Nancy Henry – I love sharing the HOPE of JESUS. "For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12 NLT
Tag: #Christ-follower
Sharing the Message; the Way, the Truth, and the LIGHT of our LORD.
Okay, not just young mothers and fathers. This truth holds regardless of how old you or your kids are.
Proverbs 22:6 says to “Train up a child in the way he should go [teaching him to seek God’s wisdom and will for his abilities and talents], Even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (From the Amplified Bible)
The best advice you will ever receive is in that verse.
It’s not preaching. It’s just absolute truth. If you teach your child[ren] to seek the LORD and to pray, they might stray for a season, but they will return. Never stop praying. Never stop loving. There will be times when you don’t like them when they stray, but that doesn’t mean you don’t love them.
How do I know this is true? Because I was raised in the church and trained in the way I should go, but when I turned 18, I decided I knew better than my parents and God. Took me over 40 years to return to the right path. But I returned. That’s when my mom told me that she and my dad had always loved me but didn’t always like me, and that they had never stopped praying.
I’m far from following a perfect path with my LORD. Thankfully, He has also forgiven me and holds me secure in His arms.
He can and will do the same for you and your kids. Pray today to accept Him as your Savior if you haven’t already. Nothing is bad enough for Almighty God to turn you away. Trust Him! Find a church that preaches the Gospel and get involved. Study your Bible. It’s fascinating! Pray.
That’s it. The secret to a wonderful life. Not an easy life. Not a happy life. But a content, spirit-filled life.
“Now may the LORD of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The LORD be with you all! I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, and this is a distinguishing mark in every letter; this is the way I write. The grace of our LORD JESUS CHRIST be with you all.” 2 Thessalonians 3:16-18 NASB1995
The SOURCE of Peace: “Now may the LORD of [THE] peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The LORD be with you all!” Peace, TRUE Peace,only comes from the LORD. People ask, “When will we have world peace?” “How do we achieve world peace?” The answer is simple. World peace will only happen when Jesus returns. Until then, how can we have personal peace? There is only true peace withGod. Individually, we can have objective peace within ourselves through Jesus Christ. He purchased our peace with His sacrifice.
The Peace of God (verse 16) is a sense of tranquility and calm in the heart, “when you feel all smooth inside.” Without His peace, we are in a constant, internal state of war. The Triune God is the only source of peace, the serenity of the Trinity. Through Him, transient worry becomes transcendent peace.
“The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace.” Psalms 29:11 NASB1995
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” John 14:27 NASB1995
“In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.“ John 16:23 NASB1995
When do we have this peace? When we fully accept and rely on Christ, we can have it continually, as a constant in every circumstance; through all, in all, for all. Peace is not found in a place or circumstance, it is found in ONE person, Jesus Christ, through all and in all.
So how do we go about securing this Peace? By appropriating His Presence – His Presence is our peace. “The steadfast of mind will find perfect peace.” We secure it by walking in the Spirit – the fruits of the Spirit. (Galatians 5). Reading and meditating on the Word, and with thankful prayer – Philippians 4:6-7(8-9) basically says `don’t worry, be thankful! Release the worries and capture the good, the blessings, and receive unexplained, unassailable peace.`Above all, look for the Second Coming; the Return of Christ. We know that it all comes together then! He IS coming, and He is bringing PEACE. Where there is depth, there is peace…. it is not on the surface!
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,“ Galatians 5:22 NASB1995
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:6-9 NASB1995
Should I feel quilty that I am at peace, knowing how stressed out and worried people around me are? We have our “special forces” in the form of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. I don’t believe we should feel guilty because we have found peace. Our peace can be the example, the beacon, of God’s love to those around us. If we radiate peace, they will ask how we have achieved it, leaving us the opportunity to share Christ with them. In light of everything going on in the world around us, I expect we’re going to be seeing lots of opportunities to share!
“There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven— A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance.“ Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4 NASB1995
“When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do? The LORD is in His Holy Temple; the LORD is on His heavenly throne. He observes everyone on earth; His eyes examine them.” Psalm 11:3-4 NIV
The very foundations of our world are being destroyed as we sit back and watch. Morals are in the gutter. People are standing on the streets chanting “Up with Satan”. Children are being murdered with society’s blessing. Men and women are marching to celebrate perversity, and dancing naked and nearly so in the streets. Politicians lie with impunity, and live a blatant double standard. Eugenics is alive and well in these United States. Racism is promoted as being “progressive”. Corporations push transgenderism on our children through toys and clothing lines. Christians are persecuted and murdered in many countries. “Entertainment” is actively anti-Christian.
Where do you stand? The very foundations of Christianity are being challenged and watered down to suit the enemy’s agenda, while we – at least, for many – stand by and watch.
“When all that is good falls apart, what can good people do?” (Max Lucado)
I’ve already run for dear life straight to the arms of GOD. So why would I run away now when you say, “Run to the mountains; the evil bows are bent, the wicked arrows Aimed to shoot under cover of darkness at every heart open to GOD. The bottom’s dropped out of the country; good people don’t have a chance”? Psalm 11:1-3 MSG
“With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,” Ephesians 6:18 NASB1995
This verse hit me. The enemy of GOD and all His Children. The leader of the fallen angels. The devil. Satan. Lucifer. Old Scratch. He’s out to get us. Me. You. Any and every person. He only wants to win, and he can’t do that when we pray. I really like the way The Message presents the verse.
“Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.” Ephesians 6:13-18 MSG
We are not on our own anymore! When we accept the Gift of Salvation from our LORD Jesus Christ, it’s like painting a bull’s eye on our backs. But see, here’s the thing. Satan may have painted on that bull’s eye, but we have a mighty shield to protect us! Not only has GOD assigned His angels to watch over us, but we have the Holy Spirit on our side. We have GOD’S Word and we have prayer. How’s this for a mental image: if you are leaning against GOD, your back is against Him and the enemy can’t even see the target! If he does get in a shot, we know it can only penetrate us and do damage if we aren’t protected.
Bottom line: Pray. Pray while driving to work or school. Pray while cleaning the house and cooking the meals. Pray (silently) for the person in the store or restaurant who is helping you. Pray before you go to sleep and pray when you wake up. Pray while walking. Pray while waiting. Mess up the enemy’s day! Go through your day with a high hedge of protection from the LORD.
It doesn’t mean that nothing bad will happen. In fact, it will spur the enemy to try all the harder to hurt you and discourage and destroy you. So why pray? It will keep your mind where it belongs, on Jesus, and on what is to come – not what’s happening here. It’s the only way to live.
I’ve been texting with my “little” brother this morning. He’s sending pictures of their place. The garden and greenhouse he built for them. My attempts are so feeble compared to his. It’s not that I don’t want to do better and have better, I just can’t keep up. There was a time when I could. My body has betrayed me, and I hate it. I look at my yard, and I can see how I want it…. and that’s where it remains. In my mind.
Then I opened my devotional by Max Lucado to today’s selection. Tears came. God knew I would be upset, and He arranged this for me to read today. It’s in God is With You Every Day, for May 22, titled Your Best Days. He tells the story of a little boy trying to keep up with his family in an airport, until he plops himself down on his bag and shouts, “I can’t keep up!”
That’s how I feel. “GOD, I can’t keep up!”
Max Lucado goes on to say this: “Sometimes the challenge is just too much. You want to keep up. You try. It’s not that you don’t. Life has a way of taking the life out of us. When you run out of fight,remember that the promises of God are your to claim. God’s Word dares you to believe that your best days are ahead of you. God promises you a Promised Land.”
Thanks, Max. I needed that today. My Promised Land is coming. I know that, and I need to be reminded sometimes. It may not be on this earth, but someday, I’ll have a garden that defies anything I can imagine now. Remember that. Whatever your dream is. Your Promised Land may not be on this earth. Are you confident that you will reach it? Are you a Child of the King, to claim your inheritance?
“You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your GOD gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.” Joshua 23:14 NIV
Satan is devious. He wants us to question God and rebel against Him, but if we forget God, that’s even better. He wants us to succumb to the lusts and pleasures of the flesh. He knows how dark and depraved our human nature truly is. BUT he doesn’t “make us” do things – he can’t force us to do anything, ever … it is OUR choice. “But God,” made us ALIVE. We DESERVE death, but because of God’s Mercy we have LIFE instead of hell and damnation.
Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity And passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in unchanging love. Micah 7:18 NASB1995
But GOD Who pardons our sins and rebellion, Who is limitless, unending, and Who loves us in spite of who and what we are.
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But GOD, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of GOD; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which GOD prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:1-10 NASB1995
Compare: Buddha’s dying words, which were to “strive without ceasing” to the dying words of The CHRIST, Jesus, whose words were “It is finished.” By Grace and through Faith in JESUS we can receive Salvation …. Both of these are gifts of and from God; there is nothing we do can earn them. Because He died…. it was never because of anything I could say or do. No justification.Just like the thief on the cross, it is always just because “the Man on the middle cross told me to come.” We are HIS workmanship; we are HIS Masterpiece!
But GOD demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 NASB1995
“But when the fullness of the time came, GOD sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, GOD has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “ABBA! FATHER!” Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through GOD.” Galatians 4:4-7 NASB1995
“And the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.” Matthew 28:5-6 NASB2020
In 50 years (or probably less), no one outside of a few family members will remember my name, or any of my so-called achievements. I won’t be in any history books, and there won’t be any statues or streets named for me. No holidays to remember my life. My reputation and my relationships won’t be of any consequence. That’s okay. I’m not looking for fame.
Here’s what is important. GOD’S Name. His Name is eternal, and immortal. His Name is Holy. David is asking God to for his, David’s, wrongdoing for the sake of the Name above all names, the Name of God Himself. When we call ourselves Christians, everything we do reflects on God, reflects on the Name of God. Going forward, maybe we should be more concerned about the way people see GOD’S Name in us, rather than how they see our name.
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