Christ In Us!

Contentment. Resting. Peace in knowing that all is well with your soul. Assurance of everlasting bliss. God wants each one of us to possess these gifts from Him. The Good News is we are not alone. God is with us and not against us. His deepest desire is to GIVE us the Kingdom of Heaven. He has provided the Way through His Son, Jesus precious Christ.

Comfort and Joy! Good Will toward men! God REST ye merry gentlemen, all you triumphant ones, all ye faithful ones. These are the products of the right Gospel. The Good News...the lighter yoke of Christ. Religion would make you perform and promotes conditions and fear. To be faithful is to turn your ear and heart from this false gospel. Stay convinced of the Good News of redemption. You have been accepted into the Beloved of Christ. You are not condemned nor rejected. YOU ARE DEEPLY LOVED AND HAVE BEEN PURCHASED BY THE PERFECT BLOOD OF CHRIST. Nothing is left for you to "do," except rest. . in peace. . .knowing all is well. Believe and stay convinced of His mighty Grace and Love and let us build one another up in our most holy faith. That's my Christmas prayer for us all.

CHRIST IN ME
by Max Lucado

Like Mary, you and I are indwelt by Christ.

Find that hard to believe? How much more did Mary? No one was more surprised by this miracle than she was. And no one more passive than she was. God did everything. Mary didn't volunteer to help. What did she have to offer? She offered no assistance.

And she offered no resistance. Instead she said, "Behold, the bond- slave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to Your word" (Luke 1:38).

Unlike Mary, we tend to assist God, assuming our part is as important as his. Or we resist, thinking we are too bad or too busy. Yet when we assist or resist, we miss God's great grace. We miss out on the reason we were placed on earth-to be so pregnant with Heaven's Child that He lives through us. To be so full of Him that we could say with Paul, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." (Gal. 2:20)

What would that be like? To have a child within is a miracle, but to have Christ within?

To have my voice, but Him speaking.
My steps, but Christ leading.
My heart, but His Love beating
in me, through me, with me.
What's it like to have Christ on the inside?

To tap His Strength when mine expires
or feel the force of Heaven's fires
raging, purging wrong desires.
Could Christ become my self entire?

So much Him, so little me
That in my eyes it's Him they see.
What's it like to a Mary be?
No longer I, but Christ in me.


These days are filled with so much right now and coming from all directions. Everyone is affected. Let us encourage one another daily to remember that we are not alone....that there is a GREAT AND LOVING GOD WHO WILL NEVER LEAVE NOR FORSAKE US. Herein is the Good News! Merry Christmas!

And Again I Say, "Rejoice!"

Rejoicing Always!
By: Graham Cooke

Living in Christ makes us vulnerable to laughter. Laughter is more than a choice; it’s a requirement for us that we be happy. God’s highest plan for our lives includes a desire for us to find, live in, and love the joy that is in Christ. God is good news! His love and presence is an absolute tonic for us.

“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full,” Jesus said in John 15:11. Every time God speaks to us, or reveals more of His nature to us, joy is part of that equation. Beholding Him and becoming like Him is an invitation to party and celebrate with Him. Everything God says to us is designed to bring us into joy. Everything in the Kingdom of Heaven is about gladness, joy, happiness, and laughter. God wants to bring a smile to our faces.

God is joyful because He knows what’s coming next. He knows the final score. When you know the end from the beginning, you can’t help but laugh at all of evil’s schemes and tricks. They become irrelevant when you know that you win. There is a continuous joy in Christ that runs so deep that no one else can even touch it. But to access it, we need to learn how to rejoice in all things.

For me, joy is a safeguard. It’s a shield against the enemy. When the enemy comes, we can laugh in his face—because God laughs at him first.

I once had a dream where I was on a battlefield. We had just fought off the enemy, but we had lost a lot of good people. There weren’t many of us left; we were small and pitiful, to be honest. Every one of us was wounded. I myself had at least a dozen sword gashes on my arms. I was bleeding badly, and was absolutely exhausted.

Suddenly, a trumpet blew, and I saw another enemy army take the field in front of us. I looked around but saw no reinforcements for our battered side. The enemy was powering up. Their ranks were swelling with every passing moment. It was a hopeless fight, but our ragtag band of survivors gathered close together and got ready.

As I set my feet and gritted my teeth in preparation for the enemy’s charge, I noticed a man next to me was dressed as a restaurant waiter. Perfectly-pressed black trousers, a bowtie, a crisp, white shirt, and a white towel slung over his arm.

“What are you doing?” I asked incredulously.

“Would you like the melon or the soup?” he replied.

“What?” I asked.

“Melon or soup?” he said.

“How can you talk about food at a time like this?” I demanded.

The waiter ignored me and went from person to person, asking, “Melon or soup?”

“Are you mad?” I said. “Don’t you see what’s happening? Don’t you see the blood all over the ground? Don’t you see the enemy over there? How can you talk about lunch at a time like this?”

“Mmm-hmm,” he answered. “Melon or soup?”

I lost my temper completely. “Are you stupid or something?” I screamed. “You want to talk about food at a time like this?”

Suddenly, I woke up to find myself shouting, “Talk about food!” in my bedroom. In that instant, I received a powerful revelation, found in Psalm 23:5—“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”

When we’re on the battlefield just trying to survive the next wave of the enemy, God is thinking about menus. He looks around and says, “What a great place for a picnic! We can have sausage rolls, meat pies, cheese sandwiches. This will be perfect.” He is so secure in who He is and in His power to defeat any enemy that He can feed us in the middle of the worst battle of our lives. And that confidence should be a source of pure joy in our lives.

All Men Have Clay Feet

We have not chosen God, He has chosen us (John 15:16).

It is God Who wills in us to do His good pleasure (Phillipians 2:13).

It is God Who gives to every man his measure of faith (Romans 12:3).

It is God Who orders the thoughts of a righteous man (Proverbs 16:3).

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord (Psalm 37:23).

The Holy Spirit gives gifts to men as He chooses (I Corinthians 12:11).

God has mercy on whom He chooses to have mercy (Romans 9:15).


Anything and everything that a Christian might accomplish is by grace, and God's Holy Spirit. It is not of works that any should boast.


No one should inflate themselves, have confidence in self, or think highly of himself. All of this is pride and pride blinds us to the truth. When the blind lead the blind, they both fall into the ditch (Luke 6:39).


Be wary of following men, the doctrines of men and denominations. There is but ONE ROLE MODEL, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will lead each of us into all truth.

All men have clay feet.

God's Good Will For You!

Don't go to the city of Morality and TRY to become a good person . . . you can never learn to be a moral person and earn Heaven. Anyone who tells you that is a liar and deceiver. It is another gospel. Performance teaching will crush you,it is a HEAVY YOKE. Rather, listen to Evangelist and to the message of Redemption . . . good deeds are the effect, not the cause. They are the response to Grace.

It is God's Good Will and pleasure to GIVE you His Kingdom! And once you are on the other side of the Gate, you are perfectly safe! But stick to the true path of God's Grace and Redemption. . . .



Jesus Christ, the Son of God, He is the ONLY Person that God ever gave authority to to be our Guide . . . Remember this well, for others have made false claims to speak for God . . .BUT THEIR WAYS ALWAYS LEAD TO DEATH.

You can't cleanse your dusty heart on your own . . .you need the water, which is the Gospel of Christ. Your heart is cleansed only by the Gospel of Christ.

Jesus is feeding the fire of God within you and it will never go out! Religion will try to put it out, and you may weaken, but God will not allow it to go out. Good News!

The self-righteous man was so satisfied with himself. I've been there. And as soon as you fall, you are in despair and doubting castle. Christ gives you HIS righteousness through faith . . your saving faith. It is a Gift of the Father's Grace. It's all about GRACE! Grace is a Holy Thing! Legalism will kill your joy!! As you received Christ, so walk in Him. :) You bear the mark of Christ. Go in peace!

New Wine in New Wineskins

New Wine in New Wineskins

By Fred Pruitt

All my Christian life I've heard people say, and I would often be in agreement, that we should do our best to do things like the "early" or "primitive" church. One of the first things I heard from someone close to me was that at His church, "We do things like the Bible."

And interestingly, just like every car dealer who advertises on TV has the "LOWEST PRICES -- GUARANTEED" (something which can't be true for every one of them), most churches will make that claim or at least admit to that as their goal.

I've become convinced that is a completely wrong focus. We cannot reproduce the early church, and though some may claim it, I do not believe the New Testament lays out "how to do church" in the same way Moses was given the pattern for the tabernacle on the mount. That temporary tent gave way to Solomon's Temple, which was destroyed, and then subsequently rebuilt here and there until the time of Jesus of Nazareth when it was updated by King Herod, and then completely destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.

As the book of Hebrews states, that institution, which always was meant to be symbolic and representative of the true temple which is the body of Christ, has been overridden in the once for all sacrifice of Jesus our great High Priest, who interecedes eternally for us in the heavens, thus abolishing any need for the earthly temple and its rites for all time.

The new temple of God is we ourselves, humanity brought back through the Cross into the paradise of God, where the New Testament is fulfilled in us by the Spirit of God who dwells in us, where Ezekiel's word is fulfilled:

"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God." (Ezek 36:26-28)

He has given us a new heart because the heart of man, previously given only to wickedness because of our old master and indweller, has been cleansed and made new since Christ has come into our hearts and now dwells there. And further He has given us His Spirit, the same Spirit that raised Christ Jesus from the dead which now enlivens our bodies and souls. He has taken away our hearts of stone, hearts which had no regard nor compassion for anyone else and sought only to lift ourselves up and feed ourselves at the expense of everyone around us, and replaced them with His own Heart of flesh, which suffers with those who suffer, weeps with those who weep, mourns with those who mourn, and also rejoices with tears at the overwhelming boundlessness of the love and grace of God, which manifests out of our lives not in judgment and criticism of others, but in all things having only one desire and goal: to lift others into the love of God.

And even further, in filling us with His Spirit, He has promised something much more than we can think or imagine or scarcely believe ( because it is so WONDERFUL), because He (GOD) has said He will CAUSE us to walk in His statutes and to keep His judgments and do them. This flies into the face of everything we've ever learned or been taught our whole lives, and shatters into pieces the hundred-foot thick wall of self-pride that guards us all which says, "I will be like the Most High" (Isaiah 14:14), which is self-idolatry at its core, and throws our precious imaginary self-responsibility (which is also known as "our righteousness") into the stinking cesspool where it belongs, so that God may be All in all IN US!

In so doing, He has brought us back into the land of our fathers, the land of Promise, and gives us rest from our labors even while we take up His easy yoke and carry His light burden. Again, we find ourselves incredulous because this stirring in our bellies we have felt for so long but have been afraid to let go, has finally erupted into an outflowing river which we know we were promised in the beginning but we had no way to believe -- for how could we have known? It is exceedingly above all we dared to ask or think!

And here we have come home again, because the Lover of our Souls has taken us into His bosom. We have been made one with the Father even as Jesus is one with the Father. (Jn 17:20-21). THE GOD has become OUR GOD, which means our whole spirit, soul and body vibrates and resonates at every level, from the subatomic particles that vibrate in all the atoms of our physical beings to the intangible thoughts that shoot through our consciousness like the wind -- we don't know where they come from nor do we know where they go. Since He is now OUR GOD, meaning our All in all, our hope, our life, our faith, our desire, our heart, our goings out and our comings in, the government has now been eternally established on HIS shoulders, and we need no more temple, no more sun, no more moon (light from outside us to guide us -- Rev 21:22-23) because now the true Inner Light has come, the Daystar from on High, and has permeated every fiber of every part of us, whether we have realized it or believe it -- or not.

And that is the New Covenant!

This is not some refurbished old covenant, where we are always trying to recreate something which went on in the past. New wine has to be put into NEW WINESKINS -- i.e. new forms to hold and express it. That is why it is impossible to take this move of the Spirit of our time, Christ living in us AS US, and put it into the old forms and traditions of the past. It will only burst and destroy them.

This is a new time and this is the wave of God's spirit for our time. God's people are being raised up to know who they are in a living and conscious way. Not in rigid dogma and complicated theology. Not in more seminars and programs. Not in bigger and more modern buildings. Not in further and further separating ourselves from the hurting people of the world by having a sickening proliferation of more and more "Christian" things, things by which we testify to the world not that we love it as the Father loved it and sent His only Son into it that He might reconcile all things to Himself, but things which testify to the people of the world that we have only disdain for them and we are better and more moral and more righteous than they are and we reject them and all that they do.

This is the time that we throw away the old forms if they have no life in them. This is the time when we dare to believe that we are HE living in the world, and that in all that we do there is a living river of living water flowing out of our midst. We dare to believe that that river waters all the world around us with blessing and with grace and joy. We dare to believe that we are those who lift others up. We dare to believe we are sent not to condemn and put down, but to bring life and to save. We dare to believe we make plants grow in a dry desert -- where it has been impossible for them to grow. We dare to believe that we have no more need for the religious traditions of the past and break out into new ways and new forms which have never been heard or seen before.

What made the "early church" vital and electric and spread like wildfire weren't sets of techniques we can figure out and emulate. It wasn't because they in their time were so close to the original Apostles and Paul. It was because it was a new thing GOD was doing. It was God, living and vital in the PRESENT MOMENT. They had no traditions from the past to draw from, so they dared to believe that like Abraham, everywhere they put their foot God was doing that new thing, that it was their land to possess, and they were free to develop it as the Spirit moved in them.

We don't recreate the early church by trying to figure out how they did what they did and then trying to copy that. We have no need to do that, because God is in us NOW -- TODAY -- to will and to do of His Good Pleasure.

The NEW covenant has no form except that which we give it in the living out of our lives. Now that He has come to make US His dwelling place forever, and to walk in us and be our God, He TRUSTS US -- YES US! -- to put on any skin we please, any dress, any suit will do, and we thus possess the land, and it even now is flowing with the milk and honey of the Lord.

We are walking in the living fulfillment before our eyes of God's promises, that we have been made absolutely, completely, totally NEW CREATIONS, and that now ALL THINGS ARE OF GOD. He has given us a ministry of reconciliation, where we declare to the world that which God has sent us to say, that because of Christ Jesus he imputes no more sins unto men, we say again -- HE IS NOT IMPUTING TO MEN THEIR TRESPASSES (and we dare not hold them in their sins if God does not). This is THE WORD of reconciliation he has sent us to say and to live. (2 Cor 5:17-20) We are the living forgiveness and reconciliation of God in the world. We only open our eyes and our hearts and believe, speaking it out with our mouths and pens.

This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Holy Holy Holy, Lord God Almighty. Heaven and earth are full of THEE!

The Truth and Good News About Curses

Okay...it's been a long time coming, but the truth must be proclaimed and Jesus must be glorified.

So many "Christians" are living scared, and are hiding, isolating themselves (bunker mentality) avoiding contact . . afraid of one another. Lies are told by leadership in order to induce fear. Wrong doctrines and mind sets are taught. Why? Because that's one way to control. Legalism + fear = control!

It becomes the "Salem Witch trials" all over again! They would judge, try and convict innocents based upon false teachings about "curses." Whenever something BAD happened to someone within the village, they would point fingers to anyone they could convince others that that person is to blame for their trial or misfortune. Stay away from that person! WATCH YOUR BACK! The SCARLET LETTER system was enforced, along with shunning, discrediting, slandering and burning at the stake! Superstition, elitism, unbelief, wrong teaching, fear and lack of the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ were, and still are, behind these evil acts. (And these definitely are not the "Acts" of the Holy Spirit!)

Here's the Good News people of God: "Christ purchased our freedom [redeeming us] from the curse (doom) of the Law [and its condemnation] by [Himself] becoming a curse for us, for it is written [in the Scriptures], Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (is crucified)." ~ Galatians 3:13 Jesus not only removed the power of sin over and within us, but also the system of curses that was behind the Law that He fulfilled for us. In Christ, we become a NEW Creation . . ALL THINGS PASS AWAY, BEHOLD ALL THINGS ARE NEW! This includes not only the dominion of sin, but any curses that come from living a broken law.

Unless, of course, you follow another "gospel." Then, out of your own choice and unbelief, you are "accursed." The Apostle Paul warned in strongest possible way about the attitude of God toward those who would pervert the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We can understand this, as it cost God His only Son, and Jesus a horrible death by crucifixion. He stated:"But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." Galatians 1:8, 9

Okay, so if you feel you are being "cursed," and you are a believer in Christ, I would first look at your beliefs. Is your Christianity based and maintained on your performance? Or is it a Gift from God, rooted and maintained on Jesus' performance? Do you believe in the "If . . then" doctrine of the Law or are you in the liberty of Christ's "Yeah . . .and Amen?" Is it Good News, or fearful existence? ARE YOU UNDER A HEAVY YOKE, OR CHRIST'S EASY YOKE?

Once you've established and walking in the Grace and Truth of Christ's salvation, you will have to then realize that He is ADEQUATE and SUFFICIENT! He is ENOUGH! He covers you, keeps you and you are under His inheritance of blessings, not curses. Our identities must be IN Him and based upon HIS OBEDIENCE and HIS PERFECTION, we have the favor of God, and are blessed, and kept blessed and sin no longer is our master. Therefore, curses cannot "alight" upon you because IN CHRIST you are hidden and there is no cause, no more legal right. You are COVERED by the Blood!

If Christians believe that anyone (believers or unbelievers) can send curses to them, then I would challenge their gospel.

Why do you fear? Why are you so afraid? Is your God not strong enough? Is Jesus IMPOTENT? Is He not your Shepherd?. . . He Who never sleeps nor slumbers? Is He a weak Savior? Your fears mark your blasphemous unbelief in an all-sufficient Christ!! You do not glorify Him. You glorify the Law and your glorify darkness and satan. Hello! You do not have the love of the Father in you as you self-righteously accuse, marking others as "witch" (just as in the Salem era) and believe that they have more power over your life than Christ. Do not follow these doctrines and false teachings that cause such fear and unbelief to rule and control. But, rather, allow the love of God to be shed abroad in your heart. What happened to love your enemies? But you run from each other! . . . and from brothers and sisters in the Lord. So many act like the Pharisees, who avoided defilement by contact. And so many of you try to prevent the powers of slander, but you have already allowed it and have become proponents of the worst kind of slander by listening to leaders who lie and teach this heresy.

Now as far as the cursed doctrine of "Generational Curses" . . . consider and believe this truth that "God shows mercy unto thousands of them that love Me and keep my commandments (which Christ did for you!)" ~ Deut. 5:10 The GC doctrine may sound good on the surface to some Christians but this is a heretical doctrine that suggests that salvation through Jesus Christ is NOT ENOUGH and that somewhere, the born again believer needs deliverance from the generational curses based upon the iniquities of their ancestors. So many are falsely taught that receiving Jesus is NOT ENOUGH to be free from the curses and penalties for iniquities of ages past. THIS IS BLASPHEMY! There is no such thing as a generational curse for the believer in Christ Jesus! Never does Paul or any of the disciples or apostles in the New Testament describe the activity of "breaking generational curses" or even "soul ties" for that matter. It is a false teaching that one must dig and go back into their ancestory "work on" iniquities they have inherited and could "pass on" to their children . . .IN THE LIGHT OF the truth of Deuteronomy 5:10. Here's the truth: PASSING THROUGH THE DOOR OF CHRIST, WHO IS THE GATE AND THE WAY, IS OUR ESCAPE FROM ALL PENALTY OF SIN OR CURSE OR BROKEN LAW AND ALL THINGS BECOME NEW AND YOU BECOME A NEW CREATION . . .ALL THE OLD THINGS IN YOUR LINEAGE, ALL THE GENERATIONAL INIQUITIES PASS AWAY. You are in the NEWNESS of CHRIST! You know OWN HIS lineage. And this why Paul commands us to rejoice!



Hebrews 2:14-15 ~~ "that through death He (Jesus) might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil;"

Romans 8:2 ~~ For the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me FREE from the law of sin and death.

Galatians 3:26 ~~ For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:27 ~~ For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ Jesus have put on Christ.

Colossians 1:12-14 ~~ Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath DELIVERED us from the POWER OF DARKNESS, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son, IN WHOM we have redemption through HIS BLOOD, even the forgiveness of sin.

Now as a side note: Anything is possible with nonbelievers . . . curses, demon possession, etc. The Bible says the unbeliever serves the devil and is a servant to sin. The devil has ownership of them because they have not received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. BUT believers in Jesus cannot have generational curses. Surely only goodness and mercy follow them all their life. Believers in Jesus cannot BE cursed, either, and do not have the power to curse other believers. Christians have authority over the darkness . . the power to bind and to loose. But they do not have power over one another. The Lord is our song and our SHIELD, our HIGH TOWER, and our REFUGE.

We have been bought with a price! ISN'T THE BLOOD OF CHRIST ENOUGH COVER FOR YOU? Do you need to add along with it your fears and cold love? Jesus never feared and He loved even His enemies. Why? Because He knew WHO covered Him. He didn't panic in the boat during the storm. He slept. In faith. . knowing. And then He asked the disciples, "Where is your faith!"

If you are a believer in Christ, no CURSE, no POWER OF DARKNESS can come near you without first receiving permission from the Father. It is impossible. Unless, of course, you are under another gospel. . . the old system of accountability to the Law. That gospel denies the FINISHED WORK Jesus did on the cross. That doctrine instills fear into the believer, making him believe in all kinds of worldly superstition. The devil wants the Christian to live in fear of him and to walk defeated.

Well, all I can tell you is there is a better place . . .called GRACE! And we are MORE THAN conquerors because of what Jesus did for us at the cross. We are not to live in fear of anything or anyone! The Lord protects us and KEEPS US. We are not subject to a curse from any individual or from something in our family 200 years ago. We are new creatures in Christ . . old things have passed away and are now new!

John 8:36 ~~ "If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed."

2 Thess. 3:3 ~~ But the Lord IS FAITHFUL, Who shall STABLISH you, and KEEP YOU FROM EVIL!

Galatians 3:10 ~~ "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." Gal. 1:8 ~~ "But though we, or an angel from Heaven, preach ANY OTHER Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed."

Thank God, Jesus Christ has REDEEMED us from the curse of the an unfulfilled law as well as from the power of darkness. If you think anyone has more power than your Savior, I would reconsider which Gospel you follow and repent of unbelief and in an ALL-POWERFUL GOD!

OBLITERATE! Obliterate means to destroy every trace of; wipe out completely . . .mark for deletion, rub off, or erase . . .take out or remove . . .cause to change; make different; cause a transformation . . .remove completely from recognition or memory . . .do away with completely, without leaving a trace!

This is exactly what Jesus Christ has done for us! OBLITERATED all the works of evil and all darkness in and around our lives! That's Good News! What a relief! Be courageous . . fear"less", and full of His Faith and His LOVE. Be radiant and confidently shine His Light! And may Jesus Christ be glorified! Amen

Our Redeemer Lives!

GOOD NEWS!! There is a Redeemer, Jesus Christ, Who lives and loves us. To know this truth is very freeing from the pressure that can come through various ways. The pressure to live up to someone else's standards. The pressure to do everything right! The pressure and heavy load and yoke from those who have no faith in the redeeming power and love of Jesus. Many spiritual performers would enforce upon you their yokes. They want you to believe that whatever decisions you make are final and you must live with the consequences of any wrong decisions. This is not true. In Jesus, He lives and can and WILL redeem any wrong decisions or choices in life. We have a Redeemer! He will fix anything we break. He will make right, anything we made wrong. He knows that we are but dust, and as we look to Him for the answers, sometimes wrong decisions are made, but the Good News is: Our Redeemer lives! The pressure is off! His yoke is easy! And His burden is light! Only unbelieving spiritual performers will put that kind of pressure on you.

Let me give the definition for redeem . . .

1: to buy back : repurchase : to get or win back

2: to free from what distresses or harms: to free from captivity by payment of ransom: to extricate from or help to overcome something detrimental : to release from blame or debt : clear : to free from the consequences of sin

3: to change for the better : reform

4 : repair, restore

5: to free from a lien by payment of an amount secured thereby : to remove the obligation of by payment: to exchange for something of value: to make good : fulfill.

6: to atone for: expiate: to offset the bad effect of: to make worthwhile : retrieve.

Before I became a Christian, when I was very young and impulsive, I made a poor decision. I was foolish and wrong. I decided to have plastic surgery -- breast implants! I wanted to please my fiance'. I had insecurity and I thought the surgery would give me more confidence as a woman.

A few years later, Jesus saved me! He gave me His Light and Life and a New Heart! I believed and I received His freedom, fruit and righteousness. I could SEE! Amazing Grace! Once I was blind, but now I could see! :) And then it hit me! OH MY GOSH! I realized what a mistake I had made having the surgery. I realized that it wasn't God's Will for me. (Please realize that having breast implants is not a sin in itself . . .but for me, I knew in an instant that I made a wrong decision.)

I cried out to the Lord to forgive me. I realized that I was perfect just the way He created me . . and I didn't need to add a thing to His work. :) I asked Him to forgive me. I felt terrible. Now, I will have to live with this decision the rest of my life!

BUT!! THIS IS WHAT THE LORD SPOKE TO ME . . ."Holly, do NOT look back with REMORSE! But, look forward to My REDEMPTION!"

Yes! He didn't shove my face in the error I had made. He didn't even click His beloved tongue at me! He promised me that He would fix it. . . HE WILL REDEEM THE ERROR! And no condenmation . . only tender mercy was felt in His promise. This is Jesus!

It wasn't long after that, and it is a long testimony of a series of events which included a car accident and then surgery to remove the implants . . . as well as perfect precision of the right doctors and hospitals, including the $18,000 paid by insurance! (I would have had to pay for it myself due to the fact that it would have been a cosmetic choice.)

He delivered me! He redeemed me! He removed all remorse . . . all consequences . . even the cost! He repaired! He restored! He triumphed over the decision . . . and even made it better!

If this wrong decision, this error, is redeemable by Jesus before I knew Him, HOW MUCH MORE now, as I walk and follow Him, responding to His Grace and leading, will He cover me from any mis-steps. The pressure is off folks! Look up! Relax! Follow Jesus! And believe, that your Redeemer lives and knows you and will cover you!

Holy Spirit Protection

Spiritual Virus Protection ~ by Steve McVey

I have a subscription to a Broadband ISP for my computer, so that I can use the Internet without tying up my phone line at home. One day recently, I accidently left home without logging off. When I came home at the end of the day, I discovered that my computer had been online all day. My first thought was concern about the many hackers who attempt to access computers these days.


I immediately went to my Firewall Protection program to see what, if anything, had happened during my absence. I was shocked to discover that during the time I had been gone from home, there had been 488 intrusion attempts on my computer. Most of the attempts were of the same type. It was an attempt to introduce a virus called the Backdoor/Subseven Virus, one that allows someone else to secretly gain complete access to your computer, as if they were sitting at your desk in control of your keyboard.


At first, a sense of horror came over me as I thought about someone being able to steal my banking information, personal letters and other data on my computer. Then I saw a statement that gave me an instant sigh of relief. On the status page of my firewall program, it said, “Norton Personal Firewall is protecting your system.” As I explored further, I learned that this program running in the background had protected my computer all day from what might have been a cyber-disaster for me. It had prevented all 488 attacks from being successful!


As I thought about what had happened, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and reminded me that He works in my life in the same way. As Christians, we are targets in the spiritual battle which exists in this world. There are countless times when we would be destroyed – were it not for one simple truth: The Holy Spirit dwells within us and protects us from being destroyed.


As we move about our daily routine, He faithfully works in the background guarding us against the evil intent of the Enemy. There is no way that we could anticipate and be prepared for the great number of attacks that would destroy us if it weren’t for His continuous protection. We could drive ourselves to exhaustion and debilitating anxiety if it were up to us to fight our own battles against the “intruders of this word,” which the Bible calls “powers and principalities, and the rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).


Thank God, we don’t have to worry. We can just go about our daily lives, resting in the confidence that the Spirit of the indwelling Christ is doing what only He can do. He is lovingly caring for our needs to ensure that we are kept safe from spiritual destruction. There is indeed a battle going on around us, but the battle is the Lord’s. Our part is to simply rest in Him, knowing that He has already conquered death and hell and that the victory is always ours in Christ.


A sovereign Father loves you passionately. A compassionate Son guards you jealously. And an omnipotent Spirit protects you continuously. There may be 488 attempted attacks against you in a day, but don’t worry. Divine Life runs through you, always operating in the background of your daily affairs to ensure that you won’t ever be fatally infected.

Hallelujah! Good News!

The Weak Are FIT for the Holy Spirit

The glorious Good News and Truth below by Reinhard Bonnke helps revive what religion kills....

THE WEAK ARE FIT (THEY ALREADY QUALIFY) FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT!!

Being filled with the Spirit doesn’t mean being super holy, and it does not mean you have to spend years becoming very holy and fit for God’s Spirit. If you are weak then you are fit – because the power of God is for the weak. His power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor 12:9).

You need the fullness of the Holy Spirit. If you are saved, born again, and washed in the Blood of Jesus, you have everything that makes you fit to be filled with the Spirit. The Blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. Do not be misled: “All” does not mean “some,” but every bit, every smear, and every dirty mark, leaving our robes glistening pure and white. We are righteous in Christ, and you can never be more righteous, more sanctified, or more holy than that. In Christ we stand complete and ready.

The power of the Spirit cannot be worked up, pulled down, manufactured, or generated by hard work and much praying. The Holy Spirit does not wait till you sweat before giving you His power. Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you ... Everyone who asks receives” (Mt 7:7-8). Nothing could be simpler!

God only has GIFTS! He has nothing for sale. He has no bargains, and you can forget all about negotiation, haggling, and compromise agreements. He is absolutely unilateral, one-sided; He just gives, and we can only do one thing – receive. He wants nothing from us by way of payment. If you are a dead coal, become a living coal. Now – just ask and receive. Are you ready?

Love, REINHARD

Discerning Teachers, Pastors, Prophets, Preachers

Lately, I've been easily directed by the Holy Spirit to some wonderful teachers and preachers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord is giving me clear discernment lately between "performance" preachers (spiritual performers = legalism) and redemption preachers (grace and faith and Good News).

The performance preacher will stress what YOU HAVE TO DO. . .always making YOU the object of your faith. With little help from God, YOU are expected to tow the line and walk that narrow road. Their topics are always about cleaning up your act, "ruthless" repentance, etc. and never focus on the FREE GIFT of Jesus Christ and what has already been DONE on your behalf. One is about YOUR performance. . . the correct one is about JESUS' performance. One has a heavy yoke . . the latter has the easy, light yoke that we are instructed to REST in it's RELIEF.

The Scriptures explain what's behind these false "performance-you-gotta-get-circumsized-preachers". . .the Bible says, the following is their MOTIVATION:



Galatians 6:12 says, "Those who are trying to force you to be circumcised want to look good to others. They don’t want to be persecuted for teaching that the cross of Christ alone can save. 13 )And even those who advocate circumcision don’t keep the whole law themselves. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast about it and claim you as their disciples."


Performance, legalistic, teachers always want YOU to make THEM look good. They may not even be conscious of this, but it is a mark of a false leader and all of God's people need to beware and alert. Jesus even said to watch out for these leaders who preach another gospel. This false

gospel sounds humbly spiritual. Nevertheless, it's wickedness is revealed in it's lack of fruit and even spiritual death. God is blasphemed so often by these false teachers, as they paint Him as an austere, quick to punish, banish, destroy, reprove kind of God. Not at all the truth about Him. They slander His very character and break the third commandment . . . they blaspheme His Holy Name. And they want to make you IMPOTENT, weak, powerless, ineffective and worse of all . . . completely DEPENDANT on them!! Rather than abiding in the Vine (Christ), their teachings and agendas and twistedness cause you to abide in them!


(Look in my earlier posts for "God Is Easy To Live With" with quotes from A.W. Tozer)


But a Redemption preacher/teacher will always point out the Gift of God, Jesus Christ. He will remind you of what has been done, what has been given and what is promised. He will reassure your faith in a loving and gracious God. There will be no more morbid introspections. No more Old Testament Covenant living, but rather New Testament New Creations! Hallelujah!


Reinhard Bonnke is one of the Redemption preachers I have lately been indulging in . . . Here is a sampling of what he SINGS to all who'll hear:



"THE WILL OF GOD - Christ’s Lordship is not a dictatorship"

Holy Spirit-baptised believers hear God for themselves. Some try resorting to prophecy as a means of telling others what God wants. If God has not fallen out with me, why should He tell somebody else prophetically what I should do? That approach conflicts with what the Bible says: “No longer will a man teach his neighbour, or a man his brother, saying ‘Know the Lord’, because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest” (Jeremiah 31:34).



Before Christ there was no open vision. Prophets were anointed to hear God and to pass on what he had to say. Now, since Pentecost, Holy Spirit-baptised believers hear God for themselves. Many people prophesied, telling Paul what was going to happen to him, but he was not impressed. “None of these things move me,” he said, for he was “bound in the Spirit” (Acts 20:24, 22 NKJV).

Christ’s Lordship is not a dictatorship and the kingdom of God is not totalitarian. Christ emphasised this in John 8:35: “A slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it for ever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” In his letter to the Galatians, Paul similarly lays tremendous stress on the freedom of sons in the household of God.

~~ WOW!

Joy!!! There is such joy in knowing the Truth of the Grace of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It brings such RELIEF! An oasis from the FUTILITY of religiousity and "spiritual performance."I get so tired of the same 'ole, same 'ole messages that reflect the Old Covenant of "trying hard to do what God commands." As a recovering legalist, I turn off now to messages of any kind that endorses this sometimes subtle, yet damaging deception, and very popular form of legalism -- a PERFORMANCE-BASED Christianity.

Legalism endorses unbelief and it minimizes the mercy of God!
The Old Covenant falls short in glorifying the merciful God we really do have! BUT, Jesus IS HIS GlORY!

Legalism is like constantly trying to "get into a room" that you are already in. That's why it seems so hard. Have you ever seen someone trying really hard to get into a room he's already in? What freedom comes when that person realizes that he's already in! Then he can REST and RECEIVE and I know, as a recovering legalist, that person will never want to leave that glorious room. No teaching or mindset or scripture or anything will draw a recovering legalist out of the room of relief and grace . . . he/she is firmly planted. The Truth of God's Grace has set us free from that heavy yoke of OT spiritual performance, requirements and qualifications! YAHOO!

We have the Spirit of God within us (greater is He!) so that we may discern between true and false teaching. True shepherds point to the Chief Shepherd! False teachers are preoccupied with performance. . . using OT Scriptures most of the time. Works righteousness glorifies man! Grace righteousness glorifies God! Grace eliminates boasting ("I have a big ministry because I pray 5 hours every day!" or "God gave me this great job and/or money because I tithe." or "God answered my prayer because I fasted." How 'bout God takes care of me in all ways because of Jesus!

Here's a simple rule of thumb I've learned for discerning teaching: The actual source of all teaching and doctrine is revealed in whom it glorifies. In other words, teaching that emphasizes success through YOUR great discipline or even success through YOUR great faith also tends to aim the glory at YOU. Thus, it is frequently true that faith in faith glorifies your faith, and faith in self-discipline glorifies your self-discipline. BUT faith in God's grace and in the gift of His righteousness glorifies God, because A GIFT CANNOT BE BOUGHT OR EARNED; it can only be received.

Thank you, Reinhard, for pointing to the Good News and the Good Shepherd!

Here's one more "sample" from Reinhard's "Table" . . . .


"The Will Of God - Puppets on a string?"


We have to admit that our own desires do get in the way. We often pray in the hope that what we want turns out to be what God wants, too. If we pray long and hard enough, it will ultimately look as if God complies with our wishes. Some pray for direction until they feel they have it – the direction they had always wanted. Actually, God may have no change of direction for them.Suppose God is silent. What is wrong? Usually nothing! God is silent because he has nothing to say. God does not chatter 24 hours a day. He may be perfectly happy with what we are doing. He does not issue new plans daily and have us all scurrying back and forth like rabbits. It is very important to grasp one particular aspect of this matter – God respects decisions that we make with the intention of glorifying him. God made man in his own image – with a sovereign will. Broadly speaking, he allows us freedom. We are not God’s puppets. Nor do we serve God as slaves, constantly anxious in case we have slipped up somewhere. The Lord makes us an amazing promise: “I will do whatever you ask in my name” (John 14:13).We can see the pattern in Christ’s relations with his disciples. He did not order them about, lording it over them, dictating their daily lives, what to do, where to live or what to buy. He treated them as responsible enfranchised adults, not commanding them to come to heel like unthinking animals. Their status was not one of employees, and he was not their boss or managing director. What boss would wash his employees’ feet? His fundamental contract is to be with us wherever we go and bless the work of our hands. As Jesus did not lord it over his followers, Christian leaders have no mandate to exert Lordship authority over anyone. In fact, Christ explicitly forbade such behaviour, saying, “One is your Master, even Christ” (Matthew 23:8 KJV)."

My Eyes Are On YOU, Jesus!

God has shown Himself true by telling the future before it came to pass. He has promised us that Christ Jesus will return and will gather those who are Born of and Sealed by the Holy Spirit and are New creatures . . . Believers in Christ Jesus as their Righteousness and their Covering. Who have put their hope and trust in His perfect performance. . . His perfect Life and sacrificial death.

LOOK UP! Your Redemption is nigh. . . .even at the Door!

Mark 13:29 ~ "Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door."

VICTORY IS YOURS, JESUS!

We Were Bought With An Unspeakable Price!

ALL THAT MATTERS . . . .JESUS!!



Who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. (1Timothy 6:17b)~~


"Our Lord Jesus is ever giving, and does not for a solitary instant withdraw his hand. As long as there is a vessel of grace not yet full to the brim, the oil shall not be stayed.

He is a Sun ever-shining; He is Manna always falling round the camp; He is a Rock in the desert, ever sending out streams of life from His smitten side; the rain of His grace is always dropping; the River of His bounty is ever-flowing, and the well-spring of His Love is constantly overflowing.

As the King can never die, SO HIS GRACE CAN NEVER FAIL.

Daily we pluck His Fruit, and daily His branches bend down to our hand with a fresh store of Mercy. There are seven feast-days in His weeks, and as many as are the days, so many are the banquets in His years.

Who has ever returned from His door unblessed?

Who has ever risen from His table unsatisfied, or from His bosom un-emparadised?

His mercies are NEW every morning and fresh every evening. Who can know the number of His benefits, or recount the list of His bounties? Every sand which drops from the glass of time is but the tardy follower of a myriad of mercies. The wings of our hours are covered with the silver of His kindness, and with the yellow gold of His affection. The river of time bears from the mountains of eternity the golden sands of His Favour. The countless stars are but as the standard bearers of a more innumerable host of blessings.

Who can count the dust of the benefits which He bestows on Jacob, or tell the number of the fourth part of His mercies towards Israel? How shall my soul extol Him who daily loadeth us with benefits, and who crowneth us with loving-kindness?

O that my praise could be as ceaseless as His bounty! O miserable tongue, how canst thou be silent? Wake up, I pray thee, lest I call thee no more my glory, but my shame. Awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake right early."

~~Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892)

Believing and Resting in Jesus

John G. Patton was a Bible translator in the South Sea Islands.



While translating, he came to the word “believe” and searched for a word that the native people could truly understand. He wanted something that meant commitment and trust, but he couldn’t think of a word.

Then one day, a messenger rushed into Mr. Patton’s room out of breath. Needing to rest, he flung himself into a big chair and leaned back in complete relaxation.





Patton asked the native for a word to describe what he did when he sat down and completely trusted in the chair to hold him so he could relax. That’s the word he used for “believe.”

When a person quits trying and begins to trust the Lord Jesus, that’s “belief.” ~~ Adrian Rogers (Love Worth Finding)

Quit trying? Yes. When we give up and rest from our own attempts at righteousness and fully rely on Christ's Performance, then we are resting in saving faith.

Isaiah 30:15 ~~ This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to Me (repentance) and resting in Me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength . . . "

But don't we need to work? Build? DO? Yes. Our faith, as James the Apostle wrote, is dead without good works. However . . .

PSALM 127:1 ~~~

Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. 2 It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.

Many Christians spend their time involved in "religious" activities—prayer groups, Bible studies, outreach ministries— sometimes hyperactively running the "hamster wheel" of what they believe are good and commendable deeds. However, according to Psalm 127:1-2, they are useless and wasted energy if the Lord did not initiate them.

So HOW do we not "do" but live out a "live" faith? Simple. . . so simple. . . we RESPOND."For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." ~~ Romans 8:14

All religious and spiritual performers can think up wonderful projects and good, commendable things to "do". . . but if the Lord is not the initiator through a new and regenerate heart, guiding and prompting and inspiring, it is worth nothing. If you see one family adopt an orphan and you think to yourself, that would be a "good" thing to do, but the Lord didn't direct you . . .you are following your own heart, not His. He may want you to do something different. Jesus said to Peter, "You follow Me." (John 21:22)

We may hear a preacher's message suggesting good things to "do" for God, but they are usless and a waste of lots of time and energy if it isn't Jesus leading you to do and act and be. We must simply REST, ENJOY GOD, RECEIVE FROM HIM AND RESPOND AS HE LEADS US (and He will) DOWN THE PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. Take off the heavy yoke of "I should." And trust in His leading as you follow His desires. His yoke is easy. His burden is light.

One of the greatest benefits of our redemption is the privilege of being led by the Spirit of God. Children of God can be expected to be led by the Spirit of God. One of the greatest needs is to have the wisdom of God to make the right decisions. This comes through being led by the Spirit of God.

I'll never forget the first days of my New Birth experience. It was cold outside and my husband and I were driving in the city and I noticed an old, homeless woman not wearing a coat. The Holy Spirit instantly directed me to give her my coat. We were in a warm car and I had more coats at home. . . I KNEW what He wanted me to do. Being led of the Spirit is an exciting adventure through the Personality and Heart of God. We learn more about Him as we respond to Him. You know it isn't your idea and you take no glory. Following His Heart and doing His Will has been one of the most blessed components of being His child.

It is not the mind, which gives man understanding. It is the spirit in a man. You see, Job’s friends used their minds to try to enlighten them regarding Job’s sufferings. They were dead wrong. In this passage Elihu explains the reason they were wrong. He says, "It is the spirit in a man…that gives him understanding." Not your mind, but your spirit. This is why Solomon wrote, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" (Prov 3:5).

When we are born again, our spirits are saved. Our spirit is the part of us that has been saved. So becoming a child of God enables the Holy Spirit to testify with our spirit that we are God’s children. The Spirit does not testify to our minds. Our minds may not receive this testimony, but our spirits can.

Resting in His finished work is our strength. I highly recommend a little book by Max Lucado called, "Safe in the Shepherd's Arms". . .here is a quote from the book that really blessed me recently and gave me such relief. (As a recovering legalist, I want to be alert to His Relief. To me, His relief is the Good News and Grace He purchased for me on Calvary.) So here is some relief:

"Sheep cannot find pasture or food. They need help. They need a shepherd to "lead them" and help them "lie down in green pastures (Psalm 23:2)." Without a shepherd they cannot rest. WITHOUT A SHEPHERD, NEITHER CAN WE. He leads me . . . He makes me. Notice the two pronouns. Who is the active one? Who is in charge? The shepherd. The shepherd selects the trail and prepares the pasture. The sheep's job -- our job -- is to watch the shepherd. "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You." (Isaiah 26:3)

For you to be healthy, you must rest. Slow down and God will heal you. He will bring rest to your mind, to your body, and most of all to your soul. He will lead you to green pastures.

Green pastures were not natural terrain of Judea. The hills around Bethlehem where David kept his flock were not lush and green. Even today they are white and parched. Any green pasture in Judea is the work of some shepherd. He has cleared the rough, rocky land. Stumps have been torn out, and brush has been burned. Irrigation. Cultivation. Such are the work of a shepherd.

Hence, when David says, "He makes me to lie down in green pastures," he is saying, "My Shepherd makes me lie down IN HIS FINISHED WORK." With His own pierced hands, Jesus created a pasture for the soul. He tore out the thorny underbrush of condemnation. He pried loose the huge boulders of sin. In their place, He planted seeds of grace and dug ponds of mercy. ("It is Finished!") And He invites us to rest there.

Can you imagine the satisfaction in the heart of the shepherd when, with work completed, he sees his sheep rest in the tender grass? Can you imagine the satisfaction in the heart of God when we do the same? His pasture is His GIFT to us! This is not a pasture that you have made. Nor is it a pasture that you deserve. It is a GIFT of God."

False shepherds/hirelings will drive the sheep and make the sheep work. True shepherds will encourage the sheep to rest, receive, respond and enjoy the Chief Shepherd. . . . listen to His Voice...get to KNOW HIM as a Friend and Follow Him.

The Lord is my Shepherd . . . I shall not want! It's time to nestle in His finished work, His lush and green pasture, His light and easy yoke. . . Delight yourself in the RELIEF of God.

He Stands By Me and It Is Well

When the storms of life are raging
Stand by me
When the storms of life are raging
Stand by me
When the world is tossing me
Like a ship out on the sea
Thou who rulest wind and water
Stand by me


When I'm growing old and feeble
Stand by me
When I'm growing old and feeble
Stand by me
When I do the best I can
And my friends misunderstand
Thou who never lost a battle
Stand by me
Thou who never lost a battle
Stand by me ~~ hymn




A friend is someone who stays with you in the bad weather of life, guards you when you are off your guard, restrains your inpetuosity, delights in your wholeness, forgives your failures, does not forsake you when others let you down . . . . Jesus is my Best Friend Forever. He stands by me. He will never leave me, remove me, forsake me, block me from His Presence or Friendship. Anyone who comes to Him, He will in no wise cast us away. Even when our faith seems a little "shipwrecked" by circumstances and life, we are not cast away from Him. He is our Anchor of Hope. He is steady and firm in His unwavering Love. He is faithful, even when we are not. He is immutable . . .unchangeable in His love and devotion as Savior toward us.



My God and Friend
By Bob Gotti

He’s my God, my Lord, and a friend, who sticks closer than a brother,
He is one in whom you can depend, for comfort, more than any other,
He is a friend through thick and thin, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Who saved us from all of our sin, by becoming for us God’s sacrifice.


And for this, He became our Savior, but my friend He’s so much more,
As Christ my friend, He’s our Creator; one good reason He is our Lord.
However, Jesus lords not over us, and by God’s Grace we understand,
That all of those who in Him trust, He guides them with His gentle hand.


Dear friend, as our Creator God, there’s not one thing He doesn’t know,
And knowing all this earth we trod, Christ directs us in which way to go.
And Christ knows just how He will, provide for us each and every need,
And every need for our Lord to fill, is for our Creator a tiny task indeed.


The Lord God does all of this in love, from His Glorious Eternal Throne,
Reaching down from Heaven above, to care for those He calls His own.
But dear friend, before any of this, I stood all alone, lost and depraved,
I then received Christ’s Righteousness, when by His Grace I was saved.


It was on that day, which I believed, by faith in Christ Jesus as my Lord,
And from God the Father I received, new life through Christ forevermore.
So now He is my God and my friend, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
In a relationship, which has no end, as through Jesus I enter Eternal Life.



Gandhi once said, "I like your Christ, but I don't like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ."


What a strange breed of Christianity the Law has ushered in! What little resemblance it bears to the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Personally, right now, I would rather spend five hours in a bar sharing a drink with a pre-Christian, than 5 minutes in "fellowship" at any church.

Jesus is my all-sufficient Friend Who sticks closer than any brother, sister, son, daughter, husband, pastor, or fellow believer. There is NONE like Him. No, not one. When everyone else is friendless and cold, He is warm and inviting.




IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL

By Horatio Spafford and Phillip Bliss

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/t/i/itiswell.htm



When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

JUST THE WAY I AM

I've mentioned a few times that I am a recovering legalist. Many times it takes just one "drink," and my walk in Liberty wavers. Especially after a few bad days. Legalism makes you feel distant to the Lord whenever your "performance" doesn't seem to you (or to others) to have "cut it." Words, like "struggle," "standards," "hard heart," "stiff necked" and "backslider," ring mercilessly in your head. Shame becomes your heavy robe. Legalism makes you "feel" you need to work back into His graces some how (as if that's what got you there in the first place)!

We start believing, legalistically, that WE have to maintain and stay in the love of God, stay in His good graces. . . rather than the truth . . . He maintains us and keeps us. The mindset of the law is probation. The mindset of grace is complete unconditional pardon! The Lord's Salvation has nothing to do with our performance. He already "performed" on our behalf. Now it's by faith in His performance that we stand in God's Grace.

The battle some times is just in staying convinced and knowing His heart and grace when you feel faithless. The battle is His, however, and when He breaks through . . . WOW! The depth of the Savior's heart and love is AMAZING! It takes all the weight of shame and standard and conditions off and your exalted response is "I am Yours forever!" He has won my heart by His great mercy. And it's that same great Mercy that keeps me convinced and relieved. It makes me want to be like Him. . . rather than have to be like Him.

About 3 a.m. this morning, I was calling out to the Shepherd of the Hills. Some times the only word left you can say is just, "HELP!" He knows that code word for a crisis moment. . . of unbelief, troubled times, and the prison of legalism. Then I went back to bed. I want to share this because I know that I'm not the only one in Christiandom who is in this battle to stay convinced of the Good News of the Gospel.

A little while later, after falling back to sleep, the Lord of Love and Life, "Great Heart," straightened out my helmet of the hope of salvation by singing this Billy Joel song to me . . . .

JUST THE WAY YOU ARE ~~

Don't go changing, to try and please Me,
You never let me down before,
Don't imagine, you're too familiar,
And I don't see you anymore.


I would not leave you, in times of trouble,
We never could have come this far,
I took the good times, I'll take the bad times,
I'll take you just the way you are.

Don't go trying, some new fashion,
Don't change the colour of your hair,
You always have my, unspoken passion,
Although I might not seem to care.


I need to know that you will always be
The same old someone that I knew,
What will it take till you believe in Me,
The way that I believe in you?

I said I love you, and that's forever,
And this I promise from the heart,
I couldn't love you, any better,
I love you just the way you are.

I don't want clever, conversation,
I never want to work that hard,
I just want someone, that I can talk to,
I want you just the way you are.


Ahhhhh, back to the Relief of God and resting in His acceptance . . . not based on performance . . .not conditional. . . .no strings are attached . . . there is no "small print" to surprise me. . . just the Gift of Salvation purchased by The Lord of Love, Jesus Christ.

You might want to grab a kleenex, enjoy the video and take hold of this Word for yourself. . . that the Lord Loves you just the way you are! He just wants someone that He can talk to. He'll never leave you even in times of trouble. He takes the good times with the bad. You don't need to "try" or "change." You'll always have His undying passion. His love is forever, that's a promise from His heart. And He can't love you any better than He loves you right now!


May our response be the same as the great hymn by Charles Elliot (1841), "Just as I Am, Without One Plea" . . . .

Just as I am,
Without one plea,
But that thy blood was shed for me,
And that thou bidd'st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee, Whose Blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt;
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need, in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive;
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve,
Because Thy promise I believe!
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, Thy love unknown
Has broken every barrier down;
Now to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am,
Of that free love
The breadth, length, depth, and height to prove,
Here for a season, then above:
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.


I'm here, Lord! Fully-accepted, fully-convinced, and fully-kept! Amen!

Blessed Holy Spirit

I love the Third Person of the Holy Trinity . . .the Blessed Spirit of God. He always points me to Jesus. He fills me with His fruit. He teaches me. He guides and directs me. He loves me. He communicates and influences me. He is my Helper and Comforter. He opens my eyes and heart to hear and know the Truth. He gives me discernment. He convicts me lovingly if I sin. He speaks to me and communicates the Father's mercy and comforts me. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that I stay faithful to God.

He is a Gift from God to me. He is the Promise of the Father, paid for by the Blood Atonement of the Son. Jesus said in John 16:7, "However, I am telling you nothing but the truth when I say it is profitable (good, expedient, advantageous) for you that I go away. Because if I do not go away, the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you [into close fellowship with you]; but if I go away, I will send Him to you [to be in close fellowship with you]."

Verse 13 & 14, "But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth). For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future].
He will honor and glorify Me, because He will take of (receive, draw upon) what is Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you."

He is the Promise of the Father (Acts 1:4) and Jesus Himself had to leave and go back to the Father in order for the Holy Spirit to come. It is because of Jesus alone and His perfection and Atoning Sacrifice on the Cross that we can be born again and filled with the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, Moses had to instruct the children of Israel NOT to touch the mountain upon which the Spirit of God was resting. They would die if they did. Why? Because He is Holy and we are not. But now, because of the Blood of Christ we are made holy receivers of a Gift of this same Spirit of God . . . not only to recreate a new heart, imparting the Divine Nature within us, but also to become a Temple for His Spirit to rest within us. And we do not die!! His Spirit can rest within us without killing us because Jesus makes us Holy with His Blood. That is how wonderful the Blood and Life of Jesus is!

And then, on top of all this wonderful Good News, Jesus BAPTIZES us with the Holy Spirit. "For John baptized with water, but not many days from now you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit." ~~ Acts 1:5 He recreates and gives us a New Heart within by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit (the anointing within) and then, Jesus baptizes us with the Holy (Fire) Spirit of God (which is the anointing upon). The anointing within is for our personal walk with God . . .and our relationship with others. We watch His fruit (joy, peace, love, faith, etc) growing within and being produced by the Holy Spirit. The anointing upon is for laboring in the harvestfield of this world, proclaiming His glorious Gospel (And God confirms this Gospel with miracles, signs, and wonders. He gives us boldness . . . and powerclothes); and for the building up of the Body of Christ (for the edification, exhortation and comfort of His saints). Both "anointings" are a GIFT from His majesty, King Jesus and our Father in Heaven.

I cringe whenever I hear a cheap interpretation of something so Holy and wonderful and so FREE! It is a great sin to the Blood of Christ to think that we can earn or qualify in any way to receive either one of these anointings. Jesus paid the price so that the Father could send the Promised Comforter to us. So He could indwell us and make us holy Temples.

"You realize, don't you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? . . . . God's temple is sacred—and you, remember, are the temple." ~~ 1 Corinthians 3:16

How can you receive the Holy Spirit in your life? Only one way. . .ASK! and believe that it is the delight of the Father to give you the Kingdom. Jesus said in Luke 9:11-13,“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."
“You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.”

We are incredibly proud and selfish people if we even begin to believe that we receive the Holy Spirit on any merits of our own. Jesus has fully qualified us to receive . . . Hebrews 1 says about the Son of God, Jesus Christ:

1) In many separate revelations [each of which set forth a portion of the Truth] and in different ways God spoke of old to [our] forefathers in and by the prophets,
2) But in the last of these days, He has spoken to us in [the person of a] Son, Whom He appointed Heir and lawful Owner of all things, also by and through Whom He created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time [He made, produced, built, operated, and arranged them in order].
3) He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the Divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God's] Nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on High,
4) Taking a place and rank by which He Himself became as much superior to angels as the glorious Name (title) which He has inherited is different from and more excellent than theirs.
5) For to which of the angels did [God] ever say, You are My Son, today I have begotten You [established You in an official Sonship relation, with kingly dignity]? And again, I will be to Him a Father, and He will be to Me a Son? [II Sam. 7:14; Ps. 2:7.]
6) Moreover, when He brings the firstborn Son again into the habitable world, He says, Let all the angels of God worship Him.
7) Referring to the angels He says, [God] Who makes His angels winds and His ministering servants flames of fire;
8) But as to the Son, He says to Him, Your throne, O God, is forever and ever (to the ages of the ages), and the scepter of Your Kingdom is a scepter of absolute righteousness (of justice and straightforwardness).
9)You have loved righteousness [You have delighted in integrity, virtue, and uprightness in purpose, thought, and action] and You have hated lawlessness (injustice and iniquity). Therefore God, [even] Your God (Godhead), has anointed You with the oil of exultant joy and gladness above and beyond Your companions."

God is speaking to His Son in Hebrews 1:9 -- because of Jesus' uprightness, because HE hated lawlessness, God has anointed HIM. And those who rest in Him, receive the same inheritance {freely} for that which he wrought.

John 7:38-39 Jesus says, "Anyone who believes in Me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” 39) (When He said “living water,” He was speaking of the Spirit, Who would be given to everyone believing in Him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)"

The Holy Spirit is a Gift and Promise from the Father and released by the glorification of Jesus. Anyone who believes in Jesus and asks may receive the Blessed Holy Spirit . . . both within and upon. Anyone can be a living Temple of the Holy Spirit, have the Divine Nature and Living Water flowing out as well as be an instrument in the Hands of the Redeemer for His glory. Amen.

Give Me Jesus

"Religion will put a new suit on your back
But a relationship with Him will put a new man in that suit" ~~ Jeremy Camp

The Holy Spirit reminds me daily, as I recover from legalism, to look at Jesus! And I am reminded what A.W. Tozer said . . . "that looking IS believing." And in the age-old battle of sin-consciousness vs God-consciousness, Tozer has hit the nail right on the head. This is very helpful to me and would be to anyone who would like some freedom from their religion. . . . Here is some of the best of Tozer:

"In the New Testament an important bit of history is interpreted for us by no less an authority than our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He is explaining to His hearers how they may be saved. HE TELLS THEM THAT IT IS BY BELIEVING. Then to make it clear, He refers to this incident in the Book of Numbers. "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:14, 15). . . .one would notice that "look" and "believe" were synonymous terms. "Looking" on the Old Testament serpent is identical with "believing" on the New Testament Christ. That is, the looking and the believing are the same thing. And he would understand that while Israel looked with their external eyes, believing is done with the heart. I think he would conclude that faith is the gaze of a soul upon a saving God. BELIEVING, THEN, IS DIRECTING THE HEART'S ATTENTION TO JESUS. It is lifting the mind to "behold the Lamb of God," and never ceasing that beholding for the rest of our lives.

At first this may be difficult, but it becomes easier as we look steadily at His wondrous Person, quietly and without strain. Distractions (especially religion) may hinder, but after each brief excursion away from Him the attention will return again and rest upon Him like a wandering bird coming back to its window.

~~~Like the eye which sees everything in front of it and never sees itself, faith is occupied with the Object upon which it rests and pays no attention to itself at all. While we are looking at God we do not see ourselves---blessed riddance! The man who has struggled to purify himself and has had nothing but repeated failures will experience REAL RELIEF when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the perfect One. While he looks at Christ the very things he has so long been trying to do will be getting done within him. It will be God working in him to will and to do. ~~

Faith is a redirecting of our sight, a getting out of the focus of our own vision and getting God into focus. Sin has twisted our vision inward and made it self-regarding. Unbelief has put self where God should be . . .Faith looks out instead of in and the whole life falls into line.

Since believing is looking, it can be done without special equipment or religious paraphernalia. God has seen to it that the one life-and death essential can never be subject to the caprice of accident. Equipment can break down or get lost, water can leak away, records can be destroyed by fire, the minister can be delayed or the church burn down. All these are external to the soul and are subject to accident or mechanical failure: but looking is of the heart and can be done successfully by any man, woman or child standing up or kneeling down or lying in his last agony a thousand miles from any church.

~~Since believing is looking it can be done any time! No season is superior to another season for this sweetest of all acts. God never made salvation depend upon new moons nor holy days or sabbaths. A man is not nearer to Christ on Easter Sunday than he is, say, on Saturday, August 3, or Monday, October 4. As long as Christ sits on the mediatorial throne every day is a good day and all days are days of salvation.

Neither does place matter in this blessed work of believing God. Lift your heart and let it rest upon Jesus and you are INSTANTLY IN A SANCTUARY though it be at home or at work or on vacation. You can see God from anywhere if your mind is set to love and obey Him.

Ransomed people need no longer pause in fear to enter the Holy of Holies. God wills that we should push on into His Presence and live our whole life there. This is to be known to us in conscious experience. It is more than a doctrine to be held, it is a life to be enjoyed every moment of every day.Wherever we turn in the church of God, there is Jesus. He is the beginning, middle and end of everything to us .... There is nothing good, nothing holy, nothing beautiful, nothing joyous which He is not to all His servants. No one need be poor, because, if he chooses, he can have Jesus for his own property and possession. No one need be downcast, for Jesus is the joy of heaven, and it is His joy to enter into sorrowful hearts. We can exaggerate about many things; but we can never exaggerate our obligation to Jesus, or the compassionate abundance of the love of Jesus to us.

All our lives long we might talk of Jesus, and yet we should never come to an end of the sweet things that might be said of Him. Eternity will not be long enough to learn all He is, or to praise Him for all He has done, but then, that matters not; for we shall be always with Him, and we desire nothing more.

Between the scribe who has read and the prophet who has seen there is a difference as wide as the sea. We are today overrun with orthodox scribes, but the prophets, where are they? The hard voice of the scribe sounds over evangelicalism, but the Church waits for the tender voice of the saint who has penetrated the veil and has gazed with inward eye upon the Wonder that is God. And yet, thus to penetrate, to push in sensitive living experience into the holy Presence, is a privilege open to every child of God."

"They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed" (Psa. 34:5).

"I lift my eyes to you,O God, enthroned in heaven.We keep looking to the Lord our God for his mercy, just as servants keep their eyes on their master, as a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest signal." (Psalm 123:1-2)

Believing, then, is directing the heart's attention to Jesus.. . .looking at Him. It is lifting the mind to "behold the Lamb of God," and never ceasing that beholding for the rest of our lives.