Rise Up!

Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light!

Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

Our Christian faith is about a lot more than just a ticket into heaven when we die.  It’s about a relationship with Christ, and a relationship where we can say we know Him as our friend.

Jesus offers us a joy that cannot be taken by anything in this world.  It cannot be stolen by any hardship but instead gives us strength to endure the trials of life.

This joy lasts forever, it is everlasting.  Do not miss out on your joy!

You have not because you ask not.

Ask and it will be given to you.

Call upon the Lord and receive everlasting joy!

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

 

(Eph 5:14, Neh 8:10, John 15:15, John 17:3, James 4:2, 4:8, Matt 7:7)

Looking Unto Jesus

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. –Hebrews 12:1-2

Wow, sometimes the Holy Spirit can really get on these “themes” in my life. I’ll be going through a season or phase in life and everywhere I go a certain scripture or lesson will be outlined to me. The past couple weeks it has been this seemingly simple message: Look to Jesus! For the last couple weeks everywhere I go whether in my thoughts, surfing the web, reading a devotional, at school and even in dreams this verse has been highlighted to me and more specifically the “looking unto Jesus” part.

Have you noticed how a lot of times when the Lord speaks to us He speaks in simple phrases of a few words, but these simple little phrases resonate deeply into our soul and mind bringing transformation, inspiration and revelation? This directly relates to how Jesus taught in parables while here on earth. The stories to a skeptic are nothing but silly stories but to one with “ears to hear” they come to life and bring darkness to light. It’s interesting how we humans will spend hours typing out our thoughts and write entire books to try and get a meaningful message across, but the Lord will just say a few words and they will reach the depths of our soul breathing life into us. The word of the Lord is powerful! Praise God and thank you Lord for your Word!

About two months ago I was praying before going to bed. About half way through praying I switched from praying in an outward audible voice to praying in my head. I then—for whatever reason—blurted out the question “can you hear my thoughts?” to God. Immediately a voice replied and said, “Yes, I hear you.” I was so shocked at first. I had never heard the audible voice of God and honestly was not really ever expecting to. My first thought was “whoa if God’s talking audibly to me now He must have something really important to say” so I replied “speak Lord for your servant hears” quoting 1 Sam 3:9 when Samuel heard the voice of God in bed. There I was waiting for a response. I was sitting there all excited waiting for God to tell me something deep and amazing but He said nothing else. I later realized that what He needed to say had already been said. God said, “I hear you.” Those three simple words have transformed my prayer life and boosted my faith dramatically. They have resonated in my mind and soul since that day. The simple words “I hear you.” I feel that someone reading this needs to hear those words tonight. Know this truth: Jesus hears you! He hears every prayer that you say to Him. He hears every worry and care in your heart. He hears you and He loves you beyond your understanding. Pray boldly and keep seeking first the Kingdom running the race with endurance. When you start feeling weak, look to Jesus!

The enemy loves to take our eyes off of Jesus. The enemy loves to shift our focus to ourselves. Out of the right motives of wanting to please God the enemy will take your eyes off of Jesus and have you focusing on your own performance in life. The enemy will make you focus on all your works and deeds making you think you have to live up to some certain standard to be acceptable to Christ. This is all lies! Jesus accepts you just as you are. If you are struggling with a certain sin then take your eyes off of the focus of beating that sin and simply look to Jesus! This is where the battle is won my friends. Sin will be overcome when we look to our Lord and find strength in His loving eyes gazing right back at us. Sin is only overcome when you throw that sin upon the cross and accept that there’s no way you’re going to do this alone. That’s when Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” (Matt 11:29)

Lord give us strength in this race of life. Give us endurance Father that we may continuously set our eyes upon Jesus even in the midst of trial and persecution. May your word be a light unto our path in Jesus name.

-I Want To Believe In God [dot com]

The Lord God has set peace before you; go up and possess it!

Look, the Lord your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the Lord God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.’ –Deuteronomy 1:21

The Lord really spoke to me through this verse with possessing the land representing God’s peace and rest which we are commanded to enter and to not be afraid or discouraged in doing so. I feel like so many of us are believers but we play this half world, half kingdom balancing act. Many of our thoughts and concepts are still very worldly and in this we limit God. We limit God by not allowing Him to be a part of every single little aspect of our life. We still think of incidents in life as chance. There is no chance when you are a disciple of Christ. There are consequences of your decisions and actions but there is no chance or “luck.” Once you have invited the Holy Spirit in God is involved in every detail of our lives. The war comes when we decide to follow our own carnal instincts rather than following the Holy Spirit’s guidance. We must pray for discernment and control over our flesh constantly. We must pray constantly. We must be led by the Spirit.

I’m sorry but I’m through with the balancing game. I’m over it. God has won. I raise my white flag in surrender. I’m through circling around the land to see if it’s ok to enter. I’m trusting God and going in. I hope to see you all there with me. The promised land is not just heaven after death. Eternal life is not just life after death with God. Eternal life is Jesus Christ living in us while here on earth. There is of course an afterlife but that is not the only time we can have God’s rest. We can experience the peace and rest of God here on earth but only through complete and utter submission of every single little aspect of your life. Stop circling around the holy of holies and go inside! Stop battling whatever sin you cling to from your carnal nature and give it to Christ for victory. Put it upon the cross. Stop living your life in defeat. Offer it all to God and welcome His rest.

A while back I was wrestling with some carnal, lustful thoughts going through my mind and trying to defeat them through my own efforts. During this time the Lord revealed something to me in a vision. I never fully understood the vision until recently. It was a very simple vision. It was myself with complete light all around me. There was no visual floor or walls. I was just surrounded by white light. I was on my knees with my head on the floor, bowing down in complete submission. From this position the spirit part of my body stood up out of the flesh and looked up arms spread wide open. This was the new me standing in victory praising God and giving Him all the glory. It was the new me that was living led by the Spirit. I could only step away from my flesh once my flesh had been completely submitted to Him. It was my Spirit standing there worshiping God, arms wide open looking unto Him, while my flesh was in complete submission bowing face to the ground. This is how we must live our lives if you want to experience the peace of God. Your flesh must remain in complete submission at all times to God. Our fleshly body must be head to the floor while our Spirit looks up upon His glory. It is then that our Spirit can rise and bring glory to the Father and through this process bring rest and peace to your life.

Exalt the LORD our God,
And worship at His footstool—
He is holy.
-Psalm 99:5

Now I am in no means saying I’m perfectly sanctified or “sinless” but I’m saying that the more and more we submit to God the more peace He offers us in return. I’m urging you to separate yourself from the world to the Gospel. Jesus said to deny yourself and follow Him! I think the words of Paul the Apostle in Philippians says it all:

Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

-Philippians 3:8-14

Victory does not have to be a lonely word…

Life is a test of man’s free will. Each is born with light and darkness in them and all have the ability to sense this. We instinctively do bad though we know it is wrong and want to do right. There comes a point in each man’s life where it is examining time. Do we strive to improve ourselves or give into temptation of darkness? Self-efforts at improvement will leave you exhausted. Many men will fight this battle their whole lives never fully defeating the darkness or fully submitting to light. The easy way out would be to give into darkness, to say I am nothing but an evolved animal and I choose to behave as so. Yes, you could say this is the easy way, although, the inner part of this man will tear him apart and sadden him by his decision. He will live his days unfulfilled, knowing he has made the wrong choice but feel too defeated to do anything about it. So, the war rages on until each one’s candle has burnt out, but what happens in the end? In the end there are only two options for the soul—complete light or complete darkness. Once your candle has burnt out the test is over. There is no going back to change your mind or try again. Your fate has been sealed.

So what do you live for today? Many have said that victory is a lonely word. They say, “I cannot defeat this darkness, it is a part of me.” They are wrong. There is only one answer to darkness and it is complete light through our savior Jesus Christ. When Jesus Christ was on the cross He took on the darkness of everyone. The Father of Lights in Heaven had to turn His face from His own Son because of the darkness He bore for the world. When it was over Jesus said the Greek word “tetelestai” which translates as “it is finished” or “it is accomplished.” He had overcome the world! Three days later He rose from the grave showing that not even death can defeat Him! He is alive! Victory does not have to be a lonely word. Victory can be found through the same power that raised Christ from the dead. The power of God! Invite the Holy Spirit in and He does not just invade your heart but also every single crack of your skin. This is where victory lies. If you are tired of fighting, if you are weak and weary, then submit to the One who has already won! Submit to the One who loves you—the One who is calling you home. Hear His voice and go to Him. Submit to the light of Jesus Christ and welcome victory.

And He said, My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. –Exodus 33:14

-I Want To Believe In God [dot com]

There Is No Room for Darkness

There are many forms of darkness in this world. Darkness exists to shadow the light, but where there is light darkness yields, and is always overcome. It is only when we let the darkness come in that the light begins to be shadowed. It is when we let the light burn out that darkness sees its chance and pounces. We must keep the lamp fueled, for as long as we have light darkness cannot rule.

“But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” (1 Corinthians 6:17)

There is no room for darkness in our lives. Christ lives in us and if He is in us how can we allow darkness? Separate yourself from the bondage of the world. We are in Christ! The power of the living God is within us! We must be diligently keeping watch and by the power of Christ Jesus we will overcome!

-I Want To Believe In God