Posts
A Life of Change
2 Corinthians 5:17
“If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature’ the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
How well do you like the word change? I mean it can be used in many different contexts: change your outfit, change the sheets, change your hair, change the furniture around, change your attitude, change jobs, etc.
I think for me I embrace it in many areas, but there are those few that I just don’t like, especially if it has to do with changing the inner person I am! The thing is, God did not create us to remain the same; He wants us to be in a continual process of changing and more importantly, changing into a reflection of Him.
Pastor Jim Isakson was our guest speaker this past weekend and he said something that stuck with me, “If you are spiritually the same as you were a year ago, something is wrong, you might be sick.” This is a very big statement to digest, but is so true! There are many scriptures that reference God’s promise of change: to give us a new heart, to give us a new spirit, and as 2 Corinthians 5:17 states, to make us a new creation! Once we come into a relationship with Jesus, we are promised a radical change in our lives. Like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly, beautiful and free from what previously held us down.
This is not an easy process, but a necessary one in our walk so that we might become closer to the Lord and reflect His glory more brilliantly. Start by looking back at where you were spiritually and maybe even physically a year ago. Have you grown? Have you seen blessing and victory in some areas of your life that you never thought possible? If your circumstances haven’t changed much, has your heart and attitude toward them changed?
Change does not always happen quickly and is a constant process. Don’t give up if you desire to change in an area that just hasn’t hatched from the cocoon yet! Thank God for the quick changes and ask Him to strengthen you for the journey through the rest. We will be changing all our lives- until we are home in His glory and perfection, but He is with us every step along the way.
Tomorrow is a new day and you can make a new change. Maybe it is to eat breakfast every day this week and then maybe next week you add to your breakfast a chapter of the bible you haven’t read in a while…..or maybe ever! Maybe you start saying, “I love you” more often to those around you, or maybe you try to actually listen to what your husband or children are saying without interrupting. Whatever it is that you want to see change in your life, start small, start tomorrow, but by all means start it in prayer and START!
On the journey of becoming a beautiful and new creation,
Jenny Loveland
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
6-22-09 How He Loves
How He Loves
I’ve been meditating on a song the last couple of weeks called “How He Loves”.
You see around this time last year I was walking on the clouds having recently been to Lakeland, FL where the Lord just blew my heart wide open.
One of the things He did while I was there was touch me in a place very deep inside of my soul, a place that had been locked up for a very long time. I literally burned for HOURS after this encounter, and although at the time I couldn’t tell you why it was happening, I can now.
I fell in love with Him in the deepest, most profound way I ever have. It RADICALLY CHANGED ME!
But I had to do something first before that could happen, I had to lay ME down. All my pre-conceived ideas, all my hurts, all my anger, all my JUNK!
SO what is the purpose of all of this? I’ve learned in the last year that my first priority is Him. I don’t ever want to lose that first love. My 2nd priority is that it spills over onto every person I come in contact with!
The first verse of the song paints a beautiful picture of what this love is like:
He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane; I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us so!
WOW! Can you imagine such love? Have you ever experienced such love? Can you imagine what that kind of love can do to a broken and hurting and dying world?
The 2nd verse also paints a beautiful picture of this love:
We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…
He loves us!
This love is available TO ALL of us! No matter where you are or where you’ve been this love is YOURS! It is the very nature and heart of our Daddy!
If you would like to watch an amazing performance of this song click on this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoC1ec-lYps
Before you do though, I want to encourage you to open your heart and allow the Lord to just love on you! Also have some tissue handy!
Have an AMAZING, LOVE FILLED weeks my sisters!
Heather Neil
I’ve been meditating on a song the last couple of weeks called “How He Loves”.
You see around this time last year I was walking on the clouds having recently been to Lakeland, FL where the Lord just blew my heart wide open.
One of the things He did while I was there was touch me in a place very deep inside of my soul, a place that had been locked up for a very long time. I literally burned for HOURS after this encounter, and although at the time I couldn’t tell you why it was happening, I can now.
I fell in love with Him in the deepest, most profound way I ever have. It RADICALLY CHANGED ME!
But I had to do something first before that could happen, I had to lay ME down. All my pre-conceived ideas, all my hurts, all my anger, all my JUNK!
SO what is the purpose of all of this? I’ve learned in the last year that my first priority is Him. I don’t ever want to lose that first love. My 2nd priority is that it spills over onto every person I come in contact with!
The first verse of the song paints a beautiful picture of what this love is like:
He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane; I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us so!
WOW! Can you imagine such love? Have you ever experienced such love? Can you imagine what that kind of love can do to a broken and hurting and dying world?
The 2nd verse also paints a beautiful picture of this love:
We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…
He loves us!
This love is available TO ALL of us! No matter where you are or where you’ve been this love is YOURS! It is the very nature and heart of our Daddy!
If you would like to watch an amazing performance of this song click on this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoC1ec-lYps
Before you do though, I want to encourage you to open your heart and allow the Lord to just love on you! Also have some tissue handy!
Have an AMAZING, LOVE FILLED weeks my sisters!
Heather Neil
Thursday, June 18, 2009
6-15-09 Jesus our Deliverer
JESUS: OUR DELIVERER
I Corinthians 10:13 "But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it."
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that Jesus has provided a way to escape. To deliver us from those things that stand in our way, that we just can’t seem to plow through. I sometimes find myself asking the Lord, “Why is this happening, I can’t see a light at the end of the tunnel”. As a Christian, that is not TRUTH. Our Father has always provided a way for us to escape. We don’t have to go looking for it, as HE has already provided it. What does that mean? We just have to trust in Him to take care of it. If we give it to Him, it is no longer our problem.
We live in a fallen world and life will never be perfect as long as we live. The key is where and in whom do we trust. My Dad used to always say, “what C are you trusting in? Christ or Circumstances”. I can’t tell you how many times in my life I have said that little saying to myself and it has gotten me through.
God doesn’t always remove the temptation or the obstacle, BUT He ALWAYS provides the way through, around or over it.
Jesus, as our deliverer offers more than deliverance from whatever is holding us back. With the deliverance comes freedom. I can remember the first time I truly felt FREE and delivered. It was as though I had received Christ all over again. I felt washed clean. Sometimes I have to remind myself, that this “thing” no longer has a control over me… that just offers the freedom feeling again. What an awesome Father and Savior we have!
Love, Cheryl
I Corinthians 10:13 "But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it."
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that Jesus has provided a way to escape. To deliver us from those things that stand in our way, that we just can’t seem to plow through. I sometimes find myself asking the Lord, “Why is this happening, I can’t see a light at the end of the tunnel”. As a Christian, that is not TRUTH. Our Father has always provided a way for us to escape. We don’t have to go looking for it, as HE has already provided it. What does that mean? We just have to trust in Him to take care of it. If we give it to Him, it is no longer our problem.
We live in a fallen world and life will never be perfect as long as we live. The key is where and in whom do we trust. My Dad used to always say, “what C are you trusting in? Christ or Circumstances”. I can’t tell you how many times in my life I have said that little saying to myself and it has gotten me through.
God doesn’t always remove the temptation or the obstacle, BUT He ALWAYS provides the way through, around or over it.
Jesus, as our deliverer offers more than deliverance from whatever is holding us back. With the deliverance comes freedom. I can remember the first time I truly felt FREE and delivered. It was as though I had received Christ all over again. I felt washed clean. Sometimes I have to remind myself, that this “thing” no longer has a control over me… that just offers the freedom feeling again. What an awesome Father and Savior we have!
Love, Cheryl
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
6-8-09 Forgiveness
Forgiveness
When we receive salvation, we receive the promise of God that our sins are forgiven and He removes them from us and remembers them no more. That is so wonderful that He forgets them—why can’t we do that!!!
We ask for forgiveness and then we wonder if we are really forgiven for them and has God really forgotten them. It doesn’t matter to Him if our sins are little or huge they are still sin in His eyes and when we ask forgiveness for them, He forgives and forgets them. His forgiveness is complete because Jesus’ work is complete. Because of the cross, God can show His mercy and complete forgiveness to us.
God is not like us. We remember hurts for a long time. In our mind we say that we have forgiven someone who has hurt us but then we keep remembering the hurt. I have heard many Christians say that they have forgiven someone who hurt them but they just can’t forget it. If we can’t forget that hurt, then we really haven’t forgiven them either. When God forgives He also forgets. Being His child that is what He expects us to do also. His forgiveness is unending. He never stops forgiving. We know that He will always forgive.
As His forgiveness is unending and is to be shared with others as He has shared with us.
Sometimes, the hardest place to start is in our own home. Jesus tells us in His word that we are to forgive one another “Seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22) and this is just for one sin. We ask ourselves, “How many times do we need to forgive someone for the same thing over and over?” God doesn’t put a limit on the number of times He forgives. Therefore, we just keep forgiving and praying that they will learn to avoid that same sin and grow from their mistakes. God’s forgiveness changes us as it changes others.
How can we learn from our mistakes? We need to learn to take these sins to the Lord and ask for forgiveness and then accept His forgiveness for them. Trust in His promise that He has forgiven you and that you have received His mercy through Jesus Christ. Our sins have been forgotten and we have a clean slate and second chances. We know that only God can give us that. Ask the Lord to bring to your remembrance people who have wronged you and make a list of them. Then pray and forgive them and the hurt that you felt. Ask the Lord to help you forgive each person and that the resentment will be gone. Forgiveness is a two-way street. God has forgiven you and now you need to forgive others.
It is sometimes hard for us to accept that we have been the cause of hurt to anyone. We all have been guilty of this at times. After praying this through and giving it to the Father, we may need to go to that person and make things right whether it is in person or by calling them or even writing them. This will set both of you free.
After you have done these things, you can begin to praise and thank the Lord that you are free indeed. Now you can become a forgiving person and not a bitter person. The Lord tells us to “be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).
The Lord is an awesome God and we are His children and are to be like Him in all His ways. Be set free so the love that you have within you can be given to others. Truly be His disciple and lead others into a forgiving and loving way.
Rejoice and claim the forgiveness He has given to you.
Diane Harper
When we receive salvation, we receive the promise of God that our sins are forgiven and He removes them from us and remembers them no more. That is so wonderful that He forgets them—why can’t we do that!!!
We ask for forgiveness and then we wonder if we are really forgiven for them and has God really forgotten them. It doesn’t matter to Him if our sins are little or huge they are still sin in His eyes and when we ask forgiveness for them, He forgives and forgets them. His forgiveness is complete because Jesus’ work is complete. Because of the cross, God can show His mercy and complete forgiveness to us.
God is not like us. We remember hurts for a long time. In our mind we say that we have forgiven someone who has hurt us but then we keep remembering the hurt. I have heard many Christians say that they have forgiven someone who hurt them but they just can’t forget it. If we can’t forget that hurt, then we really haven’t forgiven them either. When God forgives He also forgets. Being His child that is what He expects us to do also. His forgiveness is unending. He never stops forgiving. We know that He will always forgive.
As His forgiveness is unending and is to be shared with others as He has shared with us.
Sometimes, the hardest place to start is in our own home. Jesus tells us in His word that we are to forgive one another “Seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22) and this is just for one sin. We ask ourselves, “How many times do we need to forgive someone for the same thing over and over?” God doesn’t put a limit on the number of times He forgives. Therefore, we just keep forgiving and praying that they will learn to avoid that same sin and grow from their mistakes. God’s forgiveness changes us as it changes others.
How can we learn from our mistakes? We need to learn to take these sins to the Lord and ask for forgiveness and then accept His forgiveness for them. Trust in His promise that He has forgiven you and that you have received His mercy through Jesus Christ. Our sins have been forgotten and we have a clean slate and second chances. We know that only God can give us that. Ask the Lord to bring to your remembrance people who have wronged you and make a list of them. Then pray and forgive them and the hurt that you felt. Ask the Lord to help you forgive each person and that the resentment will be gone. Forgiveness is a two-way street. God has forgiven you and now you need to forgive others.
It is sometimes hard for us to accept that we have been the cause of hurt to anyone. We all have been guilty of this at times. After praying this through and giving it to the Father, we may need to go to that person and make things right whether it is in person or by calling them or even writing them. This will set both of you free.
After you have done these things, you can begin to praise and thank the Lord that you are free indeed. Now you can become a forgiving person and not a bitter person. The Lord tells us to “be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).
The Lord is an awesome God and we are His children and are to be like Him in all His ways. Be set free so the love that you have within you can be given to others. Truly be His disciple and lead others into a forgiving and loving way.
Rejoice and claim the forgiveness He has given to you.
Diane Harper
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
6-1-09 Promise of Success
Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have SUCCESS. (Emphasis mine.)
God made this promise to Joshua many, many years ago, but still this principle remains true and is available to us today. So, what is success?
SUCCESS:
Webster’s says success is the gaining of wealth and fame.
The Hebrew word for success is sakal which means to have insight, wisdom, and understanding; the potent capacity to understand and so exercise skill in life, a state caused by proper training and teaching, enhanced by careful observation. (Wow! Cool! You should read that again.)
Two very different definitions if you ask me. I think we can all see by looking at the lives of “successful” Hollywood stars that you can gain plenty of wealth and fame without wisdom, understanding, and certainly without exercising skill in life. I believe success is truly more like the ancient definition than the modern. I believe that you can be successful without having riches. I believe that you can have riches and not feel successful at life at all. So, let’s for now completely erase Webster’s misguided and worldly definition and search for what God truly meant in this promise.
Does God want you to succeed? A million times, yes!! He desires for you to live a life of fulfillment and one which you can look back and say, “I did all that I was called to do and succeeded at everything God gave me.” Are you successful? I believe you are! I believe we all are. Any moment that we have shown the love of God, any time we gave of ourselves, any time we stood when others would have faltered, any time we had faith, etc. we were successful! Any time that you have applied God’s word to your life or listened and obeyed the Holy Spirit’s prompting, you were a success! Even in those times when the world called you a failure for what you did. So, go ahead and say it, “I AM a success! I AM successful!”
Now that we have that down…, I believe, though, that this promise offers more than just temporary or momentary success. I believe that God wants for us to be successful in ALL things at ALL times. Unfortunately, this promise works more on a principle and it’s not a get-rich-quick scheme. No guarantee that we will become millionaires in 30 days. (Bummer!) So what is the principle? I’ll tell you now: it’s simple but not easy.
I used to paint with my dad. I love to paint. I love that you can see your progress as you go. I love that, as long as you’re painting with a beautiful color, the transformation is AMAZING! The part that I don’t like, as my dad would put it, is the 3 Ps of painting: Preparation, preparation and preparation. This is the part where you have to do all the taping, the sanding, the repair (which can be a whole lot if the carpenter wasn’t any good), the caulking, removing any hardware that should be removed, etc. I do not like the prep work because it normally takes just as long as the painting! But, if you skip the prep, your paint job will show it. Trust me, I’ve tried to take shortcuts when painting cabinets before, and the result is disastrously ugly! But, if you put in the work and time beforehand…Beautiful SUCCESS!!
Why am I talking to you about painting? Because when I saw the steps in this principle of success I felt the same thing I did whenever my dad asked me to start taping up the windows, or pull out the sandpaper. Groan… You will see these steps outlined in the very scripture that this promise originates.
Step 1: Study God’s Word constantly.
NLT of Joshua 1:8 begins with “Study this book of the law continually…” Success at anything starts with a desire for knowledge.
Step 2: Ponder God’s Word continually.
“…you shall meditate on it day and night…” Success at anything involves understanding.
Step 3: Apply God’s Word completely.
“…so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it…” Success at anything requires precise repetition.
If you master these steps each day you are a much more successful person than I am. Even if I get through Step 1, it’s a miracle if I make it all the way to Step 3 when I’m in the middle of a potty battle with my two year old, or walking through the destructive path my four year old left behind. But, I believe that it’s within reach. And I believe that God is proud of me each time I succeed at these three steps, even if it is days, weeks or months between successes.
Let’s take this one step further. In looking at “success” I found a few definitions for SUCCEED that I found interesting.
SUCCEED:
Hebrew word qum means to get up, arise, stand, establish; confirm, restore; to be set up, be raised up.
Webster’s definition is to follow next in order or next after another; especially to inherit sovereignty, rank, title, or property.
Whoa!! So here is the revelation that I have received in this short study of God’s promise for success:
When I take the time to study and understand God’s word enough to apply the wisdom found there to my everyday life in a skillful manner, keeping my eyes and ears attuned to the Holy Spirit who is my heaven-sent teacher, God will establish me as Christ’s successor, in line to inherit all He has!
I don’t believe that anyone could possibly see that as anything but success! So, be it difficult, tedious, even boring at times, I am going to work as hard as I can to take hold of this promise!
Staci Pace
God made this promise to Joshua many, many years ago, but still this principle remains true and is available to us today. So, what is success?
SUCCESS:
Webster’s says success is the gaining of wealth and fame.
The Hebrew word for success is sakal which means to have insight, wisdom, and understanding; the potent capacity to understand and so exercise skill in life, a state caused by proper training and teaching, enhanced by careful observation. (Wow! Cool! You should read that again.)
Two very different definitions if you ask me. I think we can all see by looking at the lives of “successful” Hollywood stars that you can gain plenty of wealth and fame without wisdom, understanding, and certainly without exercising skill in life. I believe success is truly more like the ancient definition than the modern. I believe that you can be successful without having riches. I believe that you can have riches and not feel successful at life at all. So, let’s for now completely erase Webster’s misguided and worldly definition and search for what God truly meant in this promise.
Does God want you to succeed? A million times, yes!! He desires for you to live a life of fulfillment and one which you can look back and say, “I did all that I was called to do and succeeded at everything God gave me.” Are you successful? I believe you are! I believe we all are. Any moment that we have shown the love of God, any time we gave of ourselves, any time we stood when others would have faltered, any time we had faith, etc. we were successful! Any time that you have applied God’s word to your life or listened and obeyed the Holy Spirit’s prompting, you were a success! Even in those times when the world called you a failure for what you did. So, go ahead and say it, “I AM a success! I AM successful!”
Now that we have that down…, I believe, though, that this promise offers more than just temporary or momentary success. I believe that God wants for us to be successful in ALL things at ALL times. Unfortunately, this promise works more on a principle and it’s not a get-rich-quick scheme. No guarantee that we will become millionaires in 30 days. (Bummer!) So what is the principle? I’ll tell you now: it’s simple but not easy.
I used to paint with my dad. I love to paint. I love that you can see your progress as you go. I love that, as long as you’re painting with a beautiful color, the transformation is AMAZING! The part that I don’t like, as my dad would put it, is the 3 Ps of painting: Preparation, preparation and preparation. This is the part where you have to do all the taping, the sanding, the repair (which can be a whole lot if the carpenter wasn’t any good), the caulking, removing any hardware that should be removed, etc. I do not like the prep work because it normally takes just as long as the painting! But, if you skip the prep, your paint job will show it. Trust me, I’ve tried to take shortcuts when painting cabinets before, and the result is disastrously ugly! But, if you put in the work and time beforehand…Beautiful SUCCESS!!
Why am I talking to you about painting? Because when I saw the steps in this principle of success I felt the same thing I did whenever my dad asked me to start taping up the windows, or pull out the sandpaper. Groan… You will see these steps outlined in the very scripture that this promise originates.
Step 1: Study God’s Word constantly.
NLT of Joshua 1:8 begins with “Study this book of the law continually…” Success at anything starts with a desire for knowledge.
Step 2: Ponder God’s Word continually.
“…you shall meditate on it day and night…” Success at anything involves understanding.
Step 3: Apply God’s Word completely.
“…so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it…” Success at anything requires precise repetition.
If you master these steps each day you are a much more successful person than I am. Even if I get through Step 1, it’s a miracle if I make it all the way to Step 3 when I’m in the middle of a potty battle with my two year old, or walking through the destructive path my four year old left behind. But, I believe that it’s within reach. And I believe that God is proud of me each time I succeed at these three steps, even if it is days, weeks or months between successes.
Let’s take this one step further. In looking at “success” I found a few definitions for SUCCEED that I found interesting.
SUCCEED:
Hebrew word qum means to get up, arise, stand, establish; confirm, restore; to be set up, be raised up.
Webster’s definition is to follow next in order or next after another; especially to inherit sovereignty, rank, title, or property.
Whoa!! So here is the revelation that I have received in this short study of God’s promise for success:
When I take the time to study and understand God’s word enough to apply the wisdom found there to my everyday life in a skillful manner, keeping my eyes and ears attuned to the Holy Spirit who is my heaven-sent teacher, God will establish me as Christ’s successor, in line to inherit all He has!
I don’t believe that anyone could possibly see that as anything but success! So, be it difficult, tedious, even boring at times, I am going to work as hard as I can to take hold of this promise!
Staci Pace
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