Spring Break

Let the children come to me and forbid them not. Matthew 19:14

Spring break ~ lessons in faith and patience, hope and love.  

Spring break challenged my perceptions of spiritual productivity this past week.  I have modes of grandma that are required in certain seasons and while I absolutely love them, I find them a challenge to my precious times with the Father.  I am spoiled.  My mornings are His.  My time with Him is not something I like to share or have infringed upon.  David and I are in agreement about what our mornings look like.  Coffee, tea, and separate space.  I’m out of the loop when it comes to this 24/7 parenting thing.  

This spring break burst upon us with all the energy and open heartedness of children who are filled with expectations of what you as grandma and grandpa are there for. You, like God, are to be an unlimited resource, with unlimited love, abounding in unconditional understanding, with great grace provided in all circumstances and at all times.  Ha!  Sounds like our Heavenly Father doesn’t it.  

The wonderful thing about being a grandparent is all the wisdom you have gleaned through our parenting years which makes us ‘grand’ at this stage of life.  I’m not sure how much of this is appreciated by our own children ~ but our grandchildren thrive on it.  

Somehow, where we failed to exercise all the right things at the right moment when we parented, we endeavor now to practice on our grandchildren and teach our adult children a better way.  Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

The places where you once were quick to rebuke and correct have been tempered with compassion, mercy and understanding.  Validation, approval and affirmation flow with more ease as you have learned to weigh the impact of words spoken in haste.  

Discipline still comes, yet it comes with the fruit that Hebrews promises when it is righteously handled. It yields peaceful fruit all enjoy.  Guilt and shame, covered by the blood, through sin owned and repented of, always brings peace to the child and home. 

Observing gives me, once again, a great appreciation for the gift children are and the stewardship required.  How thankful I am for godly seeds that endeavor to practice Godly parenting.  With much appreciation, I watch them engage in this dance we call parenting, stumbling around, missing steps, and yet building family through this work of faith and patience with much love.  

Spring break has come to an end and I’m left with a reminder of what it takes to parent 24/7. It’s called great grace and something I was privileged to be a partaker of with my family this past week.  I am better off for it.  

I saw Satan fall like lightning....

I saw Satan as lightning fall from heaven ~ Luke 10:18

Lest we forget in the midst of our trials and temptations ~ Satan, our enemy who seeks to destroy us, has been defeated by the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Jesus has spoiled principalities and powers.  

As new creatures in Christ, we enter into a precious inheritance of the Saints.  Children of a heavenly Father, living in a Kingdom of Light, life, and love, we are now free from the dominion of Satan and the power of sin. 

Our ability to overcome negative circumstances hinge on our ability to rest in the work Jesus has finished.  Our position in Christ is not only legal but must be vital.

Satan, evil spirits, demonic activity are constantly at work to blind the minds of those who believe not.   We can’t operate from a place of victory while we live in a place of ignorance or unbelief.  We must know and believe that we have the right to use the authority in the name of Jesus. 

All authority has been given to us, to the church, which is the body of the Lord Jesus.  Jesus is the head of the church and His body is here on earth to do His work and fulfill His purpose.  It is not our power or our might.  It is Jesus’ and we have been given the right to use His authority.  We call this delegated authority, in other words, the right to use someone else’s authority.

Delegated authority takes all the pressure off of us to perform.  Operating in it demands belief.  Belief in His name and in His finished work.  I use to stumble over how these unsaved twelve disciples, the other seventy, could operate with such great success in healing and deliverance until I understood it wasn’t by their own power or holiness that makes anyone free but faith in the name of Jesus.  When they were unable to cast out the devil and asked Jesus why couldn’t we?  He replied, because of your unbelief.  It isn’t the prayer and fasting that creates power or faith. The prayer and fasting simply reveals any unbelief present in my heart.  

These disciples went forth simply believing Jesus when he said Im giving you authority to operate in my name.  You can do THESE things with my authority.  This of course comes with boundaries and we must know what “these” things are that we have been given authority over. 

Matthew 7 gives us the picture of those who consider themselves followers of Jesus, professing Lord. Lord. But Jesus saying, Depart from me I never knew you, you who work lawlessness.  Verse 21 shows us the boundary here of “doing the will of the Father”.  We would say deliverance and healing are the will of the Father and we would be correct; yet, there must be something to the method and timing of a matter that is important in all our doings.  

Jesus showed us in John 5 the purpose for his authority was to establish righteous judgment and therefore He only did what he saw the Father do and said what He heard the Father say.  These are boundaries we are to operate within.   We are under authority and as such, must learn to wait for specific instructions.

The power lies in Jesus and His name and we have the right to use his name against all works of the enemy.  We do not battle against flesh and blood.  Our fight is not with people. It’s with the forces driving them.  Influenced and hindered by the works of darkness, we can and must operate from a place of authority over the areas assigned to us and the people in our lives we steward.   

His disciples embraced their work and went forth with great joy while He worked with them confirming His word with signs accompanying. These signs follow them that believe… In my name.

Enlightened

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe ~  

Ephesians 1:18-19.

Our Father has revealed truth and wants us to know and understand.  As a new Christian, I was taught the bible revealed not only who I was as a new creature in Christ, but what I had been given as a child of God.  The more I read it, the more I saw. 

Growth is a never ending process for us and conforming to the image of Christ is a goal we move towards daily.  To do and be as He is, to express Jesus on this earth, requires wisdom, insight, knowledge and understanding.

Paul writes and says our Father, has made known to us the mystery of His will. He has abounded to us in all wisdom and understanding.  Ephesians 1:8-9.  Everything is written that we might know. Jesus is made unto us wisdom. He is the express image of the Father.  Filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding is a right of every child.  If we lack wisdom, we are to ask the Father who gives to us liberally.  Our Father wants us to know and to understand and He has given us His spirit that we might know the things that have been freely given to us in Christ. 

Our eyes being enlightened is not just Paul’s but the heart and mind of our Father and the beginning of our understanding of who we are in Christ and what we have been given to do here and now ~ The hope of His calling. We read this about our calling, but the Bible says to understand His calling.  Paul encountering Jesus on the road to Damascus asks, who are you and what must I do?  These two questions frame our daily existence ~ how do I fit in with the work Jesus is doing.  

To understand what the Father has inherited in the saints gives us a greater reality of purpose and of work for Him in His Kingdom.  Then to know the exceeding greatness of His power to every one who believes is to not only understand but experience the unlimited resources of Heaven at our disposal here and now.  

What we must do always comes with the grace to do it.  Every spiritual blessing in heavenly places has been given to us.  All authority in heaven and on earth has been committed to Jesus the head of the church and as his body we now walk under His authority achieving His purposes. 

Here in Ephesians Paul prays for us to understand the things given to us for the purpose of doing the “greater works than these shall you do because I go to the Father”, Jesus spoke about in the gospels.

To know the exceeding greatness of his power to us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but also in that which is to come and hath put all things under his feet and give him be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that fills all in all.

A prayer to “see” clearly, to understand fully, gives us a greater capacity to do righteously. 

"Blessed is He who is not offended by Me."

Blessed is He who is not offended in me ~ Matthew 11:6

    NIV ~  “Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me."

    NLT ~ “And tell him,‘God blesses those who do not turn away because of me.”    GNT ~”How happy are those who have no doubts about me!" 

    Websters Bible ~  “And blessed is he to whom I shall not be the cause of his falling into sin.”

Skandalízō  is a great word in the Greek and as you can see from above, translated numerous ways to be used with the idea of "trip up" or "entrap."   Skandalizo means  – properly, set a snare ("stumbling-block"); (figuratively) "to hinder right conduct or thought; to cause to stumble" – literally, "to fall into a trap" (Abbott-Smith). 

"The kindred noun (skandalon) is the stick on which the bait is placed, springing to shut the trap on "an animal.  Hence, generally, a 'snare, a stumbling-block'" (WS, 31).]

The English word offend (resentful or annoyed, typically as a result of a perceived insult) paints a bit of a different picture for us but the idea behind the Greek word is the action that follows; the removal from the relationship. The bait is the temptation to sever the relationship because of what we are hearing or seeing but do not understand.  It may initially assault our senses but the reception to the bait is the ultimate act of falling away. 

Matthew 13:21 gives a good idea of how this occurs ~ ‘yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.’  Something comes into our life that challenges our perception of the way the word should be working for us.

We all believe like Peter, “though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended”, Matthew 26:33; but the capture of Jesus in the garden was enough to stimulate fear and denial in his life. 

Jesus did all He could to prepare Peter for that moment ~These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling, John 16:1.  John had Holy Ghost revelation about Jesus at His baptism. Yet both John and Peter stumbled when met with circumstances they could not reconcile with what they thought should’ve transpired.  

We’ve all done the same thing and only by returning to the words Jesus has communicated to us, believing them independently of what we see and hear, will we find strength of heart, peace of mind and rest for our souls. 

Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear , and the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them and blessed is the one who is not offended by me. 

The Holy Spirit

And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30 ESV

Ephesians chapter one also uses the word sealed in reference to our salvation. Being sealed with that holy Spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession (that’s us).  In other words, the Holy Spirit is the person that seals our belonging to the Lord and is the proof of our inheritance for all things in the family of God. 

He who did not withhold his own son, how shall he not with Him, freely give us all things. Outside of salvation, the greatest gift we have been given by the Father is His spirit.  He comes as the personification of the Fathers love to live in us, leading us and guiding us each day.  He is our vital connection to the Father and the one who always works to keep us one with them; Father and Son.  The Holy Spirit is the One who prompts us to read our Bible.  ‘To pray always’ is prompted by the Holy Spirit.  Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. The ability and strength to do any and all things set before us from the Father and enabled by and through the Holy Spirit.  We are strengthened with might by His Spirit in our inner man. 

When we come to Ephesians 4:30 and these instructions to not grieve Him, we come with an understanding first of all that He can be grieved.

The word grieve is lupe (λύπη, 3077) signifies “pain,” of body or mind; it is used in the plural in 1 Pet. 2:19 only, rv, “griefs” (kjv, “grief”); here, however, it stands, by metonymy, for “things that cause sorrow, grievances”; * Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old  and New Testament Words (Vol. 2, p. 281). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson. 

Ephesians 4:29 instructs to let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth but that which is good to the use of edifying that it many minister grace to the hearer and verse 31 states to let all bitterness and wrath, and anger and clamour and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice, and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, Even as God for Christs sake has forgiven you.  These things show us what grieves the Holy Spirit. 

If, and it is, His relationship role is to make us one and keep us in the love of God, we then understand why these scriptures are so important.  Jesus reminds us a house divided can not stand.  The division can only occur where the heart removes itself from dealing with people from a place of love, literally shutting up the heart of compassion.  Shutting up and shutting down the Holy Spirit are grievous acts because to do this we must first separate ourselves from the Holy Spirit.  

There is to be no corrupt communication; [corrupt, rotten” (akin to sepo, “to rot”), primarily, of vegetable and animal substances, expresses what is of poor quality, unfit for use, putrid] BUT only those words that edify [build up]  and minister grace [enabling power of God] to the hearer. These are the words the Holy Spirit is ALWAYS endeavoring to communicate TO us and through us to others.  

Our standard, EVEN AS (from Ephesians 4:31) is applicable to every area of our lives.  We don’t get to pick and choose. We conform. We’re transformed. We become and as we do the Holy Spirit has greater rule and influence in every thought, word and deed expressed through our lives. 

Always learning......

"...always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth..." 2 Timothy 3:7.  

While this scripture is speaking about ‘weak women burdened with sins and led astray by various passions’, there is a further principle here that I would like to discuss.

David always says, “You don’t know what you don’t know”.  If my world is framed by the constant feeding on the familiar then I am simply enhancing and sharpening, my knowledge of the known; a good thing, but to truly grow into the fullness of Christ, (to come to the knowledge of truth) I must surround myself with new and different things with a WILLINGNESS to hear, to see and ultimately allow the Spirit of God to shape that into my heart with an understanding that bears great fruit in my life. 

David is great about this; me, not so much.  My initial reaction to new thoughts presented from the word are to say, Wait a minute, is that really what the word says?  When I’m not seeing it like you are saying it requires a willingness on my part to embrace something different and unknown to me.  

James exhorts us to receive with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save our souls.  Romans tells us that we are to be renewed by the transforming of our minds.  We can’t begin to transform anything if we think we know everything AND believe that what we know is the fullness of truth.  Rejecting a truth is simply another form of limitation that we set into our life and world.  

We’ve just gotten home from a wonderful time with a group of ministers working through the processes of transitioning their churches.  It was a great time of study, conversation and insights by the Spirit of God.  It began with the Holy Spirit telling us He had seeds to sow that would bring forth greater fruit and revelation for us.  He was rooting out and pulling down the limitations of our thought patterns to enlarge us for His greater capacity. 

The Holy Spirit is always wanting to increase us with the increase of God.  I know in part and as a part I can only add my part and MUST have the other parts to enlarge me.  Where I am unwilling to see and hear, I am limited.  

Jesus said to his disciples, “Blessed are your eyes because they see, and blessed are your ears, because they hear.”  We don’t need to be afraid of hearing new and different thoughts because we do have the ability to rightly discern by the Holy Spirit living in us. The word of God divides soul and spirit, and when preached the great teacher in us leads us and guides us into all truth through the word of God.  

The word of God is profitable for instruction.  I don’t know everything there is to know in it.  I don’t see as clearly or as deeply as I need to. I want to be a lover of truth, willing to embrace truth and grow in the fullness of the measure of the stature of Christ.  

We are supposed to be ever learning with the end goal of coming to the knowledge of the truth. 

Here am I, send me.

I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send and who will go for us?  Then said I, Here am I; send me ~ Isaiah 6:8

Quite the noble thing to say, Here am I Lord, send me.  I’m sure we have all responded in this fashion at some point in our Christian walk.  However, it is just not about our willingness to be sent, It also includes obedience to actually go.   

I just want to share with you a few of my insights following the trip to India…..

Yes, opened the door for me.   Isaiah said the willing and the obedient eat the good of the land;  I would’ve told you I was always met the admonishment obedient but I don’t know that I’ve always responded heartily or cheerfully. I can’t say I haven’t had my times of murmuring or complaining. Sometimes the opportunities were met with, "I’ll do this if I have to" only to learn in those times finding myself continually challenged to stay engage.  Then there are of course the times I so willing volunteered with the hearty yes, only to discover, a multitude of reasons when the opportunity stood before me of why I could not follow through and just said NO. 

I heard this sermon about "Never say No"  and it was something the Holy Spirit used to challenge me.  Up to that time, I still had areas I ruled over for the sake of my own self-preservation. I’m thankful God is always at work in us both to do and to will His good pleasure. 

God is in the business of increase. He wants his kingdom manifested.  He rewards faithfulness with more work. Talents given are to multiply and extend His kingdom further.  The ideal is to stay connected to Him while He works in us to work through us.  He will enlarge our borders.

Yet there is the reality of setting our own boundaries when we respond from a place of fear or unwillingness.  We can actually limit the sphere of influence our lives can have.  Each of us our given a metro; a sphere of influence, and its up to us to take the opportunities God sets before us and enlarge them. 

Gods work is always about people. Those in our lives we connect with on a daily basis; family, friends, co-workers and school mates. As we show ourselves faithful with involvement in their lives, God gives us more to touch and influence.  As we do, God adds to our lives others we can begin to influence.  Every increase involves an enlarged heart to carry others and they must be seen as a gift from God and received as a stewardship. 

In India, I found myself seeking daily to stand in the grace of God to impact others I had no frame of reference over.  Ministering to widows, orphans, lepers and the nationals demanded the mind of God and working of the Holy Spirit to teach me what to do and what to say. Holding His heart and mind served to remind me every individual is precious to him and one He wants to impact. 

Daily I understand Paul’s urgency on a greater level when he tells us we have been given a ministry of reconciliation and are committed with the word of reconciliation. Paul’s words, I beseech you “be reconciled to God” can only come from the heart of God. 

India has given me an opportunity to see larger, expand deeper and I hope return home with a greater and lasting capacity to love and care for others. 

India ~

I know that when I come to you I will cone in the fullness of the blessing of Christ. Romans 15:29 ESV

With the New Year holding many wonderful promises from God and instructions for moving forward, David and I have been “focused” on fully engaging in the work assigned to us. Some years back the Holy Spirit touched my heart about never saying NO again.  It’s funny when you look back how you find the times you’ve tried to remain in control of your life by choosing the NO to new and different instead of saying yes and stepping into the great unknown.  

We all know it requires much trust in our Father and not only trust, but the need to stay vitally connected, so your steps are ordered by Him.  Walking around in the dark is only safe as long as you are holding tight to someone you trust.  Since choosing the yes, I’ve had divine opportunities set before me that have enlarged me simply because they demanded so much more from me. 

Today, I face another one of those “yes” moments as we set off for India.  David usually makes this trip each year in March but with the opportunity for me to participate in an annual Women’s Conference he is joining me on this adventure. Upon arrival in Delhi, he goes north to minister to various pastors conferences and I go south, but we do reconnect in Delhi for our return trip home.  

 Every new thing required me to be confident, not just in God, but in the grace deposited in my life to touch others. Thus, Romans 15:29, I lean into going in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.  Holding people in my heart that they might be touched by heaven and their lives impacted by the King of Glory, is my hope and prayer. 

I’m thankful for a home base, a church family, that loves us enough to send us and cares for us enough to keep us covered in prayer.  But each of you are dear to my heart as well, and this is just a friendly chat today to let you know the weekly good words will have to wait until I am back home. I’m sure I will have much to share and insights to offer, but in the meantime when David and I come to your hearts and minds, please join us in thanking God that our lives our touching and blessing others.

May the Lord bless you and keep 

May the Lord make his face shine upon and be gracious to you

May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you,

And give you peace.  

Amen. 

Looking unto Jesus

“ [looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity)” Hebrews 12:2a  Amplified Updated

Prior to Christmas, we received a phone call from a friend sharing this prophetic word which we felt would benefit the body of Christ. 

 “ I was praying and saw that at this years end everything will coast to a natural standstill but the enemy will rise up and make a push.  For those who keep their focus on the Lord, in a short time, in the new year, there will be a great unveiling of prosperity and abundance. I saw a theatre stage with the curtain drawn and all of a sudden the curtain pulled open revealing the stage filled with all sorts of blessings.  Prosperity and abundance natural and spiritual, with a revelation of Christ as well.”

If I had to reduce it down, he said, “Keep focus on the Lord no matter what tries to distract because there is a great and quick reward for it.”  He stressed during his explanation and afterwards the idea of ‘focus’ three or four times.  Only those who are focused will see this.

To focus on one thing with your attention being pulled in other directions is nigh on impossible. We call it multitasking, but even scientists today are seeing the effects the idea of multitasking has on performance.  It simply is not focused on anything. We understand the effects of the multitude of interruptions we all live with, but NOW, in this time frame, we must have the right focus, ONE THING IS NEEDFUL AND MUST BE CHOSEN. 

Focus is simply attention to one thing. Focus speaks of clarity.  Looking away from all that will distract us and focusing on one thing. The admonition is that our focus must be on Jesus to see the unveiling. 

There are things that need to be revealed and those who will separate themselves from the natural cares to the spiritual will have eyes that see. When we have removed ourselves from giving attention to the things seen and are focused on Him who is unseen, our sight becomes clearer and our hearing sharper.  Choices must be made to “strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.” Disregard the past.  Give it no more time and attention. Do not regard lying vanities but with intention find your seat, be still and know the shows about to begin. The curtain’s about to go up.  

It is with great hope and joy that David and I are welcoming this New Year.  

We trust that it unveils, first, a greater and deeper revelation of our Father, His son Jesus Christ, and their purpose.  Our prayer is that this revelation overflows into the knowledge of the rich, abundant, lavish, exceeding, immeasurable goodness He pours into our lives. 

Happy New Year with Love,

David and Jeanne.      

We have seen His Star

“Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and are come to worship him.”  Matthew 2:2

From this one portion scripture we have great prophetic fulfillment. 

• From Numbers 24 we read A star shall come forth from Jacob, A scepter shall rise from Israel. 
• From Isaiah 9 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light, Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.
• From Luke 1 Zachariah prophesies that Jesus appears to give light to those that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of peace. 
• From John 1 we find that John was not the light but was sent first to bear witness of the true light which lights every man that comes into the world. 

As the Bright morning Star, Jesus is the light of the world who shines into the darkness and the darkness does not and never will overpower His light.  While Isaiah tells us in the last days darkness will abound the promise to us is His light shines forever!  The glory of the lord is seen upon us and men are drawn to His light.  

Where is He that is born King of the Jews? He is in us. As carriers of the presence we are children of the Light.  To shine as He shines.  To love as He loves.  To give from the very essence of His heart and always dispelling the darkness whenever we can. 

We have seen His star and worship Him.  In this Season may others see His light in the reflection of our lives.  

David and I trust this Christmas is one that brings your great rest and peace in Him as you celebrate with family and friends. 

Merry Christmas with Love,

Jeanne

The Prince of Peace

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.   Isaiah 9:6    KJV

The Christmas season is a time to reflect on the gift of God to the world. Like communion, we celebrate Christmas in remembrance of Him.  Allowing Christmas to become a season filled with pressure and anxiety governed by human expectations, real and perceived, is to fall short of the miracle God has given to us in Jesus. 

Peace is not just tranquility, it is the result of being one with Him.  It is wholeness, the prosperity of spirit, soul and body which He has provided in the redemption of our lives.  It is absolute well being, and is always and only found in Him.  

He is the Prince of Peace. 

Jesus speaks to the storms of our soul and says, “Peace be still.”

Jesus reminds us to come to Him when we are weary and heavy burdened because He gives us rest for our souls. 

Jesus is the good Shepherd who leads us to quiet waters of rest and green pastures that restores our souls.  

In all our celebrating, we are remembering how our lives have been so richly and abundantly blessed through our relationship through Jesus with the Father. It is this position of thankfulness that opens our hearts to freely and cheerfully give.  To share from the abundance of our lives in blessing others is the true spirit of Christmas and the character of God.  Therefore, we like our Father, love to give. 

However when giving becomes an obligation and we operate from a place of pressure,  grudgingly doing the expected thing, well that’s a heart issue we have to sort until we are able to give freely and without grudging.  

We will always find three arenas of relationships competing for our focus. 

Requirements we make upon ourselves.

Requirements others put upon us. 

Requirements the Lord assigns.

The only thing actually required is to OBEY HIM.  Where that plays out in everyday circumstances continually demands that He is involved enough in our daily routine that we are being led by Him only. 1 Peter 2:9 from the Message Bible, “Life is a journey best travelled with a deep conscience of God.”  We follow after Peace.  We are vitally united to the Prince of Peace and our ways our filled with the fruit of peace.  

This Christmas, and all year, we can live from our Spirits as they are directed by Him enjoying His peace that passes all understanding.  We can give freely and generously with a peace that comes from oneness with Him, confident we are living and walking out His purposes for the day and being the blessing He lives through. 

Self Preservation

“But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”    Acts 20:24 KJV

• But now I count as nothing the sacrifice of my life…  Williams translation
• However, I consider my life worth nothing to me… NIV
• But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus…NLT
• But I make my life neither dear nor any account to myself…  Berean Literal Bible
• But I fear none of these things… Douay-Rheims 

I heard a preacher say recently one of the greatest challenges we face as believers is to rule our internal world.  

Nothing so consistently challenges us as our tendency towards self preservation.  We all carry certain belief systems regarding perceived entitlements in areas we feel something should be coming our way ‘just because’.  

It doesn’t seem to matter that we know this is not the way of Jesus, but yet we still find ways to adapt to this weakness.  May I suggest that the weakness does not reside in our physical, fleshly body, but somewhere in our souls belief system, allowing us to give permission to this fleshly nature and indulge self. 

There are things residing in our hearts and minds we could look at governing this choice to serve self.  I would suggest a foundational one being fear.  We know the only thing that drives out fear is the love of God. Consequently, we are looking at a primary motivation for all our actions of doing to be driven, not by fear, but rather the  constraining Love of God. 

What gave Jesus, Paul, the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11, the ability to move forward in the face of great hardship and obstacle?

Jesus, in the garden, faced with the crucifixion, chose to submit and obey the Fathers will.  Only the love of God could motivate this. 

Paul said in Acts 20:22, “And now behold I am going to Jerusalem constrained by the Spirit not knowing what will happen to me there except the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me.  BUT I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, If only I may finish my course and the ministry that I receive rom the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”  

What keeps a man moving forward when faced with that knowledge?  Only the Love of God can compel him.  

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 8 that the churches in Macedonia were being tested by many troubles, and were very poor, but were also filled with abundant joy overflowing in rich generosity.  Paul testified they gave not only what they could afford, but far more and did it of their own free will.  

How were they able to do that?  Paul said they even did more than they had hoped, for, their first action was to give “themselves to the Lord and then to us, just as God wanted them to do.”  While this specifically addresses finances, I think we are all mature enough to understand that how we handle money is simply a reflection of the level of freedom in our hearts. They didn’t have “much” but it wasn’t the amount that was significant it was the heart that was willing.  

With an attachment to the heart of God, to his love working in us, keeping Him first place and others second will hold self serving motivations in check.  

So, heart check; when and where I am asked to go against the grain of self, I must locate the fear which reinforces my desire to stay safe.  All fear is driven by the fear of death.  Self kicks in when I am fearful of losing any quality of life. Yet Jesus said I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly, John 10:10, and If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for Jesus, you will find it, Matthew 10:39.

Let’s keep our lives in proper perspective living while dying daily. 

God is for us ~

If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?  Romans 8:31-32

In todays verses, Paul asks three significant questions that we as believers must understand in order to keep the victory Jesus has brought us through the Fathers great love.  

Paul asks: who accuses, who condemns, and finally, who separates?

We know our greatest enemy is Satan.  He is our adversary.  He goes about seeking whom he may devour and he comes to kill, steal and destroy from every place God has worked to give us abundant life.  We also know that Satan is a liar and the Father of all lies. Jesus said, there is NO truth in Him.  Satan works, whispering continually, words that have the power to separate us from God.  The book of Revelation tells us Satan is the accuser of the brethren.  He works to condemn us through the lies we believe, and once believed those lies ultimately separate us from the Father and once separated by shame, guilt and condemnation-well, Jesus tells us a Kingdom divided cannot stand.  

Our place of blessing lies in the unity we maintain with Him.  That we might be one with the Father as Jesus was.  

Paul wrote, 

• In the place of accusation, Jesus has justified us. Justified,  just as if I’d never sinned.  

• In the place of condemnation, Jesus ever lives to make intercession on our behalf for there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. We are now the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.  

• Who shall separate us from His love?  Absolutely no one, but a lie embraced, believed and adapted to, can do that.  Believing a lie is the place of Satans entry and stronghold in our lives.

If God be for us, and He is, how shall he not with Him freely give us all things.  

Lets keep the devil in His place ~ defeated and under our feet. 

my soul is troubled and distressed and what shall I say?

Now my soul is troubled and distressed and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour of [trial and agony]? But it was for this very purpose that I have come to this hour [that I might undergo it].    

John 12:27 Amplified Bible Classic Edition

How much easier life would be if we understood the purpose of a thing?  If we had understanding, would it enable us to endure to the end?

We know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose and there is no temptation that we find ourselves in that God has not prepared the way of escape through it. 

The remarkable thing is that most of us would prefer to avoid it all together but it is the dynamic of holding fast to Jesus that gives us the ability to walk through anything and become something larger spiritually than we were before.  

Life on this earth is school for us believers.  We come to know our Father.  We learn Jesus and become Christ like. 

God is at work in us, teaching us how to reflect His glory on this earth.  He gives us time and seasons to grow up, to conform to the image of His son and bear much fruit.  He works in us now to prepare us for a greater weight of glory to be revealed at His return.  Setting up His visible Kingdom, we govern then as we are learning to do now.  

We find ourselves in situations that press us and like Jesus, our soul is troubled and distressed.  Unlike Jesus, most of us cry out for deliverance, not understanding instead of committing ourselves to Him who judges righteously. 

Proverbs writes, “Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom and in all your getting —get understanding”.  How much better would we, could we, endure if we had understanding and insight as to the purposes of God being worked in the moment? 

While Satan works to divide us from the oneness with the Father by removing us from the word and our intimate times, it is as we lean into the truth and affirm the realities of our Father, that we are able to stay steady in our storms. God is faithful who will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to bear.  

Even if we lack the understanding, we are still required to have faith in God, (blind faith if you will) and know that in our weakness He remains our strength.  We can hold onto him and know that every step we take He is leading us into goodness and something is happening in us that is preparing us for that greater weight of glory. 

My soul is troubled and distressed and what shall I say?

Have Faith IN God. Mark 11:22

Oswald Chambers, in the devotional My Utmost for His Highest for October 30 said ,” God brings us into circumstances in order to educate our faith, because the nature of faith is to make its object real. Until we know Jesus, God is a mere abstraction, we can not have faith in Him; “

In other words, every circumstance we find ourselves in CAN teach us about our Father, if we have eyes to see and ears that hear.  Jesus said this is eternal life that we would know him and the Father.  

Faith is not a formula designed to acquire our latest whim, but rather a relationship that expresses our fellowship with our Father.( Heb. 11:6). He who comes to God must believe that he is.  Faith is primarily the belief system that I hold in who God in, thus, Have faith IN God. 

Faith is defined as belief or trust. The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines trust as an assured reliance on the character, ability, strength or truth of someone or something. 

In every circumstance we can learn. The Holy Spirit is teaching, the word is revealing, the nature of God.  He is trustworthy.  

The first temptation we see in the book of Genesis was designed for man to doubt the very integrity of God.  “Has God really said”....., “you won’t die”..... and today nothing has changed in that temptation.  Satan works to blind us to the reality of Gods nature.  In our circumstances the challenge is to remain firmly and vitally connected to Our Father.  Assured, relying, trusting, we are to have faith in God. 

Trust is the fruit of intimacy. The more time I spend getting to know someone the more I learn how and where I can have confidence in their character, strength, abilities, or truth.  A fundamental truth regarding man is that we are all flawed, we fail somewhere in one of these above attributes all the time, BUT GOD IS NOT A MAN.  

Have faith in God means my strongest hope, my strongest confidence can not be in man.  It must be in God and every circumstance gives me opportunity to learn His character, His ability, His strength, His truth 

To have faith in God means:

• I trust His character.  God is love. His mercies never fail.  He is good to all. His faithfulness does not fail.

• I trust His ability, He makes a way where there is no way.  He goes before me and perfects things that concern me.  He is at work in me both to do and to will of His good pleasure.

• I trust His strength for He is the strength of my life.  He is My fortress, my strong tower. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 

• I trust His truth.  God is not a man that he should lie. His word is truth and it is impossible for God to lie. 

We learn to trust God in and through our daily events. We trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not to our own understanding. In all our ways we learn to acknowledge him and he directs our paths. 

We can either settle down and let God rule our lives or continually contend with him fighting to maintain the control.  But when we put God in charge, we commit the event to him, we roll that care off of us, we trust in Him and He will act.  We can either allow God to be the performer or he will allow us to maintain control because of our fear and unbelief.  

Jesus said the work we are to do as His disciples is Believe. We trust His character,

His ability. We trust His strength and we trust His truth which means I have faith in God.

Gird up!

Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind — 1 Peter 1:13

The Helps Lexicon from the Discovery Bible shows this phrase “gird up the loins”  as 328 anazōnnymi (from 303/aná, "up to down" and 2224/zōnnymi, "gird, remove slack") – properly, raising up a tunic (= "tightening the belt"), "girding oneself"; (figuratively) getting ready (prepared) to move quickly as someone needs to arrive somewhere without delay (used only in 1 Pet 1:13).– literally "to pull up the belt (tightly)" – is a metaphor about removing mental slack, i.e. eliminating all useless thoughts (bad logic) by "tightening the mind”.

We know Peter is not referring to our clothing but rather a condition of our mind.  Literally a tightening up of our thought processes which involves correcting loose thinking. 

Since man is a three part being; spirit, soul and body, every battle is ultimately fought through the soul.  The born again Spirit of man is always led by the Holy Spirit to righteousness.  The flesh always yields to its peculiar lust of the moment and the soul becomes the deciding vote.  Who will I agree with? Who will I submit to?

Everything we allow into our lives flows from our belief system and our mind sets, which work to permit us to do the things we do. While we are considering our choices, the mind, the will and our emotions are generally leading the way.  Even the most spiritual individual will have to contend with these things as he aligns himself to the will of the Lord.  The “loose thinking” ultimately proves to be the hindrance to our lives of obedience and consequently the blessing of the Lord. 

It becomes vital to know and agree with the word in order to remove the slack in my thinking that had given me license to disobey the prompting of the Holy Spirit, thusdenying the grace that He had brought to me.  Every thought must be taken captive to the obedience of Christ. 

Hebrews 12:1 adds this thought: let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us.… Again from the Helps Lexicon in the Discovery Bible we read regarding 2139 euperístatos (from 2095/eú, "well"; 4012/perí, "all-around"; and 2476/hístēmi, "stand") – properly, well-planted (all-around), describing what is encompassing (encircling), i.e. surrounding, "wholly around"; (figuratively) a serious hindrance that "encircles" (hampers) someone who desperately also needs to advance.—

 2139/euperistatos is used only in Heb 12:1 of "the besetting sin," i.e. the specific problem a particular individual faces (note the Greek definite article, "the").  This sin can be anything that encumbers a person from pleasing God – which may not be something wrong "in and of itself" but is still not of faith. 

Ancient lexicons (Hesychius, Suidas) also describe 2139 (euperístatos) as a "setback from being too easy-going" (i.e. overly tolerant).  Indeed sin quickly results when we are easily "taken in," i.e. over-influenced (easily upset, diverted).] 

If we want to be successful in our spiritual lives and truly walk with God, then we must deal with the “loins of our minds” and “the sin which entangles us”.  If we deliberately allow wrong thinking and wrong believing to continue in our lives, we will find ourselves tripped up or entangled by them, never making full progress of the call. 

Sin is crouching at the door.

If you do well will you not be accepted?  And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door.  Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.  Genesis 4:7

You will recognize this as the conversation God had with Cain following the rejection of the offering he had brought to the Lord.  We learn from the book of Hebrews that Cains brother, Abel, offered “a more acceptable sacrifice” than Cain.   

Cain is jealous and envious of the approval Abel receives and Genesis tells us he is “very angry and his face fell”. 

The Hebrew word angry is properly, to kindle, ignite a fire; (figuratively) "light someone's fuse," "set them off"; burst forth in anger, focusing on the moral "touch point" that sets off the anger (like kindling); what ignites red-hot indignation in a moral dispute ("hot outburst”).

God’s response to Cains fallen countenance shows God’s view of Cains emotions luring him into sin.  Cain is being tempted and God sets a first in scripture for us:  If you do well, you are accepted.  Sin lies in wait for the opportune moment, it lies at the door.  Sin has a desire. Its desire is to you.  It wants to destroy you.  But, you must rule over it. Sin must be dominated.

Satan is the author of sin, just as Jesus is the author of righteousness. 

Sin entered the world through one mans disobedience and righteousness has come through one mans obedience,  

Jesus has forever destroyed the power of sin and sin no longer has dominion over us. 

The phrase “you must rule over it” is properly, to rule, with full administrative control and power; to manage as overlord, reigning over a particular realm (sphere) with immediate dominion; jurisdiction to govern.

 James 1:14 Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire,  Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

There is no temptation that comes our way that God is not faithful to provide a way of escape.  Where sin abounds grace does much more. 

If Cain could have overcome sin, how much more shall we, as new testament believers, delivered from the power of the devil, filled with the Holy Spirit, with grace, wisdom and revelation abounding to us, dominate sin?  

Thanksgiving

Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord.   1 Cor 15:57

Today, as we celebrate thanksgiving, may we be mindful of the foundation we have enabling us to, in everything give thanks.  For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning us.  The individual that loses sight of all he or she has been given in Christ, loses a thankful heart.  

Even when circumstances are pleasant, without the awareness of every good and perfect gift coming into our lives by the goodness of God, we would still be unthankful.  If we live in a realm of performance and works, our sense of being owed something diminishes thankfulness. 

On this Holiday, let us hold the awareness that it is because of the love of God and Jesus Christ’s obedience that our lives are richly and abundantly blessed.  For in Him, thanks be to God, we have victory that overcomes in every circumstance.  

David and I pray that the eyes of your understanding are enlightened to see the goodness of God abounding to you each and every day.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Jeanne

Lord I believe ~ Help my Unbelief

Lord I believe, Help my unbelief ~  Mark 9:24

Our scripture this week is from the story of the Father with the epileptic child. We find the story in Matthews gospel chapter 17 as well as Mark 9:14-30. 

This father meets the disciples, whom we know were given power to heal and cast out demons by Jesus.  They had worked and experienced the results.  Now we find them met with a situation that did not respond as they expected.  I imagine they had done everything the way they always had and now it wasn’t working. Ever been there?

In this scenario we see where Jesus addresses three heart conditions; faithless, unbelieving and believing.  Strongs’ Concordance shows this word unbelief to be the negative form for the word faith.  It is defined as distrust. Unbelief is a faith.  Its just in the wrong thing.  In others words, you have something you are rejecting. You won’t reject the promises without holding to some other belief system. So unbelief is faith in the wrong thing.  Its a negative faith.   

You can have faith in cancer’s ability to kill you.  You can have faith in lack.  You can have faith in broken relationships.  You can have faith in sickness.  Unbelief is still faith, it is just faith unto death.  

This fathers cry was, Lord, I believe but help my unbelief.  Could he have been saying ~ I came to you because I believe, but I’ve met some circumstances here with the disciples who are your representatives and I’m now believing that if they can’t do this maybe you can’t either? 

A questioning of God’s ability or His will only serves to remind us that faith in God is waning.  FF Bosworth said, Faith begins where the will of God is known.  Hearing all things are possible to Him who believes is our constant reminder to check our hearts!  Keep our eyes on Him and His promise.  We don’t look at others we look unto Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith.  

So ~  Lord I believe, Help my unbelief.  How is we get to a place of unbelief or confidence in something other than God’s promise?  Simply by looking at; attending to and communicating, all the wrong things.  We feed our faith in whatever we attend to.  Again, unbelief simply a lack of faith, but a negative faith, a believing of the wrong things. 

I want to stir up our pure minds to remembrance with the following scriptures:

• Hosea 4:6 tells us what happens when we are ignorant about the word - when we forget what the word says or when we absolutely reject it - We perish.  
• Romans 10:17 reminds us faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.  
• Proverbs 4:20 Tells us we must attend to the word.  Let it not depart from our sight.  Keep it in the midst of our heart for it is life and health to all our flesh.   

The word of God is our faith food.  Apart from Jesus, who is the word, we can do nothing.  God is a faith God.  Without faith it is impossible to please God.  Webster's’ Dictionary says Impossible means incapable of being.  But the Bible says - no word of God is impossible of fulfillment.  God said the word He speaks goes forth and does exactly what He has decreed.  It does not return void or empty.  Every word of God starts as a seed and bears fruit absolutely dependent on the condition and content of my heart. Hebrews teaches us the children of Israel were unable to enter into the promise of God because they did not mix faith with the word they heard the word.  Can I add here the word they heart from God, but they did have faith in those giants ability to kill them.  

So ~ Lord I believe but help my unbelief. 

The wonderful thing about this father’s cry for help is Jesus’ response.  He rebukes the unclean spirit and raises the boy up.  Above and beyond our “perfection” every ‘I dotted and every T crossed’, is the heart of God to help us.  We must always remember from the Fathers heart ~ He is unwilling for any to perish and simply coming to him, believing He is a rewarder, is enough to be met with mercy and grace to help in our need. 

Delight in His Word ~

His delight in in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.       Psalms 1:2

Meditation is simply a form of focus, what we are giving attention to. The Hebrew word meditate means to speak, or mutter or muse.   Our minds attend to thoughts, words, and feelings on a continual basis.  We are constantly processing data in our souls.  The Psalmist declared his delight was in the law of the Lord with the promise of a fruitful and prosperous life. 

The law held instructions to attain righteousness which in turn enabled people to inherit the blessing of God.  If they did - He did.  The law was, and continues to be, unable to touch the heart of man where all desire flows from.  When we view the word as a system of rules and regulations there will be no delight in; now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due, Romans 4:4.

With a new heart, there is a new hunger.  There is delight and joy from learning and knowing who the Father is and what He delights in.  We are filled with this insatiable hunger to know Him and desire the sincere milk of the word to grow.  

If we meditate daily upon the word, Proverb 6:22 says the word guides us, it watches over us when we sleep and talks to us when we are awake.  It’s the Holy Spirit’s job to bring to our remembrance all things that Jesus has said.

Christianity is not to be drudgery. It is our system of truth that enables each of us to live abundantly in the Kingdom of God. Meditating in the word is suppose to be a delight. Jeremiah declared ~ Your words were found and I did eat them and they became the joy and rejoicing of my heart! Jeremiah 15:16. 

Let us delight in His commands! Let us love them. Let us honor them and let us meditate on His decrees, Psalm 119:47.48, and know that in giving place to His word we are blessed.