Praise the Lord
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God Bless!
Mike Burchett
“Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.” Ephesians 4:22-23
To be in submission to others is not something to take lightly. It is also not something that is easily accomplished. Being submissive is defined as ‘ to voluntarily take a position where you put your trust in someone else and heed their leadership.’ I know that I was not brought up that way. I was taught to believe that I should stand up for myself, put myself out there and take charge when I can. I was taught to believe in myself and to make sure that I was in charge of my own life. That is why those of us who entered the military were constantly brain washed, for lack of better wording, in basic training to believe everything we were told and learn how to be submissive even in the eyes of death. Now I am not saying that either way is bad advice because we must be strong, and we must be faithful to the ways we live. However, when we come to Christ we are to bow down to our Lord and submit to Him. We are to put total trust in Him no matter what the situation looks like. We are to know his Holy Word, pray to Him regularly and praise Him for his existence, His strength, His wisdom and His graciousness in our lives. We should praise Him and glorify Him for providing us with the opportunity for salvation, healing and forgiveness. To submit to our God in heaven we are to listen to Him, obey Him, and follow Him. When we submit to our Lord God we are acknowledging His Lordship in our lives. We must give up our own desires, hopes, and wants and choose to follow Jesus wherever He leads us. Instead of the world we are now following Jesus and in submission we are in total trust of His mighty ways! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
“For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” James 3:16
Jealousy comes in many shapes and sizes. It is created and allowed to live within us if we allow it to. It is an evil that will take us down quickly. We have all had an attack of jealousy in one manner or another throughout our lives. However, if we allow it to go unchecked it can and will lead to internal and external chaos. If we are allowing this evil to rule how we live, then we are not focusing on the right things in life. We are living in the world and allowing the things of the world to rule our thoughts and our thoughts sometimes will run amok. Our thoughts will begin to allow us to think and focus on the bad and not the good. We are then unable to see through the weeds of chaos and pay attention to what our God has provided in our lives. There is no doubt that envy is the source of jealousy. Envy and jealousy are one in the same. We should not envy others for their blessings or achievements in life. We should pay attention to our own life and what accomplishments and blessings the Lord has given us. When we allow ourselves to be selfish and jealous we are hindering God and the blessings that God wants to give us. We are meddling into the lives of others and not taking care of what God wants us to take care of. It is so important that we stay focused on the Holy Spirit and His message to our lives. I don’t know about you, but I know that after I have allowed such chaos in my life, I feel terrible. I know that I must go directedly to God and confess my sin and ask for his forgiveness. I know immediately that my spirit is not in tune with the Holy Spirit. I need the help of my Lord to help me get back on track. The message today is to love others, and to consider others better than yourselves. When we do these things, jealousy and/or envy cannot exist within us. Our lives become much more enjoyable and our relationship with God becomes stronger and stronger! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
” Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. Ephesians 3:12
When we come to Jesus and accept him as our Lord and Savior we become a new person. As we continue to grow with Jesus, we begin to develop a confidence that is like no other. We are able to go to God with confidence and strength. We are to be bold before him and stand up before him with the strength he provides to us. Jesus is our go between, he is our mediator before God. If we know Jesus then Jesus knows us, and if Jesus know us then God also know us and accepts us. We are to seek the Kingdom of God above anything else on our agenda and He will give us everything that we need to become successful and live the life we are to live in this world. We should never be hesitant before our God in heaven. We should continually be truthful with him and never be afraid to pray his promises for our lives. We must do away with the idea that he will send us to the outer darkness if say something wrong or misspeak. God knows our every action. He knows our every thought before we even think it. He loves us and will do all things within his power to help us along life’s journey. He is our hope! He is our strength! He is our Savior and our one and only God! He is merciful and not short-tempered. He is patient and not anxious. If we know Jesus, then we know God! We should fear Him by showing reverent awe in the midst of His holiness. We are to honor and praise Him as the God of great glory, majesty, purity and power! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
“He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths bringing honor to his name.” Psalm 23:3
“But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.” Matthew 7:26
Each day in our lives brings something new and exciting. Sometimes the new and exciting adventure is plowing through the weeds and trying to avoid a disaster that has been placed before us. Every new day is a new beginning for each of us. It is important that we come to God in prayer, worship and fellowship each morning before we go out into the world. We need to recharge our battery and refresh our spirit. We need to listen to God’s refreshing message and be able to build upon his words. There is a difference in hearing something and listening to that something. We can hear the birds sing, the wind whistling through the trees, and the thunder of a fast-approaching storm. Hearing requires nothing more than our ears. However, listening requires the use of our brain to interpret the message we are hearing. Hearing is a sense we have but listening is a learned skill that takes effort and focus. When we come to the Lord, we must hear his word and we must listen to what he is telling us. We must take time to live our lives within the commands he gives as his children. I speak a lot about building upon our faith every day. To build our faith we must build it upon a solid foundation, one that will never deteriorate and one that exists forever. We must pray to God for understanding and wisdom and then we must live our lives within his guidelines. We must live our lives as doers of his Word and not hearers only. When we focus and listen, we are able trust him and believe that he is with us always. We can draw upon his strength and understand that when we fall, he will pick us up. By living each day within his presence, we become stronger and are able to overcome, sadness, fears and anxieties of all kinds. He rescues us, he strengthens us, and he guides us. Let it be our goal to live each day in order to be in his presence at all times! The truth is that he never fails and is always with us! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
” Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8
It is so important that when we go to our Lord in prayer, we understand that our Lord works on his time schedule and his time schedule alone. We are very plainly told that we are to ask, seek and knock. When we approach the Lord, we are doing so because we trust his promises. Hebrews 11:6 tell us “For he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” We are to seek him, ask him and keep knocking until we find him. We are to do so with persistence. When we believe in something we never give up. We stay the course until our mission is accomplished. We must do the same with our Lord. Our God wants us to be persistent in our efforts and never wants us to be lazy and give up. He wants us to strive for his best and believe that we are going to receive the best. We must be reminded that there is nothing better than our Lord God. He is the best and gives only the best. It is worth being effortless in our prayers and reminding God of his promises. He tells us that when we ask, we receive. When we seek, we find and when we knock the door will be open to us. I don’t know about you, but I do know that I can sometimes be very impatient. It is at those times that the Lord reminds me that he is working in my behalf and that his time is the best time. I am reminded to be persistent and never give up! When I go to the Lord, I believe I will receive, and I must continue to pray to him consistently until his answer is realized. It may immediately or it may take much longer. However, our Lord never fails us and will always give us what we need within his will. Remember, stay persistent in your prayer life and never give up! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
Can all your worries add a moment to your life? Matthew 6:27
” Seek the Kingdom of God above all else and live righteously and he will give you everything you need. ” Matthew 6:33
Worry will often times consume our thoughts and our lives all together. It will be at the center of what we do, how we think, and in many cases, becomes who we are. It will shorten our life here on this earth because when we worry, we are not within the will of God. When we worry, we are in a place where we are doubting the goodness of God in our lives. Worry is the opposite of trusting in God. It produces the opposite effect of God’s natural ways. Why does God tell us not to worry? He doesn’t want us to become focused on things that are outside of our control. He wants us to trust him instead. He wants us to stop worrying so that we can have victory in Jesus! Satan would love nothing more than to keep each of us in a state of anxiety, doubt and fear. Worry demonstrates a lack of faith in God. Because of this lack of faith worry is a sin. It implies that God doesn’t really care about us or our needs. It demonstrates a lack of faith in God’s wisdom because it implies that God does not know what he is doing. Our God is the creator of all things! He is our redeemer through Jesus, he is our strength, our ability and our wisdom. If we have a great faith in our Lord, then we have total and unwavering faith in his promises and his love for us. Worry is a thief. It robs of the joy, wisdom, understanding and love our Lord provides to us. It robs us of being a good witness on behalf of Jesus. We are a child of our living and gracious God in heaven. We have no reason to worry or no authority to allow it to rein in our lives. We must continue to bow down to our Lord in prayer and read his world daily. We must stay strong in order to not become weak. We must not worry! We are told in Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, 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 understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!
“Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. Psalm 107:31
Praise enables us to remove our focus from ourselves and back onto God. It is his desire that our eyes be set firmly on Him, because that is where our true hope is found. He is worthy of our praise, no matter what we may face from one day to another. When we praise him, we are joining with other believers to declare who God is and to lift Him above any circumstance that tries to steal away our faith, joy and hope. When we praise Him, our hearts are prepared for God’s Word. Praise steers our attention away from our problems and back onto the greatness of our God in heaven. Praise invites the presence of God into our lives, brings us victory in tough circumstances, brings us deliverance from our enemies, repels depression in our life, brings us joy and liberty and draws us closer to Him. It is with praise that our problems shrink to a point that they become an afterthought. Praising our God releases a fresh faith that replaces doubt. It gives us a renewed courage that replaces fear, and it provides us with a great calm that replaces anxiety. It is impossible to praise God and not be changed. The darkness of our problems cannot overwhelm the bright light of God’s glorious presence surrounding us as we praise Him! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS AND AT ALL TIMES!
“because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified and the world’s interest in me has also died.” Galatians 6:14
“Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.” Psalm 37:5
“The Lord says. ‘ I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name.’ ” Psalm 91:14
When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior our life changes forever. We accept that Jesus went to the cross, and not only died for our sins, and for our salvation and healings, but he went there and crucified the meaning of living in this world. We no longer belong to this world even though we continue to live here. Our interest in the ways the world teaches us to live begin to fade as we now are the solid property of our Lord. Our interest in this world and the world’s interest in us has changed. We no longer have the desire to live our lives in fear of what others think. We no longer have a desire to live our lives with anger and distain for those around us. When we accept Jesus, we begin to focus on his desires for us. We commit ourselves to his presence in our lives and to the things of the spiritual realm. We start to believe in things unseen instead of believing only in things seen. We are viewed by the world as strange and in some cases unstable. Those around us begin to take note of these changes and will either break away from us or join us in our new lives. As we continue our journey in Christ, our love for him will grow and our faith will become stronger and stronger. We will begin to stand upon his promises and will put them into practice within our own existence. We will begin to stand out and our light will begin to shine brighter and brighter each day. Our Lord has promised to rescue us and to protect us when we show our true love for him. As our faith begins to grow the fears in this life begin to fade. We change because the Lord changed us within this world. We must not fear but instead we must obtain confidence, peace of mind, and understand our lives with Jesus. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
“But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:44
When someone tells a lie about you or persecutes you for how you believe in Christ or hurts you physically, it is very difficult to not want to turn around and do the same to them. In many cases that is just what we do. After all, the bible tells us about an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. However, when Jesus came to this world and died on the cross, he provided a new covenant, a new relationship between God and humans. In this new agreement between God and man we are to love our neighbor, we are to love one another and not hate them. We are to pray for those who are against us. We are to pray for those who persecute us and make fun of us. There are many in this world who think that these actions are a sign of weakness and not strength. When these thoughts try to enter our minds all we have to do is turn our thoughts to Jesus. We should take a look back and re-visit when he walked this earth and follow his example as we walk through our daily lives. We must be reminded to “Love the Lord God with all of our heart and with all of our soul and with all of our mind.” We are also to “love our neighbor as ourselves.” In our relationship with Jesus these are pure actions of strength and not weakness. Because we are humans these are difficult to do. We must be continually drenched in the love and peace of our Lord God in heaven. We must know without a doubt how we are to react to all situations. If we are not sure, then we are to go to God in prayer and also dig deeply into his mighty word. We should allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in love, peace, joy and understanding. We can make our lives much easier if we just live our lives in Jesus and not the world. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
” If you’ll hold onto me for dear life, says God, I’ll get you out of any trouble. I’ll give you the best of care if you’ll only get to know and trust me. Call me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times; I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party. I’ll give you a long life, give you a long drink of salvation.” Psalm 91:14-16 (Bible version: “The Message”)
Our Lord God has provided us with many promises throughout the bible and He never backtracks on a promise. He always delivers! The question then becomes, do we always accept his promises? Are we always on the same wavelength with God? Is He the first that we go to in a struggle, or do we first try other ways to deliver us from our problems? Is our God in heaven a parttime God or is He a fulltime God? Our Lord has promised us many things throughout his Holy Word. There is no doubt that God is aways there for us. He is with us in struggles and in our times of peace and understanding. He is our fulltime God! But where are we? Are we a parttime participant or a fulltime participant? Are we always doing our part or are we only going to our God when He becomes our last resort? Our God has promised that he is there to help us. All we have to do is ask and then believe that we receive. He may not always produce a miracle in our lives, but he will answer, and a solution will be given. It will be on his time schedule and not ours. We should always be plugged into our source and never give up on a prayer we have offered to God. It is important that we build our faith to the extent that we become a fulltime participant with our God in heaven. We must always believe that he is beside us. He is always there to pick us up when we fall. He is always there to comfort us in times of sadness. We must stay in his word consistently and pray always. We must glorify him and praise him for all things in our lives. We must always remember that our God in heaven is a fulltime God is always available for our needs! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
” After walking a little farther away from them, Jesus fell to the ground and prayed,’ My Father, if it is possible, do not give me this cup of suffering. But do what you want, not what I want.’ ” Matthew 26:39
It is so easy to think that the Romans took the life of Jesus by putting him on the cross to suffer a horrible death. However, as we read through the scriptures it becomes plain that the life of Jesus was not taken away from Him. Instead, Jesus willing gave up his life. All Jesus had to do was to ask God to take Him out of the situation and He would have given him his request. Instead, Jesus bowed to our God in heaven and said, “But do what you want, not what I want.” Jesus was willing to give himself to this world in order for each of us to have the opportunity to obtain eternal life. He gave his life to allow you and me to receive our life. Had Jesus decided to not go through with God’s plan then you and I would be going through what Jesus accomplished for us. We are born sinners and continue to be sinners, but because of Jesus we are forgiven of our sins, healed of our diseases and sicknesses, and saved by the grace of our God in heaven. There is nothing to be afraid of when we have Jesus. There nothing that can harm us if we trust in our Lord. With faith we are healed, saved and forgiven. Without faith we struggle, fear and doubt and are doomed to eternal damnation. We must be sure to plug into our source each day. We must stay in His presence in good and bad situations. We must never forget just how much our God loves us. It is important to give him glory and praise each day for his wonderful gift to us, our lives! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you, and say all sorts of evil things against you, because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven.” Matthew 5: 11-12
“No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.” Matthew 5:15
It is becoming increasing harder and harder to live a life of morals in this world today. We see more and more people using the evils of this world to climb the ladder of success, or in some cases, to just plainly beat the system so that they can live a life without hard work or effort. It seems as though the good person always ends up on the bottom of the pile with all of the heavy burdens and workloads but with the satisfaction of doing it right. Sometimes we are persecuted for wanting to live a life of righteousness by following the ways of Christ. We are sometimes lied about and even mocked just as Jesus was. Our Lord tells us to not be angry or revengeful in these situations, but instead, look upward and be glad and happy because we have a great reward waiting for us in heaven. When Jesus appeared on this earth he became the light of the world. It was by him and him alone that life everlasting was attained. Nothing has changed. When you and I decided to follow Jesus as our Lord and Savior we took on the responsibility of spreading his Holy Word. We became lamps for those who need to be shown the way. If we do not stand up to be seen, then how are we useful? If we allow fear, temptation or doubt to rule us then how are we helping those who need eternal salvation? We must turn our fear, anger, doubt, worry and sadness into joy and peace and confidence on behalf of Jesus. We are all lamps that must shine brightly and not allow our joy and strength to be diminished by the evil of this world. We are overcomers and we are all a member of the greatest army ever, the army of our God in heaven! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” 1 John 4:18
“Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.” Psalm 23:4
I am sure that as human beings we have all experienced fear at one time or another. Fear is a disruption. It is something that tries to tear us away from the promises of God in heaven and it tears down your strength and your trust in Him.
As followers of Christ Jesus, we become complete in his promises and his protection. We become sure, that in whatever experiences we must endure, our Lord is forever with us. We can all rest assured that whatever we are experiencing, He has experienced. He knows the pain we go through. He knows the suffering and the persecution this world puts before us. Over time and through a lot of prayer we develop a strong relationship with Christ Jesus. We begin to understand that He lives in us and that he will help us through any and all situations. We understand that we don’t have to fear any future punishment because of our fellowship with Him.
When we begin to experience fear in our lives then we know that we are suddenly not connected to our Lord. We are not perfected in His love. We may not have the mature relationship with our Lord that we need in order to live a peaceful life here on earth. We need to pray and fellowship with Him more often. We need to meditate and study His word. We need to stay connected in a way that allows Him to work in our lives whether our problems are big or little. He loves us and is patient with each of us. As we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He is always with us. We must stay connected and never depend upon this world. Jesus is love and there is no fear in love! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!
” You must not test the Lord your God.” Matthew 4:7
” For the scriptures say, ‘ It is through faith that a righteous person has life.’ ” Galatians 3:11
Have you ever tested God? Just what is it to test our God in heaven? Testing God is much more than trying to get him to do a miracle. When we are testing Him, we are insisting that He prove that He is trustworthy. To test Him is to walk through our problems with the attitude that ‘ God would never let me go through such difficulties.’ ‘ He would never let me suffer through such terrible things. ‘ Our God in heaven has nothing to prove to us. When he provided Jesus to walk this earth to be persecuted, beaten, tortured and then die on the cross for you and me, he did nothing less than prove that he loves us and will not be sold short of protecting us and helping us through anything and everything we go through. God tells us in James 1:13, that he will never tempt us to sin. The trials we face are not designed to lead us to sin. They instead, reveal that sin already exists in our lives. By taking our lives by the horns and living by our own standards leaves the door open for sin to display itself. We are not the Lord God. We are a servant of our Lord, and we are to have faith that allows us to depend upon Him to get us through. It is not wrong to go to Him in prayer and humbly ask for wisdom or confirmation, but we must be very careful as to how we ask Him to provided signs and wonders to prove Himself. Yes, God does allow us to go struggles in this life and He does work through those struggles to make us stronger and to provide salvation for others. However, it is how we conduct ourselves in these struggles that count. We are to display our faith in Jesus and not grumble and ask God WHY we are going through such things. Remember, “it is by faith that a righteous person has life.” Galatians 3:11 PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
“Open up before God, keep nothing back; he’ll do whatever needs to be done.” Psalm 37:5-6
Each and every one of us have problems in our lives that seem to be so large and overwhelming that there is nothing that will allow us to live lives of strength and happiness. Our God did not put us on this earth to shy away from the things in this life that can give us joy and pleasure. He did not put us here to constantly struggle, to fear, and to doubt. He put us here to worship him and to believe in him, and to trust him, in his every move. He put us here to live lives of love, peace and understanding and to be witnesses to his Holy Word. There is nothing we cannot do if we just succumb to our God in heaven. There are things that have happened in my life that I would never be able to discuss with others in this world. However, I have a creator in heaven who promises me that if I come to him, ask him, believe him, and trust in him, I will receive what I ask for in his will. He gives us forgiveness for our sins, but we must ask and repent. He gives us protection in every situation, but we must ask. He gives us our seed of faith and allows us to grow it, if we ask. God tells us in the above scripture that we are not to hold back anything from God. We are to open up to him and believe! Our Lord God will do whatever needs to be done! We must remember, however, that he is God and that we are not. He has his own timetable and will use it and not ours. We must remember that the evil of this world will not leave us alone and will constantly be jabbing at us, trying to always keep us from our Lord. We will sometimes struggle more than other times, but we must always remember that peace of mind and strength of character are just a prayer away! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!
“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 3:16
“Don’t be alarmed, he said. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene who was crucified.” Mark 16:6
Our God in heaven has given us an opportunity for a new beginning. It doesn’t matter how old you are or of what faith you might believe, he has wiped those thoughts from his mind and considers us all equals in his eyes, if we only accept and continue to believe. Jesus Christ, on this day was resurrected and went to set at the right hand of our God the Father and, is there today to be our comforter and our mouthpiece to God. It is by us knowing Jesus and Jesus knowing us that we are allowed the rights and privileges that are so graciously handed to us by God. We are afforded the opportunity for a new beginning by the cross of Jesus and his resurrection, that quite honestly, should be celebrated daily. As we celebrate this glorious day, we must remember it’s true meaning. Easter is not easter eggs and family reunions, even though those are important in their own ways, but it is that our God has given us a new beginning that we must latch onto and never let go! Happy Easter and congratulations on your new beginning! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
“Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10
” A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.” Proverbs 17:22
As a Christian just where does our joy come from? The bible tells us that our joy is produced by the Holy Spirit. When we go to God, we hope in his goodness to have a lasting effect in our lives. As we begin to believe in Him and trust Him, our hope turns into joy. As the Holy Spirit leads us through each day joy becomes a strength in our lives. If the Spirit is not producing joy in our lives, then it is important to consider that there is something that may be blocking the work of the Holy Spirit. Joy is connected to strength and if we allow doubt, worry and fear to enter into our lives, then they will drain our strength. Joy is not something that can be taken from us. It is something that we give away. We allow the things of this world to enter, and when we do, we allow the ways of the world to steal away our joy and strength. As believers, our source of strength is not found in our own abilities or circumstances, but rather in the joy that comes from knowing and serving the Lord. Joy is a gift from God, and it is something that needs to be celebrated and shared with others. As Jesus tells us in Luke 6:23: “Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven.” Our focus should be on the things to come. Our focus should be on Jesus and the future he provides for us. When our focus is right then our joy and our strength is great and will spill over to those around us. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
” For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person- though perhaps for a good person one would dare to die- but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 6-10
Good Friday is a day of reflecting on the suffering Jesus did for us by being persecuted, being spit upon, being ridiculed, being brutally beaten and by his death on the cross. This one event, his death on the cross, is the most important event that paved the way for the salvation of those who believe. Without his walking this earth and without his death on the cross there would be no resurrection. There would be no opportunity for you and me to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We need to take a step back and meditate upon this one sacrifice that is so meaningful to the whole world. We must reflect upon, and be reminded of, his love for us. It is so uncommon for someone to give their life for those who are sinning and living lives of weakness. But Jesus did. God loves his children so much that he gave up his one and only son to go through the most horrendous things possible, exposing the evil and the ways of the evil in this world. With his death on that cross, he carried the weight of our sins with him. He didn’t just die on the cross to prove a point. He died on that cross to save the world. He came to walk before us and to experience life as a human. He became one of us so that he could die for us. We should get on our knees every day, and not just on Good Friday, to praise and thank our God in heaven for his sacrifice! Good Friday should be on our minds and thankfulness on our lips every day of our lives for the love and the sacrifice God has displayed for us each. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
“And by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.” John 20:31
Just how powerful is the name of Jesus? We can rest assured that it is the most powerful name in all of heaven and earth. As we read through the holy scriptures, we see the name of Jesus casting out demons, healing sick people, raising the dead, bringing about peace and giving heroic courage in times of need. You and I have been given the most amazing gift. We have been given authority in the name of Jesus! We have been given the authority to pray in his name and to exercise His power in this world. The name of Jesus is so powerful that it will cause every bad thing to bow, and will pull us out of whatever we are stuck in. There is healing and deliverance in the name of Jesus. Jesus has given you and me the authority to use his name. His name is available to each and every believer and is to be use any time we see need.
Any power that we access in Jesus’ name comes from true faith in who Jesus is and what he does for us as sinners. To have faith in Jesus, and what he does for us, is to trust him. He must become our world, the world we live in. We must very simply, and without any reservation, trust him. Afterall, he is our Savior, and we trust him for that! If we don’t believe we can do something, then we will not be able to do it. It is the same with the name of Jesus. Jesus has given us access to the greatest tool to be used in this world. We must be able to trust his name in such a way that we have no fear in using it. You hear the name “God” tossed around a lot in this world but very seldom do hear the name Jesus, unless it is a true believer using the name. You see, the name “God” can be attached to about anything we want to call a God. However, the name of Jesus is specific to our God in heaven and so powerful that even the demons flee at the hearing of his name. There is no fear in love. Our Lord is love. Be strong, be trusting and use the name of Jesus in all times of need. His name is powerful! PRAISE THE NAME OF JESUS IN ALL THINGS!
“Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God is with you every step you take.” Joshua 1:9
” My Kingdom is not an earthly Kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.” John 18:36
Our kingdom is also not of this world. We fight every day to stay on the right path so that we can get to our heavenly kingdom. We are not of this world, but we are spirits who are finding our way home. We wake every day to new challenges that stand in our way. Sometimes we even take a break because we think it may be too hard and we are tired and need a rest from our presence in the Lord our God in heaven. We wander and slowly return on our own time schedule. However, we must be very careful. Tomorrow and its opportunities may never arrive. We are not promised tomorrow but are promised only the moment we live in. We are to display strength and courage in the moments our Lord has given us. We are to complete our tasks at hand and not fear or be timid about how we feel about Jesus. Tomorrow may never arrive for us. We must not take for granted our life and how to use it. Tomorrow is promised to no one, so it is necessary that we are clear about our relationship with Jesus and that we live our lives so that others can see our faith and our beliefs. It is by our faith and our way of life that we reach others in this world. It maybe you who reaches that poor ragged person sitting on the street corner. It maybe you who reaches that mother who is down and out and needs strength, encouragement, and most of all, needs Jesus. We just never know what life we are touching. We just don’t know into whose path we have been placed and who the Lord is using us to touch. Our lives in Jesus are so important. The way we live and represent Him is so critical for us and for those around us. We must stay strong! We must never be timid in our faith! Tomorrow may never come. Tomorrow may be today! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
” My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
” That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships and persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10
In comparing myself to the rest of the world I would consider myself to be weak and not strong. I am not the tallest or the most muscular or the best-looking person around. I don’t consider myself to be a great orator, a great student of learning or the most caring person I can be. My faults as a human are much greater in length than my strengths in this life. However, what I have found is that I was made by my God in heaven, and I was made like I am for a reason. With our birth into this world, we bring our faults with us. We bring our impurities and our sins because we are all born into this world as sinners. I am so blessed to have a God in heaven who is so gracious to me that he allows himself to be strongest in my weaknesses. It is when I am down and out that He is the strongest. It is when I have reached the wall of no return that He is there to help me. It is when I have no other place or person to turn to that He is there to pick me up and deliver me. I have learned (and it has taken me a long time for I am a slow learner) that when I am weak, I must continue to be joyful. For when I lose my joy, I lose the strength my God so generously gave to me. I must continue to be joyful even if I don’t consider myself to measure up to others in this world. I must continue to look to Jesus as my answer and believe his word when he tells me that he is with me, he is before me, and he is by my side. There is nothing in this world that can take my joy away. I only lose it if I give it away. There is not fault that I have as a temporary resident of this world that can strip me of my joy. What I must not do is forget who made me and continue to worship Him in all matters of my life. I must always remember that when I am at my weakest is when I am strongest! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!
“Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
When Jesus first came into this world the world changed dramatically. Even as a baby he was sought after. King Herod, the king of Judaea had innocent children of Bethlehem slaughtered in an attempt to the kill the infant Jesus. Herod feared that Jesus would eventually seize his kingdom. Jesus was sent into this world to be the light in the devil’s dark world of evil. He was sent to provide salvation to those enslaved to the sin of this world. The things that Jesus stood for, while on this earth, has not changed in today’s world.
Jesus was a disruptive force in the mind of all evil. Jesus remains a disruptive force in the beliefs and faith of all born again Christians. When you and I accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we accepted the true meaning of what the Cross of Jesus stands for. We are the light of the world as we take on the characteristics of our Lord and Savior. We accept and believe that his death on the cross provides salvation, healing and forgiveness. As we spread the Word of God and live by listening to the Holy Spirit, we too become a disruptive force in the face of the devil. He will fight us and do all that he can to defeat our purpose and bring down our faith and all of our beliefs in Jesus. However, we have overcome the world through our faith in Jesus. As we continue to grow and love God our resistance to evil will increase. We must stay the course and not allow the evil of the world to dictate our direction, our faith or our strength. We must stay in constant communication with our God in heaven with prayer through our Lord Jesus. We must continue to study his word and live our lives in accordance with his will. We must stay focused on Jesus and no other. We must not be deterred in the mission our God in heaven has given us. Remember, we are born through the death of Jesus on the cross and the cross brings disruption to this world of evil. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
“The Lord says, ‘ I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust my name.’ ” Psalm 91:14
“So, we don’t look at the troubles we can see now, rather we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:18
Investing in our retirement in this world is something that is always on our minds. It all begins when we obtained our very first solid job. We are told from the beginning that we should begin to put away monies for our future retirement, so that when we become the age to settle into our golden years, we will have enough to take care of ourselves for the rest of our lives on this earth. That is wise information that everyone should take seriously.
There is another investment that is even more important, and this investment must be made while we are living on this earth. It is the investment into our eternal salvation. When we do pass into the next life we will go to one of two places. We will either go to be with our Lord God in heaven or we will go to be with the devil in hell. As we walk through this world each day, we make choices that may or may not affect our future presence in heaven. We have to make decisions that can and will affect the way we think and live. Sometimes we are able to recover from our unwise decisions and sometimes not. When we invest in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we are truly investing in the future. We are investing in the unseen and not the seen. We are trusting in the promises that our God has made to us throughout history, and we are to abide by his commandments and his ways of life. We will all come to that fork in the road. The decision we make will determine our eternal destiny. The question is, will we try to enjoy our lives on this earth without our Lord by our side or will we accept him as our Lord and Savior and live a life worthy of his name? That is a choice that becomes the most important choice we will ever make. I truly believe that there are those who think that they may go to hell but that it will be nothing less than a huge party with all of their current friends. Nothing could be further from the truth. Hell is just what it says it is. We have never experienced anything like it, and we do not want to face it. To live in eternity is to live without an end. I want to live without an end in heaven! What is your choice? If you choose to trust in God then just say the following words: LORD JESUS, I ACCEPT YOU AS MY LORD AND SAVIOR AND REPENT OF MY SINS. I LOVE YOU AS YOU LIVE ME. I THANK YOU FOR DYING UPON THAT CROSS FOR THE FOREGIVNESS OF MY SINS AND MY LIFE, AND I THANK YOU FOR THE LIFE YOU ARE GIVING ME. IN JESUS NAME I PRAY, AMEN. If you prayed this prayer, then your God in heaven has accepted you as his child. Please continue to pray to him, praise him and study his word. Find a good bible believing church where you can find those who will surround you with the love of Jesus and encourage you. You just make a great investment into your future. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
“Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.” 1 Corinthians 16: 13-14
” God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
We are to be on guard, stay firm in the faith, be strong, and do everything with love. We must be plugged into the right source in order to stay connected with the one who protects us. Without a close relationship with our Father in heaven we stand no chance. We are weak in this world and the only way to fight the good fight is by listening and doing what he instructs us to do. We must not be anxious about anything but instead keep a level head and pray and listen as we are instructed by the precious Holy Spirit. In the world today, evil is running rampant. Evil acts as though it is superior to the goodness and the love our Lord wants us to display. Evil wants to overshadow the intentions we have through God by showing us as weak and unable to overcome the wickedness that surrounds us. Our faith is being attacked and these attacks will increase until our Lord returns. However, we are told that our God is the source of all comfort. He is beside us through every situation we struggle through. He gives us the strength we need to stand firm and to be faithful in our stance for good and not evil. To become courageous, strong and without fear we must first strengthen our faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We must pray continually. We must praise him for his goodness in our lives and we must read and study his word. As we do these things, our faith will increase, and we will become a person of faith that in not fearful to spout out the name of Jesus and live a life that represents him. We must, however, plug into the correct source each and every day. That source is our Lord Jesus! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
” For we live by believing and not by seeing.” 2 Corinthians 5:7
In the physical world we are taught to believe what we see. I’m sure you have heard the old adage that seeing is believing. When we live in this world this is how we live our lives. We must prove, with solid evidence, that we can be see and touch, in order to believe.
When we live in the spirit the truth is just the opposite. “Believing in” is to precede “knowing” just as “faith” is to precede a “miracle”. True belief can give us eyes to see and ears to hear, which enables us to understand and to know without doubt. We must train ourselves up to trust our God and not doubt his ways. We must first read his word and become accustomed to what his ways are. Little by little we must begin to institute his thoughts and his promises into our daily lives. We must begin to do away with the ways of this world and hang onto the truths of our God in heaven. Romans 10:17 tells us that “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” As we get closer to God, we begin to allow our faith to become our motivation and the major factor in how we believe. I can testify that my life has change for the better, but it didn’t happen overnight. I can also tell you that living in the Spirit is a continual battle because there is always the world, and what it offers, tugging at my thoughts and ways, to make me believe the things I see rather than the way my God tells me to live. We must protect ourselves by prayer and knowing God’s word. I can tell you that the devil knows the word of God very well and he will try to twist and turn it to use against you and me. So, we must be able to know the Word of God frontwards and backwards. As we apply it to our lives and live it every day it becomes a part of us and not just a book with words that we hope are right. We are to believe and then to receive. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
” Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” 2 Corinthians 7:10
Godly sorrow is connected to both disappointment for the sins we have committed and the desire to never commit the sins again. We sin but we desire to turn away from sin. Godly sorrow is a sorrow towards God. It allows us to recognize that the sin we commit is against God himself. When this happens, the Holy Spirit directs us with the desire to never let that sin happen again. We go to the Lord with repentance, and with remorse for our actions and ask for His forgiveness. We immediately recognize that we have hurt our God in heaven and our desire is not to hurt him but to love him. We are focused on the relationship we have with the Lord our God and the motivation is love.
Worldly sorrow is just the opposite. When we display worldly sorrow, we may be full of regret for committing the sin, but we don’t change. We are sorry because it may not have worked out for us, but we do not change for the better. Instead, if the opportunity presents itself again, we probably do it again. Worldly sorrow draws our attention to ourselves and what benefits us. We are not thinking about our relationship with God but instead we are thinking of ourselves and what is good for us.
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves us with no regrets. This is where our relationship to Jesus takes priority and helps us to feel true regret for our actions. This is where our Lord forgives us and takes our regrets away. This is Godly sorrow which is influenced by our relationship with the Lord. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love.” 2 Corinthians 6:6
‘” For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: ” ‘ I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from among unbelievers and separate yourselves from them,’ says the Lord. ‘Don’t touch their filthy things and I will welcome you. And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters’, says the Lord Almighty. 2 Corinthians 6:16-18
We are to wear our badge of honor proudly. We are to wear the name of our Lord Jesus proudly, by the way we live our lives, the way we talk, and the way we react and mingle with those of the world around us. In a world so full of evil and filth we are to stand out with confidence, love and peace. We are to be strong when the world thinks we should be weak. We are to speak and act with the love of our Lord from deep within our hearts. We are to be pure in the way we act and patient in times of stress. We are to live in this world and walk among those who actively participate in the ways of this world, but we are not to be of the world. We are the sons and daughters of our God in heaven. We are the temple of our living God in heaven. Our God has taken up residence within us through His loving and mighty Holy Spirit. Let us wear Jesus proudly on our chest and allow others to see the joy of knowing that following Jesus, is knowing without doubt, you are headed for eternal life with Christ Jesus! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
