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Intimacy With God Feels And Is So Good!

 

We all have at some point in our lives imagined God as being highly revered, unreachable, and unapproachably holy. The truth is that before Jesus God was all that and more, because we had become disconnected from Him as he severed the link between himself and humanity because of sin; we had become His enemy! 

Yet even as God’s enemy; even at the time in which God was unapproachable, God was in the process of making intimacy with Him possible for all who would receive the salvific work of Jesus. Even when we were His enemy, He had compassion for us, and a love that was determined to bring us back unto Himself. What a paradox, God hated us because of our sin; yet He loved us because He was determined to take possession of all the elect again—those who would come to accept Jesus as their Master and Savior. 

Phillip, who was one of the original disciples of Jesus demonstrated a certain distance between God and men, an unapproachable transcendence between God and mankind that men were well aware of at the time of Jesus earthly ministry. 

Phillip was also well aware of the strict and punitive Old Testament judgments of God against men. Judgments that were the result of the anger of God being provoked, and the need for God to have His justice satisfied in regard to the rebellion and defiance of mankind. 

Phillip, as a Hebrew, knew that the Law required the priest to intercede on his behalf and on behalf of all others Jews in regard to the Levitical Law. Phillip and all of the Hebrews perceived that God was unapproachable in regard any type intimate or friend-like relationship: a relationship of intimate communion and fellowship such as that the disciples were experiencing with Jesus in His humanity during His earthly ministry. 

However, Jesus was the beginning of intimacy between men and God. All of the disciples experienced intimacy with Jesus in His humanity, and Jesus counted them as His friends. The disciples, except for Judas, finally came to know and accept Jesus as the divine Son of God in their intellect, but they had not yet fully grasped Jesus divinity in their spirits; they had not grasped the Oneness of God in three personages, as it is demonstrated by the question of Phillip, and the answer of Jesus:

“Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.  Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. ¹¹ Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves” (John 14:8-11 NKJV)  

Phillip, as one of the twelve disciples of Jesus had intimacy with Jesus, and now He wanted the same with the Father, not realizing that He had the same intimacy with the Father because of His intimacy with Jesus, just as does every genuine believer today.   

Yes we must still hold God in reverence, while also holding God in our highest esteem. Yet we must also remember that as genuine believers we are the children of God, and can even now approach the throne of the Father through prayer in the nature and name of Jesus. We are known by the Father just as intimately as Jesus knows each and every one of us as genuine believers. 

When we are intimate with Jesus, we are never alone, and are never afraid to call His name even when we have failed Him. Also, we have the privilege of praising His name and celebrating our lives and all of the Promises of God. We know that because of God’s Promise and our intimate relationship with God that He will bring all of His promises to fruition; many of which He has already done.   

Because we are intimate with Jesus we will never seek our own glory, but rather we will seek only the glory of Jesus, as we continually pour out our hearts to our Master. Because of our intimacy with Jesus we become strong, whereas before we were weak; we become balanced in our hearts and mind, whereas before we had unstable emotions and wandering minds; whereas before we were afraid, but in Christ we become fearless because we know that no matter what happens to us, we win. If we live we win. If we die in the flesh we win. No matter what happens we win. 

How do I know? I read the end of the Book, in which The Revelation of Jesus Christ tells it all! 

Trust me my beloved; we win! Win! Win! It is impossible for us to lose, because we WIN! 

Intimacy with God feels so fine, because it is so fine! 

I tell ya because I love ya.

 

The Courage To Believe Christ!

 

(Addendum)

It takes courage to believe in Christ Jesus. We live in a world that is comprised of three categories in regard to the Christian faith. There are firstly those who professes Jesus as Savior, but do not truly know Him as Lord, because they believe a liberal theology which actually denies the deity and Lordship of Christ in their lives. They see Jesus as a great teacher, or a noble sage, but they would rather be the Lord of their own lives than to submit it to the One who came down from heaven and put on humanity for their sake. 

The subtly reject the same One who lived His life perfectly by keeping the perfect Law of God that was and is impossible for any other man to keep. Jesus Is the One and only Person who went to the cross to die the eternal death that was ours to die as sinners, only to defeat death and arise from the grave and offering reconciliation and fellowship with God, along with eternal life to those who would acknowledge His Lordship in their lives and trust in His work of Salvation, while living obedient lives that honor God; lives of obedience which Jesus enabled them to live in His righteousness by His might through the Holy Spirit. 

Secondly we live in a world in which every genuine believer does truly believe upon Jesus as their Master and Savior, and they confess their sins to Christ in order to acknowledge the sins they have committed since their initial salvation. Sins committed during times in which they may have momentarily slipped off the track and into an unplanned trespass against God. God forgives these sins, and the knowledge and apprehension of the fact that God does forgive believers who confess their sins empowers every genuine believer to get back on track each and every time they inadvertently jump track, as they make their way into the Kingdom of God. 

Thirdly, there are those who refuse to believe upon and declare Christ as their Master and Savior: they are genuine unbelievers who openly and publically denounce God the Father and His Son! These individuals live in and partake of a world that blatantly denounce and rejects Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Savior of the world. They reject His deity, sovereignty and His redemptive work. 

What is it that we must have the courage to believe about Jesus, the Christ?

1. We must have the courage to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, incarnate and born into human flesh. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18 NKJV).

 2. We must believe that Jesus was born of a virgin mother, conceived by the Holy Spirit and not by any man.  “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us” (Matt 1:23 NKJV).

 3. We must believe that Jesus lived perfectly the Mosaic Law, which comprises the moral Law and Levitical Law perfectly; He was sinless to the death. “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” (Matt 5:18 NKJV). 

4. We must believe that Jesus went to the cross, and shed His blood to cover the sins of all who have and shall believe upon Him as their Savior and Master. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph 1:7 NKJV). 

5. We must have the courage to believe that He arose from the grave on the third day, and defeating death, He is able to place eternal life and kinship upon every man, woman and child who will believe with all of their hearts that He died for them and is not only their Savior, but the Master of their lives. “They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again” (Luke 18:33 NKJV). 

6. We must have the courage to believe that it is the Holy Spirit who moves upon our hearts and minds as He turns on the Light in our souls so that we may see and know God; thus it is the Holy Spirit Who enables us to infallibly know and accept Christ Jesus as our Lord once the Light of the Spirit is illuminated upon our hearts and in our souls. “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8 NKJV). 

7. We must believe that upon wholeheartedly accepting Christ we immediately become born-again children of God with new natures; the nature of Christ Jesus that empowers us over the sinful nature of Adam that shall flow in our veins until our death, or until the rapture of the church at the coming of Christ in the air for the church. “By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2Peter 1:4 NKJV) 

8. We must believe that Jesus in His humanity is the first of those resurrected, and the rest of believing humanity shall follow Jesus’ resurrection. “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live” (John 11:25 NKJV) “He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay” (Matt 28:6 NKJV).

9. We must believe that just as Jesus was adorned in his humanity with a supernatural spiritual body, so also shall every believer be adorned in the same type of body for all of eternity. “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1John 3:3 NKJV). 

10. We must have the courage to believe that Jesus loves us, and that God choose the elect to be His before the foundation of the world. “Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love” (Eph 1:4 NKJV). 

11. We must believer that every believer as a member of the genuine church of Christ, shall after the rapture be wedded to Christ Jesus in holy matrimony, forever the inseparable bride of Christ. “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife” (Rev 21:9 NKJV). 

12. We must have the courage to believe that Jesus will return again as a conquering King to defeat antichrist, and all of sinful humanity, just prior to establishing in time His temporal earthly Millennial Kingdom for one thousand years. “ And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh” (Rev 19:19-21). 

13. We must have the courage to believe that after the conclusion of the Millennial Kingdom, there shall be the Great White throne judgment where Christ shall judge and condemn all wicked men throughout human history, as well as Satan, Antichrist and all of the other demons and minions of Satan. “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.  And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Rev 20:11-15 NKJV). 

14. We must have the courage to believe that after the Great White throne judgment, God shall recreate and reconstruct the heavens and the earth. “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea” (Rev21:1 NKJV) 

15. We must believe that after the reconstruction of the heavens and the earth, the city of New Jerusalem which Christ is building at this very moment shall descend form heaven onto the earth, and shall sit within the promised lands of Israel. This city shall be 1500 miles wide and 1500 miles high. “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband”  (Rev 21:2 NKJV).

 16. We must have the courage to believe that God, in and as Christ Jesus shall sit forever upon His throne in the city of New Jerusalem. “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God” (Rev 21:3 NKJV). 

17. We must have the courage to believe that the church, the bride of Christ shall reside in New Jerusalem with Christ as His bride. “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal” (Rev21:9-11 NKJV). 

18. We must believe that the righteous nations lead by the head nation, the chosen nation of Israel shall live outside of the city of New Jerusalem, but shall also have direct access to the city forever, and that the Tree of Life shall enable and empower the nations, including Israel to have eternal life; but first they must partake of its fruit. “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Rev 22:1-2 NKJV).

19. We must have the courage to believe that when eternity future begins, then God shall be “All In All, in Christ Jesus. “Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all” (1Cor 15:28 NKJV). 

20. We must have the courage to believe that there are so many more blessings that shall be bestowed upon the people of God that all of them could never be contained in any one book. 

21. We must have the courage to believe that we as the people of God and the church of Jesus Christ have been given the command to preach the God News Gospel of Jesus Christ to all who will receive it. Therefore we should watch for and listen for God’s lead as He opens doors of opportunity for us to testify of Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and then act to declare His gospel: His Good News! 

“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 3:36 NKJV). 

Have the courage to believe. Have the courage to share your belief in Christ Jesus by acting as a witness for Christ Jesus by declaring the gospel of Jesus, the Christ. 

I tell ya because I love ya. 

 

The Highest Glory Belongs To My King!

 

 The only shame that we as believers have is when we are ashamed by our failure to live up to our calling: when we sin! For when we sin, we will have sorrow of heart because of that sin. As born again believers, our first inclination will be—must be—to ask God for forgiveness for that sin, and then to get on with our holy calling of living in righteousness and declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ—we as believer all have a holy calling! 

If we yield to the Word of God then we shall find abiding peace in our soul. If we do not yield then we shall find shame. However, if we never yield, then the question arises, “Do you really know Christ Jesus, and does He truly know you.” 

I am glad for that shame, not because I enjoy sin, but when I do sin it comes immediately to my conscious thought: to my awareness. It is then that I know that I have a problem in my soul and with God. Instead of allowing it to fester because I deny its reality, I—as we all should and must—take it before the throne of God and plead the blood of Jesus. 

Do you realize how wonderful it is to be able to take our burdens to Christ, and to be blessed because of our sincerest regret and sorrow for committing such an offence—and we do it time and again; but never do we, or should we plan to willfully commit sin. After confessing our sin with genuine sincerity, Jesus places His forgiveness upon our hearts and we are able to move on consciously free of guilt as we go about doing our Fathers work. 

We yield to Christ Jesus because He asks us to as his indentured servants; for He is our Master! We are not able to reach this level of service because of the power of our will, nor as the result of a dignified or undignified debate, neither because of our analytical thought, logic or reason. 

We are able to reach this level of service, in which Christ is Sovereign in our thinking, and thus in our doing, because we have totally and completely surrendered to Jesus as our Sovereign Master and King! It is then that we are able to say, “According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death” (Phil 1:20 NJKV) 

In nothing will I be ashamed, because all that I was, and because all that I will be ashamed of, I have or will take to the throne of grace—Jesus throne. King Jesus has paid the debt for all of my sin; therefore, I am free of the guilt of that sin because I am in Christ. When the heavenly Father looks upon me He sees a righteous man, because when the Father looks upon on me, He does not see my sin but rather He sees only the righteousness of Christ Jesus in me. 

For in Christ Jesus I am free indeed! “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36 NKJV). 

And if we call ourselves believers and find that we are never ashamed of anything we have done or are doing, then we have a very serious issue, because we are believing that we are perfect, and never sin. Christ has paid the debt for our sin, yet we still struggle with our sinful inclinations because we are still in our flesh born from Adam; born from the Garden of Eden; born from the Garden of sin, sin that was first conceived in humanity through Eve. 

Even as genuine believers we shall be in these sinful bodies until we die in the flesh, or until Jesus returns for the church at the rapture. Then we shall put on our spiritual humanity, and sin will have never influence our humanity ever again.

The Apostle Paul teaches us of these things: “And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.”  The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly.  And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— ⁱⁿ a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory” (1Cor 15:45-54).

We need Jesus to be delivered fully from that sin. For Jesus is the second Adam. Jesus is our Deliverer. In Christ we are set free. In Christ our shame is covered by His redeeming blood; therefore in Christ Jesus our shame is forever washed away. However, when we sin, we must take that sin before the throne of grace, because we are commanded to confess our sins. We must take it because we must obey the command of our Sovereign King; for surly He knows what is best for us! 

Trust in your Lord, and take your shame before Him. By doing this you are giving the very best of yourself to His highest glory; because you have totally surrendered yourself to His glory as you seek no glory for yourself. You see, it is His glory that is your glory too; it is His gift to you, and it is placed inside of you by the Holy Spirit! 

I tell ya because I love ya.

 

Not Your Will Father, But My Own!

 
 

Abraham was chosen by God to receive great blessings. God loved him and called Abraham a friend. So why did Abraham lose faith and pursue His will over God’s will, as we all do at times: even genuine believers?

Abraham and Sarah were childless because Sarah was barren in the womb. God had promised Abraham a son—who would eventually be the line from whom Christ would be born in His humanity. “But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”  Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir” (Gen 15:3 NKJV). And God responded to Abraham, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be” (Gen 15:4b-5 NKJV).

A lot of time had passed by since God had made that promise and Abraham and Sarah were getting older, and they still had no son. They got impatient in the flesh, and went out of God’s will when they agreed to attempt to bring forth God’s promise on their own.

Sarah asked Abraham, and he agreed to conceive a child with her handmaiden Hagar. So Hagar was impregnated by Abraham, and brought forth a child out of the will of God—Ishmael. This child became the father of the many nations who have throughout history up to this day sought to destroy Israel. It was the nation Israel which came forth from the eventual birth of Isaac who was the promise child that God had promised Abraham.

Though Abraham loved God, he allowed his flesh to cause him to attempt to intervene to do that which God had promised to do. This displeased God, and brought forth a perpetual thorn in the side of Israel. Abraham was not in the mind of God when he did this; therefore by His disobedience Abraham brought trouble to the children of the promise.

So when we seek to do God’s will, we must remember that we can’t do that which God has not blessed. We cannot willfully disobey God and think that good will come out of it. When we do, we are living for ourselves and for our sinful natures; our minds and hearts are flooded with the thoughts of the flesh and corruption—the end result will not be good.

Therefore, just as an athlete trains everyday for the Olympics, or the next football game, of the next basketball game, we too must train our hearts and mind to submit to the will of God. When we do, we shall be dwelling in the mind of God, and thus acting out in obedience to the will of God. Therefore, when the next temptation comes to lead us a stray, we can determine easily to stay faithful and true to our beloved Master because we are in the mind and will of God.

Therein—in the mind of God; the Word of God; the Spirit of God—is the blessing and power in our lives. For then we are truly aligned with Christ, living a life that brings Him honor as we walk towards the Kingdom to come.

We are also being fortified in our faith as we carry out our KINGDOM mission right here on planet earth. We as genuine believers, all have assignments as the children of God. After all we are Christ’ Ambassadors in this fertile missionary field that shall one day be the place in which the eternal throne of God shall rest, within the eternal city of New Jerusalem!

Not my will Father, but your will be done!

I tell ya because I love ya.

The Mind Of Christ!

 

The Holy Scriptures teach us that Christ attempted to prepare the minds of His disciple for His impending death. “From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day” (Matt 16:21 NKJV).

Peter responded as many of us would have, wanting to defend and protect those whom we love. However, according to the profound will and purpose of God, Peter responded improperly, even though he thought that he was conveying his love for Christ properly. Peter did not realize at the time that the will, purpose and mind of God superseded—as it always does—his emotional response to protect Christ. Had Peter been successful, no believer would have the hope that we have of salvation in Christ Jesus. Had Peter been successful Christ would not have gone to the cross of Calvary. Yet, we can take comfort in knowing that there was in actuality nothing that any man could have done to thwart the intended plan of God—nothing! NOTHING! NOTHING!

This was Peter’s response, “Then Peter took Him [Jesus] aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You” (Matt 16:22 NKJV brackets mine)!

Jesus, having a full understanding of His salvific mission and being determined to obey the will of the Father understood the threat Peter’s emotional position presented, and addressed Peter’s improper actions and words. “But He [Jesus] turned and said to Peter, ‘“Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”’ (Matt 16:22 NKJV brackets mine).

WOW! “Get behind me Satan.” Had Christ said that to me, my heart would have dropped! Notice what Jesus said, “You are not mindful of the things of God.”

Beloved. It is so very important that we live in and are mindful of the will of God. It is so important that we are perpetually in agreement with the Word of God and not seeking the desires of the flesh, nor the will of men no matter how highly esteemed they may be in the world. It is so important for you to know that you, as a genuine believer, are more highly esteemed by God if you live in the mind of Christ.

What is this mind of Christ? It is our eager desire to be like Christ and to live as Christ lived during His earthly ministry. Christ was always on a mission to do the will of the Father. How did Christ know the will of the Father during His earthly ministry? It was by the Word of God that was illuminated to His humanity by the Holy Spirit.

We have the same Word of God available to every believer today. We as genuine believers have the same Holy Spirit dwelling within us today; the same Holy Spirit Who gave us the “born-again” event in our being that transformed us into the children of God.

If we seek to preeminently seek to do the will of God, to meditate upon His Word; to yield to the Holy Spirit, and to love our Savior, then we can’t help but to be in the mind of Christ.

The mind of Christ is to think as Jesus thinks, and to do as Jesus does, even when it does not bring us an emotional stimulus. Even when we can not see the end result that will benefit us; even when if goes against the majority thought of the world, we do it because God tells us to do it. And who knows you and what is best for you, even more so that you know what is best for you yourself?—GOD does!

Let the Mind of Christ be your TICKET through each and every day and circumstance of life!

Triumph in the Mind Of Christ! Therefore I say to you who believe: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:5-15 NKJV).

Be in the mind of Christ Jesus, beloved!

I tell ya because I love ya.

Filling The Missing Piece of My Humanity!

 

What if you never had a need? What if you had never experienced that moment of emptiness? What if you never realized that there was an essential component of your humanity missing? How could you have known that God is able to provide your every need, as He is able to fill that empty void within? 

 That void is God missing prior to knowing Christ, for we were created in our humanity to be constantly in fellowship and at peace with God. That is the void that Jesus came to fill as He brings us back to the Father. “For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness” (Psalms 107:9 NKJV).

So the next time you struggle with things and situations in your life, remember that as a believer that God has filled that void as you became aware of your emptiness. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matt 5:6 NKJV).

Just as God has filled that void, he will fill all of your needs. But you must understand that the struggles of life serve the purpose of making us aware of how we need God to truly live. We were created to live with God inside of us, not with God outside and ignored by us. “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart” (Psalms 37:4 NKJV)

 Our struggles and pains in life allow us to see so clearly our Salvation and Healer. ‘“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed”’ (Luke 4:18 NKJV).

God brings healing to the soul, body, life and all of the essence of our humanity. Jesus even took upon Himself the struggles and burdens of humanity, conquering them all, as even now He has appointed healing and victory as accredited to our accounts. We may not have full possession of those accounts at this very moment in time, yet they are ours for all eternity. How do we know? We know because He promised us. Christ Jesus: God cannot lie; for He is always faithful. Because, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17 NKJV).

He is able, and He has the power, and He will manifest His power in His beloved people, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Eph 3:20-21 NKJV)

For we who believe in and trust in Him are they who, “Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory” (Eph 1:4-12 NKJV).

Thank you Lord Jesus that because of the struggles and difficulties of life—as unpleasant as they were, and are—that I am able to see the Light of Christ, and my place in Christ Jesus, as He is even in me. For I am an heir, as the bride of Christ, and as a child of God forever. Selah! Amen!

I have no regrets! For If I never had a need, I would never have known my need for YOU! I do truly need you my Master!

Thank you for filling the missing piece of the human puzzle!

I tell ya because I love ya.

 

 

 

No One Can Out Give God!

 

Have you ever noticed that regardless of how well you may be doing, you always can think of something else you want? Even the very rich, regardless of the abundance of material wealth that they have want more. They want more things; more money; more power, and the like. But again, it is not the rich alone; for we all fit very snuggly in that category where we always want more to one degree or another. 

We drive an old truck, so we want a new car. We get a Chevy and then want a Cadillac. We get a caddy and want a Mercedes Benz. We get a nice house, and then we want a bigger house. This scenario goes on and on and is indicative of human nature.

Yet once we become born again believers, we slowly come to know that though we need certain material sustenance; we don’t need all of the things that we want. If you have those things: great! If you don’t have those material things, then work and strive for them if you want them, but never let the process of processing them be the Lord of your life; for that is a place reserved exclusively for King Jesus! 

Always remember that in Christ you have all that you need. Just as God feeds the birds, and sustains all life on earth, God will make sure you have everything you need—not necessarily want, but what you need. By the same token, that does not mean we should sit around on our hands waiting for things to come; for God provides for us as we work toward certain goals and objectives in life—using our talents and acquired skills—while looking to achieve and receive with great expectation. 

Know this, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” (2 Cor 9:8 NKJV). And, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” (2 Peter 1:3-4 NKJV). 

The Kingdom of God is upon the horizon, and then you will be able to splurge beyond imagination. But the funny thing is that regardless of all the Kingdom wealth, you will be very sufficient and satisfied in Christ alone! All the other things are just extra gifts from God that you may know the fullness of His generosity and glory! 

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy” (Psalms 103:2-4 NKJV).

Our spiritual wealth does now and shall always far exceed any other type of wealth available to us. God is our Wealth, and Jesus is our Treasure!

 No one can out give God! 

I tell ya because I love ya

It Is All In The Name!

 

In the ancient days, names were given which had specific meanings and were indicative of a person’s character. Jacob’s name means “supplanter” as he grabbed upon his brothers heal in a failed attempt to be born first, while still in the womb. In order to be a “supplanter,” as it is defined in regard to Jacob, one has to be a person of devious character with a manipulative heart and agenda. This is exactly what Jacob was, as he deceived his twin broth Esau, and tricked Esau into giving Jacob his birthright, along with all of the rights and privilege of being the first born son. 

Jacobs’s trickery caused him to be hated by Esau, as he ran for his life and ended up an outcast for many years, separated from his family and subjected to the trickery of his experienced uncle Leban, who was of the same nature and character as Jacob, but more seasoned. 

God knew exactly the character of Jacobs, but God had a plan for Jacobs as progenitor of the line from which our Savior, Jesus would come forth. One night, after running away from the abuse of his uncle Leban, Jacob wrestled all night with God. After the struggled Jacobs asked God to bless Him. God did bless Jacob that very moment, as God changed the character of Jacob, as well as the name of Jacob. This is what God does for us also as born again believers in Jesus Christ. 

Jacob was no longer in his heart and character a supplanter. Jacobs’s new name and character was Israel, which means, “to struggle with God, to contend with God, and to be preserved by God.” This means that Israel-Jacob’s nature was changed, and his purpose in life, as well as his demeanor from the inside out changed. 

It means that just as Israel-Jacob struggled with God that night, so will the people of Israel struggle with God, as they struggle to this day, but in the end—there will be an end to the struggle—they will be preserved forever as the people of God, and as a Holy nation of God. And Israel shall have Jesus Christ as their eternal King, as shall the church. God is in the business of changing the nature and character of humanity from corrupt to righteous, so that they may be God’s Holy people. 

The whole point of all this is that in the ancient days a name had a definitive meaning. We need to know that when Jesus said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, THAT WHATEVER YOU ASK THE FATHER IN MY NAME HE MAY GIVE YOU” (John 15:16b NKJV), Jesus was not telling us to say specifically, “In Jesus name I pray,” at the end of our prayers—though that is okay. 

What Jesus was actually telling us to do by praying in His name, is to pray in His Spirit, by the Holy Spirit. To pray with Jesus’ mind-set, as it is focused exclusively on the will of the Father: what the Father wants, not men. To pray with a spirit of humility and supplication, love and expectation, just as Jesus did during His earthly ministry. There is a certain frame of mind and heart that we must have, and are enabled to have as genuine born again Christians. This frame of mind and heart is one that is always, 24/7, pursuing God FIRST—not the world; not the social agendas of the world, not any leaders of the world; for all of these things are secondary and subject to the will, heart, and plan of God. 

By pursuing the will of the Father through Christ Jesus as we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to act righteously as we carry out the Fathers will. For if we pursue Christ in His nature by His Spirit, we shall always be led in the right direction because we shall never fail to make Him first! If Christ is always first, as is the will of the Father, we can not be tricked or deceived as to what our first and preeminent priorities must be. It’s all in the WORD! It’s all affirmed by the Holy Spirit! It is all possible because of the slavific work of Christ on the cross of Calvary! It’s all possible because we have born again nature’s that allow us to pray in the nature—name—of Christ Jesus. 

Get it? 

Got It! 

In my humble spirit I submit to your authority father, seeking not my will but your will. Please let the Holy Spirit take charge that I may follow as Your Spirit leads me in all righteousness, as I stand in the name and nature of Your Son, Jesus, by way of the Holy Spirit! 

I obey, so I write without reservation! I tell ya because I love ya.

 

 

So We Run!

Most people want a trouble free life of ease and comfort—me being at the head of the line. However, because of the fallen state of our world and human flesh, the only dependable ease we have is Jesus Christ. Even the materially rich have lives full of trouble that their money can’t fix. 

If Jesus, being God, who added humanity unto Himself was gladly willing to suffer on our behalf so we may live, shouldn’t we be willing to follow in His footsteps when difficulties and suffering come? 

We must be glad to endure for Christ as Christ was happy to endure for us, leaving us his example to emulate, as Paul said, “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps… (1Peter 2:21 NKJV) 

Remember that Jesus was not at the end of His mission, just as we are not at the end of our mission. However, when Jesus reached the end of His earthly assignment to redeem believing humanity, He did so victoriously, as we shall do also—He, Jesus, Is the PRIZE. And Jesus has also ascribed His spiritual KINGDOM wealth to all who believe in and trust Him—material wealth can’t touch that! 

We must live our lives as if we are running a long, grueling and difficult marathon: a race in which we are determined to win—with each agonizing step—the victors prize. “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.” (1Cor 9:24 NKJV)

So we run! 

Let us run for the joy of our VICTORY! 

So We Run! 

I tell ya because I love ya.

Thank God Almighty: I Am Free At Last!

 

As Jesus was called, so is every man of God called, and every born-again-believer called without exception, to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ in one way or another. 

I love you all, however if I spent all my time telling you how much I love you and God loves you, without firstly carrying out God’s prescribed demonstration of that love—preaching and teaching the Gospel: brokenness, sorrow of heart, turning away from sin, and turning to righteousness in Christ Jesus—then many would perish, thinking about how good they feel being loved by men but not knowing the sacrificial love of God that gives eternal life and kinship with God through Christ. 

Early in His ministry, Jesus did not say, “I come to show you love and to make you tingle all over.” He did not say, “I will tell you what you want to hear so you will come back again, and continue to pay your tithes”. Jesus came to demonstrate real love and to let the genuine struggle of love be know, as He quoted Isaiah 61: 1 which He was in actuality fulfilling at that very moment, as a prophecy about Himself. 

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, ¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” (Luke4: 18-19 ESV) 

The Gospel is the Good News spoken of above. And the poor spoken of above are not those particularly impoverished material—though most of the redeemed are these people. But the poor spoken of above are those who are poor and broken in spirit. Those who are beat down by life, and recognize that they are not able to even keep the commands of God’ moral and ceremonial law, no matter how much they try. They are poor because they have given up all hope for despair, until they see the wealth of God in Christ Jesus. 

These same poor are captives to sin, and they know it. They can never set themselves free; but they come to know—by the moving of the Holy Spirit upon them—that Jesus can set them free from the bondage of sin. By believing and trusting Jesus they become free to love and to live for God, which is as much a natural component of our full humanity as breathing. You see, God created mankind to know Him, to have fellowship with Him, as naturally as we eat when we are hungry, and smile when we are happy. 

In Christ Jesus, after we are born-again, we recover our sight, whereas prior to Jesus we were spiritual blind and unable to truly see and know God. But upon receiving Christ Jesus, He washes our eyes with the salve of reconciliation; now we have gone from being spiritually dead to being spiritually alive—I’m Alive! 

We may still have to deal with the attempts of men to oppress us in this life, as they may attempt to oppress our bodies, minds, and personal liberties; however, regardless we are free in Christ. We are free to see, know, obey, live-for, and to rejoice in Christ in spite of our circumstances, because we now the Truth: and the Truth has set us free, being that Christ Jesus Is the manifestation of TRUTH! We know that God will have the last word and our earthly oppressors will be judge, and we shall still be free as the Kingdom people of God. 

For now is the time of God’s favor. And God’s favor is redemption in Christ as we are forgiven all sins by the eternal grace of God. You are free to tell all who will listen—tell them! 

I love being free. In Christ Jesus, we have made it to the Mountaintop. “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty! I am Free at Last! 

When Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King spoke these words, he was speaking of a civil freedom in this life—which was a good thing. However, the substances of Dr. King’s words were based upon his biblical and theological study of the Word of God. Dr. King saw and hoped for a civil social freedom in this life, while basing it upon and knowing our great need for freedom spiritually. This spiritual freedom is the greatest freedom, for it brings about ALL FREEDOM—eternal Kingdom Freedom! 

Thank God Almighty! I am Free at last! Free at last in Christ Jesus! 

I tell ya because I love ya