lord in that part of them....isn't that foolish, He knows what is in there, everything about you is open to His eyes, but He won't push Himself in there, you must invite Him in, to cleanse you from all sin, from all fear, from all bondage.
Open your eyes to the Master, the Master who invites you to become captive to His love, His joy and His peace. The Master who opens His arms to enfold you into them, to give you comfort and encouragement as He cleanses out every fear, entanglement, disillusionment, and sin from your life. Open your eyes to the One who will never condemn you, but will give you a new life in Him. Come to Jesus, come to Jesus today.
09-22-12
Thursday, September 20, 2012
WE CAN REST IN HIM.....THE BATTLES BEEN WON
Psalm 91:1 "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty."
Our battles, those never ending battles that have been coming at us from the time we can remember.....they have been won. Do you realize how much time we spend thinking about how we are going to take care of the responsibilities we have, wondering what will happen if, and when, and because?
Rest. We can rest in the Lord. Do you think that the Lord spends all His days worrying about what we will do next? First, He already knows what we are going to do today, tomorrow, next year. He knows the words of our mouth before we ever utter a sound. The Lord knows our heart. He knows if we truly desire Him, if we need, without any doubt, if we need Him every minute as we do air to breath. And He knows our fears, our concerns, our limitations. Rest. Our Lord created the heavens and the earth and all that is within them, and then He rested. The work was done.
He sent Jesus to earth because our God wanted our fears to cease, He wanted us to be whole and well in spirit and mind and body. He sent Jesus to earth, knowing He would be sacrificed for us, His beloved children. Our Lord wanted us to be able to rest. On the day our Lord, precious Jesus died, He took on every battle from the pits of hell; every form of sin, illness, fear; all of it defeated when our Lord cried out "It Is Finished". The battle was won then and forever more. There was no undoing the completion of this triumphant feat. And when Jesus ascended up to Heaven, He rested. He knew the battle was won. He knew the Bride would be safe, if only they would believe.....if only they would listen to His Spirit....if only they would trust Him.
Hands outstretched, the Lord reaches for our battles, our struggles and fears. Love pouring forth, He gives us strength to face each day; He gives us courage and encouragement to stand upright in His righteousness; He gives us knowledge that the battle has been won, we can rest in Him.
So why are there so many of my brothers and sisters in the Lord shaken, distressed, fearful? Think on this, my friends. Why do you fight when the battle has been won? We are victorious and we do not have to lift a hand. Our rest is in the Word of God. In every place you look, you see the peace flowing out of the Word. The words written there are life to you and me, they are the joy of the Father meant to thrill our hearts. Life, precious life, freedom, we are bound no more, we are free. The enemy has been defeated, he has no place in our lives.
Still questioning? Revelation 20:10 "And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever." Revelation 21:6 "He said to me: "it is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thristy I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son."
You cannot overcome without faith in the God who created us. You cannot overcome without believing in Jesus, the Son of God, that He died for our sin, and reigns now as King. You cannot overcome unless you first come to the Lord, bowed down, repentant, seeking His face, giving your all to the One that has given all for you. Overcomers, lift up your head, look into the eyes of our precious Savior, His tears are tears of joy....because the battle has been won, you are His.
09-20-12
Our battles, those never ending battles that have been coming at us from the time we can remember.....they have been won. Do you realize how much time we spend thinking about how we are going to take care of the responsibilities we have, wondering what will happen if, and when, and because?
Rest. We can rest in the Lord. Do you think that the Lord spends all His days worrying about what we will do next? First, He already knows what we are going to do today, tomorrow, next year. He knows the words of our mouth before we ever utter a sound. The Lord knows our heart. He knows if we truly desire Him, if we need, without any doubt, if we need Him every minute as we do air to breath. And He knows our fears, our concerns, our limitations. Rest. Our Lord created the heavens and the earth and all that is within them, and then He rested. The work was done.
He sent Jesus to earth because our God wanted our fears to cease, He wanted us to be whole and well in spirit and mind and body. He sent Jesus to earth, knowing He would be sacrificed for us, His beloved children. Our Lord wanted us to be able to rest. On the day our Lord, precious Jesus died, He took on every battle from the pits of hell; every form of sin, illness, fear; all of it defeated when our Lord cried out "It Is Finished". The battle was won then and forever more. There was no undoing the completion of this triumphant feat. And when Jesus ascended up to Heaven, He rested. He knew the battle was won. He knew the Bride would be safe, if only they would believe.....if only they would listen to His Spirit....if only they would trust Him.
Hands outstretched, the Lord reaches for our battles, our struggles and fears. Love pouring forth, He gives us strength to face each day; He gives us courage and encouragement to stand upright in His righteousness; He gives us knowledge that the battle has been won, we can rest in Him.
So why are there so many of my brothers and sisters in the Lord shaken, distressed, fearful? Think on this, my friends. Why do you fight when the battle has been won? We are victorious and we do not have to lift a hand. Our rest is in the Word of God. In every place you look, you see the peace flowing out of the Word. The words written there are life to you and me, they are the joy of the Father meant to thrill our hearts. Life, precious life, freedom, we are bound no more, we are free. The enemy has been defeated, he has no place in our lives.
Still questioning? Revelation 20:10 "And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever." Revelation 21:6 "He said to me: "it is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thristy I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son."
You cannot overcome without faith in the God who created us. You cannot overcome without believing in Jesus, the Son of God, that He died for our sin, and reigns now as King. You cannot overcome unless you first come to the Lord, bowed down, repentant, seeking His face, giving your all to the One that has given all for you. Overcomers, lift up your head, look into the eyes of our precious Savior, His tears are tears of joy....because the battle has been won, you are His.
09-20-12
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