It Is Written - Speak The Word

 

It Is Written

    Words that force The Word of God to remind the enemy of God that GOD IS and THERE IS NONE OTHER. That His Word is powerful. And strong enough to repel every attack which is come upon His people. 

It Is Written - House of Prayer

    Matthew 21:13 And said unto them, "It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves."

    A reminder to God's people that we are His houses of prayer.

~MESSIANIC PROPHECY~

It Is Written - Numbered With The Transgressors

    Luke 22:37 "For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, 'And He was reckoned among the transgressors': for the things concerning Me have an end."

    Many prophecies concerning the coming Messiah which had been written by the prophets were being fulfilled in Jesus' time because He Is The Messiah. Events which foreshadowed His life and His mission are written in The Old Testament. For example, when Adam and Eve sinned the first sin, blood had to cover their sin. So, the first physical death was an animal of God's choosing. I think it may have been a young lamb; simply because an unblemished, perfect lamb had to be sacrificed at the temple to cover the sins of the people every year. And we know that Jesus is God's perfect Lamb (John 1:29). 

~CHRIST'S TEMPTATION IN THE WILDERNESS~

It Is Written - Man Lives By Every Word of God

    Matthew 4:3. 4 The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are The Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

It Is Written - Do Not Tempt God

    Matthew 4:5-7 Then the devil took Him to the holy city and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple. and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt The LORD your God.’ ”

It Is Written - Worship God 

    Matthew 4:8-10 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” “Away from Me, Satan!” Jesus declared. “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’ ”

    When Satan, the devil, tempts God's people, we can rebuke Him with The Word that is within us, for Christ Jesus lives in us by faith in His Name. We cannot let hunger of any kind, or hopelessness in any situation, or fame, greed get inside our hearts, for we would lose the righteousness of God. We must stand firm in our faith in The Word of God, filling our hearts and our minds with every Word of God which He speaks to us. 

~FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD~

It Is Written - God Frustrates The Intelligent

    1 Corinthians 1:19, 20 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

It Is Written - The Righteous Live By Faith

    Romans 1:17 For the gospel reveals The Righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

It Is Written - Christ Came to Be The Ultimate Sacrifice For Sin

    Hebrews 10:7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come— In the volume of the book it is written of Me— To do Your will, O God.’ ”

It Is Written - All Will Be Taught By God

    John 6:46 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.

    Luke 24:27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about Himself.

    Proverbs 2:6 For The LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. 

    John 8:47a Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God. 

    Do you hear the words of God? 

    

Blessed Is He Who Comes In 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.

Isaiah 52:13-15

Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. Just as many were appalled at Him—His appearance was disfigured beyond that of any man, and His form was marred beyond human likeness—so He will sprinkle many nations. Kings will shut their mouths because of Him.

 For they will see what they have not been told,

 and they will understand what they have not heard.

Philippians 5:2-11

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross. Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him The Name Above All Names, that at The Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God The Father.

Hosanna: O Lord, save us, we pray (a cry for deliverance) and an acknowledgement of answer to this prayer

Blessed is He: give/giving praise to God our heavenly Father, adoration, worship

The Name of The Lord: JESUS CHRIST

Jesus was sent to us:

• Isaiah 42:1

“Behold! My Servant Whom I uphold, My Elect One in Whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles."

• 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.

• Galatians 4:4, 5

But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive our adoption as sons.

Many refused to see Him for Who He Is:

• John 10:25

“I already told you,” Jesus replied, “but you did not believe. The works I do in My Father’s Name testify on My behalf."

• Matthew 26:63, 64

But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to Him, “I charge You under oath by The Living God: Tell us if You are The Christ, The Son of God.”

“You have said it yourself,” Jesus answered. “But I say to all of you, from now on you will see The Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

• Acts 26:28

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”

Yet many of us do see Jesus and we believe. You can, too.

• Romans 10:9-10, 13

“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”.

"For whosoever shall call upon The Name of The Lord shall be saved."

• Acts 16:31

“Believe on The Lord Jesus Christ, and you shalt be saved, and your household."

• 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.

• John 20:31

But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is The Christ, The Son of God, and that in believing you may have life through His Name.

• John 6:29

Jesus replied, “The work of God is this: to believe in The One He has sent.” 

Blessed is The King of Israel:

• Zechariah 9:9

Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

• Zephaniah 3:15

The LORD has taken away your punishment; He has turned back your enemy. Israel’s King, The LORD, is among you; no longer will you fear any harm.

• John 1:49

 "Rabbi, You are The Son of God; You are The King of Israel." 

• John 19:19

Pilate also had a notice posted on the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

• Matthew 2:1, 2

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him."

BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD

The God of Our Salvation, My Salvation

 EL YESHUATENU   

(pronounced  ale yeh-shoo-ah teh-noo)

The GOD Of OUR Salvation

EL YESHUATI

(pronounced ale yeh-shoo-ah tee)

The GOD of MY Salvation

God desires to save everyone. 

John 3:16

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.

Psalm 68:19

Blessed be The Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our Salvation! Selah. 

But He also desires to have an ongoing daily personal relationship with each one of us, individually. God's only begotten Son Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, both collectively (all of us) and individually (each one of us, the whosoevers wherever we are). 

Isaiah 12:2

Surely God is My Salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. For The LORD GOD is My Strength and My Song, and He also has become My Salvation. 

Romans 10:11

For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 

Romans 10:13

For, “Everyone who calls on The Name of The Lord will be saved.”

1 Peter 2:6

Therefore it is also contained in The Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion a Chief Cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” 

Though He calls nations to repent and turn to Him, God also calls each person within that nation to turn away from living a sinful life and live a holy life in Him and His Word. But He's not asking us to do this alone: He gives us His Holy Spirit to lead us through a deeper walk, a deeper understanding of Who God Is and what He wants from us. 

We just need to talk to God and ask The Holy Spirit to lead us. 

TALKING TO JESUS

SPIRIT LEAD ME 

Names of Christ - I AM Alpha & Omega

 Revelation 1:8

"I Am The Alpha and The Omega, The Beginning and The Ending," says The LORD God, "which is, and which was, and which is to come, The Almighty."

I AM THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA

EIMI AL-FAH O

(pronounced ay-MEE AL-fah O'-meg-ah)

    Christ's limitlessness -- without end/without beginning; always has been, still is, and always will be -- is without compare. For our Savior is The Living Word of God. John 1:14 "And The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of The Only Begotten of The Father,) full of grace and truth." The Living Word. 

   As John also wrote in John 14:6: Jesus is The Way, The Truth and The LIFE. And, again, in John 7:39, referring the The Spirit of GOD, the believer in Christ would have Living Water flow out of them. 

    GOD is the only neverending GOD. He is above all gods (which are created by mankind) and is therefore Sovereign (Psalm 135:5). As the only GOD of any worth or value, He is to be feared (1 Chronicles 16:25), He is to be honored by giving Him ourselves (1 Corinthians 6:20) We are to love GOD wholeheartedly (Mark 12:30, Deuteronomy 6:5). We are to obey GOD (Job 36:11, Acts 5:29, Romans 6:16) faithfully. GOD is holy and requires holy people.

    GOD The Father Creates and Destroys. He sets up and tears down.  

    GOD The Son Saves through the blood He shed on the cross, gives New Life by conquering death for all who believe in Him, and Judges in righteousness when the time is given for judgment. 

    GOD The Spirit Breathes new life into the believer's body and soul, which begins the process of sanctification in making GOD's people holy, that we might remain in GOD's holy presence which demands holiness in return. 

    Before there was an Earth, there was GOD, there was JESUS CHRIST, there was THE HOLY SPIRIT. Before there were stars in the sky, before the sun knew existence, before the moon shined in the night sky, there was GOD, there was JESUS CHRIST, there was THE HOLY SPIRIT. (Genesis 1)

    After this Earth is obliterated, and replaced with a new Earth and a new heavens, GOD will be, JESUS CHRIST will be, THE HOLY SPIRIT will be. (Revelation 20-22).

    But now, while today is today, if you do not believe that JESUS CHRIST is GOD's ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, you still have time to choose to believe in your heart that HE IS SAVIOR and speak aloud with your mouth that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD, thus announcing and declaring your faith in GOD through His Son JESUS CHRIST. AND in these days in which we live GOD IS, JESUS CHRIST IS and THE HOLY SPIRIT IS. 

Forever and ever. Amen. 

JESUS MESSIAH - Chris Tomlin

The Feet of Jesus

 

The feet of Jesus are beautiful. 

    Isaiah 52:7 

    How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” 

    Romans 10:14-15

    How then can they call on The One in Whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in The One of Whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? 

    And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” 

    The feet of Jesus walked everywhere.

    From the time His ministry began ( Matthew 4:18), Jesus walked everywhere He went. Cities, towns and coastlines in Galilee. Beth-bara (where He was baptized in the Jordan). Jerusalem. Everywhere He taught, preached, healed and did miracles Jesus walked to get there. All this walking did not help to keep His feet clean, so they needed washing:

The feet of Jesus are washed, kissed and anointed.

    Luke 7:37-38

   And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. 

    John 12:2-3

    So they hosted a dinner for Jesus there. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with Him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. 

The feet of Jesus were pierced.

    Psalm 22:16

    For dogs surround Me; a band of evil men encircles Me; they have pierced My hands and feet.

    The feet of Jesus are embraced.

    Matthew 28:9 

    And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. 

    The feet of Jesus are baptized.

    Matthew 3:18; Mark 1:9; Luke 1:21; John 1:29-33.

    The feet of Jesus are sat at.

    Luke 10:39

    And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 

    Matthew 5:1; Matthew 13:2; Mark 4:1; John 8:2 are references where crowds followed Jesus to hear Him, requiring Him to sit down and teach them. 

    The feet of Jesus shine brightly, like polished bronze (burnished/brilliant).

    Revelation 1:15

    His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the roar of many waters.

 

    

    

Statements of Faith - I'm A Whosoever

 

JOHN 3:16

 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.

ROMANS 10:13

For whosoever shall call upon The Name of The Lord shall be saved. 

WHO ARE THE "WHOSOEVERS/WHOEVERS"?

Revelation 22:14 and 17 tell us they are the people who have washed their robes; who have had their sins washed away by the blood of God's Lamb Jesus Christ. 

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by its gates. 

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink freely.

1 John 5:11, 12

And this is that Testimony: God has given us Eternal Life, and this Life is in His Son.  Whoever has The Son has life; whoever does not have The Son of God does not have life. 

Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in The Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Titus 3:4-7

But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by The Holy Spirit. This is The Spirit He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we would become heirs with the hope of eternal life. 

John 6:40

And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees The Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 5:24

Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My Word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment. Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life.

Romans 10:13

For whosoever shall call upon The Name of The Lord shall be saved. 

1 Timothy 1:16

This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst. 

    I'm a whosoever. (Romans 10:13). I am a sinner saved by grace. (Ephesians 2:8-10). Back in my youth I lived for the pleasures of sin: I overdosed and died at least once, but God brought me back: it wasn't my time yet. I am a delivered blackout alcoholic. I say delivered because when God filled me with His Holy Spirit, I no longer desired the taste of alcohol, and the smell of any of it was nauseating. So I knew that God had delivered me out of it. 

    Before receiving this Spirit of Discernment, I was gullible: I believed lies told to me and acted upon them. But God. But God filled me with His Love and His Wisdom and I began to realize I am not a stupid woman. I am intelligent. I can do the things I was told I could not do. I am not who I was, nor am I yet who I will be. I am a 'work in progress' because God is still working on me. I am a whosoever.

    Wouldn't you like to be a "whosoever", too? This is only an example of how to pray. Be honest and truthful and sincere when you talk to The Almighty God of heaven and earth. He already knows your hearts: He just waits for us to open the doors of our hearts and invite Him in. (Revelation 3:20)

Dear Lord, 

I admit I am a sinner. I am sorry for the sins I have done against Your Word. Forgive me and wash me clean. Fill me with Your precious Holy Spirit and lead me in Your Ways, that I might glorify You with my thoughts, my words, my behavior and my actions. 

Thank You, Father God, for coming to rescue me from that which would have destroyed me. Thank You, thank You, thank You. 

I praise You and worship You, Lord God. May my every breath be a testimony of Your saving grace. 

In Jesus' Name,

Amen. 

LIVING HOPE  - Abigail Ginsterblum 

THERE IS A PLACE - Nathaniel Bassey

SINNER SAVED BY GRACE - Gaither Vocal Band 

The Fruitbearer

 

JOHN 15:5

“I am The Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." 

    What is a fruitbearer? A person who testifies about God's redeeming grace through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. If only one person receives Christ into their hearts through my actions, then I am a fruitbearer. It might not look like my little branches are heavy with fruit, but if that one person shares Jesus with another person, then that new person is added to my fruitfulness. And I want to be fruitful. Which means I'm not going to stop sharing the love of God in Christ with everyone. 

    Proverbs 11:31 tells us, "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise." I want to be a soulwinner for Jesus. I want to tell you that once I lived a selfish, self-centered life; living only for the moment and the thrill. Once I thought I was living the good life, but it was only a shadow life. For the good life is only available through Jesus reckoning on the cross, through the blood He shed for us: He atoned for our sins, that we who believe would be forgiven when we repented. And repentance is an absolute must. 

    When Jesus began to preach the gospel, His first words were, "Repent, and be baptized." (Matthew 4:17) That same message came to and through each of His disciples. For example Peter states in 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." 

    What is this gospel message which we are compelled to share with everyone we interact with? Jesus Christ is God's only begotten Son, given to the world to save each person in it, if they would believe that He is Lord and follow in His ways. (John 3:16-18). Repentance is to make a conscious decision to deliberately stop living a sinful life and learn to live a holy life according to God's Word. 

    To be baptized in water is to make a public confession of the faith we are now professing; speaking aloud the Word of faith which is in us. (Romans 10:8-11). To be baptized in The Holy Spirit is to understand that without The Spirit living in us as well, it is impossible for us to live a righteous and holy life that we must endeavor to live after receiving Christ into our hearts.  We need both baptisms. 

    Even now, I urge you, if you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, please come to Jesus today. Your soul is in immortal danger, for the soul exists forever: some will exist in hell and after hell is destroyed the lost souls will exist in an eternal lake of fire from which there is no escape. Some souls will exist in heaven, in the eternal presence of God forever and ever, praising God and singing with the angels. But the decision must be made this side of eternity. There are no do-overs after we die. 

    COME TO THE ALTAR

CREATE IN ME A CLEAN HEART

    GIVE ME JESUS

WELCOME HOLY SPIRIT 

 

PSALM 119:105

Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet, and a Light unto my path. 

    John 1:1-4

In the beginning was The Word, and The Word was with God, and The Word was God. The Same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was Life; and the Life was The Light of men.  

    John 8:12

Then spoke Jesus again to them, saying, "I Am The Light of the world: he that follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but will have The Light of Life." 

    Have you seen The Light? Are you a sinner saved by grace, or do you still walk in the darkness of your own ways, your own self-centeredness? To walk in The Light is to live out our daily lives in the full assurance and knowledge that we belong to Jesus Christ, Who purchased us with His blood on the cross and gave us new life in Him when He walked out of the grave. 

    The Word of God is Jesus Christ. There is no other word that can reveal the will of God to us but Jesus Christ. There is no other name that can save our souls from eternal damnation but Jesus Christ.

     To have The Light of Life--Jesus Christ--as one's personal Savior is to recognize sin for what it is: disobedience to God's Word, God's laws, God's precepts, God's Way and God's will. This is the first part of a repentant heart. 

    To have The Light of Life is to acknowledge with humble hearts our wrongdoings and confess them aloud to God, whether we are at the altar in our churches, sitting in our cars, kneeling at our bedsides: wherever we are when The Spirit tugs at our heartstrings revealing The Light of The Word to us, that's when and where we pray to The God who loves us and sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for us.

    To have The Light of Life is to stop committing the sinful things and do the obedient things which God has prepared for us to do as our way of life. When He says to do a certain act or think a certain way and we don't, then that is sin. When He says not to do a certain thing or not say or think ungodly words or thoughts, then that, too, is sin. 

    To have The Light of Life is to forgive anyone who has wronged us and to go to anyone we have wronged and forgive them. For without forgiveness to each other and one another, we cannot be forgiven by God. 

    To have The Light of Life is know godly sorrow for our sins. It is seeking out God in His Word personally, if we are able to attain any part of The Bible for ourselves. It is to hear God's Word being preached, taking into our hearts and applying it to our lives through the power of God's Holy Spirit, Whom we all desperately need within us, leading us through God's Holy Word and growing us in God's kingdom.

    To have The Light of Life is to walk in newness of life. For our souls have been redeemed by God's grace: we are new creations, we have been born again: we are made new. And because we are new, we need to learn how to walk God's paths in God's Light: seeing clearly and understanding with clarity of thought; developing a heart that follows The Word of God with love and joy. 

    To have The Light of Life is to be a Philippians 4:8 thinker. It is learning to live Philippians 4:12, as well as many other verses which will guide us into living a changed heart and mind lifestyle. 

    No more do we have to walk in the darkness of this world. No more must we live like the rest of this old world lives. We have The Light of The World living in us through the power of God's Holy Spirit. And now we are the light of the world, because we bring The Light of Life to all who will hear us, when we speak the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. 

JESUS IS THE LIGHT - Carman

LIGHTS SHINE BRIGHT - TobyMac 

    

Statements of Faith - Grafted Into The Vine

 

JOHN 15:1-8

I am The True Vine, and My Father is The Husbandman (Vinedresser: worker of the soil, farmer). Every branch in Me that bears no fruit He takes away: and every branch that bears fruit, He purges (cleanses, prunes) it, that it may bear more fruit.

Now you are clean through The Word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can you, except you abide in Me. 

I am The Vine, you are the branches: he that abides in Me, and I in him, will bring forth much fruit: for without Me, you can do nothing. If a man does not abide in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and withers; and men gather them,  and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be My disciples. 

    My prayer after studying this out is, "Lord, make me more fruitful.", knowing full well that having a more fruitful life sets God's hands in motion to prune from my life that which is not fruit-bearing. I asked for this because I feel unfruitful. There are days I feel useless and discarded. I don't feel fruitful at all. Am I where God wants me to be so that He can use me efficiently and effectively?

    My prayer life is vital to my fruitfulness: it is the rain and the sun on my fields. My Bible study time is vital to my fruitfulness: it is the Seed that gets planted in my fields. My social life is vital to my fruitfulness: it is the companionship of working side by side in my fields. What fields are these? The fields which are ripe unto harvest: the fields of souls who are searching for something to satisfy their hunger and thirst for Truth. 

    I live in Christ. I am able to live in Him because He lives in me. How is this possible? By faith in His Name for my salvation. His Name is Savior, Redeemer, Reconciler. His Name is Faithful and True. His Name is Living Water and Fountain of Life. His Name is Bread of Life and Mana From Heaven. 

    He satisfies the hunger of my soul. He slakes the thirst of my soul. He saved my soul when He died on the cross. He gave my soul new life, when He conquered death and walked out of the grave. He leads me, He feeds me, He strengthens me. In Him I am found and in me He shines His Light and His Love all through me and out of me, that all may see that Christ is alive in me. I am renewed in Him and now, I am strong again. 

    I am being made more fruitful even as I write this. And it is good to be in The True Vine where The Father can work on me with His loving hands, removing dead weight and giving my branch more bounce to carry sweeter fruit. 

Friends, Not Servants

 

JOHN 15:15

No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you. 

    See the difference between being a servant and being a friend? A servant is obedient and does as instructed, but a friend knows why and does as he is instructed with joy and understanding. 

    Proverbs 17:17 tells us that a friend loves at all times. We know that when no one wants to be around us for the Truth we speak of God's Word, then it is not so much us they are avoiding, it is God in us. 

    Yet, David wrote in Psalm 2:11 that we are to "serve The Lord with fear and  rejoice with trembling." Is this contradictory? No. To serve The Lord with fear is to honor Him; it is to put God first in every aspect of our lives; it is to make no decision without consulting Him first. It is to seek the will of God, know and understand the will of God and to act upon this knowledge with such joy that we are overcome by the emotion of being in His presence. 

    It is the love of God for us that has caused us to put our faith in Him. It is the hand of friendship being extended towards us through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ that has caused us to come near to God, that we may hear Him speak more clearly. Both Isaiah (Isaiah 1:18) and James (4:8) inform us that God says we must come close to Him that He may come closer to us. Employees/servants do not do so. Friends, however, transcend the employer/employee relationship. 

   Isaiah reminds us in 1:19, 20 that it is our willingness to obey/follow The Lord that brings about this wonderful blessing of friendship. Yet, a warning is given in verse 20 that to ignore this magnificent gesture from God, of drawing close to Him, is to sign our own death warrant. 

    James (4:8) tells us that our words and our actions need to align with our hearts, and that, as Christians, our hearts must align with The Word of God. A person whose heart follows after the teachings of Christ wholeheartedly leaves little room for doubt and faithlessness. In Christ, we are His friends. Outside of Christ, we are His enemies. 

    I am a friend of God, for I am in Christ. Where are you?

I AM A FRIEND OF GOD - Israel Houghton 

GOD WITH US - Mercy Me

Prepositional Faith - Peace Through Christ

 

ACTS 10:36

He has sent this message to the people of Israel, proclaiming the gospel of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.

Isaiah 9:6

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid. 

2 Thessalonians 3:16

Now The Lord of Peace Himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all. 

    Without Christ there is no peace....of any kind whatsoever. There is the illusion of peace, or the delusion of peace. We live in a world that strives for freedoms, but at another's cost. This world imitates but does not deliver on true peace, for only Christ Jesus can give a person real lasting peace: peace of mind, peace in our hearts. 

    Inner peace does not come from within ourselves, nor does it exist outside of God's Word. "Peace, Peace, Wonderful Peace," as the hymnist wrote, comes down from The Father above. 

    In The Word, as listed above, we read that not only is Jesus Peace, but He shares His peace with those who believe that He is God's only begotten Son, sent here by His Father to be our Redeemer: He would take the punishment intended for the sinners who disobeyed God's Word upon Himself. Why? Because of God's great love for the people who inhabit this world we live in. 

    It's Amazing Grace, isn't it? It's almost too wonderful for words, yet many a song has been written praising God for His lovingkindness towards us. Too many to number, for that would actually be impossible. Not all songs written for God were recorded through the ages. But God knows. 

    All those reckless thoughts that attack a person's mental stability through what we see and hear and feel have to go through the blood of Jesus Christ, when we come to the cross and believe that this Man is, indeed, the Promised Redeemer from God. And when we come out on the other side, our thinking has changed. For the blood has washed our hearts and our minds clean. Now we have Peace, the Peace Christ promised to give the people who believe Him and follow Him wherever He leads. We have His Peace within us now. 

    God is amazing. Only God can take The Words that He speaks and wrap them in flesh and bone and place It in a young girl's womb via the power of His Holy Spirit. Nobody in all of history has ever done that, nor will anyone ever be able to do so. This is an awesome feat! This is a God I can trust with my life and my soul, with my heart and my mind! This is peace. 

    Peace flows through me like a river meanders through the mountains. It covers every obstacle in my way, sometimes rushing down like a waterfall; at other times this peace narrows into streams which feed the ecosystems of life. And I am content. With Christ as my Shepherd, leading this sheep of His, what have I to fear? Nothing. I have Peace Like A River because Jesus is my Peace. 

    

 

Speak The Father's Word

     Want to hear something amazing?

John 8:28, 29

So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up The Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on My own, but speak exactly what The Father has taught Me. He who sent Me is with Me. He has not left Me alone, because I always do what pleases Him.”  

    Jesus could only speak what His Father spoke to Him BECAUSE HE IS THE WORD OF GOD. In the general population, most of us cannot speak what another is thinking. (On a side note, my husband and I have been finishing each other's sentences since we were dating.) But Jesus being GOD'S WORD can only speak GOD'S WORD! How awesome is that to read and understand! 

    John 1:14 tells us this and we know it to be TRUE: "And The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of The only begotten of The Father,) full of grace and truth." 

    And here in Luke chapter one we see that God placed His Word inside Mary's womb. She would be the only ever to carry The Word in her womb; the rest of us carry Him in our hearts and minds! 

    Luke 1:31-35 

(31) And, behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and you shall call His Name JESUS. 

(32) He shall be great, and shall be called The Son of The Highest: and The Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David:

(33) And He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end.

(34) Then said Mary to the angel, "How shall this be, since I know no man?"

(35) And the angel said to her, "The Holy Ghost shall come upon you, and the power of The Highest shall overshadow you: therefore, also, that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be called The Son of God." 

    And being God's Word He was indeed never alone! How could The Word go anywhere without God? For God's Word is God! Amazing. Grace. 

    We who believe on The Name of The Lord Jesus Christ for our saving grace are living in Christ Who lives in God Who lives in His Word which lives in us! I'm so excited! Such love is mine! Such grace is mine! Such joy and wonder is mine! 

SO IN LOVE - Isla Vista Worship

ANOTHER IN THE FIRE - Hillsong United

JESUS MESSIAH - Chris Tomlin 

Statements of Faith - I Am A Fruitful Branch

 

JOHN 15:4

Abide in Me, and I in you. 

As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,

 unless it abides in the vine, neither can you,

 unless you abide in Me. 

    Abide: remain, stay, wait (I wait for, I stay in, I remain with)

    How are we fruitful branches in Christ? 

• Matthew 4:19 When we follow Christ, He teaches us how to become 'fishers of men', how to draw people to The Light and Love of God's gospel of salvation.
• Proverbs 11:30 & James 5:20 Be a soul winner in His kingdom. Tell your testimony: what Christ Jesus has done for you, how He saved you and continues to walk your life's journey with you. 
• 1 John 3:24 Keeping His commandments causes us to be fruitful branches, for by doing so, we remain in Him and He in us. 
• 1 John 4:15 & Romans 10:9 Speaking out loud that Jesus is The Son of God shows they that hear us speak such Truth that God is in us and we are in Him. 

    What is a Christian's fruit?

• Our disposition, our character, our attitude - We are to have, cultivate and exhibit the fruit of The Spirit - Galatians 5:22-23.
• Our life and conversation - Live a life of love - Ephesians 5:2
• Our intentions, motives - Live a life of faith in God - 1 Timothy 1:4
• Honor God, do good - Live a life that is worthy of God's call - 2 Thessalonians 1:11 and Ephesians 4:1
• Be an example of what we say we are - Live a life that is worthy of The Lord - Colossians 1:10

    And now we must consider: are we, indeed, fruitful branches in The Vine which is Christ? If we are, we must endeavor to continue to do so. And if you are not, what are you waiting for? You have received a personal invitation to be seated in Christ and He in you which requires a personal response from you. Come, come to Jesus Christ and be grafted into The Vine. Today is your day of salvation. 

PROOF OF YOUR LOVE - For King & Country 

BUILD MY LIFE - Pat Barrett and Cory Asbury 

LIVE FOR JESUS - Evie Tornquist