Choose Wisely

“But if you refuse to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.”- Joshua 24:15 

I heard a snippet of this verse this morning…”Choose today whom you will serve.” Though the Lord never forces Himself upon us, He lays before us two roads, but with 2 very different results. 

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” Deuteronomy 30:15

God offers salvation to all…no one is left out or forgotten. But if we politely decline His offer, we are surely forsaking Heaven. The promises of God are not unattractive. You could compare it to turning down an all paid excursion to an exotic place or a winning lottery ticket. 
He longs to bless us, to cause us to prosper. But if we turn Him away, we are only hurting ourselves. He will continue to be God, and will continue to bless those who receive Him & serve Him. 
The road that leads to Him is narrow. Have your eyes wide open to recognize which path is paved by Him, and travel with steady speed.

“They that are bound for heaven must be williy’s Notes)ng to swim against the stream, and must do, not as most do, but as the best do.” (Wesle

There’s Holiness to be Had

What do you think of when you hear the word “holy”?

Most people will apply it strictly towards God & His character. Some will immediately have the image of nuns & priests appear in their heads. Rarely do we consider ourselves in regards to holiness. Some think it’s an unattainable goal for them, something out of reach. “Only certain people were created for that”. We use the excuse “I’m human” and remain comfortable where we are.

This mentality is hindering the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. There is holiness to be had.

Throughout the Word, God has a consistent message: Be holy. That word hasn’t changed because of the times we live in. Times change, but God remains the same…yesterday, today & forever. Jesus is not a trend. This world will pass away, but His Kingdom won’t. His ways are not our ways…but they can be. We can be on the same page He is. His agenda for our lives can become ours if we allow Him to show us His way. God doesn’t call us to be something without providing a way and enabling us to rise to the occasion.

There is certain surrender when you answer the call to holiness in your life. When you are aligning your will with His, there will be guaranteed sacrifices. It may even be uncomfortable, but not beyond what you’re able to bear. The Holy Spirit will strengthen you to handle the change, and He will give you wisdom to discern what His preference is in daily situations.

Holiness is not the expectation of perfection. Jesus knows & understands that we can never be perfect even if we tried. His patience with us is very vast. He encountered every temptation known to man. He knows exactly what we face and how we feel. Don’t feel pressured to be perfect. But don’t resist the work He will do in your life…no matter how hard it is.

Not everyone will accept who you are becoming.  Expect adversity when you start the journey to holiness. The dynamic of some relationships may change…even those of the same belief. It may surprise you who doesn’t respond to the new you. Don’t take it personal. Stay the course, and show love & grace in the process. You may be the one the Holy Spirit is using to teach them.

You will have new desires & interests. You will lose interest in the things of this world. It doesn’t mean you don’t have fun, or become boring. Your main interest will be Jesus, and all paths to Him. What you watch, listen to and read will start to change. You develop an unquenchable thirst for anything related to Him. He becomes your magnificent obsession.

The closer you get to Jesus, the more you become like Him. The more you become like Him, the more peace you will feel. The fight between your spirit & your flesh gets easier because it’s not a losing battle anymore. The spirit in you is now stronger, and the driving force is Jesus. The flesh will still be a reality until the day of His return, but it’s no longer calling the shots.

God loves us too much us to leave us how He found us. His ultimate goal is to make us like His son, Jesus. He’s preparing us for His Kingdom. Jesus is returning any minute now. You are the reason He is coming back. He is coming to bring you Home. Let yourself be found eagerly awaiting Him without fear or shame.

 

“Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.” – 2 Corinthians 7:1

“And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,  he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,  if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard…” – Colossians 1:21

“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 1:6

Holy Boldness

One characteristic of Jesus that intrigues me is His confidence in who He was and why He came. When people barraged Him with questions, He was equipped with the knowledge needed to answer. His voice didn’t quiver when He gave an answer. He didn’t have shifty eyes. He didn’t break a sweat.

“The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret.  Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.”  When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?”  Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?” – John 18:19

Even in the face of death, He didn’t back down. He flipped the script. They expected Him to back down, to cower at the sound of their ridicule and mocking. The last thing they expected Him to do was to stand His ground. He even stood up to His disciples when they tried (with good intention) to protect Him from the Cross. He never ran from the Cross. He ran towards it.

As a disciple of Jesus, He calls us to do the same. He places within us a holy boldness. He enables us to speak His word without flinching. The disciples even prayed for boldness, and God gladly provided it (Acts 4:29). It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can do this, not out of our own strength.

Jesus warns us many times the cost & risk of being His disciple and following Him. We must carry our cross. Deny ourselves. Choose Him. Step up, and speak out. There is a sobering verse that reaffirms the seriousness of this call.

“For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” – Luke 9:26

Our silence can lead to eternal death if we take it too far.

Why do we choose to keep quiet?

• We don’t want to offend anyone or cause conflict.  God’s not a troublemaker. He doesn’t want us to constantly be causing a scene. Just because Jesus turned tables over in the Temple doesn’t mean you should make that your main approach. But there will be times when the truth stings or is hard to swallow. Don’t run away from it. It may reap a harvest.

“Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while—  yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us.  Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” – 2 Corinthians 7:8

• We don’t feel qualified or intelligent enough. That is a lie from the enemy. Any thought that negates the power of God within you needs to go! God has equipped you & is waiting for you to be a voice. Don’t let your lack of confidence hush you.

God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” 1 Corinthians 1:27

It’s an honor for God to want to speak through us to the world. But we must be willing to be used if we want to be a voice. It’s not something to be taken lightly. In the Old Testament, He would give His prophets warnings to prevent something & warn His children. If they weren’t obedient, then the other person’s blood was on the prophet’s hands. There is a huge accountability factor in this equation. You do the math.

Jesus was controversial. He shook things up.  He was not politically correct. He was Kingdom minded, doing His Father’s business. We should be following His lead.

“You have the words to change a nation but you keep biting your tongue.” – Emeli

New & Improved

From the moment He imagined us, God wanted more for us. He has always wanted to enrich our lives.  He constantly longs to improve upon His work. To make it better. 

This was the theme throughout the Bible. 

• He didn’t stop at Adam. He embellished him with Eve.
• He didn’t allow Abraham & Sarah to remain childless, but promised descendants that numbered the stars in the heavens. 
• After Job’s trial & testing from the enemy, God restored to him twice as much as he had before.
• He not only provided us salvation, but places within us spiritual gifts.
• He provided a Lamb for the ultimate sacrifice.
• Throughout the Word, He promises a new heart…a new spirit…a new name. 
• He promises a new heaven & new earth.
• He’s preparing a place for us in Heaven 

He is not a god that is satisfied with the old…with the broken. He’s the God of new beginnings. Second Chances. Do-overs. He always outdoes Himself.

Then came the New Covenant. Allelulia. 

“But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant He mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.  For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.” – Hebrews 8:6

 ^”In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.”  Hebrews 8:13

The word better occurs more than 13 times in Hebrews. He wants us to get it. To really get how much He wants for us to have it all…in Him. For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. (Romans 11:36)

Jesus knew exactly what He was doing when He stepped forward & offered Himself up. Like the Father, He loves to make all things new. We were worth it to Him. 

“This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.” Hebrews 7:22

“…and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” Hebrews 12:24

Abel’s blood cried out for vengeance. The blood of Jesus cries out for grace. No longer are we held to the law…Jesus speaks for us now. He says to the enemy: “This one’s Mine“. He has covered us with His blood, and wiped every trace of shame. He made a way when there was none. He became the Way.

“For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:3

“Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God.  Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God,  who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”- 2 Corinthians 3:4

He has enabled us to live eternally & abundantly. He did all He could to come close to you. Don’t let His cry for you go unanswered.

The Word of God

Across the world, there are many malnourished people. They may not even be aware of how depleted they are. But each day, they are depriving themselves of the necessary nutrients to face each day & what it holds.

I’m not referring to their bodies. Their spirits are starving.

“But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” – Matthew 4:4

Just as a body cannot survive without food, water & vitamins, neither can our spirits survive without the Word of God. Jesus is called The Word & The Bread of Life. The reason that so many people hung on every word Jesus spoke was because it was nourishment. A true delicacy. Necessary for our survival.

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” – John 6:63

“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” – Psalm 119:03

God longs for us to devour His word like we devour food. But instead of eating too fast, He wants us to savor it, to digest it slowly…and consistently.

So, why do we deprive ourselves of the very words spoken by God? Depending on the person, there are a variety of different reasons. They range from:

We don’t understand the Scriptures. We’ve all became frustrated or discouraged when reading a verse or book in the Bible & it not making sense to us. But God promises to teach us in all things, and to illuminate His word to bring it to life. Prior to reading the Bible, ask God for revelation knowledge of His word. If you don’t understand something, ask Him to reveal it to you, and wait patiently.

We think it has been changed or written by man and not God. Throughout history, people have grown to believer heresy & rumors. We lay aside our trust in God’s word, and start to believe humans over Him. We believe the History channel over the Bible. We doubt the authenticity of the Word and say that it has been changed and manipulated over the years. But God is the same yesterday, today & forever. We must cling to His word. “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.” – Revelation 22:18

We think we have read it enough. Many people who have been in church since they were young don’t feel the need to read the Word because they have been reading it for so long & feel they know all there is to know. The Bible is the Living Word, meaning it is alive, it has a heartbeat, a pulse. We can read one verse, and 5 years later read the same exact verse and it can apply in a totally different way. Just as the knowledge of God Himself is endless and vast, His Word is the same. It contains layers of truths & wisdom that keeps us coming back for more.

There are many benefits from being rooted in the Word of God. These are just a few.

God will remind you of what you have read. At just the right time, God will bring to you a verse that may apply to a personal situation or a person you are ministering to. (John 14:26)

God equips you for battle with His word. It is called the Sword of the Spirit for a reason. It is the most powerful weapon we have in times of spiritual warfare…and it’s easy to use if it’s written on your heart. “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” - Hebrews 4:12

God desires to teach us. He wants us to know Him more. He will not withhold from us when we diligently seek Him. This not only develops our relationship with Him, but the Maker of the Universe wants to share His secrets with us! Chew on that one for a while. It’s an amazing thing.

Don’t neglect pursuing such a precious gift from the Father. He wants to reveal great things to us…unsearchable riches, the mysteries of His will (Ephesians 1:7). Invite Him to fill your mind and seek out the things of God. Your time will be well spent.

 

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” – Hosea 4:6

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3:16

 

 

 

 

Inseparable

“Am I a hopeless case?
You keep saying the same things
But is it on my face
That it isn’t sinking in…” 

- Bethany Dillon, “Something There”

The past few months, the Holy Spirit has been trying to get something across to me. Something I thought that I knew very well, but apparently needs to be driven in with a hammer. A sweet, loving hammer.

The past few months have been somewhat difficult for me. I started experiencing some health issues. Multiple symptoms hit at once causing me to worry, the one thing my Jesus asks me not to do. But He understands how our minds work…and He wants to change them.

Right before it all started, the Holy Spirit whispered to me one evening Romans 8:26:

“And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.“

When I heard this, I had a feeling He was preparing me for the road ahead, encouraging me that He was fighting and praying for me constantly. Not only for me but through me. (for when I pray in tongues, the Holy Spirit is praying the perfect prayer directly to the Father)

2 days later, while thrifting, I came across a book from 1980 called “Lord, Hear My Prayer”…with that scripture written inside the cover.

Little did they know their gift would impact someone so much…30 years down the road.

Then came Romans 8:38. One evening, I ran across it 3 times within 5 minutes.

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.”

He followed those up with Romans 8:28:

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

So, I started to catch His drift. I see where You’re going with this, Lord.

But why is it so easy to fall back into worry and search for answers instead of trust?

He drove it home with Ephesians 2:

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins  in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.  But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,  even when we were dead in our trespasses,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 coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

To know that I am seated right smack dab next to Him already brings so much comfort and confidence…regardless of my circumstance.

God has used many different ways to get these messages to me…books, friends, songs, the Word. But my favorite way was speaking through me to myself.

One morning, I was exhausted from the trial. I woke up & showered. The only thing I could say was “Thank you for this trial Lord, for I know it’s bringing me closer to You.”

As I walked to the bedroom, without even thinking I said out loud:

“No power of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from His hand.” 

It caught my off guard, because it was not me that said it. The Holy Spirit spoke through me to encourage myself. When I realized what had just happened, I broke. Never before have I worshiped Him like that. It was the most pure worship and thankfulness that I had ever poured on Him. The phrase is a lyric from a song called “In Christ Alone”. (that was NOT on my mind at 5am)

I wanted to share all these things tonight to encourage anyone who is walking through their valley. Seasons of darkness come during life….but they also go. Sometimes they linger and overstay their welcome. But nothing that comes our way is unauthorized. God signs off & allows trials to strengthen us, to build trust & dependence on Him, and to pull us closer to Him. What the enemy intends for bad God will ALWAYS turn around for our good. God is ever present. He is never late, and His timing is impeccable. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you…to display His glory in your circumstance. No battle is too hard for Him, no hill too high.

“Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for battle and my fingers for warfare…” – Psalm 144:1

Clean Slate

Today at church, I heard a great message. I wanted to share the point of the message but also add a few things. Here is what the Holy Spirit came up with.

With the new year coming up, we always strive to do better. We have a clean slate & want to right wrongs, improve ourselves & see if we can top last year. In the rush to come up with resolutions, we sometimes forget to ask God what His opinion on what we are resolving to accomplish. In our own strength, we strive to please ourselves & please others. We may even come up with a resolution in an attempt to please God…but sometimes we end up performing a religious act instead of true obedience. Not that He doesn’t love to see his babies try to please Him, but isn’t it a better idea to check with Him first to ensure that we are doing what He desires versus what WE want to do? Or better yet, what the world is doing?

People’s reactions to beginning a new year vary from person to person. Some are thankful for a new beginning. Some are fearful of what a new year holds. Regardless of how we feel beginning a new year, we must remember the Lord’s promise to us in His word: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11

This stands the test of ALL time…since God created the universe, it hasn’t changed. He never changes, therefore the promise hasn’t changed. The world has changed, but God remains the same. He sees what’s ahead. He knew before He made you what lies around each corner. He wants us to trust His providence…His sovereign plan & guidance for our life. We must stay in step with Him & keep that daily connection with Him so we are prepared and strengthened by His Holy Spirit to face each day…not just in the first week of January (lol)…but throughout the entire year…and our life.

He has so much in store for us. Let’s ask God to prepare us for His presence and plan for this year, and to deposit in our hearts His desire for us. Let us be guided by the Holy Spirit starting today…to do His will, to be His hands & feet, to love like Him.