Alive With & In Christ

 

Ephesians 2:4, 5
But God, Who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)!

Romans 6:7-11
6. We know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.
7. For anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
8. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him.
9. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has dominion over Him.
10. The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God.
11. So you, too, must count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

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.

1 Corinthians 15:54-57
54. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come to pass: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
55. “Where, O Grave, is your victory?
Where, O Death, is your sting?”
56. The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
57. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

    

Encourage & Edify Each Other in The Holy Spirit

 

1 Thessalonians 5:17

Therefore encourage and build one another up,

just as you are already doing.

    Ephesians 4:16 (AMP Bible)

 From Him the whole body [the church, in all its various parts], joined and knitted firmly together by what every joint supplies, when each part is working properly, causes the body to grow and mature, building itself up in [unselfish] love. 

    What causes the church, the body of Christ, to work properly? The Love of God must be present in each one of us. And this is only possible when each one of us has God's Holy Spirit thriving within our hearts and reflecting the Love of God--Jesus Christ--in our lives. 

    When we listen to The Spirit, we learn what is True and what is evil; what is Righteous and Holy, and what is unrighteous and unholy. We begin to discern what it is that God is revealing to us, when we read and study our Bibles every day. We learn to recognize God's Voice--The Holy Spirit of God--and we are filled with gratitude that God has given His Spirit to us. 

    When Isaiah speaks of Jesus in Isaiah 11, he declares six aspects of The Holy Spirit of God that will rest on The Branch (Jesus Christ): The Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding; The Spirit of Counsel and Strength; The Spirit of Knowledge and Fear of The Lord. 

    Wisdom imparts wisdom to us. Knowledge of The Holy Word of God comes from Him. We can memorize chapter and verse, but it is The Spirit of God that writes The Word of God on our hearts. 

    Understanding The Word of God is given us when we receive The Holy Spirit and allow Him to reveal to us what God wants us to know. Moment by moment, day to day; gradually, for we are not able in and of ourselves to know and understand 'all that God has prepared for us' [1 Corinthians 2:9]. 

    As our Counsel, He is also our Adviser and Advocate. "Walk The Way of Holiness" [Isaiah 35:8]; "Speak The Word that I give you in season" [Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; Philippians 1:14; 2 Timothy 4:2; 1 Peter 3:15]. It is He Who defends us when we are come against in our trials. And when we listen to Him, as one who listens to his lawyer (defender/counsel), we will always come out ahead, even if we have to suffer first for the sake of the gospel we proclaim. 

    He is our Spirit of Strength. The joy we have in our Savior and His salvation is only possible when we have The Spirit of God in us, calling us to Rejoice! in The Lord. Therefore, we can truly say, "The JOY of The LORD is My Strength!", just as Nehemiah declared to the Israelites after Ezra had finished reading The Law to them. A reading which took from daybreak until midday. And though The Word of God caused broken hearts and weeping, the day was holy to The Lord: celebration was called for. 

    The Spirit of Strength empowers the bearer to preach the gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ to people who need to hear it. We do not preach to the stars, nor to forests and babbling brooks. Those things have no need of a Savior. We speak The Name of Jesus in The Love of God, with compassion, integrity and honor. 

    We speak Jesus with boldness, humility, and perseverance. We speak Grace of God with patience and faith, believing that God will have His Way in each soul with whom we share our faith in Christ and why we believe what we believe. 

    The Spirit of Knowledge draws us to The Word and imparts knowledge beyond our ken, then breaks it down and makes it possible for us to know and understand what our God wants us to know. Do you know that you know that you know that Jesus is your personal Lord and Savior? Beyond a shadow of a doubt? Are you born again through the blood of The Lamb into the family of God? 

    The Spirit of The Fear of The Lord trains the body of Christ to have a reverent attitude towards its Creator: our heavenly Father: GOD--The I AM THAT I AM. 

    When we read Psalm 19:9, we see that The Fear of The Lord is Pure. In Psalm 111:10 The Fear of The Lord is The Beginning of Wisdom. In Proverbs 1:7 The Fear of The Lord is The Beginning of Knowledge. In 2 Chronicles 17:10 The Fear of The Lord brings terror to Israel's enemies. In Proverbs 10:27 The Fear of The Lord prolongs life. 

    In Psalm 25:12 The one who fears The Lord is teachable. In Psalm 128:1 The one who fears The Lord and walks in His Ways is blessed. In Psalm 34:11 The Fear of The Lord can be taught to those who delight in life. 

    This is how we edify--build up--one another. This Spirit of God Who teaches us in The Ways of The Lord God speaks to our hearts and joins us together as the body of Christ. He is our Wisdom, our Teacher, our Friend. And He is preparing us, at the beginning of our walk, all through our walk, and into the end of our walk with Christ, for a greater glory than we could every imagine. 

    ENCOUNTER - Here Be Lions

The Soul's Longing

 

Psalm 27:4

One thing have I desired of The LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of The LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of The LORD, and to inquire in His temple.

THE ONE THING

The good portion - Luke 10:42

The goal - Philippians 3:14

SEEKING AFTER

The open door - Matthew 7:8

The kingdom of God - Matthew 6:33

TO DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD

The house of praise - Psalm 84:4

The house prepared for me - John 14:2, 3

TO SEE HIS BEAUTY

The glory of The Lord - Exodus 33:18-23

The face of The Lord - 1 Corinthians 13:12

TO HEAR HIS VOICE

The heart cries out - 1 Kings 8:28-30; Psalm 63:1

The soul yearns for permanent residence - Psalm 84:2; Matthew 5:6

IN HIS TEMPLE

The holy dwelling - Habakkuk 2:20

The believer is a living stone in Christ Jesus, The Eternally Living Stone - 1 Peter 2:5

Bless God and He Will Bless Us

 

Ephesians 1:3
Blessed be The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

    Blessing God is our primary focus as Christians, as God's people. We bless Him best when we give Jesus our hearts to live in. 
    We bless God with our hands in worship and in work.
    We bless God with our lips and our tongues when we give Him praise, sincere praise that comes from a grateful heart. 
    We bless God with our feet when we go where he wants us to go. And we go with a joyful heart knowing that our God has already provided not only a way to get there, but a way to be more fruitful in His kingdom. 
    We bless God with our arms when we carry loads to the altar (figuratively) and then lay them down there for God to meet the needs thereof. 
    We bless God in our daily lives, throughout our life, that God gets the glory and not we ourselves. 
    We praise Him and glorify His Name, for He is GOD and He is The Father of our LORD and Savior JESUS CHRIST. Had He done nothing more for us, that would be enough to honor Him with our lives. 
    But God has prepared spiritual blessings for us, blessings only available IN CHRIST. If we are not in Christ, then every spiritual blessing which God has prepared for the resurrected soul is not available to us.

    Being IN CHRIST requires us to ask CHRIST to be in us. We believe by faith that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD and we give Him access to our hearts willingly and joyfully, thankful that we answered the call to salvation, to deliverance, to an abundant Life in Christ. 

    Salvation through Jesus Christ saves us from eternal damnation and gives us eternal life IN CHRIST. An eternal, abundant, overflowing, without end LIFE EVERLASTING IN CHRIST. 

    Deliverance from the bonds and chains of sin comes from a close personal working relationship IN CHRIST. Him working in us through the power of His Holy Spirit, changing our hearts and transforming us from the inside out. First the heart and the mind gets changed, then the outward things that people see changes. But the inward change must happen first. IN CHRIST we are born-again; we are born ANEW. 

    In life, in the womb and from birth, we are given by God some knowledge -- awareness of faces, voices, wetness, hunger, comfort. As we grow in life, we acquire a variety of knowledge, not all of it good or wise. So, too, must the one who lives IN CHRIST and has CHRIST living in him or her, acquire knowledge and wisdom. It is a process, an ever changing pattern of growth visible to not only ourselves, but to those who are watching us grow. Even failure is part of growing IN CHRIST, for then God prunes us and we change again into someone who is able to be more fruitful. 

    These are but three spiritual blessings we have received from The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Imagine what is in store in the mansions which Christ is preparing for us! 

Renewal & Hope in Christ

 

2 Corinthians 4:16

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day.

2 Corinthians 5:1

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is dismantled, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.

2 Corinthians 3:18

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of The Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from The Lord, Who is The Spirit.

    Life is not permanent. Youthfulness fades. Hairs gray. Skin wrinkles. Muscles weaken. Bodies soon succumb to death and decay. But the soul is eternal.

    How sad that so many who could live eternally in glory with God and Christ choose not to make that decision while they still draw breath in this life.

    Time is moving faster now. Days are not as long as they used to be: there are less than 24 hours in a day now. God has shortened the days for His people, His church.

    But, O how lovely to know that just a step away from death and the grave is our eternal home in Christ with God our Father! The inner self that gains strength from a daily, personal relationship with and in Christ Jesus will finally be at home with Him!

Have you chosen to believe that Jesus Christ is Lord? Is heaven your eternal dwelling place? Why do you linger? why do you wait? Are you hungry for something you feel is lacking in your life? That something is the knowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior of your life and your soul.

    Remember: Scripture tells us, "It is appointed unto man once to die, and then the judgement." Hebrews 9:27. Which means that if you are not living in Christ while you are alive on this side of death, then you will not be living in Christ on the other side of death. There is no heaven, no paradise, for you.

    I encourage you, my current brothers and sisters in Christ, to remain steadfast and faithful in your walk with Christ Jesus in His Spirit. And to those who are contemplating this life in Christ which Christ lives in us, come to Jesus and live.

    Ephesians 3:16-19

I ask that out of the riches of His glory He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

Then you, being rooted and grounded in love, will have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depth of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

The Color of Worship - Silver

 2 Corinthians 6:16, 17

What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of The Living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” 

“Therefore come out from among them and be separate," says The Lord. "Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” 

    Silver is the color of sanctification, of purification, of being set apart {separated from} for The Lord's glory and purpose. Thirty pieces of silver was the redemption price of both slave {Exodus 21:32}and under-valued shepherd. {Zechariah 11:10-13; Matthew 26:15; 27:3-10}. 

    In Zechariah 11:10-14 silver shekels forewarn of the breaking of two covenants because of their refusal to listen to Him. The first covenant broken was the covenant of peculiarity, of being singled out by God to be His own {Zechariah 11:10; Matthew 21:43; Romans 11:20-22}. The second covenant broken {Zechariah 11:14; Jeremiah 19:1-13; Matthew 27:9} was the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. No longer would they get along with each other in brotherly love, but now they hate each other because of the abundance of sin in their camps, in their hearts.  

    Only in Christ have the two covenants been restored. Only in Christ has God redeemed a people who were not His own. Only in Christ has God redeemed His elect, the people He called to be His own though they rejected Him time and again. Only in Christ can we love one another with the love of Christ. Only in Christ is anything made possible that seems impossible. 

SANCTIFICATION 

    Hebrews 9:22

According to the law, in fact, nearly everything must be purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

    Exodus 30:11-16 tells us that the silver given for the building of the tabernacle was the atonement price paid to ransom each man's life who consented to being numbered in the census. Therefore silver represents the atoning power of Christ to redeem us from sin and death. 

    Romans 3:25 - Christ Our Atoning Sacrifice

God presented Him as an atoning sacrifice in His blood through faith, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand.

    1 John 2:2

He Himself is The Atoning Sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. {John 3:16} 

    1 John 4:10

And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as The Atoning Sacrifice for our sins.

    Hebrews 2:17

For this reason He had to be made like His brothers in every way, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, in order to make atonement for the sins of the people. 

PURIFICATION

    1 Peter 1:22

Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth so that you have a genuine love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart.

    Zechariah 13:9

This third I will bring through the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My Name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’” [Hosea 2:23; Jeremiah 31:33]

    1 Peter 1:6, 7

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trials so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 

SEPARATED

    1 Peter 2:9 

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

     1 Thessalonians 2:4

 But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, Who tries our hearts.

    2 Timothy 2:15

Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles The Word of Truth. 

    2 Corinthians 10:18

For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

    Jeremiah 9:24

But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, who exercises loving devotion, justice and righteousness on the earth—for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.

    

    

    

    

    

    

The Riches of His Glory

 

Ephesians 3:16

God grant you, 

according to the riches of His glory,

to be strengthened with might

by His Spirit

in your inner being.

THE RICHES OF HIS GLORY

Colossians 1:27

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

 

Romans 9:23, 24 In order to make known the riches of His glory for vessels of mercy, which He has prepared beforehand for glory—including us, whom He has called not only from the Jews, but also from the Gentiles?

Ephesians 1:18-21

I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe. 

These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

2 Corinthians 4:6

For God, Who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His Light shine in our hearts to give us the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 

John 1:1-3, 14

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 any thing made that was made. In Him was Life; and the Life was the Light of men. ... 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. 

    In Christ Alone our hope is found [2 Corinthians 5:19]. There is No Other Name given under heaven by which we must be saved [Acts 4:12]. (amazing choir) 

Christ Our Hope In Life or Death is the riches of God's glory. This is our treasure which we take with us when we leave these bodies behind. It is not the only treasure we can lay up in heaven, though.

    We can bring other vessels of mercy to heaven with us, or send them on ahead of us. We pray for their salvation. We pray for their walk with The Spirit. We pray for their journey in Jesus Christ, which will prepare them for an eternity in the heavenly realm. 

    We pray that our families, our friends, our acquaintances, the strangers among us and our enemies (they who come against in for the name of Christ on us) would know Romans 8:38, 39 "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." 

Prayer Cards - In Every Circumstance

 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Give thanks in every circumstance for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 

    What an amazing concept! When we are in CHRIST JESUS, every circumstance we find ourselves in is ORDAINED by GOD! Therefore, we must give thanks. 

    Even in the hardest of circumstances: grief at a loved one's passing, the hurtfulness in a divorce or separation, abandonment of a child by its parent(s), a child who leaves the nest before he's ready. An accident that leaves a body impaired, loss of employment, a miscarriage, a shocking medical diagnosis, traumatic events that have a lasting impact on the body, the mind and the spirit, are impossible to get through without the knowledge that we serve a faithful God who takes care of His people. 

    This is hard to do, but not impossible. Thank God and let Him do the rest.  Let your tears flow, let your faith grow.

God is Restorer of The Breach. 

God is Healer of The Broken. 

God is Comforter of The Grieving.

God is Holy and His Word is Holy. 

God is Sustainer and Sustenance. 

God will get you through whatever it is you are going through. You are not stuck in any situation or circumstance. Life flows. 

More Than Enough Grace

 2 Corinthians 5:18, 19

All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s trespasses against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 

 

    In Christ we are more than enough because there is more than enough of Christ to save all of mankind, not just a few here and some there. Outside of Christ we are not enough. Nothing we do under our own power or strength will guarantee us a seat in heaven. We need a More Than Enough God to save us with His More Than Enough Grace. 

    In Exodus 20:6, God told Moses that His mercy could extend to thousands, if they loved Him and adhered to His commandments. Psalm 103:17 tells us that God's mercy, His loving devotion, His righteousness extends to our children's children (v18) to those who keep His covenants and obey His precepts. More Than Enough. 

Reconciled & Saved Through Christ

    Romans 5:10, 11

For if, when we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life! Not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. 

    This is God's grace at work in our souls. God begins to change our hearts - how we love and react to being loved; change our minds - how we think, how we discern. He does not leave us where He found us: in the mire, in the dark, in loneliness, nor in confusion and doubt. He brings us up out of all that with His mighty right arm of righteousness: JESUS CHRIST, in Whom we believe and by Whose Name we are saved. 

     Reconciled (brought near to God) through the blood which Christ Jesus shed on the cross and saved (from eternal damnation and punishment for sins) by His Life Eternal (having conquered death, hell and the grave). 

    MORE THAN ENOUGH GRACE. More than enough LOVE, MERCY, LOVINGKINDNESS for each and every one of us who believe. From the time of Adam and Eve to the present day, there is more than enough life-changing, life-giving grace and mercy to all who come to God through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. 

    All we have to do is acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord of All, including ourselves. That it is by His Name we are saved, for There Is Power in The Name of Jesus. We must confess our sins to God that we might receive His forgiveness. We need to follow The Holy Spirit's direction in living the abundant spirit-filled life we are called to live. Before any other part of our lives need to prosper, our souls above all else, must prosper.

    In order to do that, we must read and study out for ourselves God's Word, in addition to taking in The Word being preached in church. If the whole Word of God is not being preached by mouth, by hand and by actions, then that church is not of God. The Spirit of God, if we let Him, will lead us to the church He wants us to be in. 

    The more we draw close to God in our Bible readings, our prayer time and our daily living, the clearer His voice becomes, and the easier it is to obey The Spirit of God when He calls us to enter into God's presence. 

    I serve a 'more than enough' God. He has More Than Enough for you, too. Do you want it? 

LAY IT ALL DOWN - Will Reagan, United Pursuit

He Shall Be Called - Isaiah 9:6

 

WONDERFUL COUNSELOR

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 Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 

Matthew 11:28

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

Isaiah 55:6

Seek The LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.

THE MIGHTY GOD

John 1:1 

In the beginning was THE WORD, and THE WORD was with GOD, and THE WORD was GOD. 

Isaiah 42:8

I Am The Lord, that is My Name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to graven (carved) images. 

THE  EVERLASTING FATHER

Daniel 7:13-14

In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached The Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. / And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

THE PRINCE OF PEACE

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you, My Peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Philippians 4:7

And The Peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

In Christ - - We Have The Mind of Christ

     

    When Christ Jesus is living in us by our faith in His Name which saves us, there is no more room for the parasites of sin to dwell which have infested our hearts and minds. Christ Jesus in us is The Light of God's Love shining It's magnificent Light into every nook and cranny, cleaning out the dark thoughts, the nasty secrets and the deceitful intents. 

    Christ in us is The Strength of God in us, for He is God's Mighty Right Arm of Righteousness, prepared from the foundations of this earth long before there were any people living on it. In His Strength we are made strong in Him. 

    Christ in us The Love of God in action within our hearts and minds. 1 Corinthians 2:16 tells the believers that we have "the mind of Christ". What does that mean? It means we are to no longer think, strategize, like we used to think. In this world, the phrase most often asked when offered a "deal" is, 'What's in it for me?' But to have the mind of Christ is to ask, 'How will this glorify God?' 

    To have the mind of Christ is to meditate, read and consider, ponder the things which honor God the most. Philippians 4:8 gives us a head start on what these things should be. 

    To have the mind of Christ is to put God's needs first, others second and ourselves last. I read a book when I was a teenager titled, I Am Third, in which the coach has a sign on the wall which reads: JOY: Jesus First/Others Second/Yourself Last.

    To have the mind of Christ is to obediently surrender ourselves to His will. Though we may struggle with the thought of full surrender, we do not bleed when we pray, as Christ did in the garden before His arrest; for He knew what He was about to go through before He could come out on the other side in newness of life. Before He could conquer death and the grave, He had to conquer sin and hell ... in the courtroom and on the cross. John 17-19; Luke 22:39-42. 

    To have the mind of Christ is to be renewed daily, having spent quality time with our heavenly Father, as He did. Every day we see that He prayed with His Father, He spoke with Him as an honorable son may speak with his earthly father: lovingly, sweetly and gently. Not once did Christ Jesus lose His temper with His Father. Never did Jesus speak against His  Father in heaven. Not only was this not His nature, it was just impossible. For Christ Jesus is THE WORD OF GOD in the flesh: John 1:1-3, 14. 

    To have the mind of Christ is to think about how we can meet the needs of this world in which we live in such a way as to glorify God as we do so. While the needs are great, the works to do the work are not always able to meet the demand. But we can pray that God will send someone who can. Because of my limited strength and mobility, I am unable to travel the way I would love to to meet and strengthen God's people in the countries/cities/towns in which they live. But I can pray. And I can pray to make a difference. 

    Right now someone I know is spreading the gospel message in his own country. This would not have been possible without prayer, earnestly seeking God and asking Him to pour out a blessing upon this nation. Asking God to send more dreams and visions about the gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ. Asking God to raise up and enable people who know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, to fill their hands with Bibles in every language and dialect, that All would come to saving grace. Asking God to meet the needs inside the prisons, to shine His Light into the darkest recesses of men's minds and hearts with the gospel message. To raise up mighty warriors in His Name in this world and strengthen them in His Word, His Love and His Holy Spirit. 

And God is. 

This is the mind of Christ in the believer who is in Christ. 

THE ROCK WON'T MOVE - Vertical Worship 

WITHHOLDING NOTHING  - William McDowell 

AT THE CROSS - Chris Tomlin

    

In Christ - I'm Not Normal

 

1 PETER 2:9

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of Him Who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous Light. 

    What does it mean to be peculiar according to how it is used here in this verse? It means to be "brought into", "union" and "motion into" alignment with God's purposes for the Christian's life. 

    By continuing in a self-disciplined lifestyle which obeys God's commands and follows God's directions, we are immediately set apart from the world around us. Our actions and our words speak quite loudly, for we are are a reflection of The Word living within us. 

    Our faith in Jesus Christ offends many people. The fact that we believe Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead to save people from going to hell and being eternally damned puts a target on us. Some people will merely point at us, some will make fun of us (mock), some will even laugh at us. But other people will physically and verbally attack us, torture us (to get us to recant our faith in Christ), and even kill us. 

     We are more than strange to some folks: we are perceived as evil by an evil generation. This evil generation denies God and, therefore, concludes in its delusional state of mind and heart that God's Word is irrelevant in today's world. They are mistaken and will die in their sins if they don't repent. 

    Our peculiarity is immediately known by our family and our peers. We choose not to imbibe liquor like we used to. We choose not to swear and be verbally offensive like we used to. We choose not to go out clubbing, not to flirt, not to engage in socially acceptable behavior like we used to. It is not that we can't: it is that now that we know Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, we want to please and honor Him, not ourselves. We are not like we "used to be": we are new creations in Christ. 

    We are not normal. We are filled with The Holy Spirit of God, Who has written on our hearts The WORD of GOD, which is alive and thriving and growing in our hearts. This Spirit has six aspects to Himself, which are active within us as well: Isaiah 11:2 "...The Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, The Spirit of Counsel (advice) and Might, The Spirit of Knowledge and of The (reverent) Fear of The LORD." 

    We are known by people who have never met us, nor interacted with us, because strange news travels fast. To some it is a warning to "watch out for that person" because they won't stop talking about Jesus. To others it is a "watching for that person to arrive" that they may hear about this Jesus Who has made them strange, peculiar. Either way, we are JESUS FREAKS now, and there's no going back to who we used to be. We're not normal and we're happy about it. 

BULLETPROOF -- Citizen Way

OCEAN FLOOR - Audio Adrenaline 

I HAVE DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS -- Lydia Walker

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