Hope For Today

Mighty Warrior

Mighty Warrior. If you are a child of God; belief in Jesus through faith, you are a mighty warrior. Perhaps you don’t feel like a mighty warrior, rest assured you are. Maybe you don’t want to be a mighty warrior, but you are. Mighty warrior is in your spiritual lineage if not your physical lineage, as Abraham was the father of many nations.

Let Go My Soul

A few days ago I was running, not my favorite activity, but, well, the gym is closed. Suddenly, and without warning, my knee stopped me with an unexplainable pain. After a minute or two, I tried to start again. Nope, my knee was definitely not going to cooperate and I had to call my husband to come pick my up because now I couldn’t walk without limping. While waiting for my husband, I immediately turned to some prayer circles and asked for prayer. I love that one friend said she was praying for purpose and healing. That rang true in my heart and I have sat in the peace of purpose, His purpose.

Friday Thoughts of Encouragement

Where Are You Looking?

This can be a difficult one—fixing our gaze on Jesus, especially during this challenging time of a pandemic, shelter-in-place, and social distancing. When we focus on the challenges and struggles before us there can be a tendency to miss the “light at the end of the tunnel.” Instead we can allow ourselves to focus on the length of the tunnel, or the stale and dank air in the tunnel.

The Young Queen

She sat on her throne giving a regal wave to all who passed by. Her gown was a beautiful combination of pastels—pinks, baby blue, and even some sea foam green with a hint of gold. Her hair was the color of flax and created a majestic contrast to her golden crown inlaid with what were surely precious family Continue reading “The Young Queen”

What’s Your Weapon?

What are some of the things you’ve been doing as we shelter-in-place during this crazy time in what will one day be world history?

May We Want To

He must have been exhausted as He climbed the mountain after seeing the large and looming crowds. How many had come to see Him, hear Him, or even touch Him? What was it that caused so many to simply want to be near Him?

The Big Lie

Jesus will always love all His human creation, however, we cannot stop here because Jesus will always hate sin.

Satiated by their finished meal, the open fires casted a slight shadow over them as they and His disciples continued to listen intently. Preoccupied with the many things they had heard that day and evening were cause for consideration.

One of the things that caught their attention was Jesus telling them He would be ashamed of them if they were ashamed of Him and His words. Oh the deep, painful, and overwhelming sorrow they felt at these words.

Many of us probably associate ashamed with shame. Let’s stop right here.

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Romans 8:1.

If you believe in Jesus there is no longer shame or condemnation on your shoulders.

In our verse today (Mark 8:38) Jesus is teaching that being ashamed is two-fold. It applies to those who haven’t accepted Jesus and have misplaced their trust and confidence in the big lie—someone or thing other than Jesus.

It also means Jesus will be ashamed of those who erroneously think, wrongly identify or align themselves with anyone or thing other than Him. I understand this is hard to hear for many especially because Jesus ushered in the new covenant of love.

Jesus will always love all His human creation, however, we cannot stop here because Jesus will always hate sin.

It is because of love Jesus gives the warning in our verse today. The adulterous and sinful generation began the moment Adam and Eve ate the fruit and it continues to this day.

How you share this truth matters. It holds much weight. Yes, there is an urgency and we want others to know Jesus loves them. We also want them to know they don’t have to believe the big lie.

I encourage you to think about all the practical ways you can share Jesus. Smiling at strangers, picking up those items that fall off the shelf at grocery stores that others pass by, paying for the order of the car behind you in a drive-thru. These small steps help build our confidence and trust in Jesus and prepare us to move onto the bigger assignments He has for us.

How will you share Jesus today?

Shalom!

Let Go My Soul

A few days ago I was running, not my favorite...

Friday Thoughts of Encouragement

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Opposite Day

Continuing their journey, the midday heat has dissipated and the cool of the desert evening is beginning to surround them. He and His disciples approach a large crowd holding torches to light the quickly advancing darkness. A donkey brays somewhere in the distance and the birds chirping begins to quiet as the desert settles for the night

He invites the crowd to come closer along with His disciples as He prepares to teach.

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.

Mark 8:34,35

The crowd is stunned by His words. His disciples, well, can you hear their thoughts? Deny ourselves…take up our cross…saving our life means losing it…losing our life means saving it? This is not opposite day or is it? The disciples have heard Jesus teach many things but this has them scratching their heads.

Deny is the Greek word aparneomai and means to utterly refuse to recognize the original source involved (Biblehub.com).

Cross is the Greek word stauros and represents unspeakable pain, humiliation and suffering – and ironically is also the symbol of infinite love! At the cross, Jesus won our salvation – which is free but certainly not cheap! (Biblehub.com).

Be encouraged! The Cross is not a symbol for suffering in general. It represents the trials, challenges and hardships we experience in life and are able to endure because of the power of Holy Spirit in us.

Lose is the Greek word apollumi meaning to be lost or utterly perish.

Save (my favorite of today’s words) is the Greek word sózó meaning to heal, preserve, rescue. Rescued from the former version of ourself and delivered into divine safety.

This is all fine and dandy but what does this actually look like for us? When we deny ourselves we are refusing to recognize the version of ourself prior to Jesus. This reminds me of Lot’s wife that turned into a pillar of salt because she looked back. I am not suggesting that we will turn into a pillar of salt for looking back at our former self, in fact, many of us are still working through area’s of our life that have to do with who we use to be, reconciling those area’s and receiving God’s abundant healing. Once we have both feet on the ground and can move forward, then, looking back is useless. I pray the power of Holy Spirit in you to see you successfully through any healing He is doing in you from your past. You’ve got this!

The Cross, oh the blessed Cross. Thank you Jesus for the Cross. Because of His death on the Cross you and I don’t have to endure that torture. We don’t have to live apart from the light and love of God. We don’t have to continue in sin because we have been set free! However, we all have, will and will continue to have struggles, trials, hardship, muck and yuck in our life this side of heaven.

Because of Jesus we aren’t lost and won’t utterly perish. We are rescued, healed and preserved by Him. We are saved.

Denying ourself for the sake of the gospel is the least we can do for what He did for us. With His help explore the area’s of the old version of yourself and ask Him what needs to go. Ask Him to help you let go. Ask Him for His help to endure the cross you are bearing. He is faithful to always help.

Jesus invited the crowd to come closer. He invites you too.

Shalom!

Let Go My Soul

A few days ago I was running, not my favorite...

Friday Thoughts of Encouragement

Where Are You Looking?

This can be a difficult one—fixing our gaze on Jesus,...

The Young Queen

She sat on her throne giving a regal wave to...

What’s Your Weapon?

What are some of the things you’ve been doing as...

May We Want To

He must have been exhausted as He climbed the mountain...

The Big Lie

Jesus will always love all His human creation, however, we...

Profit and Recognition

Believing in Jesus is not a for-profit lifestyle

Divine Perspective or World View?

Suddenly they stopped in their journey, the dust from their...

Who Am I?

The air is dry and the true heat of the...

She Was Considered Righteous

Perhaps she felt there wasn’t another choice but to live...

The Ancient of Days

There He sits regal in all His robes, presiding over...

Fatih and Actions Working Together

The crowd, somewhat calmed, but still heightened by James teaching,...

Faith, Deeds, Life

The man standing at the back of the gathering in...

People Don’t Care What You Know

Until they know you care (President Teddy Roosevelt). I’m on...

Anxiousness

I stepped on without a care in the world. Grabbed...

The Ancient of Days

There He sits regal in all His robes, presiding over His courtroom. Sitting high above the gallery. There is kindness and love in His eys as He gazes my way. Can it be? Yes.

The Ancient of Days.

Suddenly and with out warning, His eyes blaze like a furnace. He slams down His gavel and looks directly at the accuser and proclaims, “She is NOT guilty!” The accuser, surprised and taken aback, shrinks and shrivels before my eyes. Handcuffed he is taken away to rot apart from the light and love of God that he once enjoyed.

How often do you, do I remind ourselves that as believers in Jesus we are not guilty of the accusations of Satan? Because of Jesus death on the Cross and our faith in Him we are free! The chains of bondage that held or continue to hold many have been broken. Right now, see in your mind, the breaking of these chains and proclaim, “Because of Jesus I am free!” The enemy has no victory over you. Quite the contrary, YOU, through the power of Holy Spirit and faith in Jesus have ultimate and final victory over him

In today’s verse is the word justified. It is the Greek word dikaioó. It means made right by God’s grace each time we receive (obey) faith (Bible.com).

Justification goes much deeper than faith alone. It is what we do for God on earth by His grace each time we receive faith to move and obey. Justification is ongoing and requires an action by you and by me.

As you continue to stay tethered to Jesus may you remember the power of Holy Spirit in you to receive greater and greater faith and his courage and boldness to do the good deeds He has called you to.

Live free!

Shalom!