Author: Lorrie T

I am a godly woman, that loves Jesus, family and life. I have a heart for revival and want to awaken hearts to the love of Jesus.

Jesus Paid the Price

Our beloved Jesus paid the ultimate price for our salvation. It is hard for our human minds to truly grasp the magnitude of the love Jesus had for us that he would be sacrificed so that you and I could gain freedom. That freedom was freely given by our beloved Jesus. At any moment Jesus could have called upon the angels and they would have rescued him, but no he kept his eyes focused on the freedom that his sacrifice would bring.

Jesus was a ransom that God paid to save us from the empty life that we inherit here on earth. The price that was paid for us was more valuable than anything of value here on earth. Things such as gold and silver can lose their value over time, but the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God never loses its value. God loves us so much that he chose Jesus to be the ransom long before the world began. Stop for a moment and think of what that really means.

Before creation had even happened God thought of you and I. God knew that we would fall away, but God had a plan to bring his beloved children back to him. The love that God has for us is so vast and immense that you could never fill a vessel with it. That love is greater than the universe.

Think of what Jesus went through so that we could have everlasting life. Jesus suffered mockery, ridicule and torture beyond imagine. Jesus lived that perfect, sinless life listening to Father God to guide him in all things. Jesus was the perfect, first-born, lamb that was led to the slaughter for all our sins. In those days you had to have a lamb that had no imperfections sacrificed during the Passover.

Our wonderful Lord Jesus had a crown of thorns crushed upon his head, drawing blood as the thorns dug into his head and brow. I can see the droplets of blood running into his eyes, but he endured on. He did not lash out in anger, as he was mocked by the guards. He did not take his eyes off the prize even after he was offered up as a sacrifice. It would have been so easy for him to say Father crush my enemies. But no, instead he remained quiet and endured for us.

Even after the mockery from the guards Jesus had to endure being lashed with a leather whip embedded with metal. Historians have recorded that many that were beaten this way never survived. But Jesus our Lord was not a common man and he endured keeping his eyes on us the beloved prize. If only you can imagine being whipped with something that would cut all the way to the bone. It was known to tear through the flesh, ripping a body, revealing internal organs. Yeah, that is what they used on our beloved Jesus. His body was cut and ripped apart by this terrible leather whip. Jesus did not have welts, no he literally was ripped open with every lash of the whip, having flesh tore from his body, cutting deep into his flesh and bone.

As if that was not enough, than Jesus was forced to carry the cross that he would die upon. Picture our Lord Jesus, beaten, bleeding and then struggling to carry that big heavy cross so that we would not have to. All the while he kept his eyes focused on the love he had for us. The love to bring us into salvation and freedom in our faith of knowing Jesus.

Did you know that Jesus was sacrificed on the same day that the Passover lambs were sacrificed? Back in those days the Priests extended the time for killing the lambs that were brought, so that it was from noon until twilight. These hours coincide with when Jesus was on the cross.

I hope that you can see just how much love Jesus and the Father have for us the beloved children. Even in his body that was destroyed he trusted the Father and knew that he had to finish the task at hand to bring freedom and life. The life that we receive when we believe and have faith in Jesus is greater than any life here on earth. The life of salvation is a gift that is freely given to us through grace and mercy that the Father poured down upon us.

What a love that Jesus had for every one of us. That is such a reckless and wild love that endured to win us back. We no longer have to live in the power of sin, for when we walk with Jesus sin loses its power over us. We are no longer enslaved under the power and authority of sin. The blood of Christ has washed us clean, making us righteous in the eyes of the Father.

Father God gave Moses the law but that could not save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. Yes, as humans we have a sinful nature. But God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. Romans 8 reveals so much about Gods love for us.

As we are heading toward Palm Sunday and Easter just think about how strong Gods love is for us. Think about how much Jesus loves us that he suffered so that we could be free, that we could be healed. Take time to thank Jesus for the suffering he endured to bring you into the glorious gift of salvation, that was freely given. There is nothing that we can do to earn our salvation and we surely don’t deserve salvation, but Jesus has given us salvation through GRACE and MERCY.

Thank you Jesus for the love you have for us that you freely gave your life for us. The love you have for us is greater than anything we can ever imagine. It is an endless love that is never-ending. Jesus you are our hero.

Fear is a Liar

There is a song out that I heard for the first time about a week ago.  Ever since I heard it I keep thinking just how true the words are to the song.  The song is titled “Fear is a Liar” and I have to agree.  Fear tries to come at us like a big bully, it tries to frighten us, it can immobilize you, make you inactive.  But the things that fear tells us are all lies.  Fear is really just a big smoke screen of deception.  That is right deception!

Fear can tell you that you are not good enough.  But God says that you are good enough, you have been chosen.  You have been made special and unique for you are Gods creation.  God has adopted you as his own children (Romans 8:15).  When you became a Christ follower God’s spirit joined with your spirit, and now you are children of God.  When you know that you are good enough, you walk with your head high and you have confidence.

But fear wants to beat you down into nothingness so that you want to just give up.  There are so many different lies that are driven by FEAR, and every one of them is not true.  Girls all the time think they are not pretty enough, because they are comparing themselves to others.  God made you beautiful, and special.  You were given those eyes, that nose, hair that is straight or super curly.  You get the idea each of us was created to be special.  But fear knows that if we walk in that confidence than God wins and fear is defeated.

I think that fear is always looking for a new way to try to immobilize us.  When we realize that what we have been hearing and agreeing with is a lie, then fear uses a new tactic.  Sometimes fear will even try to lure you back into submission by reminding you that, you are used to feeling defeated so why not just come back and partner with it.  Well God did give us a spirit of fear, NO!  God gave us his spirit when we became Christ followers.  Now you have authority over the spirit of fear.  Fear only has power in your life when you allow it.  Take back control over your life.

Fear wants you to be a slave that cowers under its rule.  Fear wants to make you think that it is mightier and stronger than God.  I say no for God is bigger and mightier than fear.  God is the creator of all things.  God knows you so well that he actually knows how many hairs are on your head.  God wants you to walk in the authority that you were given.  You were created to shine.  To walk in confidence that you were chosen.

God chose you, it is never you that chooses God.  “For this is how God loved the world:  He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.  God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”  (John 3:16-17)  Is fear trying to tell you that no ones loves you, or that you don’t belong?  Can’t you see, that is all just a lie.  For you are always loved by God, and you do belong to God.  Even the unbelievers and the broken are loved by God, for Jesus is always with you ready to meet you where ever you are.

For some fear takes control of their lives through anxiety, depression, shyness, or panic attacks.  All of these things can cause you to avoid people.  It causes you to isolate yourself from others.  Some people have such a tremendous fear that they will not even leave their homes.  My heart hurts for everyone that is struggling with fear in any of the many ways that it manifests itself.

But today I am partnering with God.  I want to help others to be empowered to overcome the lies that fear has placed in their lives.  For the majority of my life I was so shy that I would avoid people, I would avoid going to places that were crowded, and I really just isolated myself from having friends or much contact with others.  I did not have any friends for they could not be trusted, or they would judge you.  This affected me in relationships of all kinds.

But what I discovered a few years ago was completely different.  God empowered me to step through the fear and all of a sudden I found freedom.  You to can have that freedom.  It is time to stop allowing fear to be the Warden of your prison.  There is a new sheriff in town and his name is Jesus.  Jesus has the keys to your prison cell and he wants to bring you into freedom that only comes through him.

When you allow Jesus to release you from the strangle hold of fear, you find that you have more confidence in yourself.  You open up and discover that you have friends, that truly want to be around you and that love you.  That is when you realize the smoke screen that fear was using to keep you a prisoner.  Stand tall today and say no more.  Call fear out for what it really is.  Surrender your prison sentence to anxiety, depression, etc. to Jesus.  Then stand and walk in the boldness of Christ Jesus.  Allow Jesus to give you strength to overcome.

 

 

Promises or Lies

I was reading my bible last night in the book of Joshua and a couple of verses just stuck out to me, they kept me engaged in conversation with God and I am still pondering them this morning.  When the promised land was being divided and the tribe of Manasseh was receiving their allotment it says that they were unable to occupy some towns because the Canaanites were determined to stay in that region.   It also says that they asked Joshua to give them a couple of other cities because the Canaanites were to powerful and they had iron chariots.  Joshua gave them two other cities as well but also told them that they were strong enough to crush the Canaanites.

I remember the promise that God made to the Israelites before they crossed the Jordan river.  God promised them that no one would be able to stand against them for God was with them.  God said I will not fail you or abandon you.  Then again Joshua reminds them that they are strong enough to battle the Canaanites.  Yet they failed to ever remove them from the land.  I wonder what caused them to have a lack of courage and to doubt that they could take the land that they were given.  So different from the way Caleb responded at 80 years old as he took the hill country where the descendants of Anak lived.

God gave them a promise of rich and abundant lands.  Then they went to battle and destroyed 37 kings and conquered the land.  They saw first hand that God was with them as long as they worshiped only the true God.  Yet even after that promise from their provider and Father above, they failed to follow through.  After everything that they witnessed in the wilderness, the crossing of the Jordan and then the battles that entailed. It made me wonder what caused them to lack faith and confidence or the courage to do what God had promised them.  As I thought about this and talked to God about this I began to think about the promises that God has given all of us.  That we are children of God, that he is our provider and protector.  Yet many of us fall short in grasping and reaching for those promises.  I even began to think about the promises that God has given me.

I began to realize that  it really always comes down to who are you going to believe.  The promises that God has made to you or the lies that cause fear and doubt.   Are you going to cower in fear because you think that there is no way things can work out.  It is alright to admit that we let fear control us at times it happens to the best of us.  I have spent a good part of my life believing things that were not what God was saying.  But I was weak and I was not weighing it against what God says.  Even now as I am stronger in my walk and relationship with God fear can try to come in.  But now I recognize it and stop it in its tracks.  It is easier to stop the fear when it is small.  For fear can morph and make it look like something is bigger than God, and we can begin to believe God is powerless.  That is when anxiety and panic can set in.

GOD IS NOT POWERLESS AND NEVER WILL BE POWERLESS

When you are facing that giant in your life, stand tall and strong like David did against Goliath.  Cast your stone at the giant and watch the giant fall when you declare who God is and how powerful God Almighty is.  This is easier when you are in relationship with the Lord.  Just like David even in his darkest moments he would tell the Lord how he felt and how overwhelmed he was but then he always finished declaring the goodness of God and what God would do.  This is what happens when you are in relationship versus just having religion.  You automatically go to the Father to see what he says about what you are facing.  You look at the pit of despair and you say no my God is greater than that, God did not give me a spirit of fear.

When you are in relationship with Father God, then you listen to what he has to say.  You ponder and apply his promises to your heart where he resides in you.  The word is where you weigh the things that are on your heart to see if they align with God or with the enemy.  But if you just listen to the lies of the enemy then you start to react like the Israelites and you think I can’t.  We have a God that says you can in the face of the biggest or darkest struggles of your life.

I encourage you to take some time and get to know Father God and Lord Jesus.  Ask them what the truth and promise is for today and for tomorrow.  Remember when God is for you, who can be against you.  There is no problem in this world that is too great for God.  The things that each of us face in life are nothing to Father God.  God is the great creator and he cares about every one of you.  God cares about the things you are struggling with.  We have a big, big God and he is more powerful than anything that we face.  Call on the name above all names Jesus.  Spend time in the word so you know who God really is and you know the truth of what God says about you.

 

God’s Masterpiece

This really spoke to my heart and I wanted to share it with everyone.

Jonathan Camac

masterpiece1

When you look at the canvas of your life, what do you see?

Maybe you see it riddled with mistakes. The lines might not be straight. Parts of the drawing have gone outside of the lines. The paper is torn, dirty. Stains splattered across the painting serve as a constant reminder of past mistakes [1]. People in the painting are blurry, once good friends have become un-recognisable.

No form of eraser or glue can fix the mess which you’ve created.

What would you give to start again? How much money would you pay to have your messy, torn up canvas turned into a masterpiece?

‘For we are God’s masterpiece.’ – Ephesians 2:9

We don’t become God’s masterpiece after we have fixed up the canvas of our life. Not God’s masterpiece once we’ve sorted out those messy lines and torn edges.  We are God’s masterpiece. Not in a few weeks, months or…

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Freedom and Redemption from a Victim Spirit

For those that know me they may be surprised that I ever lived with a Victim Spirit.  Actually I was even surprised when I realized where I came from to where I am now in my walk with God.  For me it just shows how great the name of Jesus really is for redemption and freedom come and transformation happens.  Sometimes when we take a glimpse back we realize that we have been freed from more than we can imagine.  I was actually shocked as I made this realization tonight.  I was thinking I have never felt like a victim in my life, I have always faced things head on and never felt defeated.  Then there were these little flashes of things from my past and how I had responded to those things. It was like Holy Spirit giving me little snippets of things I said at various times in my life.

What those snippets revealed to me is that I have walked on a greater journey with Jesus then I could have ever imagined.  I realized that I had lived a huge part of my life with a Victim spirit without even realizing it.  What I realized is that the victim spirit can be very subtle at times and at other times it is a big loud mouth.  Sometimes it even likes to bring along friend such as a spirit of fear and worry.  Why it is no fun to have a party if you don’t have friends around, RIGHT!!!  It was rather shocking to realize how easily we can partner with a victim spirit.  It starts convincing us that we are just not getting any breaks in life, whether it is relationships, jobs, a place to live.  We begin to focus on everything that is going wrong, I am sick all the time, we don’t have enough money, these are just some of the ways it sneaks in.  Then fear and worry can come in to make it even worse.  You have trouble sleeping because you are worried about how you are going to pay the rent or buy food.  Or maybe it is, am I going to survive what this disease or illness that I was just diagnosed with.

You may be reading this and saying but that is not me.  I don’t have a victim spirit, well I hope that is true.  Like I said I was surprised when it was revealed to me tonight.  But  Holy Spirit revealed was that when we start to believe lies then we start to partner with those lies.  It starts out small and then it can morph into something even bigger.  For instance I grew up in a home with a mom that was not very close to me or my sister.  Her life was more important than spending time with her kids as they were growing up and I had to grow up at 13.  That was when my parents got divorced and my mom was out every night until all hours of the morning.  What I have come to realize is that in that moment when I had to step in and help raise my sister, I started to partner with a Victim spirit.  I believed that is just life and oh well you have to deal with it.  For years I would complain to others about how terrible my childhood was.  I would focus on all the wrongs that my mother did.  Fast forward to now and I have found forgiveness in my heart, and now I remember the times that were clouded when she was a good mother.  I get enjoyment telling her of those moments as she struggles with Alzheimer’s.

Then at 18 I got kicked out of the house and sided with the victim spirit again.  I did not deserve that, my Dad was just being mean and cruel.  I was being picked on for no reason, why do these things happen to me.  I am just unwanted and unloved, but oh I have this man in my life that makes me feel better.  But then the abuse starts and you again partner with the victim spirit.  You pity yourself because of the situation that you are in rather than looking at the good things going on all around you.  Oh you are homeless and living out of a car or a tent, well that was part of my life when I was 18 and 19.  Again I wanted everyone to have pity on me for what had happened to me.  But the real truth was that I was not a victim during those times.  Everything that happened to me was because of an action that I took.  In reality I was living out what my actions had resulted in.  Yes I made some terrible choices but when I was living in the moment and for years after that I did not associate it with terrible choices.  No I made comments like well I just can’t pick good men in my life.  Life is just to hard as an adult, why does everyone pick on me.  Why can’t I get a break.  I have the worse Mother in the world.

I think you can begin to see the picture, I wallowed in self-pity.  I would even cry out to God and ask why are these things happening to me.  What did I do to deserve this, nothing ever seems to work out.  Why won’t you allow me to have a child when people who are drug addicts and child abusers can?  Some of you may be having one of those moments where the realization is hitting, oh I have believed the same types of lies about myself.  But I can tell you there is hope and it is Jesus.  The name of Jesus is greater than any other name and there is no equal to the name of Jesus.  I started to partner with that victim spirit back in 2008 when I was told I had Hepatitis C.  Oh I wallowed in self pity, and then I convinced myself that I deserved it because of the sinful life I lived when I was 18 and 19.  I was ready to give up on life and to just stop fighting feeling like there was no use.  But now I can look back and see that at that moment I chose not to partner any longer with that victim spirit.  After a couple of days I stood strong and I started to all on the Lord.  The Lord walked with me on that journey and it brought freedom and self discovery in the process.  It brought happiness and hope in the middle of some tough times.  But I came to really know that Jesus is always with me and he never leaves me.  Really he is always there just waiting for us to call on him or to reach for him.  Jesus will always be there to meet us in the darkest most broken places of our lives.

I stopped feeling like there was no hope.  I stopped telling everyone how terrible my life had been.  I stopped focusing on everything that had gone wrong in my life and I started to focus on the things that had gone well.  Yes in my past I had many years of hard struggles that seemed unfair, but the truth was that in the middle of the hardest struggles good things were happening.  Now they are just faint memories and I don’t remember names or faces of some.  But I will never forget the loving Christian woman who took me shopping for clothes and some things for a home after I lost everything in a fire.  Some complete stranger spent a day showing me the love of Jesus.  Or the families that provided me work when I was living out of a car in Arkansas.  They gave me some work to make a few dollars and then fed me a meal and gave me a place to sleep for a couple of nights.  Again they were Christians that God placed in my path.  As I look back I see similar things all through my life.  I started to see that those memories were all clouded before by the lies I was believing from the Victim Spirit.

But when I stopped believing the lies all of a sudden I can remember all the good people who were in my life during some really difficult times.   I can look back and see how blessed I was even when I was far away from God.  The greatest things is that no matter how broken we are we are never to far away from God.  All we have to do is call out to Jesus.  Just that one name can bring redemption, and healing in your life.  It took me over 30 years to figure this one thing out.  For so long in my life I did not think God really cared about me.  Why did God allow these things to happen.  But I have been blessed with wisdom as I walk with Jesus now.  My eyes have been opened to the blindness that I walked in for so long.

You may be struggling with a victim spirit in your life, and you may not even realize it.  My prayer for you is that you find freedom in knowing that when you walk with Jesus you are not given a spirit of fear or of being a victim.  Rather we are given a spirit of a sound mind.  Yes a sound mind!!!!  As we discover the freedoms that come from Jesus peace and comfort begin to wash over us.  I did no special thing to find freedom.  In fact I had been walking around for the last couple of days thinking that I had no idea how to relate to someone who was living with a victim spirit.  But alas I was surprised to have it revealed to me tonight.  That just lets you know that true freedom comes from Jesus and when you walk in that freedom your old ways fall away to reveal the new you.  If you still are not sure just look for the friends of a victim, fear, worry, self-pity, sorrow.  But Jesus brings us hope, joy, love, peace.  What I have learned is that our actions can bring on circumstances that we have to deal with and live with, but we can get strength from Jesus to bring us through those things and to be stronger on the other side.

Lord I ask you to bless every reader with your peace, love, joy and hope in the midst of whatever they are going through. Jesus just bless them with someone who will walk into their lives and show them your love in some way.  I pray for the blinders to be removed so that they can have a clearer picture and shift their focus to the good things that are happening around them.  Jesus cover them in peace and comfort in knowing that you are with them no matter what they are going through.  Amen.

The Word of God is a Healing Salve

When you read God’s word and you start to apply it to your heart, your life, whatever you are facing it becomes a healing salve. God’s word is not just a temporary bandage that you apply to a wound. It is a healing salve that you apply over and over as needed.

The way I see it with a bandage you put it over the wound and you leave it alone until the wound heals. But a salve is something that you keep applying over and over as you watch that wound heal. When the salve is applied there are no scars for it has healed you from the inside out. God’s word is just that, you apply it to every situation in your life.

The application of God’s word to your life brings peace in a difficult situation, it is like a soothing melody of the goodness of God.  Things such as The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.  This is something that brings peace and calmness into my life in times of trouble.  I see a picture in my mind of the Shepherd that is constantly protecting the sheep to keep them safe from all harm.  That is so comforting to me as it reminds me that God is watching over me, that I have a protector and comforter that sings to me to bring peace and calmness to my life.

You do not find the healing salve of God’s word; however; when you just read your bible and you don’t apply the truths to your life.  Or maybe you don’t even think of going to your bible in the middle of your struggle.  The world has no healing that is going to take away the pain, hurt, sadness, heart ache, etc.  What the world offers you only compounds what is ailing you.  But there is a remedy that can heal your heart, it offers hope for the hopeless.  It is a pain reliever for a broken soul, that can bring you joy in the middle of sorrow.

Take some time and write down those special versus that can bring you peace in times of trouble.  Then you can quickly apply the healing salve of God’s word to your heart and allow the healing to begin.

Christ In Me

These three words are so powerful when you grasp the full magnitude of what they mean in your life.  So many Christians go through life thinking that their life is still the same.  Your life changes the day you get baptized both in water and spirit.  Yes when you accept Jesus and get baptized to publicly declare it you become new.  When you go under the water your old nature, your old self is washed away.  The person that comes up out of the water is a new person, with a new nature.  All of your sins and the past have been washed away in that one moment.  Your old self was crucified with Christ and now Christ lives in you.  YES CHRIST LIVES IN YOU.

It is written My old self has been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.  So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 NLT  Or as it is written in the Passion translation.  “My old identity has been co-crucified with Messiah and no longer lives; for the nails of his cross crucified me with him.  And now the essence of this new life is no longer mine, for the Anointed One lives his life through me – we live in union as one!  My new life is empowered by the faith of the Son of God who loves me so much that he gave himself for me, and dispenses his life into mine!”  Gal 2:20 TPT

Our lives become changed the moment that we accept Christ and get baptized.  We are no longer the person that we were before.  We are made new, so now we live by faith in Christ.  The Holy Spirit is very alive in us and this is the essence of Jesus.  As you walk out your new life in Christ the Holy Spirit is intertwined with your spirit.  Yes for we are all made up of Spirit, Soul and Body.  When we become new in Christ, it is important to grasp that Christ lives in us.  For when you start to grasp this one simple concept it brings freedom to stop doing the things that were your old nature.  It is written For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.  Gal 3:26-27 NLT.

I think those words are powerful, we have put on Christ like putting on new clothes.  That tells me that I have been made new, you have been made new.  We no longer have to be controlled by our sinful nature.  We have been made new and when we realize that the power and life of Jesus lives within us it brings freedom from the lies that we are sinful.  We are no longer sinners for we have been saved by GRACE.  A grace and love that is amazing, you could never find a vessel to contain the grace and love of God.  A love that is so vast it can’t even fill the expanse of the Universe.

I am reminded of the wonderful verse I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  That is just another reminder that Christ is in us.  Christ brings us supernatural strength to handle things that would normally be outside of our capacity.  When we submit our soul and body to the spirit we see changes happen in our lives.  When we bring ourselves into right alignment with Heaven, it allows heaven on earth.  We no longer have to walk in slavery to our soul and body.  We are free to walk with our spirit leading us, guiding us, teaching us.  We bring our soul and body into alignment under the spirit.

As this happens we change from the inside out.  We grow in relationship with Jesus, and as we apply Gods words to our hearts we become more Christ like.  What I mean is that we start to think about our actions, we start to notice things and to bring them back into alignment with the Spirit.  We stop being controlled by our emotions.  When we feel fear creeping in we speak the truth that we were not given a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.  It is self-discipline that starts to happen when we allow the spirit to guide and direct our lives.  We then find peace in the middle of the storm for we know who we are, and we rebuke the fear that comes at us trying to take us down.  This is that strength I was talking about.  The real strength that we receive is self-control so that we become slow to anger, just like God.  We don’t cower in fear, but stand tall with power and authority, declarations of the truth of Gods word pour out of our lips.  The love of God starts to flow from within us and to pour out on the people that we are around.

So, you see we are truly transformed and created to be something new and greater when we accept Jesus.  We are like a piece of clay that the spirit molds and transforms from a boring lump into a beautiful masterpiece.  The changes can be so subtle at times, but then we look back and realize that we have changed and we are no longer that frightened, fearful person but a strong and mighty warrior.  We find that we shift thinking about ourselves and we start to think of others.  There is no longer anger and hate in our hearts but rather love and peace that fills our hearts and lives.

Realizing the truth of who you really are, a child of God.  That you have the spirit of Christ living in you, through the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is a gift from Jesus.  That gift brings us comfort, is our advocate, who will never leave us.  The Holy Spirit leads us into all truth.  The Holy Spirit is our teacher, and teaches us everything and reminds us of the truth of God.  This is the most wonderful gift from Jesus.

JESUS IS THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER

These are such powerful words to me.  Just knowing that Jesus is unchanging, that he has the same power and authority today as he did yesterday or even 2000 years ago.  But I think it is important to remember that it continues on forever.  Yes, FOREVER is eternity and Jesus will remain unchanged.

Jesus is the Great I AM, and is part of the wonderful God head Father, Son and Holy Ghost.  Jesus was there at the beginning of creation, but to me the greatest works were his sacrifice for you and me.  Some may think that Jesus does not hold the same power and authority as when he was here on Earth, but that is so untrue.  The Jesus I know sits at the right hand of the Throne of the Father “God”, in a seat of authority over creation.

The miracles, signs and wonders that Jesus did, still continue to this day.  They did not end with Jesus dying on the Cross.  They did not end when Jesus rose to be with the Father.  No we were sent the Holy Spirit, “the spirit of God” that resides in each of us.  Yes God lives in us when we are in relationship with Jesus.  With that gift is the same power that Jesus had when he was on earth.  The disciples continued on with miracles, signs and wonders but they did not stop when they died either.  For as you read the new testament you see the Holy Spirit baptizing every new believer.  That did not stop back then.  The gift of the Holy Spirit the blending of God’s spirit with our spirit still continues.  We are children of God, and as children we are in close relationship with the Father and the Son.  We have the DNA of God in each of us.

That DNA of God empowers us to walk in freedom and truth of “The One True God”, our unchanging and powerful God.  All of creation knows of the “True God”, this is the Father of Creation.  A Father that has so much love for his children that the Bible is a love story of a Father chasing after his lost children to bring them back to him.

In Hebrews the scriptures read “You made him lower than the angels for a little while.  You placed your glory and honor upon his head as a crown.  And you have given him dominion over the works of your hands, For you have placed everything under his authority.”  Hebrews 2:7-8 TPT

All control is in the hands of the son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  We may not see the final accomplishment, but DO NOT EVER think that Jesus has lost power and authority.  It is time that we start to realize that we are sons and daughters of God the Father.  We have been brought under this same power and authority through Jesus Christ.  We are not slaves to sin, fear, anger, unforgiveness, or despair.  No we walk in the light of Jesus Christ.  The Jesus that still has the same power and authority for all time.

Our accuser the enemy aka the devil, has no power and authority over us or this world.  As Romans 8:1 in The Passion Translation puts it.  So now the case is closed.  There remains no accusing voice of condemnation against those who are joined in life union with Jesus, the Anointed One.   When I think of this I think of a court room and Father God is the judge.  The accuser is the prosecuting attorney, but our defense attorney is Jesus.  When the accusations are made about us the Father does not hear them for Jesus is speaking on our behalf.  The Father sees us through Jesus, not through the accuser.

Romans 8:17 puts it so well.  Since we are children of God, we are qualified to share all his treasures.  We are joined with Christ, so we inherit all the he is and all that he has.  At times we will suffer just as he did, but we walk in a new freedom.  Jesus has set us free from the power of sin and the desires of the flesh.  It can seem hard at times to overcome the desires of the flesh, but when you grasp that you are a son or daughter, you are not an orphan, you have power and authority over the flesh because you are made new.  When we receive Jesus in our heart, when we allow Jesus to take up residence in our heart, we are changed.  We are made new for our spirit is joined with the Holy Spirit.  We are a new being and we are set apart as Gods children.

That freedom breaks the control of our fleshly desires.  It starts as a gradual change as we seek to know Jesus better.  We start to shift what our desires are.  I know for me I can look back on my life and over the last 10 years I can see how I have changed.  As I have applied God’s word to my life, as I have walked and grown in relationship with Christ, I take control over my thoughts.  I recognize when I am having thoughts that are not of God.  I used to dress like the world, for I knew no better.  But as I have grown spiritually with Jesus, and with the teachings of the Holy Spirit, I look at things through different lenses.  I now ask myself what would Jesus do.

The power and authority of God are unchanging and that is truth and fact.  The light will always win over the darkness.  God is always at work even though we may not see it directly.  But our hope comes from having faith and trust in our Mighty and Powerful Father God.  Our hope does not come from what we see around us, it comes from a higher power and authority.  Our joy does not come from this world, but it should always come from Jesus and the love of God.

God always wins in the end.  Read the book of Revelation if you don’t believe me.  God has a great and mighty plan.  God still walks in full authority and Jesus is at his right hand.  Miracles, signs and wonders are still happening, they did not end thousands of years ago.  The power and glory of God is everywhere.  It is time for us to truly embrace our identity in Christ and to walk in the fullness of what that is.

Surrender and Trust in God

We all have things that we are dealing with.  Some of those things are small and then some of them are large.  But those struggles can be a little easier when we just stop and take some simple steps.  I would like to say that I discovered these a couple of weeks ago, but the truth is that the bible points out time and again these are steps that we should be taking.

You say WHAT there are steps that can help in the struggles of life?  Yes there are steps that can bring peace and comfort in the middle of the struggle.  I am in the middle of a struggle to get guardianship of my Mother that has Alzheimer’s but I have had roadblock, after roadblock because of her boyfriend.  Just to understand he has been living with her for 15 years for free, so he is afraid he will lose a place to live.  So because of his fear he has not been willing to work with my sister and I on appointments that we needed our Mother to go to.

My Mother is at a point where she is very confused and does not understand things, so someone has to make appointments and take her to all of them.  It took 2 months before I was able to get her to a lawyer appointment, but I really just want you to understand some of the ongoing struggle.  Two weeks ago my husband so kindly called to talk to her boyfriend and to see if he had made a doctor appointment for her that we needed, so that we could go to court for Guardianship.  He said No, and she is not ready for that, and I am not going to do that to help you out.

When my husband got off the phone he looked at me and said he is not going to do anything to help you in this process.  I looked at my husband and said we need to pray.  He looked at me and said yes, like OK we will later on tonight.  I again looked at him and said we need to stop and pray.  My husband looks at me and said “Oh you mean now”.  I said yes NOW, God knows our hearts and God knows the situation.  This is something that we are unable to change, but God can change this situation.  I said this needs to be Gods will not our will, even though we want the best for my Mother.

At that moment we stopped everything we were doing and got down on our knees.  I prayed fervently and called out the truths of what God had shown me.  But I said I surrender this to you Lord and I trust that you will take care of everything.  I said Lord you know our hearts and I know you will do what is best in your plan for this situation.

The next day I was at a Youth Conference and the first speaker has a message about when Jesus walked on the water and Peter stepped out of the boat.  Now I have heard these verses discussed in many different ways, but that night it was different.  Jesus told the disciples to get in the boat and that he would meet them on the other side.  Even though he was not in the boat he never said that he would not be with them.  Suddenly I had an aha moment.  You might say WHAT!!!   Jesus had told me to get in the boat on this journey with my Mother, and he said that he had laid my path to walk.  But he never said that it was all going to be easy, in fact the BIBLE says we will face trials and tribulations.  But that does not mean that Jesus is not walking with us and it surely does not mean that he won’t be on the other side of the lake.

The rest of the weekend and into the next week I kept thinking about these things and I would continue to talk to God and reaffirm that I trusted that God had this situation with my Mother taken care of.  Then less than 5 days later I get a message from my Mother’s boyfriend.  He is being driven by fear which I know is not of God, but I know God allows confusion just like what God did with the Egyptians when the Israelite’s were fleeing Egypt.  Suddenly he has made a doctor appointment for my Mother and he is desperate for me to go to court to get Guardianship for my Mother.  In fact he was telling me I needed to go to court as soon as possible.

The hardest thing for many of us to do is to stop and surrender what ever is going on in our life.  We want to help our kids find salvation, we want to see our families do better, the struggles of life are many.  But what if you stop struggling and stressing about those things, you start getting on your knees and surrendering them to God.  God knows your struggles, but if you are anything like me you want to fix things yourself.  It can seem really hard to just stop and surrender.   But I think that if we would all stop trying to fix things ourselves and instead we would get on our knees and surrender things to God we will see change.  Stop trying to make everything our will and instead ask God to interject his will into our struggles.  We may start to find peace and comfort.  We may start to find out that life is not as much of a struggle.  We may really discover what it means to rest in the Lord.

TOP TEN FREE FAITH MOVIES TO WATCH ON PUREFLIX

For when you are trying to find some safe movies to watch.

jesussocial

Let’s face it: Over the past few decades, films touted as “faith-based” have gained a reputation for being less interesting and lower quality than their secular counterparts. In some cases, such criticism has been undeniably warranted.
Thankfully, all of that is changing.
Today, faith-based and inspirational films are some of the most successful at the box office; the Pure Flix original “God’s Not Dead” was made for the low amount of $2 million and raked in more than $140 million in international revenue. Similarly, made on a meager $3 million budget, the Kendrick brothers hit “War Room” made over $12.6 million opening weekend.
While the numbers speak for themselves, many recently-released faith-based films have also received increasingly positive feedback from secular critics and viewers. Last year, “The Case for Christ” film, based on the best-selling novel of the same name from ex-atheist-turned-Christian author Lee Strobel, scored a rare “A+” audience…

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