You May Need Heart Surgery?

I think we all know that the human heart is one of the most important organs in the entire human body. I read online that our hearts are a pump, composed of muscle which pumps blood throughout the body, beating approximately 72 times per minute of our lives. The heart pumps the blood, which carries all the vital materials which help our bodies function and removes the waste products that we do not need. If the heart ever ceases to pump blood the body begins to shut down and after a very short period of time will die.

We can take care of our hearts by maintaining a healthy body weight, having good eating habits, not smoking, exercise, and changing lifestyles that are overly stressful or unhealthy. If you are already experiencing chest pain or chest discomfort, palpitations, light headedness or dizziness, loss of consciousness, fatigue, lethargy, or shortness of breath you should really go get your heart checked out. These are warnings signs that your heart is in trouble.

Just like our body needs to have a healthy heart to function properly we need to have a healthy spiritual heart as well to live our Christian lives. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”(NIV) The New Kings James says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”

Here we are being warned to guard our hearts because it is where the real issues of our life are. The meaning of heart here is our motives, feelings, affections, and desires, but also our will, the aims, the principles, the thoughts, and the intellect of man. In fact, it embraces the whole inner man. This is the center of who we are. We are to diligently protect our hearts because if we allow them to be contaminated then we will begin to see the manifestations of a spiritual heart condition.

We should give ourselves spiritual checkups often, especially when we begin to detect some of the symptoms of a potential heart condition. The Holy Spirit will gladly help us to self-diagnosis our condition. Like many doctors examine the tongue to help diagnosis their patient’s condition, the Holy Spirit will help us evaluate our tongue and mouth. The reason why is because like Jesus said “Whatever is in your heart determines what you say”. (Matthew 12:34)

The symptoms of an unclean heart can be heard in the words that we speak and in the fruit that we are producing in our lives. If we are speaking or producing evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly then we must accept that the issue is deeper then what we are manifesting. The issue is in our heart. All these evils come from inside and make us unclean. We need healing. Thank God we have Jesus who is our Healer. (Mark 7:20-23)

I truly believe that the first part to healing our spiritual heart condition is acknowledging that there is a problem. If we refuse to admit that the issue is deeper than just what’s coming out of our mouth than we will most surely not be able to see change. Our hearts with remain full of the excess fleshly junk and will clog our spiritual arteries. There will only be destruction ahead for those who remain in denial.

Second I believe that we must know and believe with all of our heart that Jesus is more powerful than any problem in our lives. He can deliver and heal us from anything.

Now it is time to go boldly to the throne room of God to receive mercy and grace. We must pray, repent and ask God’s forgiveness for our words and actions.

We should ask the Holy Spirit to give us God’s MRI, a full body scan. Ask Him to reveal anything any where in us that is not pleasing to Him and that is defiling us. Whatever it is bitterness, anger, abandonment, betrayal, unforgiveness, pride, or jealousy the Lord is willing to have the Holy Spirit perform surgery on us. The Holy Spirit will circumcise our heart and cut away all the unnecessary junk that only serves to block the Holy Spirit from flowing through our hearts. (Romans 2:29)

After having a major surgery it is important to be sure to take better care of ourselves. We can be sure to maintain a good spiritual health by submitting our entire bodies and our lives as a living and holy sacrifice to our Lord. Hold nothing back. Then we will be sure to have a strong and healthy heart ready to be used of God to bring glory to His son’s name. (Romans 12:1)

Lord, please shine the Light of your Word on our hearts and reveal in us anything that would keep us from serving you with pure hearts. Let us not be in denial but help us to be willing to receive your diagnosis. We want to be healed. We receive your Word and submit our entire bodies, our will, emotions, thoughts, and heart to you. Thank you Lord for creating in us a clean heart! In Jesus name..Amen!

It's Time To Replenish

Then Jesus said, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

What a busy year already! My mind has been going a mile a minute. It seems that I have so much going on. I have been fighting a cold for a week. Last year the Lord really had me focus on time management and putting everything that He has entrusted to me in order. He reminded me that my number one priority is my ministry to my family, then to the body of Christ and the world. Now I feel like He is telling me to learn to pace myself and take more time to replenish.

I feel the Lord is telling me, “Lisa, if you want to do My will and be used by Me you need to be rested and prayed up. Allow Me to replenish you. Don’t allow yourself to be consumed by doing stuff in My name. Remember My burden is light. Your burden becomes heavy when you try to carry a load that is not yours.”

So I am going to take the rest of the week off from publishing new postings and spend time in prayer and reading His word. I really need to replenish and be still before God. I want to learn to quiet my soul while I am drinking from the Living Water.

As usual when I take my breaks I will do postings from the Archives. I love going through the archives and seeing what the Lord has been saying to me over the past year. I get encouraged all over again. It’s almost like I didn’t even write it.

Thank you all for your prayers and words of encouragement. I appreciate all the love and support. It motivates me to keep pressing forward and let’s me know that my labor is not in vain. To God be the glory..

What's Holding You Back?

Last night I attended our Out of the Miry Clay monthly support group meeting. Out of the Miry Clay is a ministry formed by ex-offenders for ex-offenders. The ministry’s vision is to provide a place of refuge and accountability for ex-offenders. We are meeting, mentoring, and encouraging one another that we can overcome our battles by faith and hope in Christ Jesus.

Last night’s topic was ‘What’s holding you back?’ As I listened to some of the others share I truly asked God to help me see what has been holding me back or hindering my walk. Then I realized that lately I have been attacked with fear. Fear has tried to creep in and hinder my progress. I shared that the fear has been affecting me the way the wind affects me when I am running in the morning. When we are jogging and we turn onto a new block often times the wind is pushing against us. It slows me down me for a second but then I find that I just have to press forward harder. It’s like that when fear attacks me. The fear slows me down for a second mentally and emotionally, but I know that I have the power of Christ that is more powerful so I learn to do it afraid.

I sat back and listened as our wise mentors of the group lovingly gave their godly counsel. I humbly received their wods of encouragement and edification. I will treasure them and remember them, but most of all I will apply the counsel received to my walk with Christ. I do not want anything to hinder me from fulfilling the visions that our Lord has given me.

Through attending this support group, which of course I thought I did not need, I realized that if we are going to accomplish what our Lord has planned for us we have to constantly evaluate ourselves. That is the only way that we can truly progress in our Christian walk. If we try to pretend that nothing is wrong with us and that we have arrived then we are only lying to ourselves. If we ignore our shortcomings, temptations, or fears these will most certainly become the hindrances that cause us to stumble and more than likely cause us to become entangled in sin again. So we must keep it real with ourselves.

“Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles”– Hebrew 12:1

Today I want to encourage you to honestly ask yourself ‘What’s holding you back?’ Better yet, ask the Holy Spirit. Heed the Holy Spirit and throw off that hindrance. Is it your attitude, fear, hidden or unconfessed sin, lust, sexual immorality, denial, feelings of unworthiness, pride, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, or doubt? What ever it is don’t allow yourself to try to carry these burdens on your own. Go to a strong believer and follower of Christ that you can trust and confess this hindrance. Ask them to pray with you and help keep you accountable to overcoming this issue. Be prepared to receive their words of encouragement, concern, and instruction.

Most importantly confess your need for help to the Lord. I believe that when we confess our hindrances or sins to the Lord that He not only forgives us but He gives us an increase of power and determination, through the Holy Spirit to overcome our battles with these shortcomings. He promised that He would continue the good work that He started in us; therefore He will not abandon us to deal with these things on our own. But first we must start by taking a look at ourselves and making an honest evaluation of whether we are in complete surrender and obedience to the will of God. Keep it real..

Lord please show us anything in us that is hindering our walk with Christ and affecting our testimony. We long to be hindrance free. We do not want to be entangled in any sin. Help us Lord. If there is anything hidden in our hearts shine the light of Your Word on it and let us not deny the Truth. Help us to confess our sins to not only to You but to someone we know that loves You and loves us too. We want to godly counsel and true constructive criticism. We receive correction and instruction with a wiliness to change. Thank You for loving us so much and changing us daily. In Jesus name I pray..amen.

Starting Your Day Off Right

“I rise early, before the sun is up; I cry out for help and put my hope in Your words.” Psalm 119:147

Good morning! Today you may be off to work or school, or perhaps it’s your day off. Maybe you’re a stay at home my like me or perhaps you are searching for a job. Whatever your situation today you will be faced with scheduled tasks, unforeseen or unexpected events, different personalities, opportunities to share your faith, persecution, blessings, and so on. How did you prepare for today’s events?

Our Lord Jesus would wake up before daybreak and go to an isolated place to pray and spend time with the Father. This is how He prepared for His day and this is the example that we too should follow. We have to be prayed up and have a fresh intake of the Word early in the morning if we want to have a truly fruitful day in Christ Jesus. (Mark 1:35)

Jesus said, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Matthew 6:34

Everyday has its own troubles and obstacles. Don’t be in such a hurry to start your day. Take time early in the morning to prepare for the day ahead of you. Sacrifice and present the first hour of the day to the Lord, this is your first fruit offering. Set your alarm an hour earlier and go to bed an hour earlier if you need to. This will help you remember that each day is a day that the Lord has made and you are alive and here in this world for such a time as this for His plans and purpose.

Here is a prayer I found it says:

“Dear God…So far today, I’ve done ok. I haven’t gossiped or lost my temper. I haven’t been greedy, crabby, mean, nasty, selfish, or overindulgent. And I’m very grateful for that. But dear God, in a few minutes I’m gonna get out of bed, and then probably gonna need a lot more help. Amen..

When I first read this I thought it was funny but I also knew that it is so true. It’s all good while we’re still in bed and haven’t faced the world. If you are starting your day off without seeking God’s face in prayer and without a word of encouragement and instruction from the Word of God then do not be surprised when your attitude is not right or you feel like your day is a little off. You will also find that you will be more susceptible for an attack from our enemy whom we know is roaming around like a lion seeking who he may devour. Don’t forget that you are a soldier in the army of God. We are in battle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. So we have to start our day of seeking counsel and direction from The Commander of our army Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 6:12)

“Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3

“The Sovereign Lord has given me His words of wisdom, so that I know how to comfort the weary. Morning by morning He wakens me and opens my understanding to His will.” Isaiah 50:4

If we wake up and commit the first hour of our day to praying, reading the Word, and worshipping Him we will be better prepared to face our day. He wants to have that time with us. He wants us to give Him our concerns, worries, and burdens first thing in the morning so that we don’t have to carry them around all day. The only thing he wants us to carry on us is the armor of God that Paul talks about in Ephesians 6. Our Lord just wants you to know and remember that He is waiting daily each morning to talk to you and help you through each day. So seek His face early in the morning.

p.s.

I would just like to add that during the writing of this article my 22 month old twins are the crankiest they have been in weeks. They have been screaming and fighting like crazy for the past hour. You can imagine what it’s like. If I had not gotten up early prayed, exercised, and done this study I would have already lost my mind and it is only 8:39am…lol O and did I mention that my two dogs escaped out the back door again! Lol..Have a good day!!

From the Archives: Abundant Life

“The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and destroy; I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

An abundant life is what Jesus came to give us. As believers we can live free from fear, bondage, guilt, shame, debt, strongholds, worry, and anxiety. Through the power of the Holy Spirit we have the ability to be more than conquerors. The One who lives in us is more powerful than he who lives in this world. We have been given the mind of Christ. When we are surrendered to the Word of God and allow ourselves to be lead by His Spirit we can live the abundant life that Jesus came to give us.

We don’t have to be overcome and defeated by temptation and troubles. We can live free from all strongholds and bondages. However so many Christians live defeated lives. They are struggling with alcoholism, drug addiction, smoking, pornography, consumed by debt, lying, unforgiveness, resentment, robbing God of tithe and offerings, and so much more. The enemy is just having a field day with their lives while they just stand by and wonder why this is happening to them. Telling themselves that they’re good Christians because they go to church all the time and volunteer for different ministries.

I spent many years living a scarce Christian life. I allowed myself to be defeated by addictions and destructive emotions. I was in bondage. I allowed myself to get beat up all the time by the devil and his demons. My marriage was in trouble. My family was under severe attack. I knew the Word of God. I had spent several hours, days, months, and years reading it. But I was just a hearer, not a doer of the Word. I was not surrendered to the Word of God or His will for my life. In a lot of ways I had harden my heart to His Word because I still wanted my own way. I did not fully trust Him even after all He has done for me.

I began to seek God’s face about why I was struggling so much. I was tired of playing church. I was tired of allowing the enemy to steal my joy, peace, and mental stability. I decided that instead of just sitting down to read the Word for knowledge of scripture, that I needed to sit down to read the Word expecting God to show me how to improve my life. I would pray before I began to read for God to change my heart and renew my mind through the reading of his Word. I desired more than ever for Him to search every corner of my heart, even the hidden places, and purify me. I began to long for Him to create in me a clean heart. I abandoned my own will and craved His heart and His will for my life.

If we are to walk with God and live a more abundant life now, then we need to surrender ourselves completely to Him. There’s no room for half stepping or compromise. Our emotions, problems, enemies, unforgiveness, addiction, any hindrances, and our complete will must be laid down on the altar and presented as a sacrifice to God. He will honor the sacrifice, cleanse us, and give us new heart that longs to please Him. The joy of our salvation will be renewed. Then we will be able to live this abundant life that Jesus came to give us.

Father, thank you for your sacrifice of Love. We know that this sacrifice was made so that we can live in freedom as conquerors free from any bondage or stronghold. We lay our will down at your feet and ask that Your will be done in our lives. Teach us how to live this life more abundantly. In Jesus name. Amen.

Do Not Let Sin Control You

“Do not let sin control your puny bodies any longer; do not give in to its sinful desires. Do not let any part of your bodies become tools of wickedness, to be used for sinning; but give yourselves completely to God-every part of you-for you are back from death and you want to be tools in the hands of God, to be used for his good purposes.” Romans 6:12-13

A couple of postings back I wrote on how our Lord gives us 'Do Overs'‘ when we mess up and sin. I feel the need to follow up that posting by clarifying that all though we know that our Lord Jesus is merciful, quick to forgive us, and gives us ‘Do Overs’ when we sin, that does not mean that we are to take advantage of that. His kindness is meant to lead us to repentance. We are Christians saved to be living testimonies for the world to see Christ. We are the walking Gospel. Our lives will either be an encouragement and inspiration to others, drawing them to Christ or our lives will be a hindrance to others faith and could possibly be the reason why they stumble and fall away.

We must stay away from sin. We are not to make plans to sin doing things that we know are unpleasing to our Lord. We are called to live holy and pure lives. This is not an impossible request from our Lord. He would never ask us do something that He has not empowered us to do. It is by His power, the power of the Holy Spirit that we can resist the temptation to sin. It is by reading and hearing the Word of God that our minds are renewed and our desires are changed. When we are constantly in the Word we will desire to please our Lord instead of gratifying our own sinful desires. The secret is staying close to the Lord, being in the Word of God consistently because our Lord promises that if we keep looking steadily into His Word that we will not only remember it but we will do what it says, and God will greatly bless us in everything that we do. (1 Corinthians 10:13, James 1:25)

But those who keep on sinning are against God, for every sin is done against the will of God. So if we stay close to him, obedient to him, we won’t be sinning either; but as for those who keep on sinning, they should realize this: They sin because they have never really known him or become his. Oh, dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: if you are constantly doing what is good, it is because you are good, even as he is. But if you keep on sinning, it shows that you belong to Satan, who since he first began to sin has kept steadily at it. But the Son of God came to destroy these works of the devil. The person who has been born into God’s family does not make a practice of sinning. Because now God’s life is in him; so he can’t keep on sinning, for this new life has been born into him and controls him, he has been born again. (1 John 3:4, 6-9, 1 John 5:18)

There should never be an area of our lives that is reserved and devoted to sinful practices. We are to give ourselves completely to God. Instead of being defensive and self excusing, we must acknowledge our sins and renounce them. We should continually look at all areas of our lives asking our Lord to reveal to us anything in us that is unpleasing to Him. By not exempting any part of our life from continuous self-scrutiny I believe the Holy Spirit will show us any hidden sin that hinders us and may even be a stumbling block to others around us.

Just as you used to be slaves to all kinds of sin, so now you must let yourselves be slaves to all that is right and holy. You choose your master. You can choose sin (with death) or else obedience (with acquittal). The one to whom you offer yourself-he will take you and be your master and you will be his slave. (Romans 6)

Holy Spirit search us through and through. Show us any unconfessed sin that we need to renounce. We long to be slaves of righteousness. We do not want to be slaves to sin. Thank you for the power to resist temptation and sin. May our lives bring you glory and draw others to your Son, in Jesus name. Amen..

Read the posting "Do Over!" now

Surrender Daily

When we ask Jesus to come into our lives it should be because we acknowledged that we have sinned against God and disobeyed His laws. We go to Him broken with a contrite spirit, humbly sorry for our sins. Asking Him to forgive us, restore us, transform us and create in us a clean heart. It has become apparent to us that we need Him to help us because our ways of doing things in our lives have lead us down the wrong path. Heart ache and pain are the result of our own selfish and rebellious nature. Tired of this way of life we turn to Him and ask Him to take the wheel. We want him to be our Lord and Savior so we surrender to Him and confess our sins, repent, and ask Him to come into our hearts to live and rule.

This attitude of complete surrender that we have when we realize that we are sinners and hopeless without Him is one that we need to have on a daily basis. The definition of surrender is to give oneself up to another’s power or control. In order to be effective, victorious, powerful Christians then we must choose to surrender daily to the Lord’s will, His Spirit, and His Word.

Our Lord gave Joshua specific instructions when he was promoted as the new ruler of Israel after the death of his mentor Moses. His directives were to 1) be strong and courageous because the task ahead would not be easy, 2) obey God’s Word, 3) always remind the people of God’s Word, and 4) daily read, study, and meditate on God’s Word. Joshua followed our Lord’s instructions and he conquered his enemies and successfully ruled God’s people. This advice is still good today. We can apply these instructions to our Christian walk so that we can be mighty conquerors just like Joshua was. (Joshua 1:6-8)

The writer of Psalm 119 also understood that it was vital to know God’s Word and to submit to it.

“Blessed Lord, teach me your rules. I have recited your laws, and rejoiced in them more than in riches. I will meditate upon them and give them my full respect. I will delight in them and not forget them.” Psalm 119:12-16

“Keep me far from every wrong; help me, undeserving as I am, to obey your laws, for I have chosen to do right. I cling to your commands and follow them as closely as I can. Lord, don’t let me make a mess of things. If you will only help me to want your will, then I will follow your laws even more closely.” Psalm 119:29-32

“May I never forget your words; for they are my only hope.” Psalm 119:43

If we will choose to meditate on and surrender to God’s Word daily we will desire His will and His way of doing things for our lives. His Word will rise up in our hearts and minds and then flow out our mouth producing life. We will be changed and empowered to live victorious Christian lives.

Thank you Lord for your Word that gives us power and courage to produce fruitful Christian living. We will daily surrender our will and lay it at your feet. Your way is what we desire most. Thank you for your power and wisdom. In Jesus name. Amen.

Abundant Life

“The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and destroy; I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

An abundant life is what Jesus came to give us. As believers we can live free from fear, bondage, guilt, shame, debt, strongholds, worry, and anxiety. Through the power of the Holy Spirit we have the ability to be more than conquerors. The One who lives in us is more powerful than he who lives in this world. We have been given the mind of Christ. When we are surrendered to the Word of God and allow ourselves to be lead by His Spirit we can live the abundant life that Jesus came to give us.

We don’t have to be overcome and defeated by temptation and troubles. We can live free from all strongholds and bondages. However so many Christians live defeated lives. They are struggling with alcoholism, drug addiction, smoking, pornography, consumed by debt, lying, unforgiveness, resentment, robbing God of tithe and offerings, and so much more. The enemy is just having a field day with their lives while they just stand by and wonder why this is happening to them. Telling themselves that they’re good Christians because they go to church all the time and volunteer for different ministries.

I spent many years living a scarce Christian life. I allowed myself to be defeated by addictions and destructive emotions. I was in bondage. I allowed myself to get beat up all the time by the devil and his demons. My marriage was in trouble. My family was under severe attack. I knew the Word of God. I had spent several hours, days, months, and years reading it. But I was just a hearer, not a doer of the Word. I was not surrendered to the Word of God or His will for my life. In a lot of ways I had harden my heart to His Word because I still wanted my own way. I did not fully trust Him even after all He has done for me.

I began to seek God’s face about why I was struggling so much. I was tired of playing church. I was tired of allowing the enemy to steal my joy, peace, and mental stability. I decided that instead of just sitting down to read the Word for knowledge of scripture, that I needed to sit down to read the Word expecting God to show me how to improve my life. I would pray before I began to read for God to change my heart and renew my mind through the reading of his Word. I desired more than ever for Him to search every corner of my heart, even the hidden places, and purify me. I began to long for Him to create in me a clean heart. I abandoned my own will and craved His heart and His will for my life.

If we are to walk with God and live a more abundant life now, then we need to surrender ourselves completely to Him. There’s so room for half stepping or compromise. Our emotions, problems, enemies, unforgiveness, addiction, any hindrances, and our complete will must be laid down on the altar and presented as a sacrifice to God. He will honor the sacrifice, cleanse us, and give us new heart that longs to please Him. The joy of our salvation will be renewed. Then we will be able to live this abundant life that Jesus came to give us.

Father, thank you for your sacrifice of Love. We know that this sacrifice was made so that we can live in freedom as conquerors free from any bondage or stronghold. We lay our will down at your feet and ask that Your will be done in our lives. Teach us how to live this life more abundantly. In Jesus name. Amen.

Crooked Path Straight

When you accepted Jesus as your Savior you put your life in His hands. Now your Heavenly Father is going before you and making all your crooked paths straight and at the same time making you a stronger Christian. (Isaiah 45:1-3) So don’t be surprised when unresolved issues that you may have avoided start manifesting themselves again. Don’t be surprised when it seems that your world is being turned upside down and there is trouble all around you. It could be an attack of the enemy or perhaps God is just testing your heart and refining you all at the same time.

When we were serving the world and our own selfish desires we made many mistakes and created crooked paths. Now God wants to help us fix those messes. Some times it’s done miraculously, but other times He takes us back to face the mess and gives us His grace and mercy to right our wrongs. This is all part of our growing process. Some issues can not be left undealt with. You see the Lord does not want anyone to be able to come against you with old unresolved messes. He wants to use you to serve others and be an example. So He is going to go through your life helping you restructure your finances, relationships, habits, responsibilities, and priorities.

Now that you are serving the Lord He wants to help you grow in faith, courage, and power. He wants to help you change your attitude and develop godly character in you. He wants you to learn to be confident in Him, the Holy Spirit, and His Word. He wants us to love Him with all of our hearts. (Deuteronomy 11:13, Deuteronomy 4:29, Deuteronomy 6:5) He doesn’t just want us to be obedient he wants our hearts to keep His commandments. (Proverbs 3:1, Deuteronomy 26:16, Deuteronomy 6:6)

Our Lord will allow us to be tested to display the intent of our heart and to see if we really love Him. (1 Thessalonians 2:4, Deuteronomy 8:2, Deuteronomy 13:3, Proverbs 17:3, Jeremiah 17:10) These tests encourage us to depend on His Word and help us grow stronger in our faith. He wants us to experience victory. So he will allow us to face trials and tribulation so that we can exercise our faith muscles. He wants us to see his deliverance and power. He wants to use these tests to build our confidence in Him.

These tests also help us see what area in our life we still are weak in and need to work on. So don’t be scared and confused. Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Our Heavenly Father will never put more us than we can bear. He will give us strength to go through the fires and storms of life. In fact He will be in the fire and in the storm with us. Trust Him as He makes your crooked path straight and creates in you a pure heart.

God's Spirit Lives In You

When you received Jesus as your Savior the Spirit of God came to dwell in you. We who believe are carefully joined together with Christ as parts of a beautiful, constantly growing temple of God. We are His home. God’s Spirit is not far away. He is in you and with you all the time!

Take a moment and really let that sink in…

God’s Spirit lives in you! You are the temple of God!

If you truly meditate on this Word it should be life changing. We are supposed to keep God’s home holy and clean. We are not to defile or spoil it. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17) Knowing that God lives in us should really help us be more accountable and aware of what we do, say, think, where we go, and who we spend time with. We do not belong to our selves. God bought us with a high price. So we MUST honor God with our bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Smoking, drinking, doing drugs, going to sinful places, listening to sinful music, and watching in appropriate shows or movies defile the temple of God. His Spirit lives in you offering you help and guidance in this life. His Spirit encourages you when you need comfort. So don’t ignore the Holy Spirit when he is nudging on your heart to stop what you are about to do.

You see the Holy Spirit is constantly trying to do a work in and thru us. His Spirit in us is what helps us to express Jesus’ actions and attitudes in our lives. He is God’s fire dwelling in the believer. The Holy Spirit has emotions. Ephesians 4:30 says, “And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.” Or another translation reads “Do not GRIEVE the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” We bring the Holy Spirit sorrow when we act out in sinful manner and when we follow our own worldly desires.

Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Christ did. (1 John 2:6) We are to follow God’s example in everything we do because we are his children. We need to try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord by reading the Word constantly. The Word of God will help us remain pure by showing us what is wrong in our life so that we are constantly changing and becoming more like Christ. (Ephesians 5:1-13)

And so dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice, the kind God will accept. When you think of what He has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do and you will know how good, pleasing, and perfect His will really is. (Romans 12:1-2)

Forgive us Holy Spirit for causing you sorrow. Remind us constantly that you are with us and in us. Let us be lead by your Spirit Lord and help us to bring your name glory in everything we say and do..In Jesus name.. Amen…

"I Will Not Be Mocked"

With much heaviness and concern I write this posting to the believer who claims to love the Lord but continues to go back to the pig pen. (Luke 15:11-32)

The Lord says, “If you love me you will obey me. My kindness was meant to lead you to repentance. I delivered you from your old ways so that you could live free from the bondage that you were in. Why do continue to visit Egypt. Don’t you see that there is nothing there for you any more? You are my child. You bear my name, but you don’t understand that yet. I see everything..there is no place that you can go that can hide you from my love. I will not allow you to be plucked out of my hand because you are mine and I love you. My mercy and kindness endure forever. I am loving and forgiving, but you must remember that I am a Just God and I will not be mocked! You can not continue to sin because you know that I will forgive you. Your sin will bring you shame and judgment. Serve me with your whole heart so that I can use you to spread the Gospel. Surrender completely and your whole household will be saved! I am coming soon. Do not be deceived by those who say that it is not so. I will return for my children soon! Listen to the Words of my Son..

“Blessings on you if I return and find you faithfully doing your work. I will put such faithful ones in charge of everything I own! But if you are evil and say to yourself, ‘My Lord won’t be coming for a while,’ and begin oppressing your fellow servants, partying and getting drunk, your Lord will arrive unannounced and unexpected, and severely whip you and send you off to the judgment of the hypocrites; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 24:46-50)

Brothers and Sister these are the end days. We are called to be diligent servants of the Lord. I am pleading with you take these words seriously. Happy and fortunate is the man who God reproves; so do not despise or reject the correction of the Almighty. (Job 5:17)

Lord please help us to be obedient to your Word. Teach us to reverence you. Please forgive us for our sins. Change and mold us to be vessels of honor that you can use to be win souls for your kingdom. In Jesus name.. Amen!

What We Say Reveals What Is In Our Heart

I tell my kids, “If you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all!” Proverbs 18:21 says, “Our words have power to give life or destroy life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences”. We must learn to think before we speak. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us control our tongue because He is the only one who can help us tame it. (James 3:2,5)

The scriptures below confirm that it is best to listen more and speak little.

Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything. (Proverbs 13:3)

Fools’ words get them into constant quarrels; they are asking for a beating. The mouths of fools are their ruin; they trap themselves with their lips. (Proverbs 18:6-7)

A wise man holds his tongue. Only a fool blurts out everything he knows; that only leads to sorrow and trouble. (Proverbs 10:14)

Jesus said that what we say and how we talk to others is an indication of the condition of our hearts. Often times our mindset and our intentions are revealed through our words. Jesus goes on to add that one day we will give an account for every idle word we have spoken.

Matthew 12:34-36 (The Message)"You have minds like a snake pit! How do you suppose what you say is worth anything when you are so foul-minded? It's your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words. A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is a blight on the orchard. Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation."

Do our words lift people up or tear them down? Are our words constructive or critical? What are the motives behind them?

Lord please help us to evaluate our attitudes and intentions. Renew us from the inside out so that our words begin to reflect the love God. Help us speak words of edification and teach us when to keep a cover on our mouth. In Jesus name..Amen

The Secret To Successful Christian Living

James 1:25 says, "But if anyone keeps looking steadily into God's law for free men, he will not only remember it but he will do what it says, and God will greatly bless him in everything he does." I truly believe that the secret to living a successful Christian life is in reading the Word daily.

Reading and meditating on the Word of God renews our minds and our thinking so that we do not deal with life the way we did before we accepted Christ. The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right. It is God’s way of making us well prepared at every point, fully equipped to do good to everyone. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Joshua was appointed to lead the children of Israel after Moses died. Joshua had big shoes to fill. He was scared, but God encourages him to be strong and courageous. Then our Lord gives him the secret to becoming a great leader. He instructs Joshua to read the Word day and night. “This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.” (Joshua 1:8)

God promises us that if we will steadily (reliable, unwavering) keep looking into His Word that we will remember what the Word says. Not only will we remember, but we will begin to do what the Word says. Then because we are remembering His word and applying the principles of the Word to our lives He will bless us in everything we do. It’s a win win situation!

Make reading the Word a priority in your life and you will see that your attitude, your speech, and your mind will change. You will have more peace, hope, and direction as you draw closer to God.

Renewing Your Mind

As new creatures in Christ we are called to be transformed (changed) by the renewing of our mind. Romans 12:2 says,

2Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].

Renewing your mind can not be done over night. It takes times and most of all the Word of God to change the thoughts, language, habits, actions, and reactions that we have developed over the years when we were of the world. This process requires feeding our spirit by spending time daily reading the bible.

Jesus is the Word that became flesh. (John 1:1 & 14) When you spend intimate time reading and meditating on the Word of God you will be truly changed because you are spending time with Jesus. Look at the affect that spending time with Jesus had on the twelve disciples. They became servants of God spreading the Gospel all over the world full of faith and power. They cast out demons and healed the sick. They knew who they were in Christ and it was evident in their lives.

Going to church on Sunday’s and Wednesday’s is not enough to keep us feed spiritually. We are our stunning our own growth and remaining baby Christians, always needing someone else to feed us. We have to start growing up and feeding ourselves daily if we want to live successful lives and grow into mature Christians. (Hebrews 5:12-14) Without the daily nourishment of the Word we will eventually find ourselves stuck wondering why we are trying so hard to change certain things in our lives but can’t.

The Word of God is living and active! (Hebrews 4:12) It is through the power of the Word of God that we are truly changed. The Word gives us everything we need:

Life & Freedom – John 6:63, John 8:31-32, 2 Peter 1:3-4
Counsel & Direction – Psalm 119:24, Psalm 119:105, Proverbs 3:5-6,
Comfort & Encouragement – Psalm 119:50, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Correction & Discipline – 2 Timothy 3:16, Proverbs 6:23
Wisdom & Understanding - Psalm 119:98, Psalm 19:7-9 , Psalm 119:130 Proverbs 2:1-5,

I challenge you to start reading your bible daily and see for yourself how spending intimate time with Jesus will transform your mind and your life.