“God is saying, “I’ve never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love, and more love!”
—Jeremiah 31:3 (MSG), personalized
What God is saying to the world is true - He loves us more than we can ever know. Even when we fail to do the right thing, even when some people refuse to believe that He exists, even when some people reject His claim of ownership over them and rebel against Him, even those who are full of hatred, selfishness and pride. He will always deal with us from a place of love, because there is no hatred, selfishness or pride in His heart. That means that He CANNOT deal with us as some of us deal with Him, because He is perfect, loving and kind.
He will not treat us in the same way as we treat Him, but let me be clear upon one aspect of the Lord's character: He will not allow Himself to abide in a place of fear, hatred, and darkness. If you do not love Him, He cannot help but to love you. And if you deny His love and His existence, He will not deny your existence and He will still have love for you in His heart, because HE IS LOVE.
True love can only be defined by God and His character. The 'love' that is shown in this world is usually conditional ("if you do this for me, I will do this for you"). We try to love ourselves and each other, but our own weaknesses and fears get in the way and cloud our judgement. That is why you will never know true love until you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. Once you become born again, His Spirit comes to live inside of you and into your heart; your heart and mind is transformed into a child of the Light, and fear and darkness no longer have a permanent home in your soul.
Become what you most want to be, become a child of God by confessing your sins and asking Jesus Christ to come into your heart:
"Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen."
Do it right now so that you may know true love in your heart - - YOU WILL NEVER BE DISAPPOINTED IN HIS LOVE FOR YOU!
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Thursday, February 21, 2019
Hold On To The Victory
"God’s way is perfect. ALL the Lord’s PROMISES prove true. I chased my enemies (sickness, pain, fear, family problems, loneliness, hurt)…I did NOT STOP (or give up) until they were CONQUERED!”
—Psalm 18:30,37 (NLT), personalized
The path to victory is in Jesus Christ - His ways are perfect and ordained by Father God. We are his servants, and He requires us to walk in this ways. We learn to do so by reading the Word of God and then putting those principles into practice. We are not perfect, but His Glory is perfected within us when we listen to promptings of the Holy Spirit and obey His will for our lives.
All of God's promises are true - if He has promised anything, if He told you He will bring it to pass, it will come to pass. Waiting is hard, and sometimes in the waiting we must bear hurt and suffering, but they are to God's Glory. When you show the world that you can withstand everything it throws at you, and you still have peace and joy in heart, you confuse the enemy and ultimately they will be defeated. Stay strong in your conviction and belief that what God has told you will come to pass......
You may be in a race for your life, but remember, evil is not chasing you, you are chasing evil! You must pursue God and everything that He has for you, and then never give up, never give in -- evil cannot stand in the presence of God's Glory, so you must focus on God and surrender all of your problems and weaknesses to Him. He will defeat the devil, and you will give God all the honor, all the glory, and all the praise.....Keep on praising until victory is accomplished!
—Psalm 18:30,37 (NLT), personalized
The path to victory is in Jesus Christ - His ways are perfect and ordained by Father God. We are his servants, and He requires us to walk in this ways. We learn to do so by reading the Word of God and then putting those principles into practice. We are not perfect, but His Glory is perfected within us when we listen to promptings of the Holy Spirit and obey His will for our lives.
All of God's promises are true - if He has promised anything, if He told you He will bring it to pass, it will come to pass. Waiting is hard, and sometimes in the waiting we must bear hurt and suffering, but they are to God's Glory. When you show the world that you can withstand everything it throws at you, and you still have peace and joy in heart, you confuse the enemy and ultimately they will be defeated. Stay strong in your conviction and belief that what God has told you will come to pass......
You may be in a race for your life, but remember, evil is not chasing you, you are chasing evil! You must pursue God and everything that He has for you, and then never give up, never give in -- evil cannot stand in the presence of God's Glory, so you must focus on God and surrender all of your problems and weaknesses to Him. He will defeat the devil, and you will give God all the honor, all the glory, and all the praise.....Keep on praising until victory is accomplished!
Saturday, February 16, 2019
Love Is Creative
1 Corinthians 13:4-5: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."
Love is creative. While praying in the spirit I had thoughts of creating things because I love to make jewelry and I had a thought of wanting to make something for the Lord, but He reminded me that I make things for Him everyday. Every time that I praise Him and express my love for Him it is a creative process.....
Love begets love and that is what He wants from us, LOVE......
He wants to love us and be loved by us......
Nothing is stronger than love and He created this world, the universe and us through his love......
GOD IS LOVE!
Love is creative. While praying in the spirit I had thoughts of creating things because I love to make jewelry and I had a thought of wanting to make something for the Lord, but He reminded me that I make things for Him everyday. Every time that I praise Him and express my love for Him it is a creative process.....
Love begets love and that is what He wants from us, LOVE......
He wants to love us and be loved by us......
Nothing is stronger than love and He created this world, the universe and us through his love......
GOD IS LOVE!
Thursday, February 14, 2019
Genesis Chapter 4 Crouching Sin
Genesis Chapter 4 verses 3-9:
3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
6 And the Lord said unto Cain, "Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him."
8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
9 And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, "I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?"....
Verse of Meditation:
“I will be accepted if I do what is right. But if I refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control me. But I must subdue it and be its master.”
—Genesis 4:7 (NLT), personalized
When sin crouches at the door, be ever vigilant and seek the Lord's face, get into His Word and repeat it out loud, so that your spirit will hear and your mind will absorb the truth and wisdom it provides, and you will not obey the temptation and the desires of the flesh.....
The first murder happened because two brothers went before the Lord and made their sacrifices, one (Abel) sacrificed a lamb, but the other brother (Cain) sacrificed grain, the produce of his efforts. When the Lord accepted one brothers' sacrifice and not the others' sacrifice, the one whose sacrifice was rejected became angry.
The Lord instructed him to do what is right instead of leaning deeper into a sinful behavior, but Cain did not listen. He allowed his anger to fester into jealousy, and then into rage, and that rage led to the first murder ever recorded in history.
What happened when Cain was questioned by the Lord? He pretended that he did now know where this brother Abel was, as if the Lord, the creator of the universe, could not have known what had happened!
Sin is pervasive, deadly, and destructive - it is not something to be handled lightly; we must always consider our actions and why we do the things that we do by applying God's word and His wisdom. There are many times that we do things for the wrong reason. We can't always see our faults and weaknesses.
What was Cain's mistake in this story?
1. He did not follow the rules for sacrificing to the Lord - This sacrifice was probably a sacrifice for atonement for their sins, but any sacrifice to the Lord must be given correctly and by His standards. The Lord required that the sacrifice be a lamb, and that is why Cain's sacrifice was rejected, but that did not mean that the Lord was rejecting Cain. Cain became angry because he may have thought the Lord should have accepted his sacrifice of grain, the product of his work and efforts, but the Lord wasn't looking for a token of Cain's efforts, He was looking for obedience and a sense of humbleness as this was not just anybody that Cain was dealing with, it was the Lord and He requires faith, trust, and obedience from his servants.
2. He refused to correct his actions and justified himself in his own mind. the scripture doesn't say that he tried to fix the problem and offer another sacrifice to correct the problem, it just says that he got angry, the Lord gave him a mild rebuke for this stinky attitude, and then later he spoke to and then killed his brother. All of this took place because he refused to do what he knew in his heart and mind was the right thing to do. Once you have gone past the part where you are willing to do what is right in God's eyes, there is no other recourse but to disobey and go deeper into sin.....
3. He spoke to his brother Abel, but the problem only got worse. The bible doesn't say what the two brothers said, but i believe that it ended in an argument, which stepped up Cain's anger and jealousy, which resulted in rage and murder. Whatever Abel did to try to correct or solve the issue was not enough to stop Cain from killing him. God says righteous anger prompts an individual into righteous actions, but unchecked anger often leads to deeper sin. There are many people who regret the actions they made when in a fit of rage.
4. When confronted by God about his brothers' death, Cain refused to confess his sin - this is as worse or as bad as the act of murder. Cain could not or would not confess his sin to the Lord. If you are not willing to confess the sins in your life, those issues and weaknesses will continue to wreak havoc and destruction in your daily life. Cain's punishment fit the crime, but perhaps the Lord could have comforted him if Cain had been willing to admit that he was wrong.
Can you imagine the pain and suffering Cain caused to Adam and Eve? There were not that many people living on the earth at that time, and the pain of losing a child must have been unbearable, especially since they lost two sons, one to murder and one to everlasting punishment. We cannot begin to understand what it must have been like to see Abel on the ground in the field, his lifeless body lying in pool of blood. He was gone and there was nothing that they could do bring him back. They would probably become very accustomed to death for the rest of their lives, but the first one must have been an shock to their hearts.
What should we do when we are confronted with our sinful behavior?
1. Do what is right in God's eyes - Obey His word and His will for your life.
2. If you do sin or make a mistake, ask for God's forgiveness and then correct the issue or the problem - do the right thing.
3. If the sin involves someone else, you should apologize to the that person and then do the thing you should have done in the first place, the right thing.
4. Confess your sins and then focus on God, get into the word, pray for help and guidance, and then wait for the Holy Spirit to change your heart and mind.
3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
6 And the Lord said unto Cain, "Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him."
8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
9 And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, "I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?"....
Verse of Meditation:
“I will be accepted if I do what is right. But if I refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control me. But I must subdue it and be its master.”
—Genesis 4:7 (NLT), personalized
When sin crouches at the door, be ever vigilant and seek the Lord's face, get into His Word and repeat it out loud, so that your spirit will hear and your mind will absorb the truth and wisdom it provides, and you will not obey the temptation and the desires of the flesh.....
The first murder happened because two brothers went before the Lord and made their sacrifices, one (Abel) sacrificed a lamb, but the other brother (Cain) sacrificed grain, the produce of his efforts. When the Lord accepted one brothers' sacrifice and not the others' sacrifice, the one whose sacrifice was rejected became angry.
The Lord instructed him to do what is right instead of leaning deeper into a sinful behavior, but Cain did not listen. He allowed his anger to fester into jealousy, and then into rage, and that rage led to the first murder ever recorded in history.
What happened when Cain was questioned by the Lord? He pretended that he did now know where this brother Abel was, as if the Lord, the creator of the universe, could not have known what had happened!
Sin is pervasive, deadly, and destructive - it is not something to be handled lightly; we must always consider our actions and why we do the things that we do by applying God's word and His wisdom. There are many times that we do things for the wrong reason. We can't always see our faults and weaknesses.
What was Cain's mistake in this story?
1. He did not follow the rules for sacrificing to the Lord - This sacrifice was probably a sacrifice for atonement for their sins, but any sacrifice to the Lord must be given correctly and by His standards. The Lord required that the sacrifice be a lamb, and that is why Cain's sacrifice was rejected, but that did not mean that the Lord was rejecting Cain. Cain became angry because he may have thought the Lord should have accepted his sacrifice of grain, the product of his work and efforts, but the Lord wasn't looking for a token of Cain's efforts, He was looking for obedience and a sense of humbleness as this was not just anybody that Cain was dealing with, it was the Lord and He requires faith, trust, and obedience from his servants.
2. He refused to correct his actions and justified himself in his own mind. the scripture doesn't say that he tried to fix the problem and offer another sacrifice to correct the problem, it just says that he got angry, the Lord gave him a mild rebuke for this stinky attitude, and then later he spoke to and then killed his brother. All of this took place because he refused to do what he knew in his heart and mind was the right thing to do. Once you have gone past the part where you are willing to do what is right in God's eyes, there is no other recourse but to disobey and go deeper into sin.....
3. He spoke to his brother Abel, but the problem only got worse. The bible doesn't say what the two brothers said, but i believe that it ended in an argument, which stepped up Cain's anger and jealousy, which resulted in rage and murder. Whatever Abel did to try to correct or solve the issue was not enough to stop Cain from killing him. God says righteous anger prompts an individual into righteous actions, but unchecked anger often leads to deeper sin. There are many people who regret the actions they made when in a fit of rage.
4. When confronted by God about his brothers' death, Cain refused to confess his sin - this is as worse or as bad as the act of murder. Cain could not or would not confess his sin to the Lord. If you are not willing to confess the sins in your life, those issues and weaknesses will continue to wreak havoc and destruction in your daily life. Cain's punishment fit the crime, but perhaps the Lord could have comforted him if Cain had been willing to admit that he was wrong.
Can you imagine the pain and suffering Cain caused to Adam and Eve? There were not that many people living on the earth at that time, and the pain of losing a child must have been unbearable, especially since they lost two sons, one to murder and one to everlasting punishment. We cannot begin to understand what it must have been like to see Abel on the ground in the field, his lifeless body lying in pool of blood. He was gone and there was nothing that they could do bring him back. They would probably become very accustomed to death for the rest of their lives, but the first one must have been an shock to their hearts.
What should we do when we are confronted with our sinful behavior?
1. Do what is right in God's eyes - Obey His word and His will for your life.
2. If you do sin or make a mistake, ask for God's forgiveness and then correct the issue or the problem - do the right thing.
3. If the sin involves someone else, you should apologize to the that person and then do the thing you should have done in the first place, the right thing.
4. Confess your sins and then focus on God, get into the word, pray for help and guidance, and then wait for the Holy Spirit to change your heart and mind.
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Psalm 22
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?
2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest.
3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises.
4 In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
8 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say, “let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”
9 Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
10 From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
11 Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.
12 Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
13 Roaring lions that tear their prey open their mouths wide against me.
14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me.
15 My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.
16 Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet.
17 All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me.
18 They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.
19 But you, Lord, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver me from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs.
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
22 I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you.
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.
25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him— may your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him,
28 for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations.
29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him— those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30 Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!
This psalm is about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It amazes me that anyone would not be able to see a picture of Him in the verses about the suffering servant. It shows the torment He experienced on the cross when the Lord had to separate from Him spiritually because Jesus had become a symbol of sin; He took all of our sins on the cross and paid the price so that we will never have to pay the price for our sins!
The first part of the psalm gives a detailed description of what if was like to hang on that cross with physical pain and suffering, with people mocking Him and surrounding Him with their hateful words and attitudes, and then later He experienced spiritual separation from Father God, and how that was spiritually, mentally, and emotionally painful.
At last, when the penalty for our sins was paid in full, He released His Spirit into the hands and arms of Father God, and He made a show to every power and principality in the heavens, that He had conquered the devil, sin, and death in this one act of obedience and love, so that everyone that God loves, that means you and me, could be called children of the most high God. We now have a means to become citizens of the Kingdom of God when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
But that is not all that this psalm speaks about; there is a promise for the future, when the Lord comes back to the earth to bring justice, authority and righteousness to the world. We see that everyone will come to know about the saving Grace of Jesus Christ. That knowledge will spread to every corner of the earth, and that all the families of the earth will bow down before HIm, and He will rule over every nation.
This is the promise of the millienium, when everyone will know who Jesus is and what he has done for humanity and they will be given a choice, to serve the God of heaven and His son Jesus Christ, or to live without his blessings upon their lands, and no one will have any excuse as to say they never heard the Gospel, or they never had a chance to know about Jesus. For generations, the Lord will reign and we will declare His mercy to every generation that comes.
We can declare right now to generations unborn.....Jesus Christ Is Lord!
2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest.
3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises.
4 In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
8 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say, “let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”
9 Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
10 From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
11 Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.
12 Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
13 Roaring lions that tear their prey open their mouths wide against me.
14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me.
15 My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.
16 Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet.
17 All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me.
18 They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.
19 But you, Lord, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver me from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs.
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
22 I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you.
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.
25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him— may your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him,
28 for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations.
29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him— those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30 Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!
This psalm is about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It amazes me that anyone would not be able to see a picture of Him in the verses about the suffering servant. It shows the torment He experienced on the cross when the Lord had to separate from Him spiritually because Jesus had become a symbol of sin; He took all of our sins on the cross and paid the price so that we will never have to pay the price for our sins!
The first part of the psalm gives a detailed description of what if was like to hang on that cross with physical pain and suffering, with people mocking Him and surrounding Him with their hateful words and attitudes, and then later He experienced spiritual separation from Father God, and how that was spiritually, mentally, and emotionally painful.
At last, when the penalty for our sins was paid in full, He released His Spirit into the hands and arms of Father God, and He made a show to every power and principality in the heavens, that He had conquered the devil, sin, and death in this one act of obedience and love, so that everyone that God loves, that means you and me, could be called children of the most high God. We now have a means to become citizens of the Kingdom of God when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
But that is not all that this psalm speaks about; there is a promise for the future, when the Lord comes back to the earth to bring justice, authority and righteousness to the world. We see that everyone will come to know about the saving Grace of Jesus Christ. That knowledge will spread to every corner of the earth, and that all the families of the earth will bow down before HIm, and He will rule over every nation.
This is the promise of the millienium, when everyone will know who Jesus is and what he has done for humanity and they will be given a choice, to serve the God of heaven and His son Jesus Christ, or to live without his blessings upon their lands, and no one will have any excuse as to say they never heard the Gospel, or they never had a chance to know about Jesus. For generations, the Lord will reign and we will declare His mercy to every generation that comes.
We can declare right now to generations unborn.....Jesus Christ Is Lord!
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