I have fallen in love and will be getting married soon.....
God has sent me a complete angel! And I am so excited to start our life together! :)
And this song is for him. I love you Benjamin! :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq6mwBvAZoU
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Mike Erre: Spiritual Warfare Sermon
Here are my notes and quotes from this sermon, that I just love! You can look it up on Itunes. Search Mariners Church Irvine and this one is from 8/26/12. Check it out :)
"Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one....."
When we pray the Lord's prayer, we pray a revolutionary declaration of allegiance.
There are tests that God gives us to strengthen our faith and tests the enemy tries to bring to try to destroy our faith.
This prayer says keep us from the kind of faith that Satan would try to use to destroy our faith.
It is temptation designed to ship wreck our faith. Temptation to walk away from the faith completely.
Because of people who see demons behind everything, we live as if they weren't real at all! This should not be! This isn't a vacation. We're on Normandy beach joining in the rescuing and plundering of people!
You have to take seriously this concept of spiritual warfare.
People want to say, "Oh the people who were demon possessed in Jesus' day, that was just epilepsy etc."
Instead of ruling over the creature that moves along the ground, Adam and Even took the authority they had and gave it away. They listened to creation instead of our creator.
Instead of being landowner now we're slaves because we gave over our authority to Satan. That is why Satan is the "ruler of this world." We let him take over. We gave up our authority.
The Prince of Persia in Daniel ch. 10 is a fallen angel. My mom explained to me once that Satan has his demons set up all over the world like chess pieces. We are divided up into states essentially and each has a ruling fallen angel or demon over it. Satan is not like God so he cannot be everywhere at once, but he does have rule over a third of the angels that fell with him. I'm sure they have "meetings" periodically. Maybe they text each other lol. Somehow they are united against humanity, against us. Somehow they are an army set against us, trying to tempt mankind as Satan tried to tempt Jesus. "For our battle is not against flesh and blood but....." these spirits.
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy."
Three times in the book of John, Jesus refers to Satan as "the prince of this world."
Col. says, "Jesus has rescued us from the dominion of darkness."
2 Cor. "The God of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers."
"We know that we are the children of God and the world is under the control of the evil one."
Pastor Mike said, "When I began to have the inklings to become a pastor I started having nightmares that were dark and demonic! There were times I would wake up and felt something sitting on my chest!"
"I heard my answering machine click on one day and I heard this demonic voice coming through and I felt this weight on my chest and I couldn't move. And I simply thought 'Jesus of Nazareth is my Savior.' And it went away."
"Then I started to pray for people. I said, 'I feel the presence of the adversary.' And his whole face contorted. I said, 'I'll be right back.' I went and grabbed a couple pastors......and we said 'in Jesus' name leave him alone!' And the guy just relaxed back in his chair. Then a couple of months later he wrote me an email and said, 'that day everything changed. I was free.' These are my tame stories. I have some crazier ones. What begins to happen is that you wake up and realize....that people have spiritual issues."
Christians CAN be demonized. If not, why then are there warnings if we can't be touched by Satan? Why does Paul said, "Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry and do not give the devil a foothold." This means do not give him a place to stay. This doesn't mean Christians can be possessed but we can open ourselves up, we can open a window to Satan still, throught pride, lust, anger, pornography etc. So be careful.
"The minute you say yes to Jesus you're putting a huge target on your back."
"We need to wake up. We're not born into a nice romantic comedy. We're born into Saving Private Ryan."
"Why is it that you and I that every time we take a huge step forward in our walk with Jesus it's followed by two or three steps back? Do we even ask the question, 'Is our enemy at work?' "
"There are some of you here that are walking around with gapping windows open! Our culture is full of slaves who tell us they're free but are slaves nevertheless."
"When we are asleep to who the real enemy is it's really easy to fight the wrong one. What was the first thing Adam and Eve did? They attacked each other."
"We have a whole arsenal of weaponry that we never use; foot washing, forgiveness, the gospel, being a servant etc. The only way not to add to the evil of the world is to fight for Jesus' message in Jesus' way!" Peace, love, compassion etc.
"Obama is not the enemy. The gay community is not the enemy. All our judgementalness just fuels the powers of hell, not heaven."
"If you come across a demon, submit yourself to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you."
"For every bit of racism that we tolerate in church, we just fuel the powers of Satan."
"So we live generously....to revolt against the power that sits behind greed."
"So we love our enemies....because we disarm the powers and principalities that want to make the fight against flesh and blood."
"The biggest trick of the enemy is to get us to fight against flesh and blood.....It's much easier to war against flesh and blood."
"Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one....."
When we pray the Lord's prayer, we pray a revolutionary declaration of allegiance.
There are tests that God gives us to strengthen our faith and tests the enemy tries to bring to try to destroy our faith.
This prayer says keep us from the kind of faith that Satan would try to use to destroy our faith.
It is temptation designed to ship wreck our faith. Temptation to walk away from the faith completely.
Because of people who see demons behind everything, we live as if they weren't real at all! This should not be! This isn't a vacation. We're on Normandy beach joining in the rescuing and plundering of people!
You have to take seriously this concept of spiritual warfare.
People want to say, "Oh the people who were demon possessed in Jesus' day, that was just epilepsy etc."
Instead of ruling over the creature that moves along the ground, Adam and Even took the authority they had and gave it away. They listened to creation instead of our creator.
Instead of being landowner now we're slaves because we gave over our authority to Satan. That is why Satan is the "ruler of this world." We let him take over. We gave up our authority.
The Prince of Persia in Daniel ch. 10 is a fallen angel. My mom explained to me once that Satan has his demons set up all over the world like chess pieces. We are divided up into states essentially and each has a ruling fallen angel or demon over it. Satan is not like God so he cannot be everywhere at once, but he does have rule over a third of the angels that fell with him. I'm sure they have "meetings" periodically. Maybe they text each other lol. Somehow they are united against humanity, against us. Somehow they are an army set against us, trying to tempt mankind as Satan tried to tempt Jesus. "For our battle is not against flesh and blood but....." these spirits.
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy."
Three times in the book of John, Jesus refers to Satan as "the prince of this world."
Col. says, "Jesus has rescued us from the dominion of darkness."
2 Cor. "The God of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers."
"We know that we are the children of God and the world is under the control of the evil one."
Pastor Mike said, "When I began to have the inklings to become a pastor I started having nightmares that were dark and demonic! There were times I would wake up and felt something sitting on my chest!"
"I heard my answering machine click on one day and I heard this demonic voice coming through and I felt this weight on my chest and I couldn't move. And I simply thought 'Jesus of Nazareth is my Savior.' And it went away."
"Then I started to pray for people. I said, 'I feel the presence of the adversary.' And his whole face contorted. I said, 'I'll be right back.' I went and grabbed a couple pastors......and we said 'in Jesus' name leave him alone!' And the guy just relaxed back in his chair. Then a couple of months later he wrote me an email and said, 'that day everything changed. I was free.' These are my tame stories. I have some crazier ones. What begins to happen is that you wake up and realize....that people have spiritual issues."
Christians CAN be demonized. If not, why then are there warnings if we can't be touched by Satan? Why does Paul said, "Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry and do not give the devil a foothold." This means do not give him a place to stay. This doesn't mean Christians can be possessed but we can open ourselves up, we can open a window to Satan still, throught pride, lust, anger, pornography etc. So be careful.
"The minute you say yes to Jesus you're putting a huge target on your back."
"We need to wake up. We're not born into a nice romantic comedy. We're born into Saving Private Ryan."
"Why is it that you and I that every time we take a huge step forward in our walk with Jesus it's followed by two or three steps back? Do we even ask the question, 'Is our enemy at work?' "
"There are some of you here that are walking around with gapping windows open! Our culture is full of slaves who tell us they're free but are slaves nevertheless."
"When we are asleep to who the real enemy is it's really easy to fight the wrong one. What was the first thing Adam and Eve did? They attacked each other."
"We have a whole arsenal of weaponry that we never use; foot washing, forgiveness, the gospel, being a servant etc. The only way not to add to the evil of the world is to fight for Jesus' message in Jesus' way!" Peace, love, compassion etc.
"Obama is not the enemy. The gay community is not the enemy. All our judgementalness just fuels the powers of hell, not heaven."
"If you come across a demon, submit yourself to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you."
"For every bit of racism that we tolerate in church, we just fuel the powers of Satan."
"So we live generously....to revolt against the power that sits behind greed."
"So we love our enemies....because we disarm the powers and principalities that want to make the fight against flesh and blood."
"The biggest trick of the enemy is to get us to fight against flesh and blood.....It's much easier to war against flesh and blood."
A Third Great Awakening
Here is an amazing poem written by mi amor, my love, the man I am going to marry, that I wanted to share..... :)
Read this poem in light of Rev. 18. I believe the Babylon prophesied about is us, America.
A Third Great Awakening?
A light to the nations; I have chosen America to uphold my standards of biblical morality.
A light to the nations, and a refuge from tyrants; a safe haven for my children of Israel to flee.
A light to the nations; so many starving poor and countless foreign tongues I have sent to thee.
A light to the nations; but unless you repent, an example to the nations you will dreadfully be.
Chosen to give with generous hearts with charity and compassion in this land of the free.
Chosen to live your lives through my Spirit, and for a short time, through my eyes you would see.
America, if you believe you deserve to be the wealthiest nation, I fear you believe a lie.
For you America have dashed my heart into infinite pieces and now oceans of tears for you I cry.
Your judges allowed a bright young future to be taken from My hand.
And your judges allowed innocent blood to drench the land.
Not a church to up rise for the children's sake that they might learn of my ways.
Not a church to up rise for them in adulthood to convict them of there immoral craze.
America, once beautiful, so far away from me your heart has turned.
I fear that Satan's desires of destruction upon you can be so easily fulfilled and earned.
Arise good shepherds, let my Spirit of might echo from your tongues!
Arise good shepherds, let my boldness thunder from your lungs!
From sea to shinning sea, the truth My children shall proclaim.
From sea to shinning sea, my holy children shall tread the grain.
On her knees in repentant prayer, America shall be redeemed from her blemish and shame.
On her knees in repentant prayer, America shall be cleansed from every guilty stain.
Read this poem in light of Rev. 18. I believe the Babylon prophesied about is us, America.
A Third Great Awakening?
A light to the nations; I have chosen America to uphold my standards of biblical morality.
A light to the nations, and a refuge from tyrants; a safe haven for my children of Israel to flee.
A light to the nations; so many starving poor and countless foreign tongues I have sent to thee.
A light to the nations; but unless you repent, an example to the nations you will dreadfully be.
Chosen to give with generous hearts with charity and compassion in this land of the free.
Chosen to live your lives through my Spirit, and for a short time, through my eyes you would see.
America, if you believe you deserve to be the wealthiest nation, I fear you believe a lie.
For you America have dashed my heart into infinite pieces and now oceans of tears for you I cry.
Your judges allowed a bright young future to be taken from My hand.
And your judges allowed innocent blood to drench the land.
Not a church to up rise for the children's sake that they might learn of my ways.
Not a church to up rise for them in adulthood to convict them of there immoral craze.
America, once beautiful, so far away from me your heart has turned.
I fear that Satan's desires of destruction upon you can be so easily fulfilled and earned.
Arise good shepherds, let my Spirit of might echo from your tongues!
Arise good shepherds, let my boldness thunder from your lungs!
From sea to shinning sea, the truth My children shall proclaim.
From sea to shinning sea, my holy children shall tread the grain.
On her knees in repentant prayer, America shall be redeemed from her blemish and shame.
On her knees in repentant prayer, America shall be cleansed from every guilty stain.
Monday, February 25, 2013
What Was the Purpose of The O.T. Law?
This blog is a Facebook debate regarding the purpose for the Old Testment law and why it was given etc.....I hope you find it interesting. :)
Romans unpacks this the best, so go read Romans if you have any questions on any of this. :) And I am planning to blog through all of Romans eventually and will unpack my understanding of everything in that amazing, meaty, intense book of the Bible lol. May God give you eyes to see and ears to hear Him! :)
Friend: "Jesus fulfilled the laws of the OT and brought a new covenant. Do we still follow the laws of eating? Of sacrifices?"
My answer: "Yes the law does not matter as much in light of Jesus because He said all things hinge on the two commandments love God and love others. He simplified it.
And Paul said, "ALL things are permissible for me but I will not be mastered by anything." So we can do anything we want under Jesus essentially, just not be mastered by anything or make anything an idol. Jesus fulfilled the law but He did not eradicate it.
The law is still in our Bibles today for a reason. God still wants us to know it and try to live by it. David said, "Oh how I love your law! I meditate on it day and night!"
Other Friend: "The law is still in our Bibles today for a reason. God still wants us to know it and try to live by it. David said, 'Oh how I love your law! I meditate on it day and night!'" - I'm sorry to say that this is taken out of context. The Law is not in our Bibles for us to know it and try to live by it.
The Law is composed of moral laws and ceremonial laws. The Law was given by Moses to the Israelites for God to show the Israelites what sin is and for God to foreshadow to them what Jesus's atonement of sin was going to be. The Law is composed moral laws and ceremonial laws.
Example of Moral law includes the Ten Commandments. Example of Ceremonial Laws include guilt offering, sin offering, and fellowship offering. These were all given to show what sin is and to show that in and of ourselves, with the sin nature inherent in us, we have a hard time to as you said "...Know it and Try to live by it..." we need Jesus.
That's why the ceremonial laws were given to show the Israelites what a guilt offering is and what a sin offering is. The Law contains the heart of God on what purity and righteous living is before him. But it's not a conduct list.
It is just God showing us we fall short of his Holiness.
We can conduct ourselves to follow it. Jesus himself said ""If you love me, you will obey what I command." -John 14:15.
We follow the commands to be within the protection of God's wisdom not because, "We have to know it and try to live by it."
My Answer: "Romans 2:12-13 says, "For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.)
Also James 2:14-18, " What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.""Works" are us trying to live by the laws.
"Honor your mother and father" is still important is it not? Even though Jesus came we are still to respect our elders.
No one would deny that it is good to not steal or murder etc.
So why not try our best to live up to all the laws? Not in a legalistic way but because we are to "walk in a manner worthy of our calling" as Paul says.
Therefore our lives should be a testimony.
We are to live relatively holy, set apart lives, as holy as we can and is possible in this life.
We have the Holy Spirit's help to do so.
So yes, we do need to know it and try to live by it.
There is "therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" so we do not try to live by the law to save ourselves because we are saved by grace. We try to live by the law because we LOVE God and WANT to obey Him. Not because we have to, but because we want to.
That is the difference between the old and the new covenant.
So what do you think? It is a complex topic to be sure.
Romans 3:21 also says, "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law."
Now we are actually capable of doing what those in the Old Testament were not able to do because they did not have the Holy Spirit inside of them. We are freed from slavery to sin. We have the power inside of us that raised Jesus from the dead. So that even more so we can now live by the law. Jesus said, "You shall know them by their fruit."
Do you believe it? Do you live like it?
May God empower us to live as his children and to reflect his holiness as best as we can. Grace and peace to you! :)
Romans unpacks this the best, so go read Romans if you have any questions on any of this. :) And I am planning to blog through all of Romans eventually and will unpack my understanding of everything in that amazing, meaty, intense book of the Bible lol. May God give you eyes to see and ears to hear Him! :)
Friend: "Jesus fulfilled the laws of the OT and brought a new covenant. Do we still follow the laws of eating? Of sacrifices?"
My answer: "Yes the law does not matter as much in light of Jesus because He said all things hinge on the two commandments love God and love others. He simplified it.
And Paul said, "ALL things are permissible for me but I will not be mastered by anything." So we can do anything we want under Jesus essentially, just not be mastered by anything or make anything an idol. Jesus fulfilled the law but He did not eradicate it.
The law is still in our Bibles today for a reason. God still wants us to know it and try to live by it. David said, "Oh how I love your law! I meditate on it day and night!"
Other Friend: "The law is still in our Bibles today for a reason. God still wants us to know it and try to live by it. David said, 'Oh how I love your law! I meditate on it day and night!'" - I'm sorry to say that this is taken out of context. The Law is not in our Bibles for us to know it and try to live by it.
The Law is composed of moral laws and ceremonial laws. The Law was given by Moses to the Israelites for God to show the Israelites what sin is and for God to foreshadow to them what Jesus's atonement of sin was going to be. The Law is composed moral laws and ceremonial laws.
Example of Moral law includes the Ten Commandments. Example of Ceremonial Laws include guilt offering, sin offering, and fellowship offering. These were all given to show what sin is and to show that in and of ourselves, with the sin nature inherent in us, we have a hard time to as you said "...Know it and Try to live by it..." we need Jesus.
That's why the ceremonial laws were given to show the Israelites what a guilt offering is and what a sin offering is. The Law contains the heart of God on what purity and righteous living is before him. But it's not a conduct list.
It is just God showing us we fall short of his Holiness.
We can conduct ourselves to follow it. Jesus himself said ""If you love me, you will obey what I command." -John 14:15.
We follow the commands to be within the protection of God's wisdom not because, "We have to know it and try to live by it."
My Answer: "Romans 2:12-13 says, "For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.)
Also James 2:14-18, " What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.""Works" are us trying to live by the laws.
"Honor your mother and father" is still important is it not? Even though Jesus came we are still to respect our elders.
No one would deny that it is good to not steal or murder etc.
So why not try our best to live up to all the laws? Not in a legalistic way but because we are to "walk in a manner worthy of our calling" as Paul says.
Therefore our lives should be a testimony.
We are to live relatively holy, set apart lives, as holy as we can and is possible in this life.
We have the Holy Spirit's help to do so.
So yes, we do need to know it and try to live by it.
There is "therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" so we do not try to live by the law to save ourselves because we are saved by grace. We try to live by the law because we LOVE God and WANT to obey Him. Not because we have to, but because we want to.
That is the difference between the old and the new covenant.
So what do you think? It is a complex topic to be sure.
Romans 3:21 also says, "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law."
Now we are actually capable of doing what those in the Old Testament were not able to do because they did not have the Holy Spirit inside of them. We are freed from slavery to sin. We have the power inside of us that raised Jesus from the dead. So that even more so we can now live by the law. Jesus said, "You shall know them by their fruit."
Do you believe it? Do you live like it?
May God empower us to live as his children and to reflect his holiness as best as we can. Grace and peace to you! :)
FLY!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHRWo-TrjXQ
My thoughts while listening to this song.....what God was saying to me in it. Read this lol :)
Going up to new atmospheres, new places....God take me to where you are. I want to see you face to face. I want to look upon your beauty and have my breath taken away from seeing you in your glory.
New ears....to hear. Because I cannot heart you in this world, with the noise, with the chaos. Take me to where you are.
Take me to heavenly places....take me to nirvana..... take me out of this world to where you are.....
New revelation.....show me what I do not already see.
What are you doing, where are you going? Why do you do what you do? Are you following Jesus as you meant to?
Some of you've been fighting for a very long time, ground warfare....Satan has you down. He is making you fight against the holy of hollies. But it is all vain.
Stop fighting Him. Yield.
God wants to take you to new places, to where you have never been before. Stop resisting Him.
Get a new perspective, on your life, on your troubles. Maybe He did it all for a reason, so that you would run to Him. "What good is it to gain the whole world but forfeit your soul?"
God has given you the air....you can go wherever you want and do whatever you want. You have freedom.
Fly....."He who the son sets free is free indeed."
It's time to spread out your wings and shake it off. Break the shackles off that have been holding you down for soooooo long. BREAK FREE! AND FLY!
God wants you to fly. He doesn't want you to be bogged down anymore. Be free! Fly! The sky is the limit.
FEEL the freedom.
Do you see what I see? God wants you to be free. Do you hear what I hear? God loves you.
Do you know what I know? God sent His son to die for YOU, yes you, and set you free from sin.
Do you want what I want? To feed his sheep. To save the lost. Do you want to save the world like I do?
Fly......be all that I made you to be! Stop holding back. STOP hiding your lamp under a bushel.
LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE!!!!!
FLY......be amazing! Be spectacular! Unleash the Spirit inside of you. Be brilliant!
SHINE AS I MEANT YOU TO SHINE!
Stop doubting yourself. Stop stopping yourself. Open yourself to love again. Open your heart. You can do it! I have given you wings to fly!
I have given you WINGS. I want you to be free! I have set you free from deceit, the things that held you back. Don't believe the lies anymore. You are FREE indeed!
You are not tied down anymore. Come to me and fly.....be with me my love. I want to wrap you in my arms. Will you let me?
I want to show you just HOW MUCH you are loved! Do you believe I LOVE YOU?!?! Do you really believe it?????
I LOVE YOU with ALL THAT I AM. I gave my LIFE for you. Don't you see it? Don't you see how MUCH I love you!?
I am opening your eyes to see it, completely and wholly. Don't forget how much I love you.
Like a bird in the air you have escaped the snare. Nothing can hold you down. There is no obstacle in your way.
I have torn down the obstacles, so fly free my love.
The enemy wants to trap you but he CANNOT have power over you. For YOU ARE MINE!
DON'T BE AFRAID ANYMORE.
You have been set free. You are my child! I LOVE YOU! I paid the price for you, don't you see? You don't have to strive in your own power anymore. YOU ARE SAVED, ALREADY.
Nothing, nothing, nothing can ever hold you EVER AGAIN. Fly.....free.....my love.
I came and died that you might have life. SO HAVE LIFE! Don't waste your life. Embrace it. Love it! Use it!
I am ALL AROUND you. I am PROTECTING you. I LOVE YOU.
I am breathing NEW LIFE into you. So go and make disciples. FEED MY SHEEP, my love.
I will give you the words. Don't be afraid.
My thoughts while listening to this song.....what God was saying to me in it. Read this lol :)
Going up to new atmospheres, new places....God take me to where you are. I want to see you face to face. I want to look upon your beauty and have my breath taken away from seeing you in your glory.
New ears....to hear. Because I cannot heart you in this world, with the noise, with the chaos. Take me to where you are.
Take me to heavenly places....take me to nirvana..... take me out of this world to where you are.....
New revelation.....show me what I do not already see.
What are you doing, where are you going? Why do you do what you do? Are you following Jesus as you meant to?
Some of you've been fighting for a very long time, ground warfare....Satan has you down. He is making you fight against the holy of hollies. But it is all vain.
Stop fighting Him. Yield.
God wants to take you to new places, to where you have never been before. Stop resisting Him.
Get a new perspective, on your life, on your troubles. Maybe He did it all for a reason, so that you would run to Him. "What good is it to gain the whole world but forfeit your soul?"
God has given you the air....you can go wherever you want and do whatever you want. You have freedom.
Fly....."He who the son sets free is free indeed."
It's time to spread out your wings and shake it off. Break the shackles off that have been holding you down for soooooo long. BREAK FREE! AND FLY!
God wants you to fly. He doesn't want you to be bogged down anymore. Be free! Fly! The sky is the limit.
FEEL the freedom.
Do you see what I see? God wants you to be free. Do you hear what I hear? God loves you.
Do you know what I know? God sent His son to die for YOU, yes you, and set you free from sin.
Do you want what I want? To feed his sheep. To save the lost. Do you want to save the world like I do?
Fly......be all that I made you to be! Stop holding back. STOP hiding your lamp under a bushel.
LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE!!!!!
FLY......be amazing! Be spectacular! Unleash the Spirit inside of you. Be brilliant!
SHINE AS I MEANT YOU TO SHINE!
Stop doubting yourself. Stop stopping yourself. Open yourself to love again. Open your heart. You can do it! I have given you wings to fly!
I have given you WINGS. I want you to be free! I have set you free from deceit, the things that held you back. Don't believe the lies anymore. You are FREE indeed!
You are not tied down anymore. Come to me and fly.....be with me my love. I want to wrap you in my arms. Will you let me?
I want to show you just HOW MUCH you are loved! Do you believe I LOVE YOU?!?! Do you really believe it?????
I LOVE YOU with ALL THAT I AM. I gave my LIFE for you. Don't you see it? Don't you see how MUCH I love you!?
I am opening your eyes to see it, completely and wholly. Don't forget how much I love you.
Like a bird in the air you have escaped the snare. Nothing can hold you down. There is no obstacle in your way.
I have torn down the obstacles, so fly free my love.
The enemy wants to trap you but he CANNOT have power over you. For YOU ARE MINE!
DON'T BE AFRAID ANYMORE.
You have been set free. You are my child! I LOVE YOU! I paid the price for you, don't you see? You don't have to strive in your own power anymore. YOU ARE SAVED, ALREADY.
Nothing, nothing, nothing can ever hold you EVER AGAIN. Fly.....free.....my love.
I came and died that you might have life. SO HAVE LIFE! Don't waste your life. Embrace it. Love it! Use it!
I am ALL AROUND you. I am PROTECTING you. I LOVE YOU.
I am breathing NEW LIFE into you. So go and make disciples. FEED MY SHEEP, my love.
I will give you the words. Don't be afraid.
Tattoos: Bad or Ok?
Lev. 19:28 says, "Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord."
Granted, the law does not matter quite as much in light of Jesus, because He said all things hinge on the two commandments, to love God and love others. Jesus simplified it. Jesus fulfilled the law but He did not eradicate it. The law is still in our Bibles today for a reason. God still wants us to know it and try to live by it. David said, "Oh how I love your law! I meditate on it day and night!"
And Paul said, "ALL things are permissible for me but I will not be mastered by anything."
So we can do anything we want under Jesus essentially, just not be mastered by anything or make anything an idol.
So in that context, as long as a tattoo is not an idol, it could be seen as ok.
I think cross tattoos are really cool personally and would love to get one if I was not so terrified of needles etc lol I have had bad experiences with IV's and getting my blood drawn. lol So I strongly dislike needles. :)
Therefore I am mainly anti-tattoos because, why torture yourself?
But to each his own right?
Check out this video that a friend posted in a comment on my facebook ....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN3voADV14Y
Interesting video huh. Here are my thoughts on it.....
Yes love is to be primary of course in all things. I wholeheartedly agree with that.
Of course as Christians we are to love those with tattoos, but the question is, should Christians get tattoos?
Yes I noted when reading Lev. 19 the not eating meat with blood in it and the not wearing clothes with two kinds of fabric. So no rare steak and 100% cotton clothes which are better anyways. :)
This guy's argument about not eating meat is not logical. The scripture just means don't eat rare or medium rare meat, not you can't meat any meat.
And yes earrings are in the same category with tattoos, as they both involve hurting your body.
The same applies today to what he said in history that tattoos give off the wrong signal. Tattoos still give off the wrong signal to others, as they are mainly gang related and usually of worldly things etc.
If you go into most tattoo parlors they have pictures all over the walls of mostly naked women or skulls etc. This is a not a place where a Christian belongs under any circumstances.
Also, how I see it in my spirit is that tattoos are scribbling on the temple of the Holy Spirit. Tattoos are grafitti on God's temple, being us, human beings. No one likes to see grafitti in their home town, nor does a wife want to see grafitti on her husband.
Tattoos defile the beauty of the human body as it was made. They taint it's natural beauty. They mess up the masterpiece that God created when He made each of us.
His last argument is good that Jesus may have had a tattoo in Rev 19. I like that one; it is a valid point.
Overall I would say follow the guideline that "Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit." Therefore, anything that would hurt one's own body should be avoided if at all possible. Yes this even would include fast food which I am guilty of indulging it at times.
We cannot be perfect, but we can strive to be the best we can be.
As Paul says, "Walk in a manner worthy of your calling." As in you are now sanctified in Jesus; live like it. Live out what is already true of you. You are God's child; reflect the Father as best as you can. This is what God calls us to do.
Yes. :) Grace and peace be with you all! :)
Granted, the law does not matter quite as much in light of Jesus, because He said all things hinge on the two commandments, to love God and love others. Jesus simplified it. Jesus fulfilled the law but He did not eradicate it. The law is still in our Bibles today for a reason. God still wants us to know it and try to live by it. David said, "Oh how I love your law! I meditate on it day and night!"
And Paul said, "ALL things are permissible for me but I will not be mastered by anything."
So we can do anything we want under Jesus essentially, just not be mastered by anything or make anything an idol.
So in that context, as long as a tattoo is not an idol, it could be seen as ok.
I think cross tattoos are really cool personally and would love to get one if I was not so terrified of needles etc lol I have had bad experiences with IV's and getting my blood drawn. lol So I strongly dislike needles. :)
Therefore I am mainly anti-tattoos because, why torture yourself?
But to each his own right?
Check out this video that a friend posted in a comment on my facebook ....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN3voADV14Y
Interesting video huh. Here are my thoughts on it.....
Yes love is to be primary of course in all things. I wholeheartedly agree with that.
Of course as Christians we are to love those with tattoos, but the question is, should Christians get tattoos?
Yes I noted when reading Lev. 19 the not eating meat with blood in it and the not wearing clothes with two kinds of fabric. So no rare steak and 100% cotton clothes which are better anyways. :)
This guy's argument about not eating meat is not logical. The scripture just means don't eat rare or medium rare meat, not you can't meat any meat.
And yes earrings are in the same category with tattoos, as they both involve hurting your body.
The same applies today to what he said in history that tattoos give off the wrong signal. Tattoos still give off the wrong signal to others, as they are mainly gang related and usually of worldly things etc.
If you go into most tattoo parlors they have pictures all over the walls of mostly naked women or skulls etc. This is a not a place where a Christian belongs under any circumstances.
Also, how I see it in my spirit is that tattoos are scribbling on the temple of the Holy Spirit. Tattoos are grafitti on God's temple, being us, human beings. No one likes to see grafitti in their home town, nor does a wife want to see grafitti on her husband.
Tattoos defile the beauty of the human body as it was made. They taint it's natural beauty. They mess up the masterpiece that God created when He made each of us.
His last argument is good that Jesus may have had a tattoo in Rev 19. I like that one; it is a valid point.
Overall I would say follow the guideline that "Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit." Therefore, anything that would hurt one's own body should be avoided if at all possible. Yes this even would include fast food which I am guilty of indulging it at times.
We cannot be perfect, but we can strive to be the best we can be.
As Paul says, "Walk in a manner worthy of your calling." As in you are now sanctified in Jesus; live like it. Live out what is already true of you. You are God's child; reflect the Father as best as you can. This is what God calls us to do.
Yes. :) Grace and peace be with you all! :)
A Recorded Spiritual Portal
CHECK THIS OUT! SO COOL....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo6Nu5W256M
And then Listen to this. May God give you ears to hear. :).... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHRWo-TrjXQ
They ACTUALLY caught the angels singing with Jason Upton on the recording, in perfect harmony too! lol....starting around 2:40 in you can hear something singing in the background that couldn't possibly be anything of this world. It sounds like it's from another dimension entirely, another world, the spiritual world.
I hope this makes you cry. lol It made me cry, many times
I love the part when he says,Some of you've been fightin for a very long time." THAT'S when the giant angel standing behind him starts singing with him.
I've always been very intrigued by music and worship and how God uses it.
David the man after God's own heart did what? He wrote music and psalms.
God speaks through music, a lot! to me at least I hope you can hear him in music as well. :)
It's funny that he sings "Do you see what i see?" Do you see the spiritual world? Cause it's all around us, whether we see it or not.
And this song is like a really cool portal between the two worlds.
Light-Regeneration-New Life
So I just bought a KJV Bible yesterday, and I am very excited about it. It is a beautiful blue and brown Bible and I got it imprinted with my name. Well, it says "Lisa's Bible" at the top lol.
I have never read the King James Version before, actually. For the last 14 years I have had the NIV and the NASB versions. I have read the whole Bible out of these two translations but have decided I will read through the Bible again in the KJV. It can't hurt to read the Bible again, obviously, and I'm interested to see the differences. It will be like reading it anew I think and that's exciting. :)
One funny difference I have noticed so far is the NIV says God gave the fruit of the trees in the garden of Eden for "food" but the KJV says for "meat." The difference here is that the KJV shows that mankind did not eat actual meat yet. They just ate fruit and green plants only. That did not happen until after the flood when it says "God put the fear of man in the animals" because after the flood we started to kill them for food. Before that they did not fear us really.
I will now compare and contrast Genesis 1 with John 1 and relate it to how the Spirit regenerates our soul and mind when we are saved.
When reading this keep in mind Romans 12:2, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." We are "transformed."
Also, 2 Cor. 5:17 says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." We are a "new creation."
Genesis 1 says, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day."
Before the Holy Spirit comes in to regenerate our minds we are "without form" in that we are completely lost. We are slaves to sin. We are cut off from relationship with God. We are sunken at the bottom of the ocean, spiritually. We are completely lost.
We are also without form in that God has not begun to do a work on us yet. Picture a lump of clay on a potters wheel where nothing has been done to it yet. That is us before the Holy Spirit regenerates our mind and hearts. We are formless. We are a blob essentially. Phil. 1:6 says, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." God is forming us on his potter's wheel into a gorgeous creation, just as he formed the earth from being formless to being the beautiful creation that we now see.
We are void in that we are devoid of true wisdom. We can have worldly knowledge, but it is impossible to be truly wise apart from God.
Genensis 1 keeps saying, "And God said." He spoke the words and they came to pass. What does John 1 say?
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."
The anaology of "The Word" in John 1 IS Jesus. Jesus is referred to as the word. Now how is it that men are saved? " Romans 10:17 says, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
We hear the word, the gospel, Scripture, and we are saved. Because the word of God "is living and active." In that the Word IS Jesus. The word IS the gospel that Jesus is sufficient to pay for ALL our sins.
What does it mean to be saved? It means that God's glorious light, Jesus, comes flooding into our hearts. Like the creation account, God speaks light over our life. We were in darkness before Christ, and when He saves us, light comes flooding in and overpowers the darkness. Jesus breaks the bondages of sin in our lives.
This is why I don't think actual Christians can have addictions, because Jesus breaks the chains of sin. He makes the darkness flee. He shines a bright light into the houses of our hearts.
John 1 says, "In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness."
Jesus brings life. Paul says, "You were dead in your trespasses and sins." Before Christ we are completely dead. We are "formless and void." We are in complete and total darkness. Then the light of Christ shines in our hearts and we are no longer in darkness. Paul says that we are "children of the day."
2 Cor. 6 says, "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
I love this part in Genesis 1 also, "Darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." To me this says that before people are saved, the Holy Spirit is moving over them. He is working on them. John 6:44 says, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day."
This is why we pray for those we know that are not saved. God has to give them spiritual eyes.
2 Cor. 2:14 says, "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." This is why one classic Christian writer said, "You cannot argue anyone to the faith." It is fun sometimes to debate non-Christians, but debating most likely will not save them.
I believe there is a point in everyone's life when God opens their eyes and they either choose to follow Him at that moment or they choose to reject Him. I believe it is both God draws us and we choose. I do not believe in election, that God only picks certain people and not others. How then could God be just in saying that some deserve Hell? There has to be an opportunity for every man to make his own choice regarding God, if he will serve God or live for himself.
What will you choose when given the choice? I hope you will choose life, choose to submit to the God of the Universe, because He deserves it. He loves you and sent His son for you. Believe.
I have never read the King James Version before, actually. For the last 14 years I have had the NIV and the NASB versions. I have read the whole Bible out of these two translations but have decided I will read through the Bible again in the KJV. It can't hurt to read the Bible again, obviously, and I'm interested to see the differences. It will be like reading it anew I think and that's exciting. :)
One funny difference I have noticed so far is the NIV says God gave the fruit of the trees in the garden of Eden for "food" but the KJV says for "meat." The difference here is that the KJV shows that mankind did not eat actual meat yet. They just ate fruit and green plants only. That did not happen until after the flood when it says "God put the fear of man in the animals" because after the flood we started to kill them for food. Before that they did not fear us really.
I will now compare and contrast Genesis 1 with John 1 and relate it to how the Spirit regenerates our soul and mind when we are saved.
When reading this keep in mind Romans 12:2, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." We are "transformed."
Also, 2 Cor. 5:17 says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." We are a "new creation."
Genesis 1 says, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day."
Before the Holy Spirit comes in to regenerate our minds we are "without form" in that we are completely lost. We are slaves to sin. We are cut off from relationship with God. We are sunken at the bottom of the ocean, spiritually. We are completely lost.
We are also without form in that God has not begun to do a work on us yet. Picture a lump of clay on a potters wheel where nothing has been done to it yet. That is us before the Holy Spirit regenerates our mind and hearts. We are formless. We are a blob essentially. Phil. 1:6 says, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." God is forming us on his potter's wheel into a gorgeous creation, just as he formed the earth from being formless to being the beautiful creation that we now see.
We are void in that we are devoid of true wisdom. We can have worldly knowledge, but it is impossible to be truly wise apart from God.
Genensis 1 keeps saying, "And God said." He spoke the words and they came to pass. What does John 1 say?
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."
The anaology of "The Word" in John 1 IS Jesus. Jesus is referred to as the word. Now how is it that men are saved? " Romans 10:17 says, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
We hear the word, the gospel, Scripture, and we are saved. Because the word of God "is living and active." In that the Word IS Jesus. The word IS the gospel that Jesus is sufficient to pay for ALL our sins.
What does it mean to be saved? It means that God's glorious light, Jesus, comes flooding into our hearts. Like the creation account, God speaks light over our life. We were in darkness before Christ, and when He saves us, light comes flooding in and overpowers the darkness. Jesus breaks the bondages of sin in our lives.
This is why I don't think actual Christians can have addictions, because Jesus breaks the chains of sin. He makes the darkness flee. He shines a bright light into the houses of our hearts.
John 1 says, "In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness."
Jesus brings life. Paul says, "You were dead in your trespasses and sins." Before Christ we are completely dead. We are "formless and void." We are in complete and total darkness. Then the light of Christ shines in our hearts and we are no longer in darkness. Paul says that we are "children of the day."
2 Cor. 6 says, "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
“I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.”
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.”
17 Therefore
“Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord."
And be separate, says the Lord."
What did God do in Genesis 1? "God divided the light from the darkness."
Granted it is impossible to be completely divided as we have to work with non-Christians. The point though is that even though we are living in a world among un-regenerated people we are to be wholly different from them. Often times you cannot tell a difference between the saved and unsaved. This should not be. We should be set apart. There should be a visible difference.
I love this part in Genesis 1 also, "Darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." To me this says that before people are saved, the Holy Spirit is moving over them. He is working on them. John 6:44 says, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day."
This is why we pray for those we know that are not saved. God has to give them spiritual eyes.
2 Cor. 2:14 says, "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." This is why one classic Christian writer said, "You cannot argue anyone to the faith." It is fun sometimes to debate non-Christians, but debating most likely will not save them.
I believe there is a point in everyone's life when God opens their eyes and they either choose to follow Him at that moment or they choose to reject Him. I believe it is both God draws us and we choose. I do not believe in election, that God only picks certain people and not others. How then could God be just in saying that some deserve Hell? There has to be an opportunity for every man to make his own choice regarding God, if he will serve God or live for himself.
What will you choose when given the choice? I hope you will choose life, choose to submit to the God of the Universe, because He deserves it. He loves you and sent His son for you. Believe.
Baptist Temple Sermon Notes
I think you will see from these sermon notes that Baptist Temple has got it goin on. lol In that it is a truly anointed church. So if you live in KC and are looking for a church, come check out Midtown Baptist Temple. You will love it! :)
"Every member is a minister at this church and you All have a responsibility to learn and know the word of God." Amen!
"The greatest lie of the enemy is that other people are here to meet my needs etc." Our focus needs to be on what can I do for others, not what can they do for me. lol like the quote, "Ask not what your country can do for you but what can you do for your country." my answer: be God's servant and write blogs lol and hopefully these are making a difference. :)
"When God truly loves you He will bring you to the end of yourself to save your soul." Amen to that! As Jesus said, "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world but forfeit his soul." Amen? Yes. :) Eternal bliss is better than trying to find worldy bliss at the expense of your eternal bliss.
"Choose this day whom you will serve; yourself or God."
"The powers that be are ordained of God." Therefore, submit to the governing authorities, even if you disagree with them. :) Romans 12 was written by Paul when NERO was emporer, and he did some crazy things. But Paul still commanded Christians to submit to the government, "unless they tell you do something that is contrary to Scripture." That is the only exception. Otherwise, submit to the authorities and God will bless you. :)
"We are trees." lol :) Think about it, your past is referred to as your "family tree." You come from seed like trees come from a seed. Your past is also called your "roots." When you move some place new, like I have many many times lol, you put down new "roots."
Also birds can make nests in your branches like in trees. The Bible uses birds as an analogy for evil spirits. Evil spirits can try to make nests in your branches. The book Bondage Breaker, which you should all read, refers to these as strongholds. Satan can form strongholds in your life when you "give him a foothold" as Paul talks about.
Read the Bondage Breaker to break any strongholds Satan many have in your life. :) Pleeeease lol God would want you to. :) We give the devil a foothold through anger, as Paul says, and also when we start to OWN any negative thoughts that pass through our mind. Don't OWN them! They are not from God. Rebuke the devil and he will flee from you. Quote Scripture at him and he will run and hide with his tail between his legs lol Seriously. Because the Bible is living and active and there is great POWER in the words of the Bible. Do you believe it? I hope so. :) Believe it.
Also wind can blow the trees just like various spirits can blow us. "What spirit is moving you?" What voices are you listening to? Do you ever think about what you are thinking about? Try journaling. Write out your thoughts. This will help you see your thinking more clearly and it will help you to identify the lies easier, much easier. So journal your thoughts and counter act the negative thoughts with Scripture! It will be the best self excercise you will have ever done! Trust me. :) This, and going for walks, is the best cure for depression ever! :)
May God bless you as you seek to follow Him more and more! And pray for me as I am starting a new job today. Thanks! Take care! :)
"Every member is a minister at this church and you All have a responsibility to learn and know the word of God." Amen!
"The greatest lie of the enemy is that other people are here to meet my needs etc." Our focus needs to be on what can I do for others, not what can they do for me. lol like the quote, "Ask not what your country can do for you but what can you do for your country." my answer: be God's servant and write blogs lol and hopefully these are making a difference. :)
"When God truly loves you He will bring you to the end of yourself to save your soul." Amen to that! As Jesus said, "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world but forfeit his soul." Amen? Yes. :) Eternal bliss is better than trying to find worldy bliss at the expense of your eternal bliss.
"Choose this day whom you will serve; yourself or God."
"The powers that be are ordained of God." Therefore, submit to the governing authorities, even if you disagree with them. :) Romans 12 was written by Paul when NERO was emporer, and he did some crazy things. But Paul still commanded Christians to submit to the government, "unless they tell you do something that is contrary to Scripture." That is the only exception. Otherwise, submit to the authorities and God will bless you. :)
"We are trees." lol :) Think about it, your past is referred to as your "family tree." You come from seed like trees come from a seed. Your past is also called your "roots." When you move some place new, like I have many many times lol, you put down new "roots."
Also birds can make nests in your branches like in trees. The Bible uses birds as an analogy for evil spirits. Evil spirits can try to make nests in your branches. The book Bondage Breaker, which you should all read, refers to these as strongholds. Satan can form strongholds in your life when you "give him a foothold" as Paul talks about.
Read the Bondage Breaker to break any strongholds Satan many have in your life. :) Pleeeease lol God would want you to. :) We give the devil a foothold through anger, as Paul says, and also when we start to OWN any negative thoughts that pass through our mind. Don't OWN them! They are not from God. Rebuke the devil and he will flee from you. Quote Scripture at him and he will run and hide with his tail between his legs lol Seriously. Because the Bible is living and active and there is great POWER in the words of the Bible. Do you believe it? I hope so. :) Believe it.
Also wind can blow the trees just like various spirits can blow us. "What spirit is moving you?" What voices are you listening to? Do you ever think about what you are thinking about? Try journaling. Write out your thoughts. This will help you see your thinking more clearly and it will help you to identify the lies easier, much easier. So journal your thoughts and counter act the negative thoughts with Scripture! It will be the best self excercise you will have ever done! Trust me. :) This, and going for walks, is the best cure for depression ever! :)
May God bless you as you seek to follow Him more and more! And pray for me as I am starting a new job today. Thanks! Take care! :)
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Aliens Passing Through
I remember reading a short story in college called The Wanderer and The Wayfarer in my Old English Literature class. I was struck by the imagery. It was about how we, as Christians, are never at home on this earth. We are simply passing through.
I love how this image is of a guy reading his Bible with his suitcase packed. The idea is that we are merely travelers on this earth, sojourners, nomads. We can never feel really settled on this earth. We will never feel completely at home here. We know that something is missing. We sense in our inner core that something is not right, and that is, that man is separated from God.
When God created the world He walked around with Adam and Eve in the garden. He talked with them and mankind was meant to be always in communion with God. But shortly after woman and man sinned, and ever since then the relationship has not been the same between God and man. Even after Jesus came and gave us the Holy Spirit, we still have a constant battle against the flesh, as Paul talks about in Romans 8.
Jesus said that we are "The light of the world." And Paul says, "Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky."
The idea is that the world is total darkness, and God calls us to shine in this darkness. We are wholly different. Paul says, "What can light have in common with darkness?" The answer is, very little. That is when he commands us to not be unequally yoked etc. We are in the world but not of it. We are to be set apart, to be different. Jesus was in the world but remained clean. He hung out with sinners, but He did not become a sinner. He hung out with greedy tax collectors, but He Himself was never greedy.
Jesus said, "What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?" The implication is that we cannot have both the world and walk in a right relationship with God. We can either focus on building up treasures on this earth or treasures in heaven. Usually it is hard to do both. Such was the case with the rich young ruler. He loved his worldly wealth too much to strive for eternal wealth. He was blinded by the things of this world, by his possessions.
John said, "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed." The darkness usually does not like the light. As was the case with Jesus and the Pharisees. They were in darkness, even though they were the "religious" leaders of the day. And what did they do to Jesus? They had Him killed! So if people don't like you, good! Many also did not like Jesus.
Darkness will always try to put out the light, because they love the darkness; darkness hides their sin. Darkness loves lies; those in darkness live a lie. The light is the truth. Darkness hates the truth. They do not want to open up to others for fear that their sin will be found out. So they hide in the darkness; they hide in isolation; they hide in lies and self-deception. And they hide around people who will flatter them and not speak the truth in love to them.
The Bible says that in the last days preachers will compromise and tell people what their itching ears want to hear. This is why many in the church are still in darkness, because the Word is not accurately preached. Yes God is love, but He is also just. There will be a judgement day, and it may be coming sooner than we think. But pastors don't want to step on any toes. They don't want to offend people. They want to be popular. So they say what people want them to say instead of what is the Truth.
On the flip side many people were also very drawn to Jesus. I love the quote, "A good way to tell if you're a leader is to look behind you. Is anyone following you?" Jesus had many, many following him and many who all out loved him with their whole hearts because they saw that he was Good.
We are to be very divisive people as Christians. People will most likely either love us or hate us, as they did with Jesus. If we are truly walking the walk and not compromising, some people will be inexplicably drawn to us, and others will try to make our lives a living hell. So be ready. That is why Jesus says, "Take up your cross and follow me." It's not easy actually living as a Christian. Jesus and the disciples in Acts endured much opposition from the world, and we will as well.
Jesus said, "Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life." That seems like an odd statement if you really think about it. So we are to "hate" our life in this world? But we are supposed to be thankful also.
It is a balance. We are be content but also discontent at the same time. We are to not complain in the sense that we tell God we think He is doing a bad job with blessing or not blessing us. We are not be self-centered in our walk and think of God as a genie who is to meet all our wants etc. But we are not to be happy with the world at the same time. We are to have our sights fixed on heaven, endure things of this world, and await the day we will be with God 24/7. John says, "Do not love the world or anything in the world." Yes we are here on this earth for now, so we can make the best of it we can, but this is not where we belong. Our hearts are meant to long for the day when we can be with God/Jesus forever.
May we learn how to have this balance of being content but not content at the same time. Grace and peace be with you. :)
Things to "Quit"
Wow I can relate to a lot of these. So I thought I'd blog about them. :)
Quit Doubting Yourself
Yes I doubt myself, many times; in jobs, in relationships etc. I wonder if I have what it takes to succeed. Will I make a mark on the world as was my goal in high school? Will I really make a difference like I hope to? Will my life have meaning? Of course I know usually any self-doubt is from Satan. So I try to counter act these doubtful thoughts with scripture that says "we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus." And "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Quit Negative Thinking
Negative thinking is so easy to do isn't it? They say it is so much easier to say something bad about something than something good. Why is this? Because our sin nature is negative. We are by nature very negative people. It is God's Holy Spirit alone in us that can finally make us relatively thankful, content and happy people. Paul says, "Do everything without complaining and arguing." This is a skill indeed to do EVERYTHING without complaining or arguing, or at least wanting to argue lol. :) But what does complaining say to God? It says that we are not grateful for all He has given us, as we should be.
However, there is a certain amount of discontent that we will always have with the world because this is not our final home. Like a Switchfoot song says, "I don't belong here." We don't, really. Satan is the ruler of this world, and that is apparent everywhere. Until we are heaven we will not be fully content or fully happy.
Quit a Fear of Failure
Often times many people don't ever do anything because of a fear of failure. I recently took a trip to Australia, and I know many thought my trip would be or might be a failure. Which it's all a matter of perspective really; yes my time there was short, but I had a great time while I was there. :) Failure is possible in any avenue of life. In relationships are the most frequent type of failure we experience. But what does God call us to do after we fall? Get back up again, brush ourselves off and try again. Don't give up on everything just because one thing didn't work. Failure happens, but successes happen to, eventually. :)
Quit Destructive Relationships
I love the phrase "It is better to be in no relationship than in a bad one." Amen to that. And there are many people in bad relationships that stay in them because they feel it's better than being single. It's not. No one deserves to be abused etc. Have some self-respect and only stay around people that treat you well. If they don't then move on. It's as simple as that. Or at least it should be, in theory anyways.
Quit Gossiping
What do people usually talk about? Other people right. I have asked the question of others many times when does something qualify as gossip? It is most likely when you say something to someone else that taints their view of that other person. That is what the Bible calls slander. A lot of people in relationships have this problem. As soon as there is a fight they call all their friends to talk about the person they in a relationship with. Depending on the context, this can just breed more problems for the relationship. It is good to get counsel but it's also key to not put people you love down when talking about them.
Quit Criticizing Yourself and Others
Perfectionism. Perfectionists are very self-critical. I am at times quite the perfectionist. I like things to be clean etc lol. I like things to go as planned. I am my own worst critic. I generally have very high expectations for myself. This self-criticism can sometimes spill over into criticising others because it becomes a habit to critique in general. To an extent it's good, in that we would all be total slobs if we were not somewhat critical of ourselves. But everything in moderation. Some self-criticism spurs us on to be a good/better person, but too much is really just self-defeating.
Quit Getting Angry
A friend in high school once told me all anger is actually just hurt in disguise. Which if you really think about it, it is. We get angry when we get our feelings hurt. We could either cry about it, which would be the more healthy thing to do, but because most of us don't want to feel like a pansy by crying, we resort to anger. Often times women will say they had a good cry. Crying really does feel good, because it doesn't hurt anyone in the process. It just gives you sore eyes for the rest of the day lol. But anger DOES hurt others, a lot. Anger makes people very stupid. I have done some pretty stupid things when angry, and I have wanted to do many other stupid things when angry.
Anger also comes when our expectations are not met. We expect something and when that thing doesn't happen, we get angry. It would be better to just not have expectations really, but that would be nearly impossible, so my advice to you is the next time you feel like exploding, try crying instead. :) It's probably what your body really needs to do anyways. God gave us the gift of crying for a reason. Did you know, that toxic chemicals are actually released from our body when we cry? So go cry about something! lol You just might feel better after wards. You probably will. :)
Quit Comfort Eating
Ah....comfort eating lol. Many, many struggle with this, and it's certainly not just women. I have seen many guys "comfort eat" as well. Why do we do this? Well sometimes food does actually make us feel better, like if you are genuinely hungry. God did give us the gift of food to help us feel happy, and ice cream certainly does that for me! lol The problem comes when we abuse this gift of food and eat in excess. All things in moderation yes? So I suppose comfort eating can be eating past the point of being full. I haven't really done this on many occasions. I usually resort to doing this, writing, or listening to music when I feel down, but many turn to food instead. lol when I get full my body pretty much says to me, "If you take another bite I will throw up." So I stop lol :) Comfort eating is going beyond this to a point of hurting one's body. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, therefore we are to take good care of it. That means, only eating when hungry. My mom was a very good model for me growing up of healthy eating and eating in moderation. We are both big on snacking, which I have heard is actually the best way to eat. We were meant to graze lightly really like cows graze on grass all day. But for the sake of convenience and having to work most people have to have three huge meals every day. Small, frequent meals are much better. :) lol and that is my dieting advice for anyone interested. :) Just eat less but more often, and you will probably feel much better in general. Yep. :)
Quit Laziness
Laziness is very hard to avoid, especially with TV. I have never been a fan of TV because I feel like so much time has been wasted every time I watch it for long periods of time. I feel like I could have been doing something better with my time. Laziness is most evident is the cleanliness of one's house, really. The outside reflects the inside. Laziness of mind results in a messy environment etc. Most people think of sleeping too much as being lazy, but on the contrary, there are many people that "sleep walk" through life because they do not get enough actual sleep. We all need somewhere from 8 to 9 hours of sleep every night. If we don't get this, we will most likely be more lazy for lack of energy. God gave us the gift of sleep for a reason. At church one time the pastor said, "Go take a nap for Jesus today!" So yes, take a nap, and you will probably feel more energized to get things done. :)
Quit Negative Self Talk
We talk to ourselves all day long, do we not? lol At least I know I do. I always have a million thoughts running through my mind, thus why I love to write. But wherever you go, there you are yes? Meaning you cannot escape yourself. You should be your own best friend, in theory anyways. But often times we have a war going on inside our minds. Like in movies where there is an angel sitting on one shoulder and a devil sitting on the other, we often have two competing voices talking to us. Paul refers to this as the spirit and the flesh. The flesh is the negative side; the side that says, "You're not attractive enough." "You will never accomplish anything." "What are you doing with your life anyways?" And the positive good side tries to counter act that but sometimes the negative side is so much louder and stronger. I love how Joyce Meyer said in one of her sermons, "Some of us need to take ourselves over in a corner sometimes and talk to ourselves!" And that is so true. The mind can be like an unruly child that needs to be put on time out sometimes. Taking naps is a good way to put your mind on a time out. :) And writing is a good way to think about what we are thinking about. So often people don't think about what they are thinking about. It is a good practice to do so, and in so doing you can begin to alter your own self thoughts. It is a discipline; self-control. Like Romans 12 says, "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind." This is a process. It does not happen over night, but it can happen. So try writing and changing the way you think that way. :) It has helped me a lot, for the most part. :)
Procrastination
I hate procrastination. I hated it when I used to do it. It is very true that the more you put something off the bigger of a problem it becomes. Ok I still procrastinate, on things like oil changes lol. Often we procrastinate as a passive aggressive move. We know we should do something, but we don't really want to, so we put it off. It is a kind of defiance against the thing that we do not want to do. Paying bills can have this effect, until we get a bad hit on our credit for being late on something, then that might motivate us to do things more on time.:) Procrastination can be very dangerous. It is a form of laziness to be sure. It is a form of just being stubborn. Don't procrastinate. Do whatever it is that you needed to do. Just get it over with and it won't seem so bad. lol I remember jumping off the high dive when I was in junior high at the pool. The longer you stand up there at the top, the harder it is to jump off! You really just need to climb super fast up the ladder and run off the board as soon as you get up there. Then it all seems like a piece of cake. This is like life. So often we inch across the board and the slower we go, the more scary everything seems. I think of this regarding long courtships before people get married. I have never understood being engaged for a long time before getting married. Just get married! Jump off the high dive man. Lol because the slower you go, the scarier it all seems. Hamlet in his to be or not to be speech says, "Thus the native hue of resolution is sicklied over with the pale cast of thought." Meaning, the more we think about something the more our thinking makes the original bright idea become pale. It looses drive and momentum the more we think about something. So stop thinking and just do it! Like Nike says lol whatever IT is for you. :) Stop procrastinating. And God will bless your diligence! :)
Quit the Fear of Success, Maybe :)
This is actually the one I am most guilty of. For some reason I have a fear of being rich and successful, well that is because Jesus said the thing about the camel lol. But in many instances throughout my life I seem to have self-sabotaged things. I'm not sure if it's because at the root of it all I feel I don't deserve to be happy. Logically I know I do. But I think at my core perhaps I do not think I do. Something to think about I suppose. I know this is a huge lie from Satan but I have believed it and caved into the self-defeat several times. I was an amazing basketball player in high school. I could make more shots than most in practices, but whenever it got to the games I would choke. And I wrote great speeches for the MUN club I was in, but when conferences came I rarely got up to speak and share them. Granted public speaking is the number one public fear, but I still think it came from my fear of success.
But perhaps I fear success because success can make people prideful and I fear becoming prideful, as I should, I think. Being rich, or scoring the most points in a game, or having the best speech, or singing the best song, can very much puff someone up. So the self-sabotaging could be my own attempts to ward against pride. That is quite possible.
Does God want us to be successful? This is a good question. In things related to His kingdom, yes. But in things related to this world, maybe not. 1 John says, "Do not love the world or anything in the world." If we were successful in this world wouldn't that make it harder to not love the world? Perhaps this is why I have not, of my own will, or God has prevented me, from having too much success career wise or in relationships etc, because that keeps me running to Him. He is a jealous God, and he wants us to draw our fulfillment from Him primarily, first and foremost. So perhaps a fear of success isn't such a bad thing really. Who knows. :) Perhaps it IS success we should actually be afraid of. Jesus said, "Beware when all men speak well of you." Meaning we are not meant to be popular in this world. This is not our home. I am still unsure on this topic as a whole.
Quit Doing Anything Excessively
This has been so key to me and what I consider to be the third most important commandment lol. First we are to love God with our whole heart, mind, body and soul. Secondly we are to love others. And third I think we need to avoid doing anything in excess. This really ties into the first commandment because anything we do in excess can easily become an idol. It also can easily prevent us from loving others. Addictions. Paul says, "Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be mastered by anything." Does anything master you? Most people would say, of course not! But really think about it. Go through everything in your life. If God called you to fast from each thing in your life for 30 days, could you do it? If the answer is no, it may be an idol.
Quit Trying to Please People
People pleasing is dangerous and very frustrating. I know because I have tried it on many occasions lol. It is frustrating because people can never really be pleased, permanently at least. Think about it, has anyone you have ever known been perfectly happy with you? Of course not! Because that would be impossible. People have expectations and conflicting interests etc. That is part of life. I heard a statistic once that 10% of the population will not like you no matter what you do. Funny isn't it. I have personally found solace in understanding various temperaments and personalities and therefore knowing my personality just doesn't mesh with certain others. I have come to be ok with that. :) But many people let this really get to them if everyone doesn't like them. Why worry about it? If you can't change it, forget about it right? Like the serenity prayer may God give us the ability to change the things we can but accept the things we cannot. If people do not like us, move on to those who do. It is futile to bend over backward for someone to make them like you when they may never like you lol. Like when Jesus sent out the disciples to various towns to witness and drive out demons, he said, "If any town does not receive you, shake the dust off your sandals as you leave." Meaning don't let it affect you. Move on. Shake it off. Not everyone will like you, so what? It is a fact of life. But we pick ourselves up and try again with new people. :)
God did that. He tried and tried with the Israelites for how long? A very, very, very long time lol. But then what did He do? Romans talks about how He cut off the old branches and ingrafted the new ones. He cut off some of His people, the Jews, and grafted us in, the Gentiles. And praise God that he moved on from people that chose to not like Him! Because that opened up for salvation for all of us common Gentile folk lol. So if anyone doesn't like you, move on and try someone else. God created a lot of people for a reason. So go find people that like you as you already are, and let go of trying to please the ones that do not because it will probably never work. :) This is true wisdom lol.
I am renaming the last one; Quit Not Having Good Boundaries with Others
Boundaries are related to our ability to say No to others. Often people try and do too much. Their lives look like the magic act where the guy has like 20 plates spinning at the same time. We run and hurry and rush and try to be everywhere at one time. And what is the result? Anxiety, depression, exhaustion. What if we just said "No." Sometimes this may mean we loose friends etc. but I love the phrase by Dr. Seuss, "Those who matter won't mind and those mind don't matter." So say no when you need to so that you can really say yes. You can't really say yes if you can't say no right? Think about it. Does your yes mean much if you are just saying yes out of compulsion or guilt? No. Not having boundaries is not being honest with yourself and others. If we were totally honest with ourselves and others, how would our lives look differently? Would we do all the things we do? If not, then why do we do them? Think about it. And say No when you need to. You will most likely have a lot more peace if you do. :) May God bless you! :)
A Song Saved Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn5CMSSAx_c
This song saved me. Seriously. I was in church one day singing this song at Main Place Christian Fellowship, a church by my high school, when I was 14 and the light bulb finally went on. I had always been raised in the church and I loved God with my head but not my heart. There is a difference. So check yourself I suggest, and make sure your heart is soft towards Him. Has God melted your heart yet, or is it still mostly stone? That is the best indicator of salvation, the tenderness of your heart. :)
When singing Shout to the Lord that day it hit me for the first time that God really did create everything and I therefore owe Him my all, my everything. I got baptised a few weeks later, showing others that I had "fallen in love" with Jesus. :) And that is what a baptism is really, a wedding between you and Jesus. I believe one's baptism is a wedding ceremony with God telling everyone how MUCH you love Jesus. If it's not to say that, then it doesn't mean much.
It is so ironic actually that the song Shout to the Lord was written by Hillsong, as I just went to Australia to visit their church finally. Ever since I got saved I have been quite obsessed with the worship songs that Hillsong has written. No other worship music to this day seems to speak to me like the lyrics from their songs. Their music is truly anointed. It is almost God-breathed, it would seem. There is plenty of other Christian music, like what is played on the Fish etc, but those songs seem so cliche to me really, so simple; like milk when I crave steak lol spiritual steak that is. Hillsong's worship songs are very much like steak. The Fish Christian music is like milk. There is an amazing depth to Hillsong's worship songs that have always inspired me greatly. There is a transparency and realness, and there is an amazing view of God in each song and an overwelming sense of gratitude for all God has done for us!
"My Jesus, my Savior"
Jesus saves us from sin, from ourselves, from Satan's hold on us, from other people's or substance's hold on us.
"Lord there is none like You"
No one in the entire created world can compare with God/Jesus. There is no one like God. That is what it means that He is holy. He is set apart. He is totally other, different than anything else we already know.
"All of my days I want to praise
The wonders of Your mighty love "
Meaning I never want to stop praising you. I don't want to do it for a little while because it's cool in church and the thing to do but then stop when it's my own time. "All of my days" I want to love you and worship you, with all that I am, with my whole heart. Why? Because of His amazing love for us! I love that they used the word "wonders" because His love is completely wonderful isn't it? :) We should be swept away that the God of the ENTIRE universve loves US. Why does He? How could He? So often we take His love for granted but if you really stop and think about it, it is completey amazing and completely wonderful. :) And it is mighty in that He is strong so His love is very strong. His love never dies, it never fails, it never falters because He as God never falters. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He never changes. His love alone is unfailing.
"My comfort, my shelter
Tower of refuge and strength"
When I was little my mom would sing a song to me called You Are My Hiding Place. I grew up in a somewhat traumatic home environment due to having a bad father who was a sex addict, among other things, and this song always made me feel safe when my mom sang it. She would sing, "You are my hiding place. You always fill my heart with songs of deliverance. Whenever I am afraid I will trust in you. Let the weak say I am song in the strength of the Lord. I will trust in you." This made me realize that whenever I was afraid I could run to Jesus. I knew He would always protect me and always comfort me. He was my shelter in the midst of the storm that I grew up in. He was always my hiding place, my safe place, and I knew I could always run to Him to comfort me. He was my tower of refuge. Yes God allowed bad things to happen to me, but I knew He was always there with me, in the fire.
The truth is we live in a very scary and dark world, full of evil and pain etc. Satan is the ruler of this world and he invades people's minds all the time and causes them to do things they would not normally do. He tempts the flesh to sin and cause hurt to others. But God is our shelter and our comfort. We can always feel secure knowing that He will protect us. What happened when the three men were thrown into the fire in the book of Daniel? Jesus was in there with them. God saved them and comforted them in the fire. He does the same with us. :) Do you trust Him to do so? I can tell you I have been through the fire many, many times, but He is always there with me, holding me, comforting me, telling me things are going to be ok. He never leaves us like others might when things get hard. He will always comfort and protect us, even though he allows us be put in the fire sometimes. He is right in there with us. He can handle it. And He can help us handle it. :)
"Let every breath, all that I am
Never cease to worship You"
Not just part of me, not just what is convenient, but ALL of me. To go headlong into it, to worship God with all that we are. To really love the Lord our God with our whole heart, mind, body and soul. Do we do that? When the chips are down do we still praise Him with all that we are? And every breath; the Bible talks about praying without ceasing. Does every breath we take and every word we say honor God? Probably not. But that should be the goal. :)
"Shout to the Lord
All the Earth, let us sing"
Somewhere in scripture it says that if we did not praise God the rocks would cry out how worthy and amazing He is! All the earth sings with us when we sing. Listen to the birds in the morning sometime. They just might be praising God for a new day. They might be thanking him that they are still alive and the sun came up again. We live in God's creation and it sings to, or declares of, his majesty every time we see a sunset, a mountain towering in the air, a smooth calm lake in the woods, a forest full of trees in the fall....God's greatness can be seen everywhere.
"Power and majesty
Praise to the King"
This was the part that hit me when we were singing this song when I was 14. That Jesus/God is King. That I needed to make him King and Ruler over my whole life. I had been running my own life the way I wanted up to that point. I ran around in junior high, snuck out at night a number of times, shoplifted, tried smoking and drinking and relationships etc. I was all over the place lol. I was by no means submitting to God or His will for my life. I certainly knew all about God, logically, in my mind. I had memorized countless verses in Awanas and been in church since I was a newborn lol. But that didn't change my behavior. I still was doing whatever I wanted to do. At that moment, however, I finally put God on the throne of my life. I finally waived a white flag lol. I finally yielded and surrendured to Him. I said, "Ok God you're right I've been messing things up. I'm sorry. You can be on the throne now Ok. I'll step down so you can step up in my heart, in my life. You can be the leader and I will follow you WHEREVER you want to take me." lol and He has taken me to many, many places. :) We have had quite a many adventure together and I'm glad I let Him take the lead finally. :) Life has been much better since I did. :)
"Mountains bow down
And the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name"
Every time I sing this song I picture mountains actually bowing down and what that would look like. Can you imagine? That would be like the coolest thing by far you could ever see! And the seas roaring. I have seen some 20 foot waves and it is indeed amazingly majestic. You can't help but be swept away by the sheer power and force you see in the waves crashing down. People that surf these waves are completely crazy lol because they can kill you. The ocean can be quite terrifying really.
"I sing for joy at the work
Of Your hands"
I think my mom has always said when she sings this part she thinks of the work that God did on me. And I'm sure that would indeed bring her great joy lol, because I was setting myself on a very not good path when I was 13. :) I always think of a sunset, or a babbling brook tucked away in a forest somewhere or a massive waterfall or the amazing colorful fish you can see when snorkling. But that's just me. :) What do you think of?
"Forever I'll love You
Forever I'll stand"
This makes me think of heaven. How I will stand forever in heaven praising God and Jesus, for ETERNITY. That is a LONG time lol. It will never end. Forever is forever. It also makes me think of the fact that I will love God forever, on this earth and in the after life. It is a commitment, just as much as a wedding is a commitment between two people to love each other forever, so getting saved is committing to love Jesus/God/the Holy Spirit forever with our whole heart, mind, body and soul. It's not just for a week or a month. It's a commitment for forever.
"Nothing compares
To the promise I have
In You"
I actually always think of guys when I sing this part lol. I always have actually. Nothing compares to the promise I have in you. Nothing any guy says compares to my promise to honor God. Perhaps the intention of the song writer is to make us think of whatever our idol of choice is. For some it is work etc. For some it is money. Mine has always been guys. But God reminds me over and over that guys cannot compare with Him at all. They will always disappoint, but God never does. :)
This song saved me. Seriously. I was in church one day singing this song at Main Place Christian Fellowship, a church by my high school, when I was 14 and the light bulb finally went on. I had always been raised in the church and I loved God with my head but not my heart. There is a difference. So check yourself I suggest, and make sure your heart is soft towards Him. Has God melted your heart yet, or is it still mostly stone? That is the best indicator of salvation, the tenderness of your heart. :)
When singing Shout to the Lord that day it hit me for the first time that God really did create everything and I therefore owe Him my all, my everything. I got baptised a few weeks later, showing others that I had "fallen in love" with Jesus. :) And that is what a baptism is really, a wedding between you and Jesus. I believe one's baptism is a wedding ceremony with God telling everyone how MUCH you love Jesus. If it's not to say that, then it doesn't mean much.
It is so ironic actually that the song Shout to the Lord was written by Hillsong, as I just went to Australia to visit their church finally. Ever since I got saved I have been quite obsessed with the worship songs that Hillsong has written. No other worship music to this day seems to speak to me like the lyrics from their songs. Their music is truly anointed. It is almost God-breathed, it would seem. There is plenty of other Christian music, like what is played on the Fish etc, but those songs seem so cliche to me really, so simple; like milk when I crave steak lol spiritual steak that is. Hillsong's worship songs are very much like steak. The Fish Christian music is like milk. There is an amazing depth to Hillsong's worship songs that have always inspired me greatly. There is a transparency and realness, and there is an amazing view of God in each song and an overwelming sense of gratitude for all God has done for us!
"My Jesus, my Savior"
Jesus saves us from sin, from ourselves, from Satan's hold on us, from other people's or substance's hold on us.
"Lord there is none like You"
No one in the entire created world can compare with God/Jesus. There is no one like God. That is what it means that He is holy. He is set apart. He is totally other, different than anything else we already know.
"All of my days I want to praise
The wonders of Your mighty love "
Meaning I never want to stop praising you. I don't want to do it for a little while because it's cool in church and the thing to do but then stop when it's my own time. "All of my days" I want to love you and worship you, with all that I am, with my whole heart. Why? Because of His amazing love for us! I love that they used the word "wonders" because His love is completely wonderful isn't it? :) We should be swept away that the God of the ENTIRE universve loves US. Why does He? How could He? So often we take His love for granted but if you really stop and think about it, it is completey amazing and completely wonderful. :) And it is mighty in that He is strong so His love is very strong. His love never dies, it never fails, it never falters because He as God never falters. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He never changes. His love alone is unfailing.
"My comfort, my shelter
Tower of refuge and strength"
When I was little my mom would sing a song to me called You Are My Hiding Place. I grew up in a somewhat traumatic home environment due to having a bad father who was a sex addict, among other things, and this song always made me feel safe when my mom sang it. She would sing, "You are my hiding place. You always fill my heart with songs of deliverance. Whenever I am afraid I will trust in you. Let the weak say I am song in the strength of the Lord. I will trust in you." This made me realize that whenever I was afraid I could run to Jesus. I knew He would always protect me and always comfort me. He was my shelter in the midst of the storm that I grew up in. He was always my hiding place, my safe place, and I knew I could always run to Him to comfort me. He was my tower of refuge. Yes God allowed bad things to happen to me, but I knew He was always there with me, in the fire.
The truth is we live in a very scary and dark world, full of evil and pain etc. Satan is the ruler of this world and he invades people's minds all the time and causes them to do things they would not normally do. He tempts the flesh to sin and cause hurt to others. But God is our shelter and our comfort. We can always feel secure knowing that He will protect us. What happened when the three men were thrown into the fire in the book of Daniel? Jesus was in there with them. God saved them and comforted them in the fire. He does the same with us. :) Do you trust Him to do so? I can tell you I have been through the fire many, many times, but He is always there with me, holding me, comforting me, telling me things are going to be ok. He never leaves us like others might when things get hard. He will always comfort and protect us, even though he allows us be put in the fire sometimes. He is right in there with us. He can handle it. And He can help us handle it. :)
"Let every breath, all that I am
Never cease to worship You"
Not just part of me, not just what is convenient, but ALL of me. To go headlong into it, to worship God with all that we are. To really love the Lord our God with our whole heart, mind, body and soul. Do we do that? When the chips are down do we still praise Him with all that we are? And every breath; the Bible talks about praying without ceasing. Does every breath we take and every word we say honor God? Probably not. But that should be the goal. :)
"Shout to the Lord
All the Earth, let us sing"
Somewhere in scripture it says that if we did not praise God the rocks would cry out how worthy and amazing He is! All the earth sings with us when we sing. Listen to the birds in the morning sometime. They just might be praising God for a new day. They might be thanking him that they are still alive and the sun came up again. We live in God's creation and it sings to, or declares of, his majesty every time we see a sunset, a mountain towering in the air, a smooth calm lake in the woods, a forest full of trees in the fall....God's greatness can be seen everywhere.
"Power and majesty
Praise to the King"
This was the part that hit me when we were singing this song when I was 14. That Jesus/God is King. That I needed to make him King and Ruler over my whole life. I had been running my own life the way I wanted up to that point. I ran around in junior high, snuck out at night a number of times, shoplifted, tried smoking and drinking and relationships etc. I was all over the place lol. I was by no means submitting to God or His will for my life. I certainly knew all about God, logically, in my mind. I had memorized countless verses in Awanas and been in church since I was a newborn lol. But that didn't change my behavior. I still was doing whatever I wanted to do. At that moment, however, I finally put God on the throne of my life. I finally waived a white flag lol. I finally yielded and surrendured to Him. I said, "Ok God you're right I've been messing things up. I'm sorry. You can be on the throne now Ok. I'll step down so you can step up in my heart, in my life. You can be the leader and I will follow you WHEREVER you want to take me." lol and He has taken me to many, many places. :) We have had quite a many adventure together and I'm glad I let Him take the lead finally. :) Life has been much better since I did. :)
"Mountains bow down
And the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name"
Every time I sing this song I picture mountains actually bowing down and what that would look like. Can you imagine? That would be like the coolest thing by far you could ever see! And the seas roaring. I have seen some 20 foot waves and it is indeed amazingly majestic. You can't help but be swept away by the sheer power and force you see in the waves crashing down. People that surf these waves are completely crazy lol because they can kill you. The ocean can be quite terrifying really.
"I sing for joy at the work
Of Your hands"
I think my mom has always said when she sings this part she thinks of the work that God did on me. And I'm sure that would indeed bring her great joy lol, because I was setting myself on a very not good path when I was 13. :) I always think of a sunset, or a babbling brook tucked away in a forest somewhere or a massive waterfall or the amazing colorful fish you can see when snorkling. But that's just me. :) What do you think of?
"Forever I'll love You
Forever I'll stand"
This makes me think of heaven. How I will stand forever in heaven praising God and Jesus, for ETERNITY. That is a LONG time lol. It will never end. Forever is forever. It also makes me think of the fact that I will love God forever, on this earth and in the after life. It is a commitment, just as much as a wedding is a commitment between two people to love each other forever, so getting saved is committing to love Jesus/God/the Holy Spirit forever with our whole heart, mind, body and soul. It's not just for a week or a month. It's a commitment for forever.
"Nothing compares
To the promise I have
In You"
I actually always think of guys when I sing this part lol. I always have actually. Nothing compares to the promise I have in you. Nothing any guy says compares to my promise to honor God. Perhaps the intention of the song writer is to make us think of whatever our idol of choice is. For some it is work etc. For some it is money. Mine has always been guys. But God reminds me over and over that guys cannot compare with Him at all. They will always disappoint, but God never does. :)
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