Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Who's Reading You

Have you ever heard the saying 'you are the only bible some people read' or 'you are the only Jesus some might see'? I am sure we have all heard that at sometime in our lives. But today while listening to a Pastor, he showed me a different way of seeing it.

2 Cor. 3 v 3....clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart......

This is how the Pastor put it this morning. We are God's love letters walking about. We read His word which is His love letter to us and then we walk it out as His love letters to the world. The world does not read His word, (His love letter) so the only love letter they are reading is us.

My question is what are people reading when they see me? Am I really walking out God's love letter to us? Are they reading a story full of joy and of hope, one full of love and abundance? Or one of despair and depression, one of lacking, and one of bitterness, and condemnation?

The scripture tells us that we are written not with ink on tablets of stone. In other words we are not to walk in the law, but that we are written of flesh of His heart. Jesus did not come to condemn the world but died on that cross so that the world through Him might be saved. That is the good news we want the world to be reading from us.

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

The only way we can walk out God's love letter is to know it, to have it deeply rooted in our hearts. Remember the word tells us that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. How we talk, how we walk, how we react is what people of the world see. Are they seeing God and His love for them?

Matthew 12 v 34b...For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.....

We should always be walking in joy, abundance, with no lack in our lives as children of God. We should be rejoicing in all things, giving Him thanks and praise everyday in all things. When things are bad, (and I mean really bad) we should be rejoicing and giving Him thanks and praise. People will look at us as if we are peculiar, but then they will see us stand fast on what the word says. We have to stand on His promise that joy comes in the morning.

Jeremiah 31 v 13b.....For I will turn their mourning into joy, will comfort them, and make them rejoice rather than sorrow....

Ps 30 v 5b....Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning....

PS 30 v 11-12....You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, to the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.....

God created us in His image. His image is not one of despair, depression, sadness, lack. His is one of Joy, Hope, Salvation, Good News, Redemption, Forgiveness, Compassion. But most of all He is LOVE. To describe God is to say He is LOVE.

So when we are walking about as children of God, as His love letters to the world. Let us remember who we are in Christ Jesus. Let us let His light shine through us and God's Agape Love flow through us, so that just like Jesus when He said to the fishermen, "Follow Me", they dropped everything and followed Him, people will want to know what we know. They will want to know more about this wonderful Savior Jesus Christ. They will be like His disciples ready and willing to drop everything to follow Him. They will want that peace, joy, abundance, they will want His promise of Salvation, hope, compassion, forgiveness.

Remember this, as this Easter season is approaching. Jesus is not in the tomb. He arose on the third day and is seated at the right hand of the Father. We should be rejoicing and singing His praises. He has conquered the grave and death. He has nailed the curse of the law to the cross, and now as we walk out His love letter, let His light shine on our faces so that others will read the right message and want to know Him as their Lord and Savior as well.

STAY IN THE WORD!

Friday, March 23, 2012

Check Your Words At the Door (the door of your heart)

Matt. 12 v 34 b For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.....

What do we have an abundance of in our lives? Do we have more than enough? Are we lacking in health, prosperity, or in our relationships?

What have we been speaking? Has it been good things or are we giving life to evil things?

Do we say things like, I'm poor, I'm broke, I can never catch up, if it wasn't for bad luck, I would have no luck at all....?

If those words are coming out of your mouth then that is what the abundance is in your heart. We have to replace those words with I am blessed coming and going. I am a highly favored child of God. I have more than enough always. I am in the right place at the right time.....

Are we saying things like, I feel like crud. I always get these headaches. It is that time of year I will have to deal with all these sinus issues. I've got to watch what I eat, my blood sugar might get high, my cholesterol might get high, my blood pressure is always on the high side.....

Replace those words with. ...I am healed by His stripes. I walk in excellent divine health everyday from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet. I have victory over every sickness, illness, disease because my Lord has nailed all sicknesses to the cross. Hallelujah.

What is the abundance in your heart that is overflowing through your mouth? What words are you giving life to? God's words, or the enemy's? Be careful who you share things with. Don't let someone else go around speaking evil over you giving life to the enemy's works and words. If you need healing only tell those who you know will be in agreement with you and will not speak of your circumstances over and over giving life to them. They will pray and then let God take over. If you are having a hard time with finances, don't go to those who will get on the band wagon and agree with you that yes times are tough and we just have to struggle to make it. That is a lie of the enemy. Go to God's word and let the Holy Spirit guide you and if need be get a financial person to help you with a plan for a budget. If your relationship is struggling, don't go tell all of your family members and friends who will take your side and blast your partner. Pray that God will bless your relationship and your partner and watch as He turns things around.

Our words bring forth good or evil.

Matthew 12 v 35.....A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things......

What words have you been speaking lately? Have you been walking in divine health or sickness? Have you been prosperous with more than enough or are you lacking, struggling to make ends meet? Are your relationships as they should be or are you struggling to get along?

Proverbs 16 v 24....Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.....

Proverbs 15 v 28....the heart of the righteous studies how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil...

Check your words at the door. The door of your heart. Think before you speak. Choose your words wisely. Choose God's words in the place of your own or the enemy's. The enemy will try to entice you with your circumstances to say what is going on, or how you might be feeling, but don't use his words, use God's words and clean out your heart today by replacing all of those negative words of the enemy's with God's truth, His Word.

STAY IN THE WORD!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Who Are We To Question

Are you like the disciples when trouble comes or circumstances look bleak, do you question Jesus' authority over the situation? Do you question whether or not He can handle whatever it might be?

Well, then don't beat yourself up, the disciples who were walking with Him did the same. Look in Matthew 14 v 16-21 where Jesus told the disciples not to send the people away hungry to feed them. They said we only have five loaves and two fish. So Jesus took what they had gave thanks held it up to God and blessed it and broke it and they fed everyone there about five thousand men besides the women and children and had twelve baskets full left over.

Then Jesus and the disciples move on and they again are faced with feeding the people. Jesus says feed them so that they do not faint on their way home. So the disciples question where are we to get food in the wilderness? How can we satisfy this many people with only seven loaves? Jesus again took their bread held them up to heaven and blessed and borke it and fed the four thousand and had seven baskets full left over. Mark 8 v 1-10.

Ok now you think the disciples are getting it? Now they can see Jesus has fed the multitude twice, not counting the other miracles He was doing along the way. Like healing all those who came to Him along the way for healing.

So they get in the boat and take off, and the disciples had forgotten to take some bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. Finally Jesus is like guys do ya'll not get it? Why are you still concerned about not having enough when I have shown you over and over that God will provide?

Mark 8 v 17-21...But Jesus being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?" They said to Him, "Twelve." "Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?" And they said, "Seven." So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"......

When God told Abraham that he would have his own child in his and Sarah's old age, Abraham could've said what? I don't know God, You might have missed the mark on this one. I am pretty old in my body and Sarah is past her child bearing years by a long shot. But, instead, Abraham believing God could do what He said He could do was fully convinced that he would become a father.

Romans 4 v 21....and not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about 100 years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised, He was also able to perform.......

Abraham was favored by God because of his faith he was found righteous in God's eyes. How much more so for us, we as children of God having accepted Jesus have been found righteous in God's eyes?

When God's word says we are healed by Jesus' stripes, we are prosperous because He became poor for our sakes, we will never lack in any area, because Jesus went to the cross and wiped out the curse of the law from us so that we might share in the Blessing of Abraham, then who are we to question?

Let us put our faith in His word and stay focused on His truth, and not on our circumstances. When the hard times come against us, and they will, let us be like Abraham and be fully convinced that God will do what He says He will do in His word. AMEN!

How can we be fully convinced when our circumstances are so clearly trying to drag us down?

STAY IN THE WORD!

Monday, March 12, 2012

Going Through A Storm

We have all heard how when the storm came and the boat was tossed about the disciples all got nervous, and told Jesus who by the way was in the boat with them, "Lord don't You care that we are about to perish"? They were like, how can You sleep at a time like this, why are You not up worrying and pacing the deck with us, keeping Your eye on the storm?

First of all they were so caught up in their circumstances, and keeping their eyes on that, they forgot WHO they had in the boat with them. All they could see was what was going on at the time.

The same with the episode when Jesus came walking on the water to the boat the disciples were in, and Peter said, Lord if that is You, call me out to You. Jesus said come on out, and Peter walked on the water just like Jesus. BUT, when the wind made a howling noise or maybe it was a streak of lightning, or a clap of thunder, Peter took his eyes off Jesus and turned them to the circumstances surrounding him, and immediately started sinking.

This past 3 weeks has been a type of storm for me. I have had some episodes that lead me to have to have surgery and then the recovery period was not going as planned, and I gotta tell ya, I took my eyes off of the finished work and the truth of the word and started focusing on my pain and circumstances. And then I started sinking. I was just about to go under for the last time when I cried out to Jesus and said why, why, You know I believe that I was healed already, why am I going through this?

Simple answer. Just like Peter I was looking around me at what was going on instead of keeping the truth surrounding me. Finally I told Rob, I need you to get my cd's of the word, I need the spoken word surrounding me, I need this room saturated with the truth so I can get all of these lies out of my head. And not just any word. I need Jesus' gospel, the good news, I need to be reminded of who I am in Christ, I need to remember the finished work on the cross. I need to be told I am His beloved what can man do to me? I need to renew my mind and get it back on the truth and off the lies of the enemy.

Within about 20 minutes I was asleep like a baby for the first time in 6 days and at complete rest, and never woke up with any of those circumstances that were pulling me under again.

When I went into surgery I went in with peace of mind and knowledge of who I was in Christ and no fear. I did not start having problems until I had some pain and then had some things spoken to me, that I started focusing on. That is why it is so important to be careful who you talk to when you are going through a storm.

Yesterday at church Pastor was teaching from Joshua 1. He was talking about the importance of our words. I write about these things all the time, but when the pain hit me, I had a very hard time focusing on anything. When you are having a hard time focusing you don't try to read a book or pay attention to anything except your pain. That is how the enemy gets you into his camp.

I mean yesterdays message was stepping all over my toes. But I was glad to have my toes crushed. We need to know when we are not where we need to be in the word. We need to be reminded of just exactly who we are in Christ Jesus. AMEN!

Joshua 1 v 9....Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go......

Heb. 13 v 5b-6...... For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we may boldly say; "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"......

First God tells us that He will never leave us, and then Jesus came and told us the same. We do not have to go searching for them, they are with us always. You see He was in the boat with me the whole time, He was in the wilderness the whole time. So like the people wandering through the wilderness for 40 years because they could not see the truth before their eyes because of focusing on the circumstances, I too was wandering around in circles like a lost puppy being led around by my circumstances. UNTIL, I remembered who I was in Christ and then I let the truth, the spoken word wipe out those circumstances.

You see Jesus has already defeated anything that tries to come against us. He has already nailed it to the cross. The only power it has is when we give in to it and let it push us around. But we have authority over pain and all those things, we have authority through the spoken word.

So whatever you are going through today, Remember who you are in Christ Jesus, and go to the word and speak what He says about your situation. If you need healing go to IS 53 v 5, 1 Pet 2 v 24, PS 103 v 1-5, and PS 91 and PS 23.

Remember there is nothing lacking, nothing missing, nothing broken in your salvation. When you received your salvation you received your wholeness in Christ Jesus. Look to Him, keep your eyes on Him He is the finisher of your faith, not your circumstances. AMEN!

Go through the storm, don't stop in the middle of it, keep moving and you will come out on the other side as the VICTOR.
How can you keep moving when you don't feel like you have the strength?

STAY IN THE WORD!