Will Forgive

For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. ~ Hebrews 8:12

In the Old Testament, when the Israelites had sinned over and over and over again they had to make animal sacrifices each time to atone for their sins.  Let’s be honest, who wouldn’t?  I mean there were something like 600 rules under the old covenant with God; how could anyone not break numerous rules everyday?  This old covenant was doomed to fail from the beginning because it relied on flawed human beings being able to fulfill a long list of requirements.  But even while the Israelites were living under the old covenant, the Lord declared to the prophet Jeremiah that something better was coming (read Jeremiah 31:31-34).  A new covenant, and in this new covenant, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins, this covenant cannot be broken because Christ himself will fulfill the requirement.  So if you are a follower of Jesus Christ and have accepted Him as your Lord and Savior and accepted that He died on the cross for your sins, then the Lord God is merciful and just to forgive you of your sins.  Period.  We have to hold onto that truth when the enemy of our souls wants to dredge up our past mistakes.  Do not let him keep you stuck.  God has forgiven you and the devil has no right to attack you with your mistakes, so don’t let him.  Identify yourself as a child of Jesus Christ and move forward.  God has chosen not to penalize us for our sins because He is a God of mercy and grace.  Let that wash over you.  It’s not that He has lost His memory about our mistakes, but that He chooses to look at us through the blood of Jesus and the fulfillment of the price paid on the cross.  Thank God Almighty that the old covenant is gone and I pray I may see myself in the same light that Christ does. ~ Amen

Show Respect

“Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God.  I am the Lord.” ~ Leviticus 19:32

Aging.  These days a lot of people try their best to stop the process of aging.  I myself have never fully understood why.  Sure, I don’t necessarily like that I have put on extra weight, or have some lines in my face, or that I am not able to move like I used to, but I am okay with it.  You know why?  I have always viewed aging and getting older as a privilege and wisdom filled.  I am okay with aging because I know I have gained knowledge, experiences and wisdom (both worldly and spiritually) that I didn’t have in my twenties.  I have grown and matured and become a better version of myself comfortable in my own skin and I don’t want to go backwards.  Forwards equals more knowledge and wisdom in Christ.  I have earned my gray hair and consider it “wisdom glitter”.  Some of it was earned through great pain; it’s a badge of honor.  Proof that God brought me to the other side.  We need to turn the world’s negative connotation of aging around.  This verse causes us to look at ourselves and how we treat the aging, or the elderly.  Today’s culture sometimes values youth over age; which is totally contradictory to how the Lord asked and wanted the Israelites to behave.  The elderly were esteemed for their wisdom and knowledge and the younger generations were advised to seek counsel from the elderly so that they could soak in some of that wisdom and knowledge.  Fast forward to the nineteenth century and a lot of us are quicker to ask counsel and wisdom from someone in our own age bracket than to ask our seasoned grandparents for their advice.  I dare say we have lost our zeal for the aging, or elderly.  They are living, breathing encyclopedias full of worldly and biblical wisdom that we should value a lot more than we do.  So let’s teach our children and their children the true value of grandpa and grandma.  Maybe it’s not that we are afraid of growing old; maybe we are afraid of being forgotten.  There is great value in every person, especially those who have lived and experienced life for a long time.  That’s who I want to strive to be; a grandma full of wisdom and experiences to share. ~ Amen

Live Securely

He will stand & shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.  And they will live securely for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. ~ Micah 5:4

Approximately 700 years BEFORE the birth of Jesus, the prophet Micah prophesied his birth.  If you have never dug deep into and studied the many prophecies that were foretold in the Old Testament that came true years, HUNDREDS of years, later in the New Testament, I encourage you to do so.  It’ll blow your mind.  I mean 700 years before Jesus even came on the scene.  Let that sink in.  Micah was prophesying about someone he would never see this side of heaven.  Why would he procalm such craziness?  Doesn't he realize this makes him look like a mad man?  Would you have believed him?  So much sin, corrupt politics and bad leaders and all forms of idolatry were happening throughout Israel.  Micah proclaimed that judgment was coming and that Israel would be exiled for their disobedience to the Lord, but that God would restore them once again at an appointed time.  The Messiah, according to Micah, would be born from the small town of Bethlehem.  How could he have known that unless he was hearing straight from God himself?  At its core, this prophecy from Micah is a powerful reminder that God is faithful and will fulfil his promises. God sent Jesus to be born in a small town; to be birthed by a young girl who was engaged to be married, but who was seen as faithful to God, and to be born in the most humble of places – a manger.  But for Israel and the rest of the world, what this man, the Messiah, would do for us would secure us with redemption if we would accept him as our Lord and Savior.  Thank you Jesus! ~ Amen

Have Fullness

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace with his blood, shed on the cross. ~ Colossians 1:19-20

How many times have you been pleased to make a sacrifice?  I can’t think of any time I was pleased to make a sacrifice.  In fact, quite the opposite is true; I’ll do it, but it’s going to come with a lot of pride and self-righteousness and probably a side of complaining.  We will never fully understand what it cost Jesus to follow through with the reconciliation mission God sent Him on.  The fact of the matter is God fully dwelled in Jesus here on earth to bridge the gap between Him and us even knowing full well that thousands of us would turn our selfish cheek from this gift.  He asked his son to bear a very horrible burden and to surfer even a more gruesome death.  Jesus asked for this burden to be lifted, but was willing to do whatever would please his father and thus followed through with the mission to save this broken world.  God loves us so much that He was willing to sacrifice His son for people that Jesus would never even met while here on earth; this was a mission for eternity.  God can now find complete joy in us through the sacrifice of his obedient son.  God is pleased with us because, as followers, we have accepted His perfect gift and have acknowledged that Jesus did something for us that only He could have done.  God is pleased with us through our belief and ultimately He can be pleased with us because of Jesus Christ.  God is pleased with the reconciliation plan Jesus completed and is pleased with us when we accept this invitation of freedom.  Take the gift.  Accept Christ and come back to your Creator.  Don’t turn from this gift that brings the greatest peace you’ll ever know. ~ Amen

Be Merciful

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” ~ Luke 6:36

Jerky people; they’re all around us and sometimes they can be very hurtful.  Just once I would like permission to hold a grudge, keep them in the “unforgiven” lane and be righteous in doing so.  But I can’t.  I have acknowledged and proclaimed that I am a follower of Jesus.  Gulp.  Showing forgiveness and mercy are just a couple of the characteristics that I am called to exemplify.  Rats.  Another big gulp.  My family, my friends and my coworkers deserve mercy, but those who oppose me who don’t really even know me; really?  Well, Jesus showed me mercy when He didn’t even yet know I would follow, or accept Him.  He has shown me more mercy than I deserve and so if I am eager to accept it, I better be eager to give it as His follower.  I know this is not easy and I’m not saying it will ever be easy.  I get it.  I have been lied about, slandered, backstabbed and emotionally beaten.  I have been hurt and overwhelmed by such anger and rage that I literally could not see; I was seeing spots.  The only thing I knew to say was Jesus’ name over and over again in my mind and sometimes out loud because I couldn’t find any other words to pray.  Eventually I got to words, scream like prayers to Him in my car, weeping prayers at night and silent prayers during the day.  Months into my healing, during quiet time, I heard, “Just forgive.  They don’t know me.  They are lost.  Give me the bitterness and show them mercy when they come back around.  Let me do my work.”  That day I made a decision to forgive them.  They know the door is open and if they ever come back into my life, I will be ready.  We must be merciful.  Not everyone knows Him.  We must be merciful because He was merciful first.  He was merciful with me.  I need to be merciful with them.  I will be merciful and respect their space and I will be merciful by letting the grudge go and in truth, I will be merciful to myself by letting the bitterness and hurt go. ~ Amen

Stay Away

“Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them.  I am the Lord your God.” ~ Leviticus 19:31

There is a spiritual realm battling for your attention everyday.  There are many people out there who like to dabble in communication with the other side and who profess guidance and wisdom from “beyond”.  Spirits, demons and practices contrary to God’s word are very real.  There is a spiritual battle going on around us constantly and spiritual discernment for a follower of Christ is imperative.  We live in a world full of contradictions to how Jesus wants us to live.  Partaking of spiritual practices outside of God and outside of His word are abhorrent to Christ and defiles the very faith you claim to have in Jesus.  Do not engage in such practices!  You are playing with fire and inviting a division among your soul.  Seek wisdom, insight and guidance from those aligned with Christ and His ways only.  Everytime we seek counsel from someone who is not rooted in Christ, we are telling Him that we do not trust Him, or HIs ways, or plans for our life.  The temptation to seek out ungodly advice and wisdom comes straight from the pit of hell and Satan himself. Do not be tempted!  Let’s not compromise our faith and relationship with our Savior by being swayed into practices that don’t align with His word and that have the potential to destroy you in the end. This verse says you will be defiled by them.  The Merriam Webster dictionary defines defiled in many different ways, but some of them are: violated, or to make unclean, or to dishonor.  Do you really want to be violated, or made unclean spiritually? Do you really want to dishonor Christ?  Be steadfast in your praise, faithfulness, obedience and trust in the one true God - Jesus Christ.  Pray for your eyes to be open and your mind to have clarity and keep your trust in the one and only who died a brutal death for you and who only wants the best for you.  Do not dabble in communication with spiritists, mediums, witches, wizards, or any other practice that claims to reach to the other side.  Engaging in unholy wisdom from the “other side” is to engage with Satan.  Doors could be unlocked that have severe consequences.  Stay away!  Some things we are just not meant to know, or understand.  Stick with God’s wisdom and trust Him. ~ Amen

Holy Name

Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. ~ 1 Chronicles 16:10

Most days I can find a reason to shout out joy and praise to God, but if I listen to the news, or my favorite uncle’s rant on politics, I can get sucked into despair pretty quickly.  Weathering storms in life is just part of life, plain and simple, but I have a choice to either wallow in it, or praise God’s holy name through it.  When we praise God through the good, He is blessed, but I believe that when we praise Him through the bad He is not only blessed; I believe He shakes things up in the spiritual realm in our favor.  We are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”  Glorifying God no matter what we are going through is necessary as a follower of Jesus.  It helps keep our perspective straight.  To remember His sovereignty and to honor and praise Him for the God He is and the love He shows us is to fill our souls with joy and peace.  To have a joyful life, we must continually seek the giver of joy; Jesus Christ our Lord.  The heart and soul are refreshed, renewed and revived when we praise God.  We find fulfillment and purpose when we seek God and His ways.  The world is a confusing place with many different paths that claim happiness, but until you are seeking Him and His path and will for your life, you will never find contentment.  The purest form of joy is not found in the world, but only through God.  That joy is our eternal hope.  There are going to be dark days, even days when God’s presence seems withdrawn and no joy can be found, but even in these days, if you seek God and praise Him for who He is, He will meet you. He sees you.  Always.  During seasons when you turn away from God He will still wait and rejoice with you when you return and He’ll be full of joy for the reconnection of your soul.  Give God the glory and praise due Him and let Him fill you with joy. ~ Amen

First Seek

But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the counsel of the Lord.” ~ 1 Kings 22:5

In life you are going to make thousands of decisions; some big and some small and there will be some that you just aren’t sure of.  How many different people do you seek wisdom from before making that big decision?  How many people do you go to before you finally decide to ask God?  Isn’t that what we typically do; ask others before we go to Him.  He cares for you and only wants what’s best for us, so why is He often the last we seek wisdom from?  Many times we will make a decision and then ask for God’s blessing after the fact?  Where to move?  Should I take that job?  Should I ask this person to marry me?  Asking others about our life’s decisions before we ask God is a backwards approach and the pain of many bad decisions could have been prevented if only God’s wisdom was sought right from the start.  Boy, don’t I know that to be true in my own life!  Reckless decision making usually ends up being bad decision making.  We tend to want what the world wants and are easily swayed unless we are intentional about seeking His wisdom first.  The world is full of glitz, glamour, greed and nice shiny things, but that doesn't mean they are all meant for us.  God will never lead you astray and longs for us to come to Him first.  I know that in the above verse King Jehoshaphat and King Ahab are trying to decide whether or not to go into battle against Ramoth-gilead and that I will probably never be seeking advice about physical warfare, but when you think about it, our decisions can have an impact on our spiritual warfare and that can be just as powerful.  To live in God’s will for your life means you must push out the noise of the world, humble yourself, pray for guidance and direction, trust that He knows the best and obey His direction.  Not only will your eyes be opened, but your heart will be able to clearly identify the path you are supposed to take and your mind will be at peace.  And if you don’t get an answer, wait.  Wait on the Lord.  Matthew 6:33 reminds us, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.”  Why not seek him first?  That’s a fabulous start! ~ Amen

No Condemnation

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. ~ Romans 8:1-3

Romans 8 outlines for us our freedom from a death sentence.  The fact of it is we could never have kept ourselves perfect in the law, but when God sent His son to pay for our sins, if we have accepted this gift of salvation through Jesus, then we are now reserved for Him and Him only.  Our reservation in hell has been cancelled and our ticket of sin tore up.  I no longer have to worry about being judged by God, or worry about being “good enough”.  God’s son took my sins upon himself and once I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, my sins and judgement no longer hold me back as they have been taken care of – my record has been wiped clean.  Once you believe in Christ, you can no longer be separated from His love.  Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  There is no more condemnation for followers of Jesus – period.  We often let our conscience take over and continue to wear guilt and shame when Christ says we are free.  We need to take control of our minds and lay our shame and guilt at Jesus’ feet.  If we are in Him, we need to remind ourselves that we are free. Too many of us hold on to things we have done, or said in the past, but once you become a follower of Jesus, if He doesn't condemn you anymore, then why should you condemn yourself?  Let it go.  Give it to Him.  The best way to move forward is to confess to Christ your thoughts about the past, leave them at His feet and look to the future.  I once heard this saying, “there is a reason the rearview mirror is so small and the windshield is so big – you are supposed to stay focused on where you are going and only glance back once in a while to where you have been.”  I think the same could be said of our spiritual walk, our past, present and future.  Don’t get caught staring back.  Look forward.  Enjoy your freedom. ~ Amen

Faithful Keeping

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep his commandments. ~ Deuteronomy 7:9

Another reminder from God to the Israelites.  A message delivered through Moses, who I am sure was exhausted and frustrated with these people, as he is about to lead these sometimes unruly people into Canaan.  Another message.  Moses has witnessed these people treating God as a genie; wavering back and forth in their desire for His holiness, but always pleading with Him to get them out of sticky situations.  God is faithful and always ready to help us no matter how many times we may turn from Him because faithfulness is who He IS; not just what He DOES.  Our faithfulness as humans tends to be conditional and asks others to BE faithful to us, but God IS faithful.  It’s part of His being, like blood is part of our body.  It’s not a verb for Him; it’s a noun.  God’s faithfulness is limitless and His love for us has no bounds.  Lamentations 3:22-24 says, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’”  God grants me a clean slate every morning and His love pursues me everyday.  Pursuing us when we turn away from Him and go our own way.  Pursuing me through past mistakes and grotesque sin; all because He is the one true God who wants a relationship with each of us.  And for those of us who are followers of Jesus, we not only get His pursuing love, but we get His limitless faithfulness when we are obedient to keep His commandments.  God is always working behind the scenes for our good even when we can’t see it.  He IS faithful.  For us followers, that is the hope beyond all hope.  Praise God. ~ Amen

Past Gains

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ~ Philippians 3:7

To be selfish and self-centered comes easily to us; it’s in our DNA.  We were born into a sinful world with a sinful nature and our culture screams “Me! Me! Me!” so it’s no wonder we can easily become self-absorbed.  But to be Christ-centered instead of self-centered, well, that takes work, intentionality, a total surrender to our Maker.  People consider themselves holy and righteous by putting all their religious traditions and practices ahead of true, real and lasting personal relationships.  Paul listed in verses 4-6 all the reasons he was able to boost in the flesh, but after becoming a follower of Jesus, he would much rather give those accomplishments up to have more time, more fellowship and a richer relationship with Jesus Christ.  Many of us are living a life in hopes of acquiring power, money and prestige, but is it worth losing your faith, relationships and hope in Christ?  I am not saying that you can’t have it all; you can!  But we must be very aware and intentional about making sure Christ is our priority ahead of our worldly desires.  We must remember that nothing compares to knowing Him and no earthly treasure will ever be as great as our heavenly treasure.  Matthew 16:26 says, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?  Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”  And in Matthew 6:24 the scriptures say, “No one can serve two masters.  Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and wealth.”  Having things, or desires is not a bad thing, as we know that all good gifts come from God, but putting our worldly desires ahead of our relationship with Christ is a slippery slope.  Ask the Holy Spirit to transform your mind and heart so that you are in His alignment and will for your life and watch change happen.  Your thoughts, dreams, desires and wants will be transformed and renewed. ~ Amen