Saturday, March 30, 2024

Statements of Faith - Sanctified and Set Apart

 

Ephesians 5:25-27

Husband, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of The Word,That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.

SANCTIFIED
    When Jesus prayed for you and I in the garden on the night of His arrest (John 17:17), He prayed for God to sanctify us with His Truth, with His Word. It is only with God's Word that we can be saved, sanctified and set apart for Himself. 
    To ignore or disregard The Word of God is to bring condemnation on one's self. To remove any part of The written Word from The Scriptures or to add anything to The written Word is to bring judgment and destruction upon one's self (Revelation 22:19).
    God's Word is powerful:  Hebrews 4:12. It burns:  Jeremiah 23:29; Psalm 97:5 & Nahum 1:5; Malachi 3:1-3; 4:1. God's Word increases and spreads: Acts 12:24. The Word of God is Alive and lives in every believer: 1 John 2:14. 
    The Word of God sanctifies ( purifies, makes holy) the hearts of every believer who has The Word living in him or her. The Word is holy and demands a holy dwellingplace. He cannot live where sin dwells: only in a righteous man or righteous woman or righteous child. The Word of God cannot reside in anyone who declares themselves to be other than what God has made them to be. Be warned: God will not be mocked. 
    You who think you can live any lifestyle you want to and still make it to heaven are only fooling yourselves. The day will come when they who live in sin will be judged by God for their self-centered lifestyles. Everything that is not of God will be burned up by His holy fire. Now is the day of repentance. Now is the time to answer God's call on your lives to turn from sin and turn to God. 
    Today is the day of salvation for someone reading this. Today is the day of reckoning and getting our hearts right with The Word of God. Tomorrow is not promised. We can pray anywhere, so whenever you make your way to the cross where Christ died for our sins, that is the right time to confess our sins and receive forgiveness from God. No man or woman can forgive us. absolve us,  for the sins we have committed against The Word: only God can forgive those who sin against Him. 
SET APART
    Every believer of The Word of God is not only sanctified by The Word but we are set apart by The Word. We are different from the world (John 17:14). We are strange and peculiar people (1 Peter 2:9). We are called by God to listen to Him and to Love like him: (1 John 4:6) and (John 13:34). 
    In this Love of God expresses through God's Word we are able to love like God. We show compassion and mercy and lovingkindness to everyone we meet, even if they don't love us back. We love anyway. We are bold in The Spirit for The Spirit of God is with us. We are fearless for our God is always with us. We are Christians, faithful followers of Christ Jesus, and we serve a risen Savior and coming King. 
    While we pray, Come, Lord Jesus, come, we also pray for the salvation of souls who need Jesus. We pray for the salvation of Israel (Romans 9:33 - 10:1) and the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6). We are praying people because we have a God Who hears us and answers our prayers. Especially the prayer that brings us into His kingdom. 
    So we beg you, Come to Jesus. Come today. 


Friday, March 29, 2024

Statements of Faith - Redeemed

 I AM REDEEMED 

1 Peter 1:18, 19

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a Lamb without blemish or spot



Isaiah 44:22
I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like a mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.

1 Peter 3:18
For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit,

     God calls everyone to salvation. He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for the sins of the whole world. We just need to believe that God's Word is Faithful and True. What God says comes to pass (Faithful) and that there is no error in His Word (True). 
     I answered this call to believe on The Name of The Lord Jesus Christ for my salvation. By faith I came to the cross and saw my God dying for me, with the weight of my sins lashed across His body. By faith I stepped into the shadow of the cross, where the blood soaked into the ground and into my heart. By faith I am redeemed: I have been bought back from the prince of this world, whose chains of sin I was bound in. 
    Why do we need a Redeemer? Everyone is a sinner. Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." I don't know about you but I don't want to fall short of the glory of God after I die. i want to be in His glorious presence forever and ever!  He loved me enough to die for me! How can I not embrace His redemptive grace? I am a sinner and I need the blood of Jesus Christ applied to my heart. So do you. You just need to believe that Jesus Christ is God's only begotten Son and that He died for you. It's a simple faith. 
    A faith that is built on The Word of God, The Rock of our Salvation. A faith that is lived under the blood and in Christ, The Lamb of God Who Takes Away Sins (John 1:29). A faith that does not retreat but stands fast on the solid ground upon which it is built up. A faith that chooses to live a righteous life in Christ. 
     A faith that recognizes and acknowledges that God's Word is Alive and Living and calling out to all who will hear, "Come, come to the cross. Come, come and see Jesus, Who told me all about myself and then revealed that that which I was searching for is Him. Come, come and walk by faith, walk in The Spirit, with me." 
     I needed saving so God sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to save me, to save us. That's something to SHOUT about! 

WALKING FREE  - Micah Tyler
REDEEMED - Big Daddy Weave 
CHAINBREAKER - Zach Williams 
GOD OF ALL MY DAYS - Casting Crowns 






Thursday, March 28, 2024

Statements of Faith - Washed In The Blood

 


1 Corinthians 6:11
And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified, in The Name of The Lord Jesus Christ and by The Spirit of our God. 
Hebrews 9:13-14
For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that their bodies are clean,  how much more will the blood of Christ, who through The eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!


THE REPENTANT HEART
Psalm 51:1-3
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. When Nathan the prophet came to him after his adultery with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions.
Wash me clean of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.

    The commandments of God revealed the impossibleness of being saved through the law and that a Savior from God was needed to bring us into a right relationship with God. This Savior from God came to this earth and showed us the Way back into God's grace and mercy. His Name is Jesus Christ and He is God's only begotten Son (John 3:16). 
    God took His Word and wrapped it in the fragility of flesh (John 1:14) and through the power of His Holy Spirit, God placed His Word in Mary's womb (Luke 1:35). His Name, Jesus, means "He shall save His people" (Matthew 1:21, Luke 1:31). 
    Not, however, through the conquering Kingship God's people were expecting. God's plan of salvation was to send His perfect Lamb to be the atoning sacrifice which would be the "once and for all" salvation of God's people. No longer would animal sacrifices be necessary. For when God's Lamb died, the veils to the holy of holies was ripped open wide and now all had access to God through Christ; but only through Christ Jesus. For "There is no other Name under heaven by which men must be saved." (Acts 4:12). 
    My sins have been washed in the blood of The Lamb of God and I am forgiven! Come to the cross and see The Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world! 







Monday, March 25, 2024

The Value of A False Friendship

 


MATTHEW 26:14, 15
Then one of the Twelve, the one called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you?” And they set out for him thirty pieces of silver.

Note here, that the chief priests did not seek out Judas but that he came to them offering his services --- for a price. 
    Thirty pieces of silver or thirty shekels appears to be about equal to three months' wages, as there were three denarii in a shekel. For the mere love of the money he would have in hand, Judas betrayed the Teacher he had been following along with. 
Once the heart is fully committed to following Christ Jesus faithfully, there is no turning our backs on Him. But Judas' heart wa not right and therefore he sought out a buyer for his 'friend' and pondered the ways and means of how he would accomplish this betrayal. 
    The Word tells us that "the love of money is the root of all evil" ( 1 Timothy 6:10) and it was this that was already present in Judas' heart. He was not faithful from the get-go when called to follow after Jesus (John 12:6), but still Jesus loved Judas; He even called him a friend at the time of His arrest (Matthew 26:50). Though he had a purpose to fulfill, there was always room for hope of repentance after the fact; but Judas showed only remorse, not repentance ( Matthew 27:3-5). In his despair he hung himself. 
    He saw no value in what he had done. Though his feet followed after Jesus his heart did not. He could not comprehend the forgiveness that was available to him if only he had turned to God for it. For God waits for us to turn to Him for the forgiveness of our sins against Him. He waits for us to be committed and faithful in following after His heart and His Word. God is waiting for you. 
    Let us not be false friends but faithful friends. Let us adhere, stick like glue, to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As the psalmist wrote, in Psalm 63:8 "My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me." Let us know the value of True Friendship with Jesus. Let us persevere in following hard after Him, not allowing ourselves to be distracted from the course He has set before us to run and walk in.

WALK WITH ME - Jesus Culture  


Sunday, March 24, 2024

Statements of Faith - Saved By Grace

 

 



Paul writing to the church in Ephesus to encourage them in the faith. The Word of God is alive and ever calling, ever reaching out to whosoever will.

Ephesians 2:8
For by grace you are saved through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.

Romans 3:22-24
And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
 John 3:16-17
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 
For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 

 I am a whosoever who believes. Therefore I am saved by grace. 

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

I Am The Body of Christ - Part One - Apostles

 





1 Corinthians 12:12, 13

The body is a unit, though it is composed of many parts. And although its parts are many, they all form one body. So it is with Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

Romans 12:4, 5

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and not all members have the same function, so in Christ we who are many are one body, and each member belongs to one another. 

   I am Christian and I am the body of Christ. I have been broken and poured out. I became a part of the body of Christ when I believed on The Name of The Only Begotten Son of God for my salvation. 

    My body is His. It is comprised of apostles, prophets, teachers, miracles. People with gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:28). 

    Apostles build churches from the ground up: first we share the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ with the people we meet in the cities in which we live. As Paul wrote, "We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." (1 Corinthians 1:23, 24). 

    An apostle is humble (1 Corinthians 15:9). Apostles are messengers, envoys, delegates, one commissioned by another to represent him in some way, especially a man sent out by Jesus Christ Himself to preach the Gospel.  "To commission, send forth";  focusing back on the authority (commissioning) of the sender(Strong's #652). 

    We preach Christ, not ourselves, not a gospel of prosperity nor a gospel of self-sufficiency. We preach Christ crucified. Tortured, mocked, stripped of His garments, beard plucked out, face smashed, thorns forced into His precious head and nails hammered into His feet and His hands. Christ on the cross stained with His blood, mocked as He died. Speaking love and forgiveness to the ones who put Him there. Broken in body, but not bone. Strips of flesh dangling off His body of suffering. In front of His mother, whose heart was breaking at the sight of her firstborn Son's death. 

    But in death He did not remain, for Christ Jesus conquered death, hell and the grave now and forevermore! He rose from the dead and walked out of the grave with a new body.The same Jesus. The same voice. The same love, mercy and forgiveness. But a new and glorious body. The firstfruits of the resurrection, meaning He was the first to rise from the dead in such a way. 

     We are apostles and we are here in this body of Christ to tell you about our Jesus, The Christ, for Whom we are named. We are not worthy to be called apostles, yet calle us He did and still does. But when our heavenly Father sends His only begotten Son to bring His church home with Him, we will leave. And then .....

    What will you do with this Jesus and His message of salvation?

WALK WITH YOU    Michael Bethany

HOPE HAS A NAME River Valley Worship

SONG OF MOSES  Isaac Tarter

THERE IS ONE GOSPEL CityAlight 

TELL ME THE STORY OF JESUS Songs and Everlasting Joy



Psalm 33: 1-3

 

Psalm 33:3
Rejoice in The LORD, O righteous ones; it is fitting for the upright to praise Him. 

Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Psalm 5:11
But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them ever shout for joy. May You shelter them, that those who love Your name may rejoice in You. 

Psalm 32:11
Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous ones; shout for joy, all you upright in heart. 


Psalm 33:2
Praise The LORD with the harp;
Make music to Him with ten strings.

Psalm 43:4
Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my greatest joy. I will praise You with the harp, O God, my God.

I love the sound of the harp. It flows over me like a waterfall of melody.







Psalm 33:3
Sing to Him a new song: Play skillfully with a shout of joy.

Psalm 40:3
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in The LORD.

Psalm 98:4
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth--let your cry ring out, and sing praises! 

The word 'praise' is used quite a few hundred times in The Holy Bible and can be translated at least seven different ways. 
Sometimes the word 'praise' means to sing (halal), kneel (barak); yadah (to throw your hands out in front of you or to raise hands/arms), zamar (make music), shabach (shout); towdah (choir of singers); tehillah (hymn or song). 
When we let The Spirit lead us in studying God's Word, we allow Him to teach us how to worship God the way God wants us to worship Him. 

HE PUT A NEW SONG  - Marty Nystrom, Integrity Music

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Return of The King - Days of Noah

 

Revelation 1:7
Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.

DAYS OF NOAH
Matthew 24:37
As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.
Genesis 6:5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time.

    How was life in the days of Noah that we may know the signs to watch for? Genesis 6:5 gives us an insight: every inclination, every imagination, of mankind's thoughts in his or her heart will be evil ALL THE TIME.
    Matthew 15:18, 19
But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, and slanders.
    Matthew 5:28
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
    Galatians 5:19-21
Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, witchcraft/sorcery, hatreds, contentions, jealousies, wrath, strife/selfish ambitions, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, carousing and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
    1 Corinthians 6:10
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, nor thieves, nor coveters, not drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

    These thoughts will be in every person who is not of God. And because of their hatred for what is holy and righteous they will come against God's people on every platform, including the church.
    Those whose desire is for their itching ears ( 2 Timothy 4:3, 4 ) to be comforted will build their own churches or sneak in and take over ( Acts 20:29, 30 ) the churches who are not paying attention to the divisions within their walls.
    Paul warns the church to be alert and stay on her guard that this does not happen. She is to be spotless, without blemish, without stain: The real church of God is holy and righteous, pure and filled with love for her Bridegroom. She is strong in her Lord and in the power of His might. His church is a light in an ever growing dark world. Though few will flock to her altars, still she will stand: stand on The Word of God.
    We who believe in The Name of The Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation are God's church. BE ALERT! PAY ATTENTION! REPENT AND BE BAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF THE LORD! Personally, this I have done. And it was wonderful. I am a new creation in Christ! The old life I lived is dead and gone. The new life I have in Christ is Christ in me. Come, come to the cross. Come to the Light and Love of God in Christ. Walk with me to the garden and have new life in Christ, for He has conquered death, hell and the grave!
    What is death that we should fear it? What is the darkness of the grave that we should dread it? Hell has no power over the saved of The LORD.
    In the days of Noah, out of all the people who were upon the face of the earth at that time, only EIGHT survived: Noah and his wife, their three sons and their wives. The ark was built big enough to save more but none believed Noah. Though the ark loomed large in the desert landscape, though the animals came by twos and sevens into the ark, though Noah preached while he constructed the ark: no one believed him. That's how it was in the days of Noah:unbelief was in every heart.

PEOPLE GET READY/REPENT & BE BAPTIZED
Isaiah 55:7
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Zechariah 12:10
Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
Matthew 16:27
For the Son of Man will come in His Father's glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done.
Matthew 24:30
At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.

    



Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Blessed Be The Name of The Lord

 

JOHN 12:13
They took branches and went out to meet Him, shouting:
"Hosanna!" "Blessed is He Who comes in The Name of The Lord!" "Blessed is The King of Israel!"

Psalm 118:26
Blessed is He Who comes in The Name of The LORD. From the house of The LORD we bless you.

Psalm 72:17-19
His Name shall endure for ever: His Name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in Him: all nations shall call Him blessed. Blessed be The LORD God, The God of Israel, Who alone does marvelous deeds. And blessed be His glorious Name forever; may all the earth be filled with His glory. Amen and amen.

Revelation 7:9-10
After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

    Blessed be The Name of The Lord. Not a suggestion, nor a special request, but a command: a command to Bless His Name. More than just lip service, blessing God requires heart service: a heart that has chosen to be God's home by choosing Christ as Savior. When the command is obeyed, it is obeyed with joy and love. Irrepressible Joy: Joy that cannot be contained but must be shouted! Love that compels a person to testify of the wonderful things God has done for them. 
    How can we bless God? Psalm 68:26 tells us to kneel before God when we are in His congregations, whether we are in a church building, a home church, an outdoor gathering. Wherever God's people come together to worship and praise God and share His Word, then that is where we Bless God. 
    We bless God when we obey His Word. The first commandment in the OT is to put God first. If you say you put God first but don't obey Him in any other commandments, then the first commandment has already been broken. In the NT Jesus responds to the question of the greatest commandment with this reply, " ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"
    We bless God when we love the people around us. They may not even be likeable but neither were we when we lived a life without God. Now that God lives in us, we learn to love like God: unconditionally, putting no requirements on anyone; fully, all encompassing, loving everyone we know and meet, whether or not they want to receive the love we have to offer. 
    We bless God when we are not offended and take no offense. This is a hard thing to do but The Word teaches us that to be like Jesus we must be like Jesus. He was silent when accused (Matthew 26:62, 63; Matthew 27:12; Isaiah 53:7).  He was honest and spoke Truth when confronted regarding His Authority to speak on the Scriptures. He is compassionate when faced with they who need healing, feeding and to be clothed, whether in the physical or the spiritual. 
    We bless God when we read and study and pray over and through and in His written Word. We want to know Him better so we ask Him to reveal Himself to us in His Word. 
    We bless God when we come to Him in prayer, bringing not only our own needs, but the needs of others. We bless God when we choose His companionship in prayer, wanting only to spend time with Him; choosing silent lips and a quiet heart and mind that we may hear Him with clarity when He speaks. 
    These are but a few of the ways we can bless God. What are other ways? 

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

I Am Christian's Closet

 


ROMANS 13:14
But put on The Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

    I am Christian's closet and I am empty. For everything Christian needs to clothe himself or herself is already on the body. It is a conscious decision to choose to clothe one's self in Christ. 
    It is a daily commitment to be arrayed in the salvation of Jesus Christ as outlined in Ephesians 6:10-20. For every piece of armor and equipment is on the body and in the hand. 

    My head covering is a helmet of salvation and I am wearing multiple crowns; not golden crowns, for one gold crown is heavy enough in itself. Christian wears the crowns of victory which are light and fragrant. These crowns do not sit in Christian's closet but on Christian's head:

One crown is imperishable (1 Corinthians 9:25).
One crown is eternal life (James 1:12; Revelation 2:10).
One crown is God's Lovingkindness (Psalm 103:4)
One crown is the anointing oil reserved for the high priest who could enter the holy of holies (Leviticus 21:12).
One crown is God-given glory and honor (Psalm 8:4,5).
One crown is  knowledge given to the wise/prudent (Proverbs 14:18).
One crown is righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8).
One crown is souls won for Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:1; Proverbs 11:30, Jude 3, Ephesians 6:12).
One crown is beauty for ashes (Isaiah 61:3). 

    I am Christian and my garments are many. 
    The garment which covers my skin is the righteousness of Christ Jesus. This goes on before any other pieces of clothing. Without the blood of The Lamb of God covering Christian's nakedness all other attempts to clothe one's self are vain and destructive. 
Therefore, as Paul writes in his letter to the church in Rome, "Put on The Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the lusts/desires of the flesh." In other words deliberately and with careful thought pursue a life of holiness, following The Spirit where He leads us as we keep near to our Lord and Savior. 
    Atop this garment of righteousness Christian places his vestment of love and righteousness. It is akin to a thick leather tunic,  which protects Christian both on the front and the back. A belt of Truth holds the tunic in place and keeps Christian on balance, unwavering. 
    Knowing that The Word of God is The LORD Jesus Christ we see that Christian has both Sword and Shield, two items one might not ordinarily deem articles of clothing. But since we know that Christian is dressed in Christ, then we now know that Christian's hands are the hands of Christ, as well. When Christian raises his hands, he raises Christ up and God is glorified. When Christian pushes his hands out in front of him, it is Christ defending Christian, it is as if the blood of Christ were pushing back against whatever and whoever is coming against Christian. 
    I am Christian and I wear a garment of praise. I have traded it for the garment of despair I used to wear before the moniker Christian was given to me (Isaiah 61:3). This garment is like a cloak, covering all of me from the neck to the ankle. It is protection in and of itself to me, for in this garment of praise is my GOD. This I know because The Word tells me that GOD inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). There are hundreds of verses throughout the Holy Bible and Scriptures which remind us that we are to Praise The Lord God not just every day but throughout our day and even our nights. 
    
    In Christian's closet is an empty shoebox. For on Christian's feet are the only shoes he will ever need to wear: the preparation of the gospel of peace. These shoes strap on to the foot first, then over the ankle and up the calf. To hold the straps in place is a leather greeve which will protect the shin and calf. Now Christian is fully dressed and ready to greet the day. 
    Wherever Christian steps he steps on the lies of Satan. Though the sting of death came through Satan's actions, the victory over death comes only by the death and resurrection of The Lord Jesus Christ. Christian has this victory. Christian will only taste death for death will have no power over him. And so the folly of Christian's antagonist(s) becomes their undoing. For the power of The Living Word of God, which is strapped to Christian's feet and legs has overcome and  destroyed that which has tried to destroy him. 
 
    I am Christian and my closet is empty because I am fully clothed in the garments which my Lord God has given me.  

JESUS MY RIGHTEOUSNESS - John Mark Pantana
COVERED - Planetshakers
OIL OF YOUR SPIRIT - Lindell Cooley
GARMENTS OF PRAISE - Robin Mark
UNDER MY FEET - Zach Williams










Sunday, March 3, 2024

I Am Christian's Ears

 

ISAIAH 6:8

Also I heard the voice of The Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

    I am Christian's ears and I hear the voice of The Lord speaking to me, too. And like the prophet Isaiah, Christian's mouth said, "Lord, here am I; send me." 

    I hear The Lord speaking to me when I am silent before Him ~ Psalm 46:10; Habakkuk 2:20; Zechariah 2:13. 

    I hear The Lord singing over me ~ Zephaniah 3:17.

    I hear Him in the night ~ Job 35:10; Psalm 42:8.

    I hear His voice in the garden ~ John 17; John 20:18. 

I hear Him speaking to me in The Scriptures ~ Jeremiah 7:2; Nehemiah 8:1-6. 

    I am Christian's ears and when I hear my Lord speaking to me, I am attentive and ready my heart to be obedient to His direction. 

    I hear Him call my name ~ John 3:16, 17; Romans 10:13 ~ I am a whosoever. First He calls me to serve Him, then He calls me friend ~ John 15:15. 

    I hear The Lord call me to obedience to His Word ~ John 15:14; 1 John 2:3, 5:3. 

    I hear Him calling me to pick up my cross and carry it ~ Mark 8:34.

    I hear His voice telling me that I will suffer for Him - 1 Peter 2:21.

    I hear the voice of The Lord calling me to forgive every offense and every slight and every sin against me, that He might be able to forgive me ~ Matthew 6:14, 15.

     I hear the voice of The Lord calling me to rest in Him ~ Matthew 11:28.

    I am Christian's ears. I hear, I listen, I learn. 

SANCTUARY

OVERWHELMED 

RATTLE 

WORD OF GOD SPEAK 


Saturday, March 2, 2024

Names of Christ - Jesus Is Life

 


JOHN 11:25, 26

Jesus said to her, "I am The Resurrection and The Life: he that believes in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. Whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe?"

John 5:21
For just as The Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also The Son gives life to whom He will.

John 5:26
For as The Father has life in Himself, so also He has granted The Son to have life in Himself.

Colossians 3:4
When Christ, Who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

    Jesus is Life. Everything else is death. Every god in every nation will be broken and they who worship these idols, their statues and images, shall bow their knees in homage to The Lord God, Jehovah. Isaiah 45:23; Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:10. 
    We who believe in Jesus Christ choose to worship and serve our Savior God on this side of life's coin as well as the other side. There is coming a day when every eye shall see Him and know Who He is: for them it will be too late to commit. Revelation 1:7; Matthew 16:27. 
    Jesus is Life Eternal. In Him we live and move and have our being - Acts 17:28. His Word tells us here in John 11:26 that we live in Him...if we believe in Him. That means forever and ever without end. 
    Jesus is The Door, death is the last stepping stone before the believer's entrance into the eternal presence of God. John 10:7, 9. Though we know that God is with us now, then we shall see Him face to face and live. 2 Corinthians 3:18. 
    The question still remains: Do you believe?



    








Friday, March 1, 2024

I Am Christian's Tongue - Part Two

 


I AM CHRISTIAN'S TONGUE - Part Two

JEREMIAH 15:16

Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became my Joy and my heart's Delight. For I bear Your Name, O LORD God of Hosts.

    I am Christian's tongue. I can taste the differences in The Word of God. Both the bitter and the sweet land on my tongue before they ever reach my belly where I can digest The Word, which will then flow through me to land in my heart. 
    Not everything in The Bible is easy to take in, nor can it be understood on a mere human level. It is, after all, The Living Word of God and none can begin to understand (taste) until one actually believes God's Word is True an Truth. Before I read it, I believed it. Before I knew It, I believed It. But as I began to read The Bible myself, then I began to taste God's Word and take It in. 
    Some of it was hard to swallow because the taste was so bitter. The judgments of God against nations other than the one He chose for Himself were hard enough, but to know that God will judge His own people tasted bitter at first. But as I swallowed the bitter words of God they became sweet like honey, for my faith in God was growing and as it grew, it changed and it changed me. 
    Some of God's Word is sweet to the taste and strength to the bones from the beginning. God loves us so much He died for us. And in His dying, His blood washes away our sins as if they never were. God conquered death and walked out of the grave a Victor, the first Overcomer. That's honey on my tongue. 
    I am Christian's tongue. My tastebuds taste The Word of God going in and coming back out again. The joy that floods my soul as I delight in The Word of God gets digested in my belly and rises up within me to pour back out of my mouth: in speaking/preaching/teaching The Word of God and in singing/praising The Worship of God. The heartaches and the warnings pour out of me and into the ears of anyone who will take It into themselves. 
    I am Christian's tongue. Discernment is in me. The Word of God is what is best for this body to thrive, for I am a member, a part, of the body of Christ and I have a job to do, too.  Romans 12:4, 5 and 1 Corinthians 12:12. 
    Whether I have the power to bring forth words clearly, with a speech impediment or remain mute, I have a responsibility to share/testify what Jesus has done for me. If God chooses Christian's tongue to remain silent, then He will express Himself in some other way through this body in which I honor Him. 

OVERWHELMED - Big Daddy Weave
COME TO THE TABLE - Sidewalk Prophets
TASTE & SEE - John Mark Pantana
HONEY IN THE ROCK - Brooke Ligertwood & Brandon Lake