"For this [reason] the Father loves Me, because I lay down My [own] life--to take it back again. No one takes it away from Me. On the contrary, I lay it down voluntarily. [I put it from Myself.] I am authorized and have power to lay it down (to resign it) and I am authorized and have power to take it back again. These are the instructions (orders) which I have received [as My charge] from My Father." (John 10:17-18, Amplified Bible)
Why did Jesus say He laid his life down voluntarily?
"He has spoken to us in [the person of a] Son, Whom He appointed Heir and lawful Owner of all things, also by and through Whom He created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time [He made, produced, built, operated, and arranged them in order]. He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the [c]out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God's] nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power." (Hebrews 1:2-3, Amplified)
It was voluntarily for Jesus to lay down His life...because He created the universe (along with the Father).
Let's look just a little further into this and come back around.
"Do you suppose that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will immediately provide Me with more than twelve legions [more than 80,000] of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must come about this way?" (Matthew 26:53-54)
"And it all came to pass, for that night the angel of the Lord went forth and slew 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when [the living] arose early in the morning, behold, all these were dead bodies." (2 Kings 19:35)
"When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high, 4[Taking a place and rank by which] He Himself became as much superior to angels as the glorious Name (title) which He has inherited is different from and more excellent than theirs. 5For to which of the angels did [God] ever say, You are My Son, today I have begotten You [established You in an official Sonship relation, with kingly dignity]? And again, I will be to Him a Father, and He will be to Me a Son? [II Sam. 7:14; Ps. 2:7.] 6Moreover, when He brings the firstborn Son [d]again into the habitable world, He says, Let all the angels of God worship Him." (Hebrews 1:3-6, Amplified)
So, we have an account where one angel slew 185,000 men. Jesus, at the time of his arrest, could have called 80,000 angels to His side.
80,000 angels times 185,000 men per angel. Could Jesus have stopped His suffering and death? Absolutely. Hebrews then reminds us Jesus' place and rank is far superior to the angels. He could have called any number of them, to put asunder His accusers and those who beat Him beyond recognition and crucified Him. And, since Jesus is above all angels in terms of power, authority and standing with the Father, He could have said or done anything He'd wanted about his captors.
What else could Jesus have done if He'd chosen?
He could have turned to His accusers, spoken a word, and they themselves would have shriveled like the fig tree (Mark 11:12-21).
(He could have, but this type of action was NOT Jesus. Jesus' entire ministry and message was the exact opposite of this. He brought a NEW Testament to mankind. "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but rather to save it through Him" (John 3:17). Life is not about revenge. It's not about always wielding our authority, our power, our rights. Jesus gave a New commandment. (Matthew 5)
Another example of Jesus showing the NEW Testament to mankind:
"And He sent messengers before Him; and they reached and entered a Samaritan village to make [things] ready for Him; But [the people] would not welcome or receive or accept Him, because His face was [set as if He was] going to Jerusalem.
And when His disciples James and John observed this, they said, Lord, do You wish us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elijah did? But He turned and rebuked and severely censured them. He said, You do not know of what sort of spirit you are, For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them [from the penalty of eternal death]." (Luke 9:52-56, Amplified).
James and John were thinking Old Testament. Jesus lived and showed a New Testament.
Jesus could have simply walked through their midst. (Luke 4:28-30) He didn't. He could have.
Looking back at all these verses, and coming back to the time of His arrest, beating and crucifixion:
Hebrews 1 tells us by and through Jesus the universe is held together and operates. Here is the Creator of the universe, by whose word the universe ticks, knowing the pain and agony He is about to face is beyond the worst imaginable to the human mind. (Isaiah 52 tells us the beating Jesus received was so horrific He didn't even look like a human being (verse 14).)
Jesus knew what He was facing. He knew what He was going to endure. As the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, do we realize Jesus could have stopped the universe right then and there, by speaking the word for it to cease? Could have changed the course of Earth at His own command, to cause or avert whatever He wished.
He could have spoken, and the guards and accusers shrivel like the fig tree. He could have called down fire from Heaven, as James and John had suggested when He previously was rejected and opposed. He could have called one angel (able to slay 185,000 men) as occurred in the Old Testament. He could have called upwards of 80,000 angels to His side in an instant. He could have passed through their midst like a vapor and disappeared (Luke 4). He could have transported himself instantly to another place (John 6:21, Acts 8:38-40).
"Now My soul is troubled and distressed, and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour [of trial and agony]? But it was for this very purpose that I have come to this hour [that I might undergo it]. [Rather, I will say,] Father, glorify (honor and extol) Your [own] name!" (John 12:27-28a, Amplified)
Jesus knew one day you and I were going to walk this earth. He already knew two thousand years-plus down the road you and I were going to live. That we were going to be alive here.
Before you were even born He knew you (Jeremiah 1:5). He knows everything about you, from before you were born, to when you get up and lie down, to how many hairs are on your head (Psalm 139:1-16).
He knows every thing you've ever done, every thought you've ever had, and every intention of your heart. He knows every struggle, every triumph, every failure, every joy and every wound...ever. And every one of those things about you matters to Him. Every single one of them.
He wants to celebrate everything good you've ever experienced or done. More importantly, He wants to heal every wound, every scar, every torment you've ever endured.
It's easy to celebrate victories. Within human nature it easy to enjoy the good. Jesus shows who He is in healing the wounded, brokenhearted and afflicted--both physically and spiritually. "to preach good news to the poor and afflicted, to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound." (Isaiah 61:1, Amplified)
He is able at a touch or a word to heal whatever sin, whatever horror, whatever baggage, whatever garbage, whatever disappointment we've ever experienced. He is able to free you from anything weighing you down: any heaviness, any depression, any spirit, any struggle, any addiction, any compulsion, any habit, any actions you do, anything you think, anything you hate about yourself, anything you hate about life.
He came to set the captives free.
Stop and let this soak into your entire soul.
Let this seep into every corner and crevice of your mind and heart:
"He came to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound."
He had the guts to let the universe keep spinning, even as He faced the most horrific disfiguring any human ever had, for He knew one day you would live. He knew you would need forgiveness. He knew you would need healing.
He also knew you'd stumble but somehow make it in life to the point you are now. You're here, you're breathing, but do you have His life? Jesus said "I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." (John 6:35).
Do you have His Life? Or do you find yourself occasionally (or often) unable to sustain spiritual momentum or spiritual power with Him? Is your relationship with God hit and miss?
Do you find yourself hungry in life? occasionally? regularly? frequently? Are you unsettled? Disturbed? Angry? Restless? Empty? Thinking "there's something more than this" or "what's the point of this"?
Do you ever sense you're in bondage of some kind? Are you truly and unshakably free from the emptiness and tug of this world? Are you truly, truly free? (Gut honesty between you and God. You know, as does He.)
Are you free from the horrors of your past? Were you playing the music of your life when something happened that slammed the piano shut and put your whole life out of tune, and you don't care to ever play your song again? Have you refused to talk with Jesus about what happened because of embarrassment, shame, guilt, or just plain had the wind taken out of your sail?
Jesus proclaims freedom to the captives.
He is powerful and able--above any lie, false voice or tormentor that says you're trapped, unable or not worth it. You ARE worth it.
Know this. Jesus does not give freedom or healing unless asked, and He may check the strength of our desire before taking action (Matthew 15:22-28). Have you asked Him before, but unlike the woman in these verses not persisted with Him? Did you just walk away and write Him off because He didn't answer you right away?
The woman in these verses persisted beyond His initial silence. She persisted beyond His disciples trying to shoo her away. She persisted even after Jesus said "I was only sent here for certain people" (verse 24). She persisted even after He told her "it's not right to take bread from children and feed it to the dogs" (v 26-27).
It was only after showing an undying faith in Him as able to heal and restore that He acted. Have you given up on Jesus for something that was of utmost importance to you? I have.
Take Him at His word. Ask Him to free you. If you hunger for it as the woman in Matthew 15:22-28, watch Him move. Maybe you're not at a point of asking Jesus Christ for anything. Maybe you're too tired, or too hurt. In that case, dare Him. Dare Jesus to reveal Himself to you. Then watch. Things may not churn that moment or that day, but just watch.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
my wish for you and me
I could wish you joy and peace
To last a whole life long
I could wish you sunshine
Or a cheerful little song
Or wish you all the happiness
That this life could bring
But I wish you Jesus
More than anything
I could wish you leaves of gold
And may your path be smooth
I could wish you treasures
Or that all your dreams come true
And I could wish you paradise
That every day be spring
But I wish you Jesus
More than anything
‘Cause when I wish you Jesus
I’ve wished you everything
To last a whole life long
I could wish you sunshine
Or a cheerful little song
Or wish you all the happiness
That this life could bring
But I wish you Jesus
More than anything
I could wish you leaves of gold
And may your path be smooth
I could wish you treasures
Or that all your dreams come true
And I could wish you paradise
That every day be spring
But I wish you Jesus
More than anything
‘Cause when I wish you Jesus
I’ve wished you everything
Thursday, October 13, 2005
God's silence
"When He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was." (John 11:6)
Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
October 11th
http://www.rbc.org/utmost/index.php?month=10&day=11
"Has God trusted you with His silence— a silence that has great meaning? God’s silences are actually His answers. Just think of those days of absolute silence in the home at Bethany! Is there anything comparable to those days in your life? Can God trust you like that, or are you still asking Him for a visible answer? God will give you the very blessings you ask if you refuse to go any further without them, but His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into an even more wonderful understanding of Himself. Are you mourning before God because you have not had an audible response? When you cannot hear God, you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible— with absolute silence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation. If God has given you a silence, then praise Him— He is bringing you into the mainstream of His purposes. The actual evidence of the answer in time is simply a matter of God’s sovereignty. Time is nothing to God. For a while you may have said, 'I asked God to give me bread, but He gave me a stone instead' (see Matthew 7:9 ). He did not give you a stone, and today you find that He gave you the 'bread of life' ( John 6:35 ).
A wonderful thing about God’s silence is that His stillness is contagious— it gets into you, causing you to become perfectly confident so that you can honestly say, 'I know that God has heard me.' His silence is the very proof that He has. As long as you have the idea that God will always bless you in answer to prayer, He will do it, but He will never give you the grace of His silence. If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, then He will give you the first sign of His intimacy— silence."
Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
October 11th
http://www.rbc.org/utmost/index.php?month=10&day=11
"Has God trusted you with His silence— a silence that has great meaning? God’s silences are actually His answers. Just think of those days of absolute silence in the home at Bethany! Is there anything comparable to those days in your life? Can God trust you like that, or are you still asking Him for a visible answer? God will give you the very blessings you ask if you refuse to go any further without them, but His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into an even more wonderful understanding of Himself. Are you mourning before God because you have not had an audible response? When you cannot hear God, you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible— with absolute silence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation. If God has given you a silence, then praise Him— He is bringing you into the mainstream of His purposes. The actual evidence of the answer in time is simply a matter of God’s sovereignty. Time is nothing to God. For a while you may have said, 'I asked God to give me bread, but He gave me a stone instead' (see Matthew 7:9 ). He did not give you a stone, and today you find that He gave you the 'bread of life' ( John 6:35 ).
A wonderful thing about God’s silence is that His stillness is contagious— it gets into you, causing you to become perfectly confident so that you can honestly say, 'I know that God has heard me.' His silence is the very proof that He has. As long as you have the idea that God will always bless you in answer to prayer, He will do it, but He will never give you the grace of His silence. If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, then He will give you the first sign of His intimacy— silence."
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
thoughts and sin, given roost or not
sitting here working today, this morning, when here comes a sin-thought trying to roost in my mind. It didn't want to go away, but surrendering my mind to the Lord overcame.
Then I keep working in the afternoon, and this stupid sin-thought comes back. Stronger this time. It roosted longer the second time. Not sure if it was because it was a stronger second attack or if it was my letting it roost longer than I should have.
Whichever of those was true, the Lord came through. The deliverance seemed a combination of his deliverance combined with my will/action to resist.
It had been me who was letting the sin roost longer the second time. It was up to me to do my part in shoo-ing that thought from my mind. God can deliver, but with some sin-thoughts there is also our action required also, to resist.
As I type this, the verse about "resist the devil" comes to mind. Looked it up here, the verse is actually twofold: Submit to God AND resist the devil. "Submit (be subject) to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you." (James 4:7, Amplified Bible)
There might be a tendency with temptations to think that it's totally up to God to deliver us, to save us. Well, God will do His part, but there's an our part/our action to it happening too.
I have been finding this to be true. I am to participate in helping repel the sin, whether it be my own mind/flesh or a suggestion from the enemy. It was refreshed to my mind today how sly and innocent he makes his suggestions. He portrays sin as harmless or attractive, or both.
Remember this, too. As we grow in Christ, satan knows he can't blurt out easily discernable thoughts to our mind. He has to become more cunnnig and sly in his suggestions to us, appearing as an angel of Light. (2 Corinthians 11:14, Psalm 119:125, Proverbs 14:6, 1 Corinthians 2:14, Philippians 1:9-10)
The best analogy I have ever heard about sin and bad thoughts is:
If a bird comes and lands on your head, you can either shoo it away...or let it build a nest. It's our choice what to do when that bird lands unannounced on our head.
This is the same as sin. Yes, we're going to have thoughts from our own flesh and sly, harmless-seeming suggestions from he who hates us and wants to steal, kill and destroy. We decide either to shoo away, or let those thoughts/sins roost in our minds--toward becoming sinful actions.
As part of our growing in faith in Jesus, we still (and will always) have our flesh which will contend for the throne of our lives. We will always have our flesh to fight with, as long as we are here.
Even when I get up every morning and tell Jesus "I die to myself, and will live today for You", by the mere fact of being a human I will have multiple, tens or sometimes even hundreds of situations arise each day in my thoughts and actions to live according to my flesh or live according to the Holy Spirit.
Will we be held accountable before the Lord for the sinful entering our mind? Or will we be held accountable for shooing or not shooing away those thoughts which come to us and do or don't measure up with Scripture and/or our hearts (conscience) of the Holy Spirit? (Romans 8:1-17)
We will also have the slimy sleazeball dork enemy satan, doing what he does in rationalizing sin and making sin appear harmless to us.
We decide whether to allow either of these two things to come to fruition, whether our flesh or an attack to suggest and justify sin. We decide whether either of these two are shooed away...or given roost in our minds without being shooed away. This, friend, is the breeding ground for sin.
When the breeding ground for sin is from our flesh, we are to crucify our own fleshly desires (John 6:63, Romans 8:13, Colossians 3:5).
When the breeding ground is harmless-sounding, lying suggestions from the enemy, we are told "submit to God and resist the devil and he will flee" (James 4:7).
Honestly, Scripture here, in very simple terms, reveals the what and how of overcoming sin. It's not the big, huge thing we make it out to be. It's very simple.
But boy, don't we so frequently rationalize, justify and (let's be honest) esteem sin? Give it power it does not have? The Word very simply says how to deal with it. But don't we make it bigger than it is, regularly?
There are two aspects to overcoming sin. One is the charge above: put the desires of the flesh to death. Die to ourselves, take up our cross daily and follow Jesus (Luke 9:23-24). This is the one we are more familiar with. This is the one we can relate to Paul so well, in terms of battling sin in Romans 7.
I am not a Bible scholar, so this is a conclusion which I have no shame in admitting could easily be wrong, but from the way Paul writes in Romans 7 it appears this is early on in His walk with Jesus. This battle, this struggle against the flesh. Doing what he doesn't want to do, and not doing what he wants to do--in terms of living by the flesh versus living by Jesus.
Then I keep working in the afternoon, and this stupid sin-thought comes back. Stronger this time. It roosted longer the second time. Not sure if it was because it was a stronger second attack or if it was my letting it roost longer than I should have.
Whichever of those was true, the Lord came through. The deliverance seemed a combination of his deliverance combined with my will/action to resist.
It had been me who was letting the sin roost longer the second time. It was up to me to do my part in shoo-ing that thought from my mind. God can deliver, but with some sin-thoughts there is also our action required also, to resist.
As I type this, the verse about "resist the devil" comes to mind. Looked it up here, the verse is actually twofold: Submit to God AND resist the devil. "Submit (be subject) to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you." (James 4:7, Amplified Bible)
There might be a tendency with temptations to think that it's totally up to God to deliver us, to save us. Well, God will do His part, but there's an our part/our action to it happening too.
I have been finding this to be true. I am to participate in helping repel the sin, whether it be my own mind/flesh or a suggestion from the enemy. It was refreshed to my mind today how sly and innocent he makes his suggestions. He portrays sin as harmless or attractive, or both.
Remember this, too. As we grow in Christ, satan knows he can't blurt out easily discernable thoughts to our mind. He has to become more cunnnig and sly in his suggestions to us, appearing as an angel of Light. (2 Corinthians 11:14, Psalm 119:125, Proverbs 14:6, 1 Corinthians 2:14, Philippians 1:9-10)
The best analogy I have ever heard about sin and bad thoughts is:
If a bird comes and lands on your head, you can either shoo it away...or let it build a nest. It's our choice what to do when that bird lands unannounced on our head.
This is the same as sin. Yes, we're going to have thoughts from our own flesh and sly, harmless-seeming suggestions from he who hates us and wants to steal, kill and destroy. We decide either to shoo away, or let those thoughts/sins roost in our minds--toward becoming sinful actions.
As part of our growing in faith in Jesus, we still (and will always) have our flesh which will contend for the throne of our lives. We will always have our flesh to fight with, as long as we are here.
Even when I get up every morning and tell Jesus "I die to myself, and will live today for You", by the mere fact of being a human I will have multiple, tens or sometimes even hundreds of situations arise each day in my thoughts and actions to live according to my flesh or live according to the Holy Spirit.
Will we be held accountable before the Lord for the sinful entering our mind? Or will we be held accountable for shooing or not shooing away those thoughts which come to us and do or don't measure up with Scripture and/or our hearts (conscience) of the Holy Spirit? (Romans 8:1-17)
We will also have the slimy sleazeball dork enemy satan, doing what he does in rationalizing sin and making sin appear harmless to us.
We decide whether to allow either of these two things to come to fruition, whether our flesh or an attack to suggest and justify sin. We decide whether either of these two are shooed away...or given roost in our minds without being shooed away. This, friend, is the breeding ground for sin.
When the breeding ground for sin is from our flesh, we are to crucify our own fleshly desires (John 6:63, Romans 8:13, Colossians 3:5).
When the breeding ground is harmless-sounding, lying suggestions from the enemy, we are told "submit to God and resist the devil and he will flee" (James 4:7).
Honestly, Scripture here, in very simple terms, reveals the what and how of overcoming sin. It's not the big, huge thing we make it out to be. It's very simple.
But boy, don't we so frequently rationalize, justify and (let's be honest) esteem sin? Give it power it does not have? The Word very simply says how to deal with it. But don't we make it bigger than it is, regularly?
There are two aspects to overcoming sin. One is the charge above: put the desires of the flesh to death. Die to ourselves, take up our cross daily and follow Jesus (Luke 9:23-24). This is the one we are more familiar with. This is the one we can relate to Paul so well, in terms of battling sin in Romans 7.
I am not a Bible scholar, so this is a conclusion which I have no shame in admitting could easily be wrong, but from the way Paul writes in Romans 7 it appears this is early on in His walk with Jesus. This battle, this struggle against the flesh. Doing what he doesn't want to do, and not doing what he wants to do--in terms of living by the flesh versus living by Jesus.
Monday, October 10, 2005
faith's proving ground
"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that trials produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." (Romans 5:3-5)
"The Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in" (Proverbs 3:12)
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." ( 1 Peter 1:6-7)
"The Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in" (Proverbs 3:12)
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." ( 1 Peter 1:6-7)
Friday, October 07, 2005
Jesus goes back into the tomb
"They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!" (Luke 24:2-6)
"having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead" (Colossians 2:12, NIV)
"I want to know Jesus, and the power of His resurrection" (Phillipians 3:10, NIV)
"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give." (Matthew 10: 8, NIV)
"He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it." (Mark 16:16-20)
Jesus instructed His disciples what to do. They went out and did it, "and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it" (verse 20)
Where and why did the Gospel get so diluted? Why now does the power of the Gospel largely consist of telling others "I'm praying for you", "I'll pray for you", "Got you on my prayer list"?
Why has witnessing for the Lord been reduced to telling strangers "God bless you"?
Where is the power of Jesus' resurrection in Followers' lives? "The Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it". (Mark 16:20, NIV)
"My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power." (1 Corinthians 2:4-5, NIV)
At what point did our child-like faith in believing God's power convert to the point we have put Jesus back in His tomb, and the power of His resurrection commonly becomes squelched?
Let's roll the stone away from Jesus' tomb. Let Jesus come out again--that the power of His resurrection accompany our message, and mankind be drawn to Him (John 12:32). We are not ambassadors of a powerless gospel.
Let's forsake intellectual Christianity.
Let us stop being bound by our own ideas and philosophy of what God is and how He wishes to move on earth.
Let us squelch timidity coming from the fear of man and the society/culture in which we live.
Let's quit thinking God only wants to move in power and signs amidst a body of Believers during a once or twice per week meeting.
"that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power" (1 Cor 2:5)
Father, forgive us for putting you in a box. Jesus, forgive us for putting You back in the tomb you came out of. You came out of the tomb to show the power of Your resurrection, to show victory over sin. Your ministry was filled with signs, miracles and wonders. You said we will do greater things than You did because You are with the Father now (John 14:12)! You are the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). You charged your Followers what to do (Mark 16:15-18), and more importantly, when they went out and did what you instructed you worked with them and confirmed Your word by the signs which accompanied them (Mark 16:20). Forgive our doubt, forgive the shame and timidity we have exhibited with mankind with regard to Your word and Your assurance that You are with us to show Yourself when we proclaim You. Remove this cowardice from us, Lord. Shatter our own minds of the Gospel, and replace it with the Gospel according to the mind of Jesus (1 Cor 2:16). Deliver us from any deception or lies we have believed about what walking with You is and can be. Any notions which have been from our own flesh, show them to us, so we may bring them to the cross to be crucified, Jesus. Give us boldness to walk in You. Holy Spirit, guide and show us when and where we are to move, act and speak in love with the boldness of Jesus and accompanying signs. In the mighty and powerful name of Jesus, Amen.
"having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead" (Colossians 2:12, NIV)
"I want to know Jesus, and the power of His resurrection" (Phillipians 3:10, NIV)
"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give." (Matthew 10: 8, NIV)
"He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it." (Mark 16:16-20)
Jesus instructed His disciples what to do. They went out and did it, "and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it" (verse 20)
Where and why did the Gospel get so diluted? Why now does the power of the Gospel largely consist of telling others "I'm praying for you", "I'll pray for you", "Got you on my prayer list"?
Why has witnessing for the Lord been reduced to telling strangers "God bless you"?
Where is the power of Jesus' resurrection in Followers' lives? "The Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it". (Mark 16:20, NIV)
"My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power." (1 Corinthians 2:4-5, NIV)
At what point did our child-like faith in believing God's power convert to the point we have put Jesus back in His tomb, and the power of His resurrection commonly becomes squelched?
Let's roll the stone away from Jesus' tomb. Let Jesus come out again--that the power of His resurrection accompany our message, and mankind be drawn to Him (John 12:32). We are not ambassadors of a powerless gospel.
Let's forsake intellectual Christianity.
Let us stop being bound by our own ideas and philosophy of what God is and how He wishes to move on earth.
Let us squelch timidity coming from the fear of man and the society/culture in which we live.
Let's quit thinking God only wants to move in power and signs amidst a body of Believers during a once or twice per week meeting.
"that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power" (1 Cor 2:5)
Father, forgive us for putting you in a box. Jesus, forgive us for putting You back in the tomb you came out of. You came out of the tomb to show the power of Your resurrection, to show victory over sin. Your ministry was filled with signs, miracles and wonders. You said we will do greater things than You did because You are with the Father now (John 14:12)! You are the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). You charged your Followers what to do (Mark 16:15-18), and more importantly, when they went out and did what you instructed you worked with them and confirmed Your word by the signs which accompanied them (Mark 16:20). Forgive our doubt, forgive the shame and timidity we have exhibited with mankind with regard to Your word and Your assurance that You are with us to show Yourself when we proclaim You. Remove this cowardice from us, Lord. Shatter our own minds of the Gospel, and replace it with the Gospel according to the mind of Jesus (1 Cor 2:16). Deliver us from any deception or lies we have believed about what walking with You is and can be. Any notions which have been from our own flesh, show them to us, so we may bring them to the cross to be crucified, Jesus. Give us boldness to walk in You. Holy Spirit, guide and show us when and where we are to move, act and speak in love with the boldness of Jesus and accompanying signs. In the mighty and powerful name of Jesus, Amen.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
good news, timidity, good news
how awesome You are, Father. You so wish to show Yourself in power to mankind, and we Your people are infrequently aware of what You want to do. Lord, I ask for the consistency to walk in the Spirit. Not hot and cold, not in boldness followed by timidity, but to walk in Your boldness period.
Yesterday I had a moment of boldness in the Lord followed by a moment of cowardice, but that is not the end.
Good news
I went to do a few errands in the afternoon, one of which was to stop by my local fellowship to get contact info for someone. It wasn't necessarily going to be my first errand, but I ended up in the parking lot. Just as I pulled in another car pulled in as well. I went into the office door, and a gentleman from that car followed me in. He asked the secretary if we had a food pantry. There is one, we showed him where it was and he gladly got some food.
As we walked back to the office, I sensed I was to talk to this man. The secretary said "God bless you" as he walked out and that was it. I followed him outside and said "Sir, can I talk with you for a second?" He turned around and obliged.
His name is Jim. He does drywall subcontracting and hadn't done a job in about a month and a half. I asked him about the Lord, and he said he knows the Lord. He shared more about his life, some strong events that had taken place in the last couple of years and the resulting domino effect of them.
As he talked I could sense the disappointment inside him, and as I looked intently at him there seemed to be a grayish/off-white coloring on both the outside edge and at the center of his eyes.
As we continued to speak, I said "Jim, I sense the Lord wants to give you His peace. I don't sense you have His peace, and He wants to give it to you."
We prayed, and the Holy Spirit gave the words. The verse about "My peace I give you, not as the world gives" came up, that's all I recall from what He led to be prayed.
After we prayed we shook hands. As I shook Jim's hand I sensed another bold statement of encouragement and confidence from the Lord which I spoke to Jim. As I looked into his eyes as the Holy Spirit gave this utterance, the gray coloring around and in his eyes was gone. Totally gone. His eyes were pure brown, no grayish/off white coloring at all, and I could see a confidence in them which had not been there before we prayed.
Jim thanked me, and started to walk back to his car. He took two steps, then stopped and exclaimed "I feel chills all over my body!"
"That's the Holy Spirit of God, Jim" I said.
I pray the Spirit will stay strong upon Jim. That he will continue forward to walk in the power of the Lord. That this be a beginning for a higher walk in Jesus for him.
Timidity
This awesome moment was followed later by going to a local mall. After coming out of the store, I was heading back toward the mall exit. I saw a lady up ahead who walked with a limp. It did not appear to be an injury, but rather one leg being shorter than the other. She had a dejected countenance on her face as she walked. I was prompted to speak to her as I passed by her...but I froze up. I didn't speak. Maybe the Lord wanted me to encourage her. Maybe it was just to share a morsel of His love to her. Maybe He wanted her to sit on the bench in that mall and then watch her leg grow to normal length right before her eyes.
The memory of her face is burned in my mind. Without hope. Discouragement. Bothered. It made me think "Wouldn't God healing this woman's leg change her life? Radically, it would!"
Imagine if that's what the Lord wanted to do, and He did that miracle for her. I imagined her then running and leaping through the mall, praising God to where the whole mall literally could hear. Did my timidity prevent a glorious, undeniable healing from taking place? Maybe. I repented right then and there to the Lord for not following His lead to speak to her, for whatever it was He had wanted to do.
That then made me think about the Body in America. How many of us are actually open to God doing something in people's lives like this? Not on Sunday morning, at the altar call or prayer time in the midst of a body of faith, but on a Tuesday afternoon in the middle of a mall. God have mercy on the stench of our Sunday-only, believer-only thinking.
I believe in His power. I have experienced His healing power in my life multiple times. I have seen it in others. This week. Last week. Ten years ago. Twenty-one years ago.
I have no idea if that lady has given her heart to Jesus or not, but it doesn't matter. Have you noticed the Bible doesn't say that signs and miracles are only for Believers? If the lady in the mall is not a believer, don't you think her receiving a miracle would give her instant faith/belief/knowledge of Him?
Is there not a general or unspoken belief among the Body that God's touch and miracles are for Believers? What about for those who aren't followers of Jesus? Where in the gospels does it say Jesus only healed or performed miracles for those who had believed Him as the Messiah? Let me know when you find it.
The American Body in general says "lifestyle evangelism" is THE way to win people to Jesus. Well, you know, lifestyle evangelism is one way for others to come to Him, but it is not the only way.
How about us as Followers actually taking Jesus at His words in Matthew 10:8 and Mark 16:17-18?
If we were actually doing what He said His followers would (not might) do, there would be a stunning outbreak of salvation. Imagine that: the Body of Christ actually living what Jesus charged us and gave us the instruction to do, instead of treating the Bible like a cafeteria line and picking and choosing only the verses that our comfort level or denomination or background says are acceptable to believe and adhere to.
Lifestyle evangelism says you build a friendship with someone and gain their trust. Upon earning their trust, they will then be open to your sharing into their life. Lifestyle evangelism done right means they would see or notice something different in our lives, then when their trust is earned Believers share Jesus. He in us is that something different that had attracted them.
Does lifestyle evangelism occur? Sure, but know this: if the Lord has chosen yesterday to heal that woman's leg to match the normal length of the other one, there would have been instant trust established with her. God's power right before her eyes would have created trust in a burst, right then and there. There would have been no need for lifestyle evangelism. She would know the stranger who spoke with her knows the one True God and His Son. You think her ear would have been open to hearing about the Source of her healing? Think she might want to personally know Who had done this for her?
Why don't we as followers of Jesus believe in the powerful, awesome witness of Jesus through miracles? Are those reserved for Sunday morning prayer at the end of the service? Are they reserved for Believers only? I can't find that they are.
I find accounts of Jesus healing all who were sick (Matthew 8:16, Matthew 12:15, Matthew 14:14, Mark 6:56, Luke 4:40). A portion of these vast crowds were unsure of Him. Some believed. Others had heard of Him and the miracles, wonders and healings but wanted to see for themselves. They were unsure. Others came as pure skeptics. "Who is this Jesus?" they sneered. They came disbelieving, and doubting what they'd heard would happen before their eyes. Some of these skeptics were plain, ordinary people. Other scoffers were religious leaders. They saw His miracles over and over again and still refused Jesus as the Son of God.
God, have mercy on us. We think we're just walking so greatly in You with our lifestyle evangelism, and while we're doing that people are hurting and dying all around us. Shatter vain religion, God! Shatter man's idea of what You are, man's idea of what You are capable of, man's idea of how You want to show Yourself and reveal Yourself to the world. Shatter our notions of how You wish to move in us and through us.
Good news
God wants to move powerfully through me. He wants to move powerfully through you. He desires to show Himself to the world in His ways, not our ways. Are we seeking His ways for Him to move, and following His ways as prompted by the Holy Spirit, or are we living our own view of Christianity--and doing so in His name? (Matthew 7:21-23)
"I want to know Jesus and the power of His resurrection" (Phillipians 3:10). Is that truly and honestly our desire? The power of His resurrection. Stop and think about the power of His resurrection. Really. Stop and ponder it.
What does resurrection power mean? What does it include? Who is this resurrection power available to (preachers and Bible thumpers only)? What is it for? Who is seeking it? Who gets it? When is it available? Is it only for 'mature' believers--is some 'qualification' or spiritual 'maturity' needed to receive it? Is it raw and available for new believers, whose faith is so pure and child-like that His resurrection power can go forth, simply yet miraculously? Does unbelief affect it (does Matthew 13:58 come into play)?
The power of the dead being raised again to life. That is the power He wishes to use in us and through us to be His witnesses to the world.
Do we seek to know, or want to know, the power of His resurrection? Really. Do we? Are we truly and bluntly hungry to know it? Or are we playing church to some degree, giving lip service to Him, gracing Sunday smiles and faces to each other, and having our church-wide garage sales and Sunday School attendance drives? (all in Jesus' name, of course)
I'm guilty of this. Anyone else?
God wants to show His power, to draw people to His Son, and our idea of witnessing to others, our idea of God's power, is telling a stranger "God bless you." Boy, the earth really comes to the fear and knowledge of the Lord when we say that, huh? (James 2:19)
The Bible says "faith without works is useless" (James 2:20). Has it ever occurred to us that the "works" in this verse might be something greater than lifestyle evangelism and helping out with a church activity?
What if the works of believers demonstrated the power of God (healing, cleansing, speaking, raising, casting) as in Mark 16:17-18?
"My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power" (1 Corinthians 2:4-5).
No wonder the world is bored with what conventional Christianity offers.
The good news is we CAN be used of the Lord in His power. Yes, the same Resurrection power that raises the dead! Are we willing to believe? Are we willing to take Him at His word? Are we willing to learn the leading of the Holy Spirit? Are we willing to step in faith to see God's power delivered, here, on earth, today? This week? Next week? From here forward?
There is an able Father and Creator waiting for us to seek Him in this. We have a willing Savior, who wants us to know Him and learn from Him. The Holy Spirit is ready, to teach us and guide us into all Truth (John 16:13). Not Truth in words only. Truth in the power of Jesus' resurrection.
Give us a hunger to know You, Jesus, and the POWER of Your resurrection.
Yesterday I had a moment of boldness in the Lord followed by a moment of cowardice, but that is not the end.
Good news
I went to do a few errands in the afternoon, one of which was to stop by my local fellowship to get contact info for someone. It wasn't necessarily going to be my first errand, but I ended up in the parking lot. Just as I pulled in another car pulled in as well. I went into the office door, and a gentleman from that car followed me in. He asked the secretary if we had a food pantry. There is one, we showed him where it was and he gladly got some food.
As we walked back to the office, I sensed I was to talk to this man. The secretary said "God bless you" as he walked out and that was it. I followed him outside and said "Sir, can I talk with you for a second?" He turned around and obliged.
His name is Jim. He does drywall subcontracting and hadn't done a job in about a month and a half. I asked him about the Lord, and he said he knows the Lord. He shared more about his life, some strong events that had taken place in the last couple of years and the resulting domino effect of them.
As he talked I could sense the disappointment inside him, and as I looked intently at him there seemed to be a grayish/off-white coloring on both the outside edge and at the center of his eyes.
As we continued to speak, I said "Jim, I sense the Lord wants to give you His peace. I don't sense you have His peace, and He wants to give it to you."
We prayed, and the Holy Spirit gave the words. The verse about "My peace I give you, not as the world gives" came up, that's all I recall from what He led to be prayed.
After we prayed we shook hands. As I shook Jim's hand I sensed another bold statement of encouragement and confidence from the Lord which I spoke to Jim. As I looked into his eyes as the Holy Spirit gave this utterance, the gray coloring around and in his eyes was gone. Totally gone. His eyes were pure brown, no grayish/off white coloring at all, and I could see a confidence in them which had not been there before we prayed.
Jim thanked me, and started to walk back to his car. He took two steps, then stopped and exclaimed "I feel chills all over my body!"
"That's the Holy Spirit of God, Jim" I said.
I pray the Spirit will stay strong upon Jim. That he will continue forward to walk in the power of the Lord. That this be a beginning for a higher walk in Jesus for him.
Timidity
This awesome moment was followed later by going to a local mall. After coming out of the store, I was heading back toward the mall exit. I saw a lady up ahead who walked with a limp. It did not appear to be an injury, but rather one leg being shorter than the other. She had a dejected countenance on her face as she walked. I was prompted to speak to her as I passed by her...but I froze up. I didn't speak. Maybe the Lord wanted me to encourage her. Maybe it was just to share a morsel of His love to her. Maybe He wanted her to sit on the bench in that mall and then watch her leg grow to normal length right before her eyes.
The memory of her face is burned in my mind. Without hope. Discouragement. Bothered. It made me think "Wouldn't God healing this woman's leg change her life? Radically, it would!"
Imagine if that's what the Lord wanted to do, and He did that miracle for her. I imagined her then running and leaping through the mall, praising God to where the whole mall literally could hear. Did my timidity prevent a glorious, undeniable healing from taking place? Maybe. I repented right then and there to the Lord for not following His lead to speak to her, for whatever it was He had wanted to do.
That then made me think about the Body in America. How many of us are actually open to God doing something in people's lives like this? Not on Sunday morning, at the altar call or prayer time in the midst of a body of faith, but on a Tuesday afternoon in the middle of a mall. God have mercy on the stench of our Sunday-only, believer-only thinking.
I believe in His power. I have experienced His healing power in my life multiple times. I have seen it in others. This week. Last week. Ten years ago. Twenty-one years ago.
I have no idea if that lady has given her heart to Jesus or not, but it doesn't matter. Have you noticed the Bible doesn't say that signs and miracles are only for Believers? If the lady in the mall is not a believer, don't you think her receiving a miracle would give her instant faith/belief/knowledge of Him?
Is there not a general or unspoken belief among the Body that God's touch and miracles are for Believers? What about for those who aren't followers of Jesus? Where in the gospels does it say Jesus only healed or performed miracles for those who had believed Him as the Messiah? Let me know when you find it.
The American Body in general says "lifestyle evangelism" is THE way to win people to Jesus. Well, you know, lifestyle evangelism is one way for others to come to Him, but it is not the only way.
How about us as Followers actually taking Jesus at His words in Matthew 10:8 and Mark 16:17-18?
If we were actually doing what He said His followers would (not might) do, there would be a stunning outbreak of salvation. Imagine that: the Body of Christ actually living what Jesus charged us and gave us the instruction to do, instead of treating the Bible like a cafeteria line and picking and choosing only the verses that our comfort level or denomination or background says are acceptable to believe and adhere to.
Lifestyle evangelism says you build a friendship with someone and gain their trust. Upon earning their trust, they will then be open to your sharing into their life. Lifestyle evangelism done right means they would see or notice something different in our lives, then when their trust is earned Believers share Jesus. He in us is that something different that had attracted them.
Does lifestyle evangelism occur? Sure, but know this: if the Lord has chosen yesterday to heal that woman's leg to match the normal length of the other one, there would have been instant trust established with her. God's power right before her eyes would have created trust in a burst, right then and there. There would have been no need for lifestyle evangelism. She would know the stranger who spoke with her knows the one True God and His Son. You think her ear would have been open to hearing about the Source of her healing? Think she might want to personally know Who had done this for her?
Why don't we as followers of Jesus believe in the powerful, awesome witness of Jesus through miracles? Are those reserved for Sunday morning prayer at the end of the service? Are they reserved for Believers only? I can't find that they are.
I find accounts of Jesus healing all who were sick (Matthew 8:16, Matthew 12:15, Matthew 14:14, Mark 6:56, Luke 4:40). A portion of these vast crowds were unsure of Him. Some believed. Others had heard of Him and the miracles, wonders and healings but wanted to see for themselves. They were unsure. Others came as pure skeptics. "Who is this Jesus?" they sneered. They came disbelieving, and doubting what they'd heard would happen before their eyes. Some of these skeptics were plain, ordinary people. Other scoffers were religious leaders. They saw His miracles over and over again and still refused Jesus as the Son of God.
God, have mercy on us. We think we're just walking so greatly in You with our lifestyle evangelism, and while we're doing that people are hurting and dying all around us. Shatter vain religion, God! Shatter man's idea of what You are, man's idea of what You are capable of, man's idea of how You want to show Yourself and reveal Yourself to the world. Shatter our notions of how You wish to move in us and through us.
Good news
God wants to move powerfully through me. He wants to move powerfully through you. He desires to show Himself to the world in His ways, not our ways. Are we seeking His ways for Him to move, and following His ways as prompted by the Holy Spirit, or are we living our own view of Christianity--and doing so in His name? (Matthew 7:21-23)
"I want to know Jesus and the power of His resurrection" (Phillipians 3:10). Is that truly and honestly our desire? The power of His resurrection. Stop and think about the power of His resurrection. Really. Stop and ponder it.
What does resurrection power mean? What does it include? Who is this resurrection power available to (preachers and Bible thumpers only)? What is it for? Who is seeking it? Who gets it? When is it available? Is it only for 'mature' believers--is some 'qualification' or spiritual 'maturity' needed to receive it? Is it raw and available for new believers, whose faith is so pure and child-like that His resurrection power can go forth, simply yet miraculously? Does unbelief affect it (does Matthew 13:58 come into play)?
The power of the dead being raised again to life. That is the power He wishes to use in us and through us to be His witnesses to the world.
Do we seek to know, or want to know, the power of His resurrection? Really. Do we? Are we truly and bluntly hungry to know it? Or are we playing church to some degree, giving lip service to Him, gracing Sunday smiles and faces to each other, and having our church-wide garage sales and Sunday School attendance drives? (all in Jesus' name, of course)
I'm guilty of this. Anyone else?
God wants to show His power, to draw people to His Son, and our idea of witnessing to others, our idea of God's power, is telling a stranger "God bless you." Boy, the earth really comes to the fear and knowledge of the Lord when we say that, huh? (James 2:19)
The Bible says "faith without works is useless" (James 2:20). Has it ever occurred to us that the "works" in this verse might be something greater than lifestyle evangelism and helping out with a church activity?
What if the works of believers demonstrated the power of God (healing, cleansing, speaking, raising, casting) as in Mark 16:17-18?
"My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power" (1 Corinthians 2:4-5).
No wonder the world is bored with what conventional Christianity offers.
The good news is we CAN be used of the Lord in His power. Yes, the same Resurrection power that raises the dead! Are we willing to believe? Are we willing to take Him at His word? Are we willing to learn the leading of the Holy Spirit? Are we willing to step in faith to see God's power delivered, here, on earth, today? This week? Next week? From here forward?
There is an able Father and Creator waiting for us to seek Him in this. We have a willing Savior, who wants us to know Him and learn from Him. The Holy Spirit is ready, to teach us and guide us into all Truth (John 16:13). Not Truth in words only. Truth in the power of Jesus' resurrection.
Give us a hunger to know You, Jesus, and the POWER of Your resurrection.
Monday, October 03, 2005
party in heaven, October 2, 2005
"there is joy among and in the presence of the angels of God over one person who repents" (Luke 15:10, Amplified Bible)
"All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:37-40, NIV Bible)
Tonight, God gave a lady named Cheree to Jesus. Jesus will not drive Cheree away, and it is God's will that Jesus not lose Cheree, but raise her up at the last day. Cheree is looking to the Son. She has accepted God's grace, forgiveness, eternal life and power to overcome sin through Jesus' blood (Revelation 12:11). Cheree has repented--changed her mind for the better and heartily to amend her ways, with abhorrence of past sins (Luke 5:32, Amplified Bible).
As I spoke with Cheree, within this last year she had already turned from some things in her life that were being destructive in and toward her. It had already witnessed to her spirit, even before accepting Jesus, that these hampering things needed to be gone from her life, and they are gone already.
What a testimony. Someone who already laid aside their nets (Matthew 4:19-20) months before accepting the saving grace of Jesus. Imagine that--knowing the need for repentance, and repenting, long before becoming a Follower.
Cheree's name is now written in the Book of Life: "Thus shall they who conquer (are victorious) be clad in white garments, and I will not erase or blot out their name from the Book of Life; I will acknowledge them [as Mine] and I will confess their name openly before My Father and before His angels." (Revelation 3:5, Amplified)
Lord Jesus, there is none like You. You are able to keep Cheree until that day. You have her, Lord Jesus. The Father has given Cheree to You. Keep her, Lord Jesus. There is a cloud of witnesses around her, myself included Lord, who will be Your hands and your feet to help her grow in discipleship under You. She hungers to know You, the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus, You said that if we ask the Father for a piece of bread He won't give us a stone. Father, I ask the Holy Spirit be given to Cheree, in Jesus' name, to guide her into all Truth (John 16:13)
Lead me, Lord. Lead myself and others who know You, to lead her in following Jesus. Not in following vain and empty religion. Put Your truth alone on the lips and tongues who will be involved in discipling Cheree. Let her grow unadulterated in You. Holy Spirit, guide Cheree, in Jesus' name, amen.
"All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:37-40, NIV Bible)
Tonight, God gave a lady named Cheree to Jesus. Jesus will not drive Cheree away, and it is God's will that Jesus not lose Cheree, but raise her up at the last day. Cheree is looking to the Son. She has accepted God's grace, forgiveness, eternal life and power to overcome sin through Jesus' blood (Revelation 12:11). Cheree has repented--changed her mind for the better and heartily to amend her ways, with abhorrence of past sins (Luke 5:32, Amplified Bible).
As I spoke with Cheree, within this last year she had already turned from some things in her life that were being destructive in and toward her. It had already witnessed to her spirit, even before accepting Jesus, that these hampering things needed to be gone from her life, and they are gone already.
What a testimony. Someone who already laid aside their nets (Matthew 4:19-20) months before accepting the saving grace of Jesus. Imagine that--knowing the need for repentance, and repenting, long before becoming a Follower.
Cheree's name is now written in the Book of Life: "Thus shall they who conquer (are victorious) be clad in white garments, and I will not erase or blot out their name from the Book of Life; I will acknowledge them [as Mine] and I will confess their name openly before My Father and before His angels." (Revelation 3:5, Amplified)
Lord Jesus, there is none like You. You are able to keep Cheree until that day. You have her, Lord Jesus. The Father has given Cheree to You. Keep her, Lord Jesus. There is a cloud of witnesses around her, myself included Lord, who will be Your hands and your feet to help her grow in discipleship under You. She hungers to know You, the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus, You said that if we ask the Father for a piece of bread He won't give us a stone. Father, I ask the Holy Spirit be given to Cheree, in Jesus' name, to guide her into all Truth (John 16:13)
Lead me, Lord. Lead myself and others who know You, to lead her in following Jesus. Not in following vain and empty religion. Put Your truth alone on the lips and tongues who will be involved in discipling Cheree. Let her grow unadulterated in You. Holy Spirit, guide Cheree, in Jesus' name, amen.
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