In Christ - I Am Created By God

 

EPHESIANS 2:10

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

    It is impossible to live a holy and righteous life without first believing that Jesus Christ is Lord; that He died on the cross taking the punishment of our sins upon Himself, and rising up from the grave to walk out into newness of life. 

Ephesians 2:8-9; John 3:16-18.

    When we believe this, God is able to create us in His only begotten Son into a new creation, a new creature. We have been born again by the blood of God's only begotten Son Jesus Christ. In us God has planted a seed of faith which we are to exercise by trusting in His promises and His Holy Word; by going where God wants us to go, doing what God wants us to do, and speaking the Word which God has set forth for us to speak. 

    In our natural birth, we are created male and female. This does not change when we are created anew in Christ Jesus. Both men and women are called to believe in The Only Name Under Heaven by which we can be saved. Both men and women are called by God to serve in whatsoever capacity God calls us to serve. Ephesians 4:11-13.

    We are called by God, in Christ, to witness to the world around us and to the parts of the world where God sends us. Mark 16:15. For the need to hear the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ is just as urgent as it is to speak the gospel. There are thousands of languages, many with different dialects. Even sign languages are different around the world. The gospel needs to be heard by all. Until the last person hears and then God will begin the next step in His war to defeat Satan once and for all. 

    In Christ there is no fear, no doubt, no wavering. There is boldness to speak, tact to speak with compassion and the love of God. There is a desire to reach everyone we know with the Love of God in Christ. And The Spirit within us nudges, prods, opens our mouths, (or causes our fingers to type), to speak up and speak out against injustice. For what is more unjust than to not know whether or not our neighbors, our families, our friends are saved by this Marvelous Amazing Grace which is alive within us?

    I seldom speak to our neighbors because I remain indoors often, but I have begun to pray for my neighborhood the same way I pray for everyone else, even you. In Christ I am made strong, for He is my Strength. And in His Strength my frail body accomplishes the will of God in my life. Because my life belongs to Christ Jesus. 

IN HIM WE LIVE AND MOVE  

YET NOT I BUT THROUGH CHRIST IN ME

Prepositional Faith - Created In Christ

 

Ephesians 2:10

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,

which God prepared in advance as our way of life. 

    We are created in Christ, when God creates a clean heart in us, upon our belief in His only begotten Son as our Lord and Savior. Psalm 51:10 tells us, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." The Holy God working in our hearts begins the preparations for His Holy Spirit to change us and make us into the persons He designed us to be. 

    Sin got in the way of that and ruined everything. Everything sin touches it destroys. But God. But God had a plan to destroy sin once and for all: the death and resurrection of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. The Innocent died for the guilty. His death mitigated the believer's death. 

    For the righteous, those whose sins are washed away by the blood of God's Lamb, death is but a breath, for Christ has conquered death for us. But for those whose sins are not covered by the blood, death is eternal. Eternal suffering, eternal pain, eternal destruction. 

    Now is the time to repent of the sin that has kept you from receiving God's grace through Jesus Christ, The Gift given to everyone, but received by so few. The Gift that is not opened is not really received at all.  Now is the day you open your Gift; this is the time before time runs out. When we seek God with a sincere and believing heart, then God will hear our prayer, and answer us. 

CREATE IN ME A CLEAN HEART - Steve Green 

DON'T BE AFRAID - The Song of The Lord 

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 

    

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

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. 

Statements of Faith - I Am Redeemed & Forgiven

 

 

EPHESIANS 1:7

In Whom we have redemption through His blood,

the forgiveness of sins,

according to the riches of His grace. 

GRACE THAT IS GREATER - Don Moen 

    

    Psalm 130:7

O Israel, put your hope in The LORD, for with The LORD is loving devotion, and with Him is redemption in abundance. 

    Acts 2:38

Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of The Holy Spirit."

    Acts 20:28

Keep watch over yourselves and the entire flock of which The Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood. 

    Romans 3:21-25

(21 But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law and the Prophets.

(22)And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction, 

(23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

(24) and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

(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.

    Acts 17:30

Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent.

REDEEMED - Big Daddy Weave

    Why do I talk about Jesus so much? Why would I ever stop? It's because of His grace that I am who I am today. Jesus redeemed us with His blood and forgave us with His grace. His redeeming power and transformative forgiveness set me on the path of righteousness and holiness, which I continue to walk in today. 

    It is an old path and a narrow one. Not everyone will choose to walk with Jesus; a mind-boggling thought and a sad one. But the constraints of holiness give freedom in the liberty of The Holy Spirit. Freedom from dark thoughts, freedom from every form of addiction, freedom from the chains of sin. Freedom  in Christ Who died for us. 

    God's people love to talk about their God and how He redeemed us with the blood of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. We love to testify, tell about how He changed us from the sinful person we once were into the person He is transforming us into. 

I LOVE TO TELL THE STORY   - Katherine Hankey

Verse 1

I love to tell the story of unseen things above,

Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love.

I love to tell the story, because I know ’tis true;

It satisfies my longings as nothing else can do.

Chorus

I love to tell the story, ’twill be my theme in glory,

To tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love.

Verse 2

I love to tell the story; more wonderful it seems

Than all the golden fancies of all our golden dreams.

I love to tell the story, it did so much for me;

And that is just the reason I tell it now to thee.

Verse 3

I love to tell the story; ’tis pleasant to repeat

What seems, each time I tell it, more wonderfully sweet.

I love to tell the story, for some have never heard

The message of salvation from God’s own holy Word.

Verse 4

I love to tell the story, for those who know it best

Seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest.

And when, in scenes of glory, I sing the new, new song,

’Twill be the old, old story that I have loved so long.

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. 

    ANCIENT WORDS

IN CHRIST ALONE

ALL TO JESUS I SURRENDER . 

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. 

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

YOUR LOVE DEFENDS ME - Matt Maher

I Am Christian's Mind

 

1 PETER 4:7

The end of all things is near. Therefore, be clear-minded and sober, so that you can pray.

    I am Christian's mind. I think with the mind of Christ -- 1 Corinthians 2:16 "For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ." Having surrendered my life and my body to the service of my God, my mind is also part of that package dedication. Though it will not show up on any x-ray nor be visible in any anatomy class, my mind is essential in being of service to my King and Lord. 

    The mind is the center of the soul. It controls the spirit and regulates the breath thereof. Just as in physiology the diaphragm controls the breathing and regulates the heart, so, too, does the mind control the center of its being. When I gave my heart and my life to Christ, I gave Him my thoughts, too, for they originate in the mind. 

    When I was a wretched sinner, my mind was given over to lascivious thoughts which were taking me down the road to hell. But when I gave my mind to Christ and He entered into my heart by my faith in His Name through the power of God's Holy Spirit, my mind had to align with His mind. Being stuck in this body of sin and having the mind of Christ there is a constant struggle to maintain a righteous way of thinking. But God didn't leave me there. He shows me in His Word how to get control over wayward thinking. 

    Philippians 4:8 tells me how to think with the mind of Christ. "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

    My mind decides my actions. While we may think some things get done without much thought, that is decidedly untrue; for the mind is in constant motion, even while sleeping, and thoughts that we may be unaware of eventually come to pass unless we take control of our thoughts. Being Christian's mind self-control includes how I think. Though I take the reins of my thoughts, I am still Christ's and He is still guiding me and leading me throughout my day. 1 Peter 2:11 "Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul. " 

    I am Christian's mind. I meditate (think on) on The Word of God. I allow it to sink into my very self, my inner being, my existence. I seek His Word that He may fill me with Himself that there may be no room for anything else. No room for ugliness only loveliness. No room for lies, only truth. No room for deceitfulness, only honesty. No room for injustice, only justice and fairness. No room for impure thoughts, only a pure heart (Matthew 5:8). No room for propaganda, only prophetic and blessed. No room for deprivation and injuriousness, only virtue. No room for self-righteousness, only praise to our God. These things I think on. 

    I am Christian's mind. I meditate on The Word of God. 

Psalm 119:15 I meditate on His precepts and consider His ways

Psalm 143:5 I meditate on all His ways and consider what His hands have made

Psalm 4:4 I meditate within my heart while I prepare for rest

Psalm 119:11 Because I meditate on His Word it is hidden deep within my heart leading me away from a life of sin to a life of holiness

    I am Christian's mind. I think before I speak. I think before I act. I consider the consequences of my possible actions before I put my thoughts into action. I rest in the knowledge that I have the mind of Christ as well as the Love of God living in me and bringing me to fulfill the purposes for which He has chosen me to serve Him. 

    My conduct, the way I behave, originates in my mind. Therefore, I must constantly be on guard, be alert, to the ways in which the enemy of my soul attacks me. He is sneaky and underhanded. I must fill my thoughts with The Word of God that I may be able to defend myself against Satan's dart throwing (Ephesians 6:10-20). I am armed with The Word of God and The Holy Spirit of God. My mind remains focused on pursuing holiness and the desire to bring you all with me on this journey. 

WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE LORD - Christ For The Nations

THINK ON THESE THINGS  - K-8 Music (children's choir) 

ALL TO JESUS I SURRENDER - Vineyard

    

The Lord Is - - July 2023

 

    JEHOVAH QANNA

(pronounced yeh-ho-vaw' kan-naw')

        JEALOUS

Exodus 34:14

For you must not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

Deuteronomy 4:24

For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

Hebrews 12:29

"For our God is a consuming fire."

TEHILLAH

(pronounced teh-hil-law')

MY PRAISE

Jeremiah 17:15

Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for You are My Praise.

Deuteronomy 10:21

He is your Praise and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome wonders that your eyes have seen.

QADOSH

(pronounced kaw-doshe')

HOLY

Isaiah 57:15

For thus says the One Who is high and lifted up, Who inhabits eternity, Whose Name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite."

    Eternity is a destination, a place; a destination to be sought and found. It is one of the places where God lives. As this verse tells us, God also inhabits--lives in, dwells with--the person who is contrite (repentant) and of a lowly spirit (humble, meek) that He may revive us (restore, give new life to). 

    HOLY IS THE LORD

Exodus 15:11

Who among the gods is like You, O LORD? Who is like You--majestic in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?

Isaiah 6:3

And they were calling out to one another: "Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD of Hosts; all the earth is full of His glory."

Revelation 4:8

And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, Who was and Who is and Who is to come.”

1 Corinthians 3:17

If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

TSEMACH

(pronounced tseh'-makh)

BRANCH

Zechariah 3:8

Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you, and your fellows that sit before you: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth My Servant The BRANCH.

Isaiah 4:2

On that day The Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of Israel's survivors.

Isaiah 11:1

Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.

Jeremiah 23:5

Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land.

EIRENE

(pronounced i-ray'-nay)

PEACE

Ephesians 2:13,14

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Jesus Christ. For He Himself is our Peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility.

{From Strong's:1515 eirḗnē (from eirō, "to join, tie together into a whole") – properly, wholeness, i.e. when all essential parts are joined together; peace (God's gift of wholeness). }

Ephesians 2:15

by abolishing in His flesh the law of commandments and decrees. He did this to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace.

Colossians 1:19, 20

For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross.

Heart & Soul - - Alive With Christ

 

Ephesians 2:4, 5

But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved!

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 4806

Alive: to make alive together with

From the Greek word 'suzóopoieó' (pronounced ood-zo-op-oy-eh'-o): I make alive together with; new moral life is referred to; reanimate conjointly with, quicken together with.

THE PENITENT'S CRY 

Psalm 51:1-2

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.

Psalm 32:5

Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not hide my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

ALIVE IN CHRIST

Colossians 2:12-14

And having been buried with Him in baptism, you were raised with Him through your faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead. When you were dead in your trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our trespasses, having canceled the debt ascribed to us in the decrees that stood against us. He took it away, nailing it to the cross!

John 11:25

Jesus said unto her, "I am The Resurrection and The Life, he that believes in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."

FORGIVEN

    Our souls are eternal. When these bodies the Lord God has placed our souls in fail and die, the soul leaves for its destination. If the soul has believed that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, then that soul leaves for the eternal presence of God in heaven. If the soul who has chosen to not believe dies in its unbelieving state, then that soul leaves for the eternal damnation (eternal separation from God) in hell. 

     Nothing that we can do, in and of ourselves, can save us from the eternal punishment due us for the sins we have committed against God by disobeying and disbelieving His Holy Word. Having been born with a sinful nature, we are all unclean.

    Isaiah 64:6 "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." We need the righteousness of a Savior, of The Christ, to cover us.

    Isaiah 53:6

All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

    We need to seek out the Lord, repent of our unrighteous ways and be forgiven by a Merciful God.

    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. 

    Paul referred to himself as a wretch (Romans 7:24). David revealed himself to be a sinner (2 Samuel 12:13). How do we refer to ourselves when confessing to God that we are sinners? We must approach God with humble hearts, not proud or prideful (pride-filled) hearts. God hears the sinner's prayer when the sinner is truly repentant. 

    To be Alive in Christ is to be forgiven and live a forgiven lifestyle. Now that we have been washed in the blood of the God's Lamb, and the sins we repented of are washed away, we learn how to live holy and righteous lives: lives that don't include deliberately sinning. 

    We are not forgiven so we can keep on sinning. This is a false teaching. The born again believer chooses not to sin, knowing that sin is what kept us separated from God. Now that we have recognized God for Who He Is, and that His Word Is Faithful and True, we do not want to do the things we used to do before we became to Christ.

BLESSED

    1 John 3:9

Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.

    To be Alive With Christ is to live in Christ as He lives in us. We are the born again: the poor in spirit, the meek, the ones who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, the persecuted for His Name's sake, the reviled (Matthew 5:3-11). For as He was treated in this world, His people are also treated. 

SUFFERERS FOR CHRIST

    Matthew 16:24

Then Jesus told His disciples, "If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me."

    1 Peter 4:1

Therefore, since Christ suffered in His body, arm yourselves with the same resolve, because anyone who has suffered in his body is done with sin.

    1 Peter 2:21-23

For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth." When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly. 

ALIVE WITH CHRIST

    Remember, this Christian life is not an easy life, but it is a worthwhile life. Our goal is to live with God forever. Salvation is the first step to getting there. This holiness lifestyle is all the other steps. For our journeys are of indefinite length, as our days are numbered by God (Psalm 39:4; 90:12). Whether we live a long life or a short life, it is not length of life that is rewarded: it is how we lived the life we were given.

    We did not get saved just so we could "live the good life" here and now. Salvation is a gift from God (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8). Sanctification is the work of The Holy Spirit .

    Now we are Alive With Christ. What a miracle that we have become part of the body of Christ. Look to the cross! See the body of Christ. It is not beautiful. If we are honest with ourselves, no one wants to look on Him, for He is hard to behold. Isaiah 53. 

    Romans 6:22  

Therefore, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. 

    Without the sin-bearing Savior on the cross, there could be no resurrection of the dead to a new life in Christ! Look, now, and see Him there: dying for you, for me. Once and for all Jesus took the sins of the whole world upon Himself. Hebrews 9:12 "Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption for us."

    I am Alive in Christ, I am Alive with Christ. If it were not for my recognition of Christ Jesus as my Savior and the Lord of my life, I would not be alive at all, but I would be dead in my trespasses, in my sins. I have a Savior and His Name is Jesus Christ. Come near to the heart of God. Come, be alive with us. 

REPENTANT, FORGIVEN, CHANGED  

Dead Man (Carry Me) - Jars of Clay

Ocean Floor - Audio Adrenaline

God Be Merciful to Me - Jars of Clay

Lay It All Down - Will Reagan

Come As You Are - Crowder

I'm Not Alright - Sanctus Real

The Hard Way - DC Talk

Nothing But The Blood - Jars of Clay

Forgiven - Crowder 

Redeemed - Big Daddy Weave

Less Like Me - Zach Williams 

Walking Free - Micah Tyler

Simple - Various Artists

Simple Truth - Ryan Ellis

Heart & Soul - - Chosen In Love

 

Ephesians 1:4, 5

"For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 4309

Predetermined: to predetermine, to foreordain

From the Greek word 'proorizó' (pronounced pro-or-id'-zo). To pre-determine limits (establish boundaries).

    This word 'predestine' sure gets a lot of bad press. Some people think it means God has chosen only so many people to be saved, when in fact God has chosen everyone to be saved. Sadly, not everyone will be, but that is their choice, not God's. It simply means that God has set up the means by which we become His children. And that means, that Way is His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. John 14:6 "Jesus answered, “I am The Way and The Truth and The Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

CHOSEN BY HIM

    Before the foundation of the world, the Word tells, we are chosen in Christ. Those who come to salvation through faith in the blood of Christ to wash away our sins are the saints, the born again, the prophets and anyone who believes God is Savior and the means of salvation. The Book of Hebrews outlines a few Old Testament people who had righteousness credited to their account because of their simple, faithful (faith-filled) lives. I call it The Hall of Faith.

    We are chosen in Him, in Jesus Christ. We are chosen by God to be His people simply because we believe Him, we trust Him. 

CHOSEN TO BE HOLY IN HIS PRESENCE

    We are chosen by the Holy God to be a holy people. We are chosen to be set apart from the rest of the world. We are chosen to be sacred, different. We now have a Christ-like nature because Christ lives in us, changing us, growing us into Himself.

CHOSEN TO BE BLAMELESS IN HIS PRESENCE

    We are chosen by God to be without blemish or spot. For sin cannot exist where God is, so God's people must be spiritually clean. A feat which can only be accomplished by God's transforming power through His Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit Who leads us to God. It is the Spirit Who reveals the Truth of God's Word to us. 

CHOSEN IN LOVE TO BE GOD'S CHILDREN

    The most beloved verses in the Bible tell us that God loves us so much He sent His Son to die for us and save us from eternal damnation and punishment for sin. 

    John 3:16-18

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. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

CHOOSING GOD

    Are you one of the 'whosoevers'? Have you believed in the Name of the Son of God for your salvation? I am a whosoever. And you can be a whosoever, too. God has chosen you in His love to be a member of His family. Listen to the stirrings of your heart. That's the Holy Spirit calling you to salvation. That's the voice of God calling you to come near and stay by Him. Today is your opportunity to choose God just like He chose you.

    God chose us in Love, we need to choose God in Love. God chose us in Christ; in Christ we need to come to God. God's Word is God's Way. In Christ we are made holy, we are made blameless, we are made perfect. Now is the time to answer the call of God on your life. Hear the Word of the Lord and be made complete in Him. 

    

TOUCH OF HEAVEN/ALABASTER

DO IT AGAIN

Guard Your Heart - - Invest Your Time Wisely

 

Ephesians 5:16, 17

 Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 1805

Redeeming: buy up, ransom, rescue from loss

From the Greek word 'exagorazó' (pronounced ex-ag-or-ad'-zo). I buy out, I buy away from; I ransom, I redeem, I purchase, I choose.

'Time is a talent given us by God, and it is misspent and lost when not employed according to His design.' - Matthew Henry Commentary

    To pay careful attention is to closely watch, keep an open eye on. To be very attentive to. 

    Do we drive with our eyes closed? Kinda hard to see the potholes that way, isn't it? Can we even walk alone with our eyes barely open? I can't. Even within my home I am thankful for even floors and close walls: I hold onto the walls and take baby steps on the floors. I walk cautious.

    It is the same in our spiritual walk with God. Being ready to walk requires preparation. Have we knelt before God and given Him our allegiance? Our full allegiance, not just lip service, but heart service. 

TALENTS OF TIME

    Remember the Parable of Talents? The Master took away from the fearful servant, who had the least amount of talents, and gave it to the one who had been given the most, the one who doubled for the Master the talents he had been given. 

    Now, money-wise one talent equals one year's wages. Imagine being given double your wages. But not for your own pleasures. The two years worth of wages is yours to invest and return to the Master when He returns. 

    But consider, as Matthew Henry does, that one of the talents being given is Time. A reckoning of time spent will be required by The Master at His return. We must consider now, therefore, how we have invested the Time He gave us. 

    Have we honored Him with our time? Have we invested our time or wasted our time? Not all my times on this earth have been used to glorify God; to my shame. Coming to the realization that my time is not my own, I endeavor to glorify God with the best use of my time, that time which God has given me, that I may show Him when He returns and claims again the time He gave me. 

DEVOURER OF TIME

John 10:10 "The thief comes only that he might steal and might kill and might destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly."

1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour: Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brethren throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering."

    Our time is best spent in serving God. In searching Him out in His Word, in seeking His face in our prayer times. In submitting ourselves to His service the way He desires to be served, not the way in which we think He should be served. 

    The enemy of our souls seeks to devour our time, to fill it up with emptiness and dissatisfaction. Time spent not serving God according to His Word, His Will and His Way is time lost; time lost cannot be recouped. 

REDEEM THE TIME

    Acknowledging that we are not the best at deciding how to spend the time we have been given should lead us to seeking God on how best to use the Time He has placed in our hands. And He always has an answer for us. We choose to take back time and use it for Him, not wasting it on us.

    Seek first the kingdom of God.

        Matthew 6:33

    Repent and be baptized.

        Acts 2:38

    Ask Me for Living Water.

        John 7:39

    Love one another as I have loved you.

        John 13:34

    Clothe yourselves in Righteousness.

        Ephesians 4:24

    Put your spiritual battle gear on.

        Ephesians 6:10-20

    Persevere in your race and Endure with patience every trial.

        Hebrews 10:36

    Pray without ceasing.

        1 Thessalonians 5:17

    There are many, many more ways in which we can increase the value of the Time we are given. We just need to study the Word for ourselves and come together as a group (what is commonly referred to as 'going to church'), that the Word of God may be made plain to us who want to hear the clear Truth of God's Word. 

    Our hearts must be ready(prepared to be His sanctuary) and willing (eager to hear) to receive what God wants to plant in us. Let us be ready for Christ's return, not spending the time we have now in regret, but using it for Him. 

Redeem The Time Medley