Tag: Christ

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The Tomb

Have you ever wanted something to happen – something that would transform your life – something that God has promised you will happen – and all you see around you is any and everything that contradicts that your promise is going to come to pass?  We all have seasons in our lives like this.  We know that healing will come, reconciliation will come, peace will come, jobs will come, finances will be made right, joy will be felt once again – but it seems like those things we know will happen are so far away and seem impossible to reach.

The disciples had a season like this – and it lasted just 3 days.  I can almost guarantee that it was the longest 3 days of their life, though.  When their leader was captured, killed, and laid to rest.  Can you imagine their grief?  Can you imagine the doubt they held in their head that Jesus would rise up once again?  The fear that have encompassed them must have been unbearable.  Their dream had not only died, but tortured and humiliated.

Then, everything changed!  Sunday arrived and the supernatural happened.  What was humanly impossible became real!  Their dream came alive again! (See John 19 & 20)

Do you have a dream that you doubt will ever come to pass?  A dream that God Himself placed in your heart?  Do not give into that doubt!  You will see it come to pass.  Just know that there are supernatural things happening that we cannot perceive.  God has us all in His hands.  All we have to do is trust Him!

Pray this with me:  Lord, I cast down the stronghold of fear and doubt right now.  I know that what You have promised will come to pass.  I have faith that You will do all things in my life, no matter how humanly ridiculous it may be.  I thank You for Your grace and mercy, for your precious Son who bled and died for me.  But oh how marvelous is the gift of His resurrection!  We give You honor, dear Lord.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Be blessed everyone!

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Slaying Giants

The Bible is rich in wonderful stories that teach us how to walk this life out. One of my favorite characters in the word is David. His life has so many twists and turns, but His faith in God never changed.

A shepherd boy king…there is a profoundness in that statement. The image of how God will take the truly lowly and make them great should bring encouragement to us all. The anointing of God was on him and David was more than he could ever be by himself.

Let’s look at a part of the David’s story in 1 Samuel 17, where he came to bring food to his older brothers and ended up slaying a giant (let that statement permeate a minute in your spirit for a moment):

But when David’s oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. “What are you doing around here anyway?” he demanded. “What about those few sheep you’re supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and deceit. You just want to see the battle!” “What have I done now?” David replied. “I was only asking a question!” He walked over to some others and asked them the same thing and received the same answer. Then David’s question was reported to King Saul, and the king sent for him. (‭1 Samuel‬ ‭17‬:‭28-31‬ NLT)

David’s own brother didn’t want him around because he knew David’s anointing (his power and authority given to David by God) and didn’t want him to, yet again, steal his thunder – remember, David was crowned king after all his brothers were rejected. Hmmmm, how many times in our lives do some of those who are around us, our brothers and sisters in Christ, try to quiet us because they are intimidated by our anointing?

Let me just say this – if people are (1) trying to take you out, (2) talking about you behind your back or (3) doing what they can to make you seem smaller than you are – you are on the right track! The enemy (that would be the Devil, not our brothers and sisters in Christ) only wages war on people that threaten his efforts.

You want to know how best to “slay that giant?” Do everything in LOVE. No matter what others do to you, they are God’s children and deserve to be treated as such. Showing that kind of grace to those who don’t treat you well will bless you greatly. Take the story of Joseph in Genesis 37-50. The grace he showed his brothers saved their lives and brought prosperity on the next generations.

I’ll leave you with this scripture:

If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. (‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭1-3‬ NLT)

Be blessed everyone.

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Broken

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. (‭Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28‬ NLT)

As a counselor, I saw a lot of broken people. One thing I witnessed was, in the times when my clients were the most broken – God would show up in a mighty way. It was beautiful and always moved me. That is the God we serve – God is Love (1 John 4:8).

If you feel like you are broken right now – know that there is a God who loves you & is there for you. He has already carried the burdens to the Cross so He is waiting for you to hand it over to Him (1 Peter 5:7). All you need to do is fully surrender it into His Hands!

Be blessed everyone. May His peace rule your life.

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Healing – The Next Step

Healing – an essential part of life. So often, when we seek healing, it is for the physical…for sickness in our bodies in some form. Emotional healing is just as essential. Just like the physical, without it, we could die.

Unforgiveness is a poison no one needs to hold onto. Please see more on this in my post Forgive 4 U. We must not let people/situations hurt us so much that we cannot move on – that is the work of the enemy!

Healing needs to come – which begins with forgiveness. Unfortunately, there is more to it than that. After forgiveness, there still might be some pain. The emotions & the changes that occurred due to the incident(s) can be hard to swallow. Don’t give up! Don’t let the enemy steal your joy!

1 Peter 2:24 says: He Himself (Christ) bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live righteousness; by his wounds we have been healed.” (NIV). Give all these things over to God & lay them at the Cross. Jesus already paid it all so that we might live in victory. Let God fight this battle for us.

I pray that in this new year, the things that we have held onto for years will fall away & we might be able to enjoy life the way God intended it to be.

Be blessed everyone!

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The Seed That Was Sown

This year (2014), my church declared the theme to be Greater. Greater things were supposed to happen this year for all of us. As I look back on my year – my idea of what a Greater year was not what God had in mind. It was a little crazy, a little chaotic, and a little painful. How is this greater?

If you understand God, you know that He works in mysterious ways. He sees the big picture & has our life all laid out before us, knowing each move we are to make in order for our life to end up where it should.

I truly believe, and declaring, that the things I (& many others) experienced is a time of Greater by way of purging the ground & in seeds sown. There are some seeds that need time to manifest, to create roots.

Trust that God (our Abba) has our backs!! He holds our world in His hands!

I’ll leave you with this Parable.

Be blessed, everyone!

One day Jesus told a story in the form of a parable to a large crowd that had gathered from many towns to hear him: “A farmer went out to plant his seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it. Other seed fell among rocks. It began to grow, but the plant soon wilted and died for lack of moisture. Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with it and choked out the tender plants. Still other seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted!” When he had said this, he called out, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” His disciples asked him what this parable meant. He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables to teach the others so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled: ‘When they look, they won’t really see. When they hear, they won’t understand.’ “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God’s word. The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved. The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation. The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity. And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest. (‭Luke‬ ‭8‬:‭4-15‬ NLT)

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For such a time…

It amazes me, when I read any of the laws & regulations, that the people of the Old Testament had to live in such a different world than us. How Christ’s life, sacrifice on the Cross, and Resurrection allows us to live in such grace & freedom.

As we enter into a time of celebrating the gift of Christ’s birth & life, think about how blessed we are to live in this time.

You were put here just for this moment in time. Make the most of it! (Jeremiah 29:11)

Be blessed.

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Faith!

This is probably my favorite time of year. Gifts, Christmas music, generosity, neighbor loving neighbor, family, and holiday food. It all just makes me so happy – but there is so much more to this time of year. We need not get fully caught up in the fun in order to ponder what Christ’s birth truly means to us.

The Christmas story is filled with acts of faith – especially the faith of Mary and Joseph. (See Luke 1for Mary, story & Matthew 1for Joseph’s). For each to just believe God & trust Him that no harm will come to them in taking these steps – Mary, allowing herself to become pregnant before marriage & Joseph that it was safe to take a wife that is already pregnant – is true faith of you understand that culture at the time of Jesus’ birth.

Taking that step, knowing that it could cost them their life is a a true example of pure faith in God. Sexual immorality was not tolerated and, even though we know that things were done correctly & in purity, those looking outside in wouldn’t see it that way.

Would you do that for God? Would you willingly step into a situation knowing that you would be shunned for a period of time? Would you be willing to throw your reputation out the window in order for God’s will & purpose to reign?

I don’t know if God would ever ask you to do something like this, but we should be willing. We need to be sold out to God & do what we need to do to bring glory to His name at all cost.

This is an area I continue to ask God to help me with. I want my life to be lived for Him.

Be blessed.

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Shift, shift

Have you ever felt like things just keep going wrong? No matter what you do, you just can’t get it right.  So many believe that this is an attack – and it very well may be – but I also believe that God will do this in our lives when He is ready for something else to come in.  He must make room.  As a new year approaches, I believe that He is getting a lot of His people ready for new things.  If you are going through a situation like this – I encourage you to take some time and seek God;s face.  Let Him show you what your current season means.  I truly believe that we are going to start seeing a great shift in Christ’s people.

The following scripture was above the main stairwell at my University.  It always remained above our heads, covering us.  Let it cover you today.

For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for well-being and not for trouble, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

Be Blessed

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#Change

There is a common constant on all our lives – change. One thing we all can agree on is: Change. Is. Hard. We want to be comfortable…in a place where we can predict what is going to happen next. In a perfect world, there would be nothing wrong with this because there would be no need for change. Unfortunately, we live in a fallen world – a world that desperately needs change.

God loves change – transformation. He loves to take people who are living in bondage & free them, thus bringing them in a state of transformation. Look at Paul, born Saul who was transformed one day as he traveled. (Acts 9:1-18) This man killed Jesus’ followers & then God decided to transform him into the first Evangelist – traveling the known world preaching about Christ.

The Bible is filled with stories like this. It is evident that God uses change for His glory. As a follower of Christ, I will bet that you have either endured change, are going through change right now, or about to endure it. You understand that it is hard. I can also bet that at some point in your life, you have fought change.

Change is needed in this world in so many areas. We have become complacent where we are until we are pushed beyond our limits. Chaos, then, ensues. This is not a good system to live by.

What if we decided today that we are going to become comfortable with change? What if we decide that we will make the change in our lives before we expect anyone else to make the change? What if we realize that change starts with us?

I encourage you to seek the face of God today – let Him show you the things in your life that need to be changed. As you take that Cross and bear it, the catalyst of your change will start changing those around you. Remember, you must be the change you wish to see in the world.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭2‬ NLT)

Be blessed.

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Our refuge

To those who feel that they are forgotten, unseen, worthless, or downtrodden – these ideas do not come from God. It comes from the enemy – a being who knows all too well how valuable you are.

Lord, for those who are reading this and felt like they are among those who I have described above, please show them your unfailing love today – show them how valuable they truly are.

The LORD is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident. The one thing I ask of the LORD — the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock. Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me. At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the LORD with music. Hear me as I pray, O LORD. Be merciful and answer me! My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “ LORD, I am coming.” Do not turn your back on me. Do not reject your servant in anger. You have always been my helper. Don’t leave me now; don’t abandon me, O God of my salvation! Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will hold me close. Teach me how to live, O LORD. Lead me along the right path, for my enemies are waiting for me. Do not let me fall into their hands. For they accuse me of things I’ve never done; with every breath they threaten me with violence. Yet I am confident I will see the LORD’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD. (‭Psalms‬ ‭27‬:‭1-14‬ NLT)

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