What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that. Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily. Galatians 2:20 Msg

This says it all! When I live my life trying to do right in my own abilities, I only frustrate myself and the grace of God. It’s a FREE gift, one that’s been paid for by Jesus Christ. You can’t buy something that’s free. You can make a donation-but you can’t buy it.

We are remnant. Let’s donate our lives to Jesus and experience the freedom to love and give. This world will only change if we accept His sacrifice as enough and stop trying to be like everyone else. Let’s be like Him.

Have your thoughts ever condemned you? Mine have many times. I’ve been accused, misinterpreted, lied about and that’s just what goes on in my head, lets not get started on how many times people have actually done it. But something changed when I began to truly understand God’s love. Those words don’t stick anymore. It’s as if someone sprayed my mind with weed control and they just can’t take root.

I John 3:18-20 Msg;  My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.

Did you see that? Practicing the love of God shuts down debilitating self-criticism, even when there’s something to it. In other words, they just can’t grow in the soil of love. Each time I get down on myself because I just didn’t measure up, I remember that Jesus measured up for me, I rely on Him. When I feel like a failure, I remember that Jesus overcame and because He did, I do. That kind of love has changed my life. He loved me so much that he won and made me a winner too. How many people do you know that share their victories like that?

Father, I seek you and your love today. You are perfect in all of your ways and your way is love. I want to bathe in it, saturate myself in it so that when people come near me, they smell the aroma of your fragrant love. I may not be perfect, but because of Jesus, I’m perfect. I’m your perfect daughter, not in myself, but in you. I will never be a failure because Jesus wasn’t a failure. I will not be afraid because perfect love casts out fear. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

What’s important to God? Is it the clothes you wear or the house you live in? Is it your social status or the church you attend? No, what matters to God is your heart. Is your heart a place that God owns and dwells in or is there only room for you?

This morning I was directed to read 1 Kings 5 and 6, all about Solomon and the building of the temple. I never get tired of reading of how God gave him wisdom in negotiating the timber, preparing the stone work and how Gods favor rested on him. Then right in the middle of it, God speaks to Solomon and this is what He says;

“About this Temple you are building—what’s important is that you live the way I’ve set out for you and do what I tell you, following my instructions carefully and obediently. Then I’ll complete in you the promise I made to David your father. I’ll personally take up my residence among the Israelites—I won’t desert my people Israel.”

What’s important to God is the way you live your life. Jesus said to love the Lord your God with all your heart, not part of it. He than said, love your neighbor as yourself. That kind of takes ‘self’ out of the equation, doesn’t it. If we love the Lord with ALL our heart, we live for HIS pleasure and not our own.

I’ve heard so many people say it is too great of a sacrifice to give up everything they have. It’s not what they have that’s the problem, it’s that what they have, has them. You can have nice things, nice houses, good stuff, but the moment that stuff is too hard to give up, if you can’t walk away from it for the sake of the Kingdom, you’re being held captive and your heart has shifted to ‘things’ instead of God.

We must remember that this world must never be more of a draw than the Spirit of God. Our treasure is in Him. Our hope is in Him. Our strength is in Him. We are remnant. A people, set apart for Him, for His service. No going back to the way things used to be. We have a greater purpose and it’s His. So in the midst of the pressures of life today, remind yourself that you belong to God and your life will reflect His love and service.

Have you ever faced something so terrifying that you froze in fear? Perhaps it was a terminal diagnosis, a bill too large to pay, notice you’re losing your home, your job, your child is missing? I have good news for you; God will not leave or forsake you, He will deliver you.

When Moses took the Israelites out of Egypt, they found themselves wedged between the Red Sea and the Egyptian army. No place to go, no way of escape, no hope. You talk about fear, they lashed out at Moses because that’s what people do. Even after all they’d seen in Egypt, they still didn’t believe God could or would deliver them.

Exodus 14 tells the story:^10-12 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and saw them—Egyptians! Coming at them!

They were totally afraid. They cried out in terror to God. They told Moses, “Weren’t the cemeteries large enough in Egypt so that you had to take us out here in the wilderness to die? What have you done to us, taking us out of Egypt? Back in Egypt didn’t we tell you this would happen? Didn’t we tell you, ‘Leave us alone here in Egypt—we’re better off as slaves in Egypt than as corpses in the wilderness.’”

^13-14 Moses spoke to the people: “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and watch God do his work of salvation for you today. Take a good look at the Egyptians today for you’re never going to see them again. God will fight the battle for you. And you? You keep your mouths shut!”

^15-16 God said to Moses: “Why cry out to me? Speak to the Israelites. Order them to get moving. Hold your staff high and stretch your hand out over the sea: Split the sea! The Israelites will walk through the sea on dry ground.

So I say to you today, ‘Don’t be afraid. Stand firm on the promises of God and watch him do his work of salvation for you today. Take a good look at your problem, for you’re never going to see it again. God will fight the battle for you.’ What’s your part? Keep your fears and doubts away by speaking the Word of God over your problem. Don’t cry out to God to fix it, speak to your problem! Tell your diagnosis it’s met it’s match! The blood of Jesus set you free from the curse of disease. Let faith arise in your soul.

Jesus said, “Speak to the mountain!” if you don’t doubt in your heart but believe that the God who delivered the Israelites that day will this day deliver you, you will have whatsoever things you say. The problem is, what are you saying?

It’s time to rise up! Believe we must! We are remnant! Who else but us will be the Moses’s of our day? Speak to the Sea you face than stand still and see the salvation of your God.

Isaiah 54:11-17 Msg; “Afflicted city, storm-battered, unpitied: I’m about to rebuild you with stones of turquoise, lay your foundations with sapphires, construct your towers with rubies, your gates with jewels, and all your walls with precious stones. All your children will have God for their teacher—what a mentor for your children!  You’ll be built solid, grounded in righteousness, far from any trouble—nothing to fear! far from terror—it won’t even come close! If anyone attacks you, don’t for a moment suppose that I sent them, and if any should attack, nothing will come of it. I create the blacksmith who fires up his forge and makes a weapon designed to kill. I also create the destroyer-but no weapon that can hurt you has ever been forged.  Any accuser who takes you to court will be dismissed as a liar. This is what God’s servants can expect. I’ll see to it that everything works out for the best.” God’s Decree.

Too often we forget that WE are God’s servants and WE can expect this for ourselves. We think it was written for the Jews centuries ago. We forget that WE are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. We’ve been adopted, grafted in to the vine, His own special people, sons and daughters of the Most High God.

Now go back and read those verses again and put your name in it. Make it personal, because it is. It’s God’s decree to you, his child. ‘Stacy, Rob and Shannon, my grandchildren, Stasia, Paryse and Cipriano, will have God for their teacher-what a mentor for them. How can they fail in life when He leads them into all truth. Walt and I are built solid, grounded in righteousness, far from any trouble-nothing to fear! far from terror, it won’t even come close to us. Any attack on us, our children, grandchildren, our bodies or our finances is NOT of God. You are a good God and want the best for us. Our hope is in You and we trust and rely on You.’

We are remnant, His remnant people. He will always take care of His own.

Joshua 1:1-9 MSG; “Moses my servant is dead. Get going. Cross this Jordan River, you and all the people. Cross to the country I’m giving to the People of Israel. I’m giving you every square inch of the land you set your foot on—just as I promised Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon east to the Great River, the Euphrates River—all the Hittite country—and then west to the Great Sea. It’s all yours. All your life, no one will be able to hold out against you. In the same way I was with Moses, I’ll be with you. I won’t give up on you; I won’t leave you. Strength! Courage! You are going to lead this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestors. Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Make sure you carry out The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don’t get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you’re going. And don’t for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed. Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take.”

What is holding you back from stepping in to cross your river? What part of “I’ll be with you” aren’t you getting? If God you the assignment to do something, He will strengthen you to do it. He’s just that awesome. Just that powerful. Just that faithful. Joshua was in his 80’s when God gave him this word. What’s your excuse? Age? Social status? Money? None of that is a prerequisite for doing Gods will because who he calls, he also equips.
You make the first move, God will do the rest.
We are remnant!

John 14:12-14 ERV; “I can assure you that whoever believes in me will do the same things I have done. And they will do even greater things than I have done, because I am going to the Father.  And if you ask for anything in my name, I will do it for you. Then the Father’s glory will be shown through the Son.  If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it.”

That’s some pretty strong backing right there! Jesus said that if we ask in his name, he will do it for us. So why is it we don’t see what we ask for? That’s a good question! I believe the answer was penned by James in chapter 4:1-3;

“Do you know where your fights and arguments come from? They come from the selfish desires that make war inside you. You want things, but you don’t get them. So you kill and are jealous of others. But you still cannot get what you want. So you argue and fight. You don’t get what you want because you don’t ask God. Or when you ask, you don’t receive anything, because the reason you ask is wrong. You only want to use it for your own pleasure.”

I like to go back to when Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” You see, when our prayers are always about ourselves, our benefit, it becomes self focused. But when we focus on others as Jesus did, we become givers. Our example is Jesus. He always gave, didn’t he? He served others. He gave his life. He healed others. He raised their dead loved ones. He fed the multitude. Do you not see that Jesus wants us to be givers too?

Father, this is the weekend when we think of the sacrifice you made to cover our sins forever. I just want to stop this morning, Good Friday, and say thank you. Thank you for giving me a Savior, Redeemer, an advocate. I give you my heart and soul for service in your great kingdom. I ask with a clean heart, because that’s what Jesus did, he cleansed me from all unrighteousness. He forever took my guilt, my shame and my blame so that I could freely come to your throne and obtain grace and mercy. Use these hands to touch others in ways that only you can do through me. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen

Every Easter Sunday, thousands gather in churches throughout the world to hear the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection. But that’s not what Jesus said to do! In Marks account of the gospel, chapter 16, Jesus had told them what to do and where to go do it-into all the world.

So we still sit in our comfortable churches, inviting people to come sit with us to hear about Jesus instead of going out to them where they’re at and living the true gospel of Jesus. What is the true gospel? It’s loving others as Christ loved us. It’s caring enough to heal the sick, cast out tormenting spirits, raise people from the dead. It’s the first place Jesus went, out where the people were.

“Go everywhere in the world. Tell the Good News to everyone. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. But those who do not believe will be judged guilty. And the people who believe will be able to do these things as proof: They will use my name to force demons out of people. They will speak in languages they never learned. If they pick up snakes or drink any poison, they will not be hurt. They will lay their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

Father, I’m sorry for letting you down, for not going and being who you created and called me to be. I’ve allowed it to be about me when clearly it’s about others. I’m trying to get it right, see if it will work for me before I go ‘try’ it out on someone else. You clearly showed us it’s better to give than to receive but here we sit with our hands held out saying, ‘gimme, gimme, gimme’, ‘me first! me first!’

Lord, this Easter, may it not be about baskets of candy and fun for our children, but may we take our children into the community and show them how to heal the sick and cast out demons, even to show them how to love like you. “Just as I am without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me. And that thou bidst me come to thee. Oh Lamb of God I come. I come.” Amen

Jeremiah 17:7-8 AMPC; [Most] blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is.  For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters that spreads out its roots by the river; and it shall not see and fear when heat comes; but its leaf shall be green. It shall not be anxious and full of care in the year of drought, nor shall it cease yielding fruit.

I see 3 key things in these verses that will allow these results to manifest in our lives. The first is; believes in. We must believe that there is a God and that he’s able to do what he says he will do. There are a lot of folk who believe there’s a God, but it’s only a casual acquaintance, not a deep and meaningful relationship. Once we’ve experienced WHO God is, we’ll want to get better acquainted with him.

Secondly, we must trust and rely on the Lord. This is the part where we put it out there. Dictionary.com says this about trust; the obligation or responsibility imposed on a person in whom confidence or authority is placed. We give God the authority in our lives to do what he said he would do. We become his responsibility. It’s not unlike the vows we exchange on our wedding day to love, honor and respect, to be responsible for the needs of each other.

Finally, our hope and confidence remains steadfastly in our God. You’ve heard the saying, ‘seeing is believing’? Our confidence says, ‘I don’t need to see or feel Him to know He’s real’! The more we know him, the more we trust him. We don’t run after another lover because we know there is no better lover. We know what it feels like to be lost and than found. We owe him our lives because he gave his own for us. We know him so we trust him completely.

When we look and see a stable, secure and fruitful life, we know they possess these qualities. They’re always cheerful regardless of the winds that toss them about. They may be going through a drought, but they remain a blessing to others, always having a word of encouragement, going out of their way to show love and mercy. These are those who know God, trust God and remain confident in his ways and abilities. These are the people you want in your life.

Father, may people not have to go far or look long to find someone who believes, trusts and hopes in you. May they see it in the way I walk, talk and the grace and mercy I show. May I reflect you in all I do today. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Proverbs 18:10; The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.

Dictionary.com shows it as a tower of strength, a person who can be relied on for support, aid, or comfort, especially in times of difficulty. I don’t know about you, but that’s how I view this verse. When trouble comes, which it does often, He is who I run to. His presence offers safety and peace in the midst of stress and pressure.

How comforting to know that His very name does that. I can call on him and he answers me and shows me things I didn’t know. Simple things. Silly things.

Since the time change, I’ve been attempting to correct the time on my car to no avail. I’ve done it before. Shoot, I’ve had the car for 7 years so I do it twice a year. I knew there was something I was missing, but I just couldn’t remember. So on my way to prayer yesterday morning, I heard the Spirit say, ‘Turn on your radio! Now try.’ and it worked. I simply had to stop striving and listen.

That may sound silly to you, but God cares about everything that concerns me. He’s my hero, my strong tower, my place of safety I can run to anytime. There is nothing to large or small that he doesn’t want to be involved in with me. Where I’m weak, he is strong. When I don’t know, he knows. How thrilling to know that I have relationship with such a Mighty God.

Father, I love that you want relationship with me. Real relationship. Not surface stuff, real stuff, the stuff lives are made of. Day to day, sharing everything good and bad, growing deeper in love with you. I’m so glad you adopted me as your daughter and are so patient with me. I ask you for wisdom in everything I do today. It’s in Jesus’ name. Amen