Share Each Other's Burdens

“Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2

Last week I wrote the posting ‘Do You Want To Be A Follower?' based on the scripture verse in Matthew 16:24. A comment came in from one of my blogging friends that ministered deep inside of me. He said, “The cross is heavy and I want to lay it down... being selfless is very difficult although I do my best. Thank you Lisa, for helping me carry it.”

I did not realize that I was helping my brother carry his cross, but I praised God immediately and gave Him glory for allowing me to edify and encourage my brother and anyone else who receives from Consecrated to Him. Then immediately the Spirit of the Lord reminded me that Jesus did not carry His cross alone, He had help too. Remember Simon from Cyrene? As Jesus was being led to be crucified they came across a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. That immediately encouraged me because I realized that our heavenly Father knows our needs and in His mercy and grace he puts people in our path when we are at our weakest point or in desperate need of relief to help us carry our cross. Praise God! He never leaves us alone without help. (Matthew 27:32)

The Spirit of the Lord has directed each of us to share each other’s burdens and in doing this we will be obeying the law of Christ. The law of Christ is that we love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, our entire mind, and all our strength. Also, that we love our neighbor as our self. (Mark 12:29-31)

Sharing each other’s burdens is a selfless act of love and it shows that our faith is real. Carrying each other’s burdens is practically helping your brother and sister in their Christian walk and also caring for their needs. Here are some practical applications to help others carry their cross.

• Pray and intercede for them – We all need prayer and it is an encouragement to us when we know that others are going before the throne of God on our behalf. We can pray with our brothers and sisters, touching an agreeing on one accord. Then we should also go into to our prayer closets and lift them up to the Lord, thanking our Father for His faithfulness and provisions in their life, and asking Him how we can serve them in their time of need.

• Give of your time – I don’t know about you but my schedule is always full between my 5 children, ministry work, and caring for my home. However, we need to be good stewards of our time and ask the Lord to help give us wisdom and balance in this area. We have to willing to make sacrifices and lay down some of our leisure time to minister to the needs of others. Maybe it’s as elderly, sick, or handicapped person who needs help cleaning their house or just needs company. Perhaps it’s a single mother or married couple that need a break, offer to babysit. Maybe it’s volunteering in the children’s nursery at church for a season. Take time to listen to others. Sometimes when they respond “Everything’s good” it really isn’t. Take the time to care. Be sensitive to the Spirit in this area.

• Give of your resources – Resources is just your money, its you’re your stuff too. Take a look around your home. What is there too much of? Clothes, shoes, handbags, blankets, or sheets? Whatever it is share it with others. It’s ok to sell your stuff if you’re in need, but it’s even better when you just give it away. We have 5 children in our home and every time we have gotten pregnant we have always handed down all of our baby stuff between pregnancies to others who needed it more that our storage closest did. When the time came for the next child the Lord faithfully provided everything we needed and more. Whoever tries to hold what they have what little bit they have will be taken away. Whoever gives even more will be given back to them.

• Laugh or cry together – There is a time to laugh and time to cry. Be there for your brother or sister in either season. We all need someone to share these intimate moments with.

• Encourage one another – Lift up your brother and sisters with words of encourage. Be positive and speak words of life and power that will help them press forward in their walk. Let them know that they can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens them. Also let them know you are there to help them too. We need to know that we are not alone in our suffering or troubles.

• Edify one another – Speak the Word to one another. Sings praises together. Share your revelations and visions. Tell them what the Lord is doing in your life personally. Testify to them about God’s faithfulness in your life and see if they are not edified.

• Correct, warn, and exhort – Many people have allowed the world to put it in their minds that what others are going through is none of our business. This is a lie from the pits of hell. If you see your brother or sister going down a destructive path or about to make a bad decision you should speak up in love and warn them. Give constructive criticism and godly counsel. Help your brother or sister to stay on the narrow road that leads to life. We should be our brother’s and sister’s keeper.

Let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. (1 John 3:16-19)

May the Lord help us to think of others as better than ourselves. May we learn to truly love our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Let us be full of a desire and passion to serve them and to help them carry their cross especially when times get tough. We are all part of the same body and we need one another. Father unite us together just as You and Jesus are united with the Holy Spirit. In Jesus name…Amen.

Do You Want To Be A Follower? Then...

Jesus said to His disciples, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow Me.” Matthew 16:24

Turn From Your Selfish Ways - “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” Philippians 2:3-5

Before we can take up our own cross and follow Jesus He tells us that we first have to turn from our selfish ways. The amplified version of Matthew 16:24 says, “If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests]”

We have to die to our self-centered desires which come from our old nature that fulfills sinful pleasures, has a “what about me attitude”, longs for the pleasures of this world, and is self serving. Immediately the Word that comes into my heart is Galatians 2:20 “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” What Paul is saying here is that he died to his old self and desires when he came to faith in Christ. Christ and advancing the kingdom of heaven became his priority. That is exactly what we have to do, die to our old sinful and selfish desires and start putting others and the cause of Christ first. No more me, myself, and I attitude.

Leaving our selfish ways is about becoming others minded, loving them, looking out for their interests and well being (physically, spiritually, and emotionally). We voluntarily become a servant to others knowing that we labor not for our own glory but for the benefit of the Kingdom of God. Turning from our selfish ways is to become kingdom minded losing sight of our own will and instead accepting, desiring, and fulfilling God’s will here on earth. Once we lose sight of self then we can carry our cross.

Take Up Your Cross – “And if you do not carry your own cross and follow Me, you cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:27

Jesus’ journey through this world that led Him to the cross was marked with suffering and persecution. He was lied and talked about, the religious people of that day tried to trick Him and make Him stumble in His ministry, His family thought He was crazy, He was beaten and tortured, they called Him names and mocked Him, and He was betrayed by one of His own disciples and deserted by the others when He needed them most.

Our Lord and Savior suffered for us. He counted the cost for the salvation of our souls and determined that we were worth it. He set the bar by loving us to the point of carrying His cross. Now we must also count the cost of following Him and take up our own cross of suffering and persecution for the kingdom of heaven. (Luke 14:25-35)

The more we serve Jesus in Spirit and in Truth the more we will be hated, talked about, and persecuted. People will try to discredit and destroy our testimonies. They will hate us because we bring the sword (The Word of God) which cuts through them. Many love the darkness and our light shining on them reveals the sin that they love to keep hidden.

Here’s what our Master has said..

“All nations will hate you because you are My followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 10:22

“Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted Me, naturally they will persecute you.” John 15:20

“Students are to be like their teacher, and slaves are to be like their master. And since I, the master of the household, have been called the prince of demons, the members of My household will be called by even worse names!” Matthew 10:25

“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are My followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.” Matthew 5:11-12

Follow Me – “If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give your life for Me, you will find it.” Matthew 10:39

Becoming true followers of Christ is more than just believing in Christ Jesus and being saved. A follower by definition means one who subscribes to the teachings or methods of another; an adherent. If we are to be followers of Christ Jesus then we must be subscribed to His teachings (The Word of God) and His methods of serving and loving others. We need to adhere to His will and His Way of living (pure and holy). Here in Matthew 16:24 Jesus is telling us that if anyone wants to be His follower we must turn from our selfish ways, take up our own cross, and follow Him (The Word of God).

Following the Word is a matter of laying down our life because we love Christ Jesus because He first loved us. We trust Him and we know that His Word is true. He died for us and we desire to give our lives in return as living sacrifices to be used by Him to bring glory to God the Father. We are not ashamed of the cross and the gospel message so we share the Word of God not only through our words but through our actions. His love in us gives us a passion like our Master’s to see the souls of men redeemed from the hands of the enemy so we imitate Him by preaching, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” (Matthew 4:17)

As followers we find our true life in serving Christ Jesus. We know that our Lord created our new life in Christ Jesus for such a time as this so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. Let us be determined now more than ever to become followers of the Word and truly be about our Father's business.(Ephesians 2:10)


Father please help us to surrender our selfish ways and lay down our lives to follow you. We know that we will find our true lives in serving you and sharing the Truth of the Word of God. Thank you for the good work that you have started in us. We trust you and abide You. In Jesus name..Amen

Awake & Worship

“Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord!” Psalms 150:6

Good Morning my friends..

I want to encourage you to wake up in the morning and before your mind gets cluttered with thoughts of all you have to do, before your coffee, and maybe even before your shower turn on a worship song and prepare your heart for the day. Awake to worship Christ Jesus.

This morning the Holy Spirit woke us up and gave us a new day. He has blessed all of us with a fresh start..a new beginning..a do over. Yesterday is the past. Today is truly a present, a gift from God. Give this day back to Him by giving Him your first fruit offering of praise and worship.

He has been watching over us all night. We are the apple of His eye. We can never imagine how many wonderful and precious thoughts He’s had for us just last night alone. We are alive because He has willed it. He has a plan to use us in so many ways to bring glory to His kingdom. So wake up this morning and worship Him. Wake your spirit up to praising Jesus! Wake up with an attitude of worship! He is worthy!

Let’s worship Him because He has saved and changed us! We are not the same any more because the Spirit of God lives in us. Rejoice this morning. Let’s be determined to not let anything steal our joy today. No matter what!

Rejoice and worship Him because He is awesome and faithful! He has never left us or forsaken us. We have the power of the Holy Spirit that has helped us through all of our problems, test, trials, and persecution. Praise Him!!

Worship Him because He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! He is Holy! He is our Salvation..our Hope..our Beloved. Let us turn your ears to heaven and listen to the voice of the Spirit. He longs to fellowship with us. He will inhabit our praises.

Make your sacrifice of praise this morning. Lift your hands where ever you are at and turn your gaze to heaven and worship Him.

He’s a worship song that has become one of my favorites.. Mary Mary – I worship you

He Has Risen!!!

Happy Resurrection Day brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus!! REJOICE!! SHOUT FOR JOY!! HE'S NOT DEAD! HE HAS RISEN!!

Remembering His Sacrifice Daily

“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” Romans 5:6-11

During the Easter season believers and followers of Christ remember the awful torture that our Lord quietly endured for our sins. We know that He did not deserve to die because He was sinless and innocent. There was no wrong found in Him. He was murdered by those who feared His influence and authority. They wanted to silence Him and the Truth that He spoke. He was the spotless lamb lead to the slaughter to become the ultimate sacrifice for all of our sins. He died so that all who believed in Him could have right standing with God. (John 3:16)

We not only reflect on the extreme act of love that He showed by laying down His life for us but we rejoice in the fact that death had no power over Him. He was resurrected from the grave on the third day just as the prophets spoke. Now all followers of Christ rejoice in this because we know that He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died believing in Him who will also be resurrected. Death has lost its sting!

My personal favorite reflection during this resurrection holiday is meditating on the fact that the veil in the temple in Jerusalem that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place was torn from top to bottom. This veil was a representation of how sinful man is separated from God. But when Jesus died with our sins on that cross that veil was miraculously torn symbolizing that now all believers in Christ can go into the presence of God for help, to worship, and to give thanks, it no longer has to be just the high priest. Because of the shed blood of Jesus our sin no longer separates us from God. (Hebrews 4:16)

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

Easter isn’t the only time that we should reflect on the death and resurrection of our Lord. We should reflect daily on the sacrifice that our Lord made for us and remember that He died so that we could live our life here on earth more abundantly. Not for us to be walking around beat up and overcome by the trials and tests that we must go through. He died not only that we could be saved but so that we could manifest in our lives the power of the Holy Spirit and the love of Christ Jesus. By manifesting His power and love in our lives others will see and be drawn to Him. They will desire the peace, joy, love, patience, perseverance, kindness, and power that they see in our lives.

If we truly love the Lord with all of our hearts then we too will lay down our lives for Him and become living sacrifices. We will become living testimonies, His conduits of love, and vessels of honor used to bring Him glory.

“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13

Father let us not ever take for granted what Jesus did for us. Let us remember His sacrifice daily and may that motivate us to truly be about Your business. Help us to love others more and share the Gospel of Christ without fear of persecution but with a spirit of power of love and a sound mind. May Christ our Lord be glorified in all that we do..in Jesus name..Amen..

He Chose To Walk That Road For You & Me

Isaiah 53:4-8

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people.

Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

Jesus chose to walk that road of pain and suffering for you and me. God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering of our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. We were bought with a high price. Therefore we must honor our God with our entire lives. It is the least that we can do. We must not bring sorrow to the Holy Spirit with the way that we live. We must be imitators of God in everything that we do. We must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (2 Corinthian 5:20, 1 Corinthians 6:20,Ephesians 4:30,5:1, Philippians 2:5-11)

Let us follow Christ's example and show our love for Christ by also laying down our lives daily. Let us lay aside every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. Remember that we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making His appeal to the world through us. He wants us to speak up for Christ and plead with the world and those that have gone astray "Come back to God!" We are suppose to be the light of the world-like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, we must let our good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise our heavenly Father. May our lives be a living testimony to all so that they too will believe and put their trust in Christ Jesus. (Hebrews 12: 1-2, Matthew 5:14-16)

May we never take for granted the sacrifice that our Lord made for us so that we could be free from sin and the power of sin in our lives. May we glorify in Him in all that we do and remember to always be about our Father's business. Lord help us to walk that road, the narrow one, that leads to you. In Jesus name..Amen.

P.S.

This video is great! I pray that when you listen to the song and watch the video that you would be moved to serve Christ with all of your heart and with a sense of fervency to speak the truth of God's Word to all those that will listen. There are souls at stake. Please open your mouth and profess the Gospel. Jesus Christ is returning soon!



Via Dolorosa -

Would You Take His Place?

True Love

I received this email today from one of my lovely mothers in the Lord. I entitled it:

"True Love"

Something happened a while ago in California that is an example of what Jesus did. A young woman was pulled over and given a ticket by a policeman for speeding in her car. She had to stand before the judge in court. The judge read to her the charge for speeding and asked her, "Guilty or not guilty?" The woman replied, "Guilty." The judge brought down the hammer and fined her $100.

Then an amazing thing took place. The judge stood up, took off his robe, walked down around to the front, took out his wallet, and paid the $100 fine. Why did he do that? Because the young woman was his daughter. His own daughter had broken the law by speeding and he simply couldn't say to her, "Because I love you so much, I forgive you. You may leave." If he had done that, he wouldn't have been a righteous judge. He wouldn't have upheld the law. But he loved his daughter so much that he was willing to take off his judicial robe and come down in front and pay the fine.

That is a picture of what God did for us through Jesus Christ. We have all sinned. The Bible says, "The wages of sin is death." Romans 6:23 No matter how much He loved us, God had to bring down the hammer and say "death." And yet, being a loving God, He loved us so much that He was willing to come down and pay the death penalty for you and me by dying on the cross.

Read Philippians 2:5-11 and thank God for His wonderful free gift..