Christ-Like Compassion...Do You Have It?

When he arrived, he saw a great crowd waiting. He felt sorry for them...So he began to teach them many things. Mark 6:34

When Jesus lands on the shore of Bethsaida, he leaves the Sea of Galilee and steps into a sea of humanity. Keep in mind, he has crossed the sea to get away from the crowds. He needs to grieve. He longs to relax with his followers. He needs anything but another crowd of thousands to teach and heal. But his love for people overcomes his need for rest.... Many of those he healed would never say "thank you," but he healed them anyway. Most would be more concerned with being healthy than being holy, but he healed them anyway. Some of those who asked for bread today would cry for his blood a few months later, but he healed them anyway...He had compassion on them. Jesus always found the time to talk to the blind man on the side of the road. In the midst of being hunted as the Roman guards came for him, he healed the soldier's ear who had just had it cut off. Jesus always found time, putting his needs last and showing the compassion that his Father has for all humanity. He is waiting to do the same for us...all we must do is ask and believe!

I Come, Just as I am!

In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:5

It's dangerous to sum up grand truths in one statement, but I'm going to try. If a sentence or two could capture God's desire for each of us, it might read something like this:
God loves you just the way you are, but he refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus.

God loves you just the way you are. If you think his love for you would be stronger if your faith were, you are wrong. If you think his love would be deeper if your thoughts were, wrong again. Don't confuse God's love with the love of people. The love of people often increases with performance and decreases with mistakes. Not so with God's love. He loves us right where we are.
Nothing in the whole world will ever be able to separate us from the love of God. Romans 8:39

We want to know how long God's love will endure...Not just on Easter Sunday when our shoes are shined and our hair is fixed...Not when I'm peppy and positive and ready to tackle world hunger. Not then. I know how he feels about me then. Even I like me then. I want to know how he feels about me when I snap at anything that moves, when my thoughts are gutter-level, when my tongue is sharp enough to slice a rock. How does he feel about me then? Can anything separate us from the love Christ has for us? God answered our question before we asked it. So we'd see his answer, he lit the sky with a star. So we'd hear it , he filled the night with a choir; and so we'd believe it, he became flesh and dwelt among us. He placed his hand on the shoulder of humanity and said, "You're something special Just the way we are!! We are something to him....we are special because HE sees the End from the beginning and the beginning from the end!!

 

 

The Water Of A Servant

To place our feet in the basin of Jesus is to place the filthiest parts of our lives into his hands. In the ancient East, people's feet were caked with mud and dirt. The servant of the feast saw to it that the feet were cleaned. Jesus is assuming the role of the servant. He will wash the grimiest parts of our lives. If we let him, the water of the Servant comes only when we confess that we are dirty. Only when we confess that we are caked with filth, that we have walked forbidden trails and followed the wrong paths..only when we acknowledge that we need a Savior. We will never be cleansed until we confess we are dirty. We will never be pure until we admit we are filthy. And we will never be able to wash the feet of those who have hurt us until we allow Jesus, the one we have hurt to wash ours.

 

"He poured water into a bowl and began to wash the followers' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him."  John 13:5 

Get The Vision

If you will put forth the necessary effort to renew your steady attitudes by replacing them with the glad song, the lost art of prayer will be regained by you, and love, praise, and gratitude will become your way of life.

When I commanded you to love me with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, I did so because this kind of attitude makes it possible to live upward toward the level of the Christ.

It has been hard for you to really love me in the past, even when you tried sincerely, because it is not a function of the surface mind to manufacture love for God or love for fellowman. Truth is needed first, and when it is present there love will be also.

If you hold your mind on the good news of how you and I relate, how we complement each other, how we are inseparably One whether you are aware of it or not, you will no longer have to force yourself to love me by whipping up a storm of willpower and determination.

However, if you fail to hold your mind on this good news, if you hear it and forget it, continuing to think of me as a God afar off, in this attitude I will remain too nebulous, too remote for sincere love. Or if, perhaps, you return to the old habit of thinking I am a God of wrath waiting to impinge punishment at your first mistake, then fear of me will far outweigh your love.

If you go back to thinking you cannot know me until after death, you are likely to wait until after death to feel anything about me at all, especially if you have been deceived into believing that your soul's future is secured through membership in some church. If you think I direct your activities through guiding spirits, you will idolize them instead of loving me as your guiding Father consciousness.

For these many reasons, understanding must come before genuine love for me. Understanding will fill your mind with a vision so beautiful, so desirable, so attainable, that you will never have to try to love me. Love will flood your mind and heart spontaneously every time you think of this great vision.

As you draw the vision to you, expanding it with all the detail you can gather—it will expand forever—the Light of Christ within you will be growing brighter every day.  Charles Couch

 

At The Break Of Dawn

Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:16

How long has it been since you let God have you? I mean really have you? How long since you gave him a portion of undiluted, uninterrupted time listening to His voice? Apparently Jesus did. He made a deliberate effort to spend time with God. If Jesus, the son of God felt that it was important to spend time with the Father then shouldn't we also feel the same and wouldn't it be wise of us to do so. Clear our calendar and give God the first parts of our days each and every day. It says in the bible that Jesus woke each morning early and went and prayed. I know from experience that in order to start the day off the way that God has planned for us it is vital that we seek his face each morning before anything else. Sometimes alone time can become rare to those who are like myself busy busy with caring for others and meeting all their needs. I find that it is hard for me to do what I do if I do not spend the first few waking hours communing with my Father. What stops you from consulting with you Father before the day begins? It is important that we acknowledge Him and listen for His guidance throughout the day....Our lives will become fuller and more enjoyable as we walk the path that God has designed specifically for us.

 

 

At Home WIth God

If people love me, they will obey my teaching. My father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. John 14:23

God wants to be your dwelling place. He has no interest in being a weekend getaway or a Sunday bungalow or a summer cottage. Don't consider using God as a vacation cabin or an eventual retirement home. He wants you under His roof now and always. He wants to be your mailing address, your point of reference; He wants to be your home.... As my pastor says.."He desires to lean down and tie your shoes with you!" For many this is a new thought. We think of God as a deity to discuss, not a place to dwell. We think of God as a mysterious miracle worker, not a house to live in. We think of God as a creator to call on, not a home to reside in. But our Father wants to be much more. He wants to be the one in whom "we live and move and have our being" Acts 17:28

 

It's Christmas Time!

I was young, and now I am old, but I have never see good people left helpless or their children begging for food. Psalm 37:25

With the Christmas celebration quickly approaching we tend to get lost in the hustle and bustle. We may spend too much but in my opinion we could never spend enough when we are GIVING.. Whether it is our time, our money, or ourselves, whatever seed we give and sow we will someday reap. God always makes a way where there seems to be no way and I want to thank him....many many times I have worried...we all worry...Worry about the IRS and the SAT and the FBI...We worry that we won't have enough money, and when we have money we worry that we won't manage it well. We worry that the world will end before the parking meter expires or before we find our call. We worry what the dog thinks as he chases the car down the road. We worry that one day we'll learn that fat-free yogurt was fattening. But, honestly now, Did God save us so that we would fret? Would he teach us to walk just to watch us fall down? Would he have been nailed to the cross for our sins and then disregard our prayers? Come on. Is Scripture teasing us when it reads, "He has put his angels in charge of us to watch over us wherever we go"? Psalms 91:11... So whatever you do this wonderful time of year...don't worry.. Just know that God...well He is a BIG GOD!! He has it all under control.. Sit back and enjoy the life that he has given us..freely...boldly...and living each moment of our days in faith. We do serve a mighty awesome God!!

 

Is God Listening??

I cry out to the Lord; I pray to the Lord for mercy.  Psalm 142:1


You can talk to God because God listens.  Your voice matters in heaven.  He takes you very seriously.  When you enter His presence, He turns to you to hear your voice. No need to fear that you will be ignored.  Even if you stammer or stumble, even if what you have to say impresses no on, it impresses God, and he listens.  He listens to the painful plea of the elderly in the rest home.  He listens to the gruff confession of the death-row inmate.  When the alcoholic begs for mercy, when the spouse seeks guidance, when the business man steps off the street into the chapel, God Listens.  Intently. Carefully.  He listens and he hears our prayers.

How do you see you??

You are a chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession. 1Peter 2:9

Do you ever feel unnoticed? New clothes and styles may help for a while. But if you want permanent change, learn to see yourself as God sees you: "He has covered me with clothes of salvation and wrapped me with a coat of goodness, like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding, like a bride dressed in jewels (Isaiah 61:10) Does your self-esteem ever sag? When it does, remember what you are worth. "You were bought, not with something that ruins like gold or silver, but with the precious blood of Christ, who was like a pure and perfect lamb" (1Peter 1:18-19) The challenge is to remember that. To meditate on it. To focus on it. To allow His love to change the way you look at you.

 

Daily Prayer

I pray that God retrieve all your children from the hands of any enemy... You and your family are loosed from any linkage to any family idol-generational curse - it is broken by the blood of Jesus! The cycle ceases now!! Lord, reveal every spiritual parasite and break every demonic hold in Jesus name! You have been freed - walk in your liberty! I declare this to be a season of divine favor for you, your family, your business and purpose -- Blessings will overtake you, doors will be opened to you, opportunities will chase you and the supernatural power of God will remain with you! Rest in His Promises - Love you all... XOXO

Today I Choose Life

Speak out to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, offering praise with voices and instruments and making melody with all your heart to the Lord. Ephesians 5:19

The King James version translates this verse as "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heat to the Lord." I like to apply it both ways. The way I speak to myself is important, and the way I speak to others is important too. It is easy to fall into the trap of talking about negative things, problems, disappointments, and struggles. But none of that helps us stay filled with the Spirit and none of that reflects what the Holy Spirit wants to speak to us because He is not negative in any way. Even when He speaks to us about a problem, He speaks to bring a solution; and when He speaks to us about difficult situations, He does so to bring us comfort and strength. The more we think and talk about our problems, the weaker we become, but we are strengthened as we talk and think about Jesus and His promises to us. Life is not always easy; we all face difficulties at times. God has filled us with His Spirit to enable us to do difficult things with ease. When you are going through a hard time, keep your ear tuned in to the voice of God. Speak the positive things God says to you through His Word and through the voice of His Spirit in your heart. We all feed on our own words so it is very important to speak good words that are full of life.. Choose your words wisely, for they have the power of life or death.

 

 

Dealing With Rejection

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of sympathy (pity and mercy) and the God (Who is the Source) of every comfort (consolation and encouragement) 2 Corinthians 1:3

We all desire to be accepted, not rejected. I hate the lonely, isolated feeling and emotional pain that come from feeling rejected, yet at times I experience it. There was a time that I did not know that I could do anything about it. Thank God, all that has changed! Years ago, something happened that brought back those old pains of rejection. I reached out to someone who had hurt me greatly during my childhood. Instead of an apology, I got excuses and I was essentially blamed for something that wasn't my fault and received a pretty clear message that this person didn't have room for me in their life and no interest in me whatsoever. I wanted to hide and feel sorry for myself, but instead I immediately asked God to comfort me. I asked Him to heal my wounded emotions and my bleeding heart and to enable me to handle the situation as Jesus would have. As I continued to lean on God, I felt warmth come over me, almost as though a soothing oil was being poured over my wounds. I asked God to forgive the person who had hurt me, and He brought to my mind sayin, "Hurting people, hurt people." His intimate, personal response brought healing to my wounded spirit. God is the source of all comfort, consolation, and encouragement. Please, do everything you can to develop and maintain an intimate relationship with Him because that is the context within which you will be able to hear His voice, receive His comfort and healing, and be strengthened by His encouragement and care.

 

Firey Furnace

Because he loves me, says the Lord, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name." Psalm 91:14

What do you think it would feel like to have the Lord reach down and rescue you when you are in trouble?

Without audibly hearing God's voice or feeling His bodily presence, we often forget to seek His wisdom, and instead make decisions on our own. But the Lord is with us, no matter what we need. We must constantly remind ourselves that we will never be alone.

"As sure as ever God puts His children into the furnace, He will be in the furnace with them." Charles Spurgeon

 

God's In Love With Me!

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2

I am always on His mind, the Lord dreams about me, therefore I will set my mind on Him. With my whole heart I will love him, with my mind and all of my strength. I choose this day to set my mind on all of Your ways...the ways of heaven...not on the things that I can see in this earthly realm. I will acknowledge the supernatural realm that is taking place behind the veil...the veil that seems untorn to most. In the day I will dream of You...You are always on my mind! Wasting my life searching you...Though you are holy, I know that I too am always on your mind even though I am weak and lowly. In You I am made strong.....For I am in love with God and God is in love with me!! How far will you let me go? How better will you let me be?

 

Attitude Determines Our Destiny

Keep guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life Proverbs 4:23

"Attitude is very important; our attitudes become the behavior that we display. Attitude, good or bad, begins with thoughts. A well known quote says, "Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny." Destiny is the outcome of life; character is who we are; habits are subconscious patterns of behavior. Our destiny, or the outcome of our lives, actually comes from our thoughts. That is where the entire process begins. No wonder the bible teaches us to entirely renew our minds, developing new attitudes and ideals. We are to be good students of God's word and by it develop new thinking patterns, which will ultimately change our entire destiny, the outcome of our lives. We can hinder the Holy Spirit with bad attitudes such as bitterness, anger, unforgiveness, mean-spiritdness, disrespect, seeking revenge, or being ungrateful- and that list could go on and on. The Holy Spirit flows through a godly attitude, not an ungodly one. Satan will always to to fill our minds with wrong thoughts, but we do not have to receive what he tries to give us. I would not take a spoonful of poison simply because someone offered it to me, and neither would you. If we are smart enough to refuse poison, we should be intelligent enough not to allow Satan to poison out thoughts, our attitudes, and ultimately our destiny." 

 

We Can Change Gods' Mind

The Lord turned from the evil which He had thought to do to His people. Exodus 32:14

Do you know that this verse tells us that prayer can change God's mind?  As a result of someone who will simply take the time to talk to Him and listen to Him, God can actually reconsider something He had planned to do.  When Moses went up Mount Sinai to get the Ten Commandments, he was gone longer than the people wanted him to be.  In the absence of their leader, they forgot the Lord, gave in to their fleshly desires and decided to melt all their jewelry, make a golden calf, and worship it.  God spoke to Moses on the mountain and said, essentially, "You better get back down there, because the people have really gotten themselves in a mess. And I'm angry about it."  Thank God Psalm 30:5 says that His anger lasts only a moment, but His mercy is forever!
Moses began to intercede for the people because he cared so much about them. God had already said to him "Leave Me Alone, for these people are stiff-necked and stubborn" Exodus 32:9-10. But Moses refused to give up because the issue was not settled in his heart.  He loved the people, he knew the nature of God, and he knew the character of God.  On top of that, he knew that God really loved the people and did not really want to leave them stranded.  Moses asked God, to change His mind Exodus 32:12 and according to the first verse, God did.  We can make a difference when we pray!  Today when you pray, know that God hears and He will answer!!!  Joyce Meyer

God......Speak To Me!!

Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity, for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord receives my prayer Psalm 6:8-9

When we pray, God hears us and He answers. We need to become like David, confident as he was when he wrote the verses in Psalms. We can live with confidence as long as we know that God is on our side and that He will help us win our battles in life. We are not alone. God is with us! I find that reading the book of Psalms is a great way to hear from God. He speaks to us through His word and He watches over His word to perform it. Psalms are especially encouraging in times of trouble. As we read them, we need to take them personally. Don't meditate on them as if they are not for you. Meditate on them as if they are yours, words directly from God. His personal letter to us. He wants us to know that He has good plans for us and no matter who comes against us, HE IS FOR US!! God delivered David from his enemies and He will do the same for us if we remain confident in Him. Stay in peace and continue thanking God that He is working in our lives. God has not forgotten us. He will not be late in delivering the answer to our prayers. He may not be early, but He won't be late! Keep your vision in front of you and don't ever give up!! God will send us help; He will support, refresh, and strengthen us!!

 

Open Doors, Shut Doors

A wide door of opportunity for effectual service has opened to me and there are many adversaries. 1 Corinthians 16:9 

Sometimes the only way to discover God's will is to practice what I call "stepping out and finding out." If I have prayed about something and still don't seem to know what to do, I simply take a step of faith. God has shown me that trusting Him is like standing before a automatic door. I can stand and look at the door all day, but it won't open until I take a step forward and trigger the thing that opens it. There are times in life when we must take a step forward in order to find out, one way or the other, what we should do. Some doors open as soon as we take a step of faith and others never open no matter what we do. When God opens the door, then go through it. If He does not open the door, then be satisfied to take another direction. But do not let fear trap you in total inactivity. Paul mentions the door of opportunity before him, but he also mentions "many adversaries" so we must be sure we don't mistake opposition for a closed door. Paul did not sit and wait for an angel to appear or a vision to come from heaven while he was seeking God's will. He took steps in the direction he felt was right. Most of the times God opened the doors and sometimes he kept the doors shut. When the doors were shut Paul moved on...toward the next door. Keep going forward in faith, searching for what God wants us to do. Walk boldly through the doors God opens for us, and don't become discouraged when He closes one.

 

It's Not About Me

God does not exist to make a big deal out of us. We exist to make a big deal out of Him. It's not about you. It's not about me. It's all about Him. The moon models our role. What does the moon do? She generates no light. Contrary to the lyrics of the song, this harvest moon cannot shine on. Apart from the sun, the moon is nothing more than a pitch-black, pockmarked rock. But properly positioned, the moon beams. Let her do what she was made to do, and a clod of dirt becomes a source of inspiration, yea, verily, romance. The moon reflects the greater light. And she's happy to do so! You never hear the moon complaining. She makes no waves about making waves. Let the cow jump over her or astronauts step on her; she never objects. Even though sunning is accepted while mooning is the butt of bad jokes, you won't hear ol' Cheeseface grumble. The moon is at peace in her place. And because she is, soft light touches a dark earth. What would happen if we accepted our place as SON reflectors?  Max Lucado "Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord (we) are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:18)

 

What Do You Crave?

They will not hunger or thirst, neither will mirage (mislead) or scorching wind or sun smite them; for He Who has mercy on them will lead them, and by springs of water will He guide them (Isaiah 49:10)  

God doesn't want us to desire anything more than we desire Him. It's not that we shouldn't want things, it's just that we shouldn't want them more than we want Him. He desires for us to live in the reality of His presence every day of our lives and to be thoroughly satisfied with WHO HE IS! We actually thirst for God, but if we do not realize that He is the One we crave, we can be easily misled, the way a mirage misleads thirsty travelers in the desert. Satan can deceive us by making us focus on things that will never truly satisfy. Nothing can satisfy us apart from God, so we must set our minds to seek Him. If we give Him first place in our desires, thoughts, conversations, and choices, our thirst will truly be quenched and we will not be led astray. We have legitimate needs and God wants to meet them. If we seek His face, we will find that His hand is always open to us. However, if we seek things, we can be easily deceived and may find that we have wasted a great deal of our lives being led by mirages, things that appeared to be what we needed but turned out to be nothing at all. Seek the Giver of Life and all else will come. God has everything we need!!

 

Give Thanks!

When Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house...he got down upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. Daniel 6:10 

Giving thanks is so important to being able to hear God's voice because, like praise and worship, it is something God responds to. It's something God loves, something that warms His heart. Anytime we give God pleasure like that, our intimacy with Him increases and that makes for a better relationship with Him. If we are not thankful for what we have, why should He give us something else to murmur about? On the other hand, when God see that we genuinely appreciate and are thankful for the big and little things, He is inclined to bless us even more. Philippians 4:6 says everything we ask God for should be proceeded and accompanied by thanksgiving. No matter what we pray for, thanksgiving should always go with it. Speaking words of thanksgiving and not words of complaint God will do great things in our lives as we continue to move forward with Him, seeking His heart.

 

Faithless No More!!

Thomas would die for Christ. Surely he'd die for the chance to see the risen Christ. But he wasn't about to be fooled. He'd buried his hopes once, thank you. Not about to bury them again. No matter what the others said, he needed to see for himself. So for seven days he sat. Others rejoiced, he resisted. They celebrated, he was silent. Thomas needed first hand evidence. So Jesus gave it. First one hand, then the other, then the pierced side, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe! (John 20:27). And Thomas did. "My Lord and my God!" (v 28) Only a God could come back from the dead. And only a God of love would come back for a doubter.
Desert God-he'll still love you.
Deny God-he'll still love you
Doubt God-he'll still love you.
Paul was convinced. Are you? Are you convinced that you have never lived a loveless day? Not one. Never unloved. Those times you deserted Christ? He loved you. You hid from him: he came looking for you. And those occasions you denied Christ? Though you belonged to him, you hung with them, and when his name surfaced, you cursed like a drunken sailor. God let you hear the crowing of conscience and feel the heat of tears. But he never let you go. Your denials cannot diminish His love. Nor can your doubts, You've had them. You may even have them now. While there is much we cannot know, may never know, can't we be sure of this? Doubt don't separate doubters from God's love. This door has never closed. God's love supply is never empty. "For His unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth." (Ps. 103:11) Max Lucado

 

Not My Way!!

Walk & Live habitually in the Holy Spirit (responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit) then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of the human nature without God). Galatians 5:16  

Like a horse that has been trained to keep his ear always tuned to the voice of its master, we must be willing to follow the Lord in all His leading's, not just those we feel good about or happen to agree with. We won't always like what we hear Him tell us to do. Just Sunday night as I was coming home from church, God instructed me to take a different route. I did not want to take that route and I told God that I didn't want to because my way was faster. He simply said, "go up the hill, do not take your way!" I again said, No, God I wanna take my way, and with all patience he responded calmly "take my way!" I decided to obey because I know that he knows what he is talking about. So as I pass my turn and start up the hill my oldest daughter asks me, "mom, why are you taking this way?" I laughed out loud, because in times past if I had taken the longer way to go someplace else before home she never asked me why. I took this God's confirmation that he was pleased that I had obeyed his voice. Come to find out later the next day, there was a wreck on the stretch of road that I would have traveled home on, around the time that I would have been on that road. A drunk driver. See had I done it my way, instead of God's way..well I still believe His angels would have been there but you get my point.... We must realize that in order to follow God, the flesh must be told no at times, and when that happens, the flesh suffers, but for a moment. 

There are times when we are galloping full speed ahead in one direction when suddenly the Master tells us to stop and instructs us to go in another direction. It is painful to us when we don't get our way, but ultimately we understand that God's ways are always best. Paul writes about the conflict between the Spirit and the flesh. If we follow the leading of the Spirit, we won't satisfy or fulfill the desires of the flesh that lead us away from God's best. This verse doesn't say that the desires of the flesh will disappear; we will always have to wrestle against them. But if we choose to be led by the Spirit, we won't fulfill fleshly desires and the devil won't get his way. We will sense a war going on in us as we choose to follow God's leading. Our flesh and God's Spirit usually disagree and we are tempted to keep the flesh comfortable. But we all must learn to submit to God's ways. After all He is our Father and wishes above all things that we may prosper and be in good health. Decide today to be led by the Spirit walking after the desire and will of God and not our own, stepping out of our comfort zone and into God's supernatural!

 

Are You Excited?

I was glad when they said to me, Let us go to the house of the Lord! (Psalms 122:1) As Christians we have so many blessings! We can know God, hear His voice, receive His love, trust Him to do what is best for us and rest in the fact that He has every aspect of our lives under control. We have lots of reasons to be excited! We get excited about all kinds of other things, so why shouldn't we be excited and thankful of our relationship with God? People often say that any visible display of enthusiasm in a spiritual setting is "emotionalism" We need to realize that it was God who gave us emotions and that although He does not want us to let them lead our lives, He does give them to us for a purpose, part of which is enjoyment. Even Jesus wept. If we are truly enjoying God, how can we not show some emotion about it? Why must our spiritual experience be dry, dull, boring & lifeless? I have been in many churches where people sing of God's everlasting love and how He will get you through the storm, singing as if they were mourning. When I think of God's love or how He is always there through the storms of this life, I get excited! Is Christianity supposed to be expressed by long faces, sad songs, and somber rituals? CERTAINLY NOT!! David said, "he was glad when he went into his Father's house," in 2 Samuel 6:14 he danced before God, "with all of his might". He also played his harp, sang to God, and rejoiced greatly. But David lived under the Old Covenant. Today, we live under the New Covenant and under it we who believe in Christ should be full of hope, joy, and peace. We no longer have to struggle to be acceptable to God, but we rest in the grace that Jesus made us acceptable. We no longer have to try to justify ourselves by OUR works, but we are justified by faith. We can hear His voice and enjoy His presence. We have been set free from every kind of bondage once we recognize who we have become in Christ Jesus....stepping into His righteousness..not of our own but of His!! That alone is one great reason to get excited!! I know I am thankful and excited, are you?

 

 

God's Love

The big news of the Bible is not that you love God but that God loves you; not that you can know God but that God already knows you! He tattooed your name on the palm of His hand. His thoughts of you outnumber the sand on the shore. You never leave His mind, escape His sight, flee His thoughts. He sees the worst of you and loves you still. Your sins of tomorrow and failings of the future will not surprise Him; He sees them now. Every day and deed of your life has passed before His eyes and been calculated in His decision. He knows you better than you know you and has reached His verdict; He loves you still. No discovery will disillusion Him; no rebellion will dissuade Him. He loves you with an everlasting love. The greatest discovery in the universe is the greatest love in the universe-God's love. "NOTHING can ever separate us from His love" (Romans 8:38) Just think what those words mean......Max Lucado

 

 

 

I am worthy of God's Love

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. (Romans 8:38-39) Here are five life changing question. Question one: "If God is for us, who can ever be against us?" (v.31) The presence of God tilts the scales of security forever in our direction. Who could hurt us? Question two: "Since God did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't God, who gave us Christ, also give us everything else?" (v.32) Would God save our soul and then leave us to fend for ourselves? Will he address eternal needs and ignore earthly? Of course not! Question three poses: "Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for His own? Will God? No! He is the one who has given us right standing with Himself" (v.33). Once God accepts you,what other opinion matters, including your own, sounds wimpy in the tribunal of heaven. God's acceptance trumps earthly rejection. Question four continues: "who then will condemn us? Will Christ Jesus? No, for He is the one who dies for us and was raised to life for us and is sitting at the place of highest honor next to God, pleading for us" (v.34). Adjacent to God, within whispering distance of your Maker, sits the One who died for you. He occupies the place of his authority. So let your accusers or your conscience speak against you. Your divine defense attorney mutes their voices. Why? Because He loves you. Question five asks the question of life: "Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love?" (v.35) Can you name one thing, one element of life that signals the end of God's devotion? "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?" (v.35) "Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture" (v.35) No one can drive a wedge between you and God's love. "No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us" (v.37) Earthly affliction does not equate to heavenly rejection! Max Lucado

 

 

 

Not My Will

We have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart (1 Corinthians 2:16) 

When we invite Jesus to come into our hearts, the Holy Spirit makes His home in us. From that position in our hearts, which are the very centers of our beings, the Holy Spirit begins a purifying work in our souls (our minds, wills, & emotions). Our minds tell us what we think, not what God thinks. The Holy Spirit is working in us to change that. We have to learn how to think in agreement with God, how to be vessels for God to think through. Old thoughts must be purified from us, and new thoughts-thoughts from God- must become part of our thinking. 

Our emotions tell us how we feel, not how God feels about situations, people, and the decisions we make. According to Psalm 7:9 God tests and tries our emotions. He works with us until we are not moved by human emotion alone, but by His Spirit. 

Our wills tell us what we want, not what God wants. The will over-rides emotions and even thoughts. We can use it to do the right thing even when we don't feel like doing it. We have a free will, and God will not force us to do anything. He leads us by His Spirit into what He knows will be good for us, but the final decisions are ours to make. God wants us to regularly make decisions that are in agreement with His will, not our wills. As these areas of our lives, mind, will, and emotions come under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the leadership of the Holy Spirit, we will become more mature as believers therefore becoming more like Him. We can manage our emotions instead of letting them manage us!!

 

Spirit Of Love

No man has at any time yet seen God, but if we love one another God abides (lives and remains) in us and His love (that is love which is essentially His) is brought to completion (to its full maturity, runs its full course, is perfected) in us!! (1 John 4:12) We cannot give away what we don't have. Trying to love others is useless if we have never received God's love for ourselves. We should love ourselves in a balanced way, not a selfish, self-centered way.. Love ourselves, not be in love with ourselves. To love yourself, you simply need to believe in the love God has for you; know that it is everlasting, unchangeable, and unconditional. Let His love affirm you and make you feel secure, but don't begin to think of yourself more highly than you should. Romans 12:3. Loving ourselves does not mean that we love all of our behavior; it means that we love and accept the unique person God has created us to be. Loving ourselves in a balanced way is what prepares us to let love flow through us to others. Without receiving God's love for ourselves in a healthy appropriate way we may have feelings of affection or respect for others, a humanistic type of love; but we certainly cannot love people unconditionally unless God Himself inspires and provokes that love. The Holy Spirit purifies our hearts so we can allow the sincere love of God to flow through us (1Peter 1:22) This is part of the being filled with the Spirit. God wants us to express love to others. When we think of others and how we can bless them, we keep ourselves filled with the Holy Spirit, Who is the Spirit of Love.. We all have something wonderful to give the world today and that is the love of God that is in us!!

 Who is born of love is born of God, for God is Love. ...Without love, nothing can be accomplished. With love, all things are possible." Ernest Holmes

 

Give It All To God

Roll your works upon the Lord (commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will. and so shall your plans be established and succeed Proverbs 16:3 If we want to be in intimate relationship with God and live lives that are truly committed to Him, we have to take everything about ourselves and say to Him, "God I give this to You. I give You this problem. I give You this situation. I give You this relationship. I completely release it and let it go. It is too much for me. I am going to stop worrying and trying to figure everything out-and I am going to let You take care of it. God I also give myself to You because I can't do anything about myself either. I give it all to You. I give You my strengths and weaknesses. I want change, but you have to bring the change. It is a great day when we lay it all down and learn that is is God's job to change us and our job just to believe...we just sit in the passenger seat as God takes over the wheel. Psalm 37:3 says, "Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass" What does it mean to commit our ways to God? It means to "roll" them off of ourselves and onto Him. When we roll our problems and human reasoning onto God, which means to trust them completely to Him, then He changes our thoughts and makes them agree with His will. In other words, His thoughts become our thoughts so that we want what He wants. When that happens, our plans will succeed because they are in complete agreement with God's plans. Release yourself and all your cares today and relax so you can hear God speak

 

 

What does love look like?

What does love look like? is the question Ive been pondering
What does love look like?
What does love look like? is the question Ive been asking of You
Once believed that love was romance, just a chance
I even thought that love was for the lucky and the beautiful
I once believed that love was a momentary bliss, but love is more than this
All You ever wanted was my attention
All You ever wanted was love from me
All You ever wanted was my affections to sit here at Your feet and tell me
What does love look like? is the question Ive been pondering
What does love look like? If all of life comes down to love then tell me
What does love look like? is the question Ive been pondering
What does love look like?

Then I sat down a little frustrated and confused
Your fire of life comes down to love. And love has to be more than sentiment,
More than selfishness and selfish gain

Then I saw Him there
Hanging on a tree, looking at me
I saw Him there
Hanging on a tree, looking at me
He was looking at me looking at Him, staring through me
I could not escape those beautiful eyes
And I began to weep and weep

He had arms wide open, heart exposed
Arms wide open, He was bleeding, bleeding.
Arms wide open, heart exposed
Arms wide open, He was bleeding, bleeding
Loves definition
Loves definition, was looking at me
Looking at Him. Hanging on a tree
I began to weep and weep and weep and weep
This is how I know what love is.

And as I sat there, weeping, crying, those beautiful eyes
Full of desire and love. And He said to me
You shall love Me..You shall love Me.
With arms wide open, heart exposed
With arms wide open, bleeding, sometimes bleeding
You shall love Me.. You shall love Me..


If anybodys looking for love in all the wrong places
If youve been searching for love, come to Me. Come to me.
Take up your cross. Deny yourself.
Forget your fathers house and run. Run with Me.
Cause you were made for abandon your heart and listen
Cause you were made for Someone greater, Someone bigger, so follow Me.
And youll come alive when you learn to die.
And He said to me

 You shall love Me. You shall love Me

With arms wide open, heart exposed
With arms wide open, bleeding, sometimes bleeding

Misty Edwards

Atmospheres Of Peace

If we want to hear from God, we need to create an atmosphere conducive to His presence. By atmosphere I mean the environment or mood that surrounds us. Atmosphere is created by attitudes and certain attitudes enhance or hinder our relationship with God. To hear from God we need an atmosphere of peace and we can maintain peace by our attitudes of faith in God and willingness to forgive those we might be upset with. We can feel strife in the atmosphere when it is present. Likewise we can sense peace in places where people and situations are at peace, and we should work to create and maintain peaceful atmospheres wherever we go because we cannot hear from God in the midst of turmoil. An attitude of strife and dissension does not create an atmosphere in which God will speak, but He will speak in peaceful atmospheres where hearts- and minds are at peace and full of love. To enjoy the fullness of God's presence we need to consistently maintain an atmosphere around us and in our hearts that allows us to honor Him. If we want to hear from God, we must yield all bad attitudes to the lordship of Jesus Christ so we can help create atmospheres in which we can sense His presence and hear His voice, making "peacemaker" our roles. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:18  

Sometimes, there are those that do not know peace and have never truly experienced the peace of God at work in their lives, therefore making it very difficult for us to remain in a state of peace creating the atmosphere we so desire. Sometimes we have to separate ourselves from those persons and turn it over to Jesus, so that he can fill us with the peace that passes all understanding. Through Him, we are able to abide in peace in any situation..it is His peace that he gives so freely...God inhabits the atmospheres of peace!

 

Take The Time To Make The Time

Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God. Job 37:14 

I have heard numerous people say, "God never talks to me," but I am convinced it is more likely that they never listen to Him, don't know how to hear from Him, or have become desensitized to His voice. God makes many attempts to speak to us through His Word, natural signs, supernatural revelation, and internal confirmation. Sometimes we think we cannot hear God's voice because there are certain obstacles in our hearts or in our lives that prevent us from hearing Him clearly. One of these things is simply being too busy. We get so busy that we have no time to wait on God or listen to His voice. We can even become so busy with spiritual activities, such as church or ministering to others, that we don't have a place in our schedules for God. What we do for GOd, should always be secondary to our personal relationship with Him. Time is ours to do with as we please so we should choose what we do with it wisely. Every person has the same amount of it daily and once it is used we cannot get it back. Work your schedule around God instead of trying to work Him into it.

 

 

National Prayer

Do you regularly pray for the peace and prosperity of your nation or city? God commands us to respect the authority He has placed over us. When those in authority are not wise or just, that may be difficult for us to do. At such times remind yourself that we are citizens of heaven and that God's wisdom and justice will ultimately prevail in this world as it does in heaven. We are not citizens of this world, trying to make our way to Heaven; we are citizens of heaven trying to make our way through this world. We are not to live so as to earn God's love, inherit heaven, and purchase our salvation. All of those were given to us as gifts; gifts bought by Jesus on the cross and handed over to us. We are to live as God's redeemed, as heirs of heaven, and as citizens of another land; the Kingdom Of God...We live as those who are on a journey, a radical journey home; a home we know will have the lights on and the door open and our Father waiting for us when we arrive. That means in all adversity our worship of God is joyful, our life is hopeful, our future is secure. There is nothing we can lose on earth that can rob us of the treasures God has given us and will give us.

 

Prayer For All

1. In the name of Jesus, I declare the promises of God, which are yea and amen, will explode into your life. AMEN.
2. I declare the Holy Spirit make you healthy and strong in spirit, soul, and body so you can move in faith and expectation. AMEN.
3. I declare the blessing of supernatural strength upon you so you can behold the things God has planned for you as you obey His word. AMEN.
4. I declare that you will have ears that will only have the ability to hear the uplifting, the encouraging, and the lovely. AMEN.
5. I declare that your feet walk in holiness and your steps are forever ordered of the Lord. AMEN.
6. I declare that your hands be helping hands extended in worship and extended in servanthood. AMEN.
7. I declare that unity rests on this family, through humble hearts and service of love to each other and to the things of God. AMEN.
8. I declare that your minds will be strong and disciplined and balanced and faith-filled. AMEN.
9. I declare grace upon your homes and upon this house, that it be a sanctuary of rest, and of revival and renewal, a haven of peace where sounds of joy and laughter grace its walls. AMEN.
10. I declare prosperity of God, that you will have success in your businesses and places of labor as you acknowledge the Lord as the provider and Jehovah-Jireh through the tithes and the offerings. AMEN.
11. I declare through Jesus that you will overcome the evil one and avoid temptation. AMEN.
12. I declare God's grace upon your dreams and your visions. AMEN.
13. I declare that breakthroughs will come upon your spirit, your soul, and your body. AMEN.
14. I declare that worship will flow from your spirit to the very throne room of God, that you will indeed be the throne zone people. AMEN.
15. I declare a warring spirit upon you, that you possess the God-given spiritual authority in your hearts, in your homes, so that the devil will not be able to take any ground away from you or your family. AMEN.
16. I declare that the signs and wonders of God will be fully engaged in this house. AMEN.
17. I declare that the fire and wind in the earth and the sky and the oil and the grain converge upon you and this house. AMEN.
18. I declare that the freedom of the Holy Spirit come upon you to break every bondage and every chain that would bind you and bind others. AMEN.
19. I declare that the harvest and the reaping will rise up and bring that harvest in through the fulfillment of the call of God to be a harvester and to be a reaper. AMEN.
20. I declare that the cry of revival and renewal will indeed be greater than the cry of sin and unrighteousness. AMEN.
21. I declare that what we have just declared will be fulfilled starting now, in Jesus's Name!

Now in Jesus's Name!

Now in Jesus's Name!

I declare it for the Glory of God Almighty!!!!!!!!

 

God's Medicine Bottle

My son, attend to my words; consent and submit to my sayings. Let them not depart from your sight; keep them in the center of your heart.
For they are life to those who find them, healing and health to all their flesh. Proverbs 4:20-22
 

God is saying in this verse "My child if you take My words and My sayings the right way, then they are life to you and health to all your flesh", if we have health in all of our flesh, we cannot have any sickness in us.

Derek Prince relates this scripture to "God's Medicine Bottle"... "The cure is guaranteed by almighty God and the four directions are on the bottle:"
1. Give attention.
2. Incline your ear to God's sayings
3. Do not let them depart from your eyes. 4. Keep them in the midst of your heart.
jus sayin!!

 

A Simple Privilege

The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the [whole] person; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. Psalms 13:7 

I cannot imagine a higher honor than being able to talk to and hear from God, and I believe prayer is the greatest privilege of our lives.  It's not something we have to do; it's something we get to do.  Prayer is the way we partner with God to see His plans and purposes come to pass in our lives and in the lives of those we love and in the world.  It is the means by which we human beings on Earth can actually enter into the awesome presence of God.  It allows us to share our hearts with Him, to listen for His voice, and to know how to discover and enjoy all the great things He has for us.  Communicating with God is indeed the greatest privilege I can think of, but this high and holy work is also the simplest privilege I know.  I do not believe talking to God or hearing His voice was ever meant to be complicated and that, from the very beginning, He intended it to be an easy, natural way of life by which we are connected with Him all day, every day..Let prayer become like breathing; do it naturally and simply all throughout the day.