A few months ago, God impressed upon my heart to read and meditate Song of Solomon. I am still on my little quest, but already I see there is so much in this book to be revealed to the body of Christ. I mentioned in an earlier post that God had revealed to me through this book the way he sees me, without spot, faultless. This was such an amazing revelation that it took quite a while to sink in. I would meditate this scripture (Song of Solomon 4:7) everyday and still found it amazing.
Today, I would like to discuss a scripture very closely related to the above. Song of Solomon 1:16 says, "Behold thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green." Remember, Song of Solomon is an ongoing dialogue between two lovers along with some background information to set the scene and mood of the script. This is a perfect depiction of the love and affection between Christ and the Church.
Here in this scripture, Solomon, representing Christ, speaks to his bride who represents the Church. He says to her "Behold, thou art fair." 'Behold' is a term that brings attention to a particular statement or truth about to be revealed. Just as in Song of Solomon 4:7, Christ is revealing to the Church just how He sees her. He says she's fair. This word 'fair', in the original Hebrew in which it was written, means much more than beautiful as in our modern, English vernacular. It means to be 'bright'. We, the Church, are a light unto the world. We are shining His love for everyone to see.
The Bible says that God is love (1 John 4:8). It also tells us that God is light (1 John 1:5). We are the very embodiment of God, the 'body of Christ'! Yes, we are that "city set on a hill" as a light for the whole world to see (Matthew 5:14)! As long as we abide in Him, we should not feel as if we are trying to rob God of his glory. All through the Word, God confirms that he wants us to share in his glory, and the whole creation groans in waiting for us to get this revelation (Romans 8:18-22, but that's a subject for another time)! As he is, so are we in this world," 1 John 4:17!
After assuring the bride that she magnificently shines His beauty as a representation of Him (meaning, "When they see you, they see me. We are one!"), He calls her his 'beloved'. Now this is important because this is the only place in the book of Song of Solomon that the word translated 'beloved' comes from the Hebrew word 'ahab' or 'aheb'. All the others are translated from the Hebrew word 'dod' or 'dowd' which simply means lover or friend. The word 'aheb' means to have affection for. According to The New Strong's Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, this word means "to love in the sense of having a strong emotional attachment to and desire either to possess or to be in the presence of the object." Not only does he share his glory and magnificence with the bride, but he is so attached to her and desires to be in her company more than any other.
As if that isn't enough, he then goes on to call her 'pleasant', which means delightful. God tells us in Revelation 4:11 we exist and were created for his pleasure. Our main purpose in life is to give God the pleasure of delighting in us. Wow, what a calling! 1 Corinthians 1:9 tells us that God is faithful and has called us into fellowship with his Son. This would be sort of like a prearranged marriage! I always disliked the idea of prearranged marriages until I caught the Father's heart in this. It was a faithful act. He was fulfilling his promise to save us and make a new covenant with us based on His blood, not our works. God was saying, "I am your father, and I know what's best for you. I've been scouting out the land, and I've found the absolute best! I've arranged a wedding for you. I know once you meet him and get to know him, you will absolutely adore him!"
To top it all off, Solomon, our picture of Christ, reminds her, "...also our bed is green." The word 'green' here is translated from the Hebrew word 'raanan' which means verdant (green with growing plants, unripe, fresh), new, prosperous. He was in essence saying, "We have a whole new field to play on. It's untouched and it's just for you and me. We can explore this new life together. You are mine, and I am yours. We can have intimate fellowship anytime you'd like. I love getting to know you and revealing myself to you. I'm always ready."
This completely dispels the myth that we must be perfect before we come into the presence of God. He already sees us as perfect. He created us to bring him pleasure. He longs for our fellowship. This is why he tells us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). He wants continual unbroken fellowship with us. Just as we don't divorce our mate when we see a mistake or flaw, God will not kick us out of His presence when we sin. Here you see that God gives us an open invitation. No more long baths and beauty rituals! We' have already been washed in His blood! He has beautified us! We are perfect just as we are because we are exuding His love, His light, His image! He beckons us to come to him, explore Him, truly get to know Him. When we see his heart, we will fall head-over-heels in love with him!
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
By a new and living way which he has consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
And having an high priest over the house of God;
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful who promised;)
Hebrews 10:19-23
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
New Life in Christ (Part 3)
The reality of the 'new life' we find in Christ is an ongoing subject because it is such a deep, ongoing revelation. This is the last post that I will blog in this series for now, but obviously it will not be the last article that hinges on this revelation.
Today, I would like to share what I believe to be one of the greatest revelations of my lifetime. It demonstrates just how great was our Lord's sacrifice on the cross and just how powerful His blood remains forevermore. I mentioned in the last two posts that when I was first born again the fact that I had became a new creature was quickly made evident to me. This new identity meant that now I would identify with Christ and his suffering on the cross for me. Over time, I came to recognize I was no longer bound by the guilt of sin, my sins or the sins of anyone else. I could walk away free from the pain of rejection and grief because Jesus had borne my griefs, carried my sorrows, and suffered rejection for me.
Now, this next truth is so huge that it completely shook me to the core. Not only had I been delivered from my sins and the hurt inflicted upon me by others, but I had been completely loosed from fear of future sins! Yes, that's right! Jesus' blood didn't just cleanse enough sins to get us temporary right with the Father, but He bore all our sin, past, present, and future!
At first, I was taught by the church that God forgave us of all our past sins. This made us new; However, afterwards, we could be tainted by future sins. We then had to continually examine ourselves, confess our sins, and be cleansed all over again. What a rut this put me in! I was doing all I knew in order to be holy, and for the most part, I lived right, but as soon as I thought an evil thought or argued with my husband, which happened quite often, I came under the condemnation of having not performed quite perfectly. The church also taught us that sin put a rift in our relationship with God and that if we took communion in this 'fallen' state, we were in danger of sickness or death. If we tried to worship God with sin in our heart, our worship was like Cain's gift to God and not received.
Can you imagine my intimacy level with God? I was so paranoid about sinning that I was continually 'checking my heart'. If I felt the presence of God one day and not the next, I was questioning God trying to find out what I had done wrong. I would repent before taking communion, even if I could find no fault. I felt continually dirty.
Finally, I reached a place where I thought I had mastered the 'repentance system' and was better than most Christians. I became self-righteous and judgmental. My husband was not perfect, as no person is, so I constantly tried to 'convict' him of his sins so that he would not be tainted and go to hell. Our marriage was falling apart all over again. Only this time I didn't know where to turn since the blood of Jesus had not been good enough. We went to counseling, but nothing helped. It wasn't until we understood this truth that things began to change.
It took years for me to find out the truth, but thanks to teachings from Andrew Wommack and Joseph Prince, God was able to get the message over to me, save my marriage, and change my household! When I saw that God was not keeping record of my sins, that when He said that my "sins and lawless deeds" He would "remember no more" that He really meant it, my entire world was changed!
God has already judged our sins when he poured out his wrath on Jesus on the cross! Jesus was made sin for us. Now we can rest assured that we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21) no matter what we do!
Some people try to defend their right to be a low-down, dirty, old sinner. I don't know about you, but it gives me much more peace knowing that if I mess up, God hasn't just swiped a tally mark against me in the great book. God is just. Why would he judge my sins on the cross, then judge them again on me? Justice has been served! Christ died, now we are risen again with Him, seated with Him in the heavenly above sin! (See Ephesians 1:20-21; 2:6-10!) Hallelujah!!!
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 2:1-2
Today, I would like to share what I believe to be one of the greatest revelations of my lifetime. It demonstrates just how great was our Lord's sacrifice on the cross and just how powerful His blood remains forevermore. I mentioned in the last two posts that when I was first born again the fact that I had became a new creature was quickly made evident to me. This new identity meant that now I would identify with Christ and his suffering on the cross for me. Over time, I came to recognize I was no longer bound by the guilt of sin, my sins or the sins of anyone else. I could walk away free from the pain of rejection and grief because Jesus had borne my griefs, carried my sorrows, and suffered rejection for me.
Now, this next truth is so huge that it completely shook me to the core. Not only had I been delivered from my sins and the hurt inflicted upon me by others, but I had been completely loosed from fear of future sins! Yes, that's right! Jesus' blood didn't just cleanse enough sins to get us temporary right with the Father, but He bore all our sin, past, present, and future!
At first, I was taught by the church that God forgave us of all our past sins. This made us new; However, afterwards, we could be tainted by future sins. We then had to continually examine ourselves, confess our sins, and be cleansed all over again. What a rut this put me in! I was doing all I knew in order to be holy, and for the most part, I lived right, but as soon as I thought an evil thought or argued with my husband, which happened quite often, I came under the condemnation of having not performed quite perfectly. The church also taught us that sin put a rift in our relationship with God and that if we took communion in this 'fallen' state, we were in danger of sickness or death. If we tried to worship God with sin in our heart, our worship was like Cain's gift to God and not received.
Can you imagine my intimacy level with God? I was so paranoid about sinning that I was continually 'checking my heart'. If I felt the presence of God one day and not the next, I was questioning God trying to find out what I had done wrong. I would repent before taking communion, even if I could find no fault. I felt continually dirty.
Finally, I reached a place where I thought I had mastered the 'repentance system' and was better than most Christians. I became self-righteous and judgmental. My husband was not perfect, as no person is, so I constantly tried to 'convict' him of his sins so that he would not be tainted and go to hell. Our marriage was falling apart all over again. Only this time I didn't know where to turn since the blood of Jesus had not been good enough. We went to counseling, but nothing helped. It wasn't until we understood this truth that things began to change.
It took years for me to find out the truth, but thanks to teachings from Andrew Wommack and Joseph Prince, God was able to get the message over to me, save my marriage, and change my household! When I saw that God was not keeping record of my sins, that when He said that my "sins and lawless deeds" He would "remember no more" that He really meant it, my entire world was changed!
God has already judged our sins when he poured out his wrath on Jesus on the cross! Jesus was made sin for us. Now we can rest assured that we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21) no matter what we do!
Some people try to defend their right to be a low-down, dirty, old sinner. I don't know about you, but it gives me much more peace knowing that if I mess up, God hasn't just swiped a tally mark against me in the great book. God is just. Why would he judge my sins on the cross, then judge them again on me? Justice has been served! Christ died, now we are risen again with Him, seated with Him in the heavenly above sin! (See Ephesians 1:20-21; 2:6-10!) Hallelujah!!!
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 2:1-2
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
New Life in Christ (Part 2)
A few days ago, when I posted the last article, I had so much more to say, but I realized it would take more space than a normal post. Instead of trying the patience of my readers, I decided to break the post up into sections.
In "New Life in Christ", I shared with you how I learned early in my Christian walk that I was no longer a sinner. I was new on the inside, a whole new creation. I was no longer the old me, but she had been crucified on the cross with Christ. Now the new me could live no longer burdened with the stain of sin. Jesus had washed me with his blood. God had made me clean!
The next lesson took a little while longer to learn and came rather in phases than all at once, but for the sake of time and space I will just let you have it outright. This lesson hinges on the last and adds flavor to life. Of course, it is one that causes more dependence on Christ than upon self and has the potential to cause Christians everywhere to stand out, even among the best of the best.
It is the simple, yet profound lesson that all things are indeed new. It was quite easy in comparison to see that my sins were washed away and that I was no longer a sinner, but the biggie for me was that since I was no longer the same person, then all that had happened to cause me pain, although still in my memory, had not happened to me, but to the old me who was now dead.
It was quite easy to separate myself from the sins I had committed in the past but a bit more difficult to detach from the sins that others had committed against me. I had endured a particularly difficult and pain-ridden childhood and was now facing the idea that I should no longer hang on to past wounds and regrets. This process took some time and was equally as painful as the initial blow from each event that now plagued me in early adulthood. I could not even speak of certain events without breaking out into tears, and now God was showing me I could no longer identify with these happenings that so marked me!
The Holy Spirit pointed out to me that Jesus had borne my griefs and carried my sorrows (Isaiah 53:4)! I was free from them! I didn't have to walk around as a victim to these past circumstances any longer. I was unchained and could walk away free! Letting go of who I had once been, also meant letting go of everything that tagged the old me. Simply put, I was new; Old things had passed away. This meant everything that had happened to the old me had not happened to the new me. The person that had suffered the enemy's torments of the past was in the grave and totally oblivious to my new existence.
If anyone had lied on me, they had lied on the old me. If someone had stolen from me, they had stolen from the old me. If anyone had done anything undesirable toward me, it had not happened to me but to a girl that now lay in the grave and should be forgotten. If I were to dig her up, she would not utter a word about her past, for she had been crucified. She was dead never to be resurrected.
Needless to say, this reality causes forgiveness to abound. How could anyone hold something against someone who had done them no wrong? Just as I had thought it illogical for someone to hold ills against me for no reason at all, I now should not find fault in those who had not wronged me but one who was gone forever and could not even tell me of her inconveniences. I had been forgiven, freed from every debt. How could I hold on to the sins of others?
Jesus has carried all our sorrows. The Bible tells us in Isaiah 53 that Jesus was 'a man of sorrows', that he was 'acquainted with grief', stricken, smitten, and chastised for us (verses 3-5); 'for' meaning, 'because of', 'instead of'. Jesus took our place. We do not have to hold on to the anger and bitterness associated with the past. He has freed us to forgive! He was rejected and despised for us (verse 3)! We can lay down guilt because we are forgiven; We can lay down resentment because others are forgiven. All things have truly become new!
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:32 (emphasis added)
In "New Life in Christ", I shared with you how I learned early in my Christian walk that I was no longer a sinner. I was new on the inside, a whole new creation. I was no longer the old me, but she had been crucified on the cross with Christ. Now the new me could live no longer burdened with the stain of sin. Jesus had washed me with his blood. God had made me clean!
The next lesson took a little while longer to learn and came rather in phases than all at once, but for the sake of time and space I will just let you have it outright. This lesson hinges on the last and adds flavor to life. Of course, it is one that causes more dependence on Christ than upon self and has the potential to cause Christians everywhere to stand out, even among the best of the best.
It is the simple, yet profound lesson that all things are indeed new. It was quite easy in comparison to see that my sins were washed away and that I was no longer a sinner, but the biggie for me was that since I was no longer the same person, then all that had happened to cause me pain, although still in my memory, had not happened to me, but to the old me who was now dead.
It was quite easy to separate myself from the sins I had committed in the past but a bit more difficult to detach from the sins that others had committed against me. I had endured a particularly difficult and pain-ridden childhood and was now facing the idea that I should no longer hang on to past wounds and regrets. This process took some time and was equally as painful as the initial blow from each event that now plagued me in early adulthood. I could not even speak of certain events without breaking out into tears, and now God was showing me I could no longer identify with these happenings that so marked me!
The Holy Spirit pointed out to me that Jesus had borne my griefs and carried my sorrows (Isaiah 53:4)! I was free from them! I didn't have to walk around as a victim to these past circumstances any longer. I was unchained and could walk away free! Letting go of who I had once been, also meant letting go of everything that tagged the old me. Simply put, I was new; Old things had passed away. This meant everything that had happened to the old me had not happened to the new me. The person that had suffered the enemy's torments of the past was in the grave and totally oblivious to my new existence.
If anyone had lied on me, they had lied on the old me. If someone had stolen from me, they had stolen from the old me. If anyone had done anything undesirable toward me, it had not happened to me but to a girl that now lay in the grave and should be forgotten. If I were to dig her up, she would not utter a word about her past, for she had been crucified. She was dead never to be resurrected.
Needless to say, this reality causes forgiveness to abound. How could anyone hold something against someone who had done them no wrong? Just as I had thought it illogical for someone to hold ills against me for no reason at all, I now should not find fault in those who had not wronged me but one who was gone forever and could not even tell me of her inconveniences. I had been forgiven, freed from every debt. How could I hold on to the sins of others?
Jesus has carried all our sorrows. The Bible tells us in Isaiah 53 that Jesus was 'a man of sorrows', that he was 'acquainted with grief', stricken, smitten, and chastised for us (verses 3-5); 'for' meaning, 'because of', 'instead of'. Jesus took our place. We do not have to hold on to the anger and bitterness associated with the past. He has freed us to forgive! He was rejected and despised for us (verse 3)! We can lay down guilt because we are forgiven; We can lay down resentment because others are forgiven. All things have truly become new!
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:32 (emphasis added)
Friday, November 30, 2012
New Life in Christ
When I came to Jesus, I came desperate. I had tried all the things the world promised would fulfill me to no avail. I had become one of the biggest sinners that I knew. I had done everything I could to obtain the attention I thought I needed to make me important in life, but these things only made me more notorious as a sinner, and truly, no one cared.
I had known Jesus as a child, led by my mother's push into His arms, which I am still grateful for today. But this time, I was coming to Him. I had heard His call and had felt His tug upon my heart. To no credit of my own, desperate times helped me to take the first step. As I lay there in the bed with my husband fast asleep, our marriage and our world falling apart, I fell into the arms of the one who truly loved me unconditionally. He soothed my soul. I went to bed a different person that night. It wasn't long before my husband found himself in those same loving arms. That embrace seems to end all hurt and calm every fear.
My conversion was so real to me that not only did I know Jesus in a way I had not known Him before, but now I knew myself in a way I had never known me before! Little did I know at the time what a great revelation this new reality was and how it would grow. It has become one of the pillars of my life.
Not long after I was born again, I began to see myself in such a different way. I knew that I was no longer the same person. I still had some of the same personality traits and some of the same mannerisms, but I was indeed different. I was no longer the same on the inside. I wanted to do everything I could to please my Maker, and I loved people. Wow! What had happened to me? I don't care what anyone says, but I refuse to believe that the prayer of salvation is just a simple prayer or that Christianity is simply a one time experience that soon wears off and grows stale! No! It is a new life, the beginning of a new existence. What I was only just beginning to know and am now more intimately acquainted with is the revelation that has propelled my Christian walk to what it is today.
The first thing that I learned is so basic, yet so many Christians seem to skip right over it. I knew without a shadow of doubt that I was no longer a sinner. There is a common cliche that says, "We are all just sinners saved by grace." This is one of the deadliest none-truths circulating through the Body of Christ today! If we don't come to the simple realization that we are no longer simply 'sinners saved by grace' we will miss out on the reality of what Christ purchased for us on that cross! If we are indeed 'saved by grace', then we are no longer rotten sinners! Jesus died a sinner's death to make us righteous. He took our place. Now God sees us as righteous, not sinners. If we are righteous in God's sight, then who are we to say or believe otherwise?
I believed this truth to such an extent that I could not understand why people, including my husband, was angry with me for things that I did not do. Indeed the 'old' me had done many evils against many people, but I had "wronged no man" as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 7:2. I would even say to those who I had wronged, "I didn't do that to you. That was the old me. I have only ever loved and served you. You can't punish me for things I didn't do. I am innocent! The old me is dead, for I have been crucified with Christ. It is the new me that lives. I live, yet not I, but it is Christ who is alive in me, and the life that I live, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me! Don't you see that old things are gone and I'm new?" (See 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Galatians 2:20.)
Ha! Ha! H! Of course, that doesn't go over so well, at first, with people who have known you so well 'after the flesh', but eventually they catch on. I knew that I was a new creation, and I was not going to let anyone drag me back into that old life and identity. This is the foundation for our new beginning in Christ Jesus. I wasn't aware of it then but this reality has had a great effect on who I am today.
The quicker you began to accept this truth, the quicker your life will begin to change. Don't let anyone convince you that you are a 'low-down, dirty sinner'. No! You are a new creature. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if any man is in Christ, He is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5 goes on to say that not only are 'all things new', but verse 18 says, "And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation..." You are no longer a sinner if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. You are the righteousness of God in Christ! (See 2 Corinthians 5:21.)
In my moment of desperation, the Holy Spirit took me by the hand and brought me back into the arms of my loving savior, Jesus Christ, and the realization of God's life in me has truly made all the difference!
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (emphasis added)
I had known Jesus as a child, led by my mother's push into His arms, which I am still grateful for today. But this time, I was coming to Him. I had heard His call and had felt His tug upon my heart. To no credit of my own, desperate times helped me to take the first step. As I lay there in the bed with my husband fast asleep, our marriage and our world falling apart, I fell into the arms of the one who truly loved me unconditionally. He soothed my soul. I went to bed a different person that night. It wasn't long before my husband found himself in those same loving arms. That embrace seems to end all hurt and calm every fear.
My conversion was so real to me that not only did I know Jesus in a way I had not known Him before, but now I knew myself in a way I had never known me before! Little did I know at the time what a great revelation this new reality was and how it would grow. It has become one of the pillars of my life.
Not long after I was born again, I began to see myself in such a different way. I knew that I was no longer the same person. I still had some of the same personality traits and some of the same mannerisms, but I was indeed different. I was no longer the same on the inside. I wanted to do everything I could to please my Maker, and I loved people. Wow! What had happened to me? I don't care what anyone says, but I refuse to believe that the prayer of salvation is just a simple prayer or that Christianity is simply a one time experience that soon wears off and grows stale! No! It is a new life, the beginning of a new existence. What I was only just beginning to know and am now more intimately acquainted with is the revelation that has propelled my Christian walk to what it is today.
The first thing that I learned is so basic, yet so many Christians seem to skip right over it. I knew without a shadow of doubt that I was no longer a sinner. There is a common cliche that says, "We are all just sinners saved by grace." This is one of the deadliest none-truths circulating through the Body of Christ today! If we don't come to the simple realization that we are no longer simply 'sinners saved by grace' we will miss out on the reality of what Christ purchased for us on that cross! If we are indeed 'saved by grace', then we are no longer rotten sinners! Jesus died a sinner's death to make us righteous. He took our place. Now God sees us as righteous, not sinners. If we are righteous in God's sight, then who are we to say or believe otherwise?
I believed this truth to such an extent that I could not understand why people, including my husband, was angry with me for things that I did not do. Indeed the 'old' me had done many evils against many people, but I had "wronged no man" as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 7:2. I would even say to those who I had wronged, "I didn't do that to you. That was the old me. I have only ever loved and served you. You can't punish me for things I didn't do. I am innocent! The old me is dead, for I have been crucified with Christ. It is the new me that lives. I live, yet not I, but it is Christ who is alive in me, and the life that I live, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me! Don't you see that old things are gone and I'm new?" (See 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Galatians 2:20.)
Ha! Ha! H! Of course, that doesn't go over so well, at first, with people who have known you so well 'after the flesh', but eventually they catch on. I knew that I was a new creation, and I was not going to let anyone drag me back into that old life and identity. This is the foundation for our new beginning in Christ Jesus. I wasn't aware of it then but this reality has had a great effect on who I am today.
The quicker you began to accept this truth, the quicker your life will begin to change. Don't let anyone convince you that you are a 'low-down, dirty sinner'. No! You are a new creature. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if any man is in Christ, He is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5 goes on to say that not only are 'all things new', but verse 18 says, "And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation..." You are no longer a sinner if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. You are the righteousness of God in Christ! (See 2 Corinthians 5:21.)
In my moment of desperation, the Holy Spirit took me by the hand and brought me back into the arms of my loving savior, Jesus Christ, and the realization of God's life in me has truly made all the difference!
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (emphasis added)
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
The Power of the Blood
I've
been meditating Hebrews 9:14 and love what it is doing in my thinking. It reads," How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" Recently I was asked what was the remedy for man's need to perform, and I
can clearly see it in this scripture. We must meditate on the scriptures
and fellowship with Daddy God over them in order to get a true revelation of the power of the blood of Jesus.
Hebrews 9:14 makes it clear to us that we can only serve God with a clear conscience. If my conscience is purged from dead works, then I am free to serve God. I am not bound by some law to obey Him. I can just be free to love him because I am not concerned with his expectations. Why? Because He is looking at the blood and His Son in me. Without Him I can do nothing anyway. He is the Vine and I am the branch. If I stay connected to that vine, then it is the sap flowing through that vine (His power in me) that sustains me and causes the production of fruit.
Any work I can do on my own (in my flesh) is a dead work and not worthy of glory. On my own, I can do nothing. I am only capable of dead works, but in Him I can do all things. He is my strength, and His blood is strong enough to wash away even the memory of sin from my consciousness! When I tap into this divine revelation and let it carry me everywhere I go, in everything I do, I am free to truly serve the ONE I love, not with the sense of duty or fleshly pride, but with love and adoration for this God who has so freed me.
I love how it says that Christ offered himself (the Son) through the eternal Spirit (the Holy Spirit, which is Himself) to God (the Father, Himself). This shows his supremacy. He cleansed us and purged our conscience Himself (the Godhead working as ONE). It was not our works, but His! He is all-sufficient!!! Why should I try or need to perform? God is good enough all by Himself!!!!
And we cannot forget the part of the scripture that says that He did it "without spot", that is, without fault or blame. If God is looking at His Son and only examining me in terms of the blood, then I can be sure that He finds no fault in me! I used to stumble at the scripture, Song of Solomon 4:7, that says, "You are all fair, my love; there is no spot in you." I couldn't understand how God could possibly find no spot, not one fault, in me when I could clearly see so many faults when I observed only briefly. As my husband often says, "That fellow in the mirror with the crust in his eyes, yes, God is going to use him." Ha, Ha, Ha! Now I understand that it's not my flesh that He's observing, but He's seeing my spirit purified with the blood of Jesus! Glory to God!!!
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness is by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
Galatians 2:20-21
Any work I can do on my own (in my flesh) is a dead work and not worthy of glory. On my own, I can do nothing. I am only capable of dead works, but in Him I can do all things. He is my strength, and His blood is strong enough to wash away even the memory of sin from my consciousness! When I tap into this divine revelation and let it carry me everywhere I go, in everything I do, I am free to truly serve the ONE I love, not with the sense of duty or fleshly pride, but with love and adoration for this God who has so freed me.
I love how it says that Christ offered himself (the Son) through the eternal Spirit (the Holy Spirit, which is Himself) to God (the Father, Himself). This shows his supremacy. He cleansed us and purged our conscience Himself (the Godhead working as ONE). It was not our works, but His! He is all-sufficient!!! Why should I try or need to perform? God is good enough all by Himself!!!!
And we cannot forget the part of the scripture that says that He did it "without spot", that is, without fault or blame. If God is looking at His Son and only examining me in terms of the blood, then I can be sure that He finds no fault in me! I used to stumble at the scripture, Song of Solomon 4:7, that says, "You are all fair, my love; there is no spot in you." I couldn't understand how God could possibly find no spot, not one fault, in me when I could clearly see so many faults when I observed only briefly. As my husband often says, "That fellow in the mirror with the crust in his eyes, yes, God is going to use him." Ha, Ha, Ha! Now I understand that it's not my flesh that He's observing, but He's seeing my spirit purified with the blood of Jesus! Glory to God!!!
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness is by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
Galatians 2:20-21
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
What Love!
For the last few days, I've been thinking a lot about a statement I heard just recently: God knows you best, and He loves you most. It seems to be such a profound revelation, yet it is such a simple truth. "Jesus loves me, this I know," but do we really know it? It was God's heart's cry that called out in the book of Ephesians that we "May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge..." (Ephesians 3:18-19). God is the one who created us with this very purpose in mind. He longed to express His perfect, unfailing love to someone. He desperately longed to pour out on you and me His goodness!
I had a friend to bring to my attention the qualification of true love. She noted that love was not love, in its truest sense, unless there was the risk of rejection, as in the case with Jesus loving us. He gave his life knowing that many would still reject his great sacrifice, yet he was willing to take the risk!
Love, in order to be classified as love, must, first of all, be a choice. It can not be forced. Jesus could have at any time chosen not to fulfill the Father's will, but he loved too deeply. Number two: love, if it is to be classified as such, must be unfailing. The Bible tells us that love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8). No, it never grows old, nor obsolete. It never, ever ends. This is the one thing that causes true love to endure rejection without folding. Finally, it is unconditional and unchanging.
Think about the statement I've been meditating on: God knows you best, and He loves you most. Just close your eyes and let it sink in for a moment. How many of you reading this blog can say that you've actually experienced a love as such? It only takes a little bit of information to deter most people from wanting to have anything to do with us, better yet to know us most. Just imagine, God knows all our weaknesses and shortcomings, all our character flaws, all our spots and wrinkles, yet He continues with passion and zeal to love us continually through it all, every incident, every mistake, every problem! The Bible even expresses the idea that God not only loves us, but is in 'hot pursuit' of us! (1 Corinthians 1:9;Philippians 3:12; James4:5)
Wow, what love! I can't seem to get over it. Just thinking of it brings me to tears. Such a zealous, hot love far outweighs that of any lover. Your pet can't provide such love for you. Only with God's grace can a husband ever begin to think of loving his wife 'as Christ loves the church'. Even the love of a mother or Father pales in comparison. Yes, even parents have forsaken their children (Psalm 27:10), but God's love will never fall short. It can reach us in the deepest depths of utter hopelessness. Never will any be able to separate us from the love of our God (Romans 8:35-39). It is this love that reached into the belly of hell and raised Jesus up from the pit (Ephesians 4:9; Psalm 16:10)! This love is simply indescribable!
Again, take a moment to reflect on this truth. Close your eyes. Breathe in deeply. Let it out slowly and say, "God knows me best, and He loves me most."
Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.
But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.
Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. Isaiah 49:13-16
I had a friend to bring to my attention the qualification of true love. She noted that love was not love, in its truest sense, unless there was the risk of rejection, as in the case with Jesus loving us. He gave his life knowing that many would still reject his great sacrifice, yet he was willing to take the risk!
Love, in order to be classified as love, must, first of all, be a choice. It can not be forced. Jesus could have at any time chosen not to fulfill the Father's will, but he loved too deeply. Number two: love, if it is to be classified as such, must be unfailing. The Bible tells us that love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8). No, it never grows old, nor obsolete. It never, ever ends. This is the one thing that causes true love to endure rejection without folding. Finally, it is unconditional and unchanging.
Think about the statement I've been meditating on: God knows you best, and He loves you most. Just close your eyes and let it sink in for a moment. How many of you reading this blog can say that you've actually experienced a love as such? It only takes a little bit of information to deter most people from wanting to have anything to do with us, better yet to know us most. Just imagine, God knows all our weaknesses and shortcomings, all our character flaws, all our spots and wrinkles, yet He continues with passion and zeal to love us continually through it all, every incident, every mistake, every problem! The Bible even expresses the idea that God not only loves us, but is in 'hot pursuit' of us! (1 Corinthians 1:9;Philippians 3:12; James4:5)
Wow, what love! I can't seem to get over it. Just thinking of it brings me to tears. Such a zealous, hot love far outweighs that of any lover. Your pet can't provide such love for you. Only with God's grace can a husband ever begin to think of loving his wife 'as Christ loves the church'. Even the love of a mother or Father pales in comparison. Yes, even parents have forsaken their children (Psalm 27:10), but God's love will never fall short. It can reach us in the deepest depths of utter hopelessness. Never will any be able to separate us from the love of our God (Romans 8:35-39). It is this love that reached into the belly of hell and raised Jesus up from the pit (Ephesians 4:9; Psalm 16:10)! This love is simply indescribable!
Again, take a moment to reflect on this truth. Close your eyes. Breathe in deeply. Let it out slowly and say, "God knows me best, and He loves me most."
Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.
But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.
Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. Isaiah 49:13-16
Sunday, July 22, 2012
El Shadday
Today, I'm writing in response to a request from a friend. She told me that there were friends in Africa reading the blog and being blessed by it. "Please keep writing!" she said. I smile at the wonder of our great God, that he chooses the simple to confound the wise. Such simple things, such as taking pleasure in writing down our thoughts on paper (typing in this case), can be used by God to bless His own, even in another country.
My heart longs to encourage people, especially my brothers and sisters in Christ. I guess you could say it's sort of an outlet. Sometimes I feel as if I'm just chock full of the love of God and need to pull the release valve in order to get some sort of relief from it. Writing of God and His goodness is an easy way to do that.
When we bask in the presence of our heavenly Daddy, we get so full. Our hearts are filled to capacity. What can we do? We feel as though we would burst if we could not release this great love. I can imagine that this is precisely how our God felt before he created Adam. He needed to release His goodness on someone, so He chose you and me! He chose mankind to love and cherish!
Just think of it! Can you imagine it? The creator of the whole universe could find no better subject on which to pour Himself. He had all of heaven and earth, all the stars and planets, all the animals, sea creatures and flying creatures. He even had all the angels who were partaking of his splendor, but He chose to create man and crown him with His glory.
Understand this: there is nothing wrong with loving plants and animals or embracing nature and technology. After all, it was God who created it all and put it into motion, but we need to keep things in the proper perspective. God in His great wisdom waited to crown His design with the pinnacle of His success, His beloved man. All the heavens and the earth was designed and created for us. We were the very reason for His creation in the first place. If He had only desired someone to worship Him, He would have gladly stuck with the angels. They were already with Him, and His every wish was their command. What other reason could there have been for God to create another? Why man? This is exactly what Job asked (Job 7:17), then the psalmist in Psalm 8. Apparently, He had already planned man out. He had been thinking of us, meditating on how it would be to embrace someone of His very own, His own kind, in His own image.
This sparks a significant thought. One of God's names is El Shaddai or El Shadday. Most people only recognize this word to mean God Almighty, but this Hebrew word means much more than that. It really means 'the all-breasty one' or 'the many breasted one'. This analogy is so fitting. (I have five children, all of which were breastfed. So, I truly understand the concept of being 'full of goodness' for your little ones.)
Have you ever noticed the transformation that occurs in a woman during pregnancy and immediately following childbirth? As the months pass, her breasts and her belly get more and more full. Then once delivery is complete, the baby has his first feeding day, and the race is on! It seems as if the baby cannot eat enough. The mother's breasts produces much more milk than the baby has appetite for. By day two, Mommy has so much milk that all she can think of is the relief that will come from her baby's suckle! The mother is absolutely full of good milk for the nourishment of her baby's body and soul.
Nothing and no one has what she has for that baby. No one can nourish her baby quite like her. Not only is her milk the best source for baby's nourishment, but everything about the breastfeeding process is good for baby (the minerals and vitamins, the immunity developed in baby, the strength required for baby's jaws to draw out the milk, etc.), and the time they spend together is irreplaceable. The bond they have is like no other and all because that baby belongs to her and no amount of crying can make her love him any less.
This is a picture of the Father's love for each of us. He is so full of goodness for you and me. He feels absolutely engorged with mercy and compassion for us. No amount of wrong doing can ever change His mind about us. He thinks good thoughts of us, and He has good plans for us. Everything about our time spent suckling of His goodness is beneficial for us. Our intimate fellowship with him is irreplaceable. No one can quite give us what He can, and our individual bond with Him is like no other. He is El Shadday!
Abraham was known as the friend of God, and God revealed Himself to Abraham as Jehovah Jireh, the God who sees ahead and provides. Moses was also known as the friend of God and God revealed Himself to Moses as well. In Exodus 34:6 it says that as the Lord passed before Moses. He revealed Himself to Moses as "The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth..."
Wow! God, the Creator of all the universe, could have revealed any aspect of His character to us through that encounter with Moses. Now think about this in context. Moses had just spent forty days and forty nights in the presence of God, receiving God's law written by God's very own finger just to return to a rebellious group of people. Moses delayed for only forty days. They had just promised to obey Moses and all God's commands brought through Moses, but as soon as Moses goes to find out what those commands are the people hearts are turned after false gods.
Notice the people were so hungry for God, but because they would not draw near to Him for themselves, they are easily deluded. They believe the works of their own hands can suffice for God. They believe their gold and jewels are enough to lead them. How foolish!
When Moses returns, he finds the people naked, dancing around a golden statue in the image of a cow! A cow, a four-footed beast that eats grass was the greatest image they could come up with to call God! Moses in fury and zeal for the one true God breaks the tablets of stone. The law had been broken before the people could even get it into their hands. Moses burns their false god, dumps its ashes into water and makes them drink it. This is their first taste of wrath concerning the broken law of God.
Now Moses is back on this mountaintop with God. God's law will be written again, but this time with Moses' hand, not God's. God reserves his writing for a greater cause. (But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. Jeremiah 31:33) Moses is ready to hear God's words, but first, just one plea from Moses. See, Moses was just like you and me. His heart cried out to know God. I mean, afterall, this is the one true and living God who created all things. I'm supposed to obey Him and serve Him and love Him. How can I do that properly if I don't even know Him?
Moses felt the same way. He said, "God, I ask you, please, show me your glory."(Exodus 33:18, author's paraphrase) Now can you imagine having been with your mate for forty days and forty nights without seeing his/her intimate nature? I can't either, but apparently this was the case with Moses and God. They had been together all that time alone on the mountaintop. Moses had received the law, but he had not seen God's glory. Apparently there was more to God than just His law.
God could have revealed Himself to Moses as 'The Lord, The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle, The Lord of Hosts, The one who can kill and make alive'. He could have scared the people into obedience. He could have assured that Moses would never turn away from Him because of His greatness and power, but He did not chose to show His greatness to Moses. Although God knew that He was grand, wise, and powerful, He chose to show Moses, and in turn to show us, the depth of His nature before giving the law the second time. God is Love! He is good, full of mercy, longsuffering, gracious and compassionate!
Oh, how our Daddy God loves us!!! He went to the highest height (heaven's mercy seat by way of Golgotha), the deepest depth (the belly of hell), and paid the greatest price (His very own Son, His very own life) to prove His abundant, chief, supreme love for us! We can dance around our own fleshly works, but they will never be a sufficient God for us. Jesus tasted the bitterness of God's wrath against sin for us. He abolished the need for us to allow our own dead works to rule our lives. He revealed the Father's heart to us. I will dare pay Him back. He gave His life for me. Now I give Him my life to live His life through me! Will you let Him be alive in you?
But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. Psalm 86:15
My heart longs to encourage people, especially my brothers and sisters in Christ. I guess you could say it's sort of an outlet. Sometimes I feel as if I'm just chock full of the love of God and need to pull the release valve in order to get some sort of relief from it. Writing of God and His goodness is an easy way to do that.
When we bask in the presence of our heavenly Daddy, we get so full. Our hearts are filled to capacity. What can we do? We feel as though we would burst if we could not release this great love. I can imagine that this is precisely how our God felt before he created Adam. He needed to release His goodness on someone, so He chose you and me! He chose mankind to love and cherish!
Just think of it! Can you imagine it? The creator of the whole universe could find no better subject on which to pour Himself. He had all of heaven and earth, all the stars and planets, all the animals, sea creatures and flying creatures. He even had all the angels who were partaking of his splendor, but He chose to create man and crown him with His glory.
Understand this: there is nothing wrong with loving plants and animals or embracing nature and technology. After all, it was God who created it all and put it into motion, but we need to keep things in the proper perspective. God in His great wisdom waited to crown His design with the pinnacle of His success, His beloved man. All the heavens and the earth was designed and created for us. We were the very reason for His creation in the first place. If He had only desired someone to worship Him, He would have gladly stuck with the angels. They were already with Him, and His every wish was their command. What other reason could there have been for God to create another? Why man? This is exactly what Job asked (Job 7:17), then the psalmist in Psalm 8. Apparently, He had already planned man out. He had been thinking of us, meditating on how it would be to embrace someone of His very own, His own kind, in His own image.
This sparks a significant thought. One of God's names is El Shaddai or El Shadday. Most people only recognize this word to mean God Almighty, but this Hebrew word means much more than that. It really means 'the all-breasty one' or 'the many breasted one'. This analogy is so fitting. (I have five children, all of which were breastfed. So, I truly understand the concept of being 'full of goodness' for your little ones.)
Have you ever noticed the transformation that occurs in a woman during pregnancy and immediately following childbirth? As the months pass, her breasts and her belly get more and more full. Then once delivery is complete, the baby has his first feeding day, and the race is on! It seems as if the baby cannot eat enough. The mother's breasts produces much more milk than the baby has appetite for. By day two, Mommy has so much milk that all she can think of is the relief that will come from her baby's suckle! The mother is absolutely full of good milk for the nourishment of her baby's body and soul.
Nothing and no one has what she has for that baby. No one can nourish her baby quite like her. Not only is her milk the best source for baby's nourishment, but everything about the breastfeeding process is good for baby (the minerals and vitamins, the immunity developed in baby, the strength required for baby's jaws to draw out the milk, etc.), and the time they spend together is irreplaceable. The bond they have is like no other and all because that baby belongs to her and no amount of crying can make her love him any less.
This is a picture of the Father's love for each of us. He is so full of goodness for you and me. He feels absolutely engorged with mercy and compassion for us. No amount of wrong doing can ever change His mind about us. He thinks good thoughts of us, and He has good plans for us. Everything about our time spent suckling of His goodness is beneficial for us. Our intimate fellowship with him is irreplaceable. No one can quite give us what He can, and our individual bond with Him is like no other. He is El Shadday!
Abraham was known as the friend of God, and God revealed Himself to Abraham as Jehovah Jireh, the God who sees ahead and provides. Moses was also known as the friend of God and God revealed Himself to Moses as well. In Exodus 34:6 it says that as the Lord passed before Moses. He revealed Himself to Moses as "The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth..."
Wow! God, the Creator of all the universe, could have revealed any aspect of His character to us through that encounter with Moses. Now think about this in context. Moses had just spent forty days and forty nights in the presence of God, receiving God's law written by God's very own finger just to return to a rebellious group of people. Moses delayed for only forty days. They had just promised to obey Moses and all God's commands brought through Moses, but as soon as Moses goes to find out what those commands are the people hearts are turned after false gods.
Notice the people were so hungry for God, but because they would not draw near to Him for themselves, they are easily deluded. They believe the works of their own hands can suffice for God. They believe their gold and jewels are enough to lead them. How foolish!
When Moses returns, he finds the people naked, dancing around a golden statue in the image of a cow! A cow, a four-footed beast that eats grass was the greatest image they could come up with to call God! Moses in fury and zeal for the one true God breaks the tablets of stone. The law had been broken before the people could even get it into their hands. Moses burns their false god, dumps its ashes into water and makes them drink it. This is their first taste of wrath concerning the broken law of God.
Now Moses is back on this mountaintop with God. God's law will be written again, but this time with Moses' hand, not God's. God reserves his writing for a greater cause. (But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. Jeremiah 31:33) Moses is ready to hear God's words, but first, just one plea from Moses. See, Moses was just like you and me. His heart cried out to know God. I mean, afterall, this is the one true and living God who created all things. I'm supposed to obey Him and serve Him and love Him. How can I do that properly if I don't even know Him?
Moses felt the same way. He said, "God, I ask you, please, show me your glory."(Exodus 33:18, author's paraphrase) Now can you imagine having been with your mate for forty days and forty nights without seeing his/her intimate nature? I can't either, but apparently this was the case with Moses and God. They had been together all that time alone on the mountaintop. Moses had received the law, but he had not seen God's glory. Apparently there was more to God than just His law.
God could have revealed Himself to Moses as 'The Lord, The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle, The Lord of Hosts, The one who can kill and make alive'. He could have scared the people into obedience. He could have assured that Moses would never turn away from Him because of His greatness and power, but He did not chose to show His greatness to Moses. Although God knew that He was grand, wise, and powerful, He chose to show Moses, and in turn to show us, the depth of His nature before giving the law the second time. God is Love! He is good, full of mercy, longsuffering, gracious and compassionate!
Oh, how our Daddy God loves us!!! He went to the highest height (heaven's mercy seat by way of Golgotha), the deepest depth (the belly of hell), and paid the greatest price (His very own Son, His very own life) to prove His abundant, chief, supreme love for us! We can dance around our own fleshly works, but they will never be a sufficient God for us. Jesus tasted the bitterness of God's wrath against sin for us. He abolished the need for us to allow our own dead works to rule our lives. He revealed the Father's heart to us. I will dare pay Him back. He gave His life for me. Now I give Him my life to live His life through me! Will you let Him be alive in you?
But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. Psalm 86:15
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