What a delight to be in the presence of the Lord! Last night, new years eve, I had the distinct honor of ushering in the new year in the presence of the Lord. Our church began worshipping at 10:00 pm, worshipped for over an hour, had communion together, prayed for each other, then worshipped until midnight. I’m a worshipper, but this just took me to another level, a place where I’ve visited but never stayed.

Worship is to feel an adoring reverence or regard. It’s when you are lost for words and the feelings of love overtake you, causing you to funnel every ounce of your being into the direction of His divine presence. You become alone, even when surrounded by others. Your words are for one, received by one, an exchange of dialog with a trusted confidant. An intimate touching of your spirit with His Spirit, creating a oneness, a longing, a need to give and receive beyond anything you’ve experienced in your flesh.

Wave upon wave of mercy. Wave upon wave of grace. Wave upon wave of love. It’s the most beautiful place that comes from complete and total surrender. If you’ve never experienced what I’m talking about, it’s time you did. Lay everything down before the Father and tell him he’s the only thing that matters. Give it all up to him. Every care, every problem, every thought, every selfish ambition, all you have, give it to him. Now just tell him you love him. Don’t ask for anything! Don’t come with conditions, come as you are just to love him.

I listened to a video clip called ‘Jump’ this morning that talked about wanting but not having because we are afraid to jump. Everyone who has anything has had to risk everything and make the jump. If you’re unwilling to jump, you will remain an observer, not a participator. Don’t stay on the outside looking in when the invitation to the table of the Lord was for you all along. Everything you’ve ever needed or wanted has been provided for you, you just have to attend the party and enjoy.

Father, you’ve invited us to come to your table and eat with you, but so many are just too busy to come. Please forgive us for thumbing our noses at your invitation, being too busy to bother, too indifferent to care. Day after day you wait for us, but someday, you will close the door and give our place to another, someone who is hungry and wanting time with you. I come hungry. May I never miss an opportunity to lavish my love on you. After all you’ve done, I cannot give you less than all of me. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen

Lamentations 3:21-26 TLB; Yet there is one ray of hope: his compassion never ends. It is only the Lord’s mercies that have kept us from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his loving-kindness begins afresh each day. My soul claims the Lord as my inheritance; therefore I will hope in him. The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for him, to those who seek for him. It is good both to hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

One ray of hope; his compassion never ends. That thrills me because you see, I don’t always make the right choices or say the right things. I don’t deserve what I get at times but, his compassion never ends. The word compassion is defined as; a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering. Notice I had to look it up. Sad to say, I’m probably not the most compassionate person in the world. Ask any of those close to me and they’ll tell you my first response would be, “Buck up and stop whining!” Even though I don’t hand out compassion freely, God gives it to me. He doesn’t just give it when I do right, he gives it when I screw up over and over and over. Endlessly. Do you see why that thrills me so? It truly is only the Lord’s mercies that have kept me from complete destruction.

And He is not just my one ray of hope, He’s my ONLY hope. My soul claims the Lord as my inheritance. The word inheritance isn’t just monetary things passed on, it’s also defined; the genetic characters transmitted from parent to offspring, taken collectively; portion; birthright; heritage. My flesh may resemble my earthly father, but my spirit has received a much greater transmission, it’s being renewed day by day to resemble my Heavenly Father. There IS hope for me! I may still find the true meaning of being compassionate yet!

Perhaps you struggle with similar imperfections. Maybe you overspent at Christmas and are now suffering the consequences of extra bills, or perhaps you overindulged and extra pounds are showing up on the scales. Maybe you said something you shouldn’t have and the hurt it caused is irreparable. Let me encourage you by saying, He is your hope too. Stop striving to fix it all and hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. You might not deserve it, but HE wants to be compassionate to you. He wants to fix this for you.

Father, you are so very faithful to me. I hold onto my confession of faith in your unchanging love. There is strength in resting in you, rejoicing in victory before the desired outcome is seen. I may not be able to fix this, but you not only can, you will. So I thank you and praise your name. Your goodness is more then I could have hoped or dreamed for. When all is done and I stand face to face with you, I won’t remember the bad I did, but the victory you gave. It’s in Christ’s Name I pray, Amen

Light is a beautiful thing! Without it, we would stumble and fall often, never being able to see what lies around us. In John 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never live in darkness. They will have the light that gives life.” So then, the moments I’m unsure of what to do or where to go, when I don’t see clearly the path in front of me, I’ve lost sight of the light, because this verse says, if I follow Jesus, I will never live in darkness.

The definition of darkness is simply the absence or deficiency of light. The definition of light is something that makes things visible or affords illumination. So if Jesus is the light, he makes things visible that would otherwise be darkened to our knowledge. Let’s take this a step further, shall we? If Jesus is in me, should I not be light in the darkness also? Is that what was meant by, “Christ in me the hope of glory”?

Philippians 2:14-16, Paul speaking to the church at Philippi says, “Do everything without complaining or arguing  so that you will be blameless and pure, children of God without any fault. But you are living with evil people all around you, who have lost their sense of what is right. Among those people you shine like lights in a dark world,  and you offer them the teaching that gives life. So I can be proud of you when Christ comes again. You will show that my work was not wasted—that I ran in the race and won.”

We are living in a day where people have lost their sense of what is right. He says we should shine like lights, offering this light in us to others. It reminds me of so many candlelight services I’ve attended at this time of year, where each person holds an unlit candle and they pass the light from one to another until the whole church is filled with candles glowing, giving light. The problem I see here is that most Christians leave their light at church. When the service ends, they blow out their candle and leave with no light. They fail to take the light in them and use it daily, so when the world around them is stumbling and falling, they simply have no light in them to show the way to safe ground.

Father, forgive us for not doing what you told us to do, to be light to a lost and dying world. Inside of us is the answer to every question, the solution to every problem. In us is the Light of the world and yet we ourselves haven’t yet learned to keep our eyes on the Light. I personally am in need of direction, Father. I need your light on some urgent answers I need this next month. I don’t know what to do, where to go, but I know where the Light is. So I will seek your beautiful face today, waiting on you for the answers I so desperately need. My heart trusts in you and I will not be afraid, you will not allow the darkness to swallow me up, for inside of me is the Light. It’s in Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen

Matthew 2:8; And he (King Herod) sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

You’d think being ‘wise men’ they would have sensed the evil kings plan to rid the world of Jesus, but no, they were totally oblivious. It says in verse 12; Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. I guess the word ‘wise’ doesn’t necessarily mean spiritually discerning. 

I’ve met a lot of wise people in my life. They are good with a business plan, great with finances, doctors, lawyers, theologians, but they have a difficult time accepting the simple message of love. It’s like their own wisdom and knowledge gets in the way of Gods plan. These wise men had seen the star and dared to follow it. They knew it was a sign from God so they prepared for a journey with gifts fit for a king.

Since it’s Jesus’ birthday, I asked him what he wanted. Well, why not? We ask our children and grandchildren what they want for their birthdays, don’t we? Do you know what he said to me? “Just come and sit with me, spend time with me. I want to show you some things, give you direction. The greatest gift you can give to me is your time.”

“O Come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant. O Come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem. Come and behold Him, born the King of angels. O Come let us adore Him. O Come let us adore Him. O Come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.”

Let’s not be too busy going here and there, doing this and that to miss our time with Jesus. Let’s not yield to the ways of the world, get caught up in the commercialism of Christmas to miss the greatest opportunity to reflect on his goodness, mercy and grace to us this past year. Let’s worship Jesus. Let’s remember the reason he came into the world was so the world could be saved. Let’s do our part to share in giving his love to others around us. Jesus is the reason for the season, but he never intended for us to celebrate it like this. All he wants is time with you.

Father, thank you for sharing your son with us. Thank you for your plan of redemption. Such a beautiful and awesome plan. We give you glory and honor. We may not be spending the day as we thought or dreamed, but we are spending it with you, and that’s all that matters. So whether it be in a hospital bed, in a hospice room with someone we love or sitting in a dark corner of a room, we will let the light of your love shine on us. We will turn our attention onto you and hear your words to us because they still bring hope, they still bring healing, they still bring joy. Right here where we are, we will adore you. Amen.

Romans 8:14-17; The true children of God are those who let God’s Spirit lead them.  The Spirit that we received is not a spirit that makes us slaves again and causes us to fear. The Spirit that we have makes us God’s chosen children. And with that Spirit we cry out, “ Abba, Father.”  And the Spirit himself speaks to our spirits and makes us sure that we are God’s children.  If we are God’s children, we will get the blessings God has for his people. He will give us all that he has given Christ. But we must suffer like Christ suffered. Then we will be able to share his glory.

Romans 8:28-30; We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him. These are the people God chose, because that was his plan.  God knew them before he made the world. And he decided that they would be like his Son. Then Jesus would be the firstborn of many brothers and sisters.  God planned for them to be like his Son. He chose them and made them right with him. And after he made them right, he gave them his glory.

What a grand plan God had when he sent Jesus into the world as a baby. He showed us the way to live life led by the Spirit so that we could be adopted, sons and daughters of God, living free to be love and show love, the glory of the Father to the world. Suffering, it’s a part of the process. Pressure on a hunk of coal creates the most beautiful diamonds. Life wasn’t meant to be an ongoing party or a lifelong vacation. Jesus said that in this life we will suffer but look at him, he overcame! He’s our example. Our mirror for overcoming.

This time of year, we see a baby born in a barn, wrapped in strips of cloth used to bind up animal wounds. He grew to carry our burdens, take our beating, our sickness and pain, all our guilt for every sin ever committed in the past, present or future so that we could walk being led by the Spirit. So that we could share in His glory. WOW. God has given the BEST GIFT EVER!

Father, thank you for the opportunity to share a very small piece of your suffering in this life. We overcome by the blood of your Son and the Word of our testimony. We will not love our lives, but we will lay it down for your great plan, so that more may know your love, mercy and forgiveness. So that more may live in the lap of your grace, not having to work for what’s been freely given. Thank you for this incredibly wonderful life, the life of being led by your Spirit. Knowing that each step we take leads us closer to our final destination, may we tread carefully, going where you lead us, doing what you tell us, to fall safely in your arms at the end of the journey. It’s in Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen

Matthew 1:23 NRSV; “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.”

Tis the season, right? All the sermons on Jesus’ birth have been packed with promise and insight. The season we have chosen to celebrate the birthday of our King. But the one message that has stuck with me the most is the one above that describes the meaning of Emmanuel, “God is with us.” You know the coolest part of that? God is ALWAYS with us. That was the whole plan from the beginning, God in us and with us.

At the very beginning when God created man, it was for fellowship. Now, because of Emmanuel, because of the promised Son of God, the third part of the trinity is with us. He will never leave us. He’s our comforter, our friend, our wisdom, our provider, our director and so much more. Yesterday as our church took communion together, it was yet another reminder that we are the body of Christ. Each time we take the elements of the bread and wine, we are partaking of our Lords body until he returns.

Remember Emmanuel, God with us. As you shop for your remaining presents to wrap and place under the tree, as you partake of dinner with your loved ones; God is with you. The greatest gift of all is free. You don’t have to buy it, you simply receive it and give it away. The gift of hope, joy, peace and strength. The knowledge of grace, mercy and love with us always.

Emmanuel. May you tell the story to your children and your grandchildren, to everyone you meet. May it be the first thing you do before your meal, before the gifts. God is with you. Whatever you need, wherever you go, whatever you do, may the words ring out in your heart and on your lips; God is with us.

Father, how grateful we are for this promise you’ve given us. You are with us and you are all we need. We just give you praise, honor and glory today for the sweetest of all gifts, Jesus. Our spirits joined with Your Spirit, always with us, never alone. We are in awe at such perfect wholeness. Everything we need for life and godliness is hidden in us, made alive by your Spirit and Your Word. May it be on our lips and in our hearts; Emmanuel. It’s in your Name we pray. Amen

I Peter 5:8-11 NRSV; Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.  And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.  To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.

Did you know that lions look for weak or young prey, those who have separated themselves from the rest of the herd? There’s something to be said about ‘safety in numbers.’ I think that’s why it’s so important to be a part of a body of believers, those who are seeking after Jesus, reading the Word and hungry for truth.

Dictionary.com defines the word alert as; an attitude of vigilance, readiness, or caution, as before an expected attack.  So if we know that we have an adversary who is out for a meal, let’s not make it easy for him.

The word resist means to withstand, strive against, or oppose. The word steadfast means fixed in direction; steadily directed. So we know it’s going to be a struggle, but just like when you play the game of tug-of-war, get people on your team who are strong and can hang on tight, those who have good leverage and know how to use it. Don’t pick a bunch of weak, gossipy, sickly people who don’t know the Word, don’t know their position in Christ and don’t know how to pray! You’ll all end up a tasty treat for the devil. The only thing he responds to is the Word! Jesus used it against him in the wilderness and we need to use it against him in our fight.

So we know we’re going to suffer, it’s right there in the Word, but we don’t suffer alone. i think he added that so that we stop focusing on our own struggle and start thinking of others who are suffering, praying for them, encouraging them, speaking over them. Then the coolest thing happens, God “will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.” Do you remember after Jesus passed his test in the desert, God sent angels to minister to him? God himself will minister to us. Wow! He loves us that much that he will come to restore, support, strengthen and establish us.

Father, thank you for the struggles and tests we’ve gone through and are going through. You always show up to minister to us and we always come out stronger in your Word and our trust in you is deeper. You never leave us, never fail to rescue us. You won’t let the devil devour us because we have your Word. How wonderful to be your child and have your bodyguards all around us. Go with us today and this weekend. May we be strong in the power of YOUR might. in Jesus’ Name. Amen

Jude 1:20-23 NRSV; But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.  And have mercy on some who are wavering;  save others by snatching them out of the fire; and have mercy on still others with fear, hating even the tunic defiled by their bodies.

What do you do when you feel yourself coming down with a cold? You take mega doses of vitamin C and everything else you can think of to boost your immune system, right? But what do you do when when you find yourself discouraged, downhearted or weak in your faith? Jude tells us to build ourselves up on our most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit. In other words, when we don’t know what to pray, the Spirit makes intercession for us by praying in Gods own language (see Acts 2;4). When I pray in the Spirit, I’m building up my spirit within me. When I pray with my understanding, I praying with my own knowledge. I can also sing with my spirit of I can sing with my own understanding.

Such a mystery! But what a vast difference it makes. It helps me to walk in love and have more mercy. When I don’t know what to do or what to say, I pray in the Holy Spirit, then I wait for direction from the Lord. He said that if I acknowledge him in all my ways, he would direct my steps. Better than GPS or any other navigation tool, the Holy Spirit is our helper. Jesus told us he had to go but wouldn’t leave us alone and he sent the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth.

Father, you have given us such a great gift in your son. He is truly the gift that keeps on giving because although we can’t see him, Holy Spirit is always with us. Thank you! Best gift ever! A piece of you living in me, filling me up to overflow onto others around me. What a plan you had for mankind. You have given us the tools to be victorious in all we do. Today, I will pray in the Spirit so that I will be strong. I don’t want to drop my sword when I need it most.  It’s in Jesus Name I pray. Amen

Hebrews 10:32-39 ERV; Remember the days when you first learned the truth. You had a hard struggle with much suffering, but you continued strong.  Sometimes people said hateful things to you and mistreated you in public. And sometimes you helped others who were being treated that same way. Yes, you helped them in prison and shared in their suffering. And you were still happy when everything you owned was taken away from you. You continued to be happy, because you knew that you had something much better—something that would continue forever.  So don’t lose the courage that you had in the past. Your courage will be rewarded richly.  You must be patient. After you have done what God wants, you will get what he promised you.  He says, “Very soon now, the one who is coming will come and will not be late. The person who is right with me will live by trusting in me. But I will not be pleased with the one who turns back in fear.” But we are not those who turn back and are lost. No, we are the people who have faith and are saved.

My whole reason for doing this blog was simply to encourage others who struggle to remain faithful. My own faith has at times been severely shaken, but each time I have determined to hold fast to my confidence in the God who has a bigger plan and sees more then I could ever hope to see. With each trial, comes more determination. With every pressure I endure, I get closer to becoming the diamond He is creating in me. We are created for greatness, but there’s a training ground we must stand on.  If we don’t learn to use our weapons in training, we will fail when we actually go to war.

Father, be pleased with me. You are indeed sending your son back to take us home and I want to be found working for you, not sitting with my head in my hands, worrying about what’s going on around me. I want to be a faithful steward of every Word you’ve planted in me. I don’t want to focus on the battles, but the one who taught me to overcome. Father, for each person who is tired, give them rest. For each person who is weary, strengthen them. Cause us to all keep our eyes on the horizon, knowing you will indeed keep your Word to us. We may be shaken, but we will hold onto you so that when the dust settles, we will be standing on the Rock. It’s in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

Ever been in a situation where the odds were against you? Ever felt like you were stuck in quicksand and the more you struggled the deeper you went under? Ever been in a place where you were surrounded by such great opposition that your only option was surrender? We’ve all experienced something of this sort at sometime in our lives. When there’s just no fight left because the battle’s been going on too long and you’re just plain tired. Well, God always provides a way of escape and that way defies all logic. It’s the last thing you feel like doing but the first thing you should do. Praise!

That’s right, I said praise. The most spectacular victories of battles in the bible have been when hands were lifted and a praise to God went up. Moses came to the Red Sea with Pharaohs army in hot pursuit, but when he lifted his arms, the sea split and the Lord delivered them. The three Hebrew Children were being forced to bow to an idol but they refused. They declared allegiance to God, giving Him praise and declaring that God was able to deliver them. God sent Jesus to loose them and set them free (“The fourth man looks like the Son of God”).

Let us not forget King Jehoshaphat when he found himself facing a vast army that was too many for them to take. God’s Word to him was; “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.'” Jehoshaphat didn’t cower, he didn’t freak out or run the other way. The Bible says this in 2 Chronicles 20:18; “And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the Lord.”

Something happens when you engage in worship and praise in the battle you’re facing. Look at the outcome from verses 20-22; So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” ²¹ And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:

²² Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.

Did you see that? They praised first and God delivered them. When you don’t know where to turn; praise. When you don’t know what to do; praise. When you feel overwhelmed and everything goes to hell in a hand basket; praise. Praise will open doors, move mountains, open prison doors, set you free. Praise will get you out of ‘me’ focus onto ‘God’ focus. Praise says, ‘I believe you will do what you said you will do!’ Praise takes the evil twins of ‘doubt & unbelief’ and gives them the boot. If you need a miracle; PRAISE!

Father, I praise you this morning with everything in me. There is nothing too difficult for you. Nothing you haven’t seen or created that takes a front seat to you and your mighty power. I lift my hands to you and I declare that this battle I face is not mine, it’s yours. There are just some things you never intended me to fix because you want the glory for it. It’s not been easy, but I know you and you are well able to deliver me from this enemy I face. Until this is defeated, I will praise you. Until I see the light break through, I will praise you. I will not only lift my hands to you, I will lift my face to you. i will keep my eyes on you. I will listen to your voice and obey the instructions you give me. You are well able. Thank you for your mighty hand on my life and those who face battles today. It’s in Jesus’ Name we overcome. Amen