Statements of Faith - Through The Blood

 

Ephesians 2:13

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

   We who are not born into God's elect people, have now been made God's people by the actions of Jesus Christ when He was publicly humiliated: He was stripped of His garments, beaten, tortured, nailed to the cross. And why, being God's Son, would He allow them to do that to Him? Because of His great love for all people. 

    In Romans Paul describes our becoming God's people as being grafted into the olive tree. In John 15:1-4, John describes it as becoming one with The Vine. In John 17, Jesus prayed for the people who had not yet believed in Him that they would believe and become one in Him, as He is in God. John 10:16 calls us "sheep from another flock who needed to be brought in to the original flock". It is a unique and wonderful love that God would want us to exist in Him, not just near Him. 

    It is by our faith in Christ Jesus that we are saved by the grace of God (Ephesians 2:8). How does a person go about obtaining such faith? "Faith comes by hearing, hearing by The Word of God." ( ) We have to hear The Word of God being spoken to us, whether by someone else or reading it aloud on our own. We need to believe that The Word we are speaking IS The Word of God before The Holy Spirit can apply it to our hearts. Memorization is wonderful, but memorizing Bible verses won't save us: only the blood of Christ applied to our sinful hearts can do that. 

  It is the blood of God's Lamb that atones for our sins. It is the blood of The Only Begotten Son of God that removes our sins (Romans 3:25): "God presented Him as the atoning sacrifice through faith in His blood, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand." 

    It is wonderful, cleansing blood, flowing from the throne of grace. We see a cross.  We see two beams plus three nails which equals forgiveness. God's mathematics are greater than ours. While it may seem impossible that God would have His only begotten Son go through such torture and death for sinners such as we, it is to fulfill His plan of salvation for all of mankind, from the beginning of time until such time as the plan is complete. We're almost there. 

    It is wonderful to have this beautiful relationship in Christ. It is like no other relationship we will ever have. This one saves our souls AND changes our lives. It is because of God's all-encompassing love that we are able to have this faith-based lovestyle at all. Many people have memorized John 3:16, but have not believed it. I believe it. Jesus died for me and took my punishment. God laid my sins upon His shoulders and He became sin for me. Being my sin, He was judged for it and died for it Being The Word of God, He took back the keys of death, hell and the grave and rose from the grave, raising up in a new body. For us.

    John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him, should not perish but have everlasting life."

    Romans 4:16 "Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all." 

THE BLOOD OF JESUS SPEAKS FOR ME - Travis Cottrell 

    

Spirit - Filled

 

ACTS 2:1-4 

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as The Spirit gave them utterance. 

    Just as He then was, so is The Spirit of God now. He goes where God goes, for He is God's Spirit. He is The Comforter, to comfort those who mourn. He is The Advocate, The Helper sent from God, to lead God's people where God would have us to go. 

    The Spirit is spirit. Though represented by "a mighty rushing wind", "cloven (flames) tongues of fire" here, and "the latter rain" in  Joel 2:23, still The Spirit of God is spirit. As Jesus told Nicodemus, "the wind goes where it will"; we cannot see it, but we can see the effects of where the wind is and where a mighty wind has gone through.  He is The Breath of God breathed into God's new creations: the born again believers.

    And just as The Spirit moved upon the one-hundred and twenty disciples, men and women, who had gathered in one accord ( one heart, one mind, one spirit), The Spirit is ready to move even now. Perhaps, even more so; for the days are short and getting shorter, as God promised in Mark 13:20. They were ready to receive the promise of The Advocate, The Comforter, though they had no idea what this Promise would look like when It arrived. But they trusted God. 

    You and I may not see an actual physical sign of the presence of The Holy Spirit, but we will see the result of His appearing: God will fill the recipient with a new language. Sometimes, a heavenly tongue; sometimes, a language unlearned. For the disciples who received an unlearned language were able to speak those dialects from the housetop to the crowds gathered below, who understood the gospel message in their own native tongue. (Acts 2:5-46). That's the power of God. 

    And when the crowds gathered heard the story of Jesus, many believed and were baptized. Let the crowds gather round to day and hear The Word of The Lord speak. For to day is your day of salvation. 

HOLY SPIRIT RAIN DOWN  

MIGHTY BREATH OF GOD 

     

Statements of Faith - Predestined For Adoption

 

EPHESIANS 1:5

Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. 

Romans 8:14, 30

For all who are led by The Spirit of God are sons of God.

And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.

Ephesians 1:11

In Him we were also chosen as God's own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will,

    You want to know God's will for your life? Pay attention: God loves you and wants you to be in His family, so He formulated a plan of salvation that would apply to all men and women in all nations. His plan of salvation through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ may seem foolish in the sight and understanding of mankind, but to those who believe on The Name of The Only Begotten Son of God, we have become His children by faith: we have believed the evidence without seeing the end result. 

PREDESTINED: To pre-establish boundaries

    God has set in order the things which must be done to accomplish the purpose He has set forth.

    Predestined does not mean that God does want some saved; it means He has chosen all to be saved through His plan of salvation. But not all will be saved, for each of us has a choice to make in this life while we draw breath. Jesus died on the cross to save all of us, and rose from the grave to give each of us eternal life through Him. However, some have found this message of the cross and the empty tomb to be mere fantasy, for they do not believe God is real. Living under false pretenses then, they cannot fathom that God's Word is real and true. 

    But we who do believe pray for those who don't. We pray that God will ahold of you whatever it takes. We pray for your salvation, that you will come to a point of believing on The Name of Jesus Christ, for "There is no other Name under heaven by which men can be saved." (Acts 4:12).

     Buddha cannot save you. Allah cannot save you. Mary cannot save you. Vishnu cannot save you. Shintoism, Taoism, Sikhism, Caodaism cannot teach you The Way of The Lord, which is paramount to living a separated, holy life. None of these can intercede on your behalf with God. Only Jesus saves. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can wash away sins. Only the resurrection of Jesus Christ can give you new life in Him. 

    God sent His Son to save us, and He sent His Holy Spirit to change us, to bring us into a state of holiness that we might see God and live. God sent His Son to give us eternal life, and He sent His Holy Spirit to lead us to Himself. 

    This is God's will for our lives here and now and after death. This is The Gospel of salvation by which all must be saved. Are you in that 'all'? Come to Jesus and be made clean. Come with me to the cross and see my Jesus. Come to the empty grave and see where my Jesus is not. Come and hear what The Spirit has to say. Let God have His Way in you, just as He is having His Way in me. Teaching me to surrender, to let Him lead me all the way home. 

    Let me reiterate here: we are all predestined by God to be saved, but not all of us will be saved, for the established boundaries which God has set forth to be saved are judged by many people to be foolish and delusional. 

    What decision will you make or have you made for Christ? 

I HAVE DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS  - Lydia Walker

The Inspired Box - The Lord Is With Me

 

 

Deuteronomy 31:8

The LORD Himself goes before you;

He will be with you. He will never forsake you.

Do not be afraid or discouraged. 

    You are not alone in the annals of time, when you feel discouraged, a little on the edge or alone: you are in great company. Here Moses is speaking encouragement into Joshua's hearing and spirit in front of all the Israelites. For now Moses has entrusted the leadership he held for so long into Joshua's hands. A young leader taking the place of an elder is being blessed in his position by that elder. 

    Do not be afraid, young leader, nor allow discouragement to take hold of your thoughts and do let it rein in your actions. For THE LORD IS WITH YOU. He must lead you where He wants you to go. He must direct your steps and you must walk in the way He has planned and set before you. 

    The LORD has promised to never leave us, nor forsake us. He is ALWAYS with us when we obey His Word, His direction. We must not let distractions draw our attention away from the duties to hand. Distractions take up time which we do not have to spare, for these are the last minutes, even seconds perhaps, before Christ's return. 

    The disciples believed that they were living in the last days before Christ's return to come and gather them with Him. It's been nearly 2.000 years since then and still the church awaits the return of her King. But if 2,000 years was the last days and the last hours, surely we are nearer now. Do not doubt He is coming.

    For The Word says that "in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Corinthians 15:52) Jesus will come and get His church. "Like a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2) He will appear: swiftly, silently, stealthily (for no one will see Him, no one will hear Him and no one will be aware of His approach when His Father sends Him to come and get us. 

    So, stand up young leaders; you who have been called to lead God's people into God's kingdom. Stand on The Word of God as you walk in it. Stand and hear what God is speaking to you today. Stand strong in your LORD and Savior (steadfast on The Rock of your Salvation) and see what The LORD can do. 

    Lead by Christ's example: 

Lead in the all-encompassing love of God

Lead in submission to The Word of God

Lead in surrender to The Word of God

Lead in tender mercies

Lead in lovingkindness

Lead where no one wants to go (to the least of these)

Lead in prisons and hospitals (setting captives free and healing the sick)

Lead in your homes, your schools and your towns 

Lead only where God tells you, directs you, to lead 

Lead in humility (admit failings and triumphs, take responsibility for your actions/words spoken)

Lead with integrity (be honorable and live honestly) 

    Many of the faithful churches which still stand are filled with elders. The young have grown up and moved out of the church and its steadfast doctrine of saving grace. The faint sound of children's voices and happy laughter are just a whisper of memory. But even now God is calling His wandering children to repent and return to Him. Fear not little churches, God will raise up leaders for Himself who will serve Him honorably and humbly. 

Dear Lord,

       We pray that The Holy Spirit would get ahold of each and every one of you who are not serving Him faithfully -- regardless of your age--, convicting you of sin and leading you back to Christ in God. We pray that God would pour out His Holy Spirit upon our homes, our neighborhoods, our communities, our towns and cities, our countries. We pray for a mighty outpouring of God to bring you into His kingdom, drawing you in with His Words of Love and Life. 

In Jesus' Beautiful Name,
Amen. 

FEAR NOT - Carman

LET IT RAIN = Michael W. Smith 

HOLY SPIRIT RAIN DOWN 

  

Let Us Go

 

 

LET US GO

Psalm 122:1

A Song of degrees of David. 

I was glad when they said unto me, 

Let us go into the house of The LORD.

Let us sing praises 

To The LORD Most High,

Let us worship and bow down

To His Holy Name.

Let us kneel in reverence

To Him,

Let us bring our worship

To His house.

Let us rest 

In His Holy Presence,

Let us open our ears 

And our hearts 

To hear and receive

The Word of The Lord

In His house,

That we may be able 

To live His Word,

Breath His Word,

Speak His Word,

Walk His Word,

Sing His Word.

Let us be people of praise

In spirit and heart,

Not just lips.

Let us come into

His Presence 

With singing, with joy,

With open hearts

To receive Him;

Open eyes to see His glory;

Open arms to embrace 
The Christ Who died for us, 

When we were still sinners. 

Come, let us go

Into the house of The Lord. 

Statements of Faith - Accepted in The Beloved

 

EPHESIANS 1:6

To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He has made us accepted in The Beloved.  

THE BELOVED

Psalm 2:7 

I will proclaim the decree spoken to Me by The LORD: "You are My Son; today I have become Your Father."

Isaiah 42:1

"Here is My Servant, Whom I uphold, My Chosen One, in Whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations."

Matthew 17:5

While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!"

John 1:32

And John bore witness, saying, “I saw The Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him."

Song of Solomon 6:3

“I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine, He who pastures his flock among the lilies.”

WE ARE ACCEPTED IN HIM

Ephesians 1:7 

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

Ephesians 2:6-9

(6) And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,  (7) in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. (8) For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, (9) not by works, so that no one can boast. (10) For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.

John 1:12 

But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name: children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God.

 

    Believing on The Name of The LORD JESUS CHRIST for our salvation makes us acceptable in Him. It is the generous grace of God which has made this possible. Nothing we could ever do or say would help us to land this position in Christ. 

Ephesians 1:3 says we are "blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms IN CHRIST".  

    In Christ we are made perfect though our perfection cannot yet be seen with earthly eyes. We are not 'holier than thou' people of God: we are repentant sinners, who know and acknowledge that we need a Savior to save us from the penalties of our sins. And In Christ we are forgiven: our sins have been washed away by the blood which He shed on the cross that day on Golgotha. 

    In Christ we are loved by God, for God sees His children when He looks on us, because we have Christ in us. When we come to Jesus for the salvation freely offered, God covers us with the blood of His precious Lamb and makes our souls clean. 

    In Christ we are being built up into living stones - 1 Peter 2:5 - to be God's house, His dwellingplace. Our Foundation is Christ and each believer is a living stone built upon The Living Word of God, The Rock of Our Salvation. 

    If you are not In Christ, you are not in The Word, and you will not be finding yourselves in a very happy place; in fact, it is dark in hell, it smells in hell, it is hot in hell -- with no cool water for relief --and the sounds will tear through you: not just the screams and cursings from other people in hell, but from the fallen angels who will join you on their judgment day. 

    God is to be feared and revered. His holiness demands it. No sin can be in His presence. Remember Christ on the cross and the skies got very dark (Matthew 28:45, 46), Jesus Christ out to His Father, for now He was alone upon the cross. When the soldier thrust his spear into Jesus' side, where His heart was, water and blood came out (John 19:34). for our Savior's heart was broken. Sin had been laid upon Him and He became sin for us. In light of this knowledge we remember that sinfulness cannot be in the same vicinity as God, and therefore, neither could Jesus Christ at that time. 

    Through His obedience even to the point of death, Christ surrendered Himself to His Father. And though He knew that day was coming, He also knew that He would remain on the cross and in the grave until His work was done. 

    We who are In Christ have Christ in us through our faith in God's Word, God's Son, God's Beloved. We who are In Christ are saved by grace, filled with The Spirit of God and rest in God's peace. We beg you who are not, Come to Jesus and be healed, forgiven, loved and accepted.

JESUS PAID IT ALL - Fernando Ortega 

NEAR THE CROSS 

 

Statements of Faith - Chosen In Him

 

EPHESIANS 1:4

I am chosen in Him before the foundation of the world. 

Ephesians 2:10

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.

Romans 8:16

The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 

John 1:12, 13

But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God--children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God. 

    The born again Christian is created in Christ Jesus; believing on His Name for our salvation, it is the only way to become a child of God. Taking communion, participating in the remembrance of Christ's sacrifice (the bread and the wine/juice) will not save a person's soul. Only Jesus can save us. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can wash away a person's sins, iniquities, transgressions. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can remove our shame and regret. 

    And only The Holy Spirit can tug at our hearts, calling us to come to Jesus and be born again into His Name, through His Name and His blood. Only The Holy Spirit can prick our consciences, convicting us of sin, rebellion against God--against His Way, His Will and His Word--and bring us to our knees crying out to God to forgive us, save us and make us clean and holy. Now is the time to listen to what The Spirit and The Word are saying to us. Now is the time to be forgiven and set on the road to change, to holiness. 

    [God's plan of salvation began before recorded time. There was a war in heaven. Satan rebelled against God and declared war on Him, persuading one-third of heaven's angels to follow him. That's what he does: he is persuasive, cunning, deceitful, tricky and evil. But God won that war and declared Lucifer (Satan's God-given name) to be persona non grata: he was no longer welcome in heaven, nor in God's holy presence and had to be removed permanently. So God sent him to Earth before there were people there.

    He worms his way into people's minds and hearts by manipulating and questioning God's Word and Authority. He is a devil and he lies and deceives people into believing things that are not true. (If a thing is half-true, it is still a lie. If a statement is omitted, it is still a lie, for the truth was not in it.).]

    But God had a Plan and His Plan is Jesus, His only begotten Son, Who took our punishment, died on the cross, rose from the dead and walked out of the grave! God won another war against Satan. And all who believe on The Name of His Son become God's sons and daughters: we are the children of faith. For it takes faith to believe the impossible or even the improbable. 

    Too many people have died in their sins and gone to hell. They died believing lies about their gods. They died not believing on The Only Name that could save them. They died unforgiven. And as such they condemned themselves to eternal death. They died not knowing their Creator, not knowing that He loved them, not knowing that there was a Way to heaven that they deemed improbable, for some doubted the existence of God and therefore denied His Son Jesus Christ's existence. 

    But God still loves us and His Spirit is still calling us to Come To Jesus and be Washed By The Blood, for Nothing But The Blood of Jesus can cure this disease called sin and be cleansed by His blood which washes away the sins of the world (John 1:29; John 3:16). Come today and see this Jesus Who washed away my sins. Come and see how God is changing me as I walk by faith this journey called life. Come and walk with me and Jesus, for He walks with me and wants to walk with you, too; as God has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. 

    

    

Statements of Faith - Blessed By God

 

EPHESIANS 1:3

I am Blessed by The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed me in Christ with every spiritual blessing in heavenly realms. 

James 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from The Father of lights, with Whom there is no variableness (change), nor shifting shadow.

Deuteronomy 28:1-14

1 By our faithful obedience to God's Word, He will set us on high above all nations of the earth.

2 We are to pay attention, be attentive to, God's Word and seek to know (with understanding and spiritual wisdom) and obey His will in every situation and decision.

 3 Wherever we live and whatever our work, it is blessed

4 Our children, our gardens, our livestocks will be blessed

5 God will supply all our needs

6 We will be blessed when we enter our homes and blessed when we leave them

7 We will have victory over our enemies and prosper in all we do; our enemies will fear us and our God, endeavouring to stay in our good graces

8 Our storehouses/barns/accounts will be prosper that we may bless others

9 We will be established as God's holy people, IF we keep His commandments and walk in His Way

10 They will know us by The Name of our God and be in awe of who we are 

11 Reiterates verse four 

12 We will prosper so well that many nations will borrow from us but we will never have need to borrow from them

13 We will rise above our enemies in the power and Promise of God, being the head (wise leaders); moving upward (as one does when mountain climbing, for example) but never downward.

14 As long as we remain in Him and follow Him, not allowing ourselves to be distracted by what tries to draw our attention away from Him, we will obtain every blessing He has herein promised His holy people. 

 In Christ, Who is God's Word in the flesh, I am forever truly blessed, indeed. In Christ, I am forgiven of my sins and redeemed by His blood, which He shed on Calvary. 

 In Christ, I am made whole and complete through His sanctification process through God's Holy Spirit. In Christ, I am not alone, nor will I ever be lonely, for He is my all in all. 

 In Christ, I am blessed beyond measure because He loves me. In Christ, I am God's adopted child because I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord. 

  In Christ I live and Christ lives in me. 

The Inspired Box - May 2

 

PSALM 27:1

The LORD is The Strength of my life:

of whom shall I be afraid? 

    We are to be bold as lions when we testify of God's amazing grace on our lives (Proverbs 28:1). Though we are like sheep among wolves (Matthew 10:16), we are to be shrewd/wise/sensible/cunning (strategic thinking) as serpents and innocent/sincere/blameless/unsophisticated as doves. On a side note, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance describes sheep as "easily led, forward walking". 

    When we follow our Shepherd faithfully, it is entirely possible to be not only a sheep in His flock, His pasture, but also a lion following The LION OF JUDAH (Revelation 5:5). When Christ spoke to the crowds surrounding Him, He told them He could only speak what His Father was speaking. When we hear Him speak to us, we hear our Father speaking His Word over us and into us. This is our STRENGTH. What, indeed, do we have to fear from anyone? 

    Since we see that God's people are likened to sheep, we also see that the places we will go when we speak God's Word into the ears of those who hear us, will be the territories of they who will try to kill us, for that is what wolves do:they are predatory and viciously attack when least expected. Our weapon in overcoming these wolves are the same as David's: his faith in God to give him strength to defend his position and his flock.  Sometimes the wolves will be allowed to win and overcome the Christian, at other times The Word of God will cause the wolves to cower and slink away. Psalm 27:2. 

    Let us kneel before God in the privacy of our prayer closets/war rooms and find strength in His presence, seeking only to be with Him in His kingdom. And in these times of prayer with our God, let us also pray to be filled with His Light, His Word and His Spirit that we may truly walk as lions in a world filled with wolves. 

THIS IS THE AIR I BREATHE - Michael W. Smith 

CONSUMING FIRE - Hillsong    

 

The Inspired Box - Intro & May 1st

 

THE INSPIRED BOX - Their Legacy to me; My Inheritance from them. 

COVER

INSET

BACK

 

SCROLLS

 

Though the little box started with over one hundred daily Bread scrolls, as you can see there are some missing. Otherwise they would all stack nicely in an upright position. 

MAY 1 {No. 104 in the box}

 

Joel 2:25
I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten.
This is but part of the promise of restoration in this verse. The whole verse reads:
And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, My great army which I sent among you.

Why would God send these destructions against HIs people? In judgement. Joel 2:1-11. But not until after the people repent and return to God will His restoration begin. Joel 2:12-17.

Let us repent (confess our sins to God and turn from doing them to obeying God's Word) and return to our God, Who loves us and gave Himself for us - Titus 2:14 - that He might redeem us from sin and make us His own people.

As He draws near us, let us draw ever nearer to Him; so close in His embrace that we can not only know His heart but hear His heartbeat. For God's heart beats for the lost souls who have neither repented, nor returned to Him. And He's calling each and every one of them to come home. 

SOFTLY AND TENDERLY - Vince Gill 

COME TO THE ALTAR - Elevation Worship