How Big is Your God?

I shared last month I would revisit the Chutes and Ladders concept. It caught my attentions recently that an artist decided to portray in his work at a Fall festival here in Michigan a life-sized board game of Hasbro brand game of Chutes and Ladders. http://blog.mlive.com/annarbornews/2007/09/fallapalooza_visitors_compete.html

The guests at the festival could take turns spinning a life-sized spinner and playing the giant 40 x 80 square foot board game. I noticed that from the photo the artist didn't paint in the pictures of the children either doing their "good deed" and going up the ladder or making a poor choice resulting in sliding down, down, down the chutes to only sit and wail at the bottom of the slide from once again messing up in life.

That game is just way too reflective of what seemed to be the yo-yo mentality that I used to live as a believer. I grew weary of trying to do good deeds which gave me a temporary fulfillment and then other times messing up because of my human nature which caused me tears and focusing on my guilty conscience. So you could say I decided to get off that life-sized board game and play by the rules that are due a son of God. Joy wells up inside of me when I focus on that! Jesus said, "Fear not, little flock, for it is the Father's GOOD PLEASURE TO GIVE YOU THE KINGDOM.

I'm delighted that I have recently discovered that real life for the believer does not have to mirror this disappointing board game. I've discovered and have a revelation that God is NOT waiting to push me down the chutes of despair when I make less than holy choices. I'm glad I've discovered that God wants his children to be going from glory to glory and not up ladders and down chutes. I have a healthier view of myself and am reminded from Psalms 16:3 "As for the godly (the saints) who are in the land, they are the excellent, the noble, and the glorious, in whom is all my delight."

I'm glad that experience is NOT based on my own righteousness but ONLY by what Jesus has already accomplished for me by his death, burial and resurrection on Calvary. God has already judged the world and sees me just-as-if-I'd (justified) never sinned. He holds nothing against us so I don't have to wait for Him to feel the need to shove me down that slide. That IS GOOD NEWS!!!

But what about those problems we are all experiencing? Well, I want to challenge us today to ask God to give us His perspective of those problems.

If you have taken in the most rudimentary class on art, one of the first things they teach you either for painting, drawing or photography is perspective. There is the focal point of your work of art and there is the foreground and the background. When you begin your portrayal of your artwork you must choose what is called a vantage point. This to put it simply is from what advantage you want your focal point to be seen. Do you want your image to be show from a bug's eye view or a bird's eye view?

Well, the same is true when it comes to our problems. Good News! We get to choose our vantage point. God wants us to pray in the spirit and then expect to receive from him his perspective of the particular situation.

Jeremiah 33:3 says, "Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand)".

Are we viewing our problems from our earthly vantage point where the problems look looming and cast an ominous shadow upon us OR are we expecting to see this situations from where we are seated with Christ at the right hand of the Father in Heavenly places?

I'm also reminded of the scripture in Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.

Just this week I came across a great quote from Greg Laurie:

Small God--big problems. Big God--small problems.

It just that simple. We need to humble our selves or another word for humble is to agree with God's Word about who He is and who we are IN CHRIST. Do we choose to see our problems from our earthy vantage point OR mount up with wings like eagles and soar far above the storms of life? When we ask Him to give us His perspective on our situation then we can use our authority given to us by Christ (Matthew 10) to cast down the powers and principalities that hinder us from accomplishing God's will in our lives.

Enjoy this song by Chris Tomlin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjxPG_mRHDs&feature=related
How big is your God? My God is Mighty to SAVE!!!!

Chutes and Ladders

I want to paint a picture for you of how I viewed my spiritual walk previous to having the revelation of God's grace a love extended to me.

It was like two steps forward, ten steps back. I would do something to please God and then forget to pray or get lazy about reading the Word then I would feel like I had to pay God back to get back to the puny little amount of his favor that I thought I "deserved".

I would compare myself to others. Oh, I have taught Sunday School for over 20 years and this person over here can't take it for even 6 months. Or I would avoid doings some "spiritual" things because I compared my spiritual walk to another sister or brother. I would brag to myself about one act of service and put myself down about another.

I might enjoy serving in one area of the Church but then think how can that be considered service if I like it so it must not count toward getting God's favor... and on and on with such a works type mentality.

I knew I was saved by God's grace and would make it to heaven based on what Jesus accomplished but I thought I had to pray just so and read just so many chapters in the Bible or accomplish just so many acts of service before God would even glance my direction. I was two steps forward and ten steps back constantly and this way of thinking--this mindset--is what prevented me from living the life that God has called me to.

Remember that board game called Chutes and Ladders? I always wondered why I hated that game. It's because that's how I viewed life as a believer. I would do some good and sow some good seed and I would get something good. I would move forward on the board. Just a few more squares to go and I will get to taste victory! I'm getting closer to being noticed by the Holy God of Israel!!!

But then I spin the spinner and it causes me to land on one of those blasted chutes and I would slide down- down -down sometime right back to where I started. But I keep trying and striving and eventually I will make it to the top.

When I played this game with my little daughters I would feel so badly when they landed on the square that pronounced them doomed to slide down the wretched chute. It was another defeat! It was another seed sown that grew up and choked out the Word in their life. It was Satan coming to kill, steal and destroy because of some sin in their life.

This type of mindset is so prevalent in the Body of Christ. We have a very limited view of God's grace. We seem to have "saved by grace" completely figured out. But when someone is already born-again we tell them they must be 100% clean and stay that way for God to ever see fit to use them for his purposes. So we live our spiritual lives like the wretched game Chutes and Ladders.

But you are talking about the Law of Sowing and Reaping, you may ask.

Yes, I am. But didn't Jesus say that as long as the earth remained there would be sowing and reaping? Yes, but he also said in John chapter four that God would sow so that we could reap.

John 4: 37 & 38For in this the saying holds true, One sows and another reaps.³⁸I sent you to reap a crop for which you have not toiled. Other men have labored and you have stepped in to reap the results of their work.

God sent Jesus like a seed that we could reap the benefits! That is just too good and just too sweet! That sets us free from the law of sowing and reaping and sets us free from that cycle of going up ladders and sliding down chutes. WOW!!!!

I love what Jesus reminds us in John 17:23 "I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me."

Jesus is saying here that just as Jesus is loved by the Father, I am loved by the Father and because of what Jesus did for me--all of us-- that we are made perfect by what Jesus accomplished AND the world is going to see this as a fact. But we need to have a revelation --a deep conviction--that this is the truth in us.

Hey, this is such a rich topic, I'm going to expound upon my thoughts further in a few days. See you then!

Grace! My debt has been paid in full!!!!

I've been thinking.

Let's suppose I took out a loan for a million dollars. Then I realize I have no possible way to pay this loan back within my life time. I struggle and strive to pay it back but the interest just keeps growing and I can't even touch the principle amount of the loan.

Then I find out that someone went to the bank and paid more to the bank what I owed them. In fact, that person paid my debt even before I was born knowing that I would need this gift bestowed to me. Well, that's good news!

I would be pretty silly to keep paying the bank, now wouldn't I? The bank can keep threatening me to pay but I just show them the deed of payment: PAID IN FULL!

Jesus paid in full what the Law of sin and death said I owed!

I would be pretty silly to keep letting the devil accuse me of sin since Jesus paid it in full!

I would be pretty silly to keep allowing the devil to rob me of what is rightfully mine since the debt is paid in full.

I would be pretty silly to not thank the Savior of my soul for paying in full the price of redeeming mankind from an eternal life away from God.

Isaiah 52:1&2
Awake! Awake! Clothe yourself in your strength, O Zion; Clothe yourself in your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; For the uncircumcised and the unclean Will no longer come into you. Shake yourself from the dust, rise up, O captive Jerusalem; Loose yourself from the chains around your neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

Good news! God wants to bless you.

Psalms 16: 7 I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel;
My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.

I don't know about you, but there are things that have been coming up that I need an abundance of wisdom. I'm so thankful that I don't have to beg and plead for our Abba Father to extend his wisdom in my direction. We are promised in Matthew 7 that our Heavenly Father would never give us a snake or a stone if we ask for a good gift.

Think about it, if your child comes to you and asks for something and it is within your power to give it to them, would you refuse? No way! I would be wanting to bless my child with any good thing they ask for. If they ask me what I should do if they are in trouble, I will gladly offer my assistance and even go to the ends of the earth to bring them comfort and save them from trouble. How much more would our Heavenly Father dispatch angels or grant us the request when we ask for His help?

I'm reminded of the prayer in 1 Chronicles 4:10, we read: "And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that Thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that Thine hand might be with me, and that Thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested."

That's the good news! God granted him that which he requested! Praising our wonderful God!!!

Our inheritance--includes healing

In Psalms 16 (our theme for this blog for any new comers) in verse 6 we are given a perfect word picture. We are hedged in on all sides by God's goodness.

"The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance."

Take some time and really think about or mediate what your inheritance is as a believer in Jesus. When you got "saved" or became a believer what came with the package?

Those who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Acts 2:21

Definition of this word in verse 21.

to save, (SOZO SOTERIA) keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction

1. one (from injury or peril)
   1. to save a suffering one (from perishing), i.e. one suffering from disease, to make well, heal, restore to health
   2. to preserve one who is in danger of destruction, to save or rescue
2. to save in the technical biblical sense
   1. negatively 1b
3. to deliver from the penalties of the Messianic judgment 1b
4. to save from the evils which obstruct the reception of the Messianic deliverance

I used to have a very limited understanding of what I was saved from. I thought saved meant saved from an eternity in hell. Because I didn't understand that the word for salvation SOTERIA includes salvation from the devil ripping me off, so I didn't recognize that I didn't have to allow the enemy to steal from me.

Now I take the time and find out what God's Word says about all the benefits of being saved. I now understand that Eternal Life begins the moment you are God's child and as sons and daughters of the Most High we have an blessed inheritance.

But aren't we expected to "suffer" as Christian? For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him Philippians 1:29

I too used to believe this meant to suffer from disease or sickness but this word for suffer. Although this word can include sickness it does not have to mean this. Look at verse 30 as well.

Verse 30 "since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have."

This word for struggle means:

1. an assembly,
   1. a place of assembly: especially an assembly met to see games
   2. the place of contest, the arena or stadium
2. the assembly of the Greeks at their national games
   1. hence the contest for a prize at their games
   2. generally, any struggle or contest
   3. a battle
   4. an action at law, trial

It becomes pretty obvious to us that this type of struggle or conflict that Paul is referring to is not from God but from the outside like the Romans feeding the Christians to the lions for entertainment. So this suffering does not come from God and should be resisted.

The enemy of our souls is like a roaring lion going around devouring those he sees as weak or uninformed about his or her inheritance. The Word of God says to submit to God, RESIST the devil and he will then flee from you. But WE have to do the RESISTING. ( 1 Peter 5:8 and James 4:7)

Psalm 19:14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

So I'm including this list of scriptures on healing so you can take some time (me too!) and mediate on God's Word to stir you faith to believe this is part of your inheritance in the Lord.

I also would challenge you to read aloud these scriptures over and over to yourself because we know the Word says that faith comes by hearing AND by hearing the Word of God. Do you know why that is repeated? (It seemed redundant to me for years) It is repeated because many of us have heard things that have caused "faith" in the wrong things.

Yes, you can have faith in the wrong things because you have been listening to the carnal things (just hearing all the ads for flu and cold season is a good example) So if we want faith in what God's Word says we need to HEAR that. See? Faith comes by hearing AND hearing the Word of God.

And said, If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you (Exodus 15:26).

So you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you (Exodus 23:25).

And the LORD will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known, but will lay them on all those who hate you (Deuteronomy 7:15).

Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases (Psalm 103:1-3).

He also brought them out with silver and gold, and there was none feeble among His tribes (Psalm 105:37).

My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh (Proverbs 4:20-22).

He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:3-5).

That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses (Matthew 8:17).

Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness — by whose stripes you were healed (1 Peter 2:24).

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him (Acts 10:38)

Setting the Lord before me --at ALL times

^{Psalms 16: 8} I have set the LORD always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

I know this is the truth but when I choose to see the circumstances that are more real in this earthly realm then I stumble and can't see that the LORD is ALWAYS before me. I look at the circumstances and of course I cannot see that truth--the LORD is ALWAYS before me.

A song that rings in my heart...

I will not be moved!
I will not be moved!
I'm seated with Christ in heavenly places;
I will not be moved.
No weapon formed against God's people shall ever prosper
I want to be planted by streams of living water.

So I'm purposing to fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith. My faith is being made stronger as I fix my eyes on him and not my circumstances. My faith is growing because I'm listening to God's Word and hearing him speak to my heart even though my circumstances scream in my face. The Lord speaks to my heart.

Rick Manis (author of Fullness: Living Beyond Revivals and Outpouring) reminded us on Sunday that the enemy goes about as a roaring lion (lions walk on the earth) searching for whom he may devour. Where am I? Am I supposed to be walking around like the lion? The Word of God says that I'm seated (established and permanently secure) in heavenly places. The Word of God says that if I trust in the Lord that I can mount up with wings as eagles and soar above my storms.

Luke 12: 32
Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Going Through--See yourself walking in victory!

I was so blessed this week to receive a new song from the Lord. It's about not staying where you are at (depression, sickness, financial lack, spiritual heaviness etc) and going through to the other side where God is leading. Don't give up! Don't sit and whine but rise up and speak God's Word and see yourself walking in victory!

Yea though I walk through...
Yea though I walk through...
I'm goin' through--
I'm goin through--

I'll mount up with wings as eagles
And soar above the storms in my life
No weapon formed against me shall prosper
The Lord's on my side.

Walkin' through the Valley of Dry Bones
A place no man wants to stay
The Lord says SPEAK unto those bones
Now I'm walkin' in victory!

Don't stay where you are at! Don't let the devil steal, kill and destroy your hopes and dreams to walk victoriously. You are a son or daughter of the Most High and as you learn to speak the Word and guard your tongue from speaking/planting evil seeds then you will start to see a harvest of FREEDOM, PROSPERITY, HEALTH, and PEACE.

Have you read my earlier post about the word salvation? Soteria meaning not just being saved in our spirit but also saved from sickness, saved from lack, saved from being molested by the devil. So fix your eyes on the author and perfecter of your faith and tell yourself, the Lord and the devil that you are GOING THROUGH!!!! Speak your faith and your doubt will shrivel up and die!

Why so downcast, oh my soul? Put your hope in God.

We know that David encouraged himself in the Lord. He was in that dark cave with the despondent men who had very little hope in life. They were debtors and down on their luck. Later these discouraged souls become known as the mighty men of valor.

But why does it work? Why does encouraging yourself IN THE LORD help you overcome discouragement?

Well, first we should examine some ways of encouraging oneself in the Lord.

Praise: You knew that would be first. When you lift your voice to praise the Lord, it's nearly impossible to speak doubt. We can't say "Woe is me" and "Praise the Lord" in the same breathe. We have to choose whether we will lift up our faith or speak our problems. The Lord wants you to cry out to Him --of course we are His children--but He wants us to learn to speak His Word and believe we will see His answer. Speak this Psalm aloud and then tell me you don't feel encouraged.

Psalm 147

¹PRAISE THE Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God, for He is gracious and lovely; praise is becoming and appropriate. ²The Lord is building up Jerusalem; He is gathering together the exiles of Israel.³He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds curing their pains and their sorrows.

Prayer: But we need to resist praying the problem. God knows the problem --since you told him twice last week. He wants you to start praying --or speaking -- the answer that's already written in His Word. Remember Job admitting that what he feared had fallen upon him. I want to speak what I want to come upon me NOT what I fear. Fears get more powerful as we speak them aloud. On the other hand, our faith can grow too. Remember Jesus teaching his disciples that the Word of God is like a seed.

Matthew 13:23
But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

I desire to speak God's Word over my situation so that I can see my faith grow and not my fear. That type of prayer will encourage you.

We are reminded in Psalms 107
¹⁹Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivers them out of their distresses.²⁰He sends forth His word and heals them and rescues them from the pit and destruction.²¹Oh, that men would praise [and confess to] the Lord for His goodness and loving-kindness and His wonderful works to the children of men!²²And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving and rehearse His deeds with shouts of joy and singing!

Your Expectation: Do you believe you will always live in a discouraged state with little or no hope? Or are you expecting the Lord to do something wonderful because you are His child and have the favor of the Most High?

Psalms 27: 13 I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.

Life or death in the power of your tongue.
Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

I want the fruit that produces life so I have to speak LIFE!

Okay, so getting back to my original question:
Why does encouraging yourself IN THE LORD help you overcome discouragement?

Because you are COMMANDING your soul to PRAISE the LORD. You don't give your soul any other choice. Like Nike--Just do it!

Listen to this song and speak the words to this Psalm aloud and then realize you COMMANDED your soul to PUT YOUR HOPE IN GOD!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re6bhW-dQRM

Healthy boundaries--rejecting the fear of man.

Just wanted to post this here as a reminder that we need to keep going back to the basics in our belief in God healing us from all our diseases and delivering us from the curse. Remember that we are working on knowing what is our boundaries with the enemy of our soul as well as healthy boundaries with our relationships as well. So this post is about both.

I came to realize not too long ago, that if it is written in the curses from Deuteronomy 28 then it does NOT belong to me or any believer because Jesus took ALL of the curse and I do not have to allow the devil to rip me off. This verse from Deuteronomy 28 describes what I was experiencing when I was dealing with constant, debilitating depression and severe anxiety.

Deuteronomy 28 28The Lord will smite (remember from Ps 16 that our sorrows are from sin and God wants the best for you) you with madness and blindness (I was spiritually blind to God's love for me) and dismay of mind and heart.29And you shall grope at noonday (I felt exhausted and constantly sleepy) as the blind grope in darkness. And you shall not prosper in your ways; and you shall be only oppressed and robbed continually, and there shall be no one to save you. (medication barely took the edge off my symptoms)

I noted in a previous post that when I saw this listed in the curses that I KNEW with 100% certainty that this curse was one that Jesus took for me and I would never again let the devil steal from me again when it came to my mental health and wholeness of my spirit. I am also reminded in the New Covenant in 2Timothy 1:17 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Jesus said that he came to give us life and more abundantly and the devil is here to do his best to steal, kill and destroy in the believer's life. John 10:10.

So to explain, I was struggling with a fear that I had to keep dealing with over and over and I was discouraged that I could not just trust God and experience victory in this particular area of my life. I went to a very dear friend who prayed with me to overcome in this area of fear. It had to do with the fear of man(Proverbs 29 25The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever leans on, trusts in, and puts his confidence in the Lord is safe and set on high.) But let's just say it was one particular person and it affected my emotions and twisted my perspective of a relationship.

When I described to my friend how difficult this fear was for me, I noticed that my eyes would not meet her's when I tried to tell her about it. I was experiencing shame. I knew it was connected to fears that had begun in my childhood and God was doing something in my heart just by confessing to my friend my fear. (James5:15 And the prayer of faith will save him who is sick, and the Lord will restore him; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.16Confess to one another therefore your faults and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The earnest prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available.) While she prayed for me, the Lord revealed to me how I could not look her in the eye and that was shame and whenever there is shame it is connected to the curse. If it is connected to the curse well, I know that does not belong to me.

That's when I spoke aloud (or confessed) that this shame does not belong to me and God has delivered me from all of the curse and Jesus accomplished everything needed to set me free from the condemnation of the law and sin and death that went along with that it. I was allowing my emotions to rule instead of recognizing that God's Word says I am set free from the law of sin and death.

Romans 8 1THEREFORE, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live and walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit.2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed me from the law of sin and of death.

So it's been about a week since praying with my friend and how I recognizing that God wanted me to deal with this fear and the shame that had latched itself to me. I recognized the truth of God Word and now I'm free from that fear of man and free from the shame that was connected. I am set free! God's Word has healed me and has set me free and delivered me from the curse of the law of sin and death. Hallelujah!

Indicator lights

I was thinking about the indicator lights in my car. One came on the other other day that said that something was wrong with my fuel cap. Well, I wiggled the fuel cap and made sure it was tight but the indicator light stayed on until the next time I turn the car on. I guess I "fixed" it. LOL! But the light is only a clue that something might be wrong so I have to be sensitive to discover if it is worth taking the car in and spending big bucks to have it hooked up to the computer or just a weird thing with the sensor like it getting dusty or rattled loose from my bumpy road. I pay attention to those lights because it could be something serious that needs to be fixed right away so I can save my car from destruction or seriously expensive repairs.

We have indicator lights in our natural bodies, don't we? If we are sleepy in the morning and need an extra cup of coffee it might mean we should not have stayed up so late chatting on Facebook or watching that really great ballgame that went into overtime. That indicator might tell us to get our tushes to bed earlier. If we have a sore throat it might indicate to us that we need more vitamin C or eat better. When we step on the scale and we see the digits mysteriously rising higher and higher then we know we need to stop eating ice cream or those extra mashed potatoes like it's a staple to our diets. With the natural indicator lights if we don't pay attention to them our health will be in ruin in a short amount of time.

What indicator lights do we have in other parts of life like our relationships? If I'm having strife with my husband, it might be a signal that I have not been spending quality time with him and just doing things for myself. I need to pay attention when my kids are whining that I never play games with them or take them to the mall. (which I really do not like to shop but they do so I need to make an effort). If we are feeling like nobody likes us and everybody hates us then we need to exam how we have been nurturing our relationships or neglecting those same relationships.

Have we been overly critical? Are we finding that others are saying things about us that maybe are only a shadow of who we truly are? If we find this in our lives, it is possible that we have planted seeds of criticalness or not planting grace into someone elses life when they needed it most. This lack of grace is what we end up reaping when the harvest is ready to come back to us. These are indicators that we need to plant good seeds in our lives so we can reap good fruit and not bitter.

So what are some bitter fruits that we might reap and have to eat if we are not paying attention to what we are sowing?

Bitter fruit
A lack of forgiveness will cause us to eat bitter fruit. If we have some hurt come our way, we have a choice we can speak evil into our lives and bellyache aloud about what that person did to me or I can go to the Father and ask him to heal that hurt. While I'm healing, I don't keep picking at that scab. It will have to keep healing over and over instead of just healing up once and then there is scar that others can see until God has had a chance (it takes time) to totally give you new life in this area of your walk with Him.

Indicator lights might be: lack peace when that person is brought up in conversation, staying stuck in a "woe is me" type attitude, and a general fatigue in both physical and spiritual endeavors.

Repent of bitter fruit seed that you've planted and start speaking what God's Word says about a situation. Speaking the problem over and over is like eating the bitter fruit and replanting all those seeds from that fruit. It won't get better until you change the cycle.

Fruit of lack
If you feel you always want what you can't afford or have fallen into the trap of buying things on credit you may have inadvertently planted seed of lack.

We want something and dwell on it more than God's desires for us and eventually we will be eating the fruit of lack. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desire of your heart. Don't turn this around...you don't get what you want by buttering up the Lord. You get HIS desires when you delight yourself in him. You will be a peace and live a satisfied life when you delight in the Lord.

Fruit of fear
Fear of man is a snare it says in the Word of God. When I feel fear, I try to ask myself if I have leaned toward putting my trust in a person rather than trusting fully on God. I will fall apart quicker than anything when I have been fearing what others think rather than what I know God thinks about me. God thinks I'm the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. He thinks I'm the head and not the tail. He thinks I'm more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus.

Indicators: working so others will like you or to "force" God to notice you and even love you. If we fear what others think we might have the fear of man more than fearing God. When we fear God it leads to wisdom. When we fear man it leads to eating the fruit that makes us feel driven to succeed when in God we are a success!

Fruit of complacency
A feeling like we are spinning our wheels in life and really not going forward. If we have become too comfortable where we are at then we will not take the risks that God intends for us to build up our faith. What is in your life that causes you to stay put in the boat and not want to get out and follow Christ. The feeling of dissatisfaction is actually a blessing in this case since it is the Lord trying to call you out of your comfort zone and press in after Him.

Dry and withered fruit

Let's face it. If we don't nurture the seeds that we've planted then we will have fruit that will not nourish us. We will have "good" fruit but just barely. We can eat it this season but not have any for the next and a famine in our spiritual life is inevitable. If we find our fruit is withered we can start planting seeds today that will produce a good harvest. We need to seek God to know what we are lacking for sweet abundant fruit. Maybe we are letting the enemy rip us off from some good fruit by what we are confessing. Maybe we believe that God wants us to be living abundantly but we keep saying things like, "I'm so sick and tired of dealing with these kids or this stubborn spouse". We are confessing fatigue and withered fruit. We might be believing for God to give our spouse a better job or a promotion with more pay but we keep speaking about all the negative that comes our way, "Life if just so unfair to us. My husband works so hard and no one ever gives him any credit!" When instead we should be saying aloud that we are blessed and highly favored and God is for us so who can be against us! Hallelujah God is good!"

Withered fruit can be season after season if we don't learn to speak God's Word and stop speaking our problems.

Cultivating Expectation

I've been pretty excited about what God is stirring in my heart lately about prayer. The Lord has encouraged me to realize that my expectation is vital to my prayer life.

Today a family member was experiencing some undesirable symptoms related to the pollens in the field and backyard. Normally, I would have a lot of sympathy and pray for my loved one but this time I felt the Lord tell me to rise up and expect him to be healed when I speak forth his healing. I didn't worry so much about what I prayed but that I was expecting to see healing. I prayed and commanded the histamine levels to be balanced and the symptoms of allergies to cease in Jesus' Name!

Then I shared that God told me He was not concerned so much with how we prayed but that we should have an expectation that our prayer is answered. In the past I would worry about the right words to say or how to remember the exact phrase from God's Word. It's about expecting God to do what we pray. Not because we demand it but because it is His pleasure to answer prayer according to His Word.

My family member was feeling better in record time when in the past this type of seasonal allergy thing would cause problems for at least overnight and sometimes days. Wow! I hope I've stirred you to expect when you pray too.

Here are some key points that I've studied in God's Word that I hope encourages you too.

• Spending time in the Word of God and renewing your mind (Romans 12:1) will cause you to develop more expectation when you pray. Sitting and soaking after you read the Word and purpose to expect to hear God's heart on the scripture you just read. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Romans 10:17. That faith will cultivate expectation.
• Taking time to pray in the Spirit and encourage your spirit man with things of the Spirit. Jude 20.
  
• Remember that God is a good Father who gives good things to those who ask. It is God's great pleasure to fill you with His joy and fruitfulness. Psalms 16: 6 says you have a good inheritance in Christ.
  
• Intimacy with God will give your heart confidence to know He is the one who tore the veil so that we could enter into His presence as a son or daughter of the Most High. You will come to understand that you are blessed and highly favored by God. As you worship, linger in the presence of God and thank Him that He created the Way to a relationship with Him. Confidence in your relationship with God in Christ will cause you to expect more and more in your prayer life. Hebrews 4:16 says to come boldly to the throne of grace. Developing an intimate relationship cultivates boldness.
  
• Purpose to give thanks to God when you pray. Jesus said to believe you have received whatever you ask for in prayer. Since you have already received it, go ahead and give thanks for it. "Whatsoever things you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them and you shall have them" (Mark 11:24).
• The Word is God is like a seed (Luke 8:11) expect it to grow don't waver in your belief. Hebrews 10:23 says, "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." Do not waver between faith and doubt. James 1:8 says not to be double-minded. Ask and expect to receive the answer! Knock and keep knocking knowing it will be opened up to you. Pursue and expect to find what you are seeking.
  
• Submit to God's way of doing things and resist the devil and he will run from you. (James 4:7) In Jesus Name you have supernatural authority and you can expect God to back you up 100% of the time. You are a vessel of the Holy Spirit and as you continue to grow and understand who you are in Christ it will make a huge difference in what you expect when you pray and speak forth what God's Word says.
  

Thorns

I had a short but intriguing discussion with a friend tonight about thorns and the thorn in the flesh that Paul mentioned in 2Cor 12:7 "...a thorn in the flesh was given to me..." My friend challenged me to consider that fact that a thorn in the flesh is something that we all deal with. I'm not sure we deal with the same thorn our entire lives but until we learn to totally submit this difficulty to God 100% of the time then we will struggle.

I will tell you I still struggle with feeling of depression and anxiety that come to devour me. I find myself taken off guard when I have not submitted my emotions to the Holy Spirit's protection. I sometimes think "I got it covered" and wham...pride...the fall...IT'S NOT A PRETTY PICTURE.

Let's look at some scriptures that talk about thorns. Maybe you would want to compare the thorn description to the roaring lions in my previous post. It might give you a broader understanding what God's Word says to us about walking in the Spirit and not in our flesh to walk out the Christian life. We can't do it in the flesh and that's just the way God planned it.

Hosea 2:6
“ Therefore, behold, I will hedge up your way with thorns, And wall her in, So that she cannot find her paths."

Her paths were that of a sinful lifestyle. The She mentioned was not one that sinned on occasion but made it her lifestyle. God will make sure that if we wander outside of His will then we will feel the affects of sin in our lives. He loves us too much to let sin just hang around without us feeling it. Imagine being hedged inside a beautiful rose garden. Roses are lovely but trying to squeeze out of the hedge we will feel the thorns scrape at us as a "gentle" reminder to get back where we belong. "There is NO GOOD THING beside or beyond and the thorns will reminds us before we get beyond His hedge. Ps 16:2

Matthew 27:29
When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

Thorns are also seen here as part of the curse. Jesus became the curse so we would not have to suffer from the curse. Hallelujah!

Maybe a picture that what torments us is painful in the physical but also in our mind. Jesus took the thorns so we would not have to... Ponder this for a while. Don't forget to look at my post regarding "Working out your Salvation"

Paul wrote:
2 Corinthians 12:7
[ The Thorn in the Flesh ] And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.

Messenger is same word as angel. It is sent by God. I think it is like the roaring lions. (See my post Thoughts on A Horse and His Boy) God allows things in the flesh to torment us IF we do not 100% of the time submit to God in an area of our lives. If we allow Satan a foothold then he has access to penetrate the hedge and come in and torment us. Eph 4:27 Leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil [give no opportunity to him].

Many times in the Old Testament thorns are seen as people or people groups that were "thorns" to the Israelites because they were not obedient to God.

1. Numbers 33:55
   But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell.
   
   
2. Joshua 23:13
   know for certain that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. But they shall be snares and traps to you, and scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the LORD your God has given you.
   
   
3. Judges 2:3
   Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.’”
   
   
4. Judges 8:7
   So Gideon said, “For this cause, when the LORD has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers!”
   
   
5. Judges 8:16
   And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.
   
   
6. 2 Samuel 23:6
   But the sons of rebellion shall all be as thorns thrust away,Because they cannot be taken with hands.

So I hope this give us a better understanding about thorns in our lives. They are not put there to punish but to remind us to submit to the ways of the Lord.

Instantly Healed or Working out Your Salvation?

I wondered for quite some time why I was not instantly healed when I asked God to deliver me from depression and severe anxiety. I felt I believed God could heal me and wanted to heal me. I knew the Word of God said that "By his stripes I WAS healed". So when my healing was not instant it was a mystery to me. I went through a season (or two or three) of searching my heart to see if I was ignorant to sin in my life. I asked the Lord to show me if there was any bitterness that had started to take root that needed to be yanked up. After making sure of those issues, I just kept seeking God on healing.

It was about a year ago I heard that we are "working out our salvation..." I was certain this was not talking about salvation from sin since that is only by Grace but this must mean something else. I found that the answer was quite enlightening and freed me from some misunderstandings about healing.

Working out your salvation

Phillipians; 12: 2
Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed [my suggestions], so now, not only [with the enthusiasm you would show] in my presence but much more because I am absent, work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self-distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ).


Strongs: Soteria or Salvation

1. deliverance, preservation, safety, salvation
   1. deliverance from the molestation of enemies
   2. in an ethical sense, that which concludes to the souls safety or salvation
      1. of Messianic salvation
2. salvation as the present possession of all true Christians
3. future salvation, the sum of benefits and blessings which the Christians, redeemed from all earthly ills, will enjoy after the visible return of Christ from heaven in the consummated and eternal kingdom of God.

^Rom13:11Besides this you know what [a critical] hour this is, how it is high time now for you to wake up out of your sleep (rouse to reality). For salvation (final deliverance) is nearer to us now than when we first believed (adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Christ, the Messiah).

and verse 14

¹⁴But clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and make no provision for [indulging] the flesh [put a stop to thinking about the evil cravings of your physical nature] to [gratify its] desires (lusts).

So working out your salvation is a process that we learn to not trust in our flesh but learn the Word of God and learn to know what He wants for His children as mature believers. And many times in the Word of God it tells believers to WAKE UP! Sometimes it takes years of mistakes and humbling our hearts to ask God to show us where we are messing up. Sometimes we just have to get to the point of being so tired of our misery to wake up and see that God has a better way.

It has not been very long and I have discovered that salvation is not just salvation from eternal separation from God. I grew up thinking salvation = saved from hell. I now realize that salvation is much more. It is equated with being redeemed or in other words Christ paid the price so I would not have to suffer under the curse that the Law dictated. Christ became accursed so I would not have to suffer with the curse under the Law.

The devil comes to kill, steal and destroy from God's people but if we realize we are not under the Law but under Grace then we will not allow him to ravage us with the things mentioned in Deut 28 in the list of curses. The blessings are your inheritance but the curses are fully paid for with the Blood of Jesus. Notice in verse 65 of Deut 28 " There the LORD will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart." It should be settled in my heart that an anxious mind is part of the curse and I don't have to live under the curse. Hallelujah!

Deuteronomy 28

Blessings for Obedience

¹ If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. ² All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God:

³ You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.

⁴ The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.

⁵ Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.

⁶ You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.

⁷ The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.

⁸ The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.

⁹ The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. ¹⁰ Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you. ¹¹ The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you.

¹² The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. ¹³ The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. ¹⁴ Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.

Read the list of curses after verse 14. If you find that one or more of them is attached to your life in some way, then you can know it is not from God but something the enemy is attempting to steal from you and rip you off from your inheritance. Don't let the devil rip you off!

Setting Healthy Boundaries

From the Boundaries Book by Townsend and Cloud:

Test Your Own Boundaries!

Here are some thought provoking statements to help you test and challenge your existing boundaries and help you reset your boundaries where appropriate.

SETTING HEALTHY BOUNDARIES

I GIVE MYSELF PERMISSION:

· To make choices in my life beyond mere survival.

· To discover, get to know and allow God to challenge my boundaries.

· To grieve over and forgive the less than perfect parenting I received.

· To recognize and accept my own value system and follow my own standards.

· To say NO to anything I am not ready for or is unsafe or which violates my values.

· To have dignity and expect to receive respect.

· To make decisions in harmony with my boundaries.

· To determine and honor my priorities and not surrender control to others.

· To expect my needs and desires to be respected by others.

· To end conversations with people who make me feel put down or humiliated.

· Not to be responsible for the behavior of others.

· To empathize but not to be responsible for the feelings or problems of others.

· Not to be perfect or expect others to be perfect.

· To make mistakes and allow others to make mistakes without rescuing.

· To be honest and expect honesty from others.

· To acknowledge my own feelings, desires and needs.

· To be angry even with those I love.

· To be me without feeling I am not good enough.

· To feel scared and say "I am afraid".

· To experience and then let go of fear, guilt and shame.

· To change my mind and allow others to change.

· To be happy.

Stand Firm!

In verse 8 of Psalms 16 it says I will not be moved.

It is so common place to allow ourselves to be wishy-washy in our decisions to have healthy boundaries with God and with others. The devil will try to use others to push our emotional buttons and get us to retreat back to the old standards. If we are not careful we could slip back into old habits and old heartaches if we do not constantly guard our hearts and not allow the enemy to steal the land that God has told us to conquer in His Name.

God wants you to stand firm:

In your marriage:
God wants the two of you to be in unity even if you can't agree 100% on a subject. Honor one another, respect the other person's viewpoint, pray that they will see the truth when you are certain that they do not yet see the truth. Do not try to bash them with the truth.

In your relationship with your children:
The goal is to teach our children about God and a relationship with Him. God is firm and loving with us. He does not let us have our own spoiled ways. He disciplines those He loves. He does not punish yet he allows circumstances to enter our lives as a result of sin. Teach your children that you will reap what you have sown. Watch what you say and teach your children to guard their tongue as well. There is life and death in our tongues and I want to eat good fruit not bitter, rotten fruit.

In your friendships:
Take a healthiness quiz on your friendships. Are you being a good friend? Are your friends edifying you or tearing you down? What happens when a long term friendship seems to bring both parties grief? Could setting healthy boundaries bring health to the relationships you have with your friends? If the other person does not seem to respect or understand you setting healthy boundaries you may need to set the friendship aside until you are healthier in your own sense of what is a healthy boundary in your life. Tell them in a loving way that you need to take a break from the relationship to re-evaluate some things in your life. Try to leave open a door like having coffee once a month or emailing. But if you do nothing then nothing will change.

In your extended family:
Remember your children are watching. How you allow yourself to be treated or how you treat others will become the legacy of the next generation. Try to picture your kids acting like you in 10 years with their in laws or with other family members. Is it a scary picture? It's not too late.

At work:
Are you allowing yourself to be a doormat at work. People respect the fact that others can articulate what they will and will not tolerate from a work relationship. If you dread working with a particular person you may need to bring this before the Lord and ask him for wisdom about how to set some healthy boundaries with your co-workers.

Ten Laws from The Boundaries book

If you've taken my class you know that I highly recommend the Boundaries Book by Drs Townsend and Cloud and also their book called 12 "Christian" Myths that will Drive You Crazy: False Assumptions. I have read these books more than once and they have some solid principles that we all need to set healthy boundaries with people in our lives. Get it read it. Read it again.

The 10 Laws of Boundaries
An excerpt from the book Boundaries in Marriage
by John Townsend and Henry Cloud

1. The Law of Sowing and Reaping: Our actions have consequences.

2. The Law of Responsibility: We are responsible to each other, but not for each other..

3. The Law of Power: We have power over some things; we don't have power over others (including changing people).

4. The Law of Respect: If we wish for others to respect our boundaries, we need to respect theirs.

5. The Law of Motivation: We must be free to say no before we can wholeheartedly say yes.

6. The Law of Evaluation: We need to evaluate the pain our boundaries cause others.

7. The Law of Proactivity: We take action to solve problems based on our values, wants and needs.

8. The Law of Envy: We will never get what we want if we focus outside our boundaries onto what others have.

9. The Law of Activity: We need to take the initiative in setting limits rather than be passive.

10. The Law of Exposure: We need to communicate our boundaries to each other.

My hope is built on nothing less--God's Grace!

I know it's pretty obvious that we are not going to bump into our brother or sister in Christ next week and have the following conversation:

"Hi Mary. Where are you going with that young heifer?"
"Oh Susan, I'm going to the pagan temple around the corner to offer this animal as a sacrifice so I can get my healing (or peace or joy or satisfaction in my family or recognition for my service etc)."
"But Mary, you know God's Word says that we are to stay clear of idol worship. We should only worship God. You know that Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice so you would have total salvation and all your needs are met in Him."
"I know, Susan, but I have tried over and over again to get God to love me with all kinds of deeds like reading my bible and praying for the unsaved to come to him. I've fasted and given money to the poor and I've taught Sunday School and played the piano at every Wednesday night service for the past 7 years but nothing- NOTHING has caused God to bless me or take away my fears or heal my body. I'm trying the pagan temple since nothing else has worked."

Psalms 16: 4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god;
Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer,
Nor take up their names on my lips.

This part of the Psalms 16 seems so much different than the rest of the 10 verses. It's different so you will pay attention and ask yourself what you have been offering to God to get him to bless you. What deeds have you been doing -religiously--in order to feel like you are measuring up to God's standards?

When you fall short of what you think God expects do you find a way to please Him? Are you bringing offering of blood--not Jesus' Blood-- to His alter? Jesus died a gruesome death and paid way above the cost for your sin and the sin of the whole world. You don't have to keep bringing offerings of your own efforts--in your own flesh --to get God to like you or love you or to bless you.

Are you trying to live out the Christian walk in your own efforts? I know I did for many, many years--decades in fact. I would religiously read my Bible but I was reading it to get points in my walk with God. If I missed reading my Bible I thought that was points against me. If I prayed for someone then I felt like God was bending his ear to me but rarely did I see answered prayer. One minute I pictured God the Father smiling at my actions and the next he would not glance toward my direction. I was offering my flesh, my own deeds, my own filthy rags rather than just thanking Him for the sacrifice already offered on my behalf.

We need to read the Word of God to get our minds renewed not to get God to like us. He loves us just the same as He loves His Son Jesus. Jesus who had no sin became sin so we who were sinful could exchange our sinfulness for His righteousness.

I'm a visual learner so try to picture this with me: It's like He is wearing a beautiful, shining, white robe and we are wearing a filthy, ragged, vomit soaked, blacken garment and just because of His GRACE we get to switch the robes and we are wearing the perfectly clean one and Jesus takes the shame. It's just that simple. I can't do ANYTHING to make myself clean. He did it ALL!

I am only righteousness because of what Christ has done. Romans 3:25

I have exchanged my filthy rags for His perfection. Philippians 3:3

I am seated with Christ in heavenly places. Ephesian 2:6

I have died, was buried and arose with Christ. Romans 6:4

When fear or pain or lack attacks me, I don't have to go and make sure I've prayed for 4 hours today or read 5 chapters in my bible. No, I just remind the enemy that the sacrifice of Jesus is what makes me righteous and I can go BOLDLY to the Throne of Grace knowing that my Father accepts me and will rise up and destroy my enemies.

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand

When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

—Edward Mote (1797-1874)

Knowing who you are so the enemy can't cross your boundaries

Verse 3 of Psalms 16 gives us insight into God's opinion of His people.
As for the godly (the saints) who are in the land, they are the excellent, the noble, and the glorious, in whom is all my delight.

Does this verse in Psalms 16 sounds like something you've read before? How about when the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus at his baptism, "behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him."

God delights in us! He delights in us and wants to lavish his children with blessings.

What else does God's Word say about His children?

I am reconciled to God - 2 Cor 5:18
I'm a child of God - He is my Father - 1 Jn 3:1,2
I am Christ's friend - Jn 15:15
I am a fellow citizen in God's kingdom - Eph 2:19
I am born of God - 1 Jn 4:7
I have been brought near to Christ - Eph 2:13
I have direct access to God - Eph 2:18
I am a citizen of heaven - Phil 3:20
I am an heir of God - Rom 8:17
I am a joint heir with Christ - Rom 8:17; Gal 4:7
I am hidden with Christ in God - Col 3:3
I am blessed with every spiritual blessing - Eph 1:3
I am chosen of God - holy, beloved - Col 3:12
I am a partaker of Christ - Heb 3:14
I'm a member of a royal priesthood - 1 Pet 2:9
I'm redeemed and forgiven - Eph 1:6-8
I've been justified - made righteous - Rom 5:1
I died w/Christ to the power of sin - Rom 6:1-6
I am free from condemnation - Rom 8:1
I have received the Spirit of God -1 Cor 2:12
I have been given the mind of Christ - 1 Cor 2:16
I'm chosen and appointed to bear fruit - Jn 15:16
I have been crucified with Christ - Gal 2:20
I am called to do the works of Christ - Jn 14:12
I am a new creation - 2 Cor 5:17
I have been made alive with Christ - Eph 2:5
I have been given spiritual authority - Lk 10:19
I have received fullness in Christ - Col 2:10

If this is new to you and you have not come across any teaching previously that explains who you really are in Christ, I want to challenge you today to renew your mind with this scripture so that you can begin to know deep down that you are a new creation in Christ Jesus, that all things have passed away and all things are now new! You are not the old person being fixed up but a BRAND NEW creation that only can be accomplished by the work of the Holy Spirit.

Dear Father in Jesus' Name we ask that you would cement deep in our minds and hearts an understanding and wisdom to know who we really are in Christ Jesus. Open our eyes to the TRUTH of your Word that we are not 'ol sinners saved (just barely saved) by grace but that we are overcomers ready to go forth and bring the Good News to those who need to hear. Bring a deeper revelation to us of who we really are.

A song from Hillsong keeps ringing in my heart:

cuz the enemys been defeated
death couldnt hold you down
gonna lift our voice in victory
gonna make your praises loud (x6)

shout out to god with a voice of triumph
shout out to god with a voice of praise
shout out to god with a voice of triumph
we lift your name up
we lift your name up (x4)