Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Feeling a Little Weak Today?



In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.



Whenever you are feeling weak, tired, overwhelmed, remember the Lord, the Rock that is higher than we are. He is our strength. Our Refuge.

Think back to that song of innocents. 
Jesus Love me

He will stay 
Close beside me all the way.
Thou hast bled and died for me; 
I will henceforth live for Thee.

Chorus: 
Yes, Jesus loves me! 
Yes, Jesus loves me! 
Yes, Jesus loves me! 
The Bible tells me so.

This I know, 
For the Bible tells me so. 
Little ones to Him belong; 
They are weak but He is strong.
Jesus loves me! 
Loves me still, 
Tho I'm very weak and ill, 
That I might from sin be free, 
Bled and died upon the tree.

Jesus loves me! 
He who died 
Heaven's gate to open wide; 
He will wash away my sin, 
Let His little child come in.

Jesus loves me! 

--Anna B. Warner, 1820 -1915

Jesus loves you - accept the free gift and rejoice that He loves you so !!

Monday, March 25, 2013

Betrayal

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 


In this season of the Passion of the Christ. The last week of the life of Jesus before He was crucified. I look into my own heart and see betrayal. Rebellion. Oh, I don't want to, but it is there. Places in my heart and will that I have kept from Jesus and held my will over God's will.

That is nothing but betrayal from one called a Christian. Rebellion in its rawist form. I have been asking for the Lord to create in me a clean heart. And this is a large stone the Lord has dug for me to see and ask forgiveness.

Praise the Lord. Just as Paul said.

Romans 7:19

19 For the good that I would I do not: 
but the evil which I would not, that I do.

Now you might ask me, a Christian, just what great evil do I do? The greatest of evils - retain my will against the will of the Lord. Rebellion. For in rebellion, the Lord can do little with me. For I am untrustworthy as long as my will reins.

Now, that is not the end. For praise the Lord, read the rest of Romans 7

20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Sin uncovered and repented of can now be cleansed by the Blood of Jesus. For though rebellion is the most grievous of sins having its root in Pride, it is rendered dead by sincere repentance and living by walking in the Spirit.

Romans 8:1

 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 




Forgive me, Lord. Help me be quick to submit to Your Will. Quick to hear Your voice.
Quick to obey. 

1 Samuel 15:22

22 And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Be Strong in the Lord

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  


Yes, there is a devil. I give him no glory, for all glory belongs to God. But the enemy is a powerful one. Not to be made light of, not to be forgotten, and not to think more highly of him than deserved. But we do have an enemy.

Not flesh and blood that we rail at one another,

 Ephesians 6:12

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Jesus defeated the devil on the cross. Winning for all who believed in Him freedom from fear of death and the grave.

In Christ, we are victorious.  Our Lord used scripture to overcome the temptations of the evil one. We can only defeat the enemy by His Spirit and Word. Not by our might or power.

So put your armor on daily.  Be on guard against the enemies deceitful ways, and sharpen your sword - the Word of God.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Strong in the Lord

Ephesians 6:10

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.



How we deceive ourselves if we think we can stand on our power alone. 
No.
Through Jesus' sacrifice, we have access to the armor of God.
The helmet of salvation
Breastplate of Righteousness
Belt of truth
Sword of the Spirit
Shield of Faith

Why do we need the whole armor of God?

Ephesians 6:11


11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

So start you day by putting on the armor of God. 
And don't leave home without it,





Wednesday, March 20, 2013

What did Jesus do?

John 3:18


18 He that believeth on [Jesus] him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.


Jesus, the Son of God, left His throne in heaven
and came to earth. Not to condemn us
but to save us from the condemnation
we are all born into.

For the world is fallen
Sin ravaged the hearts and souls of mankind
as well as the earth.

BUT God did not leave us there
He offered the promise, the hope of eternal life
And Jesus came, born of a virgin,
Both man and God
Sinless

And Jesus defeated the devil 
Took back the rule over the world
and offered salvation 
to whosoever believes.

Jesus destroyed the works of the devil.
Believe on Jesus 
and enter into eternal life.

Escape the condemnation
by the blood and sacrifice of the Lamb of God

The choice is yours
Choose you this day
life or death.

Ask Jesus into your heart
and become a new creation
so that you shall enter into 
eternal life

The Hope of Glory
Jesus

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Stand

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.



Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.

As the days become treacherous, we must learn to stand together in the Lord. Like an army, arms locked, sword out, stand fast in the Lord and protect your neighbor as you would protect yourself. 

Pray for one another. 
 Stand on the Word, proclaim it. Believe it.
And Stand.

Don't be swayed by the deceit of the enemy.
Put on the whole armor of God 
And Stand.

For the Lord is victorious and
has overcome the world.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Hope

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. 


Hope. Joyful and confident expectation. 

In this darkening world, people need hope they can sink their life into. Not a wish that things were better. Not a dreamy look into something out of their reach. For on our own, eternal life is out of our reach.

BUT There is One hope that promises eternal life. Not by works but by the obedient sacrifice of the Lamb of God. Jesus paid the price for the sins of the world that whoseoever called on His name would have eternal life. 

Keep your eyes on the Lord. Read His Word for it is light and hope to those who are perishing. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. 

Seek Him

Ask Jesus into your heart. And the Hope of Glory will enter in and fill you with Hope.


Friday, March 15, 2013

New Life

For if we have become one with Him by sharing a death like His, we shall also be [one with Him in sharing] His resurrection [by a new life lived for God]. Amplified Bible


If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.


Walking in the Spirit - what does that look like?


But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

I know, I hear the groans. 
No, it is not another load of rules on your backs.

 Fruits result on a tree or plant that is fed from a sure foundation - root system. 
Plus those trees and plants are in the sun. - Basking in the light of the SON

At times the husbandman, caretaker - Holy Spirit - must prune some the old branches and cast them away so the new branches get the nutrition to produce. (The old ways must go - let God take the old life to make way for the new)

What do you need to produce the fruit of the Spirit?
  1. A sure foundation - Jesus - are you grounded in the Savior? Have you asked Him into your heart? And then ask to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. We get the power from the Holy Spirit. The Father Son and Holy Spirit working together.
  2. Bask in the SON of God, Jesus - Read the Bible - the truth coming from the sure foundation. Soak up the life giving Word of God. Meditate on His Word. Speak it aloud.
  3. Allow the Lord to prune away the fleshly behaviors, old habits that are holding you back. He is gentle and loving. You won't miss what you give up.
  4. Now walk in the newness of life. Quick to go to the Lord in prayer. Hunger after His Word and get ready for an abundant life.
God is good!

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Somewhere Over the Rainbow


Acts 17:27
27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:


Sometimes it feels like God is a million miles away. Somewhere over that rainbow. Distant and not hearing.

But He is near. As near as a call or a cry from the heart.

As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me.

After the fall from grace, Adam and Eve hid, BUT God came looking for them. Calling to his lost children. He is still reaching out to the lost sons and daughters of Adam and Eve.

In the parable of the Prodigal son. Jesus taught how when the prodigal returned - the father ran to him.

So too will God run to you, if you but call.

Run back to God while there is time. Call out to Him and be still. In Quiet, listen for His words.
Read the Word and ask the Lord to teach you.

He is not somewhere over the rainbow out of your reach. 

The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

First

Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.


First things first. How easy it is to wake and start your day on the run. But what are we missing?
We very well may be running, but do we know where we are going?

Today, I awoke, I did pray a little but then grabbed my computer to look at something, which led to something else and on and on. Then I realized, my time with the Lord hadn't happened. I hadn't partaken of the Bread of Life and feasted on His Word to start my day.

Fortunately, it's still morning. So I'll go and read the Word. Talk to my Abba Father and get guidance in the way I should walk today.

But how quickly our days escape us. I have found that if I don't have my time with the Lord in the morning, it is just not going to happen.

He desires our presence. We need His.

So I am going to end this post and go and seek my Abba Father and see what He has to tell me today.

Give God your first thoughts of the day,


Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Promises

                                                               2 Peter 1:4
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.


 Does the New Life in Christ come with a manual?

Yes, The Holy Bible is our manual for holy living. For living that abundant life that Jesus gave us. For while we are a new creation, our flesh longs for the worldly ways. It's time for the Holy Spirit in you and your mind to submit unto the Lord and place the flesh in subjection.

No longer are we to be led by the wants of the stomach or lusts that formerly held us in bondage. We have been set free by the Blood of Christ and it is by His Word that we live and have our being.

Acts 17:28
For in him we live, and move, and have our being;...

Read and study the Bible. Pray before you begin your reading and ask Holy Spirit to teach you and guide you. 

Do you know that you have asked Jesus into your life? That's where to begin. Ask Him. 
Lord Jesus come into my life, enter my heart and take up your kingly reign in me. I believe You are the Son of God, Born of a virgin, crucified dead and buried and risen on the third day. I love You Lord. 

Congratulations - you are a grafted in heir and child of God. Now with the mouth confess that you are a new creation and Jesus is Lord.

Now ask Him to baptize you in with Holy Spirit. Keep asking, seeking and knocking until you do.

Who hooo! You are on your way to New Life. Your problems may not disappear but you can know that you are not alone. And the God of all creation walks with  you.

Can't beat that.

Welcome 

Monday, March 11, 2013

In Christ

For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.





I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Hallelujah! 
Do you see that in Christ, hidden in Christ, when the old enemy looks for whom he can devour, he can't see those hidden in Christ.

When we step outside of that 'zone', outside of walking in the spirit, we come out from the shadow of the Almighty. 

Cling to the Lord. Read His Word and ask Holy Spirit to lead and guide you. 

God's mercy is new every morning and welcomes us back in the fold. 

If you're stumped as to where to begin reading - the book of John is always a good starting place. Get quiet before the Lord, ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes and ears. Speak and read the Word Aloud.

Write down verses that speak to your heart.

And run to Jesus. We are new creations, meant to walk in the Spirit and not the flesh. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to empower us to be able to walk in the Spirit.

Go forth in joy and know that the Lord loves you.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Blue Skies

Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the Lord have created it.





My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. 



And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.


When you go outside to day, look up!
Jesus is coming back and soon.
Take heart!

Rejoice! Be Ready! And make sure those around you know about the Good News.

Jesus is coming soon.

Look UP!

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Search me, O God.

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 
How wonderful is our God.
He searches our hearts and knows our thoughts. There is nothing hidden from Him. And yet, He will lead us in the way everlasting. If we follow Him.

Why have God search our hearts?

Because we are too close. Often sin and wayword thoughts slide under our radar. If they fall under the knowledge of good and evil, we  even embrace them. There is nothing so deadly as to be 'right' and not give it up.

Our hearts are full of secret rooms and coded messages. We need God to search out those things that will lead us away from Him.

So embrace His tender searching. And open your heart and mind so that He can cleanse us.

For we desire the way everlasting. There is no other goal, no other thing so worthy.

Lead me to the Rock that is Higher I.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Living in a Stage IV World

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.


Can't you feel it? See it?
Perilous times are surely here and near. Rumors of wars, and wars. Pestilence, Famine, Earthquakes
Signs in the heavens and stars.

A pope quits - popes don't quit, they die.  How odd is that?
Meteors strike the earth and an asteroid passes close by.
Israel is approaching it's red line to deal with Iran's nuclear weapons.
The US government has purchased a billion bullets - not for the military but homeland security.
The US government also purchased a large quantity of armored vehicles for homeland security.
We kill a 1,000 babies a day and who knows how many elderly and disabled are killed(allowed to die by withholding food and medicine) in hospice centers around the country.
Innocent blood covers our land.
Deception has infiltrated many churches so that they don't even know the Word of God and put the reasoning of this world over God's Word.

So what are we to do?  Run for the hills and stock  up on freeze dried food?

Right now, I think not.

Christians - arise.  Feed  your spirit. Eat the Bread of Life. Feast on the Word of God.

For God alone is our help. He alone can cause hearts to change. For a time such as this, God Almighty chose us to be here at this time.

Don't let your days be wasted chasing after the lust and dust of this world. Instead seek first His kingdom.



Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Abundant Life

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.



How are you doing? Really? Do you wake to the  morning grind, groan, and go about the day to get it over with?

That is not abundant life.

Neither is abundant life just for the strong-willed who decide that they will smile regardless of what is going on -  just because they are supposed to. 

So, what did Jesus leave us with? What is the abundant life he meant?

I think one clue is what Jesus told the disciples to do - go to the upper room and wait for the power. The Holy Spirit. 

We need faith and to grow our faith to walk in the abundant life God meant for us to have.
We need  the Holy Spirit to teach, guide, empower us to do what we were designed to do. 

Acts 6:8
And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

See Stephen was full of faith and power - and did great wonders and miracles

That is the Abundant life Jesus left us with.

We have the same power in the Holy Spirit that Stephen did available to us.
And our faith is a gift from God. Grab hold of it.

How exciting and alive we might be if we but live by faith and the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Lord said to ask, seek, and knock and He would answer, give, and come and abide with us.

Ask Him for the Holy Spirit. Search the scriptures and ask the Lord to open your eyes and hearts, and ears to hear and do what He has for  you.

LIVE
The Abundant life is available for any who want to take it.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Are you living like a Zombie?

Romans 6:3-4
Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.


Zombies, the walking dead.
How many of us live this existence? The daily grind, hamster-wheel existence of life in the rut. Life that is dead. Just going through the motions to make it through another day.

I tell you! There is much more.  I lived as a zombie on the edge of blah humdrum. But then something happened to me. I was attacked by breast cancer. The enemy gave me a death warrant that the Lord has used to turn into a license to live. AND I am ALIVE!

You can read about my journey here on Invasion of the Booby Snatchers.

But Praise the Lord I am alive. No more existence for me. The Word of God is once again alive to me. I read it, ponder it and meditate on it. I live in Christ. He abides in me. LIFE

Life to walk in the Spirit.  No longer under the rule of my flesh but submitted to the Will of God.
No longer does my stomach rule, but the spirit. How free I am. How alive I am.

Throw off the grave clothes and dive into the Word of God. HE is life.  NOW

Jesus came to give us abundant life now. We have lived so below what is available to us. In the USA we are fat bodies with a stick figure spirit man. That is going to change.

Awake Christians. Throw off the reign of the zombie. Command  your stomach to submit to the Spirit and feed on the Word of God. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes and ears as you read the Word. Read it aloud. Shout it out. For His Word is Life to our mortal bodies.

My spirit now has a muscle or two. But I am just learning. Just taking those baby steps into life in the spirit. And I am excited.

Ephesians 5:14
Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.