MY DIRTY PAST HAS A JOYFUL FUTURE

 
MY DIRTY PAST HAS A JOYFUL FUTURE

He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. Psalm 103:13

Is the chant of your life "I am ashamed of my past.?" Then you have an ally in the enemy. Satan is thrilled when we live in guilt over our past. Rest assured that he was helping you created that very dirty past that you are ashamed of in your present life. Do you know the reason he delights in our misery? It is because he knows we we are not delighting in The Lord. He is jealous of God's glory and he will do anything in his power to distract us from God. 

Listen to me, Beloved of God. As Christians we don't have to live in guilt and shame over sins that we committed in the past. Everyone has a past. It's putting your past, present and future in the hands of Christ that matters to God. When Satan tries to bring shame to you about your past, he forgets to tell you about his past. His was so awful that God kicked him out of heaven. Satan also has a very heated future that is awaiting him. So, in the meantime his desire is to to try to turn people away from God. He knows how much God loves us so he wants our future to be as awful as his will be.

You can be sure the future for those who trust in Christ will not be fill with torment. Christians, have a glorious future awaiting them. Because of Jesus we can also have joy in our present life. Because in Christ we are new creatures. We can and we will walk in newness of life!!! There is no need to cling to the past my brothers and sisters. Jesus paid it all, all to him we owe. "Sin had left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow." The next time Satan try to remind you of your past, you remind him and yourself of the Cross of Christ.

THESE WALLS WILL FALL

THESE WALLS WILL FALL  

Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.… Hebrews 2:14,15

Have you allowed the enemy to camp in the land given to you by God? If so, by now I'm sure you've come to realize he's very stubborn and crafty. Did he say "a kiss is not bad." Then one thing led to another and before you knew it you were consumed by desires that led to sex. Or did the enemy trick you by using the tactic "There is nothing wrong with drinking. Jesus, himself turned water into wine." Are you now hiding wine bottles so that no one will realize that you are addicted to alcohol? Maybe its the lie, "if you place that bet you will be set for the rest of your life."  Are you now trying to figure out how to get money to make that last bet so that you can pay off everyone that you owe and win your family back.  Or did the enemy whisper in your ear that she or he was giving you the attention "my spouse is not giving to me" and now it is full blown adultery. 

If these are not your secret sins I'm sure there is one that the enemy has controlled you in at one time or another. I stand guilty as charged. But, we all stand guilty. Because, at some point in our lives we all have allowed the enemy into the territory given to us by God. Satan has used us like pawns. He treated us like we were his dirty little play thing. He then tossed us aside and brought us to shame.

Can I ask you a question? What would you do if you came home and an intruder was terrorizing you family? Terrorizing them on your PROPERTY! Would not something rise up within you to protect your family? LISTEN CLOSELY!!! Someone within you is trying to rise up within you to protect you but you keep quenching Him. The Spirit of the Living God is trying to rise up within you to ward off the enemy who is squatting on the property that He is residing in. We can only hear him when we humble ourselves before God and confess and repent of our sins. Ask God to fill you with his Spirit. You are the  Beloved of God. Start walking in the Spirit.  Then you will see the walls that the enemy has built in the territory that God has given to you will fall down just as hard as Goliath the giant did when David killed him with his slingshot and one smooth stone because he dared to defied the armies of The Living God. God did not became a dead God after David's victory. He fought many more battles for his people. He Is your Living God also and He will rise up on your behalf.

What makes you think that you are powerless to sin when the Omnipotent One is residing in you?  Oh, Beloved of God on the authority of God's word, His power will allow you to resist the devil and he has no choice but to flee!!!

Jesus Has Conquered All Grounds

Jesus Has Conquered All Grounds





But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57

Beloved of God, in Christ not only are you standing on holy ground but you are also walking on conquered grounds. You don't have to wait for eternity to live victoriously. Don't keep asking of God what he has already promised us in His very word. Peter once was a coward but he gained courage once the Spirit of God resided in him. That same Spirit resides in you. Peter tells us with much conviction that it is: "By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires." (2 Peter 1:3,4)

Open your eyes and see what God has already given to you through His precious Son. Once this becomes your reality you will be able to respond in faith to God's ability. You have power residing in you! That very power will help you conquer any situation. The Holy Spirit is not dormant inside of you. He is active with resurrection power. Stop wondering what God can do through you and start walking in the unshakeable faith that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Will you dare to go into unknown territories with Jesus? Fear not, for he has conquered all grounds.

THE WORST OF SINNERS

THE WORST OF SINNERS

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8

Did you hear the news about the man who requested to die in the place of the nun? And neither did I. It is a rare occasion that someone will lose their life for a righteous or a good person. I read devotionals from Voice of the Martyrs and rarely I have heard of someone coming forth and saying "this is a good person, don't kill him, take my life instead." This happens but very seldom does it occur.

In your life time have you ever heard of someone coming forth, requesting to die in the place of a pedophile, or a serial killer, or even a rapist? Never!!! That just doesn't happen or does it?  Yes it did happen but only once. It happened with Jesus Christ the Savior of the World. The Son of God. The Holy One. The Redeemer of Man. The Sinless One.

I was the worst of sinners, you were the worst of sinners, the Apostle Paul was the worst of sinners and even Mary the mother of our Lord was the worst of sinners. Every person who has ever lived was the worst of sinners but, Jesus still chose to give His life for us. What would compel Him to do that? What manner of love was this? How could he die for us while we were still in our sins? Why would he die for us before we committed the very sins he knew we would commit? It had to be love that moved him to do this.

Don't let anyone deceive you Jesus did not die for the righteous, neither did he die for a good person. Jesus died for the vilest of man. He died for sinners. Sinners such as you and I. Why would Jesus die for sinners? Because we were sinners without any means of saving ourselves. So the love of the Holy One was compelled to die for the unholy.  Yes it is mind blogging that Jesus could love the hopeless sinner. Sinners are not worthy of the love of God. We are not worthy of His grace and we are not worthy of His mercy. In view of such great love may we live a life of gratitude to Him.

DON'T BE DEVOURED BY SIN

DON'T BE DEVOURED BY SIN

If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” Genesis 4:7

It doesn't matter to a lion what part of the body he first starts to eat at. What the lion is confidently aware of is in the end it will devour it's prey. Likewise with sin. It doesn't matter what part of your life sin first affects because sin is proficiently, confidently aware that if it's not brought under the submission of Christ it is like a deadly virus that will infect and destroy lives.

Be warned my brothers and sisters in Christ sin cannot be toyed with. It is pleasurable, yet dangerous. Are you aware that sin is very patient? Unfortunately this was something that King Solomon didn't learned until the latter part of his life. Scripture tells us he was the wisest man that ever lived. But, he was not wiser than sin. Solomon sought God most of his life. But, sin waited patiently for him. Sin sought Solomon's weakness. It found it in women. Sin waited, pounced and devoured the wise king. It turned his heart from the One who gave him wisdom. Sin brought the wise king down and sin will do the same for us if we are not careful.

Don't be devoured by sin but devour sin with the word of God.

WHO DO YOU SAY I AM?

WHO DO YOU SAY I AM?

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Matthew 16:13,14

There are many testimonies given about Jesus. Jesus said the patriarch Abraham  "rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad." The testimony of John the Baptist was "“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" The testimony of the great evangelist Billy Graham is "Jesus is the only way to salvation." Dr. John MacArthur one of the greatest bible teachers and pastors who has ever lived confession of faith is "Jesus is God."

I get excited hearing other believers confession of faith. But, Jesus gets excited hearing each individual's testimony. He knows Abraham, John the Baptist, Billy Graham and John MacArthur's confession of faith. But he is also interested in yours. That is one of the reasons for his question in Mark 8:29 " But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter being guided by the Holy Spirit answered, "You are the Messiah." It is our confession of faith in Jesus that will determine where we will spend eternity. 

Never be ashamed to make that confession of Jesus!!! Demons weren't ashamed. The demons who will never live in Heaven again as angels testified of Jesus. The bible gives numerous examples of their acknowledgment of our Lord. Read in amazement at their reverence and fear of The Son Of God: "What do you want with us, Son of God?" they shouted. "Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?" Matthew 8:29  One day the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?"Acts 19:15 Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, "You are the Son of God!" But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah. Luke 4:41

Those evil beings once lived in Heaven. They knew Jesus was deity in human form. One of the things that I love about Jesus is when you are in his presence you can't contain yourself. The demons couldn't contain their confession about Jesus. If you are chosen but frozen dare to get in Jesus presence. Beloved, it was you that Christ died for. How dare you allow a fallen angel give a better testimony!  Come on people of God It's testimony time!!! Jesus is asking the question "Who do you say that I am? What is your response?

Book Review: A Dads Prayers for His Daughter

I received a copy of the book A Dad's Prayers for His Daughter from Baker Publishing Group in return for a review of the book. My review of this book is my honest opinion.

 

 

 

I have never been in favor of praying someone else's prayers. It felt to much like cheating to me. I always thought why would God honor a prayer that was prayed by me but was written by someone else. But my feelings change when I received A Dad's Prayers for His Daughter by Rob and Joanna Teigen.

I was hooked after reading the third paragraph of the first prayer titled "When She Needs God's Salvation." This prayer was heart wretching. Rob tells God "Without your salvation she has no future and no hope. She wont be able to comprehend the truth of your Word, which directs our steps and teaches us how to live, She wont receive the gift of your Spirit, who brings comfort, wisdom, and help as we make our way through this confusing world."  I could identify with this because this is exactly my heart's cry for my granddaughter. This should also be the heart's cry for every Christian for the lost.

 

This book covers everything that effects daughters in today's world. This book touches on lying, purity, boredom, marriage, etc.  I started incorporating this book into my personal quite time. I also use the prayers to pray for and over my granddaughter.

 

One day at work I recommended this book to one of my co-workers as something that she may be interested in for her daughter. I let her scan over the book and her reply was that this book would be something that she would like to buy for her self.

 

I love reading and this was one of the best books that I have ever read. This a book that I will reference frequently. I give it a 10 out of 10.

It Is Yours

Never allow the doubters or the haters to shake your confidence in what God has spoken to your heart. What God has for you, it is yours. Regardless of the appearance of your situation, it is yours. When David was a shepherd boy, I'm sure he never dreamed he would one day be the King of Israel. He was just the boy who tended the "few sheep." But, where some saw a shepherd boy, in reality God saw a King. Therefore God gave him the kingdom. What God has for you, it is yours.