Coming Home

Dear believers in Jesus, I bring you simply a plea.  I encourage you to receive a message of repentance and reconciliation with God.  As Christians we live where Jesus reigns, in a world within the world.  The Kingdom of God has set up residence within us.  In God’s time we decided that Christ held the best plan for living so we took Him up on His offer of both complete forgiveness and a life of purpose.  We all still have persistent struggles but we are never expected to change ourselves.  That is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit.  “…the Holy Spirit has been at work in your hearts, cleansing you with the blood of Jesus Christ and making you to please him.” 1 Peter 1:2 Living Bible.

And yet something is profoundly amiss.  Too many believers are giving up on being led and controlled by the Holy Spirit.  Often by default we are turning to another power.  Could it be Christians are purchasing property and establishing a second residence in the demonic kingdom?  Perhaps we haven’t spoken in plain enough words.  Ungodly influences can saturate our lives.  Do we no longer believe in the consecrated, abundant life that was promised us at the moment of spiritual conception?  Could we be pushing our senses beyond what they can absorb when we read or watch movies depicting the occult, violence, or explicit sexual content?  What cannot be processed will be acted out in some kind of overflow often leaving us hardhearted and insensitive to both God and others.  We live out anger, arguing, and bad language when we take in an impure bombardment of both mind and emotions.  We can become sick inside through frequent violations of God’s principles.  “Obey God because you are His children; don’t slip back into your old ways- doing evil because you knew no better. But be holy now in everything you do…” 1 Peter 1:14, 15 Living Bible.  Mental, emotional, and physical illness can develop after too many times of saying no to conscience and the wisdom of God revealed in His Word.

At times we all experience pressure even to the point that we don’t know which way to turn.  It’s easy to make family the whipping boy for our stresses because we haven’t walked closely with God, relying on him to bear our burdens.  We have been made in the image of God and only by returning to Him will we find relief.  As Creator He knows how we work, what makes us tick, and how we can become happier, healthier people.  We can overcome our doubts, fears, and struggles as we acknowledge that through the precious blood spilt at Calvary we walk away from the cross not only forgiven but whole.  We have been given a brand new lease on life with fresh clean pages to begin an exciting new story.  Turn the corner and dance like King David, praise with positive declarations about our Heavenly Father, and plead the blood of Jesus Christ to rescue and protect our minds.  Let’s pour out our feelings, our deepest longings before God, lifting our heart to God in song.  It’s time to take down that elaborate front of self-righteousness and pride.  Dismantle that false sense of security that says because we are Christians we are ok. Kick in those rotten boards of jealousy, gossip, and unforgiveness.  With God’s help we can build again!

Dear believers, take this opportunity to start over, to live again under God’s ways outlined carefully, perfectly in the Bible.  Let us have only one resident address- PO BOX Kingdom of God.  We don’t have to be unhappy!  God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the greatest holy trio known to man, are available every moment to help and deliver us from the worst scenario known to man, our destructive sin problem.  Don’t ignore the path to victory!  God did so much to make a way for us.  We don’t belong to any part of the darkness.  “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”  1 John 1:5  Living Bible.  We can step out into the light and enjoy all God has made for us and planned for us.  We were specifically created for such a time as this.  Friends, please believe me when I say it isn’t too late.  With all His heart Jesus bids us welcome back.  Come home to Jesus.  Come home.

Click here to read another bloggers encouraging article about the Conflict of Kindness.

 

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Have you ever gotten tired of weeds continually popping up in your garden?  If you could would you banish them forever?   Matthew 13:24-30 gives this a spiritual application that can be helpful for every person.  The weeds in this passage represent people that cause us a great deal of grief by hindering our progress in Christian growth.  But removing the proverbial weeds would remove these challenges that God intends to use for good.  Without the unbelieving person to keep us alert, on our toes, making sure we are relying on God, we might not make the needed transformation to become like our life leader, Jesus.  Experiencing hard times and seasons is crucial for building up a believer in their faith walk.  Many have discovered firsthand that persevering under pressure and accepting God’s grace in suffering makes us spiritually strong and healthy.  We have tremendous resources for growth in spite of the difficulties we often face.  “…out of his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you the mighty inner strengthening of his Holy Spirit.” Ephesians 3:16 LB

Living in an agricultural society Jesus used farming, weeds, crops and soil to hit home many of his lessons.  Farmers, no doubt, listened with interest to Jesus’ parable because they understood the importance of the quality and yield of their fruit.  In this story the good seed represents the believers who produce fruit in their lives.  In contrast those who have only an empty profession produce no lasting fruit.  The enemy sows the look-alikes for he has a counterfeit for everything God has made real and authentic.  These are people who may look like, talk like, and even to some measure walk like disciples of Christ.  But they are not genuine followers of Jesus.  They imitate Christian behaviors but don’t actually change within.  “We should look for a growing awareness of Christ’s presence and power in our lives.  Only then will we know if we are true Christians or imposters.” Living Application Bible footnotes (pg. 1785).

Each person should examine his own relationship with Jesus.  For in Romans 2:29 it says “…he is looking for those with changed hearts and minds.”  LB  Today the enemy tries to destroy Christ’s work by placing false believers, teachers and even politicians in the world who lead men astray.  Friends, it is truly challenging to realize that from our transformation we find the wisdom and discernment to make correct evaluations of what is true and false.  As we change under the instruction of the Bible and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit we can say with certainty that even in the difficult winter seasons of our lives we are becoming God’s fruitful garden.

Click here to read another bloggers thoughts on listening to God.

Click here to read about living a radical life under the authority of Jesus.

Explosions of Resurrection Life

Wouldn’t it be phenomenal to be truly loving, forgiving vibrant people?  As believers we are excited because “…when someone becomes a Christian he becomes a brand new person inside.  He is not the same anymore.  A new life has begun.”  2 Cor 5:17   Entering into this new life we have been given a priceless source of grace to offer everyone we meet.  It’s the Jesus life, true living resurrection taking place daily within us.   It’s like bursts of resurrection power released and exploding inside.  What a joy to be able to count on this great strength when we run into trouble of every kind.

God often does things so differently than we would have ever thought.  For instance, when we run into problems loving others we would not have expected that the very challenges when overcome have taught us to love with God’s awesome love.  Every believer has a great head start on becoming a resurrection receiver when they accept what Jesus did for them.  “No you can have real love for everyone because your souls have been cleansed from selfishness and hatred when you trusted Christ to save you; so see to it that you really do love each other warmly with all your hearts.”  1 Pet 1:22  This fervent love is the result of forgiveness explosions taking place continually.  This is God’s wonderful provision for life and happiness.

Remember your position in Christ for “…you are standing there before him with nothing left against you.”  Col 1:22   And this is exactly what we are asked to have toward others.  “Every person should have a special cemetery lot in which to bury the faults of friends and loved ones.”  Anonymous   We simply don’t have to live by our own limitations or abilities.  Because Jesus’ life is in us He’s done the work already.  Let him bring us truly alive, moment by moment experiencing resurrection explosions of forgiveness and love.

Embracing Our Faith: Part 1- The Cross

Have you ever wished to be part of something so powerful that nothing could overcome it?  Well, in the Christian faith God has provided this incredible strength through the blessed cross.  When Jesus died for us He conquered every evil force that would harass, oppress, and control us.  “In this way God took away Satan’s power to accuse you of sin, and God openly displayed to the whole world Christ’s triumph at the cross.”  Col 2:15 LB  “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness…”  Col 1:13 KJV  “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”  Col 2:15  NIV

Depending on the cross means seeing it as “the everlasting blotter” where our wrongs are forever absorbed, swallowed up by the power of the cross.  Our sins are cancelled, erased and eliminated for all time and eternity.  Guilt is gone and profound relief has come.  Will you accept what Jesus did for you at the cross?  It makes all the difference!  “So there is now no condemnation awaiting those who belong to Christ.”  Rom 8:1  LB Jesus“…destroyed sins’s control over us by giving himself as a sacrifice for our sins.”  Rom 8:3  LB

Life is simply too hard, too discouraging without the power of the victorious cross.  Just think of it, because of the cross we don’t have to live any longer feeling defeated by our bad choices, weaknesses and tendencies to do the wrong thing.  Today will you receive that the cross is enough?  The cross is the only remedy that can be applied to the sin wound and completely heal it.  “…though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow.”  Is 1:18  LB

Now there is a joyful new way to live.  Jesus purchased the winning ticket for me by dying on the cross.  He gave me a new identity.  We are declared not guilty for even the worst of offenses.  I am a winner over life’s struggles and a winner even over death.  This makes me very happy!  In exchange for Satan’s rule we have a new and holy power to guide us.  This is the presence of the mighty Holy Spirit.  “So now we can obey God’s laws if we follow after the Holy Spirit and no longer obey the old evil nature within us.”  Rom 8:4  LB  Be looking for Part 2- My New Best Friend: The Holy Spirit.

Click here to read another blogger’s thoughts about Jesus’ cleansing power.

Click here to read another blogger’s insights about what salvation looks like.