100 Shout to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Serve the Lord with joy;
come before him with singing. 3 Know that the Lord is God.
He made us [Gen. 1–2], and ·we belong to him [or not ourselves];
we are his people, the sheep ·he tends [L of his pasture; 74:1; 79:13; John 10:11–14].
4 Come into his ·city [L gates] with songs of thanksgiving
and into his courtyards with songs of praise.
·Thank [Praise] him and ·praise [bless] his name. 5 The Lord is good. His ·love [loyalty] is forever,
and his ·loyalty [faithfulness] ·goes on and on [L for all generations].
How do we know that God loves us?
John 3:16
Expanded Bible (EXB)
16 “[L For] God loved the world so much that he gave his ·one and only [only; unique; T only begotten; 1:14, 18] Son so that whoever believes in him may not ·be lost [T perish], but have eternal life.
Why then do we not hear Gods voice? Feel His presence? Know with confidence we are His? Why have we not entered into the amazing relationship He came to offer? How come for some it is only a good thought, a great hope, believing will make it OK to live however we choose and in the end because we hold this belief all will be OK.
Isaiah 45
Expanded Bible (EXB)
God Chooses Cyrus to Free Israel
22 “All ·people everywhere [the ends of the earth], ·follow [turn] and be saved. I am God. There is no other God. 23 I ·will make a promise by my own power [L have sworn by myself], and ·my promise is true [L a righteous/right/true word goes out of my mouth]; what I say will not ·be changed [be revoked; L return]. ·I promise that everyone will bow before me [L For to me every knee will bow] and ·will promise to follow me [L every tongue will swear; C allegiance; Rom. 14:11; Phil. 2:10].
The word says follow Him and His teaching. Seek Him and you will find Him. Knock and the door will be open to you. Faith is knowing what Christ did for us and how he made a way for the sinner to come into relationship with Him. When I really found God, it was when I realized I the sinner, could come before Him and seek His face. I could step out in faith and walk with Him just as I am with repentance in my heart. I learned that when condemnation came in, it tried to call me away from Him and tell me I was not good enough. I learned there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. I found a God who excepts me for who I am. I found a teacher who is patient in teaching me His ways. I found a father who allows me to walk through this difficult life only to reveal more of who He is.
I found the lover of my soul!!!! I found true faith and acceptance!!! I found a God who is over everything!!! I found a friend who has made me more of a man than I could ever imagine. I have many faults and struggles with sin and a heart of flesh. I have also been freed from many of them. I have been changed from the inside and continue to change as I walk with Him and learn.
Do not just believe, follow Him, seek Him and know Him and you also will be able to say, Jesus I know that you love me!!!!!
May God touch you with His truth, may your eyes open and encounter the true living and faithful God! www.fullofrosesinspirationals.com
please enjoy the video below, just double click it 🙂
When I became a Christian I had no Idea about how to face the giants in my life, at least not from a Godly perspective. I think I looked at it pretty much as challenges come and you just have to tough it out, or party through it. Now as I am a Christian, facing giants has a whole new meaning. The kind of giants I am talking about are things like finding out you have a terminal illness, someone very close to you has just passed away, you lost your job and are now loosing your house, you were abused as a child and you are dealing with the anxiety of facing the internal issue and seeking healing. There are so many more. When I first got saved I truly hated myself and facing that giant was very difficult. Getting to the heart of the giant takes courage, faith and God. I had so much fear in my heart and I didn’t believe in myself. I grew up bullied by other kids, when I was younger I was very small and skinny. It wasn’t until I turned sixteen yrs old that I sprouted and those problems ended. Even though they ended I still deal with some of those emotional issues from back then. What I can tell you is even though I still have some emotional issues and fears, I will take on the giants that come. I have learned as David did with the lion and bear. God is faithful and full of joy when we put on faith believing in Him and His word. Lets look at Davids heart in facing Goliath.
1 Samuel 17
New International Version (NIV)
David and Goliath
33 Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”
34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”
Notice Saul, doesn’t he sound like the whispers of satin? “You are not able” Isn’t that just like our enemy filling our heads with fear and doubt! If I could count how many times I have heard those thoughts “you are not able”. This is where truth comes in. Listen to David “when a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God”.
This is how David did it,with His truth in God
Romans 8:37
New International Version (NIV)
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
If you have conquered a giant before, you can do it again! As David defeated a lion and a bear, he knew if God helped him then, He will do it again! If you haven’t faced your giant yet, then you need to trust God and walk through it trusting Him. Once you have defeated a lion with God you will be ready to take on Goliath! Whatever giants you face you can trust God, you can take hold of His truth, you can put on the faith to be victorious in whatever you face in this life. David didn’t wait for the giant to come to him, he went to the giant, with God at his side.
God bless you and may your faith move mountains by overcoming the giants in your life. God bless you and keep you victorious.
60 “Jerusalem, ·get up [arise] and shine, because your light has come, and the glory of the Lord shines on you. 2 [L Look; T Behold] Darkness ·now covers [or will cover] the earth; deep darkness covers ·her people [the nations]. But the Lord shines on you, and people see his glory [C his manifest presence] ·around [upon] you. 3 Nations will come to your light; kings will come to ·the brightness of your sunrise [or your radiance].
Isaiah had a powerful message to give to the people of God which I believe stands even more today! There are messages all through the bible telling us to shine and I think we read it and at the moment think how powerful but never light the fire. If we do light the fire most of the time we have the shade over the light. I believe this happens for many reasons. First I think most Christians do not really know what it means to SHINE! How do we SHINE?
shine
v.shone or shined, shin·ing, shines
To emit light.
To reflect light; glint or glisten.
To distinguish oneself in an activity or a field; excel.
To be immediately apparent: Delight shone in her eyes.
To aim or cast the beam or glow of (a light).
past tense and past participleshined To make glossy or bright by polishing.
Brightness from a source of light; radiance.
Brightness from reflected light; luster.
Excellence in quality or appearance; splendor.
To reflect light! We are to reflect the light of Christ. Again how do we do it? First we have to understand what we are using to reflect the light. We use our hearts to reflect the light of Christ. We must position our hearts in such a way that His light reflects from our heart. So first our hearts have to be positioned towards Him. Getting our hearts into focus, think about it, have you ever tried to reflect the sun with a magnify glass to burn a piece of paper? You have to get it into perfect focus and then it begins to smoke and then burn. His word is the magnify glass, our hearts are the paper. We need to get our hearts smoking in Gods word. Do you remember the two men that were walking on the road when Jesus resurrected? After Jesus left them, one of them said, didn’t His words burn in our hearts? His word needs to smoke in our hearts to begin to burn.
1. To aim or cast the beam or glow of (a light). Once you have your heart smoking and burning in His love and truth, you have to refocus the light. Intentionally aim the light. How do we aim the light? Wherever the light is shinning on your heart you aim it. So for example the word of God brings conviction in a certain area in your life, you intentionally refocus the light on that area bringing even more light to it, which can be done by confessing your sin and acknowledging it. Repenting causing the sin to burn away by Gods truth. Then casting the beam or glow from your spirit that is now free from the heavy burden. Now shown on your face from your smile and the sparkling of your eyes because His spirit will emanate from your eyes the more you reflect His light (His Truth).
Removing the shade from your light is very important. Many people struggle doing this. Removing the shade means you have to share your light (His Light). Sharing can be difficult for many of us. Sharing is the greatest act of love and love is light. I have found that giving simple testimony to people causes my light to reflect Him. I aim His light towards others especially if I have walked through something very difficult with God and through that time God did so many things inside my heart that I now have something to give. What I now have to give is a talent and the word of God says not to bury our talents. If you overcome a stronghold you now have a talent in that area that reflects Gods light and Glory. Give your light away by reflecting His love to others.
This can also be done in your marriage, for example lets say your marriage is struggling and Gods light ( Gods Word) Causes the pride in your heart to burn. You refocus His light to your spouse with Humility and you aim His light ( His Love) at your spouse and once again your marriage begins to SHINE! Isaiah was and is telling us to emit light. Excellence in quality or appearance; splendor.
God bless you and may your heart smoke and burn the light and love of Christ. May God bless you and SHINE upon you!
Press on! I’m sure you can imagine what I was going through when I wrote this poem. I could actually write a sequel to It this very moment. I want to encourage you and if you haven’t read my post Rainbow Symbolism Of Promise I encourage you to do so. I am going to expand on that post in this post because I believe it was a powerful revelation to our walks with God.
Romans 5
Expanded Bible (EXB)
Right with God
5 [L Therefore,] Since we have been ·made right with God [declared righteous; justified] by our faith, we have[a] peace with God. This happened through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 ·who through our faith[b] has brought us into that blessing of [L through whom we have access by faith to] God’s grace ·that we now enjoy [L in which we stand/live]. And we ·are happy [rejoice; boast] because of the hope we have ·of sharing [or of experiencing; L of] God’s glory. 3 [L Not only this, but] We also ·have joy [rejoice; boast] ·with our troubles [through suffering/trials/persecution], because we know that ·these troubles [suffering; trials; persecution] produce ·patience [endurance]. 4 And ·patience [endurance] produces [tested and proven] character, and [tested and proven] character produces hope. 5 And this hope will never ·disappoint us [let us down; or put us to shame; dishonor us; C honor and shame were among the most important values in first century culture], because God has ·poured out his love to fill our hearts [or flooded our hearts with his love]. He gave us his love through the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to us.
6 [L For] When we were ·unable to help ourselves [L still helpless/weak], at the ·right [or appointed] time, Christ died for ·us sinners [L the ungodly/wicked]. 7 ·Very few people will [or Rarely/Scarcely will anyone] die for a ·righteous [just; pious] person. Although perhaps for a ·good [truly good; noble] person someone might possibly die [C the “righteous” person may be someone who is outwardly religious, while the “good” person is genuinely generous and loving]. 8 But God ·shows [demonstrates; proves] his ·great [L own] love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners.
9 And since we have now been ·made right with God [declared righteous; justified] by ·the blood of Christ’s death [L his blood], ·we will surely also [L how much more shall we…!] be saved through Christ from ·God’s anger [final punishment; L the wrath]. 10 [L For if] While we were God’s enemies, ·he made us his friends [L we were reconciled to God] through the death of his Son. ·Surely [L How much more…?], ·now that we are his friends [L having been reconciled], he will save us through his Son’s life. 11 And not only that, but now we ·are also very happy [also rejoice/boast] in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we ·are now God’s friends again [have now received reconciliation].
As we go through many trials in our walks especially the testing of our faith which is the trials I am addressing. We must understand we have been set apart for Gods purpose. As I described In my last post Gods presence is upon us like a cloud. In our hearts He is like a consuming fire, glowing metal, a rainbow in the clouds. His spirit is constantly working to burn out our sinful nature making room for His spirit which is the rainbow in the clouds. We are ashes presented to God daily, which He receives and replaces with His beauty. Beauty for ashes! We should have a heart of conviction and if you do, that is His inner work that takes place from reading His word and encountering His truth. His truth becomes the consuming fire within us, casting out self-righteousness and living in conviction. We no longer judge others or try to remove the speck out of the eyes of others instead we remove the plank from our own eyes. If we are not having this experience we should be seeking God deeply for His spirit of truth. When we live in self-righteousness we will think more highly of ourselves and hold strict judgement towards others which places judgement from God on our sin and pushes out the grace God has poured out on us.
So the trails are producing change through pressure that is strengthening us for what is ahead. The longer we resist the change God is calling us to, the longer we will struggle in the current trial if the trial is for the testing of our faith. Sometimes we run from the trial which is only to find us face to face with a similar trial aimed to produce the heart surgery God scheduled. We are called to press on in our trials because they have a purpose producing perseverance. Tested proven character which produces hope and this hope will never disappoint us. Through Christ we are now friends with God. So don’t seem it strange that you are going through theses trials, your brothers and sisters are experiencing the same kind of trials.
The question has come up do I believe God is causing these trials? Trials come by many reasons, some we bring on ourselves. Some are attacks from the enemy satin, some by God for the testing of our faith and some by tragedy, regardless where they come from we have the promise that God will take our weakness and turn it to strength so don’t lose hope or live in hopelessness Christ is with us. God knows your deepest need and He is with you. I am addressing mostly in this post the testing of our faith.
brothers and sisters I am so blessed we can join hands in our trials. Inspire and encourage one another. As Iron sharpens Iron, and one man sharpens another. Bless you In the name of Christ, I pray you are strengthened and moved to press on in hope. May Christ bless your heart!
The rainbow has such a significant symbolic meaning of promise! In my very first blog I shared with you my very first poem called Born Into A Cloud which I wrote three different blogs titled My First Poem giving you my testimony. In My First Poem, One of the lines in the poem I believe the Holy Spirit wrote Is, the rainbow God created you to be, when there seemed to be no hope the clouds are lifted by the winds of salvation. This poem moved me to do a study on the rainbows meaning in the bible which I will share with you now.
Here is the poem
Born into a cloud smothered into darkness
bringing rainfall in abundance
the deep fog keeps you from knowing who you are
Lightning strikes your person a lashing out in pain
the world is blinded by the dark cloud that covers
life hails in destruction leaving no hope or sanity
until a light shines from heaven revealing your true colors
the rainbow God created you to be
when there seemed to be no hope
the clouds are lifted by the winds of salvation
and you are born again by the love and mercy
of the lord Jesus Christ
whom brings forth truth in everlasting life.
Genesis 9 (New International Version)
8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him:9 “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you10 and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth.11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds,15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”
He set a rainbow in the clouds as a promise to us, He will never flood the earth again. Which means when the storms come we will not be overtaken. The Rainbow is a hand painted piece of art by God displaying His heart and person in the beauty of salvation to those He loves. It Is one of His ways to say, I am Here and I love you!
Ezekiel 1 (Expanded Bible)
25 A voice came from above the ·dome [vault; expanse; or platform] over the heads of the living creatures. When the living creatures stopped, they lowered their wings. 26 Now above the ·dome [vault; expanse; or platform] there was something that looked like a throne. It looked like ·a sapphire gem [or la pis lazuli]. And on the throne high above was a ·shape [form; figure] like a ·human [man]. 27 Then I noticed that from the waist up the shape looked like glowing ·metal [or amber] with fire inside. From the waist down it looked like fire, and a bright light was all around. 28 The surrounding ·glow [radiance; brightness] looked like the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day. ·It seemed to look like [L This was the appearance of the likeness of] the glory of the Lord[C his manifest presence]. So when I saw it, I ·bowed [fell] face-down on the ground and heard a voice speaking.
In Ezekiel s vision He sees the presence of God and He described it as glowing metal with fire inside from the waist down it looked like fire, and a bright light was all around. 28 The surrounding ·glow [radiance; brightness] looked like the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day
. looked like the rainbow in the clouds!!!! Even Gods presence is like a rainbow in the clouds. Could it be when we see a rainbow we are actually seeing an image of God. An Image of His promise. Lets look at Moses!
Exodus 24 (Expanded Bible)
Moses Meets with God
15 When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud [C representing God’s presence] covered it. 16 The glory of the Lord[C representing his manifest presence] ·came down [L settled] on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from inside the cloud. 17 To the ·Israelite s [L sons/T children of Israel] the glory of the Lord looked like a fire burning on top of the mountain. 18 Then Moses went into the cloud and went higher up the mountain. He was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.
I love this part because when Moses was called up the mountain what was seen was a cloud covering it. At the top of the mountain what the people could see was like a fire, a glowing fire inside the cloud on top of the mountain. Half of the way up the mountain was covered with the cloud, which means half the way up this very high mountain, Moses was without sight. Isn’t that like our walks with God? when we climb the mountain of God, we can’t see where we are going. When we get to the top we see the glory of God. I believe when Moses got to the top of the mountain the Glory of God was just like Ezekiel s vision. He saw what looked like a rainbow in the clouds. A consuming fire that looked like glowing metal.
Revelation 4
Expanded Bible (EXB)
John Sees Heaven
4 After the vision of these things I looked, and [L look; T behold] there before me was an open door in heaven. And the ·same [L first] voice that spoke to me before, that sounded like a trumpet [1:8], said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” 2 Immediately I was in the ·Spirit [or spirit; C a state of deep spiritual communion with God; 1:10], and [L look; T behold] before me was a throne in heaven, and someone was sitting on it. 3 The One who sat on the throne looked like precious stones, like jasper and carnelian [C a symbol of great beauty, purity and value]. All around the throne was a ·rainbow [or halo] ·the color of [or that looked like] an emerald.
Around the thrown encircling it was a rainbow. You see when you die and are face to face with God what you will see is amazing color of jewels and sapphires and rubies. There will be incredible light and the image you will see of His glory will look like that of a rainbow. I would like to look at another symbol that represents the rainbow and Gods promise of son-ship, Royalty!
Genesis 37 (Expanded Bible)
3 Since Joseph was born when his father Israel [C Jacob’s other name] was old, Israel loved him more than his other sons. He made Joseph a special robe with long sleeves [C traditionally a multicolored robe]. 4 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than he loved them, they hated their brother and could not speak to him ·politely [C civilly; L peacefully].
The robe of many colors. This robe is the same robe in the Prodigal Son that the Master has His servants get to put on him. It represents royalty son-ship. I also believe this is Gods covering, a rainbow covering, meaning promise!
Exodus 28 (Expanded Bible)
28 “·Tell your brother Aaron to come [L Bring near your brother Aaron] to you, along with his sons Nada b, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ·Separate them from the other Israelites to [L …to] serve me as priests. 2 Make holy ·clothes [garments; vestments] for your brother Aaron to give him ·honor [glory] and ·beauty [splendor]. 3 Tell all the ·skilled craftsmen to whom I have given wisdom [L the wise of heart whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom; C wisdom here is a practical knowledge, a skill] to make ·special clothes [garments; vestments] for Aaron—clothes to show that he ·belongs to me [is consecrated/set apart/ holy] so that he may serve me as a priest. 4 These are the clothes they must make: a ·chest covering [breastpiece], a ·holy vest [ephod], an outer robe, a ·woven inner [or checkered] robe, a turban, and a ·cloth belt [sash]. They must make these ·holy [sacred] clothes for your brother Aaron and his sons. Then they may serve me as priests. 5 They must use gold and blue, purple and ·red [scarlet] thread, and fine linen.
The Holy Vest
6 “Use gold and blue, purple and ·red [scarlet] thread, and fine linen to make the ·holy vest [ephod]; ·skilled craftsmen are to make it [skillfully worked]. 7 At each top corner of it there will be a pair of shoulder straps tied together over each shoulder.
8 “·The craftsmen will very carefully weave a belt [L The embroidered waistband] on the ·holy vest that is [L ephod will be] made with the same materials—gold and blue, purple and ·red [scarlet] thread, and fine linen.
9 “Take two onyx stones and write the names of the twelve sons of Israel on them, 10 six on one stone and six on the other. Write the names in order, ·from the oldest son to the youngest [according to the order of their birth]. 11 ·Carve [Engrave] the names of the sons of Israel on these stones in the same way a person ·carves words and designs on a seal [engraves a seal/signet]. Put gold [L filigree] around the stones to hold them on the ·holy vest [ephod]. 12 Then put the two stones on the two straps of the ·holy vest [ephod] as reminders of the twelve sons of Israel. Aaron is to ·wear [bear] their names on his shoulders in the presence of the Lord as reminders of the sons of Israel. 13 Make ·two gold pieces to hold the stones [settings of gold filigree]14 and two chains of pure gold, twisted together like a rope. Attach the chains to the ·two gold pieces that hold the stones [L settings].
This is the clothing for priest of the Kingdom Of God, it continues on if you want to go back and read more. Notice again it is a robe of many colors and full of jewels. Now this is old Testament, today we Christians are all considered to be a Kingdom Of priest and a holy nation. I believe this is our spiritual robe to be worn as a child of royalty and purpose. The anointed of God. This spiritual robe is Gods presence which if you remember it is that of a rainbow in the clouds. His presence is on us like a cloud, a consuming fire of glowing metal, a rainbow in the clouds of this world. We are His rainbows of promise to the lost.
Revelation 1:6
Expanded Bible (EXB)
6 He made us to be a ·kingdom of priests [or kingdom and priests; or kingdom, that is, priests; Ex. 19:6] who serve ·God his Father [L his God and Father]. To ·Jesus Christ [L him] be glory and ·power [dominion] forever and ever! Amen.
May God clothe you in rainbows of blessing and purpose, and full of promise as the children of the living God.
Everyday is a new day, some clearer than others. There are days of a clear focus, full of Gods spirit. Days when you feel you have one foot in heaven. There are days heaven feels a thousand miles away. Days where tears are stored in a bottle and lonely hearts go faint. When hope is differed and questions seem to go unanswered. Trials seem to never end, may it be the wilderness before your public appearance, or the valley of death training the Jedi Knight. We all know what it means to grow in the Lord. Your beginning in Christ found at the end of addiction or addiction found its way in after years of serving. Thinking it is impossible to fall from the strength you have in Christ, only finding yourself beginning again. The hope we have calls us to rise up in every situation leading us all to one place. The foot of the cross worshiping Him. Hill Song is where the river flows. Where we follow the river of God. Where we worship and find ourselves at the foot of Jesus. The place our true lives are found. Where healing and freedom takes place. The place of promise we climb to. The river of truth, living water.
Isaiah 41 (New International Version)
Isaiah 41
New International Version (NIV)
The Helper of Israel
17 “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. 18 I will make rivers flow on barren heights,
and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desert into pools of water,
and the parched ground into springs. 19 I will put in the desert
the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive.
I will set junipers in the wasteland,
the fir and the cypress together, 20 so that people may see and know,
may consider and understand,
that the hand of the Lord has done this,
that the Holy One of Israel has created it.
Things are never what they seem. God is in control and always working to lead us into His everlasting peace and joy. Stay strong, follow the river of His presence. Remain in prayer and encourage one another. Be the shoulder to cry on, the smile that strengthens the one in need. Be His hands and feet along the river’s edge. You never know when it will be you in need. Join hands as we follow the river of God.
May your day be full of encouragement. May your heart overflow of His goodness as you walk towards the river of life. God bless you.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
I think it is very important to understand grace and to understand that even with grace we still suffer the consequences to our sin. The grace of God is the most beautiful thing in the world, to the person who encounters it. The bible says he who has been forgiven much loves much. The day I knew I was truly forgiven changed my life forever. The reason I serve Christ today is because of the encounter of love and grace I experienced. Guilt, shame and damnation are very heavy to carry. Imagine carrying the worlds guilt and shame because that is what Christ did. He forgave all who will come to Him, for yesterdays, today’s and tomorrows sin. We have been covered by the blood of the lamb who was slain. So there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Whoever is set free, is free indeed. Grace came at a cost, a tremendous cost. Have you seen Mel Gibson s The Passion Of Christ? I cried through the whole movie like no movie I have ever seen. The movie brought what Christ did home to me. I don’t think I really ever truly took myself that close to the cross. The experience I had with the movie made me feel like I was there. I could imagine being one of His disciples and witnessing what took place. I can also see why these men where willing to give their lives to Christ in the ways they did. It is very important to understand the fullness of what He did and then to bring it home to our hearts. So if all of our sin is taken care of what then?
Slaves to Righteousness
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
19 I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[b] Christ Jesus our Lord.
I have told you I like to live my life in Christ by correlations such as spirit, flesh, life, death, forgiveness, damnation, holiness, sinful, blessing and curses. To understand grace is to know in Gods eyes you are clean, forgiven by His blood. When you die you will be perfected and completely holy If you have received Christ as your Lord and Savior. Why then are we still suffering from sin and the consequences that come from it. The answer to that is flesh. In this world we still have flesh to tend with. Christ says walk by the spirit.
Galatians 5:16
New International Version (NIV)
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Everything has an opposite! That is what repentance is, doing the complete opposite. If we walk in sin yet live by grace we will live a very cursed life.
The Offer of Life or Death
11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.
15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
If you are wondering why You are struggling with curses still in your life, curses grow from your sin. If you continue to plant sin in your life, your harvest will be curses. If you plant holiness in your life your harvest will be blessings. Sowing to your Christian walk is everything. What you plant will be what you will feed off of for the years to come. The good news is, if you are suffering curses, you can plant new seed. You can always change what you are planting and what your future harvest will be. He has done His part, you are covered, now walk with Him by the spirit and plant to the spirit, the seeds of the spirit, which are, read His word, worship, pray and reach out to those in need or those whom God calls you to, like certain ministries.
May the Lord bless you and bless the seeds you are planting or are about to plant! May your day be filled with his spirit that it will guide you to walk in it. 🙂
Is your glass half empty or half full? I have noticed the answer to this question may have a greater impact then you think. If we are living our lives with the attitude our glass is half empty it might explain why we are not finding the breakthroughs we were hoping for. I don’t know anyone who isn’t struggling with something in their lives. I have seen what works through our struggles. How we handle and look at our struggles, can actually add to our struggles rather than find the breakthrough we are hoping for. I also have noticed this same attitude towards the things we are walking towards or the things we are not walking towards because of the attitude we are holding in our hearts.
John 4
New International Version (NIV)
Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman
4 Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— 2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.
4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.[a])
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
17 “I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
Before her encounter with Jesus her glass was definitely half empty. You can tell by how she responds to Jesus. You can also see the transformation that takes place in her simply by encountering Jesus as her glass turns from being half empty to half full. This is so powerful to me because of the symbolic meanings of water and the well. We know Jesus is the well and His spirit is the living water. The Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink? I want you to imagine Jesus asking you for a drink, because by then end of this post He will do just that, ask you for a drink. 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.[a]) Look at how she sees herself. She has an identity that someone else gave her, not her true identity that is found only in Christ. She says I am a Samaritan. She might as well have said I am half empty.
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
Listen to the words “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink , you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
If you knew who it is that asks you for a drink, you would ask him for a drink and He will take your glass that is half empty and make it half full of living water. living water never comes up empty. Living water never dry’s up. Living water will give you an Identity. Living water will give you Hope! Living water will give you truth! Living water will transform your life!!! Living water takes your emptiness and makes it full! Living water never gets discouraged! Living water is Eternal! Living water is promise!!!! Living water gives you the power to believe, living water gives you the power to achieve!!
Now! Ha! are you blessed yet? I am, bless you Christ!!!! Where there is doubt, where there is discouragement, where there is hopelessness, where there is fear, Where there is shame, where there is emptiness, where there is a false identity, where there is hope deferred, there is Christ the living water!!!! Friends there is a resistance from this truth everyday we wake to a new day. The devil wants to hand you a glass that is half empty! If you drink from the glass he offers you, your glass will remain half empty and your attitude will be of one whose glass is half empty. You will struggle with your identity, You will struggle to take chances, you will struggle to love yourself, you will struggle to be free!!! Now Christ offers you a drink if you will ask Him, a drink of water so you will never thirst again!!!!
Christ is now going to ask you for a drink, so offer it to someone you love, OK? God bless you, and may your day be filled with living water! 🙂
This poem came sometime after my poem Full Of Roses. I was actually out pruning the roses in my garden when a nice breeze blew across my face. I closed my eyes and pictured Jesus again as the rose. I then began to see myself as a rose and Jesus as my Gardner. As I felt His Holy Spirit I couldn’t help but feel incredible joy. Knowing when He prunes my branches, the love that He puts into it. We are His joy, as He walks us through the breaking of ourselves, as He cuts off dead branches making room for new. The care He puts into us, knowing it is going to be painful but also knowing the love and care He pours over us in the process.
When we allow Jesus to do His inner and outer work with us, He is like the Potter shaping His most beloved piece of work. This work is the living work He created in His likeness to share everything of Himself. The deep intimate relationship He has with us individually is so beyond amazing. I was going through so much change during that time. I was reading a book on the vine and the branches as I was literally experiencing His deep work in me. Here I was trimming the roses and His Holy spirit comes upon me, to love on me. When I think about that I am overwhelmed by it, especially knowing the moment I shared with Him, He had you in mind. Isn’t that amazing? We truly are the body of Christ. What I shared with Him that day, He is now touching your heart with the truth of His incredible love for you. It is wonderful to share the truth of God in my life with you. I hope it truly blesses you. If you don’t think you could have this kind of relationship with Him you are wrong. He waits at the door of your heart, waiting for you to open it.
Philippians 3:20
20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
I want to let you know again, all proceeds from this ministry will go towards the leading of the Holy Spirit. Not only will you be blessed with theses beautiful pieces I have put together, but you will also help God expand His ministry. The internet doesn’t do these Framed inspiration’s Justus, they are stunning in person.
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
We as people must drink water and eat daily to stay alive. We must feed our fleshly bodies to keep them strong. Our flesh requires it, if we go a day without water you will instantly feel the effects. Dehydration will begin to set in and you will begin to weaken. It is a routine we have become a custom to, simply because of our need. The body gives many symptoms or cries to get our attention such as stomach grumbling, Our moods can quickly change, Our mouth gets dry and Our bodies sweat. All telling us the need for food and water.
Ok, that takes care of the physical body but what about our spirits? If our physical bodies need bread and water, what about our spiritual bodies? Jesus said unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. What was He saying and why did He say it the way He did? Jesus always spoke in parables. Parables are like poetry, you must go deep to seek what is inside. His reasoning for this is simple, Jesus does not like superficial relationships. Jesus speaks in such a way to separate those who truly desire to know Him from those who only have personal agendas.
If you want to know Jesus, you must open your heart and ask Him to reveal Himself to you. Continuing to seek Him as if He is your need for water. Let me explain. People during that time thought He was mad and crazy for saying you needed to eat His flesh and drink His blood. Lets look further, in the book of Genesis it says in the beginning was the word and the word was God. Meaning the word itself was and is God. The word of God is living. When we read the word of God we are to chew it. Meditate on it and seek its depth. The word of God is spiritual bread. If we do not feed our spirits this bread as our physical bodies will die our spiritual bodies are dead. The reason you can’t hear God, feel God, is your spiritual body is dead and it must be fed.
Revelation 7:17
For the Lamb at the center of the throne
will be their shepherd;
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’[b]
‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’[c]”
Jesus Holy Spirit is the living water we need to drink. As we read his word = eat of His flesh, He gives us living water, His spirit. We drink of His blood = spirit = living water. When He was on the cross and they speared Him through the side His blood was mixed with water, living water.
Let me tell you a story. One day I was in my backyard where I loved to read the word of God. I was studying a book of theology on the subject of the Holy Spirit and the trinity. My patio had three pillars, each had a grapevine growing up them. Two of the vines had connected and became one, the third was reaching for the other but had not yet connected. While I was reading on the spirit, a very nice breeze blew up against me. I looked up and I could see the two vines reaching for each other. In front of my own eyes they connected. Now all three were joined. Here I was reading trying to understand a very complex subject on the trinity and God explains it right before my eyes. The wind, the spirit, that’s how they connect! That is exactly how we connect to God, by His living water the Holy Spirit.
I pray your day is filled with eating His flesh and drinking His blood!
FULL OF ROSES INSPIRATIONALS 