Tag Archives: Salvation

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On Fire Or Burnt Out?

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Psalms 104:4 (Young’s Literal Translation), “Making His messengers – the winds, His ministers – the flaming fire.”

Every fire eventually burns out. The heat consumes and eats up whatever fuel was used, whether it is a campfire, house fire, or a “on fire” Christian, right?

Yes, to everything but the Christian. If you are working in your own strength, and performing your religious “duty”, but are not in a relationship with God, you will burn out. It is simple. We live in these natural bodies and to do the work of God, we need supernatural power and strength. To have those things we need to be in a relationship with the One who is all Spirit.

Most burn out happens when we are working for recognition, or trying to earn the notice or favor of men. We even in our foolishness try to earn something from God. I have found myself thinking or saying, “God, look at everything I have done for you”. We should do good works, work for God, strive to please Him, but doing any of this outside of a relationship with God is all “wood, hay, and stubble.” It, and us, will be burnt up in the flame.

So how do we stay on fire for God, and not be consumed, like the burning bush that Moses saw on the mountain?
As my Senior Pastor said it, “if you want to be burn for Him, you have to place yourself in the fire”. A piece of wood that is pulled out of a fire will quickly burn out, smoldering and cooling quickly. All that is left is an ugly piece of charred wood. However, if you gaze into the fire, you only see the beauty of the flames. We have to stick around others who are on fire. Let the Spirit of God ignite the flame in your heart. It isn’t a coincidence that the Holy Spirit came on those in the upper room in the form of tongues of fire!

While in the full time ministry, I experienced “burn out” several times. Every time it was because I backed away from the One who called me into that ministry. I started going through the motions, became disgruntled, began to complain, and feel used and abused. I may not have always realized the reason at first, but it didn’t take long for me to figure it out. I had pulled myself out of the fire and was trying to be a light to others with no flame of my own. A candle doesn’t burn unless its wick is lit. That my friends is a sure way to wear yourself out.

God tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. If we are serving for any reason other than love, we will be lacking His joy. We won’t be in the fire with all the other burning ones, with the Flame Himself.

Hebrews 12:28-29 (NASB), “Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.”

Isaiah 33:14a-16 (NIV), “Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?” Those who walk righteously and speak what is right, who reject gain from extortion and keep their hands from accepting bribes, who stop their ears against plots of murder and shut their eyes against contemplating evil—they are the ones who will dwell on the heights, whose refuge will be the mountain fortress. Their bread will be supplied, and water will not fail them.”

Burn for Him, don’t burn out!

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Dry Bones

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In your walk with the Lord, have you ever felt like you were in a dry place? You know the great Sahara desert of the spirit when you feel like you just chewed up a whole box of saltines and now someone asked you to whistle Dixie? A fish out of water and not a rain drop in sight?

I have. Many times in fact. Sometimes I am not surprised because I am the one who drained the pool and hauled in all the sand. Other times it comes on me unawares and I wake up one day, or go to bed and realize that I haven’t felt the presence of the Lord, or that my heart is just sort of numb. I have learned that my human nature during these times is to back away (in fact that may have been what started the dry season to begin with), to stop reading my bible, to just go through the motions and do my bare bones religious duty. The problem with that is God doesn’t want religion, He wants a relationship.

So, whatever the cause of the wilderness walk, we have to keep on walking and we have to press in. That’s the most important time to read The Word, and to pay attention in Church, to sing some worship songs, and praise the Lord. Sometimes it’s a “sacrifice”. We are doing something we don’t feel like doing, because we love Him, and He deserves it no matter what we feel like.

Hebrews 13:15 (KJB), “By him (Jesus) therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” Parenthesis added.

Whenever I am in that dry place, I often think of the passage in Ezekiel, when the Spirit takes the prophet to the valley of dry bones. Many battles had taken place there and there were many whitewashed bones that had been food for wild beasts and left drying in the weather. God asks Ezekiel if those bones could live. He, being the smart man that he was realizes this is a trick question. In the natural, of course they couldn’t live again. There wasn’t a live cell left in these bones. However, he also knew that all things were possible with God. So he turns it back to the Lord. Let’s take a look at this passage.

Ezekiel 37:1-10 (NIV), “The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones. He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry. He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord GOD, You know.” Again He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.’ “Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. ‘I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the LORD.’ So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life.”’” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.”

How did those bones come to life?

God told the prophet to prophesy to the bones. We are all called to prophecy. Paul was very clear about that. (I Corinthians 14:5). When we are feeling like bare bones, speak life back into those dry bones. Call on the breath of God. Spend time in your heavenly prayer language (tongues) and allow the Spirit to build you up, and recharge your battery. We all get dry, it isn’t a sin, and it doesn’t surprise God.

Just don’t back away. Don’t allow yourself to think that your desert experience is forever. Don’t allow rebellion, grumbling and complaining, or complacency to come into your life, take a look at those that died in the dessert in Exodus if you want to see how that pans out. We all have to go through some wilderness experiences, we just don’t have to set up camp, don’t build your house there. Pass through in the strength of the Lord. Ask God to send you rain, to give you an oasis in the middle of the desert. To make the dry places a spring of life. Seek Him.

God can raise an army out of dry bones. What can He do with a live one?!

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Discerning His Body

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I Corinthians 11:27-32 (NIV), “So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.”

We already discussed discerning the blood of Christ and how important that is in our walk with God. Equally important, but not as widely accepted is understanding the broken body of Christ.

At the last supper, Jesus is talking to His disciples and He hands them the cup of wine. Their Lord tells them that it is His blood and to drink every drop. Then He hands them some flatbread and rips off a chunk, passing it around and says that it is His body. What is Jesus telling these men? Has He changed the wine and bread into flesh and blood as He changed the water into wine at the wedding feast? No. He is using an object lesson, one of many. The wine is representing the blood that He will soon be pouring out on Calvary. The bread represents His body, soon to be ripped to shreds by a cat o’ nine tails, and pierced by thorns, spear, and spikes. When they see the blood flowing from that cross, and see His once whole skin, marred and broken, He wants them to remember His words that He shared with them that night. He wants them to remember that He did it for them.

It is easy for most of us Christians to accept that Jesus died in our place, if we hadn’t we wouldn’t call ourselves followers of Jesus. We have accepted that God loved us so much that He sent His only son and that Jesus loved us so much that He willingly laid down His life so that we can live free from sin and shame. However, for a lot of Christians it is hard to accept that there is more to Salvation than just a get out of Hell free card. Salvation isn’t “fire insurance”.

More was done on that cross than most of us realize. Salvation is a package that has many gifts inside. We have been washed clean and forgiven for all of our sins. We have received a new heart and a new spirit. Our family is now a heavenly one, and our Father is God. There are too many promises and scriptures, for one small devotion, to name them all. In a nutshell salvation means we are saved, delivered, and healed. Look the word up. It includes an abundant life.

I Peter 2:25 (Weymouth Translation), “The burden of our sins He Himself carried in His own body to the Cross and bore it there, so that we, having died so far as our sins are concerned, may live righteous lives. By His wounds yours have been healed.”

Specifically we see in I Peter that His wounds, those stripes left by the Roman whip, the nails, the thorns, that spear thrust all were for a purpose that transcends a torturous death. He submitted to those wounds so that we could be healed. I know, it doesn’t make sense with our natural mind, but not much in the Kingdom of Heaven does, but it is Truth. God said it and He never lies. Reading I Corinthians 11 in the light of I Peter 2 reveals much about discerning the blood of Christ.

Read this again, “That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.” Why are we sick and why do so many of us die before our time? Because we don’t understand that our healing has already been purchased. We aren’t waiting to be healed, begging to be healed, just suffering through until God decides to do something. No, He already did! We believe it, tell the Devil, command our bodies to line up with it, and stand in faith; we walk out the promise of God. It is easier said than done. I know. Over fourteen years I suffered with anxiety and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Praise God, I don’t anymore. In fact I hardly ever even think about it or remember those hard times anymore. We have to get this into our hearts. How can we take ground when we are spending all our time trying to defend our own little area? God’s people need to walk in their authority. Us. Me. You.

It takes practice. It takes courage, but don’t fret, the Joy of the Lord is your strength. When we start to get this and we see results, talk about faith rising up in you. And suddenly you have another testimony, another opportunity to share how good God is. At the risk of sounding redundant, read your Bible. Do a search healing, health, and the Body of Christ. We are His body. How can the body of Jesus be sick? How can His body be weak?

God does not send sickness; He doesn’t cause birth defects, mental defects, or mental illness. All disease (the state of being not at ease) is from the enemy who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. God gives us life and life more abundantly. Stand on that. Rebuke the Devil soundly and remind Him that you have been blood bought.

He took those stripes, He poured out His blood, and He did it all willingly. Don’t ever let it be for nothing. Take hold of that love and hang on with all you’ve got. Live from Heaven!

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Book Review for “Walk Like a Warrior”- Christian Inspriational

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I was given a copy of “Walk Like A Warrior” by Story Cartel in exchange for an honest review. This is a true, inspirational story that reads a lot like a devotional. The author and her husband travel with their two horses and minister full time with music, riding, and just plain helping out and shining the light of Jesus. I love how honest this book is! She talks about her lack of faith, getting tired and even about “poop” which is part of the life of cowboys and cowgirls. I was very touched by many of the stories and found myself with Kleenex box in hand. As an added blessing there are tons of pictures of their travels and some wonderful scenery. I give it five stars and highly recommend it to Christians and Cowfolk alike. Good for teens and up.

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Be An Example

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Ephesians 5:1-2 (NASB), “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

When we get saved God doesn’t snatch us out of here and bring us straight to Heaven. Why? Because we are here to set an example, to imitate Him. Jesus is in Heaven sitting at the right hand of God, so now we are the only “Jesus” they will ever see. He came to show the Father. (John 14:9). Now that is our job.

We are supposed to live from Heaven, walk in our authority as believers, and accept all the good things God has given us so that we can make others want what we have. They may shy away from our boldness, or want to hide in the darkness because of the brightness of our life, but like a stray dog who finds a dish of food and some clean water, they will come out of the shadows to take what we have to offer. God explained that to His people when He was telling them that they would return out of captivity and go back to Jeruselem.

Ezekiel 20:41 (AMP), “I will accept you [graciously] as a pleasant odor when I lead you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries in which you have been scattered, and I will manifest My holiness among you in the sight of the nations [who will seek Me because of My power displayed in you].”

Romans 2:4 clearly tells us that God’s kindness, His goodness leads hearts to repent. How else will they see the goodness of God if not through us? We don’t have to plan some huge outreach, though God may ask us to, Andrew Murray makes it clear in his book “Working for God”, that it is in the smallest things that we consistently show God’s love, holding the door for someone, a kind word or a friendly smile, an offer to babysit, a plate of cookies for an invalid, all of these things are big in God’s Kingdom. Yes, we have to speak, pray, and encourage others, we can’t leave these things undone, but we have to be led by His Spirit. He will tell us when to preach with words, or when to just give a hug and a smile. His way wins souls, not our great plans and our way with words.

We can’t be barely scraping by, worried and anxious, crabby and depressed, and show God’s goodness. We have to freely receive so that we can freely give. This isn’t just about money! It’s about God’s provision. Depending on Him and expecting Him to come through for us. We will get a raise, He will give us favor with the bill collectors, He will rebuke the devourer. We have to read His word, find those promises, and stand in them. Set your face like flint! Keep your eyes on Him. When we consistently show that no matter what comes our way, we will praise and honor Him, we are setting an example.

The Bible is full of examples. Some good and others not so good. We can read through the books of Chronicles and Kings and see what we are not supposed to do. Or take a look at the children as the wondered in the wilderness. Not examples of great faith. Even some of our hero’s made mistakes along the way. God has added their shortcomings to their witness so that we can have hope. We know that even if we mess up, God can turn it around for our good. Our witness isn’t ruined. If we admit our wrong, if we repent. Otherwise, how are we representing Heaven? We are ambassadors for Christ. We need to live from Heaven, not conform to this world, and love on people. Loving someone doesn’t mean accepting their sin. God loved us while we were in our sin, but He didn’t leave us there, He compelled us by His love, and goodness, to let the Blood of Jesus cleanse us of all our wrongdoings.
There are a lot of people out there who haven’t come to the saving knowledge of His grace, more of those than the ones who know Him. This ought not to be!

Let’s live for Him.

Isn’t that what being a Christian is all about?

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Book Review for “Waiting on God/Working for God”- Christian Non-Fiction

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You can never go wrong with Andrew Murray. This one did not disappoint. The good news is that you can get it free from the Gutenberg Project online. We have all been called to good works, and each one of us, from the feeblest Christian to the great men and women of faith, all must work the work God gave us to do. The good news is that it is never in our own strength, unless we choose it that way. “Waiting on God/Working for God” is a great reminder of what our purpose here on earth is, and who has graced us for this work. I highly recommend to every Christian. The language is not modern and may be harder to wade through, but Mr. Murray’s writing style is simple and right to the point. I give it 5+ stars, I loved it! This is a read again book

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Our Testimony

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Revelations 12:11 (Weymouth New Testament), “But they have gained the victory over him because of the blood of the Lamb and of the testimony which they have borne, and because they held their lives cheap and did not shrink even from death.”

It is clear in Revelations that two of our weapons against the enemy are the blood of the lamb and our testimony. The blood washes away our sin, protects us from evil, and made us as right as God, so now we can boldly come into the throne of Grace and we have authority over every power of the evil one.

Why would our testimony be a weapon?

Romans 2:4 (NIV) “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”

When we share all the good things that God has done for us, what He has brought us through, we are showing His kindness, some translations say “goodness.” This leads hearts to repent, taking them out of the enemy’s camp and bringing them home to the Father.

Psalm 8:2 (Darby Bible Translation), “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou established praise because of thine adversaries, to still the enemy and the avenger.”

Other versions say “silence”, “destroy”, and “put an end” to the enemy and the avenger. Our testimony is praise to God. Our only form of praise isn’t song. Whenever we share God’s goodness, we are glorifying and praising who He is.
Satan is trying to keep people ignorant of WHO God is.

Hosea 4:6 (ISV), “My people are destroyed because they lack knowledge of me. Because you rejected that knowledge, I will reject you as a priest for me. Since you forget the Law of your God, I will also forget your children.”

Our testimony tells people who God is! They may have heard that God is vengeful, that He makes us sick, that He sends disaster to judge people, but our testimonies of His mercy, His healing power, of His forgiveness shows who He really is.

We all have a testimony. If you have accepted Jesus as your savior, you have something to say.

We just need to remind ourselves of all He has done for us, for all that He is going to do, in fact He already did it all, we just have to accept it and stand on His promise.

Then, tell someone. In fact tell everyone!