Heart & Soul - - Glad Heart/Heavy Heart

 

Isaiah 65:14

My servants will shout for joy with a glad heart, but you will cry out with a heavy heart and wail with a broken spirit.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 2898 & 3511

Glad: joyful, gladness 

From the Hebrew word 'tub' (pronounced toob)

Heavy: pain, suffering (physical/mental), grief, sorrow

From the Hebrew word 'keeb' (pronounced keh-abe')  

By now we know that the Glad Heart is the heart that belongs to Jesus, the heart that lives inside the heart of God.

And the heavy heart is the heart that refuses to believe in, and does not belong to, Jesus. 

GLAD HEART

    Isaiah 51:11

So the redeemed of the LORD will return and enter Zion with singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee.

    Psalm 40:16

May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; may those who love Your salvation always say, "The LORD be magnified!"

    Revelation 22:3

No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be within the city, and His servants will worship Him.

HEAVY HEART

    Isaiah 13:6

Wail, for the Day of the LORD is near; it will come as destruction from the Almighty.

    Revelation 1:7

Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.

    Psalm 112:10

The wicked man will see and be grieved; he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the desires of the wicked will perish.

    Revelation 20:12, 15

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. And there were open books, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books.

And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

    Lord, may our hearts be turned to You. Lead us in Your Word, guide us with Your Holy Spirit. Bring us into Your kingdom, even as we pray for the repentance of they who have not yet done so. May we flourish in Your fields, doing the works which You have prepared for us to do.

    Let us linger in Your presence, giving our worship to You, gaining strength from You, that we may pursue the lost souls and reach them for You. Be glorified, Lord, in our praise and worship. 

    We the glad of heart rejoice in Your Name and seek Your face. As we humble ourselves and submit to Your will, have Your way in us. Do with us as You choose. We are Your willing vessels, surrendered hearts. 

    Though You call all people everywhere to repentance, we know, Lord, that too many will not choose You, but help us to reach as many as we can. Save our families, our friends, the strangers/foreigners among us and our enemies. 

    Fill each of us with Your Holy Spirit that we might walk this born again life with Your power. Draw us close to You that we might hear Your voice more clearly. 

    We rejoice in Your beauty, Your glory, Your presence, O Lord. For You are our Crown, our Savior, our King. Come, Lord Jesus, and fill this place even  now. 

    In Jesus' Name,

    Amen.

GLAD HEART/HEAVY HEART

At Your Feet

O Come To The Altar

Dead Man

Ocean Floor

Jesus Got Ahold Of My Life

Where We Belong 

The Last Song

Thanks Be To God - - For His Testimony

 

Psalm 19:7

The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the Testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 5715

Testimony: ordinances, warnings, witness

From the Hebrew word 'eduth' (pronounced ay-dooth')

Used 59 times in the Old Testament. 

Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 3141

Testimony: witness, reputation, evidence

From the Greek word 'marturia', (pronounced mar-too-ree'-ah)

Used 37 times in the New Testament.

Deuteronomy 4:1-6 reminds the people of God that obeying the laws which God had set up would lead them to (v1.) Live; gain entrance into the land He promised them and take possession of it. (v2) All laws must be followed, not just some of them. (v3) Reminded to remember the judgment God had against the people who did not obey His Law. (v4) They who had clung tightly to the LORD were they whom God let live. (v5) God's people had been taught the statutes and ordinances that they would follow them when they entered and possessed the land. (v6) [our primary verse here] Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding in the sight of the peoples, who will hear of all these statutes and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”

Job 28:28

And He said to man, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding."

1 John 5:9-11

9. Even if we accept human testimony, the testimony of God is greater. For this is the testimony that God has given about His Son.

10. Whoever believes in the Son of God has this testimony within him; whoever does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given about His Son.

11. And this is that testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

12. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

John 3:36

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.

John 3:14-18

14. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,

15. that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.

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.

17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

18. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

The Testimony of The LORD God is The Law Written On Stone Tablets, AND The Testimony of The LORD God is His only begotten Son Jesus Christ: The Living Word which is written on the hearts of we who believe that Jesus Christ Is LORD. 

Psalm 111:10

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do His commandments: His praise endures for ever.

Wisdom is to acknowledge that Jesus Christ is God's only begotten Son, to believe in one's heart that God sent Him to die a horrible death on the cross, thereby taking the punishment for our sins upon Himself. Wisdom is to fear the LORD, to be in awe of His majesty and His glory. And to be amazed and awestruck by His lovingkindness towards us who know we deserve no such grace, but are nonetheless very thankful that God's grace has been extended to us through His Son Jesus. 

Understanding is to repent and turn away from the evil we have done by not following God's commandments, by not believe that His Word is Faithful And True.

Understanding is to turn our backs on the sin-filled lifestyles we once lived before we accepted Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives; it is to follow the path of holiness which the Lord has laid out for us to walk in. We must simply read the Scriptures and pray about we are reading, that God would reveal to us Himself and what He wants us to know. The Book of John is a good place to start, if you are not sure where to start.

Whoever has Jesus has Life Eternal and will enter into the promised land which God has prepared for them. Whoever does not have Jesus has eternal death and will be disinherited.  

Dear God,

I am so very thankful that I answered Your call on my life. I am thankful that You tugged at my heart-strings and gently led me from a dark place into Your glorious Light. Father, forgive me of any and all unrighteous acts or words I may have misspoken this night and day. 

Lead me through Your Word to become the servant You want me to be that I may glorify Your Name in all that I say and do. May words of peace, words of hope, words of compassion and mercy, words of love flow through me into the ears and hearts of they who need to hear You. 

In Jesus' Name, I pray,
Amen

The Cross Has Two Sides

 

There are two sides to the cross: the front and the back. The front of the cross is the part we see when first we come to the cross. The eyes of our heart want to look away, for the sight before us is one of death and shame. 

Blood covers the cross where the body of Christ bled and died on it. It is a means of humiliation, torment and torture (Deuteronomy 21:23; Acts 5:30; Galatians 3:13) He was beaten so badly He was unrecognizable (Isaiah 52:14; Isaiah 53:2; Isaiah 50:6; Psalm 22). Yet the cross is known even to His enemies, for none can really take their eyes off of it. 

The Roman soldier who stood looking on at the Man who had been nailed to the cross, who stood where the blood was flowing, knew that here was a righteous man (Mark 15:39). 

If we listen to the Voice of Reason, which tells us this is where the Savior of the world died, then we can make our way to the back of the cross. But to get there we will have to go through the blood.

With our eyes wide open, and our hearts having received the knowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, we are able to walk through the blood which was shed for us and make our way to the other side of the cross. 

Death is not here. Shame is not here. We left those on the other side, under the blood. Life is here. Joy is here. Victory is here.  Jesus is here. He's not on the cross any longer. 

In the blood 

we are forgiven. 

For it is the blood of Christ which washes away all our sins, WHEN we repent. It is not enough to be sorry for what we have done wrong. It is not enough to be remorseful for our wrongdoings.

Even Judas was sorry for his actions. He saw the immediate results of his betrayal of his Friend. But he did not repent. He tried to give the money back. But he did not repent. 

Unless we repent of the sins we have committed against the Word of God, we will not be forgiven. We must go through the blood of Christ on the cross in order to walk out of the grave with Him. 

We cannot live a new life in Him unless we go through Him. 

I am forgiven. Every day I ask the Holy Spirit to search my heart and show me where I need to be washed clean. Then I repent and ask for help and strength to not commit the same crimes against God that I have already been forgiven for. And He helps me. 

If you don't already have it, you, too, can have this relationship with Jesus Christ. All you have to do is ask God for it. You will know the change when it happens. No fancy prayer, just talk to Him from your hearts. Like I did. 

 

Repent and Be Baptized

"The sermon preached in the power of the Holy Spirit invariably commanded men not only to repent, but to be baptized with the Holy Spirit." --Cortland Myers, 1909



In Matthew 3 we meet up with John the Baptist again, who is now calling men to repent and be baptized with water, for "the kingdom of heaven is at hand", meaning near. But what did he say a few days on?

Matthew 3:11-12 "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He that comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but will burn up the chaff with an unquenchable fire."

And who could do that? Jesus the only begotten Son of God, who must first go through a time of testing and temptations in the wilderness. Did He bring Himself there? No. Matthew 4:1 "Then was Jesus LED up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil." To prepare for that part of His journey Jesus fasted 40 days and 40 nights.

When He was hungry, He was tempted by the tempter to turn stone into bread. When the devil brought Him to Jerusalem (the holy city), he tempted Him to jump off the highest pinnacle of the temple to see if God's angels would catch Him. When the devil took Him to a very high mountain, showing Him all the kingdoms of the world in their glory, the tempter offered Jesus these if only Jesus would worship him.

But none of these temptations did Jesus give into. Not just because He is God's Son, The Lord Jesus Christ but because Jesus had the Holy Spirit with Him. As an example for us, Jesus showed us that WE CAN OVERCOME TEMPTATION when we have JESUS, THE WORD OF GOD, and THE HOLY SPIRIT of GOD upon us! That is exciting news!

And what were the first words out of His mouth afterwards? Matthew 4:17 "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." And while He made the rounds of the cities healing the sick, teaching in parables and raising the dead, He was forgiving sins, too, to the heart that sought Him in earnest.

Now, we move to Acts 1:4-5 "And being assembled together with them, He commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith He, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence."

Which brings us to Acts 2:1-4 wherein the 120 men and women are in the upper room fellowshipping and praying together waiting for the Promise of God to arrive. Fifty days after the Passover Sabbath had passed is the Day of Pentecost (Leviticus 23:15-16), the feast of weeks (Deuteronomy 16:10), the feast of harvest (Exodus 23:16), and the day of the firstfruits (Numbers 28:26).

Afterwards, these men and women went out into the city streets proclaiming the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ, with the power of the Holy Spirit. It is here in Acts 2:38 that we hear Peter say to us, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."

But this Promise/Blessing is not given just to them/us, Acts 2:39 "For the Promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." Whether 'afar off' means geographically or genealogically, that Promise is still active today; just as the call of God on our lives is!

So, today, we say "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. You and your children and those that are afar off."

----Oh, Father God, I repent of all my wicked ways, of the sins in my heart and my life. Have mercy on me and forgive me. Deliver me from an unrighteous lifestyle and lead me in Your Word. Give me Your gift of the Holy Ghost that I might walk and live in Your power. Teach me Your ways and Your will that I might never stray from You again. Fill me and feed me that I may not hunger for the things of this world but be content in You. Be glorified, O my God, in me. In Jesus' Name, Amen. And amen. ----

Redemption Through His Blood

If this photo or message offends you, we need to talk.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places (things) in Christ:
According as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He has made us accepted in the beloved.
In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.
Ephesians 1:3-7

For by grace are we saved through faith; and that not of ourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any one should boast.
Ephesians 2:8,9

You and I, our families, our neighbors, our communities, our enemies, the strangers among us have all been chosen BEFORE THE EARTH EVEN EXISTED to be a part of God's family. How AWESOME IS OUR GOD!! You have a place at God's table in God's home BECAUSE JESUS MADE A WAY for us to be with God His Father and with Himself.

God has chosen us to be holy and without blame. Us. Not of anything we did, but simply because He loves us EVEN BEFORE WE WERE BORN. Right here in these few verses in Ephesians we can see and read how much God loves us and how blessed we are in Him. Or rather, how blessed we could be in Him. See, if you believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God and that He died on the cross and God raised Him from the dead, then you have the spiritual blessings which are spoken of in the first verse I mentioned.

Still, if you have not yet believed, these blessings could be yours when you do. See, even the unbeliever has been called to salvation. For before we who believe became sons and daughters of God through the adoption by Jesus Christ into God's family, we, too, walked in darkness and were lost in sin. But God loves the whole world and desires that none be lost.
Having that desire to see all of mankind saved from eternal destruction within God's heart, then it is He who predestinates our calling into His plan of salvation through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ.

"According to the good pleasure of His will" It is God's will that all be saved. However, it is not man's will that they be saved. God cannot force a person to receive the gift He has offered. I can give you a present, but unless you accept it and open it, then you have not received it. Once opened, it is your responsibility to decide whether or not you will keep it and use it. The same goes for the gifts of God: you and I are responsible to accept the gift, it is our decision whether or not we will.

"To the praise of the glory of His grace" Amazing grace/how sweet the sound/that saved a wretch like me/I once was lost/but now I'm found/was blind/but now I see. Grace that is greater than all my sin, greater than all the sins of the world from time till time is no more. We sing about grace, we praise God for His grace, but do you know what the grace of God is?

The anagram of GRACE is: God's Riches At Christ's Expense. Grace is what keeps God from destroying the people who hate Him. Grace is what prevents us from dying in our sins. Grace is God's love in action through the life and death and life eternal of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ.

Grace is mercy and forgiveness and compassion and hope and love and allows us to repent of our sins against God and receive His forgiveness on those sins, never again remembering them. Do not think that God keeps reminding you of past sins; for He cannot as He does not remember them once He has forgiven you for them. It is Satan; his very name-Satan-means accuser. He accuses us constantly in his attempts to draw us away from God. The enemy loves to tear down God's people. However, if you have not repented of the sin that has come to your thoughts, it may well be that The Holy Spirit is bringing you under conviction and calling you to repent of those sins. And once you do, God will forgive you. And bring you one step closer to His side.

We are accepted by God in His beloved Son Jesus Christ. When we pray, we end every prayer with "in Jesus' Name" for a reason. God's Word has given us directions on how to pray to God so that our prayers get answered. Every direction begins and ends with Jesus Christ. We must be IN HIM first and foremost, for God to hear us at all. If you are not a believer, then you are not IN HIM at all. God answers the prayers of the righteous. WE do not determine righteousness: God does. Jesus is the righteousness which covers us when we believe. Upon belief, not only are we adopted into God's family, but we are now IN JESUS' NAME.

For IN HIS NAME is Righteousness; is Hope; is Peace; is Salvation; is Strength; is Love; is Wisdom; is Redeemer, Judge, Defender, Warrior, Savior. Look back to the studies I have sent you on JESUS NAME and you will begin to see through new eyes Who Jesus Is. It is why I began that study in the first place. When I say 'in Jesus' Name', I want to know what I am saying. I needed to fully understand and be aware of the impact of my words. For words have power in and of themselves. It is why we should think before we speak: words can break down and destroy; words can build up and restore.

"In Whom we have redemption through His blood" Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life though Jesus Christ our Lord. ~ Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. ~ Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and you shall call His Name JE'SUS: for He shall save His people from their sins. ~ Romans 3:23-25 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by His Grace through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation (atonement) through Faith in His Blood, to declare His Righteousness for the remission (pardon; forgiveness; mercy) of sins that are past, through the forbearance (patient endurance; choosing to not mete out judgment) of God. ~

What can wash away my sins? NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD OF JESUS.



So, did you enjoy our talk? Let's do this again some time. Love you. 

We Need The Blood of Jesus Christ

to wash away our sins. For

without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins....

It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens

should be purified with these; 

but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands,

which are the figures of the true;

but into the presence of God for us:

Nor yet that He should offer Himself often,

as the high priest enters into the holy place 

every year with the blood of others;

for then must He often have suffered 

since the foundation of the world:

But now once in the end of the world

has He appeared to put away sin by

the sacrifice of Himself.

And as it is appointed unto men once to die,

but after this the judgment:

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many;

and unto them that look for Him 

shall He appear the second time without sin

unto salvation.

Hebrews 9:22-28

....Repent, and be baptized every one of you in The Name of Jesus Christ 

for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift

of The Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you,

and to your children, and to all that are 

afar off, even as many as The Lord our God shall call...

Acts 2:38, 39

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.

John 3:16, 17

~Some churches have taken songs and hymns about the blood of Jesus Christ

out of their worship services. You know why?

Yep. It offends the people who come into these churches 

to hear about the blood which was shed by Christ on Calvary.~

Truth be told, if you are offended by the blood of Christ, 

then you are under conviction by The Holy Spirit of God, 

for your sins. You need to repent of your wicked ways

and turn your heart to God;

turn your face to the floor in humility 

and raise your hands in surrender:

TO GOD.

For it is God you have offended by your words,

by your actions. Better it would have been for you

had you not turned your back on God's gift 

to this world: His Son.

For the gift of God is freely given to all.

Yet, many reject this gift.

Many deny this gift was ever given.

Many do not believe that God even exists, 

therefore how can Christ's death and resurrection?

You are fools, the lot of you.

You need to repent.

Quickly now.

Before it  is too late.

Before your name is called

to the throne of judgment 

and you must need answer for 

your decision:

Accept Christ as God's only begotten Son

who was born for the sole purpose of 

shedding His blood on the cross

for the sins of the world,

and rising up out of the grave

into life ever lasting.

In His lifetime, Jesus

showed us how to overcome temptation;

draw close to God;

fast and pray;

forgive sin;

live a righteous and holy life;

heal the sick;

raise the dead; 

and

testify the gospel of salvation

to all the world. 

If we confess our sins {to GOD}, 

He is faithful and just to forgive us 

from all unrighteousness.

If we say that we have not sinned, 

we make Him a liar,

and His Word {JESUS} is not in us. 

1 John 1:9, 10

Jesus said to him, 

I am the way, the truth and the life:

no man comes to The Father, 

but by Me.

John 14:6

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise,

as some men count slackness;

but is longsuffering to us,

not willing that any should perish,

but that ALL should come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:9

For whosoever shall call upon The Name of The Lord

shall be saved.

Romans 10:13

The Blood by Carman

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.