Monday, August 27, 2012

Peace And Power Over Fear




Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
John 14:27



Jesus is the Prince of Peace.  Fear and uncertainty can make life incredibly stressful.  Here are some thoughts and scriptures to help you through this difficult time. 

There is no reason to fear if our confidence is based in Christ.  I know in my own life sometimes that is easier said than done.  He is beautiful, loving and has His arms wide open to everyone.  There is no power, no source of evil, that is not already defeated through His death and resurrection.  Because it is His victory, we can put our trust in Him.  It is has nothing to do with our actions, good or bad.   If we've made mistakes, He doesn't see them when He looks at us.  He sees us as He created us to be.  There is nothing He won't forgive.


John 3:17
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.


Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.


Isaiah 26:3
You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.


John 8:36
Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.


Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.



Psalms 34:4
I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.


Isaiah 40:31 
But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.  They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.


John Chapter 10 speaks of Jesus being the Good Shepherd that lays down His life for His Sheep.  Luke 15 speaks of the Shepherd leaving the entire flock to go and find just one sheep that is lost.  Jesus cares for us as individuals.  Jesus would leave all that He has just to find you.  You are that important to Him.  He cares deeply for YOU.

Psalm 23 might include some the most well known verses in the bible.  It prophesizes about Jesus as our Shepherd.  The victory is Christ's.  He has already defeated every enemy at the cross.  In this chapter it says "Thy rod and staff, they comfort me."  When predators came to attack and devour the sheep, the Shepherd would protect the flock. 


We can trust in the power, the rod and staff, of Jesus.  He is our protector.


Psalm 23
The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures:
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul:
He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name' sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: For thou art with me;
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou prepares a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;
Thou anoints  my head with oil; My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.



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Friday, August 24, 2012

A Night on Live Radio


I had the honor of being on Para Chat with Renee and Royal on Renee LIVE on Thursday August 23rd 2012.  They were gracious and wonderful hosts.


They asked me to speak on a post from my CONTROVERSY! blog called The Right of Exorcsim.


I shared stories from my life before and after coming to Christ.  It turned out to be a wonderful opportunity to let others know that through Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit there is never a reason to fear evil.


I am on for approximately the last hour of the program.


Archived Radio Link:  Thursday, August 23rd 2012 - Renee LIVE













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Wednesday, August 8, 2012

I can do all things...








I never knew how peaceful it could feel knowing that I am weak and that You are my strength.

I grew up cooking myself breakfast before school by the 3rd grade and I was regularly sleeping in the post office and in cars by the time I was 14 just to survive.

I had to divert all my energies into staying alive every day.

Finally realizing that I don't have to be strong anymore because You are my strength is a relief.


Thank you Jesus. <3 †


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Tuesday, July 31, 2012

The Marriage Supper










First off, let's start at the very end.  Apocalypse.

Yes you've heard it.  It's that word that seems to be on television every week, between channels 200 and 300 (I think they all take turns.  Well, it's a big subject).

So.

It's all said and done.

The seventh seal has been opened and about all that's left is the clean up.  I don't know, but whenever I read Revelations about the city of God and the marriage supper of the Lamb, I just envision it like a big celebration.  We won, let's party!  Sorta like the end of Return of the Jedi.

We have this beautiful union with God, through Christ, by the Holy Spirit.  I love how God teaches us in our private prayer time.  This recurring theme kept popping up during my devotions in which God was teaching me all these aspects of Him being the I AM.  In Exodus chapter 3 Moses asks God His name and He declares Himself to Moses as the I Am.  There are countless ways God is the I Am.

I Am your righteousness.
I Am your peace.
I Am your joy.
I Am your fortress.
I Am the tabernacle of Moses.
I Am The Tree Of Life.
I Am The Bread Of Life.


In John 18 the troops came to arrest Jesus.  When He made the statement that He is the I Am, the troops immediately fell backwards to the ground.  Christ is also described as our food numerous times in scripture.


John 6

50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
52 The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?”
53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”
59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.  
60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”


When we read the book of Ruth, Boaz is clearly a type of Christ and Ruth a type of the bride, the church.  But the grain that Ruth is gleaning is also a type of Christ.  Think of Boaz giving more of himself every time Ruth comes to harvest in the field, or how Christ gives more and more of Himself to us each time we come to Him in prayer.  First Ruth is just gleaning what the harvesters have left.  After Boaz notices her he has the harvesters start leaving extra for her.  He asks her not to go to any other field, but to stay in his field for her food.  The more she seeks after him, the more grain he gives her to take home.



And John chapter 7:

37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”  39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

The scriptures show us that Christ gives every part of Himself to us in abundance.  We have the mind of Christ.  He gives us not only His spirit, but also His flesh and blood.  There is not one part of Himself that He will not share with us.  Christ is the Marriage Supper.  

When the passover lamb was sacrificed, it was eaten.  When the priests offered sacrifices to God, it was eaten.  So how do we partake of Him?  How exactly do we consume Him?  Holy Communion is one way.  But we can also partake of Him when we pray.  Praying isn't just saying certain words or articulate prayers.  It's a communion between you and Christ. 

If you've come to believe that His blood has washed you from all your wrong doings and sins, and his physical death and resurrection has defeated eternal death, and you've asked Him to enter inside of you, then you are His temple.  He resides in you and that is where this beautiful, life giving communion takes place.  Through His work you have 100% access to God.

In the Tabernacle of Moses, the Showbread sat in the Holy Place.  It was eaten also.  You are Christ's temple now.  He resides in you and you can partake of Him.


Revelations 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.


He partakes of you too.  It's the Marriage Supper.

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Monday, July 30, 2012

Make A Commitment


Will you join with me in making a commitment?

There are many disagreements and opposing views gripping our world today.  Almost everything in the media is geared to polarizing people into one camp or another.  There is a constant air of divisiveness.  Countries and economies are falling apart.

We get angry when a car in front of us slows down to make a turn.  We turn on others when they have a different view than our own.  We hate or mistrust people from other groups and cultures.

I've made a decision.

Will you stand with me and do the second most important thing you can do in this world today?

Will you look at your neighbor and love him?  Instead of lashing out in hate, let's ask ourselves what we can do for each person that comes into our lives.  Loving people doesn't mean you are compromising your beliefs.  It means you are standing for them.

It sounds ridiculously simple, but I believe in this time of world turmoil we can put the control back in our own hands and out of those who mean to divide us.  Love knows no fear.

I commit to loving my neighbor as myself.

Retweet, share or comment if you would like to join in making this commitment.












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