Tag Archives: Jesus

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For Our Sake

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Isaiah 60:1-3 (NIV) says, “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. “For behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you. “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

Did you know that you are supposed to change the environment around you? It is so important that we understand this, especially in the day we live in. We aren’t supposed to let what is going on around us dictate how we behave or think, but just the opposite. Let’s take a look at some familiar situations in the bible. We can go as far back as Genesis to find some good examples.

Jacob had wanted to leave Laban and go back to the home of his father. In Genesis 30:27 (KJV) we see Laban’s answer, “And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.” This man who had tricked Jacob into marrying both of his daughters, had changed his wages over and over, and had tried to cheat him, was blessed just because Jacob was there. That is pretty exciting. So to make sure we understand this wasn’t a one-time-deal, let’s dig a little deeper.

Next we will take a look at Joseph. He was sold into slavery by his brothers and ends up in Egypt. Genesis 39:2-6 (KJV) says, “And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field. And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.” Farther along in verse 23 we see that even the prison, where Joseph was taken after being falsely accused prospered because he was there. Joseph went from a high position as s slave in Potiphar’s house, to a basically ruling the prison, to being second in command to Pharaoh. This is favor. Notice the same wording “For thy sake” and “For Joseph’s sake.”

There are plenty of other instances. Check out Daniel, Ruth, Esther, David and Paul. Wherever they went people were blessed. What about you and me?
The bible calls us “the salt of the earth. “Matthew 15:13 (ESV) “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.” What does salt do? It seasons, it preserves and it can be used to help heal. As salt we should go into the world, our jobs, neighborhoods and even our families and make things better. On our jobs we should be setting the example of honest, hard work. Don’t worry about what the people around you are doing. Don’t complain about the boss. Work hard, represent Jesus and be salt. What better job security can you get than the business prosper “for your sake?” Is your family crazy and dysfunctional? Be salt. Is your community full of sin and crime? Be salt.

The world may be full of darkness and it keeps getting darker, but God’s people will shine! Why? So they can come to His light. Jesus was the Light when He walked this earth. Now He tells us we are. So that means we have to shine. We reflect Him to this lost and dying world. There is coming a time where there will be hardship and need. Who will help the people, who will God send?

Yep, that’s right.
Us.

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Simplify Your Life

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Simplify your life

Luke 21:28 (NIV) “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

We all can feel the anticipation, the excitement, and the expectancy in the air. Something is happening. Something is changing. What exactly is it? What are we looking forward to?

Isaiah 60:1-4 (NIV) says, “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. “For behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you. “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. “Lift up your eyes roundabout and see; they all gather together, they come to you. Your sons will come from afar, and your daughters will be carried in the arms. “Then you will see and be radiant, and your heart will thrill and rejoice; because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, the wealth of the nations will come to you”

Isaiah is prophesying about the future of Israel, but this prophecy is also for the church. This is how things will happen in these last days. We will shine! People will come to us! God is asking for a greater commitment from His children. We need to get serious about Kingdom business. Derek Prince, in his book “Prophetic Guide to the End Times: Facing the Future without Fear,” tells us,
“We often hear it said, ‘God wants our time, our talents, and our money,’…if we give these to God and think we are doing God a favor, we deceive ourselves. God is really saying, ‘what I want is you! And when I have you, I have everything you have.’ In these closing days, God is not going to settle for a lesser commitment. We need to ask ourselves; have I ever totally given myself to God without reservation? Have I placed myself at His disposal? That is commitment.”

Psalm 110:1-3 (NIV) “The Lord says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of your enemies!” Your troops will be willing on your day of battle. Arrayed in holy splendor, your young men will come to you like dew from the morning’s womb”

I love the way that is worded. “Your people will volunteer freely!” Isn’t that our desire? To do something wonderful, something big, for God? So what is stopping us? In praying about this, God showed me several things that seem to hold us back, but I kept coming back to this one thing. We, especially in the Western World, are too busy. We run here, go there, sign up, make commitments we can’t keep, and wear ourselves out being so busy. So today we are going to focus on how to simplify our lives.

How many of us watched the “Little House in the Prairie” or read the books and dreamed of a simple life? Sure they didn’t have the modern conveniences that we have, but they had a more precious commodity…time. They worked hard, but they weren’t rushed or stressed. Choices were fewer, obligations were fewer, and their expectations were fewer. How many of us lose sleep over our hectic schedules or feel overwhelmed with life? Be honest, how many of us cringe inside when we hear about another service, an extra class, or some other thing that should excite us, but our minds scream “how can I do one more thing?!” Then we feel guilty, throw ourselves into another obligation, sometimes only half there, half awake, and half committed, only to feel disappointed in the results? This isn’t God’s plan for us.

So what is robbing us of our time? It is more complex than we think. The root is in our priorities. What is important? You would be surprised what is important if you would take a closer look at your life. Let’s look at Luke 21: 28 again. “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” We need to start here. In the same book mentioned before, Derek Prince says,
“Jesus does not say, ‘Be frightened’ or ‘look for a hiding place.’ He does not say to plans some method of escape and concentrate on survival. His attitude is look up. Things are going to get better. It is very important that we who are God’s people present to the world the picture of confident assurance. (That will impress them, and will make them want to know what we have that they don’t)- enabling us to face these pressures and crisis with calmness and confidence.”

How much of what we do is out of fear, or trying to survive? How many times have we said, “if I can just get through this day, week, month? These thoughts make us run, or hide, or both. We keep ourselves busy so we don’t have to face reality. We think if we can just get the latest new (phone, game, clothes, house, car, gadget, etc) thing, that life will be easier, better. That just isn’t true. When we live like that, we have jumped onto a merry-go-round made by Satan! His plan is to keep us distracted, self-centered, wore out, and trying to do it all in our own power.
That is not God’s plan for us. He wants us to have time for ourselves and our families. To have things we enjoy having and doing. But God never intended those things to rule us or take control of our lives. How can we be committed to Him in the way we need to if we are short on time, short on attention and just plain short on energy? He wants the commitment, expects it. So we need to make some changes.
Let’s prioritize. First make a list. What is the most important things to you? What do you place the highest value on? What are your goals in life? We need to make time for these things. List the top ten. Now take a closer look and cross one of the list. Think of it as surgery. We are cutting of the tumor, the parasite that is stealing your life. I know it is scary, but we all agreed that something needs to give, something needs to go. It is time to start making choices.

Deuteronomy 30:19 (NLT) “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!”

We have choices to make. Is it part of or important to God’s plan for my life? If the answer is yes, then keep it. If the answer is no, delete it. Simple. Not easy to do, but good for us.

Here is a short list of things you need to consider. There are great websites and book on simplifying your life. Find some, and read them. Most importantly, pray about it and ask the Holy Spirit to show you where the weeding needs to be done.
•Evaluate your commitments
•Evaluate your time.
•Simplify tasks.
•Learn to say no.
•Limit your communications (twitter, facebook, snapchat, iphones, etc) and simplify your computing life.
•Limit your media consumption.
•Purge your stuff and simplify your wardrobe.
•Limit your buying habits.
•Free up your time.
•Spend time with God.
•Spend time with people you love.
•Slow down. Your driving, eating, and any other area where you rush. Give yourself more time for tasks.
•Establish routines. Create a workable system for housework.
•Learn to live frugally. Consider a smaller home, a smaller car, a smaller yard. Live closer to work.
•Do something you love, have a creative outlet.
•Go for quality, not quantity.
•Don’t over schedule your day! Leave time between appointments.
•Whenever you are faced with a choice, ask yourself, “Will this simplify my life.” Always be sensitive to the voice of God, because often He asks us to do things that will stretch us.
This is a great start. Don’t try to do it alone! You need God’s help and guidance to do it. Sometimes we will need to do radical surgery. Other times we need to take baby steps.

One of my favorite sayings is: “I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy, I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.”

Living freer, having more time for God, and building a stronger commitment to Him will so be worth it!

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Why Can’t I Just Go Home?

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Should we long to go to Heaven and despise our time here?

Philippians 1:20-26 (NAS) “according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better ; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.”

Paul is clear. For him to die and be home with Jesus was a great gain. But staying here meant working towards a goal, serving Christ, and saving others from an eternity in hell. It was more necessary, for the sake of others, for him to remain and continue in what God had called him to do.

I strongly believe we are living in the last days.
I Thessalonians 5:1-11 (NKJV) “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.”

As children of the light, we can see the timeline is quickly approaching the second coming of Jesus. But we don’t live in fear; we do continue to be ‘citizens’ of heaven. Philippians 1:27-30 (NIV) says, “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have. Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.” We keep doing what we are supposed to. We occupy until He comes. We go to work, raise our families and continue to live worthy. Most importantly, we be the ‘salt’ God calls us to be. We salt the earth, make it palatable, preserve life, and season God’s word. We purify the atmosphere we live in. God forbid we leave so many behind to die in their sins.

So some of us may die before Christ’s return. Some of us may get to be caught up in the air with Him. But all of us should be living like He is calling us home today.

Don’t waste a single opportunity!

II Timothy 4:1-8 (NIV) “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

Matthew 24:14 (NASB) “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

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The Lord Is My Shepherd

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Psalm 23:1-6 (AMP)
Verse 1- “The Lord is my shepherd [to feed, guide and shield me,] I shall not lack.”

What do you lack? Nothing!
Thank you, Lord, that I lack no good thing. You feed me and you show me where to go.

Verse 2- “He makes me lie down in (fresh, tender) green pastures; He leads me beside still and restful waters.”

Sheep won’t drink out of troubled, moving, water. God knows this. He leads His sheep to waters that are calm. Only goats eat tough, dry grass, so God provides pasture that is lush and green for us.
Thank you, Lord that you are the only one who really knows what I need and you provide it for me.

Verse 3- “He refreshes and restores my life – myself; He leads me in the path of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him – not for my earning it, but] for His name’s sake.”

God knows this world can be distressing, taxing, and tiring. So, He refreshes us, shows us how to stay right with God. He leads us on the path we need to be on to have a transformed life.
Thank you, Lord, for time of refreshing.

Verse 4- “Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless,] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil; for you are with me Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide] they comfort me.”

We don’t ever have to taste death! Only walk under its shadow. Even then we don’t walk along. We go through and He is there to protect, guide and comfort us along the way.
Thank you, Lord, that you always bring us through.

Verse 5- “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, You anoint my head with oil; my [brimming] cup runs over.”

God is preparing a wonderful feast. We will sit and eat right in front of Satan and his minions. Every demon that has ever plagued us will witness our victory celebration.
Thank you, Lord, for not just anointing me, but giving me more than enough so that I can do what you’ve asked me to do.

Verse 6- “Surely or only goodness, mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life; and through the length of days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place.”

A boat leaves a ‘wake’ behind it. A jet leaves a stream in the sky. We leave goodness and mercy, only, in a wake behind us! If we are moving forward.
Thank you, Lord, that I dwell with you in Heavenly places, forever!

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Think About That

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Philippians 4:8 (NAS) “Finally, brethren, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of a good repute, if there be any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”

(AMP) “For t he rest, brethren whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and loveable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things – fix your minds on them.”

Human (death doomed) nature is to dwell on the negative. We weren’t created that way, but Adam and Eve took the bait of Satan and every since we tend to see the glass as half empty.

However, if we are born again- from Heaven – we now have the Nature of our Father, God. He replaced our old nature with a new one! Sometimes out of nasty old habits, we fall back into that negative thinking.
How do we fix that?

We take hold of Paul’s advice that we just read. We change what are thinking about. If you seriously feel like there isn’t a good thing in your life to think about, read the Johns, (I, II, II John and John), psalms are also good. Once you get those things into your heart, your mind can call them up to think on them. Soon you’ll find good things in and around you to think about.

Never get in the habit of just thinking with your soul, your mind, will and emotions. Your souls only goes by what it can see, hear, taste, feel, smell and touch. We need to think with our spirit. Our spirit is tuned into God’s word and His will, through our hearts not our heads. Our spirit doesn’t go by our five senses. It simply hears God and judges every situation by the truth of God’s word, with the help of the Holy Spirit.
So your pile of bills looks bigger than the amount in your check book. You face two choices, you can dwell on the shortage, worry and fret (which is the opposite of faith and does not please God), or you can think on God’s word about how He will provide for and take care of you. You can thank Him for what you do have and for what He will be bringing in to meet your need. I am not saying it will be easy, but I am saying it will be worth it!

It doesn’t take any more energy or time to think rightly about our situation than to think negatively. Our glass is never half empty! God is always filling it up! We have to take our hand off of the glass and allow Him to pour into us.

Change your mind! Fill your heart with God’s goodness. Make a point of finding the good around you and then choose to think and meditate on those things. When a negative thought crosses your mind, tell it to shut up, to go, and by all that’s good in the world, replace it with something lovely. “For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” As all the good stuff starts to flow out of our mouth, it becomes even easier to “think on these things.”

Has something praiseworthy happened this week?
Think about that!

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I Am Weak

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II Corinthians 12:6-9a “Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.””

Paul had a “thorn in the flesh.” He describes this thorn as a “messenger of Satan” to keep him from thinking too highly of himself. I think we need to point out that the thorn was not from God. It wasn’t something pleasant. It came from the enemy.

Paul asked God three times to take it away. God’s answer was that His grace was sufficient and that His “power was made perfect in weakness.” Paul goes on to say in the last part of verse 9 and all of verse 10, “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Let’s be clear about something, Paul is not saying we should go around bragging about all of our shortcomings, faults and issues. We don’t glorify our problems. What he is saying is that when we allow God to use us, in His strength, we can boast or brag about His power and His ability to bring us through.
When we admit to ourselves, and to God, that we can’t do it on our own, then allow Him to work in us and through us, He gets the Glory, not us.

So are you feeling weak today?
Let God strengthen you.

Be joyful! For the joy of the Lord is our strength!
Nehemiah 8:10 (KJV) “Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our LORD: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

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Why Do The Wicked Prosper?

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Sometimes, when we look around the world today, we can’t help thinking it… “Why do they have it all when it seems like God’s people are struggling?”

You know the “they” I am talking about, drug lords, king pens, Mafia bosses, pimps, movie stars, models, professional athletes, politicians and any number of people who lie, cheat and steal to get rich. (Now I am not saying that all of these professions are bad).
Job asked that question.

Job 21:7-13 (NIV) “Why do the wicked live on, growing old and increasing in power? They see their children established around them, their offspring before their eyes. Their homes are safe and free from fear; the rod of God is not on them. Their bulls never fail to breed; their cows calve and do not miscarry. They send forth their children as a flock; their little ones dance about. They sing to the music of timbrel and lyre; they make merry to the sound of the pipe. They spend their years in prosperity and go down to the grave in peace
Then if we continue reading in Job, he answers his own question in a couple of different places. I like the reply in Chapter 27:16-17 (AMP) the best, Though he heaps up silver like dust, and piles up clothing like clay; he may prepare it, but the just will wear it, and the innocent will divide the silver.”

That scripture in Job supports Proverbs 13:22 (ASB) “A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children; And the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the righteous.” So next time you see sinner (wicked) person heaping up goods – tell yourself that they are just storing them up for us!

What about in the meantime? Why do we seem to struggle so much?

First off we have to understand who we are and who our Father is. God is our Daddy. We are children of the King. When we know that, we realize that we shouldn’t be lacking. If we are citizens of Heaven, we should talk and act like we are. There isn’t lack in Heaven, so why would we speak like we are poor. Do you moan about having more month than money? Do you say things like “I am broke,” “I just can’t afford to” and blah, blah, blah? I used to. Here is another no-brainer. Have you asked God to bless you?

I hate it when people think that asking God for things is greedy. He says, “You have not because you ask not.” (James 4:2b). And Matthew 21:22 says, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” You have to believe that He has it and that He wants to give it to you. We don’t have to earn it. Do you make your children work for their food?

But I thought we weren’t supposed to covet? Correct, but coveting means wanting what someone else has, not something just like it, but the same item they posses. Don’t take theirs, get your own. That is not coveting.
Another reason we may not be receiving from God is because we are robbing Him. “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.” Malachi 3:8. (NIV). Then He goes on to say in verse 10, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” He actually tells us to test Him! You have to tithe and give free will offerings, consistently with a cheerful heart and watch out. He’ll open those flood gates. So not real cheerful about giving? Do it anyway until you get cheerful. Obedience is better than sacrifice.

Maybe you have been faithful in your giving, but still come up short. Do you take care of what you already have? Are you a good steward of what God has given you? We wouldn’t run to buy a new toy for our child if they continued to destroy them, neglect them or ignore them. God’s a better parent than we are and He is never wasteful.

The last thing (for time purposes) is that we don’t ask for things, or money, just to heap it to ourselves. Our motivation for more should be not just to have a blessed life ourselves, but to bless others. We need more than enough if we are going to help those around us. After all it’s the goodness of God that turns hearts to repentance. Helping the poor shows His love.