Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Joy

Jesus came down for one purpose and one assignment: to redeem mankind. When He was buried in the tomb over 2,000 years ago, He had your name written on the palm of His hand. He knew you before you were formed in your mother’s womb, and He had already chosen you. I can’t tell you that I understand it all, but I can tell you that I’m glad about it!

When Jesus was on the Earth, scripture tells us that for the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross. He didn’t focus on what He was going through. He didn’t focus on the accusations, beatings and betrayal; He focused on you and me. He focused on the joy of our salvation! Jesus was thrilled that He got to come to us, and we should be thrilled that we now get to go to Him.

See, joy is a spiritual force. It can only be obtained by knowing the Father. Joy isn’t something you get when things are going good. It’s something that keeps you stable no matter what is going on around you. Jesus tapped into joy to through the cross, and He’s telling us that we need to tap into joy to through the trials and tests that we face as well.

Today, open your heart and receive the joy God has for you. Focus on the fact that He’s got you in the palm of His hand. Trust that He is working all things out for your good. Dwell on the truth that if God is on your side, there’s no enemy that can stand against you!

As you meditate on these things and the other promises found in His Word, faith will come. Hope will come. It will be easier for you to cast your cares on Him because you trust Him. Before you know it, you’ll feel that supernatural joy welling up in your heart and giving you strength! You’ll have an attitude that says, “I don’t know why I’m in this difficult situation; I don’t know what’s going to happen, I just have faith! I don’t why, but I just believe God’s going to get me out of this!” Other people will wonder why you have a smile on your face and a spring in your step, but you’ll know it’s because His joy is giving you the strength you need to push past the challenges and grab hold of the victory that God has in store for you!

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:1-2).
Written By Victoria Osteen

You Are Spoken For


Let that sink in. God is after you. He wants you. Yes, you the perfectionist, the shy one, the one who struggles with anxiety, who is ashamed of your past, who has messed up too many times to count. You, who loses his temper, the doubter, the lover of things, the one who does things in secret that you would never tell anyone about, the one who has had things done to you that has left you feeling helpless, hopeless and undesirable. HE WANTS YOU. ALL OF YOU. He sees you as you are- everything- past, present and future- and wants you. And not only does He want you, but He has given everything up to have you. Desire shown in action love. He is calling your name. He is holding His arms open to you, eyes on you, heart beating for you.


God’s way of pursuing us is by patiently drawing us to Himself. His love letter is laced together with beautiful, soul-stirring evidence that we humans are the object of his affection. He wants us to be his. You think that since you deserve to be punished for something you did that you know broke God’s heart, His response to you should be the same as what a human’s response would be – vengeance, shunning, disgust, anger. But that isn’t how He treats us. Never has been, never will be. The consequences are always there for our choices but God’s arms are always open as He waits for us to return to Him. James 4:8, promises us that if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us.


As believers, we grow up hearing of how much the Lord loves us. We sing the songs at church, we read the verses. We know we are loved. And yet, how many of us actually believe it? Actually let it penetrate our lives, sink into our hearts and change us? How many of us live differently in light of that truth? But it’s one thing to be loved, and another to need that love; to put our hope, fulfillment and identity in their love. People will let us down. They can’t love us unconditionally as Jesus does because we’re imperfect people. We’re all learning what love looks like- and we can only fully know by looking at our Savior.




We have been called out of this world and its value system and invited in to God’s eternal kingdom. We belong to the One who made us, loves us, and knows what’s best for us. That’s why we will only be happy when we fix our hope and affections on his kingdom and all that is eternal. Many times being called involves a deliberate action on our part in which we step away from whatever is holding us back from knowing him more fully. He has called us out of darkness and into light (1 Peter 2:9).


My value is not based on what I do or offer, but it’s based on who He says I am. It’s based on the mere fact that I am an image bearer of Christ. I am His daughter, His bride, His chosen one. My value is based on Jesus. And I am priceless to Him. When we see that our value and worth come from Him alone, we are set free. No longer do we become devastated when things that we do aren’t perfect, or when we have seasons where we have to cut back and not do as much. We don’t have to earn anyone’s favor or approval. We don’t have to fear what others think of us, or try to prove ourselves. We are set free- set free to be who God created us to be. You are of great value. Worthy. Priceless. Whenever you doubt your worth, look to the cross, where Jesus died for you. What else shows you how much He treasures you!? He died for you, sacrificed His Son for you, gave up His life for you because you were worth it.


We aren’t of any great use to God. He can do whatever he wants; he doesn’t need us to be puppets, servants, or envoys to do his work for him. The only way anything happens for his kingdom is when he gives us the power and invites us to come alongside him and to be part of what he is already doing. God can use us, and he does all the time. But in and of ourselves we aren’t of any great use to God. However, we are of great value to him. Being of great value is different from being of great use.


Written By Robin Jones Gunn

Monday, April 21, 2014

Wall Of Life


As I begin my day this morning, I find myself reflecting on this quote by Christian D. Larson, letting the words soak into my soul. As I am tempted to see all the places I fall short, I remind myself that Rome wasn’t built in a day. And neither am I. I am a work in progress. My prayer is that each day I am better than the last.

And as I read these words, something moves in me, and says, “Yes. This is how I want to live my life. This is how I want to write on the wall of life.”

 1. Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

2. To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.

3. To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.

4. To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.

5. To think only of the best, to work only for the best and expect only the best.

6. To be enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

7. To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to greater achievements of the future.

8. To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.

9. To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

10. To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, to strong for fear and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

Written By Christian D. Larson

Rest For Your Souls


You’re weary with the weight of the world. You look in the mirror and don’t love what you see. The loneliness in your heart threatens to break you. The feelings of singleness triple.

But in the back of your mind, in the pit of your heart, there is an echo – a still small voice. “My child – I am here. I give you that which only I can give, a peace that only I can instill. It is in My presence that your identity, your fulfillment is found. Rest in Me. Cast your burdens at the foot of the cross that I bore for you.”

We’re daughters, sisters, mothers, friends. We try to take on more than we can bear, but the beautiful thing is that we don’t have to carry them alone. Our problems, our secrets, our insecurities, our desires and longings.

Find the rest that you so deeply need in Scripture, in the written Word of God. Nothing comforts a weary soul quite like the gentle words of our King. He promises to bear the weight that we cannot, to meet us at the place we’re in, to walk beside us through our darkest valley’s.

To those struggling with the face looking back in the mirror, remember this: You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you (Song of Solomon 4:7). You are beautiful, so outrageously beautiful to our Savior.

To those on the verge of breaking, loneliness at your heels, hold fast to the promise that we will never walk alone; God has promised never to leave us, never to forsake us.

Seek Him for rest, and you will find peace that surpasses all understanding.

Written By Aysha Nicole

Yield To The Desires Of The Holy Spirit



But be holy in all you do, just as God, the One who called you, is holy. It is written in the Scriptures: "You must be holy, because I am holy." (1 Peter 1:15-16 NCV)

Holiness is one of the marks of a believer’s life. But we can never be holy by following rules because holiness begins on the inside of us. Oh, we could look holy and righteous on the outside all the while we could be full of jealousy, anger, and pride, etc. on the inside. Outward conformity can never accomplish God’s will because it doesn’t change the inner person’s thoughts and desires. The end result of following rules is hypocrisy because the inside of us doesn’t match the outside.

And Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of His day saying, "You are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy -- full of greed and self-indulgence!... First wash the inside of the cup, and then the outside will become clean, too.” (Matthew 23:23-26 NLT) What Jesus was saying to those Pharisees is that the only way a person can become holy is by cleaning up the inside of the cup (i.e., a person’s desires and thought life) and not the other way around. And the only solution is to gain a new nature on the inside – a nature that desires to live godly and holy. I’m referring to new birth and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:6 (NLT) says, “If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace.”

When you yield to the desires of the Holy Spirit rather than your fleshly desires you will experience the results of a transformed life!

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Passover, Good Friday, and the First Blood Moon


I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all ….  I am the Lord.  The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you.  No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt (Exodus 12:12-13).

Then Moses said…”Go…slaughter the Passover lamb.  Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe.  …When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down”  (Exodus 12:21-23).

…Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed (1 Corinthians 5:7).

The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord (Joel 2:31).

What could Passover, Good Friday, and the first lunar eclipse of 2014 have in common? Think about it with me…

Passover begins at sundown tonight. It is a day set aside by God’s people to remember their deliverance from bondage in Egypt. Other than Creation and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, there has never been a more dramatic demonstration of God’s power than the event we refer to as The Exodus.

Passover remembers the time when the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. When Pharaoh defied God’s command to let His people go, his mind had to be changed.  So God sent to Egypt a series of plagues one at a time, each giving Pharaoh opportunity to repent of his defiance: the water turned to blood, then frogs, gnats, and flies covered the land, followed by the death of the livestock, boils on men and animals, hail, locusts, and darkness. When Pharaoh hardened his heart against God and refused to let God’s people go, the final plague was sent. And it was the worst.

At midnight, God executed His final judgment on Egypt.  The angel of death went throughout the land and struck down all the firstborn.  From Pharaoh on his throne, to the prisoner in the dungeon, to the livestock in the barn, the firstborn died. The only ones saved from His judgment were those who placed the blood of a lamb on the doorposts of their homes and remained inside. Israelite and Egyptian alike. As a result, Pharaoh repented of his resistance, and let God’s people go.

But Passover is not only a remembrance of the power of God to save His people from judgment and to set them free from bondage.  It is also a beautiful prophetic picture of another event that will be celebrated this week. 

Good Friday is a sacred, holy day that commemorates an event that took place 2000 years ago when Jesus Christ was not just crucified, but was sacrificed as God’s Lamb. On the actual day of  Passover. When you and I apply by faith the blood of Jesus shed on the Cross to our own hearts and lives, then the judgment of God for our sin passes over us, and we are not only saved from the penalty of sin, but saved from the power of sin.  We are set free from spiritual bondage.

On this year’s Passover day, in a unique way, God seems to be putting a sign of His blood on the doorposts of the heavens.  Because on this very day, the moon will turn to “blood” as it enters into a total lunar eclipse.  Could God be warning Planet Earth that judgment is coming, and giving us opportunity to repent before it does?  Could God be reminding you and me that the only salvation from His judgment is to take refuge under the blood of the Lamb?

I can’t answer those questions, but I do know one thing.  I want to make sure that I have been to the Cross, repented of my sin and rebellion against God, and claimed the blood of Jesus as my “covering.” I want to make sure I am safe--saved from God’s judgment whenever it does come, whether it comes this year on earth, or at death when I step into eternity and face a holy God.

This Good Friday, would you thank God for the Blood of Jesus by making sure you have applied it to the doorposts of your heart and life?
Written By Anne Graham Lotz

Friday, April 18, 2014

She Is Far Precious Than Rubies


Proverbs tells us that as precious as jewels may be, an excellent wife is worth even more. What could an excellent wife possess that makes her more precious than diamonds or rubies?

What are these indestructible jewels? What names do they go by? There are many, but a few are truth, holiness, knowledge, faith, obedience, hope, love, joy, humility, wisdom, prudence, fortitude, gentleness, patience, kindness, calmness, diligence (as in not lazy), discipline, and compassion. 
A good and godly woman is “more precious than jewels,” so we need to do some soul searching and find out where our character is lacking, what jewels are dulled due to neglect or are missing altogether. It is easy to end up feeling overwhelmed and discouraged.
A woman whose worth is far above precious jewels is a woman whose soul is dripping with the jewels of godliness. Pick one ornament and dedicate yourself to making it a part of your godly character.

So how do you train yourself in godly character traits?

1. Find it in Jesus

Your hope and confidence before God is Jesus’ holiness, not your own. You must first see that you lack the godliness God desires, and must see that Jesus’ righteousness is yours as a gift. Secondly, you must realize that your growth in godliness is also wholly dependent on Jesus. Your growth in these areas will not come about by mere will-power. You must look to Jesus and depend on him for all of this, working in the power he supplies.

2. Deal with them one at a time

Examine your life and see which jewel you would like to polish. Pick one at a time and then devote yourself to it by praying, studying and working hard and praying.

3. Pray about it – a lot

Did I mention that you should pray? Pray that God would send you encouragement. Pray that he would change you as you work on developing these Christ like ornaments for your soul. Pray for perseverance and wisdom.

4. Read all about you can about it

Read every Bible verse you can find, brainstorm with friends or look online for practical ideas. Find books that cover that particular character trait and read. When we read a book it is like having someone come alongside you to help, to teach, to encourage, convict and train. We can have the voice of someone long dead help us grow in our walk with Jesus. That is exciting and great grace.

5. Practice, Practice and Practice

We have all seen little babies learn to walk. It is not easy for them. They wobble, trip and fall but over time and with much practise, walking becomes second nature. When we start working on some of the character qualities described in Proverbs 31 it may seem awkward, slow and frustrating but don’t give up. Maybe you are going to work on getting up early, being more patient, speaking kindly or being more organized.  The more you put into practice the more second nature they will become. Don’t let a bad day (or even a bad week) get you down.
Written By Jen Thorn

Why The Resurrection Matters To You

The Resurrection is the final proof that Jesus Christ is who He claimed to be.

The Bible records, "From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things ... and be killed, and be raised up on the third day" (Matthew 16:21). Even though His followers did not understand what He was telling them at the time, they remembered His words and recorded them.

Jesus made numerous appearances to His followers. He comforted the mourners outside His tomb on Sunday morning. On the road to Emmaus, He explained things about Himself from the Old Testament. Later, He ate in their presence and invited them to touch Him. Scripture records that Jesus was seen by more than 500 at one time.

The unrelenting faith of the disciples convinces me of the Resurrection. Those disciples who were once so afraid that they deserted their Lord now courageously proclaimed this news, risking their lives to preach. Their bold and courageous behavior does not make sense unless they knew with absolute certainty that Jesus had been raised from the dead.

The growth of the Christian church confirms the Resurrection. Peter's first sermon, which dealt with Christ's resurrection, stirred people to receive Him as their living Savior. Luke records the thrilling results: "That day there were added about three thousand souls" (Acts 2:41). And that group of believers has multiplied until now it reaches around the world. Today, there are hundreds of millions of believers. the testimony of hundreds of millions of transformed lives through the centuries shows the power of the Resurrection. Many have been delivered from addictions. The destitute and despairing have found hope. Broken marriages have been restored. The most conclusive proof for the resurrection of Jesus Christ is that He is living within believers today in all of His resurrected life and transforming power.

 Significance of the Resurrection

The Resurrection confirms that Jesus is who He claimed to be.

1. The Resurrection proved that Christ was divine. The fact that Jesus Christ died on the cross does not prove in itself He is God. Jesus proved His deity by fulfilling the prophecies of His death and by His return from the grave. The Bible declares that "by being raised from the dead [Christ] was proved to be the mighty Son of God, with the holy nature of God Himself" (Romans 1:4).

2.  The Resurrection proved Christ's power to forgive sin. The Bible asserts, "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins" (1 Corinthians 15:17). By rising from the dead, Jesus proved His authority and power to break the bonds of sin and to assure forgiveness and eternal life to all who accept His gift of salvation.

3. The Resurrection revealed Christ's power over death. The Bible records, "Christ rose from the dead and will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him" (Romans 6:9, TLB). The Resurrection secured our victory over death as well and "lifted us up from the grave into glory along with Christ, where we sit with him in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 2:6).

4.  The Resurrection defeated God's enemy. From the moment of his original rebellion until the day of the Cross, the devil fought viciously and cunningly to overthrow the kingdom of God. Satan must have thought he had dealt the final and decisive blow in this age-old war. But this was the devil's most serious miscalculation. The Cross was heaven's triumph. And when Jesus Christ arose, the power of sin and death was forever shattered. Because of the Resurrection, Christians need never fear Satan or death again.

5. The Resurrection Involved the Trinity. Nothing short of the power of God can raise someone from the dead. In the resurrection of Jesus we see all three members of the Trinity participate in this amazing miracle. God the father had his hand in the resurrection of Jesus. This shows the tenderness and love of a father towards his son. It’s a sign of affection after all the suffering and torture Jesus went through (Acts 13:33-34, Romans 6:4). Christ raised himself from the dead, because he is powerful like that. We tend to view Jesus as meek and mild, a sandal wearing man who had compassion on people. But he was also the almighty warrior prince, who is the creator of the heavens and the earth, who sustains our lives and who, as the Captain of the heavenly armies, defeated Satan and rescues his bride. “Therefore does my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again” (John 10:17,18). But we can’t forget the third member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. He also played an active and vital role in this divine act of resurrection (1 Peter 3:18, Romans 8:11).

6. The Resurrection Completes Our Salvation. The resurrection is the piece that completes our salvation. It was through his life that we received his righteousness and it was through Christ’s death that we received the forgiveness of sin, but it was through his resurrection that our righteousness and forgiveness were sealed. Rising from the dead Christ broke once and for the all the powers of death and hell. Therefore we can say with boldness, “death where is your victory?” and know with confidence that while death is real it cannot hold us down for long.

7. The Resurrection Gives Us Power.  We were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). Through the resurrection we have been given the power to overcome sin and to live a godly life. Don’t listen to Satan’s whispered lies that you can never change or overcome your struggles. When you feel defeated remember who lives within you! Remember the power that you have inherited and go boldly into your day.

Ascension Of Christ

For 40 days after His death and resurrection, Christ appeared many times to His followers.

On one occasion, He gathered His remaining 11 disciples on a mountain in Galilee and gave them His Great Commission.

He said, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always" (Matthew 28:19,20).

Later, the Book of Acts records that, on the Mount of Olives, He admonished His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they were filled with the Holy Spirit and then to take His message to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the world (Acts 1:4,5,8).

Immediately after, He rose skyward and disappeared into the clouds, leaving the disciples staring after Him in amazed wonder.

The ascension of Christ was the final part in the redemption. His mission completed, Jesus Christ was exalted to His former glory.

How To Know God Personally


The following principles will explain how you can personally begin a relationship with God, right now, through Jesus Christ...

 Principle 1: God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life.

God's Love
"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).

God's Plan
[Christ speaking] "I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly" [that it might be full and meaningful] (John 10:10).

Why is it that most people are not experiencing the abundant life? Because...

Principle 2: All of us sin and our sin has separated us from God.

We Are Sinful
"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
We were created to have fellowship with God; but, because of our stubborn self-will, we chose to go our own independent way, and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is evidence of what the Bible calls sin.

We Are Separated
"The wages of sin is death" [spiritual separation from God] (Romans 6:23).

The third law explains the only way to bridge this gulf...

Principle 3: Jesus Christ is God's only provision for our sin. Through Him we can know and experience God's love and plan for our life.

 He Died in Our Place
"God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

He Rose From the Dead
"Christ died for our sins...He was buried...He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures...He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred..." (1 Corinthians 15:3-6).

He Is the Only Way to God
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me" (John 14:6).


God has bridged the gulf which separates us from Him by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins.

 It is not enough just to know these three principles...

 Principle 4: We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives.

We Must Receive Christ
"As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12).

We Receive Christ Through Faith
"By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9).

When We Receive Christ, We Experience a New Birth

 We Receive Christ by Personal Invitation

[Christ speaking] "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him" (Revelation 3:20).

Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive our sins and to make us what He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for your sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. You receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will.

The following explains how you can receive Christ:

If this prayer expresses the desire of your heart, then you can pray this prayer right now and Christ will come into your life, as He promised.
You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer.
Prayer is talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer:

"Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be."


Congratulations on your decision to accept Christ!
 
Written By Billy Bright

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Benefits Of Redemption

Has God made a way for us to be delivered from the slavery of the kingdom of darkness to become heirs of the kingdom of light? Yes, He has. The way that God has made for us is through the death of Jesus Christ on our behalf. On the cross, Jesus took upon Himself the curses due to us by our disobedience so that, in turn, we might enter into the blessings Jesus earned by His obedience. These blessings cover the whole area of the kingdom of light. Both the curses and the blessings are worked out in three main areas of our lives: spiritual, physical and material.

What are the spiritual curses from which Christ has delivered us? Likewise, what are the spiritual blessings which Christ has made available to us?

First of all, let’s look at the basic causes that bring blessings as well as the causes that bring curses.

“Now it shall be, if you will diligently obey [listen to the voice of] the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you will obey the Lord your God (Deuteronomy 28:1–2). Next, Moses turns to the reason why the curses come. “But it shall come about, if you will not obey [listen to the voice of] the Lord your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes which I charge you today, that all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.”  It is vitally important for us to understand the decisive difference between receiving the blessings and receiving the curses. That distinction is summed up in one short, but very important phrase: “Listen to the voice of the Lord your God.”

Our whole destiny for well-being or for disaster is settled by the voice we listen to. Listening to the voice of the Lord and obeying what He says will bring blessing. But not listening to the voice of the Lord will bring many curses. Of course, it is not sufficient to listen to the voice of the Lord unless we also obey what He says. Conversely, it is impossible to obey what God says unless we first hear His voice, because His voice tells us what He requires us to do.

The great spiritual danger that confronts professing Christians is to become insensitive to the voice of God. Many may continue in their religious activities and duties, which are habitual and formal (a lifestyle they have cultivated) yet without any ongoing, continuous awareness of God’s voice. Through all dispensations, the one requirement God asks of His people is that we listen to His voice.
 
This requirement is stated clearly by the Lord Himself in Jeremiah 7:22–23. In these verses, God explains what He really required of Israel. “For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this is what I commanded them saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people .”               

Notice the simple requirement for the Lord to be our God and we His people: “Obey My voice and I will be your God.”

You may think that the New Testament is different, but that would not be true. The principle is exactly the same. Jesus sums it up in one single verse: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27).

The mark that we really belong to Jesus is not that we practice certain denominational patterns of life or worship, but that we hear His voice—and, hearing His voice, that we follow Him. The simple pathway to God’s blessings is to hear and obey His voice. The inevitable end of not hearing and obeying God’s voice is to receive the curses.

I will now briefly list for you the curses in the spiritual (inner) realm of our personality that result from disobedience to God. These are listed by Moses in Deuteronomy 28.

In verse 20, Moses says we will experience confusion in all we undertake.
In verse 28, smitten with madness and bewilderment of heart.
In verse 34, we shall be driven mad by what we see.
In verse 65, a trembling heart and despair of soul.

These are some of the spiritual consequences we encounter in the lives of people in today’s world: confusion, frustration, inner agony and torment.

What are the blessings in the spiritual realm that result from obedience? Of course, there are countless blessings. But I believe they can be summed up in one short and beautiful word: peace.

 When Isaiah wrote about the exchange that took place when Jesus died on the cross, he said this, “The punishment that brought us peace was upon him” (Isaiah 53:5 niv). Jesus endured the judgment and the punishment due to our sin and disobedience that we might be reconciled with God. As a result of being reconciled with God, we can be delivered from inner agony, torment, confusion and frustration. We can know the reality of a deep, settled, inward peace.

Let’s look at two other Scriptures in the New Testament that speak of this peace.

Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1).

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7). No longer are we guilty. No longer do we fear that somehow we are not pleasing God. We have peace with God. This beautiful verse in Philippians 4 describes the experiential results within us. The peace of God will guard our hearts and minds in our contemporary civilization. Actually, in its Hebrew form, the word peace means more than just the absence of conflict. It means wholeness or well-being. This type of peace begins in the inner man, but it leads to total well-being. It affects every area of our lives.

Let’s now go back to Deuteronomy 28 to look at all the physical curses that result from not hearing and not obeying the voice of the Lord. They are indeed many. As you read this, bear in mind that all these maladies are stated as curses that do not belong to the redeemed people of God.

Many of us as Christians are enduring curses when we should be enjoying blessings, Why? Probably for two main reasons: either because we don’t know that they are curses or because we don’t realize that Jesus delivered us from the curses that we might inherit the blessings.

“The Lord will bring extraordinary plagues on you and your descendants [notice that they go from generation to generation], even severe and lasting plagues, and miserable and chronic sicknesses.”

 The prophet Isaiah gives us a very vivid picture of the results of disobedience and rebellion. Speaking to the nation of Israel, he compares their condition resulting from disobedience to that of a completely sick body:

Why should you be beaten anymore? Why do you persist in rebellion? Your whole head is injured, your whole heart afflicted. From the sole of your foot to the top of your head there is no soundness—only wounds and welts and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with oil (Isaiah 1:5–6).

This passage is a metaphorical picture of the results of disobedience. However, one day as I was reading it, the Holy Spirit showed me something wonderful and beautiful. I realized that Jesus had already taken all the curses upon Himself because He became our substitute. Those verses were not just a metaphorical picture of the condition of Israel as a result of their disobedience. They were also a literal picture of Jesus as He hung on the cross.

Jesus was beaten with a Roman scourge, with its fearful nine thongs. His head was injured: the thorns had been pressed down upon His head. His whole heart was afflicted. I believe Jesus died of a broken heart. This passage is an exact description of Jesus as He hung upon the cross. Why did He do it? To redeem us from the curse by being made a curse for us. All those physical curses resulting from our disobedience against God came upon Jesus as He hung there on the cross.

Let’s look now at the physical blessings that were purchased for us by Jesus. We will turn again, first of all, to Isaiah 53:4–5: Surely he [Jesus] took our infirmities and carried our [pains], yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he [Jesus] was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Jesus took the physical consequences of disobedience that we might in turn have healing. We see this in that phrase at the end of verse 5, “By his wounds we are healed.” More literally in Hebrew it says, “By his wounds it was healed for us.” Or we could perhaps say, “by his wounds healing was obtained for us.” Healing was made our inheritance through the wounds that Jesus bore on His body.

The next part of this passage is quoted in the New Testament in Matthew’s gospel, describing the ministry of Jesus in healing the sick and casting out evil spirits. This is what it says:

When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases” (Matthew 8:16–17). Matthew had no doubt who was referred to in Isaiah 53. He applied it to Jesus. Notice also that Matthew (who was a Jew and understood Hebrew), had no doubt that the application of those verses in Isaiah 53 was physical. It was the physical healing of the sick that was the fulfillment of the prophecy given in Isaiah.

Notice what Jesus says in answering His critics for healing a man on the Sabbath:

“If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the Law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath” (John 7:23)? Jesus makes the entire man well. Every area of human being and human personality can be healed through Jesus.

Notice too what Peter said after the healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate in Acts 3:16. This is how he explained the healing: By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you all can see. What is the result? “Complete healing.” Jesus said, “I’ve made an entire man well.” That is the physical outworking of the redemption provided for us by Jesus. We are grateful for the work of physicians, psychiatrists and others. But there is only one person in the universe who can say, “I make an entire man well! I can deal with all his problems: spiritual, mental, emotional, physical.” Who is that Person? The Lord Jesus Christ.  As we contact Jesus by faith on the basis of His redemption, the same results that took place and are recorded in the New Testament are available to you and me today through faith in Jesus.

Now we will look at the blessings and the curses specifically in the material realm. First of all, we look at the material blessings promised to obedience—and there are many indeed. (It is not possible for me in this brief letter to list them all.) Here is what Moses says in Deuteronomy 28:

Blessed in the city and in the country (verse 3)

Blessed shall be the offspring of your body, the produce of your ground, the offspring of your beasts, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock (verse 4)

Your basket, your kneading bowl, and your purse will be blessed (verse 5)

The Lord will command the blessing in your barns and all that you put your hand to (verse 8)

You will abound in prosperity, in the offspring of your body, your beast and the produce of your ground in the land the Lord gives you (verse 11)

The phrase, “The Lord will make you abound in prosperity” describes a blessing that results from hearing and obeying the voice of the Lord. Moses returns briefly to the same theme in Deuteronomy 29:9:

“So keep the words of this covenant to do them, that you may prosper in all that you do.”   

Keeping the words of God’s covenant causes us to prosper in all we do. That leaves no room for failure or frustration in any area of our lives. These are the blessings promised to obedience.

You will grope at noon, as the blind man gropes in darkness, and you will not prosper in your ways.   Just as abounding in prosperity is a blessing, so not prospering in our ways is a curse. More completely and vividly, Moses states this again in Deuteronomy 28:47–48. Here the blessing and the curse are set directly side by side.

“Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things; therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in the lack of all things; and He will put an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you.” You could not have the two alternatives more clearly pictured than in those two verses. The results of obedience: the abundance of all things, serving God with joy and a glad heart. The results of disobedience: serving enemies in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in the lack of all things.

As I was meditating on those words one day, I saw that this is a description of absolute poverty. A person who is hungry, has nothing to eat; thirsty, has nothing to drink; naked, no clothes to wear; and in lack of all things. That person is in a condition of absolute poverty. It is impossible to picture greater poverty than that: hunger, thirst, nakedness, and lack of all things. The important truth we need to see is that poverty is a curse. It does not belong to the people of God. What joy and release came into my own soul when I saw this so clearly one day: poverty is not for the children of God. It is not for God’s redeemed people. Instead, the will of God is abundance that we may serve Him with joy and with gladness of heart.

Once, when I was preaching to a congregation in New Zealand, the Holy Spirit was simultaneously showing me something in my own spirit and mind that has remained with me ever since. The Holy Spirit showed me Jesus on the cross. He was hungry, He was thirsty, He was naked, and He was in want of all things. Why? It had to be this way because He exhausted the poverty curse on our behalf. He completely took the curse away once and for all. Why? So that you and I, redeemed believers through the blood of Jesus, might not have to endure that yoke of iron—that poverty curse.

Poverty is not a blessing resulting from obedience, but it is the result of disobedience. Thank God, though all of us have been disobedient, Jesus took upon Himself the iniquity of us all. Our rebellion and all its evil consequences, including poverty, were visited upon Jesus as He hung there on the cross.

This exchange is clearly summed up in the New Testament. In 2 Corinthians we get the two aspects of the exchange in the material realm. Paul says:

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything; you may have abundance for every good deed.

What’s the exchange there? Jesus took our poverty on the cross that we in turn might have access to His wealth and to His abundance. It is through grace. Grace comes only through Jesus Christ. Grace cannot be earned. Grace is appropriated only by faith.

 In the original Greek, that statement in 2 Corinthians 9:8 is amazing. The word abound occurs twice, and the word all occurs five times! This is what Jesus has obtained for us. He exhausted the poverty curse that we might inherit the blessings.

The blessings in all three areas obtained for us by Jesus—the spiritual, the physical and the material—are summed up in that beautiful verse of the third epistle of John, verse 2, where John says: Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper [this is the material] and be in good health [this is the physical], just as your soul prospers [this is the spiritual]. That is the will of God. That is your inheritance as a believer in Jesus Christ.
Written By Derek Prince

Finished Work Of Jesus Christ


1. God created man on this earth. The purpose of God to create man was to express His love on man. The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:15-16). At this point God put a warning before Adam, but He also gave him a choice. He could either choose to obey God and do what He said, or he could choose to ignore and disobey Him. As we read on, we find out that Adam and Eve yielded to the temptation to eat of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because the serpent deceived them by telling them they wouldn’t die (Genesis 3:1-7).
2. Before you can appreciate the full value of the solution that God provided through Jesus, you must understand the severity of the problem that sin causes, our eternal separation from God. If you die physically while you are spiritually separated from God, you will be separated from Him forever. But through Jesus, God provides the way for you to accept His grace, forgiveness, and mercy. This means that He will restore you, bought by the blood of Jesus, redeemed back into a relationship with Him.
3. God Loves You Very Much, He Wants You to Spend Eternity With Him. He Provided the Way by Sending Jesus Who Can Bring You Out of Sin and Into a Relationship With Him. The Bible Tells Us About God’s Plan for Our Redemption Through Jesus. Jesus Is the One Who Came That We Might Have a Relationship With God.
4. Throughout the ages sin has been a terrible problem between man and God. God has provided the solution to that problem by sending Jesus as a sacrifice for your sins. When He shed His blood on the cross, the grace, forgiveness, and mercy of God became available to you. How you respond to that kind of love is extremely important to God. He wants you to believe that Jesus is His Son and that He died for you.
5. As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:1-6). God provides the solution motivated by His love for us. When we put our faith in Jesus, He gives us grace.
6. Paul says that it is by grace that we are saved through faith. God has provided Jesus as the solution to our sin problem. When we put our faith in Him, God gives us grace. Notice that God’s grace is a gift. You don’t earn a gift. Many believe that if they do enough good things to outweigh the bad they have done, they can win God’s favor. They believe He will ignore the bad things if the good far outweighs the bad. That is not in the Bible. If this were possible, Jesus didn’t need to die.  In Ephesians 2:10, Paul says we are saved to do good works. It is not the works that save us. We need our sins completely washed away by the blood of Jesus, and then our good deeds bring glory to God.
7. Jesus perfectly fulfilled the Old Testament Law and Prophets, everything that God had foretold about the Messiah’s coming.
Jesus claimed to be the Son of God and His eyewitnesses agreed.
Jesus proved His claim by the miraculous signs He performed and the words He spoke. The final proof of His claim was His resurrection from death on the third day.
8. Jesus said He was the Son of God. He is either a liar or the Son of God. The evidence is overwhelming. He is both Lord and Christ. He is the Son of God, God become flesh, God with us. If He is the Son of God, you must listen to Him. He is telling you the truth. You must make Him Lord and place Him on the throne of your life.
9. Jesus said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit (John 19:30).
After nine hours of standing on His feet, after being scourged, slapped, and manhandled, after six hours of hanging on the Cross, the average person would have barely had enough life and breath left to even whisper. But Jesus, the Lamb of God, with life still fully flowing through His body, shouted out in a clear, ringing, triumphant voice, "It is finished." The price for our redemption had been paid! The sacrifice for our sin had been made! Sin was forgiven! Guilt was atoned for! Eternal life was now offered! Heaven has been opened! Curse Removed! Sickness healed! It is finished!
 You don't have to do more good works than bad works.
 You don't have to climb the stairs to some statue.
 You don't have to be religious.
 You don't even have to be good!
 It is finished! The price has been paid!
10. Why do we not see the Finished Work of Jesus manifested in our life?
God's divine power has given us everything we need for life and for godliness. This power was given to us through knowledge of the one who called us by his own glory and integrity (2 Peter 1:3). Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper [this is the material] and be in good health [this is the physical], just as your soul prospers [this is the spiritual] (3 John 1:2). We need to know what Jesus Christ has obtained for us. We have Satan as written in Genesis 3, who brought sin into the world. Jesus has took sin on the cross. Because sin brought curse, disease, shame, poverty and fellowship with God is broken. Jesus paid the price with His blood on the Cross. So, we are healed, blessed, holy and peace with God. To believe and keep speaking what Jesus did for you on the Cross. Enemy does not want us to enjoy what Jesus purchased in the Cross. Enemy brings adverse situations in your life, so you will unbelieve. Ultimately, lose what Jesus purchased for us. So, the key is to keep believing and avoiding negative confessions till you see the manifestation.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

What's Wrong With Women?

Where there is no vision, the people perish… Proverbs 29:18 KJV

Women have significant contributions to make within their unique spheres of influence. So why do so many women have such a negative outlook on women? Where is our vision for who we are?

I am not speaking about a vision of what women need to do to be taken seriously. I mean a vision of who God created us to be. We women are the only ones to say:
I don’t like having female friends.
Women are just so passive-aggressive!
You can’t trust a woman.

The male population has not mastered life either, but you will never find them bonding over the dislike of their own gender. Why is that?

Instead of saying we don’t like women, I believe it’s more accurate to say we don’t like the image women have evolved or adapted to represent. We don’t want to be limited or seen as weak, so we try to take on the persona of someone who is rarely seen weak. But you are valued, and you were created as a woman for a purpose. There are unique things inside you that only you can do, and you will only achieve them if you are fully who God made you to be.

Let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. (Song of Solomon 2:14 NKJV)

 Lovely one, you are not what others say you are. You are who God says you are. He did not make a mistake by creating you as a woman, and you are not second-best. You have purpose. The passion, boldness, strength, or wisdom welling up within you is not meant to be tethered. It’s intended to be set free in Christ. He does not want you to try to fit into the mold of something you are not. Each woman was created to contribute a specific splendor, love, and beauty to the world. You are here for such a time as this.

What you offer might not look like the contributions of your sisters or role models. It doesn’t have to. The body of Christ is made whole through diversity.

If our understanding as women is that we are a problem, our vision is skewed. God does not make mistakes; therefore, you are not a mistake. It is time to realign our vision with the purposes God has for us. Are you willing to do this? If so, pray:

Father, I am sorry for holding to a vision that does not reflect Your heart. I repent, and I want to move forward in believing what You say. I believe You call me lovely. You created me with purpose. I am not a mistake. Help me to step into all You have spoken over me. Amen.
Written By Lisa Bevere