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Faith and Expectation

Psalms 31:24 (AMP) Be strong and let your hearts take courage, all you who wait for and confidently expect the Lord.

Are we showing up to places expecting calamity? Are we expecting a struggle? Are we expecting to walk into confusion? I want to tell you something about this faith life, we cannot pray against something that we have invited. We need to change our mindset and our expectation. God is not going past what we expect and speak with our mouths.

Matthew 15:15, 17-20 (AMP) Peter asked Him, “Explain this parable [about what defiles a person] to us.” Do you not understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? But whatever [word] comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this is what defiles and dishonors the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts and plans, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, slanders (verbal abuse, irreverent speech, blaspheming). These are the things which defile and dishonor the man; but eating with [ceremonially] unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

Ephesians 4:29-31 (AMP) Do not let unwholesome [foul, profane, worthless, vulgar] words ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good for building up others, according to the need and the occasion, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear [you speak]. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [but seek to please Him], by whom you were sealed and marked [branded as God’s own] for the day of redemption [the final deliverance from the consequences of sin]. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor [perpetual animosity, resentment, strife, fault-finding] and slander be put away from you, along with every kind of malice [all spitefulness, verbal abuse, malevolence].

I was in prayer yesterday about some of the confusion we have had with setting up on Sunday mornings. It has been effecting our worship and media (which includes the sound) teams. Where is all this confusion coming from? As of right now we are renting from another church. We have a 1:30 in the afternoon service. Their worship and media teams have been doing some changes with the equipment and it is different every week. There is discouragement, and I understand that, it is not easy to figure out when we are not a part of the whole picture. What we cannot do is lose the joy in that we have a place to come to worship together. We cannot allow it to cause discouragement in how we approach worship.

The first thing we have to do is to check our heart attitude. Have we lost the joy? If so, what are we doing to find it again? Psalms 31:24 says, “Be strong and let your hearts take courage.” Discouragement cannot enter our hearts. Out of hearts we will speak what we expect. My prayer was, “God let our hearts remain steadfast to your Word. Let us not grieve the Holy Spirit by our complaining when we come into this place. Holy Spirit, we value You more than any inconvenience we may face. Let our words build up. Let our words be used to bless.”

I am praying against the confusion, but I am also praying for our minds to be in correct alignment with the Word. No matter what, the Holy Spirit is more important than what we sound like or look like on the camera. We are not producing a product, we are ushering in His Presence. We should have excellence, but not at the expense of not sitting at His feet. We can often get into the works of it all, that we forget the most important part, being with Him.

Joshua 6:10 (AMP) But Joshua commanded the people, “You shall not shout [the battle cry] nor let your voice be heard nor let a word come out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout!”

This is the story of how God delivered the city of Jericho into the hands of the Israelites. They marched around the city walls six days with only the trumpets being blown by the priests, and the ark of the covenant being carried behind the priests. On the seventh day, when they had walked around the city seven times, this time when the priests blew the trumpets the people were to give out a shout. I believe it was a shout of praise, it was a shout of victory, it was a shout of expectation. Their faith had lined up with their expectation that God had delivered the victory.

We cannot pray against something we have invited. Change your mindset and change your words. Stop inviting confusion into your life and into your worship. Do not allow discouragement to take root and cause your mouth to curse what God wants to do in that moment. Speak faith, speak expectation, speak to build up. Your faith will meet your expectation.

Our Lord, Our God, Our Banner, You are more precious than the sun you put in the sky. We want to bring glory to Your Name. Thank You for Your Son, for coming to earth to live among us and for restoring us to our rightful place in Your Presence. Thank You for the Holy Spirit. Your Word says that the Holy Spirit is the seal of our redemption. That means we have been inspected and approved. We are no longer broken vessels, Your Son redeemed us. We repent for speaking words that are not uplifting, that we have spoken out of the confusion without going to Your Word and Your Promise. We choose to forgive ourselves and others for having expectations that do not line up with Your Word. Let us choose to remain silent and get our hearts and minds in correct alignment so that we do not dishonor You with our words. We choose hope today. We choose joy today. We choose forgiveness today. We choose love today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Only the Truth, and nothing but the Truth

John 15:26 (AMP) But when the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of Truth who comes from the Father, He will testify and bear witness about Me.

Have you ever had a relationship strained because of a reason that you had no idea of? I personally can tell you that it is the hardest to navigate. I was in prayer yesterday about such, asking for the truth to be revealed. I wanted them to know that I am not against them, that the issue could be so much deeper than me, that it could be an inward conflict taken out on me. The Holy Spirit stopped me and said, ‘the Spirit of Truth’. That was all. So what do you do when you hear a word, you go to your Bible.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (AMP) For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth [and the gospel—the good news of salvation].

What is the Spirit of Truth? The Spirit of Truth is going to reveal the gospel. That even though I did not deserve it, I have been forgiven. Christ paid the price for me. The Spirit of Truth is going to reveal that in us time and again. He is going to remind us that we are now in Christ Jesus. Anything that tries to work against that truth will not stand. The same with others who are in Christ. We are unique, the level of faith we have may all be different, but we are in the Beloved (Christ).

Ephesians 6:11-14 (AMP) Put on the full armor of God [for His precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily-armed soldier], so that you may be able to [successfully] stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places. Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious]. So stand firm and hold your ground, having tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart)

I cannot do anything about anyone else’s thoughts, but I can do something about mine. The scheme of the enemy is to keep us divided. He wants us to think that we are not for each other. He wants us to think that they are mad at us and nothing we do can be right. He wants us to think on anything but the truth. The first part of the armor of God is the belt of truth. Here it talks about personal integrity and moral courage. In the Passion Translation is says to, “Put on truth as a belt to strengthen you to stand in triumph.”

In Greek the word for truth here is aletheia. It means the state of not being hidden, also reality or unforgetting. What is the reality of a believer? What is it that we do not forget? Why are we not hidden and put under a basket (or in a cave)? We are placed on a stand to give light to the whole world (Matthew 5). The Spirit of Truth is going to reveal Jesus. Every day we need to put on the belt of truth, that we are in Christ.

Philippians 4:8 (AMP) Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].

This is my go to verse when my mind starts to go to a place that does not think on things that are lovely. Do you know what happens when we do not get our mind in correct alignment with His Word? Our demeanor and our reactions start to show. We will start to hide, and not in a good way. We just learned that the belt of truth is a state of not being hidden. So that should be a sign to us that if we are wanting to do that, we have not put on that part of the armor of God. Again, I cannot do anything about anyone else’s desire to live this way. I can only do something about myself. When I asked God to increase His love in me so that is all that flows out of me, that gave Him license to change my thinking and to clean up my heart attitude. So when He told me the Spirit of Truth, I am going to listen. The Bible says those that have ears to hear, let them hear. I am not just a listener of the Word, I am a doer.

Everything goes back to the Spirit of Truth, that I am now in Christ. I have a location of residence. The Holy Spirit has empowered me to live a victorious life accepting who I am in Christ. I am never alone. The orphan spirit cannot be attached to me any longer. I know that may be an odd term to you, but I can tell you that it is not from God to feel rejected, alone and insignificant. If you feel that way, there is freedom, and it comes from finding out who you are in Christ and fully accepting it. That is why I am constantly encouraging others to ask God for the revelation of what it is to be rooted and grounded in the love of Christ. What does this have to do with the Spirit of Truth? Everything. How you perceive yourself in relation to the body of Christ has everything to do with the Spirit of Truth, you receiving the fullness of the gospel.

Adonai, our Creator, our Banner, You are so Wonderful and Awesome. We want to honor You with every part of our being. Thank You for Your Son who restored us in every area, but especially in our relationship with You. Thank You for the Holy Spirit, our Counselor, our Intercessor, our Strengthener. Thank You Holy Spirit for being the Spirit of Truth, for revealing the fullness of the Gospel, that we are in Christ. Let us know more and more what that fullness is. We repent for the times we put on identities that do not line up with what it truly means to be in Christ. We are not alone nor insignificant. We forgive those that made up feel that way, and we forgive ourselves for allowing us to take on identities that are not true. We choose love today. We choose forgiveness today. We choose hope today. We choose joy today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Faith Equals Rest

Hebrews 3:19 (AMP) So we see that they were not able to enter [into His rest—the promised land] because of unbelief and an unwillingness to trust in God.

I just woke up from a really weird dream. In this dream I was trying my hardest to unlock a code and my fingers just fumbled. What made it worse is that I was surrounded by strangers waiting to get in to wherever I was trying to unlock. I woke up thinking, hopefully I can close my eyes and get more sleep, maybe figure this thing out, but my alarm was set to go off in just 7 minutes. So instead I started my day. As the morning progressed, the thoughts of my dream went away as well. What happened? I got in the Word and built up my faith.

Hebrews 4:1-2 (AMP) Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still remains and is freely offered today, let us fear, in case any one of you may seem to come short of reaching it or think he has come too late. For indeed we have had the good news [of salvation] preached to us, just as the Israelites also [when the good news of the promised land came to them]; but the message they heard did not benefit them, because it was not united with faith [in God] by those who heard.

Faith is the difference between rest and unrest. Faith is hard to explain to someone that has to see something in order to believe it. Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses] (Hebrews 11:1 AMP). Hoping for is not wishful thinking according to faith, hope is confident assurance. My hope is not mystical and not wishful, it is confident. When I say love always hopes it means my love is sure and confident that God has already worked things out, because it is rooted and grounded in Christ’s love.

Hebrews 4:10-11 (AMP) For the one who has once entered His rest has also rested from [the weariness and pain of] his [human] labors, just as God rested from [those labors uniquely] His own. Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest [of God, to know and experience it for ourselves], so that no one will fall by following the same example of disobedience [as those who died in the wilderness]. 

Often times this rest is mistaken as the absence of physical labor. We are to sabbath, but like the pharisees we can start to get religious in it. Jesus healed on the Sabbath and they freaked out. The works of the ministry (the ministry of reconciliation) is not something we should be taking a day off from. If that is the case then we are doing it as works to salvation and not works because of salvation. There is a difference. The reason the disobedient Israelites died in the wilderness is because they cared more for their own well being than trusting that God had it already worked out. They wanted their comfort (His presents) instead of His Presence.

When I read, “I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return]” (Philippians 1:6 AMP), this has nothing to do with me gaining anything other than transformation through Christ. This is bringing about the fullness of the ministry of reconciliation. So many are concerned with what they can get instead of realizing that they already got it all when they received Christ. This is the message that Hebrews 4 is trying to convey, if your salvation is still all about what you can get, it is full of unbelief. We are still waiting for God to restore what we lost, when He is the perfect gift. He is all we have need of.

Hebrews 4:12 (AMP) For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart. 

John 1:1-4 (AMP) In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. He was [continually existing] in the beginning [co-eternally] with God. All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him not even one thing was made that has come into being. In Him was life [and the power to bestow life], and the life was the Light of men.

When I read the Word (all of it, not just my favorite parts, and Jesus is not just in the New Testament), I am allowing the work of Christ to do His full work. I cannot be a complete person without Christ. I cannot be a complete person without the Holy Spirit. I definitely cannot be a complete person if I neglect His Word. Now faith is the confident assurance that what God says is true. Therefore, I am whole, I am complete, I am healed, I am redeemed and I am in right standing with Him. That is our promised land, that is our rest. Nothing else matters. Now live like it and go share the gospel.

Psalms 27:8 (AMP) When You said, “Seek My face [in prayer, require My presence as your greatest need],” my heart said to You, “Your face, O Lord, I will seek [on the authority of Your word].”

Matthew 6:33 (AMP) But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.

Jehovah Rapha, God our Healer, You are Marvelous and Wonderful. We want to honor You with our praise today. You said to seek Your face as our greatest need, we are doing that with all of our hearts. We long for You. Thank You for redeeming us with Your Son. Thank You for Your Word and for the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to take the full measure or grace (Your empowerment) to do the good works that You created us to do. The ministry of reconciliation is that good work. That good work has made us complete and whole through Christ Jesus. We repent for thinking that restoration had to do with stuff, that the promised land was material possessions, when it was our relationship with You. When Christ paid the price for our sins and we received Him in faith, we entered into that promised land. We entered into right standing with You. You are enough for us. Thank You for being Jehovah Jireh, God our Provider. We are at rest because of faith. We choose love today. We choose joy today. We choose hope today. We choose forgiveness today. We choose faith today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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It’s not worth it

1 Peter 5:7 (AMP) casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].

I love this verse. We can cast all our cares on Him. I want to put this into context for you. This is a command to holiness. The preceding verse if very much attached to this one, and even all the way back to chapter 4. The reason is because we will all go before the judgement seat, “For it is the time [destined] for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not respect or believe or obey the gospel of God? (1 Peter 4:17) Also, you can find it in 2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we [believers will be called to account and] must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be repaid for what has been done in the body, whether good or bad [that is, each will be held responsible for his actions, purposes, goals, motives—the use or misuse of his time, opportunities and abilities].“

Does the fear of judgement cause you to want to run or hide? It causes me to want to do both, but not in the way you would think. I run and hide in Christ, not due to shame or guilt, but because of His great love. If as a believer it makes you angry when you are reminded that you will be called before the judgement seat, discover the why in yourself. Read the full above verse in context.

1 Peter 5:6-11 (AMP) Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service] at the appropriate time, casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]. Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour. But resist him, be firm in your faith [against his attack—rooted, established, immovable], knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being experienced by your brothers and sisters throughout the world. [You do not suffer alone.] After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace [who imparts His blessing and favor], who called you to His own eternal glory in Christ, will Himself complete, confirm, strengthen, and establish you [making you what you ought to be]. To Him be dominion (power, authority, sovereignty) forever and ever. Amen.

Pride is the root. It’s symptoms are not just anger, but can be fear. How do I rid myself of pride? Just like perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18), His perfect love will also cast out that pride. It takes humility to be rooted and grounded in Christ’s love. It takes humility to cast what is bothering you to His feet. It takes humility to allow the Holy Spirit to dig into your wells and pull out all the contaminates that keep you from running your race well. It takes humility to forgive, even when the other person does not ask for it. It takes humility to see the best for others. None of this can be accomplished without a deep love of Christ. This is not a one time confession either. This is a life long pursuit, and I am not always going to get it right. If I did, then there would not be a need for the Holy Spirit.

Are you questioning your salvation? How can one be assured of their salvation. Do you have a relationship with God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit? ‘Knowledge of’ and ‘relationship with’ are two different things. Our salvation was not to attain knowledge, but to attain His face. He wants a relationship with us. In a relationship it has give and take. If all you want is the gifts, then that is not a real relationship. If you are not willing to give of yourself and not willing to grow into holiness (because that is what His presence will do), then that is not a relationship with our God. When it comes to having more knowledge or having more of His presence, I will choose His presence. Here is the thing, He will give you knowledge when you desire His presence.

Read Hebrews 10:26-31 and Matthew 7:21-23. This is not meant to scare you, but to draw you closer to Him. If you are scared because you deserve punishment, there is still hope. Have the confident assurance that when you make Christ your savior, repent and surrender your life, you are redeemed. You can stand right before God. The rest is up to you. Casting all of my cares has to do with my mind, my will and my emotions. These are the parts that make me unique. They are also the parts that can cause me to not want the things of God. They are the areas that will hold onto pride. I decided, for myself, that holding onto things that did not glorify Him are just not worth it. What do you treasure? I treasure His Presence. I treasure being rooted and grounded in His love (unmovable and unshakable). Nothing is worth more than that. My reverential fear of displeasing God has nothing to do with punishment, it has to do with my great love for Him.

Abba, our Father, our Maker and our Banner, You are so Wonderful. Thank You for sending Your Son to live, die and come back to Your right hand. He is making intercessions for us because of Your great love. Thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit. We receive all that He has for us. We thank You for Your Word and for the Body of Christ. We grow in our relationship with You when we apply what you have gifted us with. We repent for trampling the blood of Christ by holding onto our own ways and by allowing pride to rule and reign in our lives. Nothing in this world is as valuable as You. The fear of the judgement seat was taken away when You sent Your Son. It was not just for the judgement, it was also for the restoration. We desire and long for You. Thank You for Your Presence, let it not depart from us. We desire You. We choose love today. We choose forgiveness today. We choose joy today. We choose hope today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Lips filled with praise

Mark 14:26 (AMP) After they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

How big is your praise? This is a lesson that Jesus wanted us to learn. He knew exactly what was going on, yet He sang a song of praise and honor to God. What did they sing that night? It was a group of Psalms knows as “the Hallel,” Psalms 113-118. Jesus actually quoted from Psalm 118 earlier in the week, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone (verse 22).”

I want to pay extra close attention to Psalm 118. This is the passage that I have encouraged others to read over and over again this week as we prepare our hearts for service this Sunday. I also encouraged them to read it in different translations to get the fullness of what it is saying. In the Amplified Bible it says that “His lovingkindness endures forever.” In the Modern English Version, “His mercy endures forever (similar to the KJV).” In the Message, “His love never quits.” In the English Standard Version, “His steadfast love endures forever.” This is a psalm of praise. How big was Jesus’ praise that night?

This is the night that He washed the disciples feet, that He ate the Passover meal with them, then He tells them about the sacraments of the bread and the wine. He sings a song, and then heads to the Mt. of Olives, where He then tells them that they are going to scatter once He is handed over for death. Yet, He takes time to praise. In the midst of the craziness of life, will you take time to praise?

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (AMP) Rejoice always and delight in your faith; be unceasing and persistent in prayer; in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

Use the words that I showed you from Psalms 118, “His love never quits” and “His love endures forever.” They are really easy to say and eventually will start to roll off our tongues when we commit to meditate on them throughout the day. Do you know how grounded Jesus was in the Father’s love? This is what He wants for you too.

Psalm 118:28-29 (AMP) You are my God, and I give thanks to You; [You are] my God, I extol You.
O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness endures forever.

Our God is still good. Even in the moments right now, His lovingkindness endures. I have to remember that when Moses asked to see God’s glory, God responded in showing Moses His mercy and lovingkindness (Exodus 33:19). As I write these words my heart leaps with joy and my eyes fill with tears. The wonders of this everlasting love. How deep, wide and high is that love. This is the importance of praise, otherwise we try to look at God at our level and the reverence for Him slowly fades.

Hebrews 13:15 (AMP) Through Him, therefore, let us at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name. 

Psalms 63:3 (AMP) Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You.

Praise should never depart from our lips. In this there is a need for our hearts to be in line with our lips. Do not just parrot these words and they have no meaning to you. He is not asking for lip service, as the nation of Israel did (Isaiah 29:13). Our reverence for Him does not need to become a tradition, completely empty of meaning. Glorify His name in your praise. A heart filled with reverence will have a mouth filled with praise.

Instead of writing out a prayer of my own words today, I want to lead you in taking a deeper look at Psalm 118. Sing it, pray it, meditate on it. Align your heart this week.

O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness endures forever.
Oh let Israel say,
“His lovingkindness endures forever.”
Oh let the house of Aaron say,
“His lovingkindness endures forever.”
Oh let those who [reverently] fear the Lord, say,
“His lovingkindness endures forever.”
Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
The Lord answered me and set me free.
The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.
What can [mere] man do to me?
The Lord is on my side, He is among those who help me;
Therefore I will look [in triumph] on those who hate me.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
Than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
Than to trust in princes.
All nations encompassed me;
In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off.
They encompassed me, yes, they surrounded me [on every side];
In the name of the Lord I will cut them off.
They swarmed around me like bees;
They flare up and are extinguished like a fire of thorns;
In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off.
You [my enemy] pushed me violently so that I was falling,
But the Lord helped me.
The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.
The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous:
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
The right hand of the Lord is exalted;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
I will not die, but live,
And declare the works and recount the illustrious acts of the Lord.
The Lord has disciplined me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.
Open to me the [temple] gates of righteousness;
I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord;
The righteous will enter through it.
I will give thanks to You, for You have heard and answered me;
And You have become my salvation [my Rescuer, my Savior].
The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the [a]chief corner stone.
This is from the Lord and is His doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
This [day in which God has saved me] is the day which the Lord has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
O Lord, save now, we beseech You;
O Lord, we beseech You, send now prosperity and give us success!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord;
We have blessed you from the house of the Lord [you who come into His sanctuary under His guardianship].
The Lord is God, and He has given us light [illuminating us with His grace and freedom and joy].
Bind the festival sacrifices with [b]cords to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, and I give thanks to You;
[You are] my God, I extol You.
O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness endures forever. AMP
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A New Way to Live

Hebrews 10:19-25 (AMP) Therefore, believers, since we have confidence and full freedom to enter the Holy Place [the place where God dwells] by [means of] the blood of Jesus, by this new and living way which He initiated and opened for us through the veil [as in the Holy of Holies], that is, through His flesh, and since we have a great and wonderful Priest [Who rules] over the house of God, let us approach [God] with a true and sincere heart in unqualified assurance of faith, having had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us seize and hold tightly the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is reliable and trustworthy and faithful [to His word]; and let us consider [thoughtfully] how we may encourage one another to love and to do good deeds, not forsaking our meeting together [as believers for worship and instruction], as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more [faithfully] as you see the day [of Christ’s return] approaching.

In the Chapters leading up to this point, Luke, the author of Hebrews wrote about how Christ fulfilled the law. It is now inscribed on our hearts because Christ paid the price (Romans 2:14-15). The works under the law had to do with the blood. Good deeds, good works, and serving one another was never under the law. It is a part of the new way of doing things. It is a part of the new commandment, “that we love and unselfishly seek the best for one another.” We are to be a part of a church, our church body is to encourage us in our growth in Christ, and to search for ways to do good deeds. We worship together, we serve together and we grow together.

As I was reading through Galatians, chapter 5, verse 13 through chapter 6, verse 10 jumped out at me. The new way to live is not full of self. Many times we will use our freedom in Christ to still live our way if we see that it is good (not harming anyone else). After Tuesday prayer we were discussing why the body of Christ struggles with unity. It all comes down to us loving unselfishly. We often use the permissive will as an excuse to not die to the flesh in those areas. I can be selfish as a believer when I choose to do only what pleases me, especially when I do not consider the needs of others above myself. We may not hate people, we even love our church, we just love what we want more.

Galatians 5:13-14 (AMP) For you, my brothers, were called to freedom; only do not let your freedom become an opportunity for the sinful nature (worldliness, selfishness), but through love serve and seek the best for one another. For the whole Law [concerning human relationships] is fulfilled in one precept, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, you shall have an unselfish concern for others and do things for their benefit].”

In a world that tells us to ‘look at for yourselves’, ‘build for yourself’, ‘to experience life for yourself’, ‘to do what makes you happy’, ‘to choose you’, this is a different way of living. I look at it this way, if my motive is questioned and I am defensive then is it self motivated or was is it Kingdom motivated? My flesh is going to seek preservation and will become defensive, even angry. That is why accountability has left the church today. We feel like it is an attack, when really it is suppose to bring us back to putting His way above seeking our own.

Galatians 5:16, 25-26, 6:10 But I say, walk habitually in the [Holy] Spirit [seek Him and be responsive to His guidance], and then you will certainly not carry out the desire of the sinful nature [which responds impulsively without regard for God and His precepts]. If we [claim to] live by the [Holy] Spirit, we must also walk by the Spirit [with personal integrity, godly character, and moral courage—our conduct empowered by the Holy Spirit]. We must not become conceited, challenging or provoking one another, envying one another. So then, while we [as individual believers] have the opportunity, let us do good to all people [not only being helpful, but also doing that which promotes their spiritual well-being], and especially [be a blessing] to those of the household of faith (born-again believers).

As I have been listening to teachings about hearing God and really developing a relationship with the Holy Spirit, the one key component is to get yourself in a neutral state. Close off my own desires and really listen to the heart of God. Most of the time we are swayed to make a decision because of our own yearnings, which means our voice is louder. God gives us the desires of our hearts, but I want my heart lined up with His. This is how I can battle my selfish nature. This is how my desires match His desires. This is how my wants do not become idols (coveting creates idols). Dying to self means I let go of the permissible and submit to the perfect will. I want all that God has for me. That means I want God to have all of me. Fill me up Lord! I do not want to live any old way anymore, I want to live Your way, the new way.

I did not include the entire chunk of verses of Galatians 5:13-Galatians 6:10 for the sake of the link of this blog. I do encourage you to go back and read it for yourself. I chose to read it in both the Amplified Bible and the Message Bible. Just a little taste of message for Galatians 5:13-14, “It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use that freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom.” I do not want to destroy my freedom by submitting to my selfish ways. I do not want to be under the bondage of my mind, thinking things that are contrary to the Word. I want to live free, I also want you to be free also.

Abba Father, we want to know You more. We want our lives to be an honor to You. You are all that matters. Thank You for Your Son to restore us back to You. Thank You for the Holy Spirit. Let us listen and be led by Him. Let us hunger and thirst for Your Word. Let us desire to please You, not out of fear of punishment, but because of our deep Love for You. We repent for considering our wants above Your wants. Even things that my look good can become idols in our lives and we do not want to put anything above You. Please search our hearts Lord and correct any way You see in us that is not Your will. Forgive us for the times we have bitten and used divisiveness as a defense to keep doing what we please. Let us give preference to others. Let us love the way You love, unselfishly, not self seeking. We choose forgiveness today. We choose hope today. We choose joy today. We choose love today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Perfect Love Casts Out Fear

1 John 4:18 (MEV) There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. Whoever fears is not perfect in love.

There are enough “fear nots” in the Bible to cover every day of the year. According to Quora.com the word “love” appears 310 times in the King James Bible, 348 times in the New American Standard Bible and 551 times in the New International Version and 538 times in the New Revised Standard Version.

1 Corinthians 13:13 (AMP) And now there remain: faith [abiding trust in God and His promises], hope [confident expectation of eternal salvation], love [unselfish love for others growing out of God’s love for me], these three [the choicest graces]; but the greatest of these is love.

I believe the perfect love that casts out fear is the love that come out of God’s love for me. I also think this love is linked to my faith and hope. That is why God said the greatest of them was love. The opposite of fear is not faith, it is whether I have completely received the love of God. If I have then my faith filled words are not said out of fear, but out of love and the assurance of knowing who my God is.

John 14:1 (AMP) Do not let your heart be troubled (afraid, cowardly). Believe [confidently] in God and trust in Him, [have faith, hold on to it, rely on it, keep going and] believe also in Me.

For my last blog I wrote about the name above all names in “What is in the Name?” If you have not had the chance to read it, I encourage you to do so. The Name of Jesus has been placed above all names. When we call on His Name we do so out of our knowing of who He is. If you have not done so before, I also encourage you to read all of John 14. None of this can be truly revealed to you without the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 3:16-19 (AMP) May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality], so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love, be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God’s people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love]; and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself].

The biggest change in my life had to do with me receiving this perfect love, not me perfecting my love. Our love walk is something we have to work on, and I still have a lot to go in that area. However, the love of Christ is something we have to receive. It is more than the words I say in receiving my salvation. It has to do with how I think about how much He really does love me. I have to be rooted and grounded in that love, so that nothing else will move me. The rejection of those that I love will not move me because of His perfect love. This perfect love casts out fear. It is not a mere knowledge of the love, it is an immersed experience to be full and complete, that no one can take away from me. It is the richest experience of His Presence.

Romans 8:35, 37-39 (AMP) Who shall ever separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors and gain an overwhelming victory through Him who loved us [so much that He died for us]. For I am convinced [and continue to be convinced—beyond any doubt] that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the [unlimited] love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I looks like this perfect love is the source of our victory. Just confirming to me that perfect love casts out fear. It is not my perfect love, it is His perfect love. Have you received the fullness of that yet? Let us open up our faith filled words, to love filled words. When we speak His Word in faith, do you know the Love of Christ behind it? Are we rooted and grounded in that love. The width and height and depth of that Love. Let it surround you today. We have enough verses of “fear not” in the Bible to cover every day of the year. They are powerless without His love. Let His perfect love envelope you today. Get in His Presence and let His perfect love cast out fear. Do you need more peace, get in that perfect love. Are you having hard time with guilt and shame, get in that perfect love. Do you need help with your anxious thoughts, get in that perfect love.

God, our Father, our Source, our Maker, our Jehovah Nissi, Your Banner over us is Love. We stand in awe of You. You are worthy of praise and honor. We want to magnify and lift up Your Holy Name. Thank You for Your Son, the Word made flesh. Thank You for loving us so much that He died for us. Thank You that now that He sits at Your right hand that we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in and with us. Your Holy Spirit reveals Your Perfect Love. We repent for thinking that it all depended on how we feel. Our feeling will deceive us, but Your Perfect Love will never leave us. Let us get to know with experience the width and height and depth of that Perfect Love. Let us be grounded in the Love of Christ. Search our hearts Lord and let any areas of unforgiveness be rooted out. We choose joy today. We choose hope today. We choose faith today. We choose love today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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What is in the Name?

John 15:7 (AMP) If you remain in Me and My words remain in you [that is, if we are vitally united and My message lives in your heart], ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. 

Prayer is an essential part of being a born again believer (Ephesians 6:18). It is something we have to grow in. I also believe it is the least discipled part of this new life. In order to disciple we must be willing to talk to people, not talk at people. Every Tuesday, before our corporate prayer time, we talk. We will share prayer requests, but we will also share what is going on in our lives. Afterwards we will share about our prayer time. We will encourage each other in our time of devotion and even share a scripture. There may have been a word of knowledge that was received that can be shared. This has strengthen my personal prayer time. As a leader I do not have to do all the talking, most of the time I listen and encourage.

One of the things our prayer group has started doing is praying Ephesians One over our church, Connect Church. A part jumped out at me when I was praying it this week (Ephesians 1:18-23): 

And I pray that the eyes of Connect Church's heart, the very center and core of their being, may be enlightened, flooded with light by the Holy Spirit, so that they will know and cherish the hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called us, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the people of Connect Church, and [so that they will begin to know] what the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His [active, spiritual] power is in us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength which He produced in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion [whether angelic or human], and [far above] every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and world but also in the one to come. And He put all things [in every realm] in subjection under Christ’s feet, and appointed Him as [supreme and authoritative] head over all things in the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills and completes all things in all [believers].

As Christians we pray in the name of Jesus. Most of the time we have parroted this without a revelation of how powerful that name really is. God (the Father) put the name of Jesus above every name. In John 15: 7, Jesus instructed us that if we remain in Him and His Word remains in us we can ask anything. Here is the big part about the ask, we have to remain in Him, the name above every name. His name is eternal. Why am I searching for words when He is the the Word? Why am a searching for a formula to pray when He gave us the model to pray (Matthew 6:5-15)? Again, not to be parroted, but to be modeled. There is a story in Acts about some men using the name of Jesus:

Acts 19:13-16 (AMP) Then some of the traveling Jewish exorcists also attempted to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I implore you and solemnly command you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches!” Seven sons of one [named] Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. But the evil spirit retorted, “I know and recognize and acknowledge Jesus, and I know about Paul, but as for you, who are you?” Then the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they ran out of that house [in terror, stripped] naked and wounded.

Why did the name of Jesus not work for these men? They used the name of Jesus, however, they were trying to go off of someone else’s revelation of who Jesus is and not a personal revelation (only the Holy Spirit can do that). Remember Jesus said to remain in Him and we will have what we ask. What was the result of people hearing about what happened to these men? Verse 17 tells us, “This became known to all who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified and exalted.” The name of Jesus was not common. The name of Jesus is to be revered, just as our relationship with Him should be.

John 8:58 (AMP) Jesus replied, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, before Abraham was born, I Am.

This is the same I Am that sent Moses to Pharaoh to demand His people free. Jesus is saying He is the I Am. A name God called Himself out of a burning bush.

We have been given the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17, Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit will reveal to us Jesus (the Word). That is why we pray that the Holy Spirit fill us up. That is why we should receive the Holy Spirit and know that we are not alone. The Holy Spirit is to be communed with. He reveals to us all that Jesus desires for us. He will reveal the name above every name. You cannot use the name of Jesus apart from the Holy Spirit.

So what is in the name of Jesus? Above all power and authority (above every title). Above all dominion and principalities. The name of Jesus is the Great I Am. The name of Jesus is the name above all names. Through His name we now have authority over the principalities and powers (Matthew 28:18-20). What a beautiful name it is.

Adonai, Our Father, Our Maker, Our Banner, we want to honor and glorify You with everything within us. There is none like You. Thank You for sending Your Son Jesus. He died, rose again and is now at Your Right Hand. Thank You for the Holy Spirit that reveals the power of His Name, Jesus. We repent for using the name as common. We repent for not valuing the name as other than an escape from hell. We want to remain in Your Word (Jesus). We will not shy away from the dominion and power that You have given to us through the name of Jesus. When Jesus said that apart from Him we could do nothing, it was not that He was speaking of something that You did not already put into place. If I am to be effectual in the Kingdom, I need to know who Jesus is, I need a relationship with the Holy Spirit. Fill me up Lord. I choose to walk in forgiveness today. I choose hope today. I choose love today. I choose joy today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Come Closer

Romans 11:36 (AMP)  For from Him [all things originate] and through Him [all things live and exist] and to Him are all things [directed]. To Him be glory and honor forever! Amen.

God is the originator of all. It is because of Him that we live and exist, and it is for Him we live and exist. This is why He is to be honored and glorified. We live in a world that only wants to worship when they receive. How about it is because of who He is. The next verse comes in Romans chapter 12. It is connected to the above scripture.

Romans 12:1 (AMP) Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship. 

My act of worship is not a song I sing before the preaching starts. It is not the few minutes I give God in my day to pray. My life is an act of worship. Now this does not mean that I quote scripture ever other breath. This is an invitation from God that I can walk continually in His Presence. When someone is in our presence, do we ignore them? We check in and acknowledge them.

James 4:8 (AMP) Come close to God [with a contrite heart] and He will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; and purify your [unfaithful] hearts, you double-minded [people].

What does it mean to be double-minded? I look at it that we become self-focused and self-driven. We are double-minded in that we care more for our well being than anyone else’s. Part of my worship is how I treat others. I do not live for other’s approval, but I am to live is such a way that people do matter. This does not mean I subject myself to abuse or put myself in places that people can manipulate me. It does not mean that I only seek out relationships that can benefit me. My prayer this year has been for God to increase His love in me so that it is all that flows out of me. This requires patience, because I am not always going to get it right. This is why I have a deep need for Him.

John 15:7 (AMP)  This [is what] I command you: that you love and unselfishly seek the best for one another.

John 15:10 (AMP) If you keep My commandments and obey My teaching, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.

Jesus walked in Oneness with the Father here on earth. Why? He stayed close to Him. In His humanity He showed us how to do this. His life on earth was that of worship to the Father. That is why He could just speak and deliverance, healing and people were raised from the dead. I do not believe Jesus spent so much time with God so that He could do those miracles, the miracles were a by product of His time spent with God. How many of us seek God for the blessings, when the blessings should be an outflow of the time we spend with Him. The Kingdom of God cannot help but to prosper. Your mind cannot help but to be renewed. Your emotions cannot help but to be put back in line. He is desiring us to draw near to Him.

My life matters. My eternity started when I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I am not fearful of losing my salvation. That is not the point of this life of worship. The point is that we should not treat His Presence as common (the opposite of Holy). He is still the God of the beginning and the end.

Romans 11: 33-35 (AMP) Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and decisions and how unfathomable and untraceable are His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it would be paid back to him? 

No one is like the Lord. In His Presence is fullness of joy. Why would you not want to be there? He is inviting you to come closer today. Lay it all down. Surrender whatever that you have been holding onto. Surrender the worry. Surrender the doubt. Surrender and let faith draw you near. The width and length and height and depth of His love (Ephesians 3:18), let it surround you. We are learning a new song at church called Surrounded By Holy. I love this part of the song that says, “The more that I enter in, You consume all I am, I lose myself in the One who’s holy.” There is no one more Holy. Come closer.

Father, Elohim, Creator and Lord, You are all that is and all that will ever be. You are Holy. We honor You today in our worship. Thank You for sending Your Son to restore us back to right standing with You. Thank You for the Holy Spirit, the third person of the God head, that dwells within and with us. We thank You for the throne room of grace and mercy. We are no longer bound to the outer courts. We repent for the times we have only sought Your face for when we needed something from You. We do not seek after Your blessings. We seek after You. We are choosing to love like You love. We want to see the best in others and to live unselfishly in love. We surrender our hearts and minds to You. We desire to present our whole selves as a living sacrifice to You, holy, as our act of worship to You. We want to draw closer. We are making a choice to forgive freely. We choose love today. We choose hope today. We choose forgiveness today. We choose joy today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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I am hungry!

Matthew 5:6 (AMP) Blessed [joyful, nourished by God’s goodness] are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness [those who actively seek right standing with God], for they will be [completely] satisfied.

What is it that we hunger and thirst for? That is what I was praying about the other day. I was praying that we hunger and thirst for the right things. What we hunger and thirst for we begin to crave. My husband and I are foodies. We like finding new restaurants for the most unique dishes to try. I like cooking different types of cuisines and will often make my own twists on dishes. This year I had asked God to take away all my cravings and only crave Him. I looked up ‘what is the biblical definition of righteousness’ through Google and this was I found from Christianity.com:

In Its deeper spiritual meaning, righteousness is the quality of being right in the eyes of God, including character (nature), conscience (attitude), conduct (action), and command (word). Righteousness is, therefore, based upon God’s standard because He is the ultimate Lawgiver (Isaiah 33:22).

http://www.christianity.com

I have often heard the term that ‘I am now in right standing with God’ and that ‘through Christ I have been made righteous’, but those words out of context can tell us that we can live our lives any way we want to. There is still a standard. Since it was Jesus who spoke the words about hungering and thirsting after righteousness I searched for other times to hunger and thirst.

John 6:35 (AMP) Jesus replied to them, “I am the Bread of Life. The one who comes to Me will never be hungry, and the one who believes in Me [as Savior] will never be thirsty [for that one will be sustained spiritually].”

There was a time in the desert that the devil tempted Jesus to satisfy His hunger by turning a stone into bread (Matthew 4:3). Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy “man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.” What was this bread they were referring to. Putting that quote into context, Deuteronomy 8:3 says, “He humbled you and allowed you to be hungry and fed you with manna, [a substance] which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, so that He might make you understand [by personal experience] that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.” Manna was a substance that man could not make on their own. There is no recipe for it. If I wanted to show you what manna tasted like I could not recreate it. The ingredients do not exist here. God was showing us that our dependence on His Word would satisfy us.

John 1:1 (AMP) In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself.

Jesus said that He was the Bread of Life (the Word at the beginning), when we come to Him we will never be hungry again. The Word and Christ are one, just as the Father and Son are one. How can we wrap our understanding around such? Let me ask you a question, how can God feed a whole nation with something that man could never make for themselves? Faith. Faith in His Word (Christ).

Joshua 1:8 (AMP) This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall read [and meditate on] it day and night, so that you may be careful to do [everything] in accordance with all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be successful.

Now that I have hit on hunger, let us dive into some scripture about thirst. Jesus told the woman at the well that she would never thirst again from the water that He would give her (John 4:10).

Psalms 1:1-3 (AMP) Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked [following their advice and example], nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit [down to rest] in the seat of scoffers (ridiculers). But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted [and fed] by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season; its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers [and comes to maturity].

One of my favorite verses to cling onto is that I am rooted and grounded in the Love of Christ (Ephesians 3:17). I cannot be rooted and grounded into someone that I have no relationship with. If Christ is the Word, then I need to have a relationship with the Word. This is what I have begun to hunger and thirst after. My roots are searching for nourishment. Everything that I need is found in His Word. My right standing, my righteousness, is found in Him. What happens when I try doing something else. God said that it was to bring the people of Israel to humility that He had them to hunger. Do you think He would allow us to thirtst?

Jeremiah 2:13 (AMP) For My people have committed two evils: they have abandoned (rejected) Me, the fountain of living water, and they have carved out their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

Due to long times of drought, cisterns were dug to hold water. When a cistern was broken the water became contaminated. It is when we place our trust in anything other than God, that our cisterns are broken. It is when we say the Word does not work. It is when we say Christ might have done that for you, but He did not do that for me. When we do not trust in God and try to make out own way. He is the fountain of Living Water. He is the Bread of Life.

As Lysa TerKeurst writes in her books Made to Crave, we were made to crave after God. How? In the beginning was the Word. Christ being the Bread of Life (the Word made flesh). He being the fountain of Living Waters. I was made to crave after the righteousness of God. I am to hunger and thirst after Him. I am to be rooted and grounded in Him. There is a standard. My right standing cannot be defined by man, it must be Word defined. My righteousness in Christ is not the same as my self-righteousness. Today choose to hunger and thirst after righteousness (the God way).

Abba, Father, Lord and Creator, we honor Your Holy name today. We want to honor You in everything we say and do. Thank You for Your Son, the Word made flesh, the Fountain of Life and the Bread of Life. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit, that empowers us to seek after You. We repent for the times we have tried to fill our hunger and thirst with anything that does not line up with Your Word. You tell us to be Holy as You are Holy. You tell us to seek after righteousness, that is Your way of doing things. We are aligning our thoughts with the Word today. We are thankful that we are rooted and grounded in Your Love. We choose to forgive those that we may have blamed for being a root of our depression, our anxiety or even our rejection. We know that we do not have to take root in anything other than You. We are allowing the Holy Spirit to dig up areas that do not reflect Your nourishment. We choose love today. We choose joy today. We choose forgiveness today. We choose hope today. In Jesus Name, Amen.