God Longs for Me

My heart's prayer is "Lord, draw me close to You!". His Word promises that if I draw near to Him, He will draw near to me (James 4:8). I hunger and thirst for more of the Lord's presence in my life. Everyday I desperately crave the awareness of God with me. Besides the fact that we all need the blessing of His protection and provision, we need His love. God wants our love. He longs for us to draw near to Him. Jesus spoke of His desire and longing to draw His children like a mother hen draws her chicks under her wings. The problem is that many of His children tend to refuse His calling to intimacy with Him. As a result, the resistant children are left abandoned, desolate, and destitute of God's help>Matt. 23:37-38. I pray that I won't be so taken with the world and life in general, that I neglect the place of closeness that He has for me. Everyday, I will run to get under the wings of my Father. I don't want to refuse His call. Besides the fact that I need His protection and care, I deeply crave the awareness of Him being close to me. This is the deep longing for satisfaction that all people sense. Nothing in this world will fill that space inside. People all over the world are looking for satisfaction. No relationship, no material possession, and no amount of power will fill that longing that was created for God and God alone. Let's run to Him. Let's rest there under His wings and enjoy the peace, security, and satisfaction found only in that secret place, under His covering, with Him.

It Was for Freedom

On this day after July 4th, I am meditating on what it means to be free. We truly are free in this country. Free to worship our God, free to conduct business, free to come and go, etc. How blessed we are! But how many of us are free indeed? As blessed as we are in this country, many Christians remain in jail cells of hell. Many are in illogical and irrational slavery. The internal kind, of course. How many Christians are slaves to their sins (Jn 8:33-34)? Many are in spiritual and emotional chains. (Ex. lust, fear, anxiety, bitterness, greed, gluttony, lying, etc.). Jesus said that He came to make us FREE INDEED (Jn 8:36). It was for FREEDOM that Christ came and set us free. It is up to us to avail ourselves of this freedom and live in it (Gal. 5:1). In John 8:31-32, Jesus said that IF we live by His teachings and Word, then we would know the Truth and the Truth would set us free. So, our first plan of action would be to learn God's Word and make every effort to live it. Pleading ignorance isn't good enough. Secondly, we must admit when we are in bondage. We need to confess our faults to someone and have them pray for us (James 54:16). Thirdly, we must take the promises of God in faith (reliance of our entire being on God), line ourselves up with the conditions, and apply them to our life (Rom 4:21). When we do this, God will be there for us! God's Hebrew names reveal these truths. #1. Jehovah Shammah-means "God is there or present"; #2. Jehovah Shalom-"God is peace"; #3. Jehovah Jireh-"God will provide"; #4. Jehovah M'Kiddesh-"I Am the Lord that sanctifies you", to name a few. He's everything we need! After a war, the occupational troops must go and establish the victory. The enemy soldiers will not necessarily accept their defeat. Now that you have been delivered from the kingdom of darkness, demand your freedom in Christ. Take back what the devil stole from you. Established your victory! It's your right and duty! I am in awe at what Jesus has done for us and how worthy He is to receive our victorious lives as an offering of gratitude and praise! Revelation 1:5-6, "...Jesus Christ the Faithful and trustworthy Witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth. To Him Who ever loves us and Who has loosed and freed us once for all from our sins by His own blood, and formed us into a Kingdom (royal race), priests to His God and Father-to Him be the glory, and the power, and the majesty, and the dominion thoughout the ages and forever and ever. AMEN"

We Have the Power!

Yes!! We have power through Christ Jesus our Lord> Power to overcome the world. Power over evil and the enemy of our soul. Then I ask'"Why do bad things happen to wonderful Christian people?" First of all, there will be problems in life that we won't understand until we see God, and we can ask Him because we can't know all of the thoughts and intentions of people. You'll see in the Bible that faith in God with corresponding action is KEY. There are alot of answers in the Bible that give us insight on how to live victoriously over all of the negative effects of this world. We won't do an exhaustive study on faith now, so let's look at the scriptural power we have as Christians to release protection and blessings from Heaven. First of all we must understand and believe that Jesus came to give us an abundant life>Jn. 10:10. The greek trans. for abundant life is: having the advantage; in the sense of beyond; super abundant in quanity and superior in quality; exceeding beyond what is needed or superfluous. Since that's established, let's look at what has been provided for us through the atoning work of Jesus' death and resurrection. *healing>Acts 4:7-10, 1 Pet 2:24; *experience wonders and miracles>Acts 6:8; *over flow with hope, joy, and peace>Rom 15:13; *recieve all things that are required for life and godliness>2 Pet. 1:3; *be strengthened>Col 1:11; *get deliverance from the kingdom of darkness>Col 1:13; *get what you ask for in prayer>Mk.11:24; *have ALL of your financial needs met>Phil 4:18-19; *take dominion over the kingdom of darkness>Luke 10:19; *live in protection>Duet. 28:6. These blessings, distributed through wisdom, the power of God, and faith in His word, will come upon us as we align ourself with His will and His way of doing things>Deut. 28. Hebrews 10 and 11 covers faith in God and the power available to us when we have faith. Even in death and difficulty, faith produces evidence of God's goodness and His glory for His people. Our responsibility is to develop a hearing ear for the voice of the Lord, yield to the Holy Spirit's leading through obedience to His voice and knowledge of His word (study wisdom in the Proverbs), and then watch God do wonders and miracles in your life. We must remain faithful and patient to see God's will fulfilled in our life>Heb. 6:12. We will then be able to testify of His faithfulness and goodness>Heb. 10:34-39. The Lord promises that He will bless the righteous (justified)>Ps 5:12. He will never forsake the righteous (those in right standing with Him)>Ps 37:25. He will not forsake those who seek Him>Ps 9:10. *We will overcome the world and we are justified by faith>1 Jn 5:4. God is good. God is love. He cares for us and He wishes that we all expeience His goodness and a loving Father would.

Attacks on every hand!

As we celebrate Memorial Day and remember the military men and women who died for our freedom, I honor them and am truly grateful. Their enemies attacked and for whatever reason, they died, but for a good cause. When I hear of friendly fire, or stupid mistakes made by the soldiers or their leaders, I am sickened to hear of soldier's deaths as a result. Why is it that so many Christians today are being attacked like I've never seen before? Many times I hear of their fall and am sickened. We are in a spiritual war and God promises in His Word that we will ultimately win, but the battle at hand is heated and many Chrisitians are being attacked with sickness, calamity, divorce, and temptation beyond their overcoming. The devil and his cohorts are bringing many down to despair and sometimes death (spiritual and or physical). He works to discredit God's character and the validity of His Word. It's especially hard when it happens to those we know personally. Hope and faith are being attacked. It seems unfair because it happens to really wonderful and amazing people. There may be some of you who disagree with me, but there are reasons why the enemy of our soul has power over Christians although God's word tells us He has no power over us>(My next blog will cover our power in Christ). Here are a few Biblical reasons that reveal HOW the enemy takes every opportunity to bring God's people down: #1. Ignorance-My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, Hosea 4:6 (*a study on Godly knowledge is highly recommended). For example, I was unpacking a new flag that I bought and I couldn't see how to attach it to the pole. The screws that were needed were transparent and had I not gone back to the instructions, I wouldn't have known that all of the parts were there. The flag kit would have appeared to be missing something, making the statement that all of the parts were included, appear to be untrue. This happens to Christians when they don't know that God has given us everything we need to be blessed and victorious in this life. It's in His word! #2. Imperfect faith-our faith will not be perfect until we are with Him in Heaven. At times we may not have faith for a victory. We must admit this. God's word is perfect. His promises are true. That is why we don't recieve all that He has promised us. His word says that with faith in God, we can receive anything from Him>Jesus said, "do not doubt...have faith...and you will receive..."a doubtful man doesn't receive anything from the Lord (Matt 21:21-22). We must encourage one another to have faith in God! Faith in God comes from intimacy with Him and hearing His voice regarding your battle. #3. Fear-God has not given us a spirit of fear, BUT POWER... When the Holy Spirit comes in us, He brings power. If one doesn't know that they have powerful weapons, they won't be using them in a battle. I've heard how many of our soldiers in Iraq were lacking the weapons they needed to fight with. It was sickening to hear of their demise>Our weapons are powerful, use them! (2 Cor. 10:3-5) #4- Disobedience-(intentional or not) an act of disobedience can get us out of the glory and into the pit! Initially yielding to the Lord's will for our life is key. He is our Commander in Chief. Walking in the Spirit and being sensitive to His leading daily is our insurance. He protects us and leads us into all truth and into victory for His glory! In conclusion, the A. Paul gives us some advice for victory in this battle (1 Tim. 6:1-21 *Please read)>flee pride, lust, greed, conceit, strife, envy, and jealousy. Instead, pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness of heart. Fight the good fight of faith and lay hold of eternal life. We are victorious through HIM!

Why should I feel discouraged?

"Why should I feel discouraged?" This is a line from an old hymn that I love. Within this song are some keys to beating discouragement. We should apply these keys to our life when needed because discouragement has the power to destroy us! First of all, discouragement can easily lead to depression, which can lead to the lack of faith for a situation, that will put us on the path to hopelessness. I don't naturally get discouraged. I have a type A or an upbeat personality and rarely get down. But I do "get down" occasionally as everyone does. I know alot of people that have to deal with the "blues" quiet often. Sometimes it's physical, hormonal, chemical, demonic. But it is used by the devil, the enemy of our souls, to steal from us our joy, which is our strength>(Neh. 8:10). Without strength we are no longer able to withstand spiritual attacks. Don't you think we ought to put discouragement out of our life? The enemy uses discouragement to diminish our hope. He then goes on to steal our faith, and without faith, we are separated from God and therefore have no hope!>(Gal 2; Heb 10, 11; 1 Jn 5; Rom 4, 5; etc.) At the point of discouragement, we must brace ourselve up for a battle>(1 Pet 1:13). We then need to muster up the strength that we have and proceed to resist the devil>(James 4:7; 1 Pet 5:9). We fight the fight of faith>(1 Tim 6:12). And WE WIN! Here is this song: Verse 1-"Why should I feel discouraged? Why should the shadows come? Why should my heart be lonely? And long for heaven's home. When Jesus is my portion>Heb. trans.-inheritance; belongeth to. My constant friend is He. His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me. Vs 2-Let not your heart be troubled. His tender word I hear. And resting on His goodness, I loose my doubts and fears. Tho' by the path He leadeth. But one step I may see. His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. Vs 3-Whenever I am tempted, Whenever clouds arise. When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies. I draw the closer to Him. From care He sets me free. His eye is on the sparrow, and He watches over me." The keys to remember: *Jesus is our portion (Ps 16:;5; 73:26; 119:57) ; *He is a constant friend as we listen to His tender words>(Jn 15:14-15); *Rest on His goodness>( Heb 4); *Draw close to Him>(James 4:8). The Lord expects us to take responsibility for our freedom from discouragement. He has made the way! Praise God for His loving watchful eyes and for all that He has done for us!

Lost....

I am going to launch out and say something that might be taken offensively by some. I don't want to offend anyone, but the scriptures I'm going to share might offend you! I have noticed a trend lately that grieves me to the core of my heart and I believe grieves God also. It is the fact that so many are calling themselves Christians, and yet don't bear the fruit or the evidence of the Holy Spirit in their life. I'm not talking about a spiritually immature Chrisitian, but about those who are "running" after the things of this world instead of after God. Oh, they may go to church, and sing. They may even lift their hands in praise, and say an amen or two. But the book of Jude says that these people come into the body of Christ and corrupt it. They are deluded and are like clouds without rain, wild waves, hidden reefs, and damned to the gloom of eternal darkness forever. In Matt 16 Jesus warns of the "leaven of the Pharisees">the religious hypocrits of the day. This is the person who appears to be religious and yet their heart is far from God and they do not exhibit godly character. They continually exhibit worldliness and lack of Christian love. They are self-willed and bent on living for this temporal life. Jesus said that in order to be His disciple we must deny ourself, follow Him, and conform wholly to His example in living and also in dying if need be. It really hurts me for these people because they will someday wake up and realize that their life was for naught. It hurts me because I know God loves them so much, and yet they insist on going their own way, down a path of what appears to be spiritually security and yet it is the path to hell. I believe Jesus wants us to always love others, but I challenge you to first evaluate yourself with these things: 1. Do I love God more than anything? 2. Do I desire to do His will above all else? 3. Do I yield to God's love and the fruit of the Holy Spirit or do I preserve myself and not repent to others. 4. Do I murmer and complain or am I grateful and humble? 5. Do I live a "Christ-like life and exhibit a life of holiness? These are some clear ways to determine if we are on the right track. When in a situation where we witness a "cloud without water" or a "wild wave" type of person, here are some pointers on how I believe Jesus wants us to deal with it. 1. Pray for that person. 2. Always be merciful and caring, yet without compromise. 3. Speak the truth in love boldly regarding their sinfulness, as the Lord leads. 4. Don't fellowship with them or spend "quality" time with them because it is better to spend some time with an unbeliever and try to win them to the Lord. Years ago, someone I know and am very close to, was obviously a hypocrit. She was claiming to be saved. She was a Founder's member of the 700 Club (sent $1000.00 a month as an offering to CBN), read and studied the Bible every day and yet was an alcoholic, a bartender, and her boyfriend was married to another woman!! Come on...what's wrong with this picture??? Whenever I got the chance, I challenged her with the gospel truths regarding her lifestyle. She knew that I loved her, and after a year or two, she committed her whole life to the Lord. She really changed. She became totally focused on finding God's plan for her life, and has a ministry today! I know that my constant love with speaking the truth helped her. I would tell her that she can't call herself a Christian and live like she was. By God's grace she finally understood that. She also attributes watching Joyce Meyer and Kenneth Copeland's show helpful too! Thank the Lord for His mercy, love, and preachers!! We need to preach the truth and challenge others to "live up" to the title so that the Word of God is not blasphemed>Titus 2. Thank you for your faithfulness! Thank you for your pure and dedicated life. Stay close to Him, reach out in love, and preach the Word!

So That We Can Be Blessed!

I am so thankful that the Word of God gives us specifics re: the blessings alotted to His children. But, they are optional based upon hearing God and prompt obedience. I know that there are alot of Christian people that will disagree with me on that. There is a common misconception that God is Sovereign and what will be, will be. From what I have gathered in exhaustively studying the word of God on the subject of faith and provision, I've found that all of God's blessings hinge upon the choices we make. The reasons why some seemingly wonderful Christians have such a difficult time in life will only be revealed in heaven. It is not for us to judge others, but to love and encourage them because we don't have all of the answers to the "why's" in all of their situations. Nevertheless, we are to judge everything with regards to the Word of God for our own benefit. This is so that we may comprehend and appreciate the gifts bestowed on us by God>so that we can recieve the wisdom of God for our glorification> so that we can experience what eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor can be imagined. These are the things God has prepared FOR:those who love Him (who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed)>and so that we can have the mind of Christ, (That is to think like Him and do things His way>2 Cor. 2:1-17 Amp version). I know some Christians who are in the thick of despair and yet still seem to have joy, the peace of God, and possess their faith. Jesus likes this, but He also requires this for victory! In Luke 18:1-8, He told a parable to the effect that people always ought to pray and not give up. He talked about a widow that kept coming to the judge asking Him to defend her. Jesus said to listen to what the judge said. The judge decided to defend her because she essentially had persistent faith. Jesus then asked if He would find persistent faith like this on the earth when He comes back. This is the most important thing when encountering trials and temptations>keeping the faith. We must also have His peace and joy regardless of our circumstances>2 Thess. 3:16 Amp. ( FYI: I continually stand on the promises of God. I confess and meditate on His promises everyday, off and on all day.) Another misconception is the idea that "salvation is free". The literal Greek translation for "free gift of salvation" in the scriptures is a favor granted in kindness, it is a grant, a pardon that we can accept with terms. Jesus said that we must take up our cross and follow Him to be His disciple>Luke 14:26. Nothing of value is free. Salvation requires agreement to God's offer with faith and obedience. It requires death to self will and a lifetime committment to His plan. Our salvation costs us everything and yet it's invaluable. Life is not perfect in this world and neither will we be, but we can be victorious and glorify God when we experience His goodness and faithfulness. I study the subject of God's blessings profusely! I am fully aware of them and I daily rely on God to make these promises available to me and my family! God wants us to remember His covenant. He wants us to know it and then to keep it>(do a study on the covenant of God that He has with His people). I lived under the pressures and the curses of the devil for too many years. I now rejoice in God's provision for an abundant and blessed life for me, my children, and my children's children (if the Lord tarries!). I fully expect the blessings of God to abound in our family now and in the generations to come for the glory of God! I know that this life will never be perfect, but I am going for the gold! I am hoping to recieve all that the Lord Jesus has done for me through His suffering and death on the cross. Now I can recieve all of the benefits due to a child of the Most High God, and you can too! Hopefully I've inspired you to rise to the next level of knowledge and expectancy re: the rich blessings of our heavenly Father. The key is to be committed to God forever! Then we must endeavor to always have faith and hope. Keep your head up and your eyes on Him. He won't disappoint even though you go through tough times. It will all turn out right>Rom 8:28. I have never seen the righteous forsaken (Ps 37:25). After 30 or so years of relying on Him, I tell you, you can count on Him and I am here to vouch for that! A MUST READ: Hebrews 6:11-20