Believe!

Isaiah 43:10-13 NLT “But you are my witnesses, O Israel!” says the LORD, “And you are my servant. You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God. There is no other God; there never has been and never will be. I am the LORD, and there is no other Savior. First I predicted your deliverance; I declared what I would do, and then I did it—I saved you. No foreign god has ever done this before. You are witnesses that I am the only God,” says the LORD. “From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can oppose what I do. No one can reverse my actions.”

 

God says in this portion of scripture that there are three things that we have been chosen in Him to do: 1) we have been chosen to know Him; 2) we have been chosen to believe in Him; 3) we have been chosen to understand that He alone is God.

 

It’s imperative as children of God, those who are called by His name, His people, His own family, that we know Him, believe in Him and understand that He alone is God! There is no way that we can be effective witnesses and serve the One true and living God without these three things being prevalent in our lives.

 

We must know Him! Jesus said in John 17:3: And this is the way to have eternal life—to know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. (NLT)

 

What does it mean to “know Him”? The Greek word for “know” in that verse is the word “ginosko” and it means a knowledge obtained not by mere intellectual activity, but by operation of the Holy Spirit upon acceptance of Christ. This knowledge is not marked as finality in the fact that there is an initial meeting and a continuous growth process in knowing Him. This verb is the same word used for a husband knowing his wife sexually. It is a progressive knowledge learned through experiencing life with someone. We come to know God initially through accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord, but then we grow in knowing Him through experiencing Him as we fellowship with Him through prayer, Bible study and fellowship with the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit. There is an intimacy involved in “knowing God” that moves beyond intellect or mental assent into the realm of spiritual intimacy that comes as we grow closer to Him through our relationship with Jesus Christ. We have been chosen to know Him!

 

We have been chosen to believe in Him! The Hebrew word for “believe” in Isaiah 43:10 is the word “aman” and it means to be firm, endure, be faithful, be true, stand fast, trust, have belief, believe. In the passive stem, “aman” has several emphases. First, it indicates that a subject is “lasting” or “enduring”. It also signifies the element of “being firm” or “trustworthy”. In one scripture, Isaiah 22:23, aman refers to a “firm” place, a place into which a peg will be driven so that it will be immovable. The peg will remain firmly anchored, even though it is pushed so hard that it breaks off at the point of entry. The word also means “trustworthy”. In all these different meanings we see one common strand of understanding: we have been chosen to believe in Him because He is the One person that we can know will be faithful to us regardless of what we are experiencing in our lives. He is the anchor that we can ground ourselves to knowing that He will never change; He is always enduring and trustworthy! We can be assured that God will not move away from us or change His feelings about us. He is faithful!

 

The first biblical occurrence for “aman” is found in Genesis 15:6: And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD declared him righteous because of his faith. It was not primarily in God’s words that he believed, but in God Himself. In other words, Abram came to experience a personal relationship with God rather than an impersonal relationship with His promises. We can read God’s word and know that He is faithful to His word and His promises are true, but until we “believe” God, knowing that He will do what He has said in His word and fulfill it to us personally, that we will experience “knowing Him and believing Him. He is a personal God that wants His children to know Him individually and trust Him to do what He has said He will do in each of our lives. We are chosen to “believe in Him” as in “trusting Him”, personally!

 

We have been chosen to understand that He alone is God! When God gives a promise and says He is going to do something, there is no person on earth or demon in hell that can reverse that promise. He is faithful to do what He has said He will do. When we pray and ask God to take care of something for us we can be assured that He will do that. In praying and seeking His will in a situation, when God gives you the scripture that promises His provision for your need ,you can be assured that if you believe, as in “trust” Him by standing on His promise and expectantly waiting for its manifestation, that He will do it. Abram “believed” God; he didn’t just believe “in God”, but he believed that what God said He would do and he waited 25 years for the fulfillment of God’s promise. That doesn’t mean that Abram sat down and didn’t do anything while he waited for God to fulfill His promise. This word “aman” in it’s New Testament counterpart is “pisteuo”. It means to trust in, have faith in, be fully convinced of, acknowledge, and rely on. It expresses reliance upon and a personal trust that produces obedience. It includes submission and a positive confession of the lordship of Jesus. We see “pisteuo” as not just a trust in or reliance upon God, but believing Him so much that we act upon that belief through something that we do. We act as if the promise has already been manifested. We see an example of this in Romans 10:9, 10:

 

(NKJV) that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

 

In this scripture we have a perfect example of “believe”. There is two parts to it: believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth. So, we see that to “believe” is more than just waiting for God to do what He has promised. There is an action that goes with what we are believing in our hearts. In this case, we speak out what we are believing in our heart that He is going to do based on His promises. Many times when Jesus healed someone he would ask them to do something to show their belief in what He was doing in their lives.

 

Matthew 12:13 Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out and it was restored as whole as the other.

 

Jesus often said to those to whom received His healing touch that it was their “faith” that had made them whole. They believed in Him, reached out to him in faith and He proclaimed that it was their action tied to their belief that drew upon His healing power and made them well. We have been chosen to understand that He alone is God and no one can oppose Him or reverse His actions! When we come to Him in faith believing that He will do what He has said we can know that when we act on His promises He is faithful to do them!

 

Do you know God? Are you believing Him for specific promises that He has made to you? Do you understand that He alone is God and what He has said no one can oppose or reverse His actions? God wants you to know these things! He has chosen you to be in Christ Jesus, alive spiritually in Him so you can have a living and vital relationship with Him. These are all promises that are fulfilled as you grown in your relationship with Him. But it begins with an initial introduction to the Lord Jesus Christ. If you haven’t received Him as your own personal Lord and Savior that is where the relationship begins. Ask Him into your heart today and He will come in through the presence of His Spirit to live with you and walk through every day with you.

 

Father, I bring those before You who may not know You personally. I pray that today will be their day of salvation. I ask You to draw them by Your Spirit into a living and vital relationship with Jesus as they pray to ask Him into their hearts. I thank You for touching them, for showing them their need to receive Him as their own personal Lord and Savior. Father, I pray for those who may be struggling with faith issues this morning. I pray that You will show them the promises in Your word that meet the need in their lives and help them to stand firmly as they believe You to bring those promises into manifestation. Father, open blinded eyes this morning to see that You are God and there is nothing too difficult for You. Touch hearts and bring people to salvation, healing, deliverance and freedom through Your Spirit’s power in their lives. Father, move in their lives in ways that they will see and understand that it is You and not any coincidence or chance happening. Bring glory and honor unto Yourself in each person’s life. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Father’s Love Letter

The Father heart of God is so loving and tender towards His creation. And yet so many don’t understand or receive His love. This video and letter have been such a blessing to me. We all need to understand the love that our heavenly Father has for us. I pray that you will be blessed through it as well!

Father, I thank You for the great love that You have for us. I thank You for proving that love when You gave the very best that heaven had to offer in the crucifixion of Your Son, Jesus, that we might be bought back from the kingdom of darkness that ruled over us in our disobedience. Father, I thank You that even though we were spiritually dead in our sin that You made us alive through the blood of Christ Jesus. Father, there was no way that we could earn our salvation so You paid the price through the sacrifice of Your Son that we might have an opportunity to be Your children through accepting Him personally as our own Savior and Lord. Thank You for giving Jesus for me personally that I might know You and be able to live eternally in Your presence in heaven. I praise You for the work that You did on my behalf on that old rugged cross, Lord Jesus, and I proclaim You as My Savior and My Lord. I pray that as people read this love letter, Father, that they will see the great love that You have for them and if they don’t know You, will place their trust in Jesus as their own personal Savior and Lord as well and come into the family of God. I pray that those who may not understand Your love will draw close to You that You might lavish it on them and that they would see that You are not angry with them, but that You love them so deeply and completely that they could not possibly ever do anything that would shatter the love that You have for them. Thank You, Father! In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Fruit Or Gifts?

II Corinthians 5:17 AMP Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!

 

There’s something special that takes place in a person’s spirit when Jesus comes to be their own personal Savior and Lord. The Bible says they become a new creature; their old previous moral and spiritual condition becomes new and fresh. The heart of that person that was previously spiritually dead now becomes alive. We call that act of rebirth as regeneration.

 

Titus 3:5 AMP He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but because of His own pity and mercy, by [th] cleansing [bath] of the new birth (regeneration) and renewing of the Holy Spirit.

 

It is in that moment of acceptance of what Jesus did on our behalf in payment of the penalty for our sin that we become “born again”; born of the Spirit, and regenerated into a new creation in Christ Jesus. Spiritually we become a new person. We look the same on the outside, but the heart is changed. Our spirits are then indwelt by the Spirit of God; the Holy Spirit who comes to live within that person.

 

Regeneration – Reproduction; the act of producing anew. In theology, new birth by the grace of God; that change by which the will and natural enmity of man to God and his law are subdued, and a principle of supreme love to God and his law, or holy affections, are implanted in the heart. (definition from Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language)

 

When the Holy Spirit comes to live within us He brings His fruit, His character and nature with Him. We are now indwelt by God’s Spirit and so our DNA, so to speak, is changed. We now have the DNA of our Father, God.

 

What is DNA? It is deoxyribonucleic acid, or better known as DNA. We all know that elephants only give birth to little elephants, giraffes to giraffes, dogs to dogs and so on for every type of living creature. But why is this so?

 

The answer lies in a molecule called deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), which contains the biological instructions that make each species unique. DNA, along with the instructions it contains, is passed from adult organisms to their offspring during reproduction.

According to God’s Word when we become new creations in Christ Jesus our spiritual DNA is changed. We have now been born of God’s Spirit and His DNA flows through our veins as it did in the original creation of man in the Garden of Eden.

Genesis 1:27 AMP So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.

When sin entered the heart of man the spiritual nature of man in relation to God changed. The human nature, or the soul, became the driving force in man’s decision making process. He no longer could commune spiritually with His God as he had done before sin entered his heart. Spiritually he was considered dead. But that changes and he becomes alive spiritually when he receives Jesus as Savior and Lord. The channel of communication is once again established and the spirit of man is quickened or made alive. Now he can relate spirit to Spirit through the indwelling of God’s Spirit within him.

So, the Holy Spirit, when He comes to indwell man’s reborn spirit, brings with Him His fruit, or His character and nature, the fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22, 23 AMP But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge].

Once regeneration takes place the Holy Spirit begins working to change the character and nature of the person that has received Jesus as Savior and Lord. Even though at salvation, or the initial moment that a person is changed spiritually to become a new creation, the process of changing the character and nature of that person is worked out as a process. We are being changed from faith to faith and from glory to glory as the Holy Spirit works on our character development.

2 Corinthians 3:18 AMP And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit works in us to change our character and nature to match the Lord’s when He comes to live within us.

The gifts of the Spirit are totally different. They have nothing to do with a person’s character and nature; they are endowments for service. The Holy Spirit gives gifts as He wills to do the work of ministry and are given to build up or edify the church. They are described in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14. Love as discussed in 1 Corinthians 13 is what makes the gifts of God’s Spirit work. I like to think of the love chapter and it’s description in 1 Corinthians 13 as the mortar that holds the bricks of God’s gifts together. Without love, which is a “fruit”, or character and nature of God’s Spirit, we cannot function properly in displaying the “gifts”, or endowments of the Spirit even though He may give us with one. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are given as they are needed for the work of ministry in ministering to people in need.

1 Corinthians 12:1; 4 AMP NOW ABOUT the spiritual gifts (the special endowments of supernatural energy), brethren, I do not want you to be misinformed. Now there are distinctive varieties and distributions of endowments (gifts, extraordinary powers distinguishing certain Christians, due to the power of divine grace operating in their souls by the Holy Spirit) and they vary, but the [Holy] Spirit remains the same.

Gifts – Greek word charisma. Strong’s #5486. Related to other words derived from the root char. Char is joy, cheerfulness, delight. Charis is grace, goodwill, undeserved favor. Charisma is a gift of grace, a free gift, divine gratuity, spiritual endowment, miraculous faculty. It is especially used to designate the gifts of the Spirit.

The “gifts” of the Spirit and the “fruit” of the Spirit are two totally different things. The “fruit” speaks of our character and nature development and the “gifts” speak of special endowments for service that the Holy Spirit gives during times of need in people’s lives.

1 Corinthians 12:8-10 describes the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We will not go into them today, but verse 11 tells us how they are distributed.

1 Corinthians 12:11 AMP All these [gifts, achievements, abilities] are inspired and brought to pass by one and the same [Holy] Spirit, Who apportions to each person individually [exactly] as He chooses.

The gifts of the Spirit are given to a person as He chooses, not as we choose. They are His special endowments and He knows who needs to manifest that particular gift at that particular time. He gives them as He sees the need. The fruit of the Holy Spirit, on the other hand, is resident within the believer and is developed through time and experiences. We are molded into the character and nature of Jesus as we live day by day under the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Our character and nature is changed as we yield to the work that He does within us. The gifts that He gives for service are given at special times when needed to manifest His power to supernaturally change a person according to their need at that moment.

The “fruit” and the “gifts” are often viewed as one in the same, but they are different. Growth is a process and God’s Spirit works in each one of us to develop and change us into the image of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. We are changed over a period of time. The gifts of His Spirit come upon a person for supernatural use. One, then we see as happening over a period of time and one instantaneously through the manifestation of His Spirit. It is important that we know the difference because we sometimes become disappointed that people who accept Jesus into their hearts do not immediately exhibit the change that has taken place in their spirits. We expect them to immediately be totally different. They are changed spiritually immediately but the manifestation of that regeneration within them takes time as the Holy Spirit develops His character and nature within them.

Philippians 1:6 AMP And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.

The Holy Spirit is always at work in each one of us working to develop us into the image of Jesus. Don’t become disappointed when you do not see a complete change immediately as it is a work in progress. He’s still working on you and me!

Father, I thank You for the process of change that You work in each one of us as we yield to Your Spirit within us. I pray that we each will cooperate with His power to change us into the image of Jesus. Father, I pray, also, that we will yield to Your Spirit as He desires to endow us with His gifts for the work of ministry. I pray that we will be ready to receive that gift when He sees the need for its use. Only You, Lord, know what needs to be given for the needs of the people around us. Father, I thank You that You are ever changing us and working through the situations around us to perfect Your work in each one of us, to Your honor and glory. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Love Crucified, Arose!

Love crucified, Arose! Love, Jesus Christ in the flesh, was crucified and arose to life once again, overcoming sin, sickness, disease, poverty and lack, that you and I might walk free, redeemed, bought back from the throes of sin, sickness and poverty, to experience His love in all its fullness!

 

I am convinced as Wayne Jacobsen says in His book, “He Loves Me”, that God’s children live “less loved” because we do not fully understand or receive the love that Jesus died to give us. God is love! There is nothing within Him that could love us any more or any less because His very essence is love. There is nothing that we can do to cause Him to love us any more or any less because He loves to the fullest extent of the word. Love is unconditionally granted to you and me because that is His character and nature.

 

As human beings we often put conditions on our love for each other. Our love is tainted by our feelings, our expectations of the other person and our need for our own selfish desires to be fulfilled. Thus, we put demands and expectations on people that often cannot be attained through our own human abilities. Paul said about the Corinthian church that their love towards him was restricted because of their own affections.

 

2 Corinthians 6:11,12 NLT O Corinthians! We have spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open. You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections.

 

Our own affections for others are often restricted because of unmet expectations that we have that the other person can’t possibly meet. The only One that can truly meet the needs of an empty heart is God. I remember when I was single waiting for God to introduce me to the one that He had picked out for me to marry. During that time He taught me a lot from His word and through fellowshiping with the Holy Spirit about marriage. One of the things that He said to me was that marriage wasn’t about what one person could get from another, but it was all about what that person could give to the other to help them be all that He had designed and created them to be. Love is about giving, not receiving. But our affections often restrict our ability to love unconditionally.

 

It is only as we understand and receive the unconditional love of the Father that we can pass that love on to others.

 

1 John 4:16-19 NLT We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in Him. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face Him with confidence because we are like Christ here in this world. Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of judgment, and this shows that His love has not been perfected in us. We love each other as a result of His loving us first.

 

As we receive God’s love the fear of being taken advantage of leaves because we know we are secure in the Father’s love and there is nothing that can change that for us. His love expels the fear in our hearts that we will not have our needs met because He is the need-meeter, not the other person. As His love is perfected in us we are free to be ourselves and to pass that love on to others. His love overcomes all obstacles in our path and sets us free from fear and torment.

 

Romans 8:35-39 NLT Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death? (Even the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from His love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

God’s love is all-encompassing; it completes us. It is through our union with Christ Jesus, love personified, that we are complete and lack nothing in our ability to love others as He loves us.

 

Colossians 2:9, 10 For in Christ the fullness of God lives in a human body, and you are complete through your union with Christ. He is the Lord over every ruler and authority in the universe.

 

Even though we are complete in Christ Jesus the manifestation of all that that encompasses is a process that He works in us as we grow in our level of maturity in Him. We are a work in progress!

 

Paul said in Ephesians 3 that He prayed for the Christians at Ephesus that they would know God’s love completely and in experiencing that love they would grow into the fullness of the life and power that comes from God.

 

Ephesians 3:17-19 And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in Him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

 

It is through trusting Christ Jesus to fulfill the deepest longings of our hearts that we come to know God’s love. As we experience His love He imparts His supernatural ability to love others and it flows from us as we are secure in the love of God as our supply, not another person. He works that in us through His Spirit as we fellowship with Him through prayer and Bible study.

 

Are you lonely and feeling unloved today? God loves you with an everlasting love. He has lavished His love upon us through the giving of His Son, Jesus Christ, as the payment for your sin and mine. Jesus was crucified to give us life and that more abundantly. Are you living “less loved” because you don’t fully understand and receive His love? May you come to know Him personally and experience the love of God that passes all understanding that you may find your fulfillment in Him and Him alone.

 

Father, I thank You for the great love that You have demonstrated towards us in giving Your very own Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sin. I pray that You will open the eyes of our understanding to see and receive Your love, Father, that we might all be filled with the fullness of your power and ability to love others. Father, I pray for those who may be lonely and hurting today, that You might show them in ways that they will understand Your love and be warmed by Your embrace. I ask You, Father, to help us to release the love that You have placed in our hearts to those around us. May we not be critical and judgmental, but open and loving. Thank You for giving us Your Spirit to work in us to effect the fullness of Your love in our hearts. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

 

A Child Of The King

I’m so thankful that my heavenly Father loves me and cherishes me as His daughter.

 

God wants to be intimately involved with our lives and He loves us with a perfect Father’s love. There is no fear in His love because fear involves torment and causes us to run from His presence. How can we say we love Him when we are afraid to come before Him for one reason or another. We see that in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned. One of the first things they did was to hide from their heavenly Father. Instead of running into His arms of love and giving Him the opportunity to wipe away their fears, they ran away from Him.

 

For years I have always spent a special time with the Lord first thing in the morning, and I still do. However, some days I’m not as alert as others and some days it takes me a little longer to get moving. It’s in those times that I feel less connected to my heavenly Father. These times affect my ability to enjoy my fellowship with my Father.

 

One morning recently I experienced one of these times when I just didn’t feel as aware of His presence as I usually do. In praying about this situation the Lord spoke ever so gently to me and ask me how I would treat one of my children if they got up not feeling well and was having a difficult time of interacting with me. And I responded that I would take my little one in my arms and rock her/him speaking tender words of love and affection for her/him while she/he took their time in waking up, stretching and acclimating to their day. It was then that He brought to my memory these verses in Psalm 103:

 

Psalm 103:13, 14 NKJV As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.

 

Then He spoke this to my heart:

 

“You are free to be yourself, Child. I have set you free to live as I direct you. You are free to come into My presence any time you want. I am always here waiting to meet with you. It’s okay for you to take your time to prepare yourself to meet with Me. I am not a harsh taskmaster who demands your attention before you do anything else. Relax in My love and enjoy being with Me. Let your hair down, so to speak, and relax. Envision your child coming to you. You don’t demand their every moment or expect them to give up all other life activities for you. And neither do I, My Child. I created you and placed you in the world in which you live. I created your body to function. Every season of your life is different from the last. Don’t feel that you must go through life the same way every day. I am not into formulas; I want a living relationship with you. I understand your moods, your ups and downs and your physical needs and limitations. Relax and enjoy Me as I enjoy you. You are the apple of My eye. I delight in you. Don’t allow condemnation from the enemy to push you away from Me. Come to Me and I will refresh you.”

 

In reflecting on His tender words of love I am reminded of some scriptures that describe who we are as His children.

 

John 1:12, 13 NKJV But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

 

Those who are born again, or who have received Jesus Christ as their own personal Lord and Savior have become children of God. The scripture says that He gave them the “right” to become His children.

 

Right – Greek word exousia – one of four words defining “power” in God’s word. This definition means the authority or right to act, ability, privilege, capacity, delegated authority.

 

As children of God we have been given the authority and right to act as His children. Paul tells us in Ephesians 3:14 that we are named after our Father because we are in His family.

 

Ephesians 3:14 NKJV For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

 

My children, when growing up, carried the name of their Father; my son still does. They were known by their family name and I love them because they are my children. They are not perfect, but they are mine. As a mother I look past their faults and love them because they are my children. God loves us because we are His children. We carry His name: Christians, Christ followers. Just as I am delighted in my children, so He is delighted in those who have chosen to follow Jesus Christ and have become His children. We have been given the right to act as His children because we ARE His children!

 

Psalm 139:17, 18 NKJV How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.

 

If you are having a difficult time understanding God’s love for you I pray that you will take the time to talk with Him about it. Get to know your heavenly Father as a loving Father, not a God who is far way.

 

Galatians 4:6, 7 NLT And because you Gentiles have become His children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, and now you can call God your dear Father. Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are His child, everything He has belongs to you.

 

Father, I thank You for Your great love that has brought me into Your family. I thank You for Jesus laying down His life that I might have life through Him. I thank You that I am Yours and You know me intimately. You know my going out and my coming in and even the words on my tongue before I speak them. You are intimately acquainted with me because I am Yours. Thank You for loving me unconditionally. Father, I pray for those this morning who may be living “less loved” than what You would like for them to live. I pray that You will open their eyes of understanding to see how much You love them and how pleased You are with them. May they experience the love of God that passes all understanding and live in the freedom that You have given us as Your children. Thank You, Father, for being patient and kind with us when we fail You. Thank You for forgiving us when we sin and fall short of Your glory. Thank You, Father, for giving us the right to be Your children. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

 

 

Fear Verses Faith

Fear and faith cannot both be in operation at the same time!  If fear is present faith isn’t.

II Timothy 1:7  NKJV  For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

When fear is present the mind is clouded and foggy.  But God says that He didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but one of the things that He did give us was a sound mind.

Sound mind – Greek word sophronismos – A combination of good judgment, disciplined though patterns, and the ability to understand and make right decisions.  It includes the qualities of self-control and self-discipline.

When fear comes the mind loses all perspective of what is taking place and goes immediately to the worst case scenario.  The devil plays off of our fears and weaknesses.  He looks for loopholes to get a foothold in our lives.  But faith sends fear away.  If faith is present fear can’t stay.  The mind becomes disciplined and self-controlled, good judgment and optimism of the future comes to the forefront.  Hope takes the place of fear and God becomes bigger than our fears.

Will fear push God to the side in your life this morning?  Or will faith takes its place and exalt the name of Jesus above all others.  Fear is a name and it is under the name of Jesus!

Father, I thank You that I do not have to fear what lies ahead for You go before me into every situation.  I thank You for your power within me is greater than the one who is in the world.  Father, I pray for those this morning who may be afraid of what is happening in their lives.  I ask You to reveal Your greatness to them and give them faith in the place of fear.  Father, I thank You for giving each one of us a measure of faith to meet the obstacles that lie ahead of us.  I pray that we will each one exercise our faith to believe, beginning with the small things and working up to the big things in our lives.  Father, You’ve said that when we speak with our faith that even though its just the size of a mustard seed that it can move trees and pull them up by the roots and plant them in the sea.  Father, may we take that little faith that we might have in what is happening in our lives and use it to effect change!  Thank You for Your Spirit’s power and ability within us that does exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ask or imagine!  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.

Victory In Christ Jesus!

Jesus proclaimed victory for those who would be “in Him” even before He won the victory.  The victory was won and secured for all who would place their trust in Him when He hung on that cross, crucified, buried and resurrected on the third day!  And yet even before He went through the tribulation of the cross, He proclaimed the victory!

Romans 4:16, 17 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed–God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;

God proclaimed Abraham to be the father of many nations even before he had placed the seed of a son within the womb of Sarah his wife.  In view of the impossibility of that child ever being born, God proclaimed it as so!  He calls those things which do not exist as though they already are in existence!

Hebrews 11:1, 3  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

Framed – Greek word katartizo — means to arrange, set in order, equip, adjust, complete what is lacking, make fully ready, repair, prepare.

What is it in your life that you need to see as completed, repaired, or set in order?  Have you placed your trust in Christ Jesus?  If so, you have the same Spirit within you that raised Christ Jesus from the dead.  That same Spirit that speaks life into dead things!  That same Spirit that causes you to be an overcomer even before you’ve gone into the battle!

Romans 8:11  But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

What are you saying about the mountain of opposition that lies before you?  Are you speaking about your mountain or to it?

Mark 11:22-24  So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.  “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”

Father, I thank You for making me an overcomer in Christ Jesus!  I thank You that the victory has already been secured for me to walk it out!  I will take my rightful place in Him knowing that because He went to the cross on my behalf I can can overcome all the challenges in life that rise up in opposition against me.  Thank You for giving me life in Christ Jesus!  I will speak to the mountains and not about them!  I will call for life to enter into the dead places in my life!  I will reign in Christ Jesus because of what He did for me on the cross!  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.