The Christmas Gift...

*The Christmas gift *
Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

*The reason for the Christmas gift *
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. (John 3:16,17)

*The Christmas promise *
For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call upon Him; for "Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. (Romans 10:11-13)

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!  (2 Corinthians 9:15)

May your Christmas be filled with joy and hope and love as we celebrate the greatest gift of all......

The First Gift of Christmas….

What is the first gift of Christmas? 

His presence! 

The promise fulfilled… 

Emmanuel - God with us… 

His glory revealed to all mankind…the veil torn asunder… 

The unfolding of God's gift of redemption and restoration… 

Salvation! 

Rejoice…for the Lord has come! 

Christmas ponderments:

May the joy and hope of the Christmas season bring you ever closer to Jesus Christ our Lord - who is the joy and hope of the world…and the only reason that we celebrate the season

May our souls magnify Him as we celebrate our Messiah's coming as was promised from the foundations of the world…for God so loved the world

Rejoice, the Lord has come - Emmanuel, God with us...and He shall be exalted and His name lifted high forever and ever

Luke 2:13-14 

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."

Have we seen Him high and lifted up?

How do you see the Lord? Is He really high and lifted up or is He just a part of your religious tradition? Is He Lord of all of your life or the lord of last resort? A Savior you can't live without or a hazard insurance policy in the event of a disaster? The Lord who is high and lifted up or the special Christmas and Easter visitor?

As we begin the Advent season might we all ponder upon the words from this worship song that we sing at Christmas time - Oh come let us adore Him, oh come let us adore Him, oh come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

We adore Him as the babe in the manger but do we also adore Him as the risen Lord of life Who is high and lifted up - the Messiah who came to redeem us with His ultimate sacrifice and is now seated at the right hand of God, the King of Kings who is coming again…oh come let us adore Him.

And we'll praise His Name forever…

Worthy is our God -

You are my God, and I give thanks to You; You are my God, I extol You

O LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name

I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well

I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me, And You have become my salvation

Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name…

And, in giving Him thanks...

And, in giving Him thanks, may we bless Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength -

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His loving-kindness is everlasting

With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the LORD; And in the midst of many I will praise Him

I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms

Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name

…in everything give thanks…

it is November....lets give thanks

In the month of November may we experience a renewed focus in our spiritual lives bringing with it an abundant offering of our heartfelt thanksgiving to our Lord - culminating in our Thanksgiving day celebration…

Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name… Psalms 140:13

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His loving-kindness is everlasting… Psalms 118:1

All Your works shall give thanks to You, O LORD, And Your godly ones shall bless You… Psalms 145:10

THANKSGIVING: eucharistia - gratitude; actively grateful language to God, as an act of worship -  appreciation, recognition, credit, pleased, blessing 

Truth - what does it matter….

Are you open to the Spirit of Truth or are you holding fast to the wisdom of man and this world…

But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth (John 16:13)

God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:24-25)

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. (1 Cor 2:14-15)

The wisdom of man and this world is foolishness to God... 

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God (1 Cor 3:19)

The foolishness of man ruins his way, And his heart rages against the LORD. (Prov 19:3)

May we set our hearts and minds to seek and to dwell in the Spirit of Truth as we minister to this lost and dying world…..

Only fear the LORD and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you (1 Sam 12:24)

The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. (Ps 145:18)                                                                                                                                             Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. (1 John 3:18)

Truth for ponderment

…apart from Him nothing…

As we consider our lives as believers in Christ Jesus our Lord and look at the relationship that we have with Him does this truth resonate in our lives? He truly is our all in all and apart from Him there is nothing!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. (John 1:1-3)

It Is Time....

Kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord

Join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God

Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity

Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus

Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you. 

(2^nd Timothy 1)

Hard hearts….

How do our hearts become so hardened and calloused? How can we allow the grace and truth of the Lord to break through the hardness?  Are we even able to allow the Spirit to soften our hard heart? 

There is so much evil around us today we seem to have become more and more calloused...we need refreshing, we need our heart's renewed...we need Your voice Lord to break through all the chatter and distraction that is this world - and then we need to listen and follow You!

Saints of the living Lord rise up and stand firm in this spiritual battle that rages around us…do not be deceived...arise up and put on our weapons of warfare. ..prepare for battle....raise up holy hands to worship and beseech the glory of the Lord to reign down upon us....

And may our hearts be softened with the anointing of His Holy Spirit. 

Where we stand

In our new 'era of change' our world has not become a better place. It is as if I am able to only stand idly by and watch as evil moves steadily against the souls of man. An evil that is supported by those who have been blinded by its allure and overcome by its promise of power and control. And man shall gain the world yet lose his soul.

We are called to stand against the wiles of the enemy - to call them out and use the weapons of warfare that Christ has armed us with in the power of His Spirit. But the battle persists, it has become more fierce and weariness has begun to take its toll. One can begin to understand why Elijah ran and hid in a cave!

And yet the battle is the Lord's…and His victory is assured. Lord provide me with the faith, the strength and the perseverance to stand in Your victory.

Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Do we focus more on the do's or the don'ts!

Focusing more on the don'ts (or the thou shall not) leaves less time to be the witness that we are called to be…so, instead of following the path that can lead to the practice of religious dogma let us instead take the path that leads us to a vibrant relationship with Christ - doing what He desires that we do, what we have been called to do, what we have been empowered to do!

It starts with the greatest commandments - love the Lord your God with all that you are and love your neighbor as yourself - notice they are both 'do's'…not 'don'ts'!

As to the Lord: let us rejoice that He is the Great I Am, praising Him, giving Him thanks and honor and glory, resting in Him, seeking after Him, trusting in Him, walking with Him…behold your redeemer has come, your deliverer lives!

As to the people around us (our neighbors): let us be fully grace and truth dispensers in all facets of our lives, loving your neighbor as Christ loves you, sharing your faith, hope and love - the whole message of this life!

And do not be dismayed if you come up against trials and persecutions for His Word tells us - "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you." (John 15:18-19)

Little children, do let the love of Christ richly dwell within you. 

Unless the Lord....

Without a strong foundation a house will not stand especially during times of stress….and we are a house (our country) that is resting on a foundation that has been cracked and is crumbling apart…in essence, we no longer have a firm foundation on which our country can stand. And our watchmen (our leaders) no longer seek after the Lord nor do they fully trust in Him…thus their watch is fraught with futility.

Unless the Lord builds the house (and He is our foundation) we labor in vain…Unless the Lord guards the city the watchmen watch in vain…

Psalm 127:1 Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain. 

The war is waging on….

We are in a battle whether we know it or not - whether we want to admit it or not! And the battle is becoming far more fierce. This war is not of flesh and blood but of principalities in the spiritual realm. We must awaken to the wiles that the enemy is working in this world and battle according to the Word of Truth with the Sword of the Spirit. The darkness continues to force its way, creating fear and confusion for those who seek the Light of Truth. We must stand firm in faith, empowered by His truth and filled with His grace. 

which Jesus do you follow?

How did we do today?

How did we honor and bless the Lord today?

How did His grace and truth flow through us to a lost and dying world today?
Did we fully surrender to the leading of the Holy Spirit today?                                                    

Did we pick up our cross and follow Him?

…choose for yourselves today whom you will serve…but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

(Joshua 24)

Who are they….

They are gracious and yet filled with truth

They honor their Lord while living out their compassion for those who do not know Him

They are like aliens and sojourners in the land for they live here yet they look forward with anticipation to their eternal home

A people set apart by their God who willingly share His grace and truth with those they do not know

Always seeking to bless those around them so they might in turn bless their Lord

They are led by their growing faith, filled with hope in their Savior

They are over-comers in all of life because He first loved them

They are filled with the power of the Spirit and wage war in the spiritual realm

They enter into the Holy of Holies by the blood of the Lamb and worship their Redeemer

They are true followers of Jesus Christ…are you one of them?

as we walk....

As we walk in our world today might we put on the 'eyes and mind of the Lord' as we consider what we do as well as what goes on around us….

Proverbs 6:16-19

There are six things which the LORD hates,

Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him:

Haughty (arrogant, conceited) eyes,

a lying tongue,

And hands that shed innocent blood,

A heart that devises wicked plans,

 Feet that run rapidly to evil,

A false witness who utters lies,

And one who spreads strife among brothers.

May the grace and truth and love of Christ abound in our lives this and every day….

faith....

hope...

Our world is lost without hope…

Be a faithful messenger of hope to this lost world…the true hope that is found only in Christ Jesus our Lord…

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope…   1 Tim 1:1

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.    Rom 15:13

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.   Heb 6:19-20

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  1 Peter 1:3-5

Overwhelmed Yet Not Defeated

The darkness of the age seemingly overwhelms my senses

I see and hear and experience the evil that pervades throughout the world each day

All about me the Light of Truth continues to be rejected more and more by a world lost in confusion, obsessed with its own wisdom, indulging in its own arrogance

And the heavy cloud of darkness invades with its oppressive presence and the world is unaware, hardened by its self-absorption and distracted by its worldly agendas

Yet, the darkness of evil will reveal itself fully as it cannot hide from the Light of Truth

And as the darkness is fully unveiled the Light shall begin to shine more brightly for the Light which is Grace and Truth overcomes the darkness

Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world….do not fear or be dismayed for I, the Lord Jesus Christ, have overcome the world and you, My children, are more than conquerors 

The Refiner's Fire

The refining process hastens forward

Who will stand for Him…

and who will stand in idleness…

and who will stand against Him…

this is the work that is being done to bring forth His bride in purity and devotion.

Refiner's Fire

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lBhvTAfmIk

God's Word to His people...

God's Word to His people from the book of the prophet Jeremiah:

I spoke to you in your prosperity; but you said, 'I will not listen!' This has been your practice from your youth, that you have not obeyed My voice.

But your eyes and your heart are intent only upon your own dishonest gain, and on shedding innocent blood and on practicing oppression and extortion.

This admonition was to the nation of Israel but it also speaks truth in our time!

Lord God Almighty may we seek after You with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength and may we bless You as we desire to honor Your Word…

We beseech You to not remove Your lamp stand from our midst and that we may regain what has been lost - our first love…

We urgently need Your grace and truth and wisdom and the Spirit's infilling to lead us in this time…

(Jeremiah 22:17, 22)

Daily Blessings

As you awake each morning and begin each new day, what are you planning in your mind as your goals/focus for that day?

As I was pondering upon life in these days of ours and thinking about all of the struggles, frustration, anxiety, worry, hurriedness, discouragement, tension and stress that just seems to be the norm, I began to wonder - what if we would set as our primary goal/focus for each day that we bless the Lord by focusing on blessing others - in word and deed by His grace and truth?

Holy Spirit quicken us that we might have eyes to see, ears to hear and a heart to react to the opportunities that the Lord brings our way to bless people as we walk each day upon this earth.

Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless His Holy Name….

Psalm 103:1-5 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

Psalm 115:18 But as for us, we will bless the LORD From this time forth and forever. Praise the LORD!

Psalm 129:8 "The blessing of the LORD be upon you; We bless you in the name of the LORD."

Proverbs 11:11 By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted

1 Peter 3:8-10 To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD  Psalm 33:1

Light shines and the darkness did not comprehend it...

Light shines and the darkness did not comprehend it  (John 1)

The Light still shines in the darkness and the world still does not comprehend it…Jesus is the Light…He is grace and truth…and without Him no one is redeemed from the darkness.

Holy Spirit come and illuminate those who do not comprehend the light with the grace and truth of Jesus…..so that those who are lost in the darkness of this world may be redeemed. 

Know Me Better….

Is it our desire to understand and know the Lord - to know Him better? To be led by the Holy Spirit into an ever closer relationship with Him? For that is what He desires - that we daily walk and talk with Him! 

Or does our flesh and our pride and the trappings of this world take precedence - our wisdom, our strength, our riches? 

In what (who) do we boast? 

Jeremiah 9:23-24  Thus says the LORD, " Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches;

but let him who boasts boast of this,

that he understands and knows Me,

that I am the LORD who exercises loving-kindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the LORD.

Go, Stand, Speak….

Go, Stand, Speak….

The whole message of this life….that is what we are to be about…sharing the grace and truth of Christ with a lost and dying world…

Go
Stand 
Speak
To the people 
the Whole message of this Life...

Acts 5:20

A call to the body of Christ in America:

Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.

The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.

You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God?

Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Submit therefore to God.

Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.

Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

From the book of James chapters 3 and 4 

Ponderments:

May we have the eyes to see people as Jesus sees them and not as our natural eyes do…

IN this world we are to love our neighbor, yet we are not to be OF this world - do not be conformed but be transformed by the power of His grace and truth…

We are to be His light in this world of darkness, does the light of Jesus shine through you?

The Light of grace and truth? The Light of life? 

thirst......

What do we thirst for?

More of His love, more of His joy, more of His peace, more of His hope, more of His truth, more of His righteousness, more of His holiness, more of His grace…more of Him.

OR

More of the world, more pleasing of our flesh, more power, more control, more personal gratification, more money, more and more stuff…more of our self.

Let....

Let  love be without hypocrisy.

Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.

Be  devoted to one another in brotherly love;

give preference to one another in honor;

not lagging behind in diligence,

fervent in spirit,

serving the Lord;

rejoicing in hope,

persevering in tribulation,

devoted to prayer,

contributing to the needs of the saints,

practicing hospitality.

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

(Romans 12:9-13 and Romans 15:13)

Faith, hope, love...

As we walk in faith we begin to grow in trust…

as we grow in trust we begin to understand His grace,

as we understand His grace we begin to understand His hope,

as we understand His hope we begin to rest in His love…

faith, hope and love - the greatest of these is love…

1 Cor 13:13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

two things...

Although my memory's fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.  

John Newton (former slaver, pastor, composer of Amazing Grace)

Can we hear the watchmen?

Ezek 33:7 "Now as for you, son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a message from My mouth and give them warning from Me

Ezek 33:10 "Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, 'Thus you have spoken, saying, "Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we are rotting away in them; how then can we survive?"'

Ezek 33:11 "Say to them, ' As I live!' declares the Lord GOD, 'I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways!

Ezek 33:17 "Yet your fellow citizens say, 'The way of the Lord is not right,' when it is their own way that is not right.

Hope….

Where are we without it?

Where does our hope come from?

Our hope comes from the Lord…

If we hope in ourselves we are surely lost…if we hope in man we are seeking in futility…if we hope in the world we are searching in darkness…for the True Light has come to bring hope to man in a world that is filled with the darkness of despair.

Lord Jesus, You illuminate the darkness of our circumstances and the chaotic confusion of our world, giving hope for the future.  (Anne Graham Lotz)

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

Our thoughts of the Lord God Almighty…

How have our finite minds dealt with an infinite God?

How have our experiences and teaching built our 'picture/caricature' of who God is? And how much of our 'picture' is truly based upon His revelation of Himself to His creation through His Word?

How well do we know and understand His revealed attributes - who He is? And how He has chosen to reveal Himself to His creation? Dwelling upon His revelation (His word) and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us unto all of His truth is where we need to be.

The mind of the creation's ability to totally comprehend an un-comprehendible Creator generates friction with man's desire to know and understand all things - especially in regard to the miraculous mysteries of creation, life and eternity!

And yet this infinite God calls out to His children longingly and lovingly saying "know Me better"…

In Your Light...

In Your light we see light (Psalm 36:9)

            Without light there is no life

            Without the light there is only darkness

In His light is the fountain of life

He is the light of the world

May we ever so boldly shine His light in this world that so struggles with the darkness….

The Passover Lamb of God

As another Passover is celebrated 
The foreshadowing of what was to come 
Celebrating a future fulfillment of the promise 
A promise made from the foundation of the world 
The Passover Lamb of God 
 
His broken body would be pierced for our transgressions 
He would be crushed for our iniquities 
By His scourging we would be healed 
He would be poured out even to death for our sin 
His blood would be shed to overcome death’s sting 
The Passover Lamb of God 
 
And yet, He was despised and forsaken of men 
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief 
And like one from whom men hide their face 
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him 
The Passover Lamb of God 
 
The Righteous One who came to serve 
His sacrifice made, the price paid that many might be set free 
Redemption accomplished through an act of His loving-kindness 
Grace and mercy interceding for our transgressions 
The Passover Lamb of God 
 
Salvation is among us, liberty and life anew 
Rejoice for He has risen, Rejoice for He is alive 
Our Passover Lamb of God 
Our Redeemer, Our Savior, Our Lord 
Jesus 

He knows our frame...

Our Father in heaven knows our frame and remembers that we are dust. He knew our inborn treachery, and for His own sake engaged to save us. His only begotten Son, when He walked among us, felt our pains in their naked intensity of anguish. His knowledge of our afflictions and adversities is more than theoretic; it is personal, warm, and compassionate. Whatever may befall us, God knows and cares as no one else can.

A.W. Tozer

struggling with the world...

In struggling with what is going on in our world today - the lawlessness, the quest for power and control, the evil that seems to abound everywhere, the self-centered focus, the truth ignored and disregarded - it is easy to get caught up in it all and become stuck in a quagmire of anxiousness while slowly losing hope…

But as I ponder upon this I am reminded of Jesus' words "My yoke is easy and my burden is light" and as we walk in this world and continue to struggle with what is happening around us may we set our path on the following:

Help me Father God to keep the focus where it should be - on You and not on this world and its ways.

Help me Lord Jesus to be a light to the lost and a discipler to other believers.

Help me Holy Spirit to be a faithful and loving husband to my wife and a devoted father to my children.

AND lead me to pray in faith at all times…

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. (1 John 5:4)

Matthew 11:28-30 Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.  "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

The spirit of deceit

The spirit of deceit has become a powerful spirit in our country today gaining 
much ground over the people of this land. Lies and purposeful deceit have become 
acceptable practice in our daily lives. A darkness of deceit is overtaking a 
land that once had highly esteemed truth and honesty and integrity. We see it in 
the media, we see it in our political leaders, we see it in businesses and 
individuals, we even see it within the church. 'Therefore justice is far from 
us, And righteousness does not overtake us; We hope for light, but behold, 
darkness, for brightness, but we walk in gloom.' (Isaiah 59:9) 
 
The only answer to combating this blight of darkness that grows upon the land is 
the Light which is the Grace and Truth of Jesus…where the True Light shines, the 
darkness is overcome. 

Falling down around us…

It seems that in our day we are just falling apart at the seams in all facets of 
life. The normal has been replaced with the abnormal. Issues and struggles and 
trials and tribulations seem to abound in every component of life. Truth is 
reviled and self glorification is honored. Good is evil and evil is good…every 
man does what is right in his own eyes…we have become complete lovers of 
self…and yet we are unable to truly see how desperately evil is the heart of 
man! 
 
The uncircumcised heart is unable to see the truth of this world and is 
comfortable living in the darkness. Only the heart that has been made new, a 
heart of stone replaced with a heart of flesh - a new creation, becomes aware of 
the darkness that pervades our world. And this new creation (lead by the Holy 
Spirit) begins to understand that all the answers to the issues of this life - 
the struggles, trials, tribulations, evil, overcoming the darkness - are found, 
not in man's wisdom, but in the relationship with the Giver of Life. And because 
of this relationship we have become His Light - a city set on a hill to shine a 
light from out of the darkness. 
 
As believers in Christ, the new creations that we have become, we must stand 
firm (through the power of the Holy Spirit that is in us) against the mounting 
darkness of this world and understand that ONLY the Light of Christ working in 
people's hearts will make a difference - and we are called to boldly, 
unashamedly and unreservedly shine His Light in this world of darkness. 
 
May we let His amazing Light shine through us before all people…as we abound in 
His grace and truth. 

May we have.....

Psalm 37 instructs us to:

            Trust in the Lord

            Delight yourself in the Lord

            Commit your way to the Lord

            Rest in the Lord

            Wait for the Lord

May we have -

Faith to wait to hear His voice 
Trust to stand firm in His grace and truth with perseverance             
Resolve to act when we hear His still small voice

An Overcomer

An Overcomer….in and through Christ alone. Yes I am - as a child of the King of Kings!

Lord Jesus, You have overcome the world…and by Your blood I can walk in Your victory…give me faith to see and hope to persevere and grace to walk this walk.

But the flesh fights for survival and the ability to reign each day…my spirit struggles to seek after You in all that I do…and the world hearkens with its seductive call luring me into its darkness - the battle rages on.

You call out…You send Your Spirit…You are the Victor…and You lift me out of the mire…You place me under the shadow of Your wings…and hide me safely in Your mighty fortress…an Almighty God is my Lord.

Be strong and courageous for the Lord my God is with me…I shall stand in Your victory!

1 John 5:4  For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith.

John 16:33  In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.

1 John 4:4  You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

Rev 3:21-22  He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 

Intimacy has been corrupted….

God's wonderful design and plan for intimacy between a husband and wife has been corrupted by the ways of the world - and the enemy's hand is written all over the corruption! The strong desires that emanate from the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh have become the focus of what intimacy is supposed to look and act like. Intimacy has been commoditized, marketed and made a function of self-satisfaction (the devil's handiwork - taking something God has made beautiful and turning it into something that becomes self focused). 

It is has been transformed from its originally created beauty and is being used as a source of power and control in our world which has resulted in generating a negative effect on the human condition.

God's design for intimacy is based upon trust, admiration, closeness, mutual enjoyment - it is a true and unique component of unconditional love that one has for one another - and the two shall become one flesh. I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine…and God said it is good!

Song of Solomon 6:3 I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine…

Playing in the game

While coaching youth basketball one of the key elements that I try to impress upon the kids is that while you are on the court, during the game, if you are standing and watching the game you might as well be sitting on the bench! You are no help to your team if you are watching the game instead of being actively involved in the playing of the game - no matter what your level of talent. I even challenged my son that each time I saw him 'watching' the game I would charge him a quarter! It is very easy to watch the game go by but it takes effort and determination and perseverance and even sacrifice to actively play the game.

As I pondered upon this it made me think about the body of Christ and how we spend quite a bit of our time watching the game…we are not actively involved in this game of life that we have been called to play i.e. spreading the gospel and making disciples! Just as with basketball, if you are just watching the game you are actually helping the other team (the enemy) by your non-involvement. No matter what your gifting or talents or maturity in the Lord are we are all called to be actively engaged players in this game of life.

I would encourage all who call Jesus Christ Lord to get in the game - don't watch as if you were on the sidelines - you have been selected to play on the first string team - His team…get out there and allow the Holy Spirit to give you strength and power and discernment along with His grace and truth to actively play this game of life and battle against the enemy! We are on the winning team and lives are waiting to be touched for His glory. 

ever increasing faith...

It was said of Caleb that he “followed me [the Lord] wholly” (Numbers 14:24). He 
never wavered to the very end. Solomon wavered in his later years and “he went 
not fully after the Lord.” But at 85 years of age, Caleb could testify: “As yet 
I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me; as my strength 
was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in” 
(Joshua 14:11). 
 
The message is glorious! It is this: It is not enough to have died to sin—to 
have entered fullness sometime in the past. The need is to grow in the Lord to 
the end! To keep your spiritual power and strength—to not waiver, to “wholly 
follow the Lord”—even in old age! 
 
It should be an ever-increasing faith. 
 
David Wilkerson