Tag: Forgiveness

Please enjoy this awesome encouraging song by TobyMac!

Speak Life

Grace and forgiveness to us all in the Name of Jesus!  Love to all of my brothers and sisters–even the ones I disagree with!  Peace!

I just want to make it very clear to everyone in the whole world that I have never in my life claimed to be a prophet and I don’t have any fancy titles and I don’t use fancy phrases.  I never went to seminary, and I am not a pastor.  I have served Jesus since October of 1996 and I’m just me.  I did receive four years of training in the Bible, discipleship, and evangelism through Campus Crusade for Christ when I was in college (’96-2000), and that solid foundation of training has been a blessing in preaching the Gospel and ministering to people in need.  I am currently medically unemployed due to Celiac Disease and I don’t pretend to be anybody.  I am nothing.  Just dust and breath.  A sinner saved by grace, and nothing more.  I don’t pretend to be anything.  I received salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  Freely I have received, freely I give.  If you would like to read my testimony, please click the link below.

Heart Poured Out

I have been open and honest about who I am and who I was before I knew Jesus.  I have never hidden my “true nature” from anyone.  I have been honest about my sinful nature and how God saved me.  From the day I started this blog, I have been straightforward about my life and my faith.  I have shared stories and pictures of my family.  I have shared my struggles.  I have preached the truth in love.  I don’t have to hide from anyone.  I am a redeemed child of God!  Be careful who you judge and the kind of judgments that come out of your mouth.  Calling someone a “false prophet” is very serious!  I don’t know any prophets and I’m sure not one!  I am just a man who God has called to preach the Gospel like He has with many Christians around the world.  That’s it.  I rebuke anyone in the Name of Jesus who calls me a prophet or false prophet!  I am neither of those titles and I never will be!

I have never given myself a fancy title and I never received one from God or man.  I don’t use fancy phrases.  I just write how I write.  If you feel that is fancy, well okay, I’m not trying to be.  This is just how the Spirit writes through me.  All the glory goes to God for everything that is written on this blog.

It is sad when Christians try to justify their sins and mistakes instead of repenting.  It is hurtful when brothers in Christ lash out in sinful anger.  For instance, cussing is cussing.  The D word, The S word, The F word–yes, all of those are cussing and considered “unwholesome talk” (Ephesians 4:29), and if you don’t know that or if you use those words and try to justify using them, then you have a lot more to learn.  As I said in my post titled Tongue of Fire, I struggled with bad language for a long time.  I do not judge anyone.  I leave that to the Lord and His Word.  His Word is convicting enough!  If you want to fight God over His Word, okay, enjoy that.  You are going to lose that fight.

I am just a sinner saved by grace striving to live out His Word, and I pray for the strength to do it victoriously.  Am I perfect?  No, but I keep moving forward in His grace, forgiveness, and love every day, and so should you.

Grace and peace to you all!

 

There is an old saying here in Colorado, “if you don’t like the weather, just wait five minutes.”  The weather can change rapidly and viciously here.  Blizzards, lighting, and the notorious Colorado hail are among the worst.  I love my state, but we have to be prepared for the ever changing weather that comes down from the Rocky Mountains.

Do you know who doesn’t change though?  Jesus!  He doesn’t change like the finicky weather.  He is the same today as He was almost 2,000 years ago!

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Hebrews 13:8

That is great news folks!  That means His love for you remains the same.  He does not change like we do!  I love that stability from Jesus.  I can trust Him completely!

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.  I and the Father are one.”

Jesus speaking in John 10:27-30

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise–the fruit of lips that confess his name.”

Hebrews 13:15

That is what I am going to do today.  I am going to focus on Jesus and praise Him for His love for me that never changes!  I love our ever changing weather here in Colorado, but I am very glad that is not how Jesus is.  He stays true to us forever, and no one can snatch us out of His hand!

You can trust in Jesus!  Salvation and Life are in His hands!

Grace and peace to you all!

 

Well folks, today is the 1 month anniversary for this blog!  This will be my 95th post in 30 days, and I just want to give glory to God!  Thank you all for your support and encouragement!  The Lord brought to mind a great old TobyMac song this morning.  It is a perfect way to start the day with our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith!

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Hebrews 12:1-3

Don’t lose heart today brothers and sisters!  The Lord is preparing great things for us!  May we keep our eyes on our one true love and our only hope!  He will break open the sky someday, and we will see His glory!

Please enjoy some peaceful praise and worship music from brother TobyMac this morning and may God bless you with a heart full of joy!

Break Open The Sky

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.  I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.  They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”  Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Revelation 21:1-5

The Lord is making all things new, even now!  He will wipe away every tear!  Trust in that truth today!

“He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus.

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people.  Amen.”

Revelation 22:20-21

Grace and peace to you all!

 

“The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings.  Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.”

1 Corinthians 16:19

Good morning and blessings to you all on this fine Sunday that the Lord has made!  Thank you all for your prayers!  They are being answered!  I am feelin’ the Spirit and I would like to take you all to church today!

Now I know many of you have never gone to church and might not ever step foot in a church.  I get that and I understand!  Church can be weird for a lot of people.  I also know many of you don’t even have access to a church.  That’s okay!  I am not talking about taking you to a building called church.  I am talking about how the first century Christians had church…right in their homes!

The church is the worldwide body of believers known as the Body of Christ.  Wherever we gather together to worship Jesus and learn about Him and His teachings is church.  We are the church!

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

1 Corinthians 12:27

Every Holy Spirit anointed blog giving glory to Jesus and correctly preaching and teaching God’s Word, The Bible, is church!  Church is any place a body of believers gathers together to learn about the Lord and grow in the knowledge, love, and grace of Jesus Christ.  It is also a place where believers minister to and share Christ with people who don’t know Jesus yet in an environment of love, grace, and forgiveness.  That is what you will find here!  Straight truth from the Bible, a sole focus on Jesus, and lots of love, grace, and forgiveness!

“For I resolved to nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

1 Corinthians 2:2

So, with that, welcome!  I’m glad you are here!  C’mon in! 

You can even wear your jammies (or “jim jams” if you’re from Australia) at this church!  Just like the ancient believers, we can meet and learn about Jesus and God’s Kingdom right from our own homes!  Praise God we can use the internet for His glory!

Before the message, I just want to start with a prayer:

“Father God, I lift up every single person who reads this today.  Open up our minds and hearts to Your Word.  Please speak to us in the Holy Spirit and reveal yourself to us in new and mighty ways!  Thank you Lord that you hear us.  May Your will be done in all things.  In the Name of Jesus, Amen!”

The Apostle Paul wrote the letter of 1 Corinthians around 55 A.D. just a few years after establishing the church there.  He wrote the letter due to distressing reports of the church being caught up in all kinds of sin: idolatry, sexual immorality, divisions, misusing spiritual gifts, and teaching lies being among the top.  It is a serious letter of Paul rebuking and pleading with the church to remember their first love Jesus and hold fast to him.

According to research on Corinth by David G. Horell, professor of New Testament Studies and director for the center of Biblical Studies at the University of Exeter, U.K.:

“The city lies at an important trading position about six miles to the southwest of the narrow isthmus that separates the Corinthian and Saronic gulfs.  Ancient Corinth had two nearby ports: Lechaeum to the north and Cenchreae to the east.  In ancient times, ships were pulled across the narrow stretch of land separating east and west on a paved road known as the diolkos.”

http://www.bibleodyssey.org/places/main-articles/corinth

I would like to focus on one particular passage of Scripture from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians.  He is talking about the Holy Spirit and How He searches all things.  Paul is trying to impress on the new believers that they have very real power in the Holy Spirit!  He wants them to understand that they should not live immorally now that they have God’s Spirit inside of them.

“However, as it is written:

“No eye has seen,

no ear has heard,

no mind has conceived

what God has prepared for

those who love him”–

but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.  The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.  For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him?  In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.  We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.”

1 Corinthians 2:9-12

Did you catch that?  When you have the Holy Spirit, God allows you to know His thoughts through the Spirit!  God gives us deep understanding and wisdom as the Spirit searches our hearts and minds.  Did you know that?  That the Holy Spirit searches you deeply, so that you can have more of the kind of thoughts God has?  Yeah, it’s incredible!

We cannot even imagine the wonderful things God has prepared for us!  The Holy Spirit searches us, so that we may know God better.  To know Him deeply…even to the point of having His thoughts in our minds!

Paul continues with his explanation of the Spirit’s power in that passage:

“This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.  The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.  The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment:

“For who has known the

mind of the Lord

that he may instruct

him?”

But we have the mind of Christ.”

1 Corinthians 2:13-16

So, when you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you receive the Holy Spirit and through God’s Spirit you have God’s thoughts and the mind of Christ!  Like I said, incredible!  Folks, the only reason I understand the Bible is because of the Holy Spirit.  It is the Spirit that leads me in the Word and teaches me.  It is the Spirit empowering me to preach the Gospel.  It is the Spirit refreshing and sanctifying my mind every day.

The Bible was foolishness to me and I did not understand it before I had the Holy Spirit.  After I accepted Jesus in 1996, it was like the Words of the Bible were flying off the pages right into my mind and heart.  It felt that way because that is exactly what the Holy Spirit does!

“..I will put my laws in their

minds

and write them on their hearts.

I will be their God,

and they will be my

people.”

Hebrews 8:10

The Holy Spirit actually deposits God’s Word in our minds and writes God’s Word on our hearts after we receive Jesus Christ as Lord!  You are never going to understand the Bible in the spiritual power it was written in without the power of the Holy Spirit!  You must have the mind of Christ!

For all of you who don’t know Jesus yet, you can come to know Him and receive the Holy Spirit today!  God’s love is for all people on this earth.  No matter where you are from, He died for you too.  Repenting means turning away from your sin and turning towards God and living His Way instead.  The Way to get back to the God Who created you is through His Son Jesus.  The gift of forgiveness of sins and salvation through Jesus is a free gift you could never earn.  I pray you receive that gift today!

May the Holy Spirit lift us all up today, search us deeply, and make our minds and hearts more like Jesus!  In the Powerful Name of Jesus, Amen!

Grace and peace to you all!

 

 

 

Oh how very true that verse is for all of us!  The tongue is a hard thing to control isn’t it?  According to God’s Word, we must choose carefully what we say and how we say it.

The things we say come from our hearts.  If our hearts are filled with righteousness, we will speak righteousness.  If our hearts are filled with unrighteousness, we will speak unrighteousness.  It’s just that simple.

“The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.  For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”

Jesus speaking in Luke 6:45

So, whenever you speak, it is your heart talking.  We need to make sure our hearts are filled with the right things then!  Here is some excellent advice from the Apostle Paul on how to fill your heart with good things.

“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

Getting all of that worry and anxiety out of your heart and mind will most definitely help you fill your heart with the goodness of God.  Lift up everything to Him.  Anything you can imagine or want to discuss!  Give it all to Him!  That will help you speak life with your tongue and not speak death.  Did you know the tongue has that power?  Yes, remember the verse above, it can spark destructive fires in our lives.

“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Proverbs 18:21

Don’t love the tongue then!  Speak life over yourself and others, and flee from speaking death!  Here is more of God’s wisdom from the Book of Proverbs.

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Proverbs 15:1

“The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.”

Proverbs 15:2

“The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.”

Proverbs 15:4

You can see how important it is to control our tongues.  Since our hearts are tied to our tongues, let’s look at more Scripture about that.  The Apostle Paul has more excellent advice on how to fill our hearts with the good things of God.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.”

Philippians 4:8

That goes well beyond worldly positive thinking!  In order to do that, we need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and the sealed hope of Heaven!  And we do that by the power of the Holy Spirit!  You are not going to speak evil or death when your heart is swimming in what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy!

When writing to the church at Ephesus, Paul encourages the believers to live as children of light.  He does not want them speaking dirty or discouraging to each other.  He wants them to lift each other up!

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Ephesians 4:29

Can you imagine how great our relationships would be if we stopped to think about other people’s needs and what is helpful for building others up first before we speak?  That would definitely help tame our tongues!  I pray we all do that, in Jesus’ Name, Amen!

In the Book of James is where we find the very famous Scriptures on taming the tongue.  Let’s take a look at what James has to say about our ever restless tongues.  It will help us see more clearly just how important it is to control it.

“We all stumble in many ways.  If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.

When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.  Or take ships as an example.  Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.  Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.  Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.  The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.  It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”

James 3:2-6

Whoa!  That’s intense!  I don’t want my tongue set on fire by hell, and I definitely don’t want to hurt or burn anyone with it!  It is amazing that we can control the entire course of our lives with our tongue!  What a great freedom and a most serious responsibility!  So serious it holds the power of life and death!

“All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue.  It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.  Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.  My brothers, this should not be.  Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?  My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?  Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.”

James 3:7-12″

Folks, I am writing this today because I have a deep conviction about this.  I struggled with my tongue for years as I suffered Celiac.  I was angry about the disease and I let my tongue fly wildly way too many times!  I burned and hurt my family and friends, and I had to ask for forgiveness.  I had trouble with bad language and slander, and the Lord set me straight with all these verses!  Please hear me, the Lord cares very much about what you say and how you say it.  As Ambassadors of Christ, please remember this.  We are not representing ourselves.  We are representing Jesus.  I pray that the Lord will empower us in the Holy Spirit to speak life wherever we go!

Speak life into your heart!

Speak life into your health!

Speak life into your marriage!

Speak life into your kids!

Speak life into your friendships!

Speak life into your work!

Speak life into everything!

If you are struggling with your tongue (and we all do at some point), then hand it over to the Lord.  The Holy Spirit will remove the unwholesome talk from your heart and bring peace.  This is a very effective prayer I prayed for many years and I still do:

“Lord Jesus, please give me an undivided heart that I may fear your name and love you first.  Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of my mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  Help me be slow to speak, quick to listen, and slow to become angry.  Deliver me from anger and heal my heart Lord.  Fill me with the Holy Spirit and help me speak life Lord!  Amen!”

James gives us more wise advice that we can use to tame our tongues.

“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.  Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the world planted in you, which can save you.  Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.”

James 1:19-22

So, in order to live that way we must humbly accept God’s word that has been planted in us and do what it says.  More of God’s Word in our hearts=more taming of the tongue.  Praise God He gives us the Holy Spirit to help us and His Spirit is full of power, love, and self-discipline!  We need that power and love to be self-controlled, especially when it comes to our tongues!  Put that burning tongue of fire on ice with God’s Word in the power of the Holy Spirit today!  It is very refreshing and you’ll be glad you did!

Grace and peace to you all!

Happy Friday in the Wonderful love of Jesus!

I had a great drive running around town doing my errands!  I was listening to music with the windows down just praising and celebrating the Lord!  It is a beautiful Colorado day with a nice cool breeze from the Rockies, and I give glory to God for it all!

Here is another great song by Tauren Wells off of his album “Hills and Valleys”!  This song also features another Christian artist named Hollyn.  She came on the scene a few years ago, and she is a strong sister making a cool and unique impact in Christ.  May we all keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and reflect His love to a lost and hurting world!  Amen!

All About You (feat. Hollyn)

Grace and peace to you all!

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12:2

 

 

“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Corinthians 1:3

Good morning everyone!  I have some errands I have to do this morning, but I wanted to post a blessing to you all before I head out.

Grace and peace.  Think on those two words today!

Grace in that God loves us so much that He died for us and forgave all of our sins!

Peace that flows like a river of living water inside our souls!

Grace and peace are yours from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ!  That mighty free gift to us is paid for in full through the Blood of Jesus!  All you have to do is freely receive it!

Hallelujah!  Grace and peace to you all!

 

I wanted to share another song with everyone by Tauren Wells!  It is a song of hope and encouragement and it has a beautiful message!  Enjoy!

When We Pray

Grace and peace to you all!  Let Your Kingdom come Lord, and let Your will be done!  Amen!