Category: Christianity

God bless you all!

Have a great time with your family and friends as we give thanks to God in the Name of Jesus for all He has done for us this Thanksgiving!

Grace and peace to you all!

I want to thank my sister in Christ Michelle at Blessings By Me for choosing me to participate in the 3.2.1. Quote Me Challenge.  Check out her encouraging blog and be blessed!  Her challenge word for me is: Thanksgiving.

The Rules Of This Challenge Are As Follows:

Thank the Selector

Post 2 quotes for the dedicated topic of the day

Select 3 bloggers to take part in ‘3.2.1 Quote Me!’

And give them a topic/word

Note: Although this is the topic for today there is no specific deadline to it, meaning you can answer when you choose.

My first quote will be the 5 verses in Psalm 100, which is “A psalm.  For giving thanks.”

My second quote comes from the Book of Philippians.

My 3 Nominees are:

Aaron at Chaplapreneur

Dee at Sealed in Christ

Damon at My Journey

My 3.2.1. Quote Me challenge word of the day for you is: Peace

Grace and peace to you all!

 

 

 

This week is Thanksgiving week and it reminds us all to be very thankful for what God has given us.  It also reminds me of the verses in 1 Thessalonians that speak of God’s will for us in Christ Jesus.  In two short verses, the Apostle Paul tells us three very important virtues that are always part of God’s will for our lives: “Be joyful always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances.”  It is my prayer and hope that we would keep this truth in our hearts this week and always!

We might not always understand God’s will for our lives and we might not always be able to change our circumstances, but we can rest in knowing God’s will is that we never lose our joy because we have Him!  To never stop praying because He is listening and He cares!  And to give thanks in all the circumstances of our lives no matter what comes our way, so we keep our eyes on Jesus and we don’t sink in the crashing waves of our troubles!  That is how He wants us to live our lives in Jesus!

This Thanksgiving many of us are suffering and facing many challenges.  We don’t always feel like being thankful and many times we find ourselves complaining.  The Lord has been reminding me lately to be thankful in the midst of my troubles.  He wants me to keep seeking Him and giving Him my heart in prayer.  Doing those things will naturally lead to joy in the Holy Spirit.  It is only through Jesus alone that I could ever be joyful always, continually praying, and thankful through all the trials and tribulations of this world!  Praise the Lord for the Holy Spirit helping us!

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Jesus speaking in Acts 1:8

We have received power from Jesus through the Holy Spirit and that power enables us to have a steady river of joy in our soul!  Joy is not the same thing as happiness, which is tied to circumstances.  Joy comes from the constantly flowing river of life inside of us by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can dip into anytime!  In the midst of suffering, dip into the joy!  In the midst of bills, dip into the joy!  In the midst of unanswered prayers and questions, dip into the joy!  Praying continually and giving thanks in all circumstances is tied to being joyful always because it gets our eyes off of our troubles and allows us to dip into His joy!  There is nothing that compares with the joy of our salvation through Jesus and we need to be swimming in it!

“On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”

John 7:37-38

Giving thanks in all circumstances brings glory to God and defeats the evil one’s lies.  Praying continually enables us to give every circumstance to God and put the battle in His hands, which in turn gives us peace.  When we live like this we can be joyful always as it empowers us to rest in the sovereignty of our Creator.

“Trust in the Lord with all

your heart

and lean not on your own

understanding;

in all your ways

acknowledge him,

and he will make your

paths straight.”

Proverbs 3:5-6

“Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:4-7

Yes, I have many troubles and circumstances that I want to change, but I also have so many reasons to give thanks to God through it all!  When I lift my head up and give thanks to the Lord, my troubles look small and I am able to see that God was bigger all along.  I pray I keep a heart of thankfulness through this season and always, and I pray you do too!

Grace and peace to you all and Happy Thanksgiving!

“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.  May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.”

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

P.S.

Here are some photos my Mom took when she was visiting earlier this year.  These are good ol’ Colorado wild turkeys in our neighborhood.  The babies got stuck in our backyard for a little while.  I have pictures, but they are blurry.  After the mama turkey got her babies out, they walked around to the front down the street and My Mom caught up to them.  Look at the little baby turkeys!  So cute!

God bless you all!  Have a great time eating turkey and being thankful!

 

Good morning and God bless you all!  Psalm 57:10 is a powerful verse that explains God’s character and How He operates in His relationship with us.  Love and Faithfulness.  That is who God is!  He is Love and He is Faithful and I can testify that He has been loving and faithful to me even when I have been unlovable and unfaithful.  I praise God that His love reaches to the heavens and His faithfulness reaches to the skies!  Whatever struggles, challenges, or pain you are dealing with today, please remember this one verse explaining who God is and how He loves His children.  Great is His love and faithfulness for you!  Don’t ever forget that!

Grace and peace to you all this fine Sunday the Lord has made!

This is a powerful testimony that was a blessing to me and I pray it is a blessing to you as well!  Scotty Smiley was a soldier in the United States Army Rangers and he was blinded in the fighting in Mosul, Iraq.  He shared his testimony with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association podcast ministry called “God.  People.  Stories.”  It also includes a powerful sermon from Billy Graham on our hope in Jesus.  May it encourage and inspire your faith as it did mine!  God bless you all!

“It was nothing but fear, anxiety and stress and I didn’t know what to do.”

-Scotty Smiley

“Scotty Smiley lost his eyesight in Iraq after a suicide car bomb blew shrapnel into his eyes.  His world went dark, physically and spiritually, and Scotty was furious at God for letting it happen.

Today, though, Scotty has an “unseen hope” that stems from his relationship with Jesus Christ.  Scotty and his wife, Tiffany, share their story on this episode of GPS: God. People. Stories.”

-BGEA

Please click the link below to listen to the GPS Podcast from the BGEA:

A Wounded Veteran’s Anger Toward God

Grace and peace to you all in Jesus’ Name!

May we all trust God no matter what challenges we face!

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…”

Romans 1:16

Good morning friends and family!  We are on Thanksgiving Break now and we are so thankful for that!  My wife and kids don’t go back to school until the 26th, so we get 9 days off to chill and spend time together!  I love them so much and I’m so glad they are home!  The Lord spoke that verse in Micah to my heart this morning.  It has been a rough week of spiritual battle and the Lord has been speaking to me about my questions and this ministry He has called me to.  I just about shut down my Twitter and I almost walked away from this blog this week, but I have the victory in Jesus and He will not let me be defeated!  Yesterday, the Lord reminded me about my baptism and that I am not my own.  This morning He spoke to my heart about how I am to walk with Him as I live out the plans He has for me.  He brought to my mind that one simple yet powerful verse with three ways the Lord wants me to walk with Him.

Act justly

Love mercy

Walk humbly with your God

Seems simple enough, but it is not and we desperately need the Holy Spirit to help us with every step of our walk with the Lord.  The one part of that Scripture God had me focus on the most was “walk humbly with your God.”  It reminds me of the other verse the Lord always speaks to me regarding Hezekiah from the Book of Isaiah:

“But what can I say?

He has spoken to me, and

he himself has done

this.

I will walk humbly all my

years

because of this anguish of

my soul.”

Isaiah 38:15

If you have never read about Hezekiah, you can read about his illness and healing in Isaiah chapter 38.  That is exactly how I felt in the worst throws of my suffering.  I understand great anguish to the point of death.

“I said, “In the prime of my life

must I go through the

gates of death

and be robbed of the rest

of my years?”

Isaiah 38:10

The Lord has also shown me what is good as He restored me to health and let me live!  I am here doing this blog today because He gave me my breath back by a miracle!  I shouldn’t even be alive, but I am, and it’s all because of God and His love, mercy, and forgiveness!

“Lord, by such things men

live;

and my spirit finds life in

them too.

You restored me to health

and let me live.

Surely it was for my benefit

that I suffered such

anguish.

In your love you kept me

from the pit of

destruction;

you have put all my sins

behind your back.”

Isaiah 38:16-17

If you believe in Jesus, all of your sins are behind His back!  God restores and heals us because He loves us!  I should have died during my suffering, but God kept me from the pit of destruction and I give Him praise for that!

Yes, the Lord has shown me what is good.  I am very thankful to be alive and I repent for any discouragement I may have caused with my prayer request earlier this week.  It is good to approach the throne of grace with freedom and confidence, but I pray I would approach God with humility…even when I’m angry.

The Lord showed me that He created us because He loves us.  He does not want anyone to perish!  The Lord showed me that free will is the answer regarding fairness and I will take that on faith in agreement with the Lord.  We didn’t ask to be here, but we were created because God loves us and we were created for eternal life with Him!  He gives us free will, so we can choose, and He gives everyone a chance to receive Him.  I am so thankful for the gift of life that God gave me!  I am so thankful for my wife and children and their love!  I have breath in my lungs because of Him, so I will breathe out life and say, “Glory to God!”

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.  The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

2 Peter 3:8-9

Moving forward I want you all to know that I will always be real, but if I need prayer I will ask for prayer without the angry outburst at God.  Please forgive me.  I am one of God’s soldiers and I have been through many battles over the last 22 years following Jesus.  Sometimes I get beat up in battle, but praise God I have the victory through our Lord Jesus!  He is always, and I mean always, faithful to lift me up again!

God bless you all!  Thank you for all the love, support, prayer, and encouragement you have shown me!  Yes, the Lord has shown me what is good in so many ways and I pray that I will be a good and faithful servant who acts justly, loves mercy, and walks humbly with our God–the Almighty I AM–in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Grace and peace to you all!  Have a beautiful weekend wrapped in God’s love!

“To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy–to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!  Amen.”

Jude 1:24-25

 

 

 

 

That’s me getting baptized in October of 1998.  Man it was cold!  That dude in the shorts standing next to me is my great long time friend from college.  He was baptized right before I was.  We both accepted Christ our freshman year at the University of Northern Colorado in ’96 and we are brothers in Christ to the end!  Getting baptized was awesome and the Lord moved in power in the Holy Spirit while I was under the water!

Many of you know I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior in October of 1996.  Why I waited two years to get baptized, I don’t know.  I was 18 when I got saved and there was a lot going on in college.  My friend grew up Catholic, but he had never accepted Christ.  I was just an unbeliever who liked to party.  We both started going to Campus Crusade for Christ and God used that ministry in both of our lives in mighty ways and we both got saved!  Praise God!  Love you brother!

How did the Lord move in power when I was under the water?  God spoke to me!  I did not fully understand what God had said to me at the moment you see in the picture, but He taught me and He is still teaching me what He meant by it.  While I was under the water for those few short seconds, I heard God say to me:

“You died.”

That’s it, nothing more.  Those two words have stayed in my mind and heart ever since.  I was eating breakfast this morning after my first blog post and the Lord reminded me of my baptism and what He had said to me.  He wants me to remember that my life at age 40 is still not my own and it has not been since I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior when I was 18.  Those two words God spoke to me are encouraging, humbling, and convicting and it puts my focus directly where it needs to be every time God brings it to mind.

I think the Apostle Paul does an excellent job of explaining what God meant when He told me, “You died.”  Let me direct your attention to Paul’s letter to the Colossians to gain a deeper understanding of my underwater message from God.

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

Colossians 3:1-4

Man, let that sink in for a moment if you belong to Christ!  We died when we accepted Jesus!  That is, our old self that did not submit to God and was controlled by the sinful nature.  That man or woman died when we accepted Jesus!  Why do we set our minds on things above?  Because we have been “raised with Christ” where He is “seated at the right hand of God,” that’s why!  If you belong to Jesus through your faith in Him, then you died and your new life is now hidden in Jesus.  He is your life!  The life we live now is “hidden with Christ in God” for all eternity and someday we will “appear with him in glory!”  Praise God!

I’m glad I died and I’m really glad God told me, “You died.”  I don’t want to have anything to do with the old me.  That guy can stay dead.  Jesus Christ is my life and He is the only reason I am alive!

What kinds of things belonged to my old self that died?  What are the things that need to stay dead in my life?  Well, Paul has some excellent practical advice on living our lives for Jesus since we died and our “life is now hidden with Christ in God.”

“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.  Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.  You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.  But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.  Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.  Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.”

Colossians 3:5-11

Praise God that I died and Christ now lives in me!  I don’t want any of those nasty sins of my old self in my life with Jesus!  Since we know what kinds of things belong to the old self that needs to die, what are the attributes of the new self that is “being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator?”  Paul has something to say about that too!

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

Colossians 3:12-14

That is the new self that God gives to every person who believes in Jesus Christ!  He puts to death your old self with all the vile sinful rebellion and He renews you into His own image full of His beautiful and holy virtues wrapped in love!  Those who believe in Jesus are being renewed every day and we are called holy and dearly loved!  May the Lord clothe us with all of those virtues and may we live abundant lives in His forgiveness and love, in the Name of Jesus, Amen!

Paul also gives us very practical ways to live life peacefully in our new self that is hidden in Jesus.  Living this way will help us strengthen our new self and make sure that old self stays dead.

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.  And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Colossians 3:15-17

I am so glad my old self died!  Thank You Jesus!!!  May we never forget that truth!  When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we die and we are given a new life in Christ that far surpasses anything we could have ever lived in our old life of sin and death.  We have been raised with Christ and filled with His love!  Praise God we will appear with Him in glory!  I pray we all let His peace rule in our hearts, we would be thankful with a song in our hearts, let His Word dwell in us richly as we share the word of God in His wisdom, and live our lives fully for Jesus no matter what we do, in Jesus’ Name, Amen!

“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ–the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”

Philippians 3:7-9

“But our citizenship is in heaven.  And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”

Philippians 3:20-21

Remember, if you believe in Jesus, then “You died,” and you were given a new self with a new life and that life is Jesus!  He has raised you up and He is your life, and when your journey is complete, He will take you home to Heaven to rest for eternity in His glory!

Grace and peace to you all!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

2 Corinthians 5:17

 

 

Good morning friends and family!  Blessings to you all in the Name of Jesus!  Consider that verse in Romans this morning.  We all need clothes to go about our day.  We have our undies, shirt, pants or dress, socks, and shoes and we all have to put on our clothes before we walk out the door.  Before we start our day, the Lord wants us to think about clothing ourselves with one more very important covering, and that is Jesus Christ!

We live in a battlefield and we need to clothe ourselves with Jesus just like we clothe our bodies.  Cover yourself completely and wrap yourself in Jesus!  Let His love warm your heart and let his forgiveness and mercy cover all your sins!  Whatever you do, just don’t leave the house without clothing yourself in Jesus first!

Through Jesus we can overcome our sinful nature and not even think about how to gratify its evil desires.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t ever want to leave the house naked, and I definitely don’t ever want to leave the house without covering myself in Jesus!  Jesus is our protection and comfort.  Jesus is our peace.  Jesus is our defender.  Don’t leave home without Him!

Grace and peace to you all!

That is a powerful verse of truth we can truly rest in!  Jesus Christ is the Righteous One and He speaks to God in our defense!  That is incredible!  No matter who you are or what you have done, when you believe in Jesus Christ you are forgiven and He defends you!  Even if we stumble, He defends us and lifts us up again!  Praise God!

Check out what the next verse says:

“He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”

1 John 2:2

It is through our faith in Jesus that we find forgiveness of sins and are reconciled back to God.  Don’t ever forget that!  Jesus is the only One, the Righteous One, who died for your sins.  Jesus is the atoning sacrifice.  Not works or religion or any other way.

What does atoning mean?  In the dictionary it means “to make amends, to appease, to reconcile, to bring into agreement, and to bring into unity.”  That is what Jesus did for us when He died on that cross!  Through Jesus Christ the whole world can make amends for their sins!  Through His sacrifice Jesus appeased the wrath of God as God’s wrath was poured out on Him for our sins.  Through faith in Jesus Christ the whole world is offered reconciliation with God the Father and He alone brings us into agreement and unity with God!  Jesus Christ is the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world!

Keep that truth deep in your heart and let it grow!  Jesus is the Righteous One and He “speaks to the Father in our defense!”  There is no other name that we can be saved by (Acts 4:12) and no one else will speak for you before the Father in Heaven.  You must know Jesus to be saved!

Consider the verses just before chapter 2 of 1 John:

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

1 John 1:5-7

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”

1 John 1:8-10

God is NOT a liar folks!  We all know deep in our souls that we have sinned.  All of us have, and we all desperately need forgiveness from our Savior.

“But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.  This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Romans 3:21-24

“God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.  He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished–he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”

Romans 3:25-26

That is why Jesus is called the Righteous One and that is why He has the power to speak in defense of every single person who believes in Him!  Jesus is our atonement and we are justified and redeemed through His blood alone!  That my friends is real hope!  Thank You Jesus!

“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.  As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”  For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 10:9-13

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”

Romans 8:1-2

Grace and peace to you all in the Righteous Name of Jesus!

I have always liked watching the clouds roll by to reveal blue skies and I have always liked watching the morning mist evaporate in the glorious rays of sunrise.  The book of Isaiah prophesied the coming of Jesus and how He would bring forgiveness to the whole world.  The name Isaiah literally means “YAHWEH is salvation” in Hebrew.  The major message throughout the entire prophetic book of Isaiah is a call to return to the Lord, and forgiveness of sins and salvation through the Messiah Jesus.  Last night, the Lord showed me the above verse in Isaiah 44:22 and it is a beautiful image of how we have been forgiven through Jesus!

Remember that today!  If you believe in Jesus Christ, then your sins have been swept away like the clouds and morning mist!  If you have stumbled, get back up because you are redeemed!  Press on and return to the Lord!  He is waiting for you with open arms!

I pray we rest in the deep and perfect forgiveness of the Lord.  A forgiveness that sweeps away our sins as if they never happened!  God, YAHWEH, the Great I AM, is loving, forgiving, and good and He longs for us to return to Him moment by moment every day!

If you do not know Jesus yet, please know that He longs to sweep away your sins and redeem you!  Let the God of all creation save your soul!  God is love and He longs to forgive you and receive you as His child!

Grace and peace to you all!

Be blessed and rest in the forgiveness we have through Jesus!

“But he was pierced for our

transgressions,

he was crushed for our

iniquities;

the punishment that

brought us peace was

upon him,

and by his wounds we are

healed.”

Isaiah 53:5