Even Now

Ain't no baby in the manger

Ain't no Jesus on the cross

Ain't no body in the graveyard

Even now, He isn't there.

There's only Faith Hope and Glory

There's only Peace Joy and Love

There's only Jesus in this place now

Even now, there's only Jesus

Even now, even now.

There's only Faith in the manger

There's only Hope on the cross

There's only Glory in the graveyard

Even now, there's only Jesus

Even now, even now.

There's only Peace in the manger

 There's only Joy on the cross

There's only Love in the graveyard

Even now, there's only Jesus

Even now, even now.

There's only Jesus in this place now

There's only Jesus in my heart

There's only Jesus in this room now

Only Jesus

Even now

There's only Jesus

Even now

Even now

reference: the 4 Gospels

More Than A Conqueror

Romans 8:37

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us."

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/conqueror gives a detailed one dimensional description of the word 'conqueror'. On the surface, it is implied we are not victims, we are victors; we are not survivors, we are defeaters. But our God tells us we are MORE THAN conquerors. We have risen above and beyond victory and defeat THROUGH Him that loved us.

So, what does that mean to me? How can this be possible? Questions that need to be answered to know who I am and where I am in my relationship with Jesus Christ.

So, if a conqueror is a victor and a defeater, then one who is 'more than' is increased in size, in degree, in scope. My victory over this world, this mortal life is obtained in Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is both a personal victory and a shared victory. For everyone who receives Christ as Savior becomes a partaker in conquering sin and death in their lives. The Body of Christ is not fat, it is strong; designed for endurance.

But my Bible also tells me here that it is THROUGH Him that loved us. How is that possible? Christ no longer walks this earth in the flesh. No man, or woman for that matter, has ever laid eyes on Him in nearly 2000 years. How do we obtain the power to overcome temptation and defeat the devil? The Holy Spirit of God is given to all who earnestly seek Him. To be baptized in the Holy Spirit is to receive power from God which will enable us, on a daily, moment by moment basis, to overcome the various temptations and sins which are put upon us. Everyday life is not meant to be lived without God.

The Holy Spirit takes up living quarters in our hearts and our minds. He begins immediately to pull weeds out of the empty lot we call 'ourselves'. He 'power-washes' our attitudes, our emotions, our secrets. The more the Holy Spirit does in us, allows Christ to work through us, making us more holy. Why do need to be holy, though? What's wrong with the way we are now? Matthew 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Wow. I know my heart is not pure. And I know that I would like to see God and live. God also tells us that without holiness no one can see Him. His desire is for us to be holy. Exodus 19:6 and 1 Peter 1:15-16 reminds us to "be holy, for God is holy."

Sin cannot be in the presence of God. Sin is disobedience to God's Word, it is rebellion as opposed to obedience. Sin is disgrace, unrighteousness, unholiness. When Christ was upon the cross, dying for our sins, the skies darkened and the light failed to shine for three hours in the mid-afternoon of the day (Matthew 27:45, 46) and Jesus cried out to God asking why God had forsaken Him. But He knew. It is because every sin ever committed by every person who ever lived, or would live, was laid upon Jesus. He died for us, in our stead, because we would never be able withstand the punishment for disobedience to God's Word by or in and of ourselves.

Now, when Christ left this world and returned to His home, He didn't leave us alone. He sent the Holy Spirit to help us, to aid us on our journeys, until we are ready to answer God's final call. His call to "Come Home". We are, indeed, more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For He loves us still. And we, who earnestly desire to see Him face to face, love Him in return.

Into Conviction

INTO CONVICTION

Head down

Into the wind

Through the smoke

In the fire

The conviction of the Holy Spirit

is taking us much higher.

Head down, into the wind,

Through the smoke, in the fire.

Bringing us nigh unto God,

Praising Him our sweet desire.

Head down ,

Our souls weary,

Brokenhearted,

At His throne.

The conviction of the Holy Spirit

Makes our groanings known.

Head down, our souls weary

Brokenhearted, at His throne.

Bringing us nigh unto God

Prayers rise like sweetest songs.

John 20:19-23

What is the purpose of the Holy Spirit? What is His job? The Father is God the Creator. The Son, is God the Redeemer. But who is this Holy Spirit? He is God the Re-Creator.

The Holy Spirit is God working on the inside of us, doing the work of the transformation. You see, God doesn't just tell us what He wants us to be. That's the work of the Father.

He doesn't show what He wants us to be. That's the work of the Jesus, the Son. God actually gets inside of us; starts making us into what He wants us to be. That's the work of the Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 11:2 is a prophetic verse of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and reveals to us the working of the Holy Spirit. "...and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord." We see in this verse that the Holy Spirit's job is to instill us with WISDOM, UNDERSTANDING, COUNSEL, MIGHT, KNOWLEDGE AND FEAR of the LORD. That's a might big job description right there. And only one person in the trinity gets to do it: Holy Spirit.

Now, you and I may be going through some tough times right now. Do you feel as if God is far away right now? Well, He isn't. Luke 4:1 lets us know that "..And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness...". Wow. Do you realize what this means? Right after His water baptism and the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit LED Him into the wilderness. Why? To do battle with the enemy and overcome the temptations and obstacles Satan lays before us.

We are taunted, mocked, discredited; offered power, glory and fame. The devil wants us to believe that he is greater than God and do more for us than our God can. BUT GOD, through the Holy Spirit, shows us how to overcome, to battle and win, these minor pitfalls. Jesus was able to make it through each battle, each temptation, because the Holy Spirit was with Him. It is through the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit that Scripture which we read and study, is brought to mind to rebuke Satan. God's Word reveals the devil to be the liar and manipulator he really is.

In Luke 4:3 Satan tempted Jesus with hunger. "turn this stone into bread". Luke 4:5-7 Christ is tempted with power "worship me and I will give you everything you see" Luke 4:9 "jump" Prove yourself and that your God is who He says He is.

Christ made it through the wilderness because He had the Holy Spirit with Him. Jesus showed us by example that when we have the Holy Spirit on us, working in us, that we, too, can make it through the wilderness. You and I are not going to make it through any wilderness journey without Him. If you have not received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, now is the time to ask God for it.

"O, Lord, I need Your Holy Spirit to come into my life, to give me power to live the life which You have ordained for me. Endow me, Lord, with the wisdom, the understanding, the knowledge and the fear of the Lord, that I may live a life that glorifies God. Fill me, use me, teach me all of Your ways that Your Name would be glorified and Your kingdom increased. I need You, Lord. Now more than ever before, more everyday, I need Your Holy Spirit living in me. Teaching me every second of my day to walk in the power of Your Word, changing me "from glory to glory"; advancing in spiritual knowledge of how to overcome every little satanic arrow that is flung in my direction. O Lord, I recognize that I am nothing without You; that with You revealing more and more of Yourself to me every second of my life through the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit I am able to walk in humility and grace. Baptize me." Amen