Clothed In Righteousness-Put On Christ

 

The desires of the flesh bring about our downfall. The desire of The Lord Jesus Christ is to raise us up with Him.

Putting on Christ requires us to believe in The Name Above All Names [Philippians 2:9] and to speak out our belief on His Name by acknowledging that Jesus Christ Is Lord.

Acts 16:31 (AMP Bible)

And they answered, “Believe in The Lord Jesus [as your personal Savior and entrust yourself to Him] and you will be saved, you and your household [if they also believe].”

Romans 10:10

For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Romans 13:14

But put on The Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts (desires).

    See? How hard was that? The most difficult part of any journey is the first step. The first step in becoming a Christian, a Christ-follower, is to believe that Jesus Christ Is Lord. Truly believe it in our own hearts. And then speak our belief in His Name out loud, whether we shout it, whisper it, mouth it or speak in our normal voice, "JESUS IS LORD", we are proclaiming that we believe what we have said.

    It is the second part of being clothed in His Righteousness that many walk away from. Choosing to be obedient to God's Word and remove the lures of sin from our presence. It is not that we can't partake of the things we used to do and say, it is that we don't want to do those things any more.

    For we are aware now that those things we used to do have kept us from the presence of God. And we like being here in God's kingdom. We prefer to Live For Jesus now, instead of for the devil. We have made our choice, a sound decision, with sober minds, to follow Christ.

    Should He choose to lead us back to where we came from it will only be because He knows we can go back without falling back into our old ways. We go back to bring the gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ to the ones we left behind. We don't want our former companions to die in their sins without giving them the opportunity to know Christ Jesus as their own Savior and Lord.

    We speak The Name of Jesus Christ to our families; and even when they disown and ridicule us for loving Jesus Christ so much, we persevere in our course to draw ever closer to Him. We have the knowledge that God will answer our prayers for them to know this same joy we ourselves have now.

    For years my Mom wanted me to stop pursuing this idea of being a preacher. Until she picked up her family Bible and read it for herself. And then she gave her heart to Jesus Christ. She told me once that she thought she was saved until she read that she wasn't. So she gave her heart to Jesus. And that was that.

    Then she stopped insisting that I quit my faith. We got to share daily Bible verses that were inspiring us to live for Jesus and be better people. Not long after that leukemia hit her body fast and hard; and she died. But she died knowing Jesus as her Lord and Savior. And she's with Him in heaven even now. No more aging, no more sickness. Only Eternal Life.

    I sang Jesus to my Dad. I sang of His saving grace to any who would receive it. I sang of His death and His resurrection to all who would believe it. And my Dad believed and got saved. He, too, is with Jesus Christ. And someday I'm going to be reunited with them and everyone else who has believed on The Name of Jesus Christ for their salvation, and followed through in life, living for Jesus.

    It is never too late to clothe one's self in Jesus Christ. Not in this life. When we take our final breath, then it's too late. Now is the time. Today is the day. Come to Jesus and Live.

Just As I Am I Come To Thee

{Dedicated to Kathy Spencer. Written while I was doing a study on holiness}

Just as I am I come to Thee.

I come to the cross Where You died for me

I fall on my knees At Calvary

It’s there that Your blood Is applied to me

Just as I am I come to Thee

And I give You my heart

Which was broken for You

Fix it, fill it and break it anew

Do as You will, I will follow You

Just as I am I come to You

I come to the tomb Where they buried You

I come to the grave Where Your linens lay

I come to the garden To hear You speak

Just as I am I come to Thee

And I give You my heart

Which was broken for You

Fix it, fill it and break it anew

Do as You will, I will follow You

Just as I am, Just as I am, Just as I am

I come to Thee

 

    

 

No Room - Spirit Song

 

Let Us Go

 

 

LET US GO

Psalm 122:1

A Song of degrees of David. 

I was glad when they said unto me, 

Let us go into the house of The LORD.

Let us sing praises 

To The LORD Most High,

Let us worship and bow down

To His Holy Name.

Let us kneel in reverence

To Him,

Let us bring our worship

To His house.

Let us rest 

In His Holy Presence,

Let us open our ears 

And our hearts 

To hear and receive

The Word of The Lord

In His house,

That we may be able 

To live His Word,

Breath His Word,

Speak His Word,

Walk His Word,

Sing His Word.

Let us be people of praise

In spirit and heart,

Not just lips.

Let us come into

His Presence 

With singing, with joy,

With open hearts

To receive Him;

Open eyes to see His glory;

Open arms to embrace 
The Christ Who died for us, 

When we were still sinners. 

Come, let us go

Into the house of The Lord. 

Be Anxious For Nothing

 

This is a little ditty I wrote more than twenty years ago. I still sing it. It is God speaking to me and now I'm sharing it with you. 

Be anxious for nothing:

I will provide for you.

You are My bride, my church, my wife.

Needs have I met for you,

My table is set for you;

Tested and tried

You've come forth as gold. 

It is taken from studying The Scriptures, some of which are these two passages, and asking God (praying) to reveal Himself to me and what He wants me to know:

Matthew 6:25-35

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns—and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.

Psalm 23:5

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

    God tells us repeatedly in His Word to "worry not, fret not, fear not". But to fully trust in Him for everything. In every situation and circumstance in which we find ourselves we are "stand and withstand" Ephesians 6:13, "be steadfast and immoveable" Colossians 1:23. 

    He also tell us to seek Him out first. "Seek first the kingdom of God." Matthew 6:33 "In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path." Proverbs 3:6 "O God, You are my God, Early will I seek You." Psalm 63:1. Great is the blessing which comes from putting God first in our lives. 

Ephesians 5:21-30 speaks of Christ's great love for His church. 

Being tested and tried is to be expected, for God sits as a Refiner of His people: Malachi 3:3. The Lord is Tester of Hearts: Proverbs 17:3. We are called to suffer and to suffer for righteousness' sake: 1 Peter 3:14. Only by going through the fire of His love can we expect to come forth as a vessel fit for use, whether we are gold or silver or wood or clay. However God wants to use us to advance His kingdom, we need to be willing partners with Him. Our hearts must align with His heart. And that will only happen if His only begotten Son Jesus Christ is living in our hearts. 

Are you ready to be tested and tried? Are you prayed up? Are you filling your hearts and your minds with The Living Word of God? No player goes onto the field without first meeting the requirements of basic game preparedness. No practice, no play. No studying of the game and how it's played, no play. No abiding by team rules and no listening to the coach, no play. If we refuse to obey The Holy Spirt, we will not be able to survive the tests and trials in which God places us for His purposes. 

Be anxious for nothing

I will provide for you

You are My bride, my church, my wife

Needs have I met for you

My table is set for you

Tested and tried

You've come forth as gold. 

REFINER'S FIRE 

The Lord Is SongGiver

 

PSALM 42:8

The LORD decrees His loving devotion by day, 

and at night His song is with me as a prayer to the God of my life.

Job 8:21

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with a shout of joy. 

    When I first got filled with The Holy Spirit I saw myself as a mountain filled with music. And when the mountain became a volcano, it wasn't lava that flowed, it was Music. New music, new songs. Songs of joy, songs of hope, songs of rejoicing; songs of sorrow, songs of wistfulness, songs of grief. Songs of pain, songs of the love of God and for God; songs of laughter, songs of weeping. 

    All of these flowed from God through His Holy Spirit into me where they flowed out of my pen and my mouth. Many Christian songwriters will tell you that it is not of their imagination from which they write and sing: it is a gift from God meant to be shared with whomsoever God places on our path. 

    Many nights He would waken me and have me write. But I remained rested, for I was with Him and He is my Rest. Sometimes these songs would build up inside me while I was doing something else, like running around the velodrome in the predawn hours with my bestie. Or the time she and I backpacked Ireland (Perfect Replica*)  Sometimes, I'd be sitting in a meeting and the song would start writing itself (No Room*), even though I wanted to wait until the meeting was over, I relented, repented, and let God move through me. No Room I actually wrote before I got baptized in The Spirit, but God was moving in me even then.

    There is coming a day when sad songs will not only be a thing of the past, they won't even be a memory. For in the presence of God is fullness of JOY. In His presence is LIGHT and LOVE. In His presence we sing the song of the redeemed. All together every saint will sing that song. It is the sound of many rushing waters. It is the resounding song of Love for God for this great thing He has done. 

     

*PERFECT REPLICA

I wonder what my God shall see,

When He sees a finished me?

Perhaps I'll be a Daniel,

Content in times of stress.

Or maybe I'll be Lydia

Adorned in purpleness.

Perhaps I'll be Rebekah,

Waiting ever on;

First 'twas by the well,

Then for her two sons.

I wonder what my God shall see

When He sees a finished me?

Perhaps I'll be an Andrew

Who leads my brother to

The One and Only Savior

Who died for me and you.

Perhaps I'll be a vessel,

What let the Son shine in;

Who mirrored God's reflection

To a lost and dying friend.

I wonder what my God shall see

When He sees a finished me?

Perhaps I'll be a fruitful vine

For God to harvest home.

And I shall wear a robe of white

With stars upon my crown.

And when He views the finished me,

I know He'll smile in victory--

"Well done thou good and faithful,

You may enter in,

Here's your gown; here's your crown.

Hello, friend."

I wonder what my God shall see,

When He sees a finished me.

I've gone through the fire,

I've gone through the grind,

I've gone through the waters

Time after time.

God has not forsaken me

In any of my trials.

And when He sees the finished me,
I'll wear a great big smile.

*NO ROOM

No room, no room, no room for Jesus

No way, no how, not here at this time, not now.

Can you imagine telling God 

you have no time for Him?

There isn’t any place today for Him to enter in.

To enter in with joy delight,

Communion sweet to share

No room for Jesus, No room anywhere.

No room, no room, no room for Jesus

No way, no how, not here at this time, not now.

The temples are empty, no life exists here.

No joyful days, no redeemed souls, 

The faces of the people are shut, blank and cold.

I see forlorn temples, I hear lonely sounds

Heartbeats, no heartbeats, no love of God abounds.

No room, no room, no room for Jesus

No way, no how, not here at this time, not now.

No merry hearts, no shining lights

The doors to the temple are shut, slammed in tight

Listening, not hearing; Hearing, not caring.

Heartbeats, no heartbeats, no love of God lives here.

No room, no room, no room for Jesus

No way, no how, not here at this time, not now.

Now, when the feastday of the Bride

Arrives and you are there,

Will you hear Jesus say to you,

“You have no place set here.

There is no room for you today,

You’ll have to go, you cannot stay:

I do not know your name you see, 

It isn’t written here.”

No room, no room, no room for you.

No way, no how, not here at this time,

Not now.

    While No Room is the number one requested song that I sing when I sing, this song is one my favorites:

The Ballad of The Body of Christ

I am the eyes That see the need for compassion

I am the hands That do the work of The LORD

I am the feet That go through the doors that are open

I am the heart, The heart of The LORD.

I am the ears That hear the cries of the lonely

I am the arms That carry the grieving and sore

I am the legs That walk the crowded sidewalks

I am the heart, The heart of The LORD.

I am the Body of Christ that was broken/I’ve been asleep for a thousand years it seems/But now I’m awake and I see the needs that aren’t spoken/Gettin’ ready to run, Gettin’ ready to fly / 

Gettin’ the Body back in shape.

It’s God’s desire That no one should be lost

It’s God’s desire That everyone be saved

He can’t make your choices, It’s entirely up to you.

Don’t hesitate, don’t even wait 

Don’t turn and walk ................ the other way!

I am the voice When God gives the words to be spoken

I am pure silence When I need to be ............... when I need to be

I am the Body of Christ That was broken! / I been asleep for a thousand years it seems / But now I’m awake And I see the needs that aren’t spoken / Gettin’ ready to run, Getting ready to fight / 

Gettin’ the Body back in shape.

I am the fingers That pull the lost from the fire

I am the knees That bend to carry the load

I am the back That bears the marks of the hunter

I am the heart, The heart of The LORD.

I am the Body of Christ that was broken/I’ve been asleep for a thousand years it seems/But now I’m awake and I see the needs that aren’t spoken/Gettin’ ready to run, Gettin’ ready to fly / 

Gettin’ the Body back in shape.

I am the Body of Christ That was broken! / I been asleep for a thousand years it seems / But now I’m awake And I see the needs that aren’t spoken / Gettin’ ready to run, Getting ready to fight / 

Gettin’ the Body back in shape.

You are the Body of Christ That was broken! / You’ve been asleep for a thousand years it seems/ But now you’re awake and you see the needs that aren’t spoken / You’re gettin’ ready to run / Run your endurance race / Gettin’ your body back in shape.

Now, you know my story. Now, you hear my voice. 

Through The Cross - Spirit Song

 

THROUGH THE CROSS

By Terri Schlater - April 7, 2023

At the cross I see His face

On the cross I see His grace

Near the cross I see His blood

But through the cross I see Him rise.

 At the cross I hear His groans

On the cross I hear Him speak,

“Father, forgive them for they do not know.”

But through the cross I see Him rise. 

Through the cross I must go

To reach the other side

Where Christ has gone before

I now must go through His open door.

At the cross I smell death

On the cross I smell blood

Near the cross it covers me

Bu through the cross I see Him rise.

At the cross I taste victory

On the cross I taste honey in the Rock

Near the cross I taste that the Lord is Good

But through the cross I see Him rise.

Through the cross I must go

To reach the other side

Where Christ has gone before

I now must go through His open door.

At the cross I confess my sins

To God Almighty who forgives

On the cross my sins are nailed

To the Savior God sent to die for me

Near the cross grace is mine

For God has forgiven me.

There’s no other way to conquer death

Than to meet Him on the cross

And go with Him to the grave

To rise in life triumphant

When I have gone through the cross.

Through the cross I am bid

To enter in and be with Him

Through the cross I boldly walk

To find the peace my soul has sought.

Through the cross I can see

My Savior Jesus who waits for me

To take that step Of faith and go

Through the cross and onward home.

I Go -- Spirit Song

 I GO (for Gloria Brostowski) 

June 21-23, 1995 Matthew 6:20; John 14:1-2; Revelation 3:20

In my Father’s house are many mansions, 

Many treasures, Many crowns.

I go to prepare a place for you.

-Chorus-

I go to prepare a place for you.

When you come home, 

I’ll be waiting there, too.

I’ll have My hands outstretched to welcome you,

I go to prepare a place for you.

Truly the harvest is plenty, but laborers they are few.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations. I go.

-Chorus-

I go to prepare a place for you.

When you come home, 

I’ll be waiting there, too.

I’ll have My hands outstretched to welcome you,

I go to prepare a place for you.

The Holy Spirit is now among us; We are ready and 

We are here To reap the harvest of the nations.

We go.

-Chorus-

I go to prepare a place for you.

When you come home, 

I’ll be waiting there, too.

I’ll have My hands outstretched to welcome you,

I go to prepare a place for you.

*When I lived in Lake Geneva, one of the churches I became attached to was the local Assembly of God Church. This was written for my pastor's wife, Gloria. 

This is one of my Just For You songs. There are a few. 

Lifted Hands: Spirit Song

 Yadah: to throw, to cast, to throw (up), to raise my hands

With my hands lifted up 

I will praise the Lord God. 

With my hands lifted high 

I will worship the Lord God. 

With my hands lifted to You, O God, 

I give You all of me; 

I give You everything. 

All to You I surrender.

Say His Name

  

His Name is Jesus

His Name is Wonderful

His Name is Power

Prince of Peace

Say His Name

Say His Name

His Name is Jesus

His Name is Beautiful

His Name is Glorious

King of Kings

Say His Name

Say His Name

His Name is Counselor

His Name is Wisdom

His Name is Righteousness

Lord of Lords

Say His Name

Say His Name

His Name is Yahweh Shammah

His Name is Yahweh Jireh

His Name is Yahweh

God of All

Say His Name

Say His Name

His Name is Yahweh

His Name is Yahweh

His Name is Yahweh Rapha

His Name is Yahweh Ro'i

His Name is Yahweh

The Lord Is Here

Say His Name

Say His Name

His Name is Yahweh

His Name is Yahweh

Your Name is Yahweh

Yahweh Shalom

The Lord is Peace

Yahweh Shammah

The Lord is There

Yahweh, Yahweh

Yahweh Jireh

The Lord Provides

Yahweh Ro'i

The Lord is Healer

Yahweh Rapha

The Lord is Shepherd

Yahweh, Yahweh

Say His Name

Say His Name

Yahweh

Yahweh

Yahweh

I Want Your Offering

 "Build Me a tabernacle.

Make Me a sanctuary.

Freely give to Me:

I want your offering.

I want your offering.

IAM the Lord thy God,

You will worship Me.

IAM the Lord thy God

You will worship Me."

I'll build You a tabernacle,

Furnished with precious jewels of Faith

I'll make you a sanctuary:

A garden of delights in a secret place.

You are the Lord my God:

I bring an offering.

You are the Lord my God:

I love Thee, Adore Thee

With all of my heart,

With all of my soul.

I praise Thee, Exalt Thee

I do ............ love You.

You are the Lord my God:

I will worship You.

"Build Me a tabernacle.

Make Me a sanctuary.

Freely give to Me:

I want your offering.

IAM the Lord thy God.

You will worship Me."

You are the LORD my GOD, 

I will worship THEE. ............

EVEN NOW

EVEN NOW

By TerriLynn Schlater

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 peace in the manger

There’s only faith on the cross

There’s only joy in the graveyard

Even now, There’s only Jesus.

Even now, There’s only Jesus.

There’s only faith hope and glory

There’s only peace joy and love

There’s only Jesus in this place now

Only Jesus, even now,

There’s only Jesus,

Even now, only Jesus.

There’s only love 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, There’s only Jesus

There’s only faith hope and glory

There’s only peace joy and love

There’s only Jesus in my heart now

Only Jesus, even now,

There’s only Jesus,

Even now, only Jesus.