New Life For The Nations

Thanksgiving 2023 is now over.  We celebrated with family and friends and were reminded how thankful we should be. 

I will never forget what Holy Spirit whispered to me, “A thankful heart God will never never turn away.”  

According to Strong’s definitions, the Hebrew word thanksgiving is tôwdâh (to-daw’) and it means confession, praise, and offering.  The Webster dictionary defines thanksgiving as, “the act of giving thanks.  A public acknowledgment or celebration of divine goodness. 

I am reminded of Psalms 69:30 “I will praise the name of God with song, and shall magnify Him with thanksgiving.”   when we magnify God with a thankful heart he is lifted above  our present circumstances.. 

Thanksgiving and praise always go together.             Psalms 100:4  “Enter his gates (his presence) with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!  Give thanks to him; bless his name! WHY? v.5  For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”

  I like the word rejoice. This word gives an open door to have joy!  “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son. Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people – free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth. It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. It’s in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free – signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from God is the first installment on what’s coming, a reminder that we’ll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life.   Ephesians 1:3-10

 “Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed”.   Isaiah 53:5   

      “As it is written, “This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases”.  Matthew 8:17 

      The words “we are healed” are in past tense and meaning that our healing Has been fully secured on the cross by Christ.  Jesus bore our sicknesses in His own body on the cross, and by His stripes you are healed.  If Jesus paid the bill then we do not have to pay in any way for our healing.  The good news is that Jesus did pay the price!  Sickness and disease were covered in Christ’s atonement.  We do not have to be afraid of any reports of sickness or disease.  We have a greater report.  Christ He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases.

Healing has been made available to you by the death of Jesus on the Cross.

      He is the Lord that has healed you!  Receive your healing now in Jesus Name!  

“And he (Abraham) believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.” Gen. 15:6(NKJV)

     Here we are told that Abraham believed the Lord and it was accounted to him for righteousness.  This verse is referenced at least four times in the New Testament to confirm that Abraham was righteous because he had faith in God.  They are Romans 4:9, 22; Gal. 3:6, and James 2:23.

     Galatians 3 gives us a good reference to understand that it is the faith of Abraham, not the Law, that makes us right with God.  Good works come as a result of our faith in God and the presence of The Spirit living in our hearts.

     Our job is to develop our faith in God.  When Jesus came down from the Mount after being transfigured and met a man with a demon possessed son who asked Jesus for help.  Jesus told him that all things are possible to him who believes.  The father said to Jesus, “Lord I believe, help my unbelief.”

     We are taught through-out the Scriptures that our life must be based on our faith in God.  The more we attend to our believing in God the more of God’s life is infused in us.  Therefore faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word.  As the man mentioned above, b we at times must call out to God, “Lord I believe, please help my unbelief.”

Luke 17:20-21 “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

Jesus told his followers that the kingdom of God was “in [their] midst,” meaning that it was present because Jesus himself was there among them. 

Today, because Jesus is present in us through the Holy Spirit, we can bring the presence of God’s kingdom wherever we are.  We are carriers of the Kingdom.  Wherever we go we the kingdom of God goes with us. 

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior you have the Kingdom of God in.  When you take ownership of it you will begin to walk in authority of the King of the Kingdom.  As you embrace the calling you have as a believer-to share the Good News- you will begin to walk with confidence. Wherever we go is an opportunity for the Kingdom to shine forth. 

I declare over you all Heaven is applauding you and the gates of hell fears you!  Step forth into your new day!

Paul was at the end of his third missionary journey when a man by the name of Agabus approached him.  He had traveled from Jerusalem to Caesarea to give Paul a word from God. 

Acts 21:10-11 “After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.  Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.”  Paul’s friends  begged him not to return to Jerusalem upon hearing this.    But, Paul replied that he was willing and ready to be arrested and to die for the Lord.  He returns to Jerusalem and is later arrested, put on trial and then sent to Rome as a prisoner.  Paul had answered and was committed to the call of spreading the good news of the gospel.  He knew God had called him so he knew God would see him through it. 

Not all are called to be an apostle-evangelist as Paul.  That was his mantle of ministry.  But we all have been given a mantle to be a witness  for the Lord. How committed are we to that calling – witness?   Being a witness is not just something that you do but who you are.  In Matt. 5:13 Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth” and in Matt. 5:14  He says, “You are the light of the world.”  Since God has called us to it at our salvation He will provide the opportunities to be light to be salt in our everyday life.   I pray we all have the determination, the boldness that Paul had. 

Let who you are be a light shining-let who you are be salt sprinkles as a witness to the goodness of your God. 

Paul was at the end of his third missionary journey when a man by the name of Agabus approached him.  He had traveled from Jerusalem to Caesarea to give Paul a word from God. 

Acts 21:10-11 “After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.  Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.”  Paul’s friends  begged him not to return to Jerusalem upon hearing this.    But, Paul replied that he was willing and ready to be arrested and to die for the Lord.  He returns to Jerusalem and is later arrested, put on trial and then sent to Rome as a prisoner.  Paul had answered and was committed to the call of spreading the good news of the gospel.  He knew God had called him so he knew God would see him through it. 

Not all are called to be an apostle-evangelist as Paul.  That was his mantle of ministry.  But we all have been given a mantle to be a witness  for the Lord. How committed are we to that calling – witness?   Being a witness is not just something that you do but who you are.  In Matt. 5:13 Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth” and in Matt. 5:14  He says, “You are the light of the world.”  Since God has called us to it at our salvation He will provide the opportunities to be light to be salt in our everyday life.   I pray we all have the determination, the boldness  that Paul had. 

Let who you are be a light shining-let who you are be salt sprinkles as a witness to the goodness of your God. 

      THE EAGLE AND THE CROW                                                                       
The only bird that will peck at an Eagle is the crow.  The crow sits on his back and bites his neck.  The Eagle does not respond or fight with the crow, instead, the Eagle just opens his wings and begins to soar higher in the sky.  The higher the Eagle flies the harder it is for the crow to breathe.  Eventually the crow falls off due to lack of oxygen.       

I read the above article a few days ago and my first thought was why can the Eagle continue to soar to higher altitudes and the crow is not able to.  Aren’t they both birds?  Yes they are both birds but the Eagle was created to soar to higher altitudes and the crow was not created for the high altitude.  The difference was the wings.  The Eagles wingspan is bigger than a crows which makes the Eagle able to soar to higher altitudes. The amazing thing is that the Eagle knew he was different from the crow.  The Eagle knew to keep flying higher and eventually the crow would fall off his back. 

My takeaway from this story: Keep soaring.  When the crows show up, know who you are.  Not everyone is going to soar where God is taking you to.  Don’t let them bring you back down.  You keep soaring. 

“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not weary, they will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31.

Interruptions – Opportunity for God moments! 

We all have interruptions in our lives.  It is part of living everyday life.  How do we handle those interruptions in life?  Do we consider interruptions in our life as a nuisance or an opportunity for God to reveal what is truly in our hearts?  Faith is not strengthened without challenges.  May we consider interruptions as an opportunity for God to break into our routine everyday life.                                                                               
Interruption is “Inter-rumpere” (in Latin) literally means “to break into.”  The Latin dis-rumpere, literally means “to break apart.”  An interruption occurs when “something” or “someone” breaks into our life.  We have those times in our life that our plans have been changed because of “something” or “someone” . Maybe that moment could be life-changing for us and for the other person.                                                                                                                
Even in Jesus’ life he had many interruptions.  Jesus was sitting in the home of a religious leader.   In the middle of their meal, a prostitute comes into the house.  She falls at the feet of Jesus crying while washing the feet of Jesus with her tears.  As the Pharisee is ready to cast the woman out of his home,  Jesus softly addresses the woman, forgives her sins, and offers healing for her broken life.  WOW!  What would happen to this woman had Jesus said, “I am in an important meeting please don’t bother me”.   For Jesus  this was no interruption; it was an opportunity to offer love and good news to a person in need.                                                         

Maybe we should look at interruptions differently.  Maybe that interruption is really an opportunity for service. 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.  Proverbs 3:5-6

On July 4th we celebrated Independence Day.  We recognize the freedom we have in this nation.  Freedom is not free. There have been many who have paid their ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.  May we never forget and let us continue to pray for those who are still defending our nation today.  

A greater independence day came and that was the day we accepted Jesus Christ as Savior.  John 1:12-13 “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”  Jesus Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice giving his life so we could be free.  We are no longer in bondage to sin.  Whom the Son has set free is free indeed!  The Bible tells us that Jesus died and rose again not only so that we could receive forgiveness but even more so he died and arose again so that we might have life.  I John 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.  Our eternal life is secured.  This life is the journey we are on right now.  Jesus said, “I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)”.  John 10:10.  

How do we live this life that we have been given the freedom  to live?   Paul tells us in Galatians 2:20 “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. This life I live now,  I live by faith in the Son of God who loved and gave his life for me”.

Sweet Wind

There’s a wind a-blowin’, all across the land
A fragrant breeze of Heaven
Blowin’ once again
Don’t know where it comes from
Don’t know where it goes
But let it blow over me
Oh, sweet wind, come and blow over me

There’s a rain a-pourin’, showers from above
Mercy drops are coming’
Mercy drops of love
Turn your face to heaven
Let the water pour
Well let it pour over me
Oh, sweet rain, come and pour over me

There’s a fire a-burnin’, falling from the sky
Awesome tongues of fire
Consuming you and I
Can you feel it burnin’
Burn the sacrifice
Well let it burn over me
Oh, sweet fire, come and burn over me