Being like John

Luke 1:76-79: 76) “And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 77) to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78) because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven, 79) to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

          We as believers must be like John the Baptist, proclaiming the love and forgiving grace of Jesus, and just as our lives have been changed by the power of Christ, others need to hear of, and experience, that change also. “And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous----to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Luke 1:17 (NIV). So we pray for strength and boldness, to speak to others about Jesus. And through our continued study of His word, we gain the knowledge to share His word, and the power contained within, with those who are searching and lost. “No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Jeremiah 31:34 (NIV).

          For both the believers and non-believers that verse can be so spiritually liberating. Because, “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth, (1 Peter 2:22) we can believe what is written here. We can whole heartedly know that God was being truthful when speaking to Jeremiah. Because Jeremiah repeated those words to the people of Israel! We can go out in confidence, then, that the Lord will be with us, giving us the words to say, in order that He is heard by those who need to hear.

          So as we, “go out,” leading lives led by Jesus, by the ways we have studied, there will be a light radiating out from us. The light of His glory that is in our hearts. Others will notice how we treat them because they will see the difference between the world’s way and our way, which is really God’s way. Others will notice how the world speaks and how we speak because the words of the world will bite, sting, and hurt. Our words, seasoned with the Holy Spirit, will sooth, lift up, encourage, and heal because of the light that comes from those words will be a Light of healing, mercy, grace and forgiveness. “But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves.” Malachi 4:2 (NIV). “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” Romans 13:12 (NIV).

          So the light that comes from within us, the Holy Spirit, will be seen by others and the gentleness of God’s word that comes out of our mouths will draw others to Him. Their hearts will be drawn to Him, through us, because they will feel comfort and peace that Christ is giving them through those words. They may be worried about their past, not realizing that Christ has forgotten them due to what He accomplished by dying on the cross. So by coming to the Light, in us, they are coming to a person that will speak words to them, given by Jesus Himself, and if they are ready, they will come out from behind the shadow of death. They will not allow the wall Satan has put between the hearts and Jesus, to stand in their way any longer. Christ will honor us, because we have fearlessly followed His commands, followed His leading that we have felt in our hearts, and spoke the truth to them. “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” Isaiah 9:2 (NIV).

          So we use God’s words to guide and direct those who come to the path that God has directed us to show them. Because our hearts have been changed due to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we follow the teachings of our Lord and Savior that He has shown us through our study of His word. We look on others through the eyes of Him who loves ALL HE HAS CREATED!! Our over whelming desire is to share not only our testimony, but what God lays on our hearts, every day, to express to others. Christ gives us the insight to ask questions of others, not to pry but to initiate some type of conversation. They know that by opening their hearts, that we will earnestly listen and not condemn so they will be at peace to confide in us. So by sharing the inner peace which overflow within us they will possibly allow that peace to enter into the open the door of their hearts. The door Christ is knocking at, and by letting Him in they will experience His transforming love and know that He accepts them as His children so they can now share in the inheritances awaiting them in heaven. Christ Jesus will also give them peace in their hearts during the violent storms and negative circumstances in their lives. The peace that comes from hearing God’s voice when the world is screaming all around them. The peace that comes through the power of His word which will be the foundation their prayer life is set on. “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;” Romans 8:6 (NIV). “For the kingdom of God in not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,” Romans 14:17 (NIV).

Hope, Confidence, Splendor

 

Psalm 71: 5-8; 5) “For you have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth. 6) From birth I relied on you; you brought me from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you. 7) I have become like a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge. 8) My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long.”

          How many believers can look and say, “Boy God was watching over me when I did that or when I did this.” And at those times we may not have been walking with God, like we should have. But Christ was there, walking with us. Watching over us. So now as followers of Jesus, we see that. And we lift up our praises to Him for guiding us through those times, and for guiding us now. Our trust in Him, to watch over us and walk with us during our trials, re-enforces on our hearts the love, grace, mercy and forgiveness He has for us. “Blessed are those whose help is in the Lord their God.” Psalm 146:5 (NIV). “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” Psalm 56:3 (NIV).

          As we mature in our faith and trust in Jesus, we do lift our praises to Him. Our being is dependent on Christ. As we study His word, we become more aware of Him, and how He has brought us to this time in our lives. We praise Christ for having His hand on us, guiding and directing our steps in order to accomplish His will. We now may begin to see how God has guarded us, shielded us, in order for Him to break the chains of sin that has us captive. His plan for our lives trumped the evil, Satan wanted from us. So now we look to the change of life Christ called us to, and our hearts leap with praise and worship to Him. “For He guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.” Proverbs 2:8 (NIV). “I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have any being.” Psalm 104:33 (AB).

          So we continue to be obedient and follow Jesus. Our daily devotions, bible reading and prayer, work to strengthen our hearts. We call on the Holy Spirit to help guide our daily walk, knowing that it will call on God to assist us with words that will draw others to Him. Through the power of His word, in our hearts, we develop an overwhelming desire to spread His name. To declare to others what Christ has done for us. How our lives have been refined through the fire of hardship, pain, sorrow or prison. How Jesus took and washed us in His blood in order to take away our sins. Oh, our earthly sinful nature still exists, but the blood Jesus shed on the cross, changed us. We are spotless to Him, whole, with not a blemish. So by sharing that with others, we lift up Jesus to them. We praise our Creator in front of those we share with. Our stories need to plant the seeds of salvation in others. We may not water.  We may not reap. But we will plant. We will show others the Christ that leads us, when we share and praise Jesus, “Let them exalt Him also in the congregation of the people and praise Him in the company of the elders.” Psalm 107:32 (AB).

He can take your chains

       This story is taken from the lyrics of “Chain Breaker” by Zack Williams.

 

          I was walking down road after road trying to get to somewhere I thought I needed to go. Another dead end, turn around, go back, turn, another dead end, repeat. How many years was it for me? Over 50! But there was always a voice, right there in the back of my head I never listened, why, because the world had all the answers, or did it? NO! It has nothing but lies, lies concocted by Satan. He is the one that entwined me in chain after chain. As my life went on they became heavier and heavier. Much like erosion, that takes away the mountain a little at a time, so too were the chains that Satan secured me with, a little today, a little the next week, it was not really that noticeable. But when life did become too much, and I cried out to Jesus, Satan was right there telling me that I “was not worthy of Jesus, He will not come to you, look at you, you are nothing to Jesus.” So I hung my head in shame and continued on, struggling to carry the chains of pain, sorrow defeat, unworthiness. But the truth is I was worthy. Why? Jesus died for me. I knew that, but again, the world was screaming louder than the voice of my Savior, because of my hardened heart.

          Yes, my life was being lived in the darkness of a sinful life. I knew that Christ was out there but all I could do was grope around feeling for His hand, but because I was in the dark I was unable to see it in order to take hold. The glorious light of Jesus had not made it into my heart yet. So I kept living the life that I knew, sinful or not. But yet there was some yearning in my soul for something more. At time I grew weary trying to find it, I fell many times battering myself up, bleeding over everything that I did. I was fighting constantly to stay on my feet, but tripping over something and falling again. It was beginning to be too much. I was trapped in the prison of my selfish desires.

          Then my world crashed in on itself. I laid at the bottom of a pile of broken dreams and lives. It was then, through the cracks of my brokenness, that the light of Jesus appeared. The pain of constant defeat, heart ache, and self-centeredness was taken from me. The darkness that surrounded me was lifted by the infusion of the light of my Savior, His light of Mercy and Grace. The gates of the internal prison that I was held captive in were opened by the blood of the Lamb. Christ came to take me out of there. He heard my cries for help and knew that it was time, time to show me the way to eternal happiness. He showed me that He did care for me, that all the stories of what He did for me on the cross were more that stories, they were true! He did that for me! He came into my life and broke the chains that had held me tight for all these years.

          So I write these blogs because I truly believe that this is what Christ has wanted me to do for years. But it took going to prison in order that I listen to His voice and follow His commands. To live a life worthy of Him, telling others of His greatness and love and mercy and grace, that await them too! Christ died for you, and for me. The lies of this world are hard to ignore, they make sense to a non-believer. They did to me for so many years. But the fact still remains, that they are lies, lies to make you feel defeated, angry, unworthy of the love that God has for you. So no matter your past. No matter your present. Jesus loves you and desires a relationship with you. I have learned that following Him is not easy, there have been storms and rocky times. And through the infusion of the Holy Spirit in my heart I know without a shadow of a doubt that Jesus has never left me, He has carried me when needed. That’s the good thing about my Savior, He no longer looks at my past but only at my future, the one that He has known about from before I was born.

          He has a plan for you too, one where He leads you to further His kingdom through your lives, lived by being obedient to His calling. Christ is the one who has washed us in His redeeming blood, washing us white as snow. He is not concerned from where we came from, only where He is leading us. If you accept Him as your personal Savior. His death, and ultimate resurrection, has the power, to open your hearts and show you His love for you, to break the chains that hold you bound. The Holy Spirit will give you the faith and knowledge that He has defeated Satan by rising from the grave, so that Satan no longer has a hold over you. By accepting Him, whatever chains that Satan has laid on you, Christ Jesus can break them, forever separating you from them. Giving you freedom and saving you from an eternity separated from Him.

          I had pain, He’s a pain taker. I was lost, He’s a way maker. I needed freedom, and saving, He’s a prison-shaking Savior. I was bound by chains, He’s a chain breaker!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Psalm 91: 14-16: 14) “’ Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. 15) He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16) With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.’”

          Love. There are many definitions. Love for God, our creator, gives us a return that no love, we have for anyone or anything, is so great and wonderful. In the midst of our storms, trials and disappointments God is faithful to walk with us. Even though we may cry out in anger, due to our different situations, God continues to be by our sides. His arms are around us even though we don’t feel them. His hand is there to help us up. In our trials, trust in His word must continue to burn on our hearts the changing life power that comes from the Holy Spirit in us, fuels the fire. And from our lips come words of praise and glory and worship. And we are carried to the other side of our storms where Christ places us again on firm soil, His path, so we can continue our walk with Him. “I love you, O Lord, my strength.” Psalm 18:1 (NIV). “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.” Psalm 73:25 (NIV). “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” 2 Timothy 4:18 (NIV).

          As we continue to walk the path of obedience His word becomes rooted in us. Our lives, actions, speech, treatment of others, our prayer life, our hearts take in His word and we walk in the Light of His glory. Our minds are opened to His intentions so we begin to follow what we feel His intentions are. Utilizing the power of prayer in order to see and hear the struggles, pain and hurts of those around us, eagerly lifting up our prayers for them. Knowing that He may very well use us to walk with them guiding them to an understanding of Him. In order that they will open their hearts door to Him. Allowing Jesus to send in the Holy Spirit.

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32 (NIV). “The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.” Isaiah 41:17 (NIV).

          As we live our lives being obedient to the Father, He will bless us with long lives. Lives that constantly allow His glorious light to shine into the life of others. He will bless us with resources to aid the homeless and the hungry, He will give us wisdom to gather the lost to Him. He will give us the courage to use our gifts to proclaim His righteousness. So as we mature physically and spiritually, Christ will use us, to be an examples of His mighty power. We will be able to use our brokenness, and how Jesus healed us, to bring the blind and deaf to Him. So that His salvation power can be poured over them. We can anoint their heads with the power of God’s grace and mercy. Our longevity will be a blessing for us. And to those who we bring into God’s family. “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” John 12:26 (NIV). “My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, 2) for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.” Proverbs 3: 1, 2 (NIV). “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, he himself, is the Rock eternal.” Isaiah 26: 4 (NIV).

 

1 John 2: 9-11   9) “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. 10) Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. 11) But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.”

          How many of us know Christ in our hearts, but yet pay no attention to the pain in people’s voices? How many believers pay no attention to the trial’s others are going through? How many followers walk in the shadow of His light, because they are in front of Jesus? Is this a sign of hatred against brother, or self? If we live our lives and not concern ourselves with how others are doing, do we really know CHRIST? “Burning lips [uttering insincere words of love] and a wicked heart are like an earthen vessel covered with the scum thrown off from molten silver [making it appear to be solid silver].” Proverbs 26:23 (AB). “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” 1 John 4:20 (NIV).

          For many believers, life is not this way. The love of Christ, meaning the love Jesus has for ALL He has created, lives in them. Their eyes have been opened, so as to be aware of other’s circumstances and situations. And their ears have become able to hear the pain and sorrow in the voices of those around them. Their hearts, now obedient to Jesus, have His compassion for the hurting, down trodden and the lost. Their daily prayers are for guidance on how to physically and spiritually help others. The true believer is being led by the Spirit to do what Jesus has laid on their hearts to do. The Holy Spirit in them has cultivated their hearts, so that “love of their brothers and sisters” grow stronger. “And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” 1 John 4:21 (NIV).

          So in order to stay grounded in our lives, to continue to be obedient to His calling, to walk in the light of His glory, being in His word daily will be our help. His word gives hope to the hopeless. It drives away fear. It calms the storms. It gives total inner peace, to the believer and non- believer alike. By allowing God’s word to work in our situations and circumstances of life, we can better share with others. Our firsthand knowledge of the power of His word, through the Holy Spirit, will come out in our voices and actions as we give others our testimony. The sincerity in the tone we speak will tell others this Jesus is real, alive and powerful in our lives. We must showcase the grace, mercy and love of Jesus and live lives in a way so as to be believed, in order to bring glory and honor to the Creator of the universe. Our lives must freely show Jesus in us, and Jesus flowing through us. “Whoever says he abides in Him ought [as a personal debt] to walk and conduct himself in the same way in which He walked and conducted Himself.” 1 John 2:6 (AB).

          Believers then must continually be aware of their walk. Getting away from the path God has laid in front of us we become hard hearted and then lead others astray. This world, and its evil ways, always tries to lead the believer off Christ’s way and on to a path of self. Our ways are blanketed in darkness because we block the light of Jesus that is in us, we walk ahead of Him. In doing so we lead ourselves into destruction. And we also may lead others there too. “If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.” 1 John 1:16 (NIV). Believers must rely on the power of His word, daily looking into it. They must continue to keep their eyes focused on Jesus. But there are times when trials come, and the tears of hurt and pain clouds their sight. At those times it helps to have other believers around us and the believer begins to slide when they reject help from others. The slope becomes steep when anger in a situation boils over. Satan will continually bombard the believer when he is weak, when he is walking in the dark. “But you are not in [given up to the power of] darkness, brethren, for that day to overtake you by surprise like a thief.” 1 Thessalonians 5:4 (AB). That verse must encourage us. It tells us we are in Christ and He has a hold of us. This “darkness” is only for a short time. We will emerge out of the other side renewed, stronger, better able to conquer the darkness that trials in our lives bring. And out of this, our testimony will be more powerful. Empowering others to boldly trust in Jesus, so that His power will live in them.

Our Shame is Gone        

 

We now have a “new live in Christ” when we accepted Him as our Savior and we are progressing to a deeper faith as we walk with Him. The Holy Spirit has entered into our hearts and us a desire to share with others how we have been changed. How often does the shame of our past transgressions get in our way? In our minds we know we are forgiven, we have been washed “white as snow” by the shed blood of Christ. How many of us stop there? How many of us will continue to listen to Satan as he throws our pasts lives up in our faces. How many spiritual fires are dampened by Satan as he continues to suppress what God has for us to do?

          God’s children, who are new to the faith or have been God’s children most of their lives, need to continually remember that the shame of their past sins are also taken away, covered by the blood of Jesus. The Father has equipped us with the Holy Spirit and His word. Christ knows the gifts He has given to us to use. Why then would He leave our shame uncovered knowing Satan would use it to hinder what work He has in mind for us to do?

          As we daily go to the Lord in prayer, our praise to Him must include our giving up that shame, so that the Lord can remove it from us. Our desire to live a life that reflects the indwelling of Jesus Christ in our hearts must not be hindered by any shame we may be carrying. Our lives need to show others that the Christ we serve has vindicated us completely. Our sins AND SHAME have been separated from us. God took them so that we can freely, with no obstructions, go about executing the gifts our Lord and Savior has given us to further His kingdom here on earth. That even though our past is still with us, it has no control over us any longer. Our past cannot and will not affect our work for Christ.

          Two things happen when shame is also atoned for. We are freed form it’s torment, its constant reminder of failure. And we are also free to boldly proclaim the heart healing power of Jesus and His she blood. We can confidently proclaim his love, mercy and grace the Father has on ALL His creation. Because of our confidence in the truth, God’s word, others will hear it in our words and see it in our actions. As children of the most High God, our sins AND SHAME have been forgiven. Allowing us to raise our hands, in praise and worship, to Him. It gives us the boldness and courage to share with others the power of Christ’s love, mercy and grace for them.

Wind Turbine or Windmill?

 

 Driving to Bloomington today I noticed the wind turbines turning in the wind. They were generating power, this made me think...”am I generating power for the Lord?” I have also noticed that at times some of the turbines are moving and some are not. So…this also made me think “you could say 1 of 2 things here. 1) could the stationary turbines be thought of as believers that are not generating any power for Christ or 2) could they be thought of as non-believers?” Let’s take a look at both.

          How many times does a recent convert go blue blazes, getting their testimony out for others to hear, only to get bogged down by this world? They turn freely in the wind, the wind of God, but soon the lack of proper maintenance starts to take its toll. They once rose early to read the word before work, but problems arose, the storms of life began to take a toll on their devotion time. Their spirits got rusty and the flow, of the Holy Spirit out of them, starts to slow down. Soon the power that they once were generating is now down to a trickle. Soon the blades fail to turn. Satan has accomplished the task of shutting down another power source for Jesus Christ. “Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.” Mark 4:15 (NIV). Of course this is a slow process. Over time the devil takes more and more of the wind away so that the blades turn slower and slower, finally the blades stop and the Power, once made for their testimony for Christ, is no longer generated. Then the storms come, the lightning and driving rain in their lives have them crying out to Jesus for help. And He comes. He begins the repair of their lives. He fixes their blades, if you will, and soon they are again generating a testimony for the Lord, just like they did before. This time, though, they see that the lack of maintenance, the daily devotions and time with Him in prayer, must not be overlooked or neglected. Christ has made their repair complete by the shedding of His blood for them on Calvary’s cross. His gentle and ever sustaining wind begins to blow again against the blades of their lives and power in Christ is again made.

          Now for the non-believer. Just as we can see many, many turbines on the landscape. There are many, many non-believers out there. Christ has “built” each one of them. And even though they fail to recognize their importance, Christ built each one for a purpose, His purpose! Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” 2 Corinthians 5:15 (NIV). But the non-believer does not see this. They are so consumed by the world that their ears and eyes do not hear, or see, what destruction lies ahead of them. The “power” of Christ is not in them, they are hopelessly lost being led like sheep to the slaughter. The wind turbine is set in place, the wind is blowing, but the blades fail to turn, locked up with the rust of worldly aspirations and hopes. Their blades are “locked” so as to provide no use to anyone, but themselves. The Father sends out the workman to repair the problems. But for some, they turn away the help. Others don’t listen to the help. Christ keeps coming, calling out their names but they turn Him away. “[I] They can make the repairs themselves!” But it never happens. They rely on others to help, but they are just as lost themselves. So the repairs are not made, and as time keeps going on the chances of a rebuild seem to be going down the drain. Will power ever come from them?

          The answer is YES!!! The love that Christ has for us, which is unimaginable, does come and repairs are made. His shed blood is the tool needed to make repairs that will NEVER go bad. For the believer the power that once was generated by their acceptance of Christ will begin to flow again. The gentle breeze of the Holy Spirit will again turn the blades that will generate the power needed to help the non-believer to have repairs made to their generator. So that they too may experience the joy and peace that only being washed in the blood of Christ can bring them. Every one of us needs the luxury of preventive maintenance. The type that Jesus Christ can accomplish each day in our lives. And this is done by daily reading His word, through a bible study of daily devotions, and by praying. Going into His throne room, and humbling ourselves before Him, He will lift us up and His power will come forth through us. In our actions, and the leading of the Holy Spirit in the words we speak, others will hear the healing words that our Father has given to us to say. So that as we ALL stand tall on the horizon, our blades will turn with ease and the power we generate will energize others to follow Him as their Lord and Savior. So they too will generate the power needed to weather the storms of life knowing that God will never leave them or forsake them.

Allowing Him to put the pieces together

There are many times that the followers of Christ are taken in by this world. It is those times when work, home, life, finances seem over whelming and we tend to run away from it-----but can’t. At times like that we MUST find a quiet place and return to Him. Our dis-satisfaction in life is because our spiritual eyes have become focused on ourselves and our troubles. This is the reason for the quiet time. Our eyes and ears need to return to looking at, and listening to, Christ.

          In our walk we have seen that by daily talking with Jesus, He focuses our hearts on Him. He continually molds and shapes us, so that we desire to follow Him and His ways that we, also daily, read about. By using the quiet time effectively we can “recharge” our hearts and begin to leave the troubles of this world behind us. We unload our “baggage” and allow Christ to carry our problems and it frees our minds and hearts to again know that Jesus walks with us and to know that we can’t plan our lives.

          To try to put the pieces together for us to “get ahead” will not only frustrate us, it leads us to look to ourselves to get what we “think” we need. So to live our lives by looking to ourselves is sinful. By not taking time, daily, our hearts will drift away from the love we know Christ has for us. It is His love that makes our hearts content with what we have. It enables our eyes to clearly see Christ. His love shuts our ears to the distractions of what this world continues to scream that we need.

          Many in the world can only hear the screams of this world and not the quiet voice of Jesus. As followers we must come along side of them and be examples by the way we live our lives showing them Jesus and the love He has for them. We must express to them how our lives were, and how they are now, changed because of the love Jesus has for us by putting it in our hearts. By showing the love Jesus has for them by our treatment of them, they may turn their lives over to Jesus. Allowing Him to give them the inner peace we have been given. Allowing Him to open their eyes to understand His word, and their ears so that the power of the words they read will be heard.