Category: Assurance

In Christ Alone

From the Catholic faith comes this beautiful prayer, called St. Patrick’s Breastplate, from which I pulled this excerpt:

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through the belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.
I arise today.

God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,

God’s host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.

I am not Catholic, because I know that the only intercession I need with God comes through Jesus Christ, not a man. No matter what church name is over the door, it is the belief in Jesus’ saving Grace that we need in our lives. If the Catholic Church, or Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Church of Christ or of God, Southern Baptist or any other Baptist, or Methodist, teaches that the only way to God is through His Son Jesus Christ, that’s all that matters to me. The LORD will judge people’s hearts, not me.

This prayer touches my heart, and I pray that it touches many others. It reminds me of the 23rd Psalm, “The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want… ”

Paul wrote to the Ephesians on the power of faith and prayer:

“When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the FATHER, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit.

Then CHRIST will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His Love is. May you experience the Love of CHRIST, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from GOD.

Now all glory to GOD, Who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to Him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever!AMEN.” – Ephesians 3:14‭-‬21 (http://bible.com/116/eph.3.14-21.NLT)

Words of Life

What a wonderful, life and love filled world it would be if we could just follow a few simple words!

“Children, obey your parents because you belong to the LORD, for this is the right thing to do. “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.” Parents, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them …. ” Ephesians 6:1-4 NLT

Simple words, easy to understand; not always easy to follow when the parents don’t honor the LORD with their lives. I know so many struggling people, in church, in the recovery programs, and in life, whose parents were far beyond anything worth honoring. Parents who sold their children for sex, parents who abused and brutalized them, even parents who used their own children in satanic rituals. It’s incredible that a parent could treat their child in these ways. Difficult to believe? Absolutely. Even witnessing the physical scars and permanent injuries, and seeing how hard it is for these children, who are now adults, share their stories…. first one-on-one, and then in small, safe groups of people with similar backgrounds, I find it almost impossible to comprehend that a parent could even imagine abusing their child in such a way. Yes, it’s incomprehensible, but it is real.

How do you tell a woman who has been abused her entire life by her earthly father, and often her mother as well, that there is a heavenly Father Who loves her beyond measures? A Father Who will protect her soul for eternity? I have a couple of friends who struggle greatly with this. For one whose parents sold her as a sex slave, and another who was forced to participate in horrific satanic rituals and sacrifices, it’s almost impossible to comprehend a loving Father. So many women (and men) use sex to cover the pain. It becomes a power thing, where she (or he) controls the act, and can even offer a fleeting few moments of physical pleasure. It is a brutal addiction that Satan capitalizes on. He thrives on the pain and addiction, and pushes for more. He is the father of lies and deceit, and he promises the pain will go away if the addict does as he whispers to them. He feeds the lies that she/he is worthless for anything other than the continued abuse. To stop the voices, many sex addicts use alcohol and drugs alongside the sex. Suicide beckons as a permanent escape.

I know that the only escape from the vicious cycle is to surrender everything to Jesus. Stop fighting Him and let Him have the burden. One particular friend wrote that she was tired of fighting, and tired of the constant struggle. I can only encourage her to stop fighting. Stop the struggle. I know it is almost impossible for her to see past the hurt of the past, but I also know that until we let go of the past, we can never move forward. It’s okay to mourn babies we never got to hold or only held for a very short time (and I believe we have to mourn in order to let go) and it’s okay to mourn loved ones who have passed on. There is a season to mourn, and then we must begin to live. She has been holding on to the tragedies and losses of her past so tightly, and for some long, she doesn’t know how to let go.

Come to Jesus, girlfriend. Let Him have your burdens. Open your hands and your heart and allow Him in to clear out the cobwebs. It’s okay to grieve, but move on to the good memories and live life in the now instead of in the past. Revenge is not the answer. Prayer and praise for our deliverance, and thankfulness for our salvation… these are the answer. Come to Jesus.

“Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.” – Romans 15:4 NLT

CREDITS:

John Lawton, for his glorious, happy paintings; and

http://bible.com for the Scriptures.

The Most High

Be honest. Do you believe in a being who could create everything out of nothing, or do you believe in the Big Bang? There’s a joke I recently heard about God and some evolutionary scientists. As they were discussing which was correct, evolution or creation, they decided to have a contest to see who could create a man. The scientists took a handful of mud in order to begin, and God said “Hold on. Use your own mud!” I love this, because it showcases the difference between creation and evolution.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” – Genesis 1:1 (http://bible.com/116/gen.1.1.NLT)

Simply, eloquently, stated.

“But why is there such destruction and pain and suffering on the earth? How could God allow children to be abused and neglected?” When God created man, He gave them free will. He didn’t want puppets or ‘yes men,’ He wanted us to choose to love Him and to have fellowship with Him. Just look around you. If you are hosting a party or other gathering, and there is a person who is clearly unhappy about being there, how does that make you feel? Our goal as host is to ensure that everyone is enjoying the fellowship and interaction with us. That’s why God gave us free will. He doesn’t force anyone to interact with him. Adam and Eve decided they were better suited to determining what was best for themselves; much more than God, and so they chose to be disobedient and eat the one forbidden fruit… thanks, guys! They had an entire garden (we’re talking acres and acres here!) of the most incredible, delicious fruits to eat, and they decide they just have to have the one, single fruit God said to leave alone. That says a lot about our human ability to make good choices!!

Thankfully, the Lord Creator God gave us a means of rescue from our ancestors poor choice.

“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my Refuge, my Place of Safety; He is my God, and I trust Him.” – Psalms 91:1‭-‬2 (http://bible.com/116/psa.91.1-2.NLT)

The MOST High; Creator, Savior, Almighty God; LORD of All…

Greater Things

What a contrast. As I was watching a newscast of the destruction in Puerto Rico from the latest hurricane, Chris Tomlin came on the radio with this song. Take a moment, and in light of hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, and the floods in the floods in India and Pakistan; the massive earthquakes in Mexico, and the threat of war from North Korea, really focus on his words.

God of This City

Chris Tomlin

”

You’re the God of this city
You’re the King of these people
You’re the Lord of this nation
You are

You’re the Light in this darkness
You’re the Hope to the hopeless
You’re the Peace to the restless
You are

There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this city
Greater thing have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this city

You’re the God of this City
You’re the King of these people
You’re the Lord of this nation
You are

You’re the Light in this darkness
You’re the Hope to the hopeless
You’re the Peace to the restless
You are

There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

For greater things have yet to come
And greater…”

As the darkness descends in our world, we are seeing record storms and record famines and record floods. We have dictators who seem bent on world destruction. In the United States, we have violence and looting of our neighbors, conflict between the police and the people, and we are being overwhelmed by illegal immigrants who have no desire to come into the country legally. We have politicians who are more concerned with their personal gain than the care of the people who elected them. Politicians and pro athletes and Hollywood actors who blatantly disrespect our flag and our country.

Do you believe that the Bible is the Word of God, given to us for our instruction? I do. After you read these verses, tell me, does it sound like what’s happening on the earth now?

“When the Lamb broke the second seal, I heard the second living being say, “Come!” Then another horse appeared, a red one. Its rider was given a mighty sword and the authority to take peace from the earth. And there was war and slaughter everywhere.

When the Lamb broke the third seal, I heard the third living being say, “Come!” I looked up and saw a black horse, and its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice from among the four living beings say, “A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley will cost a day’s pay. And don’t waste the olive oil and wine.”

When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living being say, “Come!” I looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green. Its rider was named Death, and his companion was the Grave. These two were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease and wild animals.” – Revelation 6:3‭-‬8 (http://bible.com/116/rev.6.3-8.NLT)

As frightening as these predictions are, there is hope for followers of Jesus Christ. Check out these verses!

“After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!” – Revelation 7:9‭-‬10 (http://bible.com/116/rev.7.9-10.NLT)

Salvation only comes from the Lamb, the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!

Food, Glorious Food!

“The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” – Matthew 4:4 (http://bible.com/116/mat.4.4.NLT)

Can you imagine not eating for 40 days? No food, no snacks. I don’t know about you, but most days I have trouble going 6 hours without at least a snack, let alone 24 hours, or a week. 40 days. That’s what Jesus did, and He did it with intention. The scriptures tell us that He did this before He began His ministry, but also this: “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.” – Matthew 4:1 (http://bible.com/116/mat.4.1.NLT)

He went out specifically to be tempted, and Satan did his best to cause Jesus to give in. He tempted Jesus with hot bread after all those days without food. For me, the smell of bread, fresh out of the oven, is incredibly tempting. Even if I have just eaten, a hot roll or slice of hot bread is hard to resist. Just smelling it makes my stomach rumble in anticipation! When the hot bread didn’t work, Satan went on to another temptation, the ability to fly, really, because he knew – and Jesus knew – that His angels would prevent Him from hitting the ground. I’ve dreamed of flying across the country, and it would be another great temptation for me to submit to. Finally, Satan shows Jesus the world.

“Next the devil took Him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to You,” he said, “if You will kneel down and worship me.” – Matthew 4:8‭-‬9 (http://bible.com/116/mat.4.8-9.NLT)

Imagine! You are offered the chance to rule the entire earth; could you resist? Really? We know that God created the earth, and that ultimately He will rebuild and reshape it into the perfection it was in the beginning. For now, though, and since Adam and Eve, God the Almighty has allowed Satan to rule because of their choices. So Jesus was offered the world…. He knew that Satan was and is the ultimate liar. Even so, it had to be tempting to take back the world in that instant. Jesus, through all of His temptations, gives us the words to get past the temptations we face daily.

“Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the LORD your GOD and serve only Him.’ ” – Matthew 4:10 (http://bible.com/116/mat.4.10.NLT)

Are you faced with a specific temptation today? I encourage you to pray about it, and to let the enemy know you recognize his tricks. Saying the words out loud can be a powerful tool. Satan and his minions can’t see into our heads or know our thoughts, but they have had years, centuries, to learn faces and behavior patterns. Be vocal against the enemy! Call him out, and let Jesus in so that He can stand with you against Satan.

Infinitely, Awesome, Epic …. etcetera

I get so tired of hearing these words. They have lost their true meanings by being trivialized in our every day conversation.

“Don’t say infinitely when you mean very; otherwise you’ll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.” – #CSLewis

“Oh, that’s infinitely better. What an awesome job. Wow, that’s epic, dude.”

How about this: “The heavens are infinitely bigger than we can imagine. We serve an awesome God, Who in His infinite wisdom has chosen humanity to serve and to be served by Him. The new Heaven and the new Earth will be epic for followers of Jesus. God created the Grand Canyon and the Himalayas with such epic proportions that they leave us breathless and on awe.”

Starting to understand? These 3 words convey so much when used properly. Sometimes, a simple gasp at the sight of the incredible and unmatchable scenery God created for us to view and experience is somehow more appropriate than words. This song tells it so well:

How Great Thou Are

Oh LORD my God
When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds
Thy hands have made
I see the stars
I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout
The universe displayed
Then sings my soul
My Savior, God, to Thee
How great thou art
How great thou art
Then sings my soul
My Savior, God, to Thee
How great Thou art
How great Thou art

Our LORD is Infinite, He is Epic, and He is Awesome. I am so glad to be His child! Can I get an Amen today?

Coincidence, or God?

3 years ago today, I posted the following on my Facebook page. 3 days ago, I used that same verse – I had no idea it was going to pop-up in my memories today!

“Psalms 27:14 says to “Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.”

What a beautiful, and difficult, verse! We want what we want, NOW. No pain, no sorrow, no hardships.

I want my mom’s eyes to be fixed. I want my friend to not have anymore back pain. I want another friend to be well, and her daughter to be delivered from the prison of debilitating physical pain and emotional bondage. I want my nieces delivered from the physical illnesses they battle. For my friends and family to be whole and well.

God often has other plans; plans that are beautiful…. If we just let Him be in control. “Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.” Amen!”

My mom’s eyes are much better; my friend had surgery and has no more back pain. My nieces are much healthier. God is still in control! We have new issues to deal with; financially and physically, but we know that no matter what we are dealing with, God is with us.

“Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding.” – Isaiah 40:28 (http://bible.com/116/isa.40.28.NLT)

That’s the promise He gives us!

I NEED You, LORD

There’s a hymn we used to sing in church, “I Need Thee Every Hour.” It was written by Annie S. Hawks in 1872, a song that we could all relate to if we just admit our losses and failures. See if you agree.

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;

No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.

I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;

Temptations lose their pow’r when Thou art nigh.

I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;

Come quickly and abide, or life is vain.

I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;

And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.

I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;

Oh, make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son.

Oh, yes, I need Him to make sense of the chaos and difficulties, the stumbles and falters, the failures I experience. I was in many ways more fortunate than most. I had an earthly Father who believed and practiced following Christ to the best of his ability, and a mother who made sure we were fed and dressed and well-mannered. We attended church services every Sunday and Wednesday; our churches hosted guest speakers, often in week-long revivals, so we were exposed to Christians from around the world. I learned very early that I needed Jesus, and accepted Him as my Savior very early in my life. Even as I became an adult and made the choice to step into the temptations of the world, I knew in my heart Who was LORD. I have been reminded over and over in the consequences of my choices that God is Supreme. He pulled me out of the depths of sin and depravity more than once. For a season, I would acknowledge His Lordship, and then I would turn my back on my Savior and go my merry way.

It amazes me that He never gave up on me. I’m not proud of my choices, even knowing that the greatest men of the Bible succumbed to temptation as great as mine. It amazes me that God chooses to use the bruised and the broken to follow Him. I think that’s why these words of Annie Hawks resonate in my soul. These words, along with the hymn ” Just As I Am” touch me so deeply. God doesn’t care about our past, or our color, or our financial state, or our physical condition. He cares about ONE thing; He cares about our souls, our heart condition. That’s why, in the Old Testament, the priests made blood sacrifices; to cover the sins of His chosen people. That’s why He sent His Son Jesus, to make the ultimate sacrifice and to cover ALL of our sins, past, present, and future, when we accept Jesus as our personal Savior. It’s why Jesus sacrificed Himself. For YOU. For ME. If you were the only person who ever lived, Jesus would have done whatever He did, just for you.

Mind-boggling; simple, but hard.

“Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the Everlasting GOD, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of His understanding.” – Isaiah 40:28 (http://bible.com/116/isa.40.28.NLT)

HALLELUJAH!

The ROCK

A reminder:

– – “Would you rather live your life as if there was a God and die to find out there isn’t, or live your life as if there isn’t and die to find out there is?” – – unknown author – –

No matter what is going on in my life, Jesus has to be my Rock, or I will fall apart. It’s hard to embrace this statement during the hard times, but embrace it we must.

“But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord…” – – Joshua 24:15b

God, I pray for direction and discernment in all aspects of my life. Amen!