I TRUST IN JESUS

"I, too, am a man placed under the authority of superior officers, and I have soldiers under me. I order this one,`Go!` and he goes; I order that one, `Come!` and he comes; and I order my slave, `Do this!` and he does it."

Why are some people easier to trust than others?

I travel by aeroplane a lot these days and each time I board the aircraft I unconsciously choose to trust the pilot. I found myself thinking about this recently and wondering why it seemed relatively easy to trust this person who, for a few hours, would carry a significant responsibility for my life. On every trip, in prayer, I put my life into the hands of Jesus, but clearly I also need to put some trust in particular people.

It occurred to me that I was particularly encouraged when I noticed the uniform that the pilot and crew were wearing. I realised that this was not just that they looked smart but it signified something hugely important for me in my ability to entrust the safety of the flight into their hands. The uniform reminded me that they were men and women operating not just in authority but under the authority of the airline company. I realised that I felt safe to allow them to exercise serious life or death decisions, on my behalf, because I believed that they had been delegated rightful authority and also given the ability to do the job successfully. This reflects something of the godly order that we see described in the Bible.

It seems that the Roman officer, in the verse above, recognized this order in the life of Jesus and was thus able to entrust the well-being of his servant into His hands. The officer knew that those that exercise safe and effective authority and power need to be under right authority. Jesus was not wearing a uniform but the complete submission of His life to the Father was clearly evident in the way He presented Himself, not just promoting His own identity, but always seeking to reflect the One who sent Him. In the Body of Christ those who are truly trustworthy will be the people who are seeking to operate in rightful order and under godly authority, increasingly reflecting the character of the One who is the true Head of this Body, Jesus Christ. 

Prayer

Father God, help me to be a trustworthy member of the Body of Christ. I understand that there is nobody perfect on this earth, but please continue to cleanse me so that others may increasingly discern Your authority and character in my life. Amen.

BELIEVE AND BE BAPTISED

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

 At Ellel Grange last week we had the privilege of conducting a baptism in our indoor swimming pool. David Silvester, our team pastor, an ex Baptist pastor, explained the significance and symbolism of full immersion water baptism. We were all touched as the baptismal candidate gave her personal testimony, answered some basic questions and, on the profession of her faith in Jesus Christ, was submerged in the pool and raised up out of the water. She was, as it were, buried with Christ and rose to new life in Him as it says in the Bible - ‘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). We then returned to the Meeting Room to celebrate Communion and a new life in Christ.

The occasion reminded me that for a number of years when I was working in London I used to meet with a friend who was a Messianic Jew. Each time we met for lunch he would challenge me and ask if I had been water baptised, reminding me that it was a command in the Bible. It took me a while to make the decision, but eventually I was baptised in the pool at Ellel Pierrepont in 2000. It was a very special moment for me, but I think the spiritual significance took time to sink in. If I have died with Christ and risen to new life in Him then who I am doesn’t really matter any more. The question is am I living in the resurrection power of Christ?

Some years ago I read the story of a missionary lady in Africa who walked every day along a stretch of road where people were often attacked and robbed, some had been killed. “Aren’t you afraid?”, asked a concerned friend, to which the missionary replied, “I have only a Bible that someone could steal and I have already ‘died’ so I have nothing to fear as they can do nothing to me” She had clearly ‘died to herself and her own desires’ and continued to walk that road unharmed for many years.

Romans 6:4 says ‘We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life’. And the Apostle Paul says, ‘I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me’.(Galatians 2:20) For me water baptism was an important start to dying to self and living a new life in Jesus. 

Prayer 

Thank You, Lord, for the meaning of water baptism. Thank You that I can surrender my life to You and be re-born into everlasting life in You. May my life be hidden in You, Jesus, that day by day I should grow less and You become more. Help me to walk into the fullness of life that You purchased for me. Amen.

IN OUR HEARTS SET APART CHRIST AS LORD

"But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened. In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyonewho asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."

 ‘Jesus is Lord’ is the earliest Christian confession of faith. For those first century believers the saying was used as a contrast to the greeting among Roman citizens, ‘Caesar is Lord’. Despite threat to their lives they refused to swear allegiance to Caesar and the Roman Empire. In calling Jesus ‘Lord’ they were saying that He, and not Caesar, deserves honour. It was a public insult to Caesar that held the threat of death.

Peter exhorts his readers to make Jesus Christ Lord in their hearts. He is saying that when Jesus is truly Lord of the heart there will be no reason for fear, even in face of suffering. Lordship means obedience and to live in obedience is to trust Jesus every step of the way. Trust in Jesus is the antidote to fear, independent of circumstances.

Jesus has to be Lord in our hearts because in Scripture the heart is the centre of our being and from it spring emotions, thoughts, motives, courage, actions, attitudes, longings and character. The Bible warns us to guard our hearts – ‘Above all else guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life’ (Proverbs 4:23). If Jesus reigns in our heart our words and actions will portray Him to the world. Jesus Himself said, ‘Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks’ (Matthew 12:34).

In the human heart there is a throne. The big question is who sits on the throne. It could be said that there are three different kinds of heart. Firstly there is the heart of the unbeliever, where self sits on the throne. Secondly there is the heart of the double-minded Christian who wants to be in control of his, or her, own life and wants to share the throne of their heart with Jesus. But it’s true that ‘If Jesus Christ is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all’. Thirdly there is the heart of the believer who truly loves Jesus and who owns Jesus as Lord, not simply in words, but in loving obedience to Him day by day. Not partial obedience – full obedience - the whole of one’s life surrendered to Him.

Identification with Jesus involves more than simply saying, ‘Lord, Lord’ (Matthew 7:21). ‘But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened. In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have’. The meaning of these words from 1 Peter 3:14-15 hasn’t changed with the centuries. To truly own Jesus as Lord is to be loyal to Him whatever the cost. ‘Jesus is Lord’ is an oath of obedience to Him. To truly mean what we say involves living for Him alone, dedicated to walking in His will and abandoned to Him so that our lives speak that confession to a lost world desperately in need of knowing Him.

At our last Church service in Lancaster (before we moved south) the final hymn was by Bishop Dudley Smith. The finishing verse was – ‘Lord, for ourselves, in living power re-make us, self on the cross and Christ upon the throne; Past put behind us, for the future take us, Lord of our lives to live for Christ alone’.

Prayer  

Dear Father, search my heart and know me. By Your Holy Spirit bring to light the things hidden from me that keep me from abandonment to the Lordship of Jesus in my life. May the words of my lips and the reality of my heart be pleasing to You so that I am the same on the inside as the outside. Amen.

NICOLE C. MULLEN: "THE LORD CAN TAKE A LITLLE AND MAKE IT MUCH"

In this interview, Nicole C Mullen bares her soul about how inadequate she feels and her gratitude to God for doing something with a "nobody"

Nicole C Mullen is one of the most respected artists in contemporary Gospel and R&B but the Dove and Grammy Award winner says she never ceases to forget her humble background and that she is not the most qualified before God.

“I’m here not because I’m the greatest singer or the greatest writer, or because I’m the most qualified, I’m here because God decided saying, ‘I’m going to use that one to show My glory’ and that was His decision but it’s for us to be available and to open up our lives to Him and say ‘flow in me',” Mullen told The Christian Post.

Mullen said that her lifelong career only allowed her to see that “the Lord is able to take the little and make it much”.

At a glance, her life while growing up was far from glamorous. She was very upfront and said, “I see the hand of the Lord who can take a little girl from Cincinnati, who stuttered badly, who sucked her thumb, who wet the bed, who was least among us.”

But despite her weaknesses, she was excited to say that through her, God was able to prove that He could do something with a “nobody” for His glory. As she smiled she said that everything she has been able to accomplish was purely for His glory.

"That’s probably my greatest reflection," she said.

The 47-year-old wants people to remember that above being a singer she also wants to be looked at as a mother, a mentor, a wife and foremost as a lover of Christ.

Although being away from her husband and five children, two of whom are adopted, is one of the hardest things for her to do – as well as singing the same songs all the time – she knows that her sacrifice doesn’t compare to Christ and that if everything was self-centred nothing would get done.

“When I remember that it’s so not about me, it’s not about how I feel, it’s not about my agenda, but it’s about His kingdom, it’s about Him being glorified then all of the sudden, 'me' shrinks and He grows and I think that’s the object of it all.”

Early this year, it was announced that Nicole will be formally inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame on November 5. When asked about the best advice for aspiring artists, she said that “First of all I would say, take your gift and pray about it, give it to the Lord. If you feel like he has gifted you to sing or to play or to do drama or anything in the arts make sure you are committed to Him” - that followed by a recipe of incessant practice.

She also wants them to know that if they have to begin their career by performing in small venues, or even nurseries or just in front of three people then let it be because “if you are found faithful in the little then according to the scriptures He’s able to make a little bit much”.

Her formula for success constitutes having absolute faith because without faith “we will lose a whole lot; we will not have gained anything.”

Her new album “Captivated” was released early this month. This was her first worship project in partnership with Maranatha Music. The album is titled after the song, “Holy Captivated”, a personal song that talks about how her “soul is commanded to bless you; it is a journey to scream out, Holy is the Lord God all mighty, worthy is the lamb to receive our greatest adoration”.

Through her new songs she wishes to comfort people who only see disaster after disaster when they turn on the news, such as the recentl uprisings in the Middle East, earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, and starving people.

Her concluding words were, “more than ever, we need for God to intervene, more than ever we need Christ to come and rescue us and so the song is a cry from our heart to His that ‘Lord please let Your Kingdom, the domain where You sit as King and Lord”.

“At the same time as believers in Jesus Christ [we need] to come forth, to arise to our places and to do what He has called us to do. He said ‘I’ll know that you are My disciples by the way that you love each other’ and so we have plenty of opportunities on a daily basis to prove to the world that we love Jesus and the way that we actually love each other.”

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THE REASON I LIVE

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Mat 11:28

 How often in life do we find ourselves standing at the crossroads unsure of what lies ahead of us, trying to battle the storms that rage within? Perhaps there are many instances when our faith is tried and tested. Whether we are able to pass with flying colors is always a big question mark.

A beautiful depiction of the same is given in the incident when Jesus walks on the water and calls out to Peter to come to him. At first, we see Peter walking confidently on the water but later his faith takes a blow and he starts sinking. He cries out to the Lord to help him. The Lord immediately reaches out his hand and pulls him up.

I must admit that there have times in my own life when my faith was on sure footed ground and I was so confident that it would never be shaken. But, when the winds of trials and difficulties started to blow, my faith too started crumbling and I started to sink in my own tears. But as always, the Lord immediately reached out to me and I could almost hear Him ask me the same question as He did to Peter “O ye of little faith, why did you doubt?”

I have been taking recourse in one of the significant hymns where the soul soothing words are actually healing my spirit. “Give them all to Jesus, shattered dreams, wounded hearts, broken toys and He will turn your sorrow into joy.”

I guess, as long as we keep on holding firmly to our problems instead of giving it to the Lord, he can never mend or repair them. Unless we let go of all our pains and disappointments and place them at the foot of the cross, He cannot help us. The moment we let go and surrender, He takes over and like the true Captain of the ship steers us to the harbor of joy and freedom.

The sweet strains of this song further consoles with the words: “He never promised you only sunshine, He never said there would be no rain, He only promised you a heart full of singing, For the very thing that once caused pain.” This clearly points out that life will never always be a bed of roses, we have to face the thorns as well at some point in time. But sooner or later, the joy will definitely overshadow the pain and He will save us in His mercy.

When we cry out to the Lord, He rushes to comfort us. His promises are so great. In Psalms 91, which is a wonderful prayer for protection, The Lord has pledged to put His angels in charge of us wherever we go. The Lord Himself has spoken; “When they call to me, I will answer them, when they are in trouble, I will rescue them. I will reward them with long life, I will save them.”

It is we who fail to recall His great words in times of distress. We forget how precious we are in His eyes. We end up being prejudiced against our own faults and forget that we have to first forgive our selves. We still hold on to our shortcomings in spite of the Lord having forgiven us.

Recalling the great words of William Shakespeare: “To Thine own self be true and it must follow, as the night the day.” We are always anxious about tomorrow. But as the saying goes “Do not worry about tomorrow, because God is already there.” When we look at the problems of others, our own problem seems minuscule in comparison. We see how Jesus tells his apostles in Luke 12:25; ”Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”

It all depends on what stance we adopt in difficult moments. We can ask God the way Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane to either take away the cup of suffering if possible or give in and affirm that we will faithfully drink from it if the cup cannot be passed by and allow His will to be done.

We can continue to walk on the water if our gaze is fixed on Him walking from the opposite direction. To look into His love filled eyes and know that we are safe. If Love can be ever seen clearly, it is always seen in the eyes of those who love us.

The season of Lent is the perfect time to draw close to the Lord, to be united with Him in the passion of His suffering, to contemplate on His salvific death and await for the stone to be rolled by to herald His glorious resurrection.

The very reason that we live is to worship Him; the Lamb upon the throne. Every breath we take is given by Him to be used for His purpose, to honor and praise Him. He gave us life and will fill our moments with an abundance of peace and happiness. Our hearts will be at rest when we know we can count on Him. We can live life to the fullest under His constant gaze of protection.

When a friend asked my birth date recently, I told her that I celebrate my birthday daily because I receive gifts in the form of blessings every day from the Good Lord above. Indeed, each new day is a celebration of life. Every sunrise holds the promise of life. It arrives fresh and blooming with its own purpose and moments of glory to love the Lord, to hold love, give love, share love and express our love for others in whatever way, language and style, to keep on hoping and believing, to deepen our faith and realize the full potential of life. The formula for life is to smile through our tears and walk confidently as if we will never sink.

After all, Heaven trims our lamps while we sleep so that we awake to a shining day filled with the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

PASSION 2011 LIVE WORSHIP

The album was recorded live in front of 22,000 students during Passion 2011 in Georgia, Atlanta.

It has already reached No 6 on iTunes Top Albums Overall Chart. A deluxe version of the release features 15 songs from Chris Tomlin, David Crowder's Band, Charlie Hall, Matt Redman, Christy Nockels, Kristian Stanfill plus special guest Lecrae.

In addition to music, Passion 2011 featured talks from Passion Founder and Passion City Church Pastor Louie Giglio along with other notable speakers and best-selling authors John Piper, Beth Moore, Andy Stanley and Francis Chan. The students generously gave more than 1.1 million dollars for global needs through the “Do Something Now” campaign. These needs included sponsoring a child through Compassion International, providing funds to build wells in India to supply fresh water, helping set up loans so families can start their own business in Afghanistan and more.

To catch a glimpse of Passion 2011 Live, you can watch Christy Nockels' performance of her new song 'Waiting Here For You' online at www.youtube.com

The Passion Movement and the messages of founder Louie Giglio have marked the lives of millions of people around the globe, calling people everywhere to live for the glory of God.

Focused on the collegiate age group - yet spilling over to people of all ages - Passion exists to unite students for spiritual awakening in this generation. From its inception, the movement of Passion has birthed new anthems of worship, influencing countless churches and helping to define the current worship climate and establish artists Chris Tomlin, David Crowder*Band, Charlie Hall, Matt Redman, Christy Nockels, Kristian Stanfill and Passion.

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LADY GAGA'S "BORN THIS WAY" IS 'BAD THEOLOGI'

Lady Gaga’s latest single “Born This Way” has been heralded as the anthem for homosexuals struggling to be at peace with their sexuality. Its “just be who you are” message is seemingly one of validation and liberation from self-doubt.

But Jeff Johnston, a gender and homosexuality analyst for US ministry Focus on the Family, believes the song takes away any hope of meaningful transformation and betterment.
 
“‘Born This Way’ makes you seem stuck,” said Johnston. The gender expert focused on a line where Lady Gaga proclaims, “There’s nothin’ wrong with lovin’ who you are ‘cause He made you perfect, babe. So hold your head up, girl and you you’ll go far, listen to me when I say ‘I’m beautiful in my way, ‘cause God makes no mistakes. I’m on the right track, baby I was born this way.”

Johnston said the line is “bad theology”.
The Bible teaches that since Adam’s fall from grace, all humanity is born in sin. To believe that there are no mistakes, means there is no chance to reform a fallen nature. Johnston said this is hard news for a Christian struggling with same-sex attraction.

“When I was a young adult, this message would have taken away any sense of hope,” said Johnston. As a youth struggling with his sexuality, Johnston said he found relief in church, where congregants loved him and God gave him the grace to overcome same-sex attraction.

People were made in the image of God and created without sin, Johnston said. But because of the Fall, humans are affected by sin in every area of life, including emotionally, physically, and sexually.

"Thankfully, Christianity allows for transformation and freedom from sin," said Johnston.

Lady Gaga and her single have drawn a lot of attention among the Christian community. Helen Lee, a former intern for Catholic blog Busted Halo, wrote, “Gaga is spreading the good news of Jesus Christ, whether intentionally or not.”

Lee related Lady Gaga’s pet name for fans (little monsters) to humanity’s sinful nature; her focus on gay rights and HIV to Jesus’ recognition of human suffering; and her latest single to Christ’s love. But some Christian leaders say the pop singer’s lyrics are grossly misguided.

Prison Fellowship founder Chuck Colson, who noted that Lady Gaga wrote the song in 10 minutes, commented, “We shouldn’t expect too much nuance and thoughtfulness from someone best-known for wearing meat as a dress and making an obscene gesture at a Mets game.”

And FOTF President Jim Daly observed of her background, “Lady Gaga was clearly not born this way” but built her persona and celebrity in a very calculated way.

Lady Gaga was born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. She grew up in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York, as a child to two executive-level professionals. She was raised Catholic and attended an exclusive, private Catholic school. According to the biography on her official Facebook page, Lady Gaga began performing in clubs during open mic night at age 14. At that age she was also being teased for her eccentric style.

Daly reported in his blog that Gaga was counselled by a friend to maintain a constant public persona. Now even long-time friends refer to her as Lady Gaga and she dons over-the-top outfits at award shows as well as on the streets.

“She’s built her entire persona and celebrity on a platform that’s anything but typical,” Daly said of Gaga’s “I was born this way” claim. “She is playing a part, a role, and not living as she would outside the bright lights.”
Unlike Gaga’s “you are who you are, accept it” message, Daly said that God can free us from our faults.

“Each of us can be set free – from homosexuality, or heterosexual sex outside of marriage, or pornography, or greed, or gossip, or any other human shortcoming – to be the men and women God intended us to be,” he said.

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TRULY JESUS IS ENOUGH

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart" Mat 11:29

I was drawn towards this scripture the other week and I am a great fan of dictionaries and thesaurus and looked up the word meek. Interestingly enough this word that Jesus describes himself as also means non-militant.

I was really surprised at this it isn't a word I would have put with meek but I can see quite clearly what Jesus was saying. When Jesus speaks of the two edged sword coming out of His mouth the picture of it might even be quite scary and violent.

As I walked this morning contemplating so many things at this time, so much is happening around me. An enormous spiritual battle which the LORD has likened to wresting with the Levithian another name for satan. It is fierce and yes very frightening at times. But I received a revelation the other day and the LORD knew I would need it. It was that I was literally standing on the ROCK OF AGES. I felt it. The power of the LORD which was secure and stable and peaceful too.

The power of the LORD is not the power of this world. Jesus crushed all principalities, dominions, thrones with the cross. The simple crucifixtion, the blood of Jesus and calvary. It is so simple that it beggars belief. The humility of Christ reduces the pride of satan to ashes, though for a season his saints suffer at the hands so that we might be tested in our faith and that we lean on the ROCK OF AGES in all things at the expense sometimes of leaving others behind. For the call is to follow Jesus and no-one else. It might be that we do not see our beloved saints until much later for now it is important to go where Jesus calls us to go and to do the things He wants of us even again at the expense of anyone even the dear saints we love.

When Peter enquired of Jesus asking about what about so and so..... Jesus replied, "Follow me". It is very important not to put man first. Jesus has to become first in everything even if we don't understand it.

So going back to the word meek this also means to be obedient, unprotesting and unambitious. Anything ambitious for the glory of man will be stripped away in the first, the refiners fire. Our call is to a peaceable life in all humility and yes non-militant. Jesus' power is not of this world. His power is much greater. His Word created the Earth and the Heavens. His Word goes forth and does not come back void but will accomplish all that He desires. Our position is by faith alone. We may not understand at this point in time what is going on but we have to trust. On this trust is going back to basics which seems to have been forgotten. It is the cross of calvary, the blood shed for our sins. God is no respector of persons, he loves each one of us. "For we have all sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God".... it is a humbling reminder that we are no different, the differences are the choices we make concerning this word.

Jesus humbled himself and made a spectacle of everything upon the earth and above it, of all principalities, dominions and thrones in heaven and earth. How? By dying on the cross, suffering, the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Nothing else was good enough.

Truly Jesus is enough. There is only Jesus, nothing else is of any value at all. Just the blood shed on the cross of Jesus. So simple yet so hard as we try to complicate and make this wonderful gift null and void.

Truly it is finished indeed!

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THEY NEED TO SEE JESUS

"Be doers of the Word and not merely listeners" James 1:22

Talk is cheap is something that we've all heard at some point within our lives. A couple of weeks ago after church me, a few others and my pastor were engaged in a conversation with that very phrase being heart of the entire conversation. As our little chat progressed we all came to the conclusion that we can talk about Jesus all day long but in reality people actually need to see Jesus.

Now I know that you're probably asking how does one go about seeing Jesus without first making a trip to the upper room known as heaven much less feeling Him. Believe it or not the answer is quite simple! People in or around our lives get to experience Jesus through His people being doers of the word as mentioned in the above verse.

But what exactly does being a doer of the word mean? I'm so glad that you asked that question. Being a doer of the word is best described in such verses as of James 1:27 (helping needy orphans and widows); Hebrews 13:16 (not neglecting to do good and sharing what you have) and finally Acts 20:35 (remembering that it is more blessed to give than to receive). Those are all great examples of letting people see Jesus instead of just hearing about Him.
 
"Being good is commendable, but only when it is combined with doing good is it useful."

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GOD IS MORE THAN GREAT

Have we missed it – the central theme of the whole Bible? Psalm 46:10 says it, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (NKJV)
Did you catch it?

We get busy, we get distracted and we don’t see the nose on our face! The Most high will be exalted among the nations, God will be exalted in the earth and in the whole universe. Do you see it now?

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.” Psalm 46:1-2

For being smart we humans can sometimes be pretty slow. Want me to spell it out? OK, here goes: the Eternal One has it all under control – He doesn’t need our help. We need to stop and pay attention.


Just in case we need another example, Exodus 14:13 says it too: “Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD.” We need to halt and recognize that God is never shocked or surprised – and He always has the answer.

Not only does the LORD have the solution, all the earth will realize that fact. What did our first verse say – God will be exalted in the nations, in the earth and Revelation shows Him exalted in all of heaven.

How have we missed it? Jehovah is majestic and mighty, He can handle any situation from heaven to hell. God is so awesome the whole universe will bow and acknowledge that truth. Do you see it now?

God is great, He is never caught off guard or outsmarted – never. Ever. So relax, the Lord in Zion reigns, let all the earth rejoice! You are getting it now, REJOICE, Yahweh reigns and
all is well!

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Take Your Burden To The LORD

"Take Your Burdens to the Lord...and Leave Them There".
Those are the words to an old song ....and another song says, "Burdens Are Lifted at Calvary".

Several Scriptures that deal with burdens are:
Psalms 55:22 "Give your burdens to the Lord. He will not permit the Godly to slip nor fall."

Matthew 11:28-30 "Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke (get in the harness with Jesus) upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

I Peter 5:7 "Casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you."
In fishing, it takes a lot of 'casting' (fishing)...before 'catching'.
So in getting rid of burdens, a lot of praying....and faith brings the 'lifting of burdens'.

Let's look at some burdens that we need to take to the Lord and leave with Him.

THE BURDEN OF SIN
What it can do, if we don't have them lifted through God's forgiveness:

Soils the soul......
Saturates the mind......
Strickens the conscience......
Saddens the heart......
Sickens the body......
Sours the spirit......
Seals the lips......
Separates from God....
(separates lost person from relationship and saved person from fellowship)

So you see, it would be a sin to take our sins to the Lord and not leave them there. No need to carry around the burden of sin, for I John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

In the Old Testament, God used the sacrifice of animals once a year for the forgiveness of sins.
In the New Testament, God used the Cross and the Blood of Jesus for our sins.
Hebrews 9:22 "Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin."

I like that old song, "There is power in the Blood"....for ANY sin in your life.

THE BURDEN OF SALVATION (If....not the Bible and 'the Jesus Way')

If man does the saving through good works, man is fallible and how much work is enough? Therefore, he continues being burdened. So you ask, 'How can you be sure that you are saved?'
First: Re-examine your initial experience....was there repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ? Acts 20:19-21

Secondly: Was there child-like dependence? Matthew 18:1-4 "Except you be converted and become as little children, you shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven." John 1:13 "As many as received Christ, to them gave He the power to become the sons of God, even to those who believe on His name." This is called a 'miracle' like a birth, hence salvation is called 'The New Birth' (John 3:1-18)

I like the chorus of the old song, 'Once for All':
"Once for all, o sinner, receive it. Once for all, o brother, believe it.
Cling to the Cross, the burdens will fall...Christ has redeemed us, once for all"

THE BURDEN OF SECURITY
I believe in the security of the believer for 3 reasons:

1. The Scriptures overwhelmingly teach "if saved, always saved".
2. The Great Shepherd Jesus will not lose one of His sheep (John 10 is a great chapter on this)
3. The Spirit within the believer is greater than any power in the world (I John 4:4)

Paul said in Acts 20:22, "I go bound in the Holy Spirit". He believed that the Spirit that was able to save him, was also able to keep him.
You ask people, 'Are you saved....and ready for life AND death?'
Some will say, 'I hope so'....or....'maybe so'.

Two Scriptures in Romans 8 speak to this:
Verse 16: "The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we ARE the children of God."
Verse 14: "As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these ARE the children of God."

A BURDEN BORNE BY MANY (needlessly) IS REGRETS.

These are all in the past and the Bible speaks to this in Philippians 3:13-14, "Forgetting those things that are behind, we are reaching forth unto those things which are before. I press toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God, in Christ Jesus." Hebrews 13:8 tells us that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever."

So let Him take care of your yesterdays. He can take care of these through forgiveness and the power not to repeat! Do something about it...and shape up. Don't spend the rest of your life saying,
"Wish I had"...."If I had only"....or..."Why didn't I?"

There are many regrets that people have, but let's only list three.
PRAYER-LESS-NESS (or not praying more)
You can not undo the past lack of prayers, but you can start now.
Our youngest son called recently, referring to something that he learned at Youth Camp, wanting to know what ACTS stood for. He remembered parts of it.....
It means: Prayer is ADORATION, CONFESSION, THANKSGIVING, SUPPLICATION and SURRENDER.

RELATIONSHIPS
The regrets here are primarily because of lack of communication with family and especially parents.
You can't undo this, but start now to do better. To a retired parent or grandparent, nothing is more disheartening than an empty mailbox....or a phone that never rings with calls from children or grandchildren....or others. No one likes to be forgotten!

BURDENS
There can be regrets because of burdens that we have placed on others, due to insensitive actions or words.
We may 'speak before we think'....and say something that we regret later. Once words are spoken, they cannot be brought back, but an apology is never 'too late' and can have healing power. Galatians 6:2 "Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ." Please read the rest of this chapter.

One of the definitions of regret in the dictionary is:
'A polite expression of regret as in 'declining an invitation'.

We may decline an earthly invitation and regret it, but don't decline your Heavenly Father's invitation! Over 1,900 times in the Bible, God says, 'Come'! So whatever your burden, God says, "Come, bring your burdens to Me and leave them with Me."

We could list many more burdens or regrets, but the Holy Spirit will help you to see your's.
Then confess, receive forgiveness and press on, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Be sure that you don't 'pick your burdens up again' once you have left them at His feet.

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19'th Century Holiness Movement

Since Pentecostalism began primarily among American holiness people, it would be difficult to understand the movement without some basic knowledge of the milieu in which it was born. Indeed, for the first decade practically all Pentecostals, both in America and around the world, had been active in holiness churches or camp meetings. Most of them were either Methodists, former Methodists, or people from kindred movements that had adopted the Methodist view of the second blessing. They were overwhelmingly Arminian in their basic theology and were strongly perfectionistic in their spirituality and lifestyle.

In the years immediately preceding 1900, American Methodism experienced a major holiness revival in a crusade that originated in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania following the Civil War. Begun in Vineland, N.J., in 1867 as the "National Holiness Camp Meeting Association," the holiness movement drew large crowds to its camp meetings, with some services attracting over 20,000 persons. Thousands claimed to receive the second blessing of sanctification in these meetings. Leaders in this movement were Methodists such as Phoebe Palmer, (also a leading advocate of womens' right to minister); John Inskip, a pastor from New York City, and Alfred Cookman, a pastor from New Jersey.
From 1867 to 1880, the holiness movement gained increasing force within the Methodist churches as well as in other denominations. During this period, many holiness advocates felt that this movement might revive the churches and bring new life to Christianity worldwide. After 1875, the American holiness movement, influenced by the Keswick emphasis began to stress the pentecostal aspects of the second blessings, some calling the experience "pentecostal sanctification." An entire hymnody was produced which focused on the upper room and a revolutionary "old-time pentecostal power" for those who tarried at the altars. Practically all the hymns of the early Pentecostal movement were produced by holiness writers celebrating the second blessing as both a cleansing and an enduement of power.

The holiness movement enjoyed the support of the churches until about 1880 when developments disturbing to ecclesiastical leaders began to emerge. Among these was a "come-outer" movement led by radicals who abandoned any prospects of renewing the existing churches. Led by such men as John B. Brooks, author of The Divine Church, and Daniel Warner, founder of the "Evening Light" Church of God in Anderson, Indiana, this movement spelled the beginning of the end of the dream of remaking the churches in a holiness image. At the same time, other radicals began promoting such new teachings as "sinless perfection," a strict dress code of outward holiness, "marital purity," and a "third blessing" baptism of fire after the experience of sanctification.
The first Pentecostal churches in the world were produced by the holiness movement prior to 1901 and, after becoming Pentecostal, retained most of their perfectionistic teachings. These included the predominantly African-American Church of God in Christ (1897), the Pentecostal Holiness Church (1898), the Church of God with headquarters in Cleveland, Tennessee (1906), and other smaller groups. These churches, which had been formed as "second blessing" holiness denominations, simply added the baptism in the Holy Spirit with glossolalia as "initial evidence" of a "third blessing."
Pentecostal pioneers who had been Methodists included Charles Fox Parham, the formulator of the "initial evidence" theology; William J. Seymour, the pastor of the Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles who spread the movement to the nations of the world; J.H. King of the Pentecostal Holiness Church, who led his denomination into the Pentecostal movement in 1907-08; and Thomas Ball Barratt, the father of European Pentecostalism. All of these men retained most of the Wesleyan teaching on entire sanctification as a part of their theological systems. In essence, their position was that a sanctified "clean heart" was a necessary prerequisite to the baptism in the Holy Spirit as evidenced by speaking in tongues.

Other early Pentecostal pioneers from non-Methodists backgrounds accepted the premise of second blessing holiness prior to becoming Pentecostals. For the most part, they were as much immersed in holiness experience and theology as their Methodist brothers. These included C. H. Mason (Baptist), of the Church of God in Christ, A.J. Tomlinson (Quaker), of the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee), B.H. Irwin (Baptist) of the Fire-Baptized Holiness Church, and N.J. Holmes (Presbyterian) of the Tabernacle Pentecostal Church. In the light of the foregoing information, it would not be an overstatement to say that Pentecostalism, at least in America, was born in a holiness cradle.

How Do I Get God To Hear Me?

(How do I get God's attention? What does God want? Will He tell me what He wants? He will reveal to us what He wants, to get His attention.) WARNING: COULD CAUSE INTENSE REJOICING WHILE READING

What is prayer? Is it just a Band-Aid when I have a need or problem? Can I just go my own way ignoring God, and then when I have a need, cry out, God I need some help here! Will God hear me like that? But, God, you said you would heal my body, and God you said you would give me peace, and God you said you would meet my need according to your riches in glory by Christ Jesus. What’s going on? Why are you ignoring me? Why won’t you answer my prayers? Huh, God, huh?

God Who knows everything about us, is watching us, and crossing His arms, and shaking His head at our audacity at expecting Him to be at our beacon call whenever we want, while we just go our own little way, doing our own little thing, doing whatever we want, when we want. Why should God answer us?

What does God’s Word say on this subject?

James 4:2 the very last part: You do not have because you do not ask. 3 Or you do ask God for them, and yet fail to receive, because you ask with wrong purpose, and selfish motives.

Are we faithful to God? Do we love God? If we love Him, we will obey Him. Doesn’t that make sense to us? Without holiness, we will never see the Lord. What does God get from us in exchange for His help, support and protection? Do we have anything to offer God? I’m nothing; what could I possibly have to offer God? You have exactly what God needs. Me? What is that? I want your heart. I want your desires. I want your mind. I want your thoughts. I want your behavior. I want your body. I want your obedience. Present ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to Him.

Some would say, Oh, that’s too much! I can’t give that much! Why not? Jesus gave everything for us. He died a horrible death for us. He went to hell and lived through torment for us. Shouldn’t we be willing to give ourselves to Him, after what He gave for us? He gave everything He had for us. Nothing I give to Him will be able to compare to what He gave for me. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Doesn’t He deserve my all?

Oh, my brother and sister, you can’t out give God! You give God your life, and He will so give to you, He will so pour Himself into your life, that you will stand in awe of what He will do for you. He will amaze you. He will astonish your mind. You can’t even imagine the wisdom He will give you. You will get glimpses into the realm of God’s kingdom. He will so heal your body, that you will wonder, why did I take so long to do this?? He will so set your mind and emotions free, that you will be so in awe, at the wonders of God, and how so so good He is to do this for me. Me, He did this for me. Wow! God really does love me! He loves me! Oh, Glory to God, He loves me! I love You so much, Jesus, so so much! You are so good to me! I don’t know why You love me so much, but I am so glad You do! Thank You so much for loving me, and blessing me, and healing my messed up body, and healing my messed up emotions. I will give You anything You want for setting me free from that misery and torment, anything You want God, You got it. I will be a vessel of gold for You to use any way You want. Thank You for choosing me!

Does that sound too hard? I challenge you to give God one year of your life, and I promise that in one year if God doesn’t totally bless your socks off, you can call me a liar. But, I know you will be saying, she was right. Oh wow, she was right. I am free!! I am free! I am well! Thank You God! Thank You oh Merciful Lord, for loving and caring for me! I bow my knees to You.

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Created to Worship God

We were created to worship God from the very beginning. Did you know that worship is not just our praise but also our obedience? When Adam and Eve chose to disobey God they chose not to worship Him. To worship God means to obey, honor, reverence, respect, praise, and give Him all the glory. The first commandment God gave Moses was to worship Him and Him alone. God demands worship because He and He alone is worthy of it. He requests that we acknowledge His greatness, His power and His glory.

Revelation 4:11 tells us, “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”

We were created for this very purpose; to worship.

Isaiah 43:7 says, "Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him."

Jesus told us to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul and mind (Matthew 22:32). This means our heart, soul and mind are to worship God. Romans 12:1 tell us to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service. This means we worship God with our bodies. Our hands and feet were created for worship. Then Hebrews 13:15 tells us to offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. Our lips also were created for worship. We are to worship God with our whole being. We were created to be instruments of worship.

Did you know that worship is circular? We love God and God loves us. We bless Him and He blesses us. We sing to Him and He sings songs over us. We dance; He dances. Worship is like the tide coming and going. In Zephaniah 3:17 we discover,"The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His Love, He will rejoice over you with singing."

Because we were created to worship to God nothing else we do in life will fill that void. Some worship self or money, some idols, others false gods. Only when we worship God can we find true happiness and fulfillment. Through worship God is glorified, Christians are purified, the church is edified and the lost are evangelized.

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A Better Sacrifice

I want to let any who come to this page that we are nothing special. From the poorest person that ever lived to the President of the United States to the most iconic religious figure in the world. From Christian to Muslim we are all equally sinful in God's eyes and we require eternal damnation, eternal separation from Him in fire and brimstone. We and all we do are but filthy rags to Him.

Isaiah 64:6 "but we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind,have taken us away."

I am a Christian, but just because i am a Christian I am no better off than you. What i have though as a  Christian, is a savior in Jesus Christ and a certain hope in Him that He delivered me from sin and the punishment i deserve. Whether you agree or not with me, we are equally sinful people in the eyes of our Creator. I was a sinner before I became saved and accepted Jesus Christ, and funny enough I remain a sinner in a sinful state even after. Even so, He gave me a new heart that desires not to sin though we still stumble. We are not perfected...yet!

Jesus died for me, but not to make me better than you, because He died for you too. In fact, we fell so hard in the Garden of Eden - where sin was first introduced into the world and the first lies were told - that death entered the world and we were required to cover all future sin through the death & blood of an innocent to cover our sin so we could continue in fellowship with our Lord God.

As a father loves his children, He so loved us that He implemented a plan that very day in the Garden when Adam and Eve confessed their sin to God and with His words gave a prophecy of Jesus Christ, the one to come of her seed who would crush the head of Satan.

Genesis 3: 15 "and I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise His heel."

Adam and Eve were thrown out from the Garden of Eden before they could eat from the Tree Of Life. Had they eaten, not only would we be in the awful condition of sin, but had God allowed them to eat the fruit of that tree we would have been in an eternal condition of sin and un-redeemable by blood. God loved His children that much that He cast them out of Eden and paradise for a time until His plan of redemption was completed on the cross, but that is getting ahead of this story. Our focus is on the prophecy of Jesus and recognizing our need for a blood covering through the death of an innocent.

As time went on, our first parents bore two sons and named them Cain and Abel. We find evidence of blood sacrifice requirement in their story in Genesis when both came before the Lord with sacrifices to offer Him as sin offering. Evidently this requirement was understood by them, because they came with offering to a specific place where a fire from Heaven would come down and consume the offer to show it was accepted and cover their sin for a time.

Abel, being a faithful servant brought what God required for sin sacrifice. Abel brought a fatted lamb and offered it to God which God accepted as it is what He required. Abel brought God an offering of a fatted lamb which is what God required and was it given by faith in faith that God would deliver a greater sacrifice. Abel offered a work of faith.

Cain also knew God required a sacrifice of blood, but instead of offering God what God found pleasing, Cain offered the fruit of the land (Cain was a farmer) instead of a fatted lamb. Although the fruits of the land were probably the best he could offer, God rejected this offer because it wasn't what God instructed him to bring. Cain offered something he thought would please God, not what God required to be given in faith which was the fatted lamb and its innocent blood which would cover his sin. Cain offered a work of the flesh rather than a work of faith as Abel did.

Cain slew his brother in a jealous rage and committed the first murder by humans. If Cain had only offered what God wanted, than his own countenance would not have fallen and he would have been justified before God.

Instead, Cain offered God what so many of us today think we can offer God which is a work of the flesh rather than a work of faith, by faith and in accordance with what God requires of us. Instead of trusting God provided a sacrifice in Jesus Christ on our behalf, we insist we are "good people" and when we die God will see the "good" we have done in our lives and we will enter Heaven.

If God rejected Cain's offer, a work of the flesh, what makes us think our works would be accepted any more than Cain's were? God offered a better sacrifice in His own son Jesus, offered as the fatted lamb Abel offered, the blood of an innocent. We still want to offer Him our good works like Cain did. While what we consider "good works" do in fact help others, it doesn't satisfy what God requires of us to cover or pay our sin debt of eternal separation from Him. It does not excuse us from being punished eternally in a lake of fire.

Remember, God is the same today, yesterday and for all time. If we believe this is true, than we need to recognize God as a just God who will not lie and change on us all of a sudden. We can count on His righteous and holy power to sustain us. He simply cannot lie.

God is not like us. We are not like God As a father I have punished my own children for not doing as they were told. I would ground them from going out. I have made them write 100 times on a sheet of paper the offense they committed and how they will not violate the rules again. I have tried many different punishments and usually follow through. Sometimes I do not carry out punishment for various reasons. Some work related, sometimes a little guilt for holding them back. When I do this, I effectively become a liar because the punishment I originally intended does not get implemented, or winds up being far less severe than originally designed and I have noticed they have a tendency to re-commit the violation in these instances. The air of uncertainty that ensues when i dont follow through makes my job tougher the next time i must punish or correct them.

God is so holy and Righteous. He is not changing and does not lie. If He required us to believe in Jesus and accept Him as Savior & King in our hearts, than our non-lying God who does not change His mind as we corruptible humans do, must follow through when He said those who do not believe will stand in for themselves without Jesus on judgment day. This means all of your works of the flesh; those things that are but filthy rags to God that we say make us good people, will mean nothing to God.

He said there is only one way to Him, which is through Jesus Christ. Your fleshly works will mean nothing to God just as Cain's fleshly works meant nothing to God.

Your works done in faith with the knowledge God provided a better sacrifice and offering in Jesus Christ are the only works acceptable to God. Your faith in Him is what saves you and nothing more.

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Make Ready

We cannot afford to become spiritually drowsy.
Our discernment needs to be in tune with the Father.
We cannot afford foggy spiritual sight at this time.
Too much is taking place right now in the spiritual
realm and we need not miss one bit of it. The outpouring
of His anointing upon His people is ever increasing. We
must be alert and open to receiving all that He has for us.

Breakthrough all of the drowsiness and spiritual fog and run
to the glory and presence of God. We must stop trying to
put God in a box based upon our preconceived ideas. We
can only imagine how spectacular He is and what He longs
to do among His people. He has divine revelations which
He is ready to impart, but we must receive of Him. We must
be hearers of His Word and obey in FAITH.

I feel like His Spirit is teaching and moving in warp speed
these days. Things are happening so fast and it is difficult to
“digest” it all. He is going to shake and everything that is not
grounded and fully rooted in Him will not stand. Answer the
upward call. Run with endurance and His sustaining power,
the race which He has placed before YOU.

I long to be saturated with His Holy oil of anointing. We must
prepare our hearts for what He is getting ready to do. From the
valleys and pits where we have been struggling, He is going to lift us.
He will place us on the mountain before His presence. He will receive
All the honor and glory for in our weakness, He shows Himself strong.

It is TIME. . . It is TIME to yield it ALL, holding nothing back. We
must examine our hearts and get ready! Where He moves, I don’t want
to miss it. Be alert. Be ever seeking. His Holy River is gushing forth.

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Walk On Water

'But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.' Matthew 14:30

We all know the story. They were in a boat, and the waters were rough. And there was Jesus, walking towards them. Some were frightened, thinking Him a spirit. When He got closer, Peter said that if it was indeed Him, to bid him come to Him on the water. Jesus did so. Peter started walking ON THE WATER. But when he noticed the wind swirling around him, he became afraid, and started sinking. He cried out to Jesus to save him. Which He did. Of course, Jesus gently chastised him for having doubts, for having little faith. But still, He saved him. Because that's what Jesus does.

Anybody who has the faith knows that feeling. It is a sinking feeling. It feels like you are about to fall either through the earth or off of it. One is as bad as the other. And it makes you question your faith, wondering what in the world is wrong with you, because after all you are a true-blue, dyed-in-the-wool, born again, singin' the gospel, Bible thumpin' follower of the Lord Jesus Christ! Amen and Amen.

Well, hate to tell you this, but being a Christian does not mean we will not face those trials. Big trials and little teeny weeny ones too. Sometimes we will be on the mountain, but many times we will be in the valley. That's life. That's the way it is. That's how the cookie crumbles...no, wait, that's a different story...

The word faith, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, actually has several meanings. But the ones that caught my attention are these:

1. Allegiance to duty or a person - loyalty
2. Belief and trust in and loyalty to God
3. Firm belief in something for which there is no proof
4. Complete trust

Faith is a noun. It is the thing we cling to, it is the thing God instructs us to have, it is what Jesus told Peter he did not have enough of. It is what pulls us up when we are down, or when we are facing something horrific. It is that sense that God will take care of His own no matter what the situation.

Faith is also a verb. It is the action taken when we believe. It is the use of that thing that makes us believe. It is the act of believing itself. It is walking on water.

When Jesus bids us come to Him, stretching out His hand for ours, will we walk towards Him without hesitation? Will we successfully walk on the water and do it in faith? Or will we take our eyes off of Him, looking at our own circumstances, and then become afraid, faltering and sinking? And when we cry out to Him to save us, will He?

There are many things God asks us to do in faith, but we often are too afraid to do so. I am like that, worrying about my comfort zone. But I have learned that to be successful, to be of use, to be willing, I must indeed take that first step. I must give in and give up and abandon myself to His will. And I must trust Him.

If we do those things, then we will be surprised to find that we can indeed...walk on water! Blessings!

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A Fresh Start: A New Beginning

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17(NIV).

If the old were needful, important or relevant God would not have bothered about bringing something new. The truth is this old was never meant to be. It was never God's intended purpose. It was not in the original plan. It was only permitted for a reason. The new is what God's original intended purpose was. It remained in place till Adam gave in to the devil's temptation opening the door for the old to operate in our lives.

It is called the old because many, except Adam, Eve and Jesus, never knew the new or what it was like when it was in place here on earth. All of us who were born in Adam were born into the old.

However, your continued living or existence in the old is totally up to you now that you have come to the age of accountability, a point in your existence from whence you are completely accountable to God for your life. The old is a life of sin and death while the new is the life of the Spirit of God. Truly the old is death and the new is Life. The new is the life of God such that when you receive it God will not be more righteous than you. Are you more human than your child, or is your father more human than you? Righteousness is the nature of God and right standing with Him, the ability to stand before Him and before demons and devils without any feeling of guilt or inferiority. Such a person is of the family of God. "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21(NIV).

That was why Jesus came, to restore this new to mankind. But the choice to have it is ultimately mankind's. You can have a fresh start, a clean slate, a new beginning in Christ. No man comes out of this old except through Christ, and it can happen now if you will. Christ has already paid the price to get that to be effected in your life. "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12(NIV).

If you want to start afresh in Christ you can pray this prayer of salvation:
Lord Jesus I come to You this day. I thank You for bringing Your word my way this day. I acknowledge and confess my sins to You. I recognize that God raised You from the dead that I might have life. Have mercy on me. Lord Jesus I welcome you into my life today. I confess You as my Lord and Saviour. Thank You for having mercy on me. Thank You for saving me today from sin, from destruction and from all works of Satan. I am now a child of God. Thank You Lord.

LOVE NOTE
If you have prayed that prayer from the bottom of your heart, believing that God raised Jesus from the dead you are now a child of God. And now that you are saved there are few things you must do to grow in God.

1. You must read your bible and pray to God every day in the name of Jesus. The book Joshua 1:8 says not to let the word of God depart out of our mouth but to meditate on it always so that we may carefully do all God requires of us to be successful and prosperous
2. You must worship with other believers in a bible believing church or assembly. Hebrews 10:25 says 'Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one anotherand all the more as you see the day approaching.'- (NIV), and
3. As the opportunity comes on share the good news of this new life with someone and as they are willing lead them to Christ.

Enjoy your life in Christ now that you are a new creation in Him - 2 Corinthians 5:17.

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Jesus is The Way, The Truth, The Life

John 14:1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
2. "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3. "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
4. "And where I go you know, and the way you know.''
5. Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?''
6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Jesus said it plainly and to the point so that there could be no mistake about the only way to the Father. He is the way, He is the truth, and He is the Life. There are no other paths that lead to life. Whether we choose to believe this or not is a choice we all must make.

New Age religion and modernists say that there are many paths to God. Basically everyone has their own path to take, and regardless of the path it still leads to God. So regardless of the path taken you're going to get to God anyway, so what's the big deal?
This is not new, it's been around from the earliest times.

Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

A serious warning is being given about choosing our own way. The way that seems right to us in the natural is not the way God has chosen for us. He has chosen the way for us to have life, and we must follow that path in order to get it. Our way regardless of how right it seems will only lead to death, wow! There is something we must also consider. He wants us to have life. He went to great lengths to make His life available to us and He knows the path we have to take to get it. He is admonishing us that there are alternative paths that we could take, but they are not the paths that lead to life. You must know the right path if you are ever going to get to Him. If you don't know the right path then you are simply lost.
God wants us to find Him, that's why He gave us the correct path.
New age religions are saying that Jesus might be your path and He might not be your path.
If this were so, why did Jesus have to come, why did He have to die, why did He boldly declare, I am the way! Peter proclaimed this truth when being questioned by the High priest.

Acts 4:10 "let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.
11. "This is the `stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.'
12. "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.''

This is the truth that leads to life and makes men free. I've heard it said by people who probably didn't want to offend anyone that Jesus might be your path but He's only just one of the many paths that lead to God.
If Jesus were only one of the many paths then He Himself is lair, for He said it clearly; I am the way. You can not have it both ways. You can not call something the way and it be a lie at the same time. That just doesn't make sense no matter how you look at it. The truth is the truth and that's that.
These same people who are saying that Jesus is just one of the many ways to God just simply don't see the contradiction, or are ignoring it. There is a great contradiction here that simply can not be overlooked.

Truth is eternal and can not be changed. Again, Jesus said in

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. That's about as clear as you can get.

There is something in everyone that is searching for the truth, a deep yearning that can only be filled by finding Truth itself. Nothing else can satisfy that longing. The point is, there is truth, and God has shown us the way. I grew up in a religious background going to church but I found myself looking for something much more than organized religion in and of itself could give. I needed something that was real. I began reading a Bible that we had laying around the house and the more I read it the more I realized I had a giant void in my life. The Holy Spirit began to convict me of my life and showed me the reality of Jesus Christ, and that He was the only way to the Father. I had a decision to make at that point. Once truth is received, you have to do something with it. Truth can not set you free until you act upon it. Truth acted upon brings the reality of the New Creation.

John 8:31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
32. "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.''

I made the decision to give my life to Jesus, and have never regretted it. What a life changing decision. For the very first time in my life I found peace, a real peace that is truly indescribable. My whole life was changed from the inside out. This was something that religion could not do for me. it felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off of my shoulders.

This is why many Christians come across as zealots at times, it's because they've found the truth and its made them free! They found the answer to what they had been desperately looking for, not religion, but life in the most real sense of the word. I'm talking about the life of God manifested in you. Once you have been a partaker of the manifested life of God, you know the truth for yourself. You know that you know, and there is no denying it. You know there is no other way. The Holy Spirit will make Jesus so real to you that there will be no question as to what real truth is.

Christians who have been partakers of God's life just want others to know that they found the way to this life. Their heart cry is to point the way to One who is the author of this life. They just want others to know here's the way, you don't have to look any longer, maybe not realizing that they are coming across a little harsh. Once you've found the truth you just want to share it, know this same truth that has set them free will work for everybody, after all it was for everybody that Jesus came into the world to give of His life.

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

And you shall know the truth, and the truth (that you know) shall make you free.''

This is why people have to be told, you can not know until you have heard. Hearing is the first step.

Romans 10:14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
15. And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!''

There is a process we all must take to receive God's wonderful gift of life. We all have to hear the truth and we have to make the decision based upon what we have heard.
Going back to Romans 10 starting with vs. 8. we see the direction we have to take in order to receive this awesome gift of life.

Romans 10: 8. But what does it say? "The word is near you, even in your mouth and in your heart'' (that is, the word of faith which we preach):
9. that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.
11. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.''
12. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
13. For "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.''

I would like to let you know it's never too late to start on this journey. If you have said I am one of those who were burned out by religion and don't want to go down that path again, I can honestly say so was I. If you have found yourself wanting something more but are hesitant to try, then let me encourage you. There is hope and real peace in the Lord Jesus Christ.
I would like to invite you to take the next step and invite Jesus into your life. It's a 100% free gift and it's the gift that keeps on giving. God's heart cry is that all will come to Him
-- Living Bible
Deuteronomy 30:19 ``I call heaven and earth to witness against you that today I have set before you life or death, blessing or curse. Oh, that you would choose life; that you and your children might live!

If you're serious and want to experience God's life for yourself, then I urge you to earnestly pray this prayer and invite Him in, and see for yourself that God is good.

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. Your word says, "and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out."
 

So I know You won't cast me out, but You take me in, And I thank you for it. You said in your Word, "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.''

I am calling on Your name, So I know You have saved me now, You also said, "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation."

I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe He was raised from the dead for my justification. And I confess Him now as my Lord, Because Your Word says, " with the heart one believes to righteousness" and I do believe with my heart, I have now become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:21),

And I am saved! Thank You, Lord!
I can now truthfully say, I see myself as a born again child of God!  Glory to God!!!! Amen.


Copied from http://articles.faithwriters.com

Brian Houston warns church leaders of complacency

After 34 years in ministry and spending most of that pastoring one church, Brian Houston, founding pastor of Hillsong Church in Sydney, says he doesn't want to become complacent and unaware of what God wants to do through him in the future.

Speaking at the C3 Conference in Dallas, Texas, Houston drew from Hebrew 13:12 - the passage referring to some people entertaining angels without knowing - and urged church leaders not to live their lives unaware of what God is doing around them.
He pointed to examples in the Bible of people unaware before they became aware. Eli was unaware that God had been speaking to the boy Samuel; Jacob had been unaware of God's presence; the disciples on the road to Emmaeus were unaware that Jesus, the Messiah, was walking alongside them.
"You can guarantee that there are things that we are unaware [of]," said the Australian preacher. "We are unaware of God's purpose, unaware of God's plan, unaware of what God wants to do in a service like this.
"I want to encourage everyone here to not settle for living your life unaware."
The state of unawareness can take many forms, according to Houston. We could be spiritually unaware or not have the self-awareness of who we are in Christ. Other times, we could be so aware of certain inadequacies that we are unaware of our God-given potential and God-given opportunities, he said.
Houston recalled that as a young boy he had the hope that one day God would use him somehow. He said that now as he looks back to that time, while he never walked those streets near his childhood home again, he could realise the grace that God had shown in his life.
However, the Pentecostal pastor emphasised that he doesn't want to grow complacent, being stuck in past endeavours so much that he is blind to God's plan for him moving forward.
"The last thing what I want to do is to look back and see what I've done ... or how many conferences I've been to... and be unaware of what God's wants to do in my life [in] the years ahead," he said.
Drawing from Proverbs 1:32, Houston elaborated on the destructive nature of complacency and called on church and ministry leaders to never settle for the middle ground. Being complacent robs us of the opportunities placed in front of us by God, he said.
"It sits in words like mediocre and lukewarmness and half-heartedness," Houston stated.
"If there is one thing that would bring out God's objection is that middle ground, just sitting somewhere in the middle."
Houston said Esau was indifferent to the birthright of God so he sold it for some stew.
He cautioned pastors and church leaders against looking elsewhere other than their indifference to find the answer to their problems.
"The biggest challenge is not opportunity. It's just sitting there in the middle ground."
"I pray in Jesus name that we won't say to our soul anything that gets us to settle for easy street that gets us to miss our God-given opportunity," Houston told the audience. "He [God] can do more for you than you could ever dreamed."

The greatest commandment ever … forgotten

Shawn Lovejoy, founder of churchplanters.com is distressed by the state of some pioneering pastors and the churches they are planting.

“The church planting world, the church planting movement on the surface looks like a successful movement but I want to tell you, being up close and personal with it, that there is a dark side of the force,” he said at the Radicalis Conference taking place at Saddleback Church, the church of Rick Warren.

Citing a study conducted by Exponential, which surveyed over 2,000 church plants, he stated that eight out of 10 pastors who were currently out in the field planting churches felt the following primary emotions: drivenness, discouragement, disillusionment, and discontentment.

Pastors admitted to struggling spiritually, relationally and emotionally.
Lovejoy's been wondering where it's gone wrong with the churches and the pastors?

“Here’s the conclusion I’ve come to: I simply believe that … in our desire to be successful in our church planting ministries, we’ve actually forgotten how God defines success.
“In our long list of ministry tasks full of agendas, we’ve forgotten the most important task.
“I really believe that it’s pastors who have neglected, forgotten and forsaken the most important commandment. It’s called the Great Commandment. I do not believe we think it’s all that great. If we did, it would be the great pursuit of our lives and our ministries.”

Looking to the Scriptures, Lovejoy pinpointed the problem in Matthew 22. Tested by the Pharisees, who hoped to trick Jesus, they asked him, “Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the law?”
Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.”

In regards to the second greatest commandment, Lovejoy described how Jesus knew that everybody had overlooked this command before even though it was found in the Old Testament, in Leviticus 19.
“It’s always been God’s heart. When you get this right, you’ll have everything else right. If you get this wrong, everything else will be wrong in your life.”
Jesus, Lovejoy reminded his audience, was speaking to the religious leaders of the day – people who knew the law backwards and forwards; people who were brilliant expositors of Scripture, but poor lovers of people.

“The truth is, most pastors I know are the modern day Pharisees,” Lovejoy confessed. “We are brilliant pastors. We’re good with people, or so we think we are. We are brilliant leaders and preachers. [But] a lot of us are poor lovers of people.” Pastors can defend themselves by speaking of the numbers of people coming through the church doors but they're still deceiving themselves.

“The Bible says our hearts are deceitfully wicked. I have found in my life oftentimes that what I think I’m doing for God, I’m doing for Shawn Lovejoy – I’m doing it for me," he said. That wouldn't be the case if church leaders really lived out the Great Commandment and loved people. “What is happening would not be happening if we really believed the Great Commandment was that great. If we really believed love was the measure of success,” he said.

“Somewhere along the way … we substituted our love for people for the love of growth and crowds. We’ve measured success like everybody else in the world does: get it big, be famous. That’s why our sense of significance, even our self-worth, is tied to numbers.” Speaking of the radical sacrifice required of true love, Lovejoy asked, “If you go back to the Old Testament sacrificial system, what was the one requirement for sacrifice? “Something had to die.”

Jesus came as the eternal sacrifice, the eternal Lamb of God, and he sacrificed himself for us so we could be made right with God by placing our faith in him. Then God speaks through apostle Paul in Romans 12 and tells believers that they are supposed to be living sacrifices.
“What’s required for you and I to be a living sacrifice? Something’s got to die.”

Pointing out what needs to die for pastors specifically, Lovejoy stated, “Our agenda, our definition of success, our desire to succeed according to the way the world measures it.” And it is an everyday death – being a living sacrifice is not just a one-time thing, he explained. Jesus said to take up your cross daily. Confessing of his own unwillingness to sacrifice every day, Lovejoy admitted that radical sacrifice requires a radical death – like Christ's. Any model of church that is not rooted in Christ’s love is not a biblical model. Any model without Jesus is a non-biblical model.

“The sooner we begin to realise we’ve got to stop chasing models and start chasing Jesus, the better off we’re all going to be.”
So was the church planter telling pastors and leaders to stop trying to grow churches?
“No. Jesus said ‘go’ didn’t he? I’m not saying we should stop going, I’m not saying we should stop pursuing the Great Commission. I am saying clearly, we must stop pursuing the Great Commission at the expense of the Great Commandment."
The fruit of learning to sacrifice himself has for Lovejoy been love, freedom, significance, fulfilment and success.
“I’m re-embracing, being re-energised by loving his Great Commandment.”

Copying from www.christiantoday.com