Good morning!
Luke 24:3-6: They went in but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men stood by them in dazzling clothes. So the women were terrified and bowed down to the ground. "Why are you looking for the living among the dead?" asked the men. "He is not here, but He has been resurrected!"
I know this seems like a strange Scripture for Winning Souls Wednesday but that question the angels asked just jumped right out at me. That used to be the epitome of my life: looking for living things among dead things, thinking they would bring me joy. More than anything, I felt dead inside and desperately wanted to feel alive. I believe that is what everyone wants when they really think about it.
My mom got involved with a group when I was a teenager called the Landmark Forum. I have vague memories of it but after Googling it, I see a lot of people felt the same way I did back then. It is a cult! Self-help seminar, derived from Scientology, give me your money to obtain a revelation kind of cult. I remember them telling me I wasn't opening my brain up to them and then the other memory was the leader saying he could heal anyone's headache just by visualizing the pain and in layers, believing it to go away. They even tested it on a girl and of course, her headache went away as everyone was staring at her. What else was she going to say?! Thankfully, we did not stay long but looking back, all those people were just in search mode. Trying anything and testing whatever they could to feel alive and loved.
As we are about to celebrate Easter this weekend, I am reminded of my journey. Before Jesus, I always looked to dead, cold, inanimate, and lifeless things to fill me. After Jesus, the truth that He died on that cross for me isn't the end of the story. He doesn't rot in that tomb, dead and cold and inanimate and lifeless. He was raised from the dead and is alive! He is not a ghost that can never be approached. He is not a story trapped inside a book. He is not a deity that was with men thousands of years ago but we are left on our own. No! He is real, flesh and bone and sitting at the right hand of His Father, praying for you right now. Stop looking for the living among the dead!
Later that day, Jesus came back to His disciples and showed himself them since they still didn't believe He was alive. He said in verse 46: “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Jesus fulfilled this promise just for you! I promise when you realize and come to the truth that He is alive and He is what you've been looking for, your old life dies away and a new creation is born! It's an amazing feeling to feel alive and be able to envision a bright future. I was existing before Jesus but not truly living. As I look back, I always wonder...why did it take me so long?!
Happy Easter everyone!!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Exodus 3:13-15
Good morning!
Exodus 3:13-15: Then Moses asked God, "If I go to the Israelites and say to them: The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me, 'What is His name?' what should I tell them?" God replied to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you." God also said to Moses, "Say this to the Israelites: Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever; this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.
God responds to Moses not with a name that would put limits on Him in any way. Instead, He replies with the statement that He is the permanent substance and foundation that always will be and act as He wills. He is all and everything we need, for every need and want. He was and is and is to come. He has been here before the stars and planets, He is here in this world that continually decides to deny Him, and He will be here when this world is nothing but a memory. This song is an awesome example of "I AM WHO I AM". Praise Him this morning, not because of what He can do for you but just because of who He is.
Exodus 3:13-15: Then Moses asked God, "If I go to the Israelites and say to them: The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me, 'What is His name?' what should I tell them?" God replied to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you." God also said to Moses, "Say this to the Israelites: Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever; this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.
God responds to Moses not with a name that would put limits on Him in any way. Instead, He replies with the statement that He is the permanent substance and foundation that always will be and act as He wills. He is all and everything we need, for every need and want. He was and is and is to come. He has been here before the stars and planets, He is here in this world that continually decides to deny Him, and He will be here when this world is nothing but a memory. This song is an awesome example of "I AM WHO I AM". Praise Him this morning, not because of what He can do for you but just because of who He is.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Matthew 7:13-14
Good morning!
Matthew 7:13-14: Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.
The Lord woke me up at 5:00AM with this Scripture in my head and I've been thinking about it ever since. Jesus is speaking about the Kingdom of Heaven in this chapter and the road it takes to get there. In John 14:6-7, Jesus declares HE is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. If we know Jesus, then we will know His Father too.
So the road that we walk that leads to the gate of Heaven is a picture of our salvation through Jesus Christ.
I very well could have been one of the many that did not find the narrow gate. I looked up narrow in the dictionary to get a better picture of the word. It means a slender width, minutely precise.
I started thinking back to when I was an unbeliever and all the reasons I used to come up with in my mind not to accept Jesus as my Savior. I heard it all but I just couldn't make the decision. It sounded like too much to give up. So I kept walking the broad path of destruction, with all of my junk and issues dragging along with me.
The gate is narrow because the path is only big enough for you to walk it. You can't bring your family along with you if you truly put Jesus first and take up your cross and follow after Him (Matthew 16:24). You won't have room for all the junk and issues because there is freedom and liberty in His salvation (Galatians 5:1).You can't try to be like anyone else because God has a special plan just for you; this is your journey (Jeremiah 29:11).
God knew it would be difficult to walk the narrow road because of all the road blocks the world throws at us. The Devil desperately wants us to miss the path that leads to that precious narrow gate and instead go along with the masses down the broad path of destruction that is so deceptively decorated with "fun" and "good times". That road is full of the mind set of it's all about me, and how can I make myself feel better and how much more stuff can I get to complete me. That road leads to death.
But once you turn down the narrow path that leads to that gate, your mind set changes to it's all about Him, and how can I bring Him glory, and what can I give to help others in need. That road leads to life.
Think about it...how easy is it to live for yourself, giving in to your fleshly desires, satisfying yourself before anyone else? How difficult is it to set your mind on unearthly ways, think of others before yourself, give first and then save, love your enemies, believe and trust in a hope that others can't see? Living for ourselves brings death and living for Jesus brings life. It may seem like the other way around when you are trying to make the decision on which road to take. I know it did to me 12 years ago. But since I chose the narrow path, I have never looked back. Nothing compares to His love! I found everything I was looking for and needed on that path and I will continue to walk it until it's my time to enter through that gate. To my eternal home.
Stay the course. Don't falter just because the road is narrow. Don't get tripped up by bringing more than you should with you on your journey or trying to be someone you are not. He is all you will ever need and He provides all you need to keep going. The narrow gate that is the entrance to Heaven is calling us all. Be one of the few who finds it!
Matthew 7:13-14: Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.
The Lord woke me up at 5:00AM with this Scripture in my head and I've been thinking about it ever since. Jesus is speaking about the Kingdom of Heaven in this chapter and the road it takes to get there. In John 14:6-7, Jesus declares HE is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. If we know Jesus, then we will know His Father too.
So the road that we walk that leads to the gate of Heaven is a picture of our salvation through Jesus Christ.
I very well could have been one of the many that did not find the narrow gate. I looked up narrow in the dictionary to get a better picture of the word. It means a slender width, minutely precise.
I started thinking back to when I was an unbeliever and all the reasons I used to come up with in my mind not to accept Jesus as my Savior. I heard it all but I just couldn't make the decision. It sounded like too much to give up. So I kept walking the broad path of destruction, with all of my junk and issues dragging along with me.
The gate is narrow because the path is only big enough for you to walk it. You can't bring your family along with you if you truly put Jesus first and take up your cross and follow after Him (Matthew 16:24). You won't have room for all the junk and issues because there is freedom and liberty in His salvation (Galatians 5:1).You can't try to be like anyone else because God has a special plan just for you; this is your journey (Jeremiah 29:11).
God knew it would be difficult to walk the narrow road because of all the road blocks the world throws at us. The Devil desperately wants us to miss the path that leads to that precious narrow gate and instead go along with the masses down the broad path of destruction that is so deceptively decorated with "fun" and "good times". That road is full of the mind set of it's all about me, and how can I make myself feel better and how much more stuff can I get to complete me. That road leads to death.
But once you turn down the narrow path that leads to that gate, your mind set changes to it's all about Him, and how can I bring Him glory, and what can I give to help others in need. That road leads to life.
Think about it...how easy is it to live for yourself, giving in to your fleshly desires, satisfying yourself before anyone else? How difficult is it to set your mind on unearthly ways, think of others before yourself, give first and then save, love your enemies, believe and trust in a hope that others can't see? Living for ourselves brings death and living for Jesus brings life. It may seem like the other way around when you are trying to make the decision on which road to take. I know it did to me 12 years ago. But since I chose the narrow path, I have never looked back. Nothing compares to His love! I found everything I was looking for and needed on that path and I will continue to walk it until it's my time to enter through that gate. To my eternal home.
Stay the course. Don't falter just because the road is narrow. Don't get tripped up by bringing more than you should with you on your journey or trying to be someone you are not. He is all you will ever need and He provides all you need to keep going. The narrow gate that is the entrance to Heaven is calling us all. Be one of the few who finds it!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Psalm 97:9
Good morning!!
Exalt: 1. to raise in rank, power, or character. {EXALT} 2. to elevate by praise or in estimation. {GLORIFY} 3. to raise high. {ELEVATE} 4. to enhance the activity of. {INTENSIFY}
We sang this song at church yesterday and it is one of my favorites! Maybe because my brother who is the worship leader at church rocks it out! It is no longer an outdated hymn when the band starts playing. It is alive and anointed and powerful. And VERY loud! I can't help but lift my hands, display my best air drumming and dance like I am in a club! Somehow, I can see the angels doing the same thing in Heaven.
But this song also gets me thinking about what I exalt on an every day basis. Who am I exalting? What do I glorify? What is elevated in my life over me? Am I intensifying anything and if so, is it the right something? Lately, God has been in the middle for me with a lot of other things above Him. I don't know how it happens, small choices I am sure. Justifying my actions somehow. And then I sing this song. And I am brought to my knees. My heart cracks open. His love floods over me and I realize He is the One I am leaving below and behind and beside.
He is over all of the earth, all of Creation, over all the cosmos The Message version says. That amount of space is mind-blowing to me; I cannot really fathom. He created it all yet He cares for me. He is worthy of my exaltation and I hope as you watch this 9 minute video of Jesus Culture rocking this song out, that you will exalt and glorify and elevate and intensify your relationship with the God of all creation. The God that loves you.
Psalm 97:9: For You, LORD, are the Most High over all the earth; You are exalted above all the gods.
Exalt: 1. to raise in rank, power, or character. {EXALT} 2. to elevate by praise or in estimation. {GLORIFY} 3. to raise high. {ELEVATE} 4. to enhance the activity of. {INTENSIFY}
We sang this song at church yesterday and it is one of my favorites! Maybe because my brother who is the worship leader at church rocks it out! It is no longer an outdated hymn when the band starts playing. It is alive and anointed and powerful. And VERY loud! I can't help but lift my hands, display my best air drumming and dance like I am in a club! Somehow, I can see the angels doing the same thing in Heaven.
But this song also gets me thinking about what I exalt on an every day basis. Who am I exalting? What do I glorify? What is elevated in my life over me? Am I intensifying anything and if so, is it the right something? Lately, God has been in the middle for me with a lot of other things above Him. I don't know how it happens, small choices I am sure. Justifying my actions somehow. And then I sing this song. And I am brought to my knees. My heart cracks open. His love floods over me and I realize He is the One I am leaving below and behind and beside.
He is over all of the earth, all of Creation, over all the cosmos The Message version says. That amount of space is mind-blowing to me; I cannot really fathom. He created it all yet He cares for me. He is worthy of my exaltation and I hope as you watch this 9 minute video of Jesus Culture rocking this song out, that you will exalt and glorify and elevate and intensify your relationship with the God of all creation. The God that loves you.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Matthew 16:24
Good morning!
Easy to sing but much harder to do. This has become a daily event for me. This doesn't just happen once when you decide to follow Jesus and receive His salvation. It doesn't end there. The Cross is ever before me and I am always striving towards it. The World is always behind me, desperately wanting to draw me in deeper, pulling me further away from my goal. Most days, it seems like I am all alone. No one is with me. I am the naive child who believes in something I cannot see. I trust in a God others mock and defame. This World tells you as much as it can that following is for the weak. You are the leader and maker of your own destiny. You have to be a blazer of your own path to make a difference in this World.
Still I will follow...
On this Winning Souls Wednesday, the message I want to get across to everyone, saved or perishing, is that you are either following after the Cross or you are being dragged by the World. The two won't ever go together. Jesus said if anyone wants to come after me, they have to leave the world behind. Forget all of yourself and all of the junk that we have believed for so long is important, and take up your Cross. Follow Him even though no one would go with you. God loves to see that one person standing out and shining through the pack!
I found the Cross one night laying in my bed and I was changed forever. But it doesn't end there. Daily, I must take up my Cross and decide to live like Jesus as best as I can even though everything around me sways me in the other direction. Still I press on up that hill. Still I reach out to Jesus who makes being alone worth it. Still I will follow and come after Him.
Matthew 16:24: Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me."
This song as been stuck in my head all morning and thus has inspired me to write today.
The Cross before me.
The World behind me.
Though none go with me.
Still I will follow.
Still I will follow...
On this Winning Souls Wednesday, the message I want to get across to everyone, saved or perishing, is that you are either following after the Cross or you are being dragged by the World. The two won't ever go together. Jesus said if anyone wants to come after me, they have to leave the world behind. Forget all of yourself and all of the junk that we have believed for so long is important, and take up your Cross. Follow Him even though no one would go with you. God loves to see that one person standing out and shining through the pack!
I found the Cross one night laying in my bed and I was changed forever. But it doesn't end there. Daily, I must take up my Cross and decide to live like Jesus as best as I can even though everything around me sways me in the other direction. Still I press on up that hill. Still I reach out to Jesus who makes being alone worth it. Still I will follow and come after Him.
The Cross before me
The World behind me
No turning back
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Isaiah 42:1-9
Good afternoon! Sorry this is going to be long but I've been away for a while!
Purpose: something set up as an object or end to be attained.
God's Son had a mighty purpose and He lived His life in pursuit of it. Everything He did was because of it and every thought was based off of it. It wasn't easy but He finished the race, He accomplished His Father's will, and He fulfilled every prophetic word that was spoken about Him.
God has been reminding me lately, through His Holy Spirit and through preachers, that He has the same type of purpose for me. Sure it may not be as important and extreme as Jesus' was! But I have something set up before me. There is an end that is supposed to be attained for me. Am I walking with Him, letting Him hold my hand along that path that will take me to that end? Or I am walking side to side, forward and backward, all the while shoving His hand aside, doing it all on my own?
See God has done all of this...Jesus came and fulfilled His purpose. It is done! Now God is doing new things. They are springing up all around us for the people who are doing His will, who are living their purposes. He will always be there to hold your hand through it all. He will even announce these new things before they occur! I can't wait to hear more about what God is doing and I am so glad it didn't end with His Son's death. Oh no...it transferred to us, His adopted, born-again children! We are the ones who are to be a light to the nations, to open blind eyes, to set free the prisoners and those in darkness. They are all around us and they need Jesus! If you think you have no purpose, there is one that we all have in common!
I am jazzed about what God is doing in my life, in my children's lives, in my family. He is always tugging on my heart, leading me to new things, opening my eyes and pulling me towards my end. I don't want to get there and miss out! I don't want tomorrow to be my end and it be too late. I want to finish what I am supposed to do!
I hope you read and re-read and re-read again this passage. It is chalked full of God's goodness, promises, and love.
Isaiah 42:1-9: "This is My Servant; I strengthen Him, [this is] My Chosen One; I delight in Him. I have put My Spirit on Him; He will bring justice to the nations. He will not cry out or shout or make His voice heard in the streets. He will not break a bruised reed, and He will not put out a smoldering wick; He will faithfully bring justice. He will not grow weak or be discouraged until He has established justice on earth. The islands will wait for His instruction." This is what God the LORD says—who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and life to those who walk on it — "I, the LORD, have called you for a righteous [purpose], and I will hold you by your hand. I will keep you, and I make you a covenant for the people [and] a light to the nations, in order to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon, [and] those sitting in darkness from the prison house. I am Yahweh, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, or my praise to idols. The past events have indeed happened. Now I declare new events; I announce them to you before they occur."
Purpose: something set up as an object or end to be attained.
God's Son had a mighty purpose and He lived His life in pursuit of it. Everything He did was because of it and every thought was based off of it. It wasn't easy but He finished the race, He accomplished His Father's will, and He fulfilled every prophetic word that was spoken about Him.
God has been reminding me lately, through His Holy Spirit and through preachers, that He has the same type of purpose for me. Sure it may not be as important and extreme as Jesus' was! But I have something set up before me. There is an end that is supposed to be attained for me. Am I walking with Him, letting Him hold my hand along that path that will take me to that end? Or I am walking side to side, forward and backward, all the while shoving His hand aside, doing it all on my own?
See God has done all of this...Jesus came and fulfilled His purpose. It is done! Now God is doing new things. They are springing up all around us for the people who are doing His will, who are living their purposes. He will always be there to hold your hand through it all. He will even announce these new things before they occur! I can't wait to hear more about what God is doing and I am so glad it didn't end with His Son's death. Oh no...it transferred to us, His adopted, born-again children! We are the ones who are to be a light to the nations, to open blind eyes, to set free the prisoners and those in darkness. They are all around us and they need Jesus! If you think you have no purpose, there is one that we all have in common!
I am jazzed about what God is doing in my life, in my children's lives, in my family. He is always tugging on my heart, leading me to new things, opening my eyes and pulling me towards my end. I don't want to get there and miss out! I don't want tomorrow to be my end and it be too late. I want to finish what I am supposed to do!
I hope you read and re-read and re-read again this passage. It is chalked full of God's goodness, promises, and love.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Isaiah 53:5
Good Good Friday morning! :)
If this song doesn't just drop you to your knees, then I don't know what will. I get chills every time I hear it. I feel like I am right there with Him, on the mound, watching in expectation, sharing in His suffering. I never feel closer to Jesus than on Easter weekend. It makes me stop focusing on the world and it connects me to Him. This weekend is full of emotion for me and it's become a tradition in our house to watch The Passion of the Christ every Easter. I pray everyone has a blessed weekend and truly can connect like they never have before with ALL that Christ did for us that day. He did it all for you. You can have hope because He conquered the grave. Death couldn't hold him. He is Risen!
Isaiah 53:5: But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
If this song doesn't just drop you to your knees, then I don't know what will. I get chills every time I hear it. I feel like I am right there with Him, on the mound, watching in expectation, sharing in His suffering. I never feel closer to Jesus than on Easter weekend. It makes me stop focusing on the world and it connects me to Him. This weekend is full of emotion for me and it's become a tradition in our house to watch The Passion of the Christ every Easter. I pray everyone has a blessed weekend and truly can connect like they never have before with ALL that Christ did for us that day. He did it all for you. You can have hope because He conquered the grave. Death couldn't hold him. He is Risen!
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