It Is Finished!

                       

Over 2000 years ago a baby was born who is the savior of the world. As He grew He became more and more attuned to doing the will of God.As He became an adult His ministry began in full. He was tempted just like we are, He was laughed at and made fun of, He was abused and beaten, He was totured and and accused. Yet not once did He sin, not once did he give in to the ways of the world. He got angry even at times but, it was a righteous anger, without sin. He was crucified though He was innocent. And He did all this for you and I. Why? Because He loves us  and because He knew that we could not endure these things without Him. He paid the price of sin for our sakes. He died for our sins, , When  He arose from  the grave He conquer death and Hell so that if you and I believe in Him we shall have eternal life.  When He was dieing on the cross, He even asked the Father God to forgive our sins as we knew not what we were doing, and His final words on that cross were IT IS FINISHED!!!! Point blank, He has done the work He has paid the price, now all we have to do is believe.
So then why do we have so much trouble believing? Why do we struggle with things of this world day to day? Why do we struggle with sin and temptations? Why do we allow satan to torment us and abuse us? When all we have to do is laugh in the face of satan and stomp on his head. He was defeated 2000 years ago.It is because we are born into sin. It is because we are conditioned by this world. We are taught by this world at a very early age and unless we hear and obey the word of God we will die in our sin. 
Oh to be like Jesus and be able to stand strong never ever waivering. But, we can be , the Word says we can, When we give our lives to Jesus  and allow Him to live through us  we become like Him.  The bible says that We are in this world but, not of this world, heaven is our home. It also says we can not serve two masters, we have to choose . Are you going to serve God or Satan? As for me I have chosen to serve the only true and living God, Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior.

Joy Unspeakable and Full of Glory!!!!!!/ My Testimony!

                               1 Peter 1:3-8
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various [a]trials, 7 so that the [b]proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which [c]is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and [d]full of glory,

We sing the song and we proclaim the joy but do we really have it? Are they just words to a song or is your life evident of this joy?

Joy is a gift of God. An inward cheerful reflection of the nature of God.
Paul and Silas, were filled with that joy as they sang in that prison as they had been beaten and they were in pain with their backs oozing  and bleeding . It is a joy that catches the attention of the believers and unbelievers alike. It is a joy that makes people that come in contact w/ you or who know you say, I want what they have...It is a joy from our salvation, it is Jesus in our hearts.Obeying Jesus' commands is the key to unlocking that joy.

I grew up in church, was raised to know all about being and living a christian life . But, from teenhood on to some of my young adult life i had strayed from being a christian though I never stopped believing in Jesus and what He did on that cross for me. Then a time came when I was hospitalized for a mini stroke and my mother's pastor came to visit me. I will never forget that man as long as I live... Pastor Mark Walker walked into my hospital room and yes, I will admit the first thing I and every nurse on that floor noticed was that he was to die for gorgeous. But, then I saw it... He had something radiating from him that I couldn't look away from but, I new that I had to have it for myself...He had Joy unspeakable and full of glory.... He glowed with the joy of the Lord. that was the day my life turned around for the good and I am still here today to serve God as long as I live.

A lot of people like to identify themselves as "Christians" by their bumper stickers or the crosses they wear or the artwork they display in their homes, Or by their pious talk, or by the fact that they go to church every sunday. But a clear, distinguishable mark of the faith of Jesus Christ is this joy unspeakable and full of glory that results from a life of obedience to Jesus' comands.

Joy unspeakable and full of glory is ours if we trust Jesus fully, if we prove to be His friends, if we obey His commands. Paul wrote to the romans.....the kingdom of God is not what you eat or drink; it is righteousness, peace and joy of the Holy Spirit.

How many of us "christians" today could live like the early christians... some homeless, some not sure of where their next meal will come from , some beaten and tortured and some even killed because they bore the name christians and yet they still retained  their joy in the Lord. Could you do it? I would like to think I could but, I don't know. To many christians today say and sing  that they have the joy of the Lord, joy unspeakable and full of glory , yet they are depressed, discouraged, angry, worried, miserable, unhappy, etc.  but there is hope for all of us...

Phillipians 4:8 tells us how to retain that joy. How to have a life of joy unspakable and full of glory.
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is [a]lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, [b]dwell on these things.

As for me, I plan to keep working on that joy regardless of my situations just as it says in James 1:2.
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials.

The Favor of God!!!!!

To me the favor of God is annointing, blessings,  extra and above anything that I could possibly do, grace beyond measure of what I deserve etc.
Webster's dictionary explains favor as: a gracious kindness, a token of one's love, a special priveledge or right granted, preferential treatment, to be treated much better than we could expect. 
So how do we obtain the favor of God? Here are some of the ways listed.
1) by praying.....Job 33:26
He shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him: and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render unto man his righteousness.
2) by keeping His commandments......Proverbs 3:1-4
My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
3) by seeking and finding God's wisdom........ Proverbs 8:35
For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.
4) by diligently seeking good.....Proverbs 11:27, 12:2
He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him.A good man obtaineth favour of the LORD: but a man of wicked devices will he condemn.
5) by living righteously ........Proverbs 14:9
Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour.
There are more ways but, for the sake of boring you i will just give you these few to start you on your journey.
So why do I want the favor of God? Here is just some of the benefits of being in the favor of God.
1) Our petitions are more likely to be granted .... Esther 7:3
Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request: 
2) God will surround us in favor as it were a shield around us......Psalm 5:12
For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.
3) We will receive life and joy...... Psalm 30:5
For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
4) Our enemies will not win over us...... Psalm 41:11
By this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me.
5) God will show us mercy...... Psalm 119:58
I intreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word.
We should all have the desire for and seek for favor in the eyes of God. We will grow in that favor as we live faithfully for Him. 
However, this is not a secret formula to get everything that we want from Him. But. if we draw closer to God , we will come to dwell in His favor. ..Psalm 30:5......
Those who find favor in turn bless those around them..... Genesis 39:3-6
We need to go after the favor of God with 3 things in mind:
1) we need to give total , unconditional surrender unto the Lord.
2) Our lives must reflect absolute purity
3) we need to be kingdom focused, having the mind of Christ....
So do you have the Favor of God? and if not; isn't it something you want to start seeking? As for me, I will be diligently seeking it and working toward all that God desires of me and desires to give to me.

Faith means get out of that boat!

The definition of faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing; or belief that is not based on proof. In Hebrews 11:1 it says that  faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things In not seen.(KJV) . In Matthew 14  :28 and 29  we read the story of how Jesus was walking toward the disciples on water and Peter said, Lord if that's you tell me to come to you on water , so Jesus did and until Peter let his faith waiver he was walking on water to Jesus.
So as humans we all have faith in something but, when it comes to needing to test our faith we tend to let our faith waiver and then we sink into the ocean of our troubles. You may say /// I have no faith or .... I don't have much faith but, that really isn't true... 
We have faith that when we sit in a chair it is going to hold us, we have faith that when someone we love tells us they love us that they really do,  we have faith that when we go to sleep at night we will again awaken in the morning...We have faith in what the doctor's tell us , and that they know what they are doing when they perscribe us medicine..... or here is a big one,,, for you women.... when the doctor tells you you are pregnant you have faith that there really is a child in there , not a goat or a chicken  but a mini you...  and you believe this sight unseen until you have progressed far enough along to get an ultra sound done to actually see the child.  So why do we let our faith waiver when it comes to the words of our Lord and Savior? Why  do you doubt His words that will never fail you yet believe the words of humans who will always fail you?
Jesus says : by His stripes we are healed.... get out of that boat and start having faith that you are healed..... Jesus says we are more than conquers    .... stop running from the enemy and start standing firm against him... Jesus said Greater things than he has done shall we do , so get out of that negative thinking and trust in his words...... God's words have been around  since the beginning of time and not failed  so we need to take that leap of faith and start believing in them and acting on them.... Get out of that boat and go to Jesus on the water, don't look to the right or to the left, just keep your eyes on Jesus and you won't fall.

How Hungry Are You?

                      
                              Matthew 5:6

Are you hungry enough to chase after God? Psalm63.1,7-8:                                                                      
"O God, You are my God, earnestly will I seek You; my inner self thirsts for You, my flesh longs and is faint for You, in a dry and weary land where no water is.
For You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings will I rejoice.
My whole being follows hard after You and clings closely to You; Your right hand upholds me."
God is waiting for you to catch Him. It's time to get out of the church that we know, It's time to break out of the praise and worship that we know, it's time to stop praying the same old way we always pray , and it's time to realize we need Him , not that we need to know about Him or of the past things He has done, and start seeking who He is now and what He is doing right now. God wants us to know Him. He wants  us to be so hungry for Him that we are chasing Him.
In his book, {The God Chaser}, Tommy Tenney says; The difference between the truth of God and revelation is very simple. Truth is where God has been, revelation is where God is. Truth is God's tracks, His trail, His path, but it leads to Him.  But true God chaser's are not satisfied to know where God's been, they are not content to just study His trail, His truths, they want to know Him. They want to know where He is and what He is doing right now.
God is not asking us how much we know about Him; He is asking us do we really know Him, do we really want Him?  Knowing about Him doesn't imply intimacy.  Knowing Him does.
God is not going to pour out His spirit where He doesn't find hungry. And you can not live in His presence without repentance, because repentance permits the pursuit of God's presence.
So again I ask you to consider this question. How hungry are you to know God?

Living More Abundantly

All scripture in this blog is from the King James Version.


Christian living is to live more abundantly and to live more abundantly is to love more abundantly. Matthew 5: 46&47 says" If you love them that love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing thus? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Aren't even the pagans doing that?

It is when you love the unlovable , do for those who are not your inner circle of family or friends, reach out to the distressed ( and or ) the needy, share the love that God has freely given to you with those who don't know or haven't received His love.  We as Christians need to go that extra mile. In Matthew 5:41 it says " Whosoever shall compell thee to go one mile go with them two."

In Luke 6:38 it says " Give and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they give unto you. For with what measure you meet it shall be measured to you again." In an excerpt from A.T. Mahanay's sermon- {It's the part that hangs over that keeps you warm.}Good measure is standard, so if you want real comfort in Christian living, press it down, shake it together, run it over, do a little extra, add a little something- a little love, a little service, a little kindness.

Use the parable of the good Samaritan found in Luke 10: 30-37. The good Samaritan went the the extra mile, he went beyond the standard help that was necessary. He not only took him to the inn but, he also paid all of his expenses till he got well. Here are some today examples. Example #1- If you saw a person who had been beaten up the standard would be to call the police, but, to go that extra mile would be to take them to safety, clean the wounds the best you could, and be the helping hand they need till they can stand on their own again. Example #2- If you saw an accident take place the standard would be to call for help but, to go the extra mile would be to you would tend to their needs the best you know how and you would stay with them till arrived , then check on them from there on always remembering them in prayer.

The Christian way of life is to go beyond the standard and go the extra mile, give the extra dollar, reach a little farther with your helping hand, love beyond those who love you back.
In John 15: 13 it says " Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for another." There are many interpretations of this verse but in the text that I using it in I interpret it in this manner; there is no greater love you can give than to put you out of the forefront to do for someone else in the Christian manner that we are called to show forth.

To live is Christ !

                         
Many christians lives are a turn-style of up and down experiences.One day they are on a spiritual mountaintop and the next they are in the valley of the shadow of death. The reason for this is that they mistakenly believe that it is their responsibility to do what only God can do.
As Charles Trumbull says in his book* Victory in Christ*, Jesus offers to set us free not only from the penalty of sin but, also from it's power. We accept and are victorious only by letting Him do it all as an outright gift.
We have all heard the saying *Let go and let God*, in essence what that is saying is that we need to surrender striving to fix everything in our lives and let God do the fixing. We need to surrender ALL areas of our lives, our concerns, our needs, etc. totally to Him.
In Galatians 2:20 it says " I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me." And in 2 Corinthians 5:17 it says " For if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation."
What we need to understand  and let sink into our very lives and thoughts is that - to live is Christ. NOT, to live is to be Christ-like, NOT, to live is to serve Christ, BUT, to live is Christ. Christ Jesus is not an external savior who does a saving work for us, He is not walking along beside us ready to help us out should we have the need, providing the power, strength and rescuing. He is actually and literally within us. While we retain our own identity, free will, and full moral responsibility, He is our very life.
Let us walk in victory knowing and believing that " TO LIVE IS CHRIST!"