Tag: #Hope

Did I Say That???

Recently I wrote a post titled Fear Defeated. Did I say fear was defeated in my life? If I did, I apologize! As I write this, I’m listening to (and dancing in my chair!) to Matt Maher sing “What A Friend We Have In JESUS” …. oh, what glorious Truth! Even on days lke today when apathy seems to have set up like concrete in my veins, I cling to the Truth of the song. I have a Friend in JESUS; more than a friend, a brother and constant companion. It’s surprising, in a way, that even someone secure in their salvation can fall into depression. After all, knowing that we are held in GOD’S Hands should take care of any off or down feelings, right? I wish it did! (And if wishes were horses, I’d be a wealthy woman 😉 ) ….

I doubt there’s a human alive or dead who hasn’t wished for something they don’t have. Even David, the great king of the Israelites, a man who commanded great wealth and armies, wished for something he didn’t have. Despite his many wives and concubines, David desired a woman who was married to someone else. To solve his ‘problem’, he had the woman’s husband murdered, freeing her to marry him. He paid a heavy price for her, too. Their firstborn died, and eventually David lost his throne to his son, Absalom. Here is David’s accounting of how he felt when he went against the LORD:

“When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long. For day and night Your Hand was heavy on me; my strength was drained as in the summer’s heat.
Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not conceal my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You took away the guilt of my sin.
Therefore let everyone who is faithful pray to You at a time that You may be found. When great floodwaters come, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; You protect me from trouble. You surround me with joyful shouts of deliverance.
Many pains come to the wicked, but the one who trusts in the LORD will have Faithful Love surrounding him. Be glad in the LORD 0and rejoice, you righteous ones; shout for joy, all you upright in heart.” – Psalms 32:3‭-‬7‭, ‬10‭-‬11 HCSB

Even the great king David experienced fear and depression, but he knew with Whom his salvation lay, and where he needed to place his trust. Fear has to be defeated daily. It might seem trivial to someone else, but I assure you that our fears are real and have to be recognized. Until we can do that, it’s going to be difficult to give it to GOD or to defeat it. How do you defeat something you don’t recognize? How about these Scriptures for guidance against fear?

“Be strong and courageous; don’t be terrified or afraid of them. For it is the LORD your GOD Who goes with you; He will not leave you or forsake you.” – Deuteronomy 31:6 HCSB

“In GOD, whose Word I praise, in the LORD, whose Word I praise, in GOD I trust; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” – Psalms 56:10‭-‬11 HCSB

“Do not fear, for I Am with you; do not be afraid, for I Am your GOD. I Will strengthen you; I Will help you; I Will hold on to you with My Righteous Right Hand.” – Isaiah 41:10 HCSB

“For GOD loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only SON, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16 HCSB

And this one is one of my favorites:

“Do not rejoice over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will stand up; though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.” – Micah 7:8 HCSB

GET BEHIND ME, SATAN, FOR JESUS IS ON MY SIDE!


AMEN!

Fear Defeated

“Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically (literally, do it from the soul), as something done for the LORD and not for men (Ephesians 6:7), knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the LORD. You serve the LORD CHRIST.” – Colossians 3:23‭-‬24 HCSB

“The Breakup Song” by Francesca Battistelli is brand new and worth listening to. So poignantly real for anyone who has been battling with fear…. Talking about the song, she says “Fear is a universal struggle. We all deal with it in different ways, but it holds us back from truly living. I came to the point where I decided I wanted it out of my life for good. This song is my anthem, and I pray it encourages others to break up with fear too.” (http://francescamusic.com/home) She is living the verses in Colossians, sharing her songs and her belief in JESUS CHRIST so beautifully. Another song by Zach Williams, “Fear Is A Liar”, is a powerful reminder that fear is straight from Satan (talk about a GOD-moment, it came on the radio literally as I wrote in the title! Gave me goosebumps! 😎 ) This is what he says about the song “…. we put a face to the name. We were calling out the devil for who he is, and reminding him that he was a liar, and that he has already been defeated. That was the idea for that song. I wanted something that people would relate to, and find hope in. For anybody who was struggling with fear or going through something, I hope this song gives them hope, to call the the devil out.” (http://zachwilliamsmusic.com/home)

There is one way to defeat fear. Call it by its name, and let the LORD take it and defeat it. I live with the fear of the future. How will I manage financially? Where will I be, physically and literally? Will I be alone* for the rest of my life on earth? (*Read my blogs “Just Kill Me Now” and “The LORD Your GOD Is With You.”) Do I live my remaining years on earth with enthusiasm and from my soul, or do I allow Fear, a.k.a. Satan, to defeat me? It’s really a choice that we all face in our lives at one time or another, and I appreciate these songs and take them as my anthems that Fear/Satan IS a liar and that I am “breaking up” with him. My prayer is for the LORD GOD, JESUS CHRIST my SAVIOUR, to defeat him today, in my life and in yours. Praise GOD, we are free at last! Amen!

From Slideshare.net, these are just a few of the fears we might face daily:

Scary

“Anyone whose name was not found written in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.” – Revelation 20:15 NIV

Does this scare you, or do you look at it and scoff? It scares me! If I have the choice to walk into a burning lake for eternity – think oil or gas burning on top of the water – or to spend eternity with my LORD, well, it’s an easy choice for me. I’ve seen water burn, where natural gas escaping naturally from the earth had been lit to watch it ‘burn’. (Weird!) I’ve seen water burning in photographs and movies of Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attached our ships. It’s horrific to watch. I really have no desire to experience it first-hand! I’m going for the escape clause that JESUS provided us through His incredible Mercy:

“If we confess our sins, He is Faithful and Just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9 NIV

Thank you, JESUS, for coming to our aid; for being our Advocate to the LORD! I don’t claim to be a prophet or have a perfect life and relationship with GOD; far from it! The only thing perfect about me is that I am perfectly imperfect, perfectly flawed and broken. All that I can do is proclaim the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST, and how He has Redeemed me.

“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the FATHER and with His Son, JESUS CHRIST. This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: GOD is LIGHT; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the Blood of JESUS, His Son, purifies us from all sin.” – 1 John 1:3‭, ‬5‭-‬7 NIV

HALLELUJAH. What a powerful statement that last sentence gives. “…. and the Blood of JESUS, His Son, purifies us from all sin.” Does it get any better than that?

Photo credt usiter.com

Morning Has Broken….

…. to a misty, watery sunlight with intermittent rain showers. The mockingbird on the neighbor’s roof is amplified and sounds like it is broadcasting to the world. It rained a bit last night; just enough to get the ground wet and cool us off to a more spring-like temperature. It’s the kind of morning that makes me wish for a screened sleeping porch, so we could just laze and enjoy. Indoors, work beckons, but for now, I am resisting. The pups are finally okay with coming outside after the thundering of last nights storm.

A few years ago, a lightning strike and the gigantic corresponding clap of thunder right next to us made it feel as though the house jumped in surprise. It blew out the power, and a small ball of fire burst out of the fireplace. Since then, the little one hides whenever there is thunder, even when it is barely discernable to me. He refuses to go outside, preferring to cower under something inside ….. which leads to another problem. Little dogs, no matter the pedigree or background, have to go out more frequently than the bigger ones. Consequently, I got up this morning to several puddles on my newly cleaned kitchen floor. 🤔 Just like having a 2 year old without a diaper ….. Good thing they are so (stinkin’) cute. 😜

As pleasant as my morning is (except the pee-puddles!), there are hundreds of thousands who wake to a really broken morning. A home missing a parent – or both parents. Dealing with a recent loss of a loved one, especially losing a child. Homeless, hungry. Forsaken by a spouse, or worse, beaten and abused. Devastation from wildfires or floods or volcanos. Hopeless, desperate, depressed. I’ve known some of these, and I am grateful for my home and my place in this world. I count myself among the blessed because I have friends and family who care.

Most of all, I am Blessed because I know JESUS. He is the Morning Star, the Hope that gets me up in the morning. I’ve tried life without Him, and it can be passable, but it is lacking. How did I make it without the Hope, the Grace, and above all, the Mercy of my LORD? How? I’d have to say, very poorly. Because of Him, I have the pedigree of a princess. From commoner to royalty, I have been lifted up into the bloodline of the KING of kings, LORD of Lords, Creator and Ruler of the universe. What bloodline or pedigree can compare to that?

Does It Take Love To Achieve Peace?

That is a question I have grappled with most of my adult life. Does it? As a young adult, I rebelled against the discipline and structure I lived with while growing up. I was a rebel; following the path of my older brother, whom I idolized. Geographically, I didn’t stray as far as he did, but as for the rest….. but it wasn’t a contest then, and it isn’t a contest now. I threw myself into the quest for ‘love’. My brother didn’t love me, at least, not in the way I needed. I rebelled against the strictures of my parent’s teachings, searching for someone who would love me and protect me againt the world. Someone who would have my back. Remember the song, ‘Looking For Love’, sung by Johnny Lee?

I spent a lifetime lookin’ for you …..
I was lookin’ for love in all the wrong places
Lookin’ for love in too many faces
Searchin’ their eyes
Lookin’ for traces of what I’m dreaming of
Hoping to find a friend and lover
I’ll bless the day I discover
Another heart lookin’ for love ……

The basic cause of both crime and war, of turning our backs on those who do love us, is the inherent sinfulness of human nature. The world cannot be reborn until men are born again and are at peace with God. I couldn’t be reborn and at peace with myself, or anyone else, until I could be at peace with GOD.

World peace. Who doesn’t want it? I know we won’t see any real, lasting peace until JESUS returns, but I pray for wars to cease, just as I pray for crime to stop. We can have at least a partial peace, if we can individually be at peace… And the only path to true peace is accepting Jesus as your Savior.
I know this from personal experience.

Reckless Love, by Cory Asbury, says:

When I was Your foe, still Your love fought for me
You have been so, so good to me ….

GOD is fighting for me, and He is fighting for you, because He LOVES us and wants the best for us. Heavenly Father, I pray for all the people who are searching, looking for love in all the wrong places. It is YOU Whose heart we are so frantically searching for. I pray for the peace of the world through individuals surrendering to Your Son, Jesus Christ. Bless all today who are spreading the Gospel, in their homes and workplaces and neighborhoods, as well as those working around the globe. I pray that we can all see that it is only through Your Love that we can acheive any measure of Peace. I pray for the rebel, that they will experience Your divine, inimitable Love, and understand that You are the source of true Love and ultimate Peace.

And JESUS said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the Authority of His Name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ While He was blessing them, He left them and was taken up to heaven.” – Luke 24:46‭-‬47‭, ‬51 NLT

“Therefore, since we have been made right in GOD’s sight by Faith, let us have Peace with GOD because of what JESUS CHRIST our LORD has done for us. Because of our Faith, CHRIST has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing GOD’s Glory.” – Romans 5:1‭-‬2 NLT

My Happy Place

The ocean calls to me with the rhythm of the tides as they ebb and flow. It’s something inexplicable; a feeling deep in my being. The sound of the surf breaking, the distinct smell of saltwater, the wind blowing in from the water, the incessant sound of seagulls….. it all serves to ground me; it’s my Happy Place. I’ve heard many people express their dislike of the sea, saying that it’s humid, noisy, dirty. Oh, the sea can be those things, but it is so much more. There’s a primal quality with the tides; a siren song as they call to our innermost beings. I’ve read that the sea is a harsh mistress, and I can understand that, but it can be a gentle lover, too, caressing and soothing. When I am at the ocean, and I experience the tide continuing it’s course, inexorably constant, the outgoing tide washes away my stress and worries while the incoming tide brings peace and contentment.

The tide is an apt analogy for how GOD works. When we accept Him, He washes us and caresses us with the gentlest tides. He washes away my cares when I rest in Him, while bringing serenity and peace into my life. The enemy throws storms at us, sending huge tides and monstrous waves at us, trying to wash us away – our LORD is our Anchor in the riptides and the maelstroms of life; without Him, we become like the wrecks at the bottom of the sea. Jesus said,

“I tell you the Truth, those who listen to My Message and believe in GOD who sent Me have Eternal Life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.” – John 5:24 NLT

“This Hope is a strong and trustworthy Anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into GOD’s Inner Sanctuary.” – Hebrews 6:19 NLT

Thirst No More

“I have seen Your Salvation, which You have prepared for all people. He {JESUS} is a LIGHT to reveal GOD to the nations, and He is the Glory of your people Israel!” – Luke 2:30‭-‬32 NLT

Listen to “Come to the River” by the Rhett Walker Band

What an outstanding message. JESUS, the LIGHT of the world, reveals GOD to us all! When you have seen JESUS, you have seen the Face of the Almighty: the Creator of all things, the Holy God, YHWH, Yahweh, Elohim, El-Shaddai, Jehovah, Adonai, Ancient of Days, Father, Abba, ….. “Most High.” The LORD is given many names, but today, I believe the ONE Name that is most important to us is the Name of JESUS. He alone has the power to save us from the certain death subscribed to us by the first man and woman, Adam and Eve ….. and yet so, so very many, even countless people, deny that JESUS is the CHRIST, the Messiah. We are such a GLORIOUSLY stubborn group! What was GOD thinking, as He formed Adam from the mud of the new earth? Since He is Omnipotent and Omniscient, He KNEW that by giving Adam, and by extension, Eve, free will, they would choose to betray Him. The LORD gave free will to them, and to us, in spite of knowing the outcome. He wants us to choose to love Him, without being forced or coerced.

Short but sweet, GOD created us to Love Him. He then gave us the choice of Loving Him or not. He gave a part of Himself through JESUS to be sacrificed to cover our sins, and He gave us His WORD in the scriptures to show us exactly how we should live to optimize His Love for us.

“For this is how GOD Loved the world: He gave His One and Only SON, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have Eternal Life. ….. All who do evil hate the Light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the Light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” – John 3:16‭, ‬20‭-‬21 NLT

Care To Elaborate On That?

“Now Faith is confidence in what we hope for and Assurance about what we do not see. By Faith we understand that the universe was formed at GOD’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” – Hebrews 11:1‭, ‬3 NIV

“So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your GOD will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” – Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT

Faith. Dictionary.com describes it as a “strong and unshakable belief in something, esp without proof or evidence.” ( I think someone who was creating words and definitions in the early 1200’s was very familiar with the scriptures. ) When we have real Faith; a strong belief in GOD, it is easier to be strong and courageous in our lives. Easier, not easy. But, how, you ask? Where does Faith come in? How do I get faith? First, you must believe firmly that there is a God, ONE GOD, the Supreme Being, the One Who created the Universe. ( Go back to Hebrews 11:3b …. and Genesis, esp chapter 1 ) It shouldn’t be too difficult to believe in GOD, as even Satan and his followers believe in the One True GOD. They are, however, sadly misguided and mistaken as to who will win in the end. If you are curious, read the Revelations of John, especially chapters 20-22. ( They are awesome! )

You must believe that JESUS was more than a ‘good man’ or a prophet….. He was those things, only this is what He really was – and IS – He is the Son of the Most High, the Living GOD, part of the Triune GOD, Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Believe that JESUS left heaven and came to earth to live as a human, to be brutally murdered upon the cross so that His Blood would cover our sins forever, and to conquer death and rise up from the grave after three days. He did all of this for me, as if I were the only human to ever live, and He did it for you, as though no one else but you existed. – ” ‘No one has ever gone into heaven except the ONE Who came from heaven – the SON OF MAN. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the SON OF MAN must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.’ For GOD so Loved the world that He gave His One and Only SON, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have Eternal LIFE.” – John 3:13‭-‬16 NIV

It is through belief that we find faith, and it is belief in the LORD JESUS CHRIST as our Saviour that we receive the Faith and Peace to make it through this life. It is through Him that we receive the Joy that goes alongside the Belief and Faith that JESUS will ultimately conquer sin and death, and the HOPE of being externally with Him.

“And it is impossible to please GOD without Faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that GOD exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.” – Hebrews 11:6 NLT

“Growth is how we partner with GOD to make life count, to give life purpose.” Elizabeth Laing Thompson, http://www.LizzyLife.com

AMEN.

Who Will Go Up To Heaven?

Have you ever read the letters of the Apostle Paul to the Romans, specifically chapter 10?

“Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to GOD is for the people of Israel to be saved. I know what enthusiasm they have for GOD, but it is misdirected zeal.

For they don’t understand GOD’s way of making people right with Himself. Refusing to accept GOD’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with GOD by trying to keep the law.

For CHRIST has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in Him are made right with GOD.

For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with GOD requires obedience to all of its commands.

But Faith’s way of getting right with GOD says, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (to bring CHRIST down to earth). And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead?’ (to bring CHRIST back to life again).”

In fact, it says, “The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart (Deut 30:12-14).” And that message is the very Message about Faith that we preach:

If you openly declare that JESUS is LORD and believe in your heart that GOD raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with GOD, and it is by openly declaring your Faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced (Isa 28:16).”

Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same LORD, Who gives generously to all who call on Him.

For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved (Joel 2:32).”

But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?

That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring Good News (Isa 52:7)!”

But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “LORD, who has believed our message (Isa 53:1)?” So Faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.

But I ask, have the people of Israel actually heard the message? Yes, they have: “The Message has gone throughout the earth, and the Words to all the world (Ps 19:4).”

But I ask, did the people of Israel really understand? Yes, they did, for even in the time of Moses, GOD said, “I will rouse your jealousy through people who are not even a nation. I will provoke your anger through the foolish Gentiles (Deut 32:21).”

And later Isaiah spoke boldly for GOD, saying, “I was found by people who were not looking for Me. I showed Myself to those who were not asking for Me (Isa 65:1).”

But regarding Israel, GOD said, “All day long I opened My Arms to them, but they were disobedient and rebellious (Isa 65:2).” – Romans 10:1-‬21 NLT

This letter from Paul should dispel any question you have as to who will go to heaven. Good works; being a ‘good’ person, won’t do it. Following the Law of Moses to the letter won’t suffice. Saying you believe in God won’t work, either, for “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.” – James 2:19 NLT

I know where I am going, through the Grace and Mercy of my LORD and my Saviour, JESUS. Do you?