It Will Get Much Worse Unless We Repent: Who is listening?! Who is looking?! Who cares?!

Repentance is the result of Godly grief and sorrow over our sins. It's a renouncing of our sins and a deliberate intentional choice to stop doing what does not glorify God according to the Bible strictly because we honor and love Him. We experience godly sorrow and grief over our sins only after we fix our eyes on Jesus hanging on the cross realizing that he is there because of us. 

If you have sympathy you have the ability to become thankful, because you can put yourself on the cross and imagine what your deserved stripes, pierced hands and feet, and emotional suffering might feel like. We can put ourselves on the cross, because we are the sinners worthy of that suffering. We can repent, therefore, because we are thankful realizing we are the benefactors of Jesus' substitution for us. 

Why is repentance so important? Because it changes the direction we are going in, and it changes our status with God who is able to save us, and do more than we can ask or imagine for the betterment of our lives. 

Jesus proclaimed, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!"

Because there is no repentance there is an increase in sin which is causing this world to change so rapidly toward everything we really don't want. Human perspectives are of the flesh, and there are so many ideologies, so many religions, so many opinions of the flesh that ultimately produce death and destruction. The proof of that is the current world we are living in. Think of the tremendous heart ache, and suffering there is because of our choices. Look around at what non-sensical things are happening, what lawlessness, what murder, what deception, what perversion, what apathy. It's all sin, and we are all guilty. Ask yourself if you really want it all to stop and get better or if you want it to continue, because it can continue and get even more ferociously evil and diabolical (The wages of sin is death).  If you don't think so then put yourself in the position of those who are currently suffering rape, stabbings, unjust demotions, being stuck with deadly needles inside their uterine home. Alternatively, it can also stop and things can change for the better for mankind, for the races, for the children and their futures if we truly repent toward God and His will.  

The will of man can continue to control his destiny in its entire fragmented, individualistic mindset, and face the result of that sin or the will of man can surrender one by one, or better yet, two by two, household by household, community by community, and nation by nation to the will of the Creator. The will of the Creator is found in the Word of God...The Bible.  

"But the nations, communities, families, and individuals of the world don't want God's will!" you say. And most everyone would agree that this is so obvious. Neither do Satan and his demons desire God's will.  The truth of God's Word proclaims this pride in us is the very problem. Human nature is sinfully rebellious toward God, and as a result our world is in a real mess.  What is in the hearts of man is manifesting at every level. But God's way is the way to healing when it is believed in or performed! How bad does it have to get before the lazy and apathetic are ready to turn from their unaccountable way to the way of God? How violent do the streets have to become before the hateful and angry and bitter want to experience peace? How dark, and depraved and perverted do the ways of the sexually immoral need to get before they want purity? Is it even in the nature of man to want to change from all his ways of sinful pride to a humble surrender? Be sad, very sorrowful and in grief because sin is the way of man and the world. It's the way of the leaders of the world's countries, it's the way of every human on earth, and it is producing death. We are so comfortable in it too, because we don't know any better way to live, and when we hear the slightest expression of God's REAL LOVE we shun it. People run from God in every nation; "Oh I can't have faith in Jesus like that," or "I don't want to give up my life for Jesus," or " Jesus can't possibly be the only way to God in heaven!" or "I cannot accept that Jesus is God in a human body!" The answer from God for  our problem is shunned by humanity, but we will look for it in politics, religion, drugs, pornography, suicide, global dominance, new world orders, false christs? How completely shameful is that!? "Jesus said he is the Way the Truth and the Life, and that no one can come to the Father except through him." John 14:6. No other way will work, and I write that in a spirit of asking you to really think about what other way really works and will stand the Justice of God? What other way is really working?  Do you have 100% confidence that you know where you are going to spend your eternity after you die? That's a very long time. If you have no peace and you don't know your eternity, and you've never believed in Jesus fully why don't you ask his Holy Spirit to reveal himself to you? Once he does what will be completely obvious is the sinfulness of your own soul and you will learn of the healing convicting power of the Holy Spirit and you will turn away from sin. You will hate it, and fight it, and stumble in it yes, but you will have a new nature that is repulsed by sin. 

There could be nothing worse then remaining in a lost state spiritually when the death wages of sin really start to hit the fan, and the full manifestations of it begin to be experienced on this planet. We haven't seen anything yet. In an unrepentant state people blame everybody else but themselves and get angry at God and people. People will turn to an Anti-Christ for a "salvation", instead of the true Christ for forgiveness of their sin.  In an unrepentant state people want to rule and dominate everyone under their own way. The spiritually unrepentant say, "How could God let this happen to me! God is not good!" Without repentance everyone resolves wrongly... naturally. 

What additional evidence is needed to help a mind and soul realize and accept that humanity is wretched through and through if the barbaric acts, blatant systematic deconstruction of our strong nation, insane bullying of the countries against Israel, and murderous systems of the world that slaughter the unborn are not enough evidence? The fact those things are even tolerated for longer then 1 second and supported is our depravity.

 THERE IS ONLY ONE EVIDENCE NEEDED and PROVIDED THAT IS POWERFUL ENOUGH TO CONVICT US ALL OF OUR PERSONAL SIN and it is offered by God. It is His will. His evidence is found beaten and blugeoned on a cross, bleeding out, paying for the crimes, the violence, the sin of mankind. His evidence and answer to mankinds problem is there for all to see. Love, Justice, Mercy, Righteousness, Forgiveness, Lawfulness, Power, Perfection, Freedom, Accountability ....it's all there hanging on the cross. Jesus Christ is the answer to this world's problems. HE PAID FOR ALL OUR SINS ALREADY! 

Who is listening?! Who is looking?! Who cares?! Don't harden your heart to the only provision of salvation from your sin whom God has provided. Without Jesus Christ in your heart and his forgiveness of your sins it can and will get much worse. Don't come to Jesus because you're afraid of ISIS, Russia coming down from the north, America weakening pathetically from the scene, Refugee Terrorism, or because there is no more money, work, or hardly a straight story in the main media. No, come to Jesus because you are dead spiritually and because He loves you fully, and because you are a sinner needing to be saved by him. Come to Jesus because you want to live. Believe in Jesus because he did what no one else will do for you....he died, was buried and rose again for you personally and has completely justified you before perfect Justice. People are willing to die for Christ and face terrible things, and not renounce their faith in JESUS because they really know Him by love and not fear. They know Him because they read the Bible for themselves and ignore the Anti-Christ Spirit of the world that demonizes God's pure words. 

Remember people were screaming and scratching at the Ark of Noah when the floods came. Those mockers, unbelievers weren't mocking and unbelieving at that point, but sadly it was too late for them to be saved. It is getting very close to the same situation today. The Bible warns people that there is danger ahead. The Bible warns of the coming judgement and wrath of God against all the sin. Without repentance it will get much worse. To die without a sincere genuine faith in Christ is the absolute worst, scariest, and terrible thing. Justice will only withold its heavy eternal verdict upon you, and allow Mercy to sweep you away into eternal paradise only if the blood of Jesus is covering your sins. AND REPENTING NOW WILL BE THE PROOF OF YOUR FAITH IN JESUS ON JUDGEMENT DAY. DO YOU HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST TODAY? If not, then give your heart to him now. Pray to him and invite him to be your Lord and Savior, to forgive you of your sins and to give you his gift if repentance. 

“Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.”

1 Corinthians 15:34

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

1 John 1:9-10

“But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.””

2 Timothy 2:19

The Gospel of Jesus Christ goes out into the world. And there are many different ways to proclaim the same message of Jesus' hope and salvation. If you believe that Jesus lived, died, was buried and rose again for you what might your prayer of repentance be? If you want Jesus tonight pray this with me and trust in these verses in the Bible. The Lord Jesus will be faithful to you:

Let hatred and disgust toward sin be born in me, and grow in great measure. May the deadly delicacies I partake in disgust my palate and repulse my soul and spirit. Majestic and Worthy Lord and Savior Jesus, sprinkle your cleansing blood over the total nature of who I am in the flesh of flesh and purify my mind, heart, soul and body so that your Holy Spirit would make me holy and set apart for you in the complete reverent fear of God. In surrender to the Love, Humility, Perfection, Purity, Forgiveness within Jesus I ask you to make me right with you according to your will and not mine. With one eye on my sin, and one eye on your cross I can repent with a sorrowful regret and memory of that which You are putting to death in me, But better still is my gaze upon you Jesus with both eyes fixed upon you fully trusting in your work and your love for me. My sin is completely gone.... remembered no more. It is dead on that powerful cross of my Savior, and I remember my sin no more! 

In Hebrews chapter 12:15-29 we find the very powerful reasons why we would willfully want to repent and change through the grace of God towards us right NOW and with no delay. We find Esau is mentioned as one who sold his birthright for some soup, and that afterwards he was not able to inherit that blessing even though he sought it with tears, because he found no more chance to repent. We also find a list of amazing blessings that inspire and encourage us in the hope we have through repentance towards Christ. Here are the reasons why you remain motivated to live a repentant life in the fear of the Lord daily. If you received Jesus into your heart just now this is a part of your inheritance you are looking forward to. Death has no sting upon you. 

*You have come to the city of Zion. 

*You have come to the city of the living God. 

*You have come to the heavenly Jerusalem. 

*You have come to innumerable angels in the festal gathering.

*You have come to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven.

*You have come to God...the Judge of all. 

*You have come to the spirit of the righteous made perfect.

*You have come to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant.

*You have come to Jesus and his sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. 

*You cannot be shaken for you are in Christ the unshakable. The voice that shakes both the heavens and the earth will shake again everything so that which cannot be shaken will remain. 

How Jesus Can Get A Person Through Anything And Help Us Please His Father

There will always be a hidden aspect to God in your relationship with Him that you must receive by faith, therefore He says 'my grace is sufficient for you.' Wonderfully, God's grace becomes less of a mystery the more we look to Jesus, and understand him and learn about him, because Jesus is all-sufficient! The more we know of God's grace in Christ the more we are comfortable stepping into the unknown arenas of faith development...the uncomfortable, journeys. Faith is very pleasing to God so he tests it and tries it, because not only does it open the gates ( it activates) His working power in us and around us it secures our eternity with Him. 

1 Corinthians 2:5

So that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men (human philosophy), but in the power of God.

Hebrews 11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him. 

Romans 10:17

So faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah )

Christianity Is Not a Religion

What is Christianity really? It's definitely not a religion as most everyone thinks, because it's about what God did for us, not what we can do for Him. It's not a denomination, because it's about conforming to God's Son, Jesus Christ, not becoming our own version of who we "think" He is. Christianity is a relationship with Jesus Christ based upon His leadership and character. It's based upon His Way which is all about the REALLY good stuff we need. Forget about everything you think you know about God, and start reading the Bible.....that's Christianity. A Christian follows Christ in a yielded, broken and contrite Spirit of gratitude and trust. Christianity is a conversion from all our ways to His ways. Why wouldn't a person be drawn and desire to lay everything down for the One who laid it all down for them, and secured an eternity of real joy, peace, love? Who is the one who freed us from the verdict of our sins? These words beckon the soul to learn and consider more about Jesus Christ, and not just as another man or as the world sees Him, but as your personal Lord and Savior. What Jesus has done for each of us is truly what matters....it's what Christianity is all about. Jesus is why people stop being religious, and start experiencing the peace that passes all understanding.

Praying For The Leaders Of The Church

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24-25

Ride the coat tails of those who are on fire for Christ, and soon you will be on fire for Him! Enter the tail winds of those who are moved by the Spirit of God, and soon you will be carried by the Holy Spirit of God! Look for leaders who are audacious yet humble.  Who will tell you the truth even when it hurts you or them. Who fear God, and not men. What does this audacity with humility look like? Paul the Apostle said, " Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ" in I Corinthians 11:1. There is nothing wrong with humbling one self to follow those who have been appointed to lead in power. And there is nothing wrong with calling people to follow you into the fire and power of God if you are there. Many do not have the calling, but play a role without the Lord's blessing. These tickle the ears of the masses giving them what they want to hear and who don't proclaim Jesus' death, burial and resurrection which is able to save lost souls. It's the anointed who are the leaders. They are filled with the Holy Spirit. These are the called ones appointed by God.  These leaders are out there and they are in every nation. They are achieving the Lord's will. They are not who you would expect. Look for them and pray for them in spirit, truth and faith. Don't look with only your eyes and ears at their stature, their fame, their music quality, the building they serve in, nor the numbers who follow them because it doesn't matter. The called will keep the entirety of the Word of God, and teach the whole council of its truth. These leaders are imperfect, and have given all to Jesus for the power and sufficiency of God's grace to help them endure the battles in their lives.  These God-fearing people are meant to be in their position because everything that was meant to defeat and ruin them was overcome by their victory in Christ. Maybe God chose 50, 40, or 30 years to form these people, but they are now there.   These anointed stand in flames and don't perish, they dwell in dark prison cells writing letters of encouragement to those outside, they lift up their hands in faith to move the waters, they see the light in the dark, they destroy walls through calling the people to repentance and to the foot of Jesus Christ's cross, they sing and praise in might, they hold fast in every situation by the Word of God. They wait for God. They have the love and peace of the Lord inside of them.  They love Jesus more then themselves. These are the audacious yet humble. Pray the Lord continues to form the called ones into His image. They are the ones who help us 

People Need Answers That Bring Hope To The Equation Of Life

This bumper sticker states two true statements, but gives no true answer. If I didn't know the Lord personally I would be left with nothing after reading this. My thoughts and opinions are not worth anything, but  God's thoughts and plans are eternal. People need answers that bring hope to the equation of life! Let it read, "If evolution is just a theory, and religion is just an opinion, then a relationship with Jesus Christ is the fulfilling answer." 

The following verses are far beyond theory and religion. They are not just words that are here today and then gone tomorrow. They are words from the Bible that speak of a reality with Jesus Christ that emphasizes a personal relationship with him that will last forever. 

Reading and believing these verses as it relates to you and your position with Jesus will change your life today.

1 Corinthians 15:22

For just as [because of their union of nature] in Adam all people die, so also [by virtue of their union of nature] shall all in Christ be made alive.

John 10:27-28

The sheep that are My own hear and are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never lose it or perish throughout the ages. [To all eternity they shall never by any means be destroyed.] And no one is able to snatch them out of My hand.

John 11:25-26

Jesus said to her, I am [Myself] the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on) Me, although he may die, yet he shall live; And whoever continues to live and believes in (has faith in, cleaves to, and relies on) Me shall never [actually] die at all. Do you believe this? 

John 4:14

But whoever takes a drink of the water that I will give him shall never, no never, be thirsty any more. But the water that I will give him shall become a spring of water welling up (flowing, bubbling) [continually] within him unto (into, for) eternal life.

John 6:47

I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, he who believes in Me [who adheres to, trusts in, relies on, and has faith in Me] has (now possesses) eternal life.

John 6:51

I [Myself] am this Living Bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread, he will live forever; and also the Bread that I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh (body). 

Psalm 23:6

Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place.

Romans 6:22

But now since you have been set free from sin and have become the slaves of God, you have your present reward in holiness and its end is eternal life.

Titus 3:7

[And He did it in order] that we might be justified by His grace (by His favor, wholly undeserved), [that we might be acknowledged and counted as conformed to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action], and that we might become heirs of eternal life according to [our] hope.

1 Corinthians 2:5

So that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men (human philosophy), but in the power of God.

Hebrews 10:22-23

Let us all come forward and draw near with true (honest and sincere) hearts in unqualified assurance and absolute conviction engendered by faith (by that leaning of the entire human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness), having our hearts sprinkled and purified from a guilty (evil) conscience and our bodies cleansed with pure water. So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess and our acknowledgement of it, for He Who promised is reliable (sure) and faithful to His word.

Hebrews 11:1, 3

NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. By faith we understand that the worlds [during the successive ages] were framed (fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose) by the word of God, so that what we see was not made out of things which are visible.

Hebrews 11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].

Psalm 37:4-5

Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass. 

Romans 10:17

So faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself). 

If Your Heart Is Hard Toward God A Miracle Might Only Deceive You

Miracles have nothing to do with creating faith....that is, the faith that Jesus wants us to have in him. In fact you could see a sign or wonder performed, and it would do nothing for you unto salvation. It might make you gasp in wonder, but it wouldn't make any difference if your heart isn't right.  The religious leaders in Jesus day knew that he was performing miracles, but their hearts were hard so they weren't believing. They did not want to believe in him, and told the people not to believe in him because they were filled with other things. 

The Bible says that the Anti-Christ is going to come on the scene in the last days, and he will have a religious leader as his sidekick. These guys are going to perform signs and wonders/miracles that we have never seen before in an effort to prove their authority. Are you going to put your trust in them or will you put your trust in what the Bible says? Where is your heart? Is it looking for a "savior" or THE Savior. 

“When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had arrived, they came and started to argue with him. Testing him, they demanded that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority. When he heard this, he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why do these people keep demanding a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, I will not give this generation any such sign.” So he got back into the boat and left them, and he crossed to the other side of the lake.” Mark 8:11-13 NLT

This issue of believing in Jesus goes far deeper then the material world. It is a state of being that is not bound by time or space. Think seriously about this passage where Jesus is speaking about those who have already passed on from this physical world and their concerns for us who are still on earth:

“Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores. “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and his soul went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side. “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’ “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’ “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’ “But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’ “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’ “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded EVEN IF SOMEONE RISES FROM THE DEAD. ””

Luke 16:19-31

I believe Jesus was referring to himself when he said, 'even if someone rises from the dead.' The deep issue is, why do people believe in the truth vs. why do they believe in something that masquerades as the "truth"? 

The Bible says that the Anti-Christ is going to be severely wounded with a head wound but that he will "miraculously" come back to "life."   It says that he's going to fix all these problems that we have in the world, and that people are just going to "believe" in him as the "answer." But neither will the Anti-Christ Religious Leader nor this Anti-Christ Political Leader tell you anything about about or your hard-hearted sin and how it is keeping you from being healed, forgiven, justified by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Don't be deceived by lying signs and wonders. Pharaoh's magicians mimicked Moses' signs, and the Anti-Christ will mimic Jesus' miracles.  Yes, Jesus did miracles to help prove his authority, but he did those miracles out of His Spirit of Love. He genuinely cared for the sick so he healed them, and he genuinely loved us, the walking dead people, so much that he went to the cross to suffer for our sins and give us a chance to be with him forever in an awesome relationship. He only rose from the grave because death could not contain him, nor hold him down. He is literally LIFE itself. And if you believe in Him he will also raise you from the dead. We ought to believe in Jesus because we love him for loving us, and for dying for us, and because he is the real Savior of the world...the real Peace Maker. 

If your heart is hard towards this truth no miracle will ever make a difference, in fact, it most likely will only deceive you. 

Without Question The Most Important Thing In Life Is To Love One Another As Jesus Has Loved Us

Love is the manifestation of faith. 

I have had the most powerful devotion this morning, and I pray that it lasts; takes root and endures through my every living day until I pass away. It's a reoccurring devotion I have because he who began a good work will be faithful to complete it. Without question the most important aspect of our lives is that we love one another as Jesus Christ has loved us. If you're like me, you know the turmoil within that results from circumstances of life that keeps us, challenges us to perform this one ultimate goal....to really love. Although it is somewhat of a mystery, I know that all things I face and experience in life are meant to build me up to become a loving person. I know the same is true for all people as well. The type of loving person I am referring to is the one who endures every circumstance yet still acts like Jesus. I've only lived 38 years and I realized a long time ago how unloving I truly am toward God, and my family and my friends and my coworkers. Yes, there is some love, and it's all genuine, but it is imperfect. In the flesh we say it's impossible to love like Christ at all times, but in the spirit of God it is possible to love like Christ. To be a follower of Christ means that you read the Bible and run toward Jesus in faith working to believe all that he has said and commanded us to do. He has commanded us to do things that we cannot do on our own, but that are possible: "be perfect as my heavenly Father is perfect," "love one another as I have loved you." Just these two commands alone reveal the impossibility to us within ourselves to do them, but if we were not able to do them why did Jesus tell us to? But "All things are possible through Christ who strengthens me!"..... is something you hear and read as a Christian as well, but in the battle of life we know all too well how fleeting it is, because we depend on our own strength to achieve it. You also read in the Word of God that Jesus stated, "remain in me, abide in me so that you can bear much fruit." This is found in John 15. 

Have you ever experienced a moment in life where the power of God poured out upon you which enabled you to become completely resolute and committed to something He wanted you to be? In 2nd Chronicles 1:7-10,  I remember reading that Solomon was asked by God, "ask me anything and it will be given to you." Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge, and God granted it to him, and Solomon became the wisest man on earth. I've always told myself that I would ask to love as God loves, and after this morning's devotion and God's persistence on this one issue, I would still ask for the same thing. What would you ask for? If I only had two prayers left to give I would pray that all people in the world would come to desire the love of God, to receive the love of God, and be empowered to pour out the love of God on others through Jesus Christ and for His glory. And this would require a revelation about Jesus Christ that most do not know about today. Even Christians do not fully comprehend the powerful love of Jesus Christ to change things. I do not fully comprehend it. So something needs to happen in our lives that will change things to this effect. The 2nd prayer is below. 

In Galatians 5:1 it says, "for freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." The freedom that is in Christ is absolutely incredible. Freedom in Christ means His promises are real and available now to experience. Two out of thousands of the promises in Christ are: "when you pass through the rivers I will be with you," "the mountain shall depart, and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from you." All of the promises of God are yes and amen in Jesus Christ this very moment. Those who believe have access to those promises immediately. All of this speaks to the grace of God. It does not speak of how poor we are, about our sinful record, or our human efforts, but it speaks only to what God has done through Jesus Christ. In Christ we have permission to approach His throne at all times....at midnight or in the middle of the day. Galatians 5:1 proclaims this, but our human nature, our flesh, our focus on the world and the unrelenting Devil all keep us from coming to that place where we might fully encounter the blessing.

In my fight for the good faith, I have come to believe these promises, and commands are possible, but haven't fully experienced the promises for lack of consistency in one area. If this is true for you as well it can also be narrowed down to one reason.  I asked the Lord this morning again what condition is required in my full freedom and to access all your power before you will act and fulfill the promises? What must I do to have a full expectation, and full experience of your provision for all that I need in every circumstance?  When will you impart, give, anoint? When will you multiply the fish and the bread before me?! When will I walk on water with you?! When will you heal my blindness, and make my lame legs walk?! When will you raise my dead soul to life?! When will my shadow heal others?! When will my command cast out demons?! When will the Red Sea split at my voice?! When will the fire not consume me and my friends as we stand in it?! When will the hungry lions lie next to me content?! When will the poison of the snake that bites me not harm me?! When will we be able to love as you love?! I want to experience the fullness of the Lord! Do you? To love as He loves in every circumstance! 

And the Lord gave the answer: The path everyone must walk through in Jesus Christ to receive greater measures of loving power is COMPLETE SUBMISSION to Him and His will. This is the anointing we need, and this is the second prayer I would pray: that all people would completely submit their lives to the only One, Jesus Christ, who can make this happen in our hearts. This is the path way to complete submission to Christ:

Faith, hope and love.

Be considerate of God in all things.

Work to perfect our adoration of God.

Be resolute in ridding difficulties toward these ends by overcoming through Christ...completely surrendering.

Seek and embrace how God is humbling us. 

Be willing to not do the things I want to do, and be willing to do the things I don't want to do. Be a living sacrifice for God in every moment. 

Completely submit to the Lord Jesus realizing this is the requirement for him to work out is great promises in me and through my heart, mind, and will. 

Being perfect as my heavenly Father is perfect is possible through depending on God's grace in greater measures. 

We can do nothing without God's grace. 

We have been created in such a way to depend on God for all our needs. We are capable of depending on him in such great measure. Completely! If we weren't, we would be dragged down by the world, our flesh and by the devil. Go deeper into Grace....complete dependency on what God has for us. 

Love is the manifestation of faith.

Powerful and Loving Jesus, nothing else matters but your love being poured out in greater measure. There is no greater love than to lay down our lives for our marriages, children, families, friends....for you Jesus. How can we become resolute in this one thing for the rest of our days on this earth. Pour out your spirit upon us to be completely surrendered and submitted to you out of love and faith in you. We thank you Jesus. Amen.

NOTES: We Would See Jesus - Roy Hession

We have since learned, however, that we do not need to itemize the Christian life; it is enough to see Jesus. Seeing Him we are convicted of sin, broken, cleansed, filled with the Spirit, set free from bondage and revived. Each aspect of Christian experience is made real in us just by seeing HIM. He is both the blessing we all seek and the easily accessible way to the blessing.

"Grace" is not a blessing or an influence from God which we receive, but rather an attribute of God which governs His attitude to man, and it can be defined as the undeserved love and favor of God.

Grace permits us to come (nay, demands that we come) as empty sinners to be blessed: empty of right feelings, good character and satisfactory record, with nothing to commend ourselves but our deep need, fully and frankly acknowledged. Then grace, being what it is, is drawn by that need to satisfy it, just as water is drawn to depth ( by gravity) that it might fill it. This means that at last when we are content to find no merit or procuring cause in ourselves and are willing to admit the full extent of our sinfulness, then there is no limit to what God will do for the poor who look to Him in their nothingness.

The struggle, of course, is to believe it and to be willing to be but empty sinners to the end of our days, that grace may continue to match our needs.

What is the purpose of life? - It is to know, and to love, and to walk with God; that is, to see God.

But the love of God is such that , when man throws His love back in His face, God yet purposes man's recovery, and He stretches out His hand the second time, this time to redeem. To create, God had to but speak, and it was done. But to redeem, He had to bleed.

We direly need to leave our lusting for ever larger spheres of Christian service and concentrate on seeing God for ourselves and finding the deep answer for life in Him.

But if we will bow to what God has allowed, and repent of our sinful reactions, we will find that that very situation has led us into a deeper experience of His grace and of His power to satisfy our hearts with Himself alone.

All the time the One who alone can satisfy the heart is by our side, longing to be known and loved and proved. Allow Him to bring us back to the old relationship of submission to Himself.

Nowhere else can we fully see God but in the face of Jesus Christ.

God has confined Himself to what He has manifested to us in Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has said, you will find what I am and what I require. Nowhere else, neither in heaven nor on earth, will you discover it but in Christ Jesus the Lord.

In Jesus, we see that God's glory consists in the very reverse--not so much in His ability to reveal Himself and humble man, but in His willingness to humble Himself for the sake of man; not so much in a mighty display of power that would break in pieces those that oppose Him, but rather in the hiding of that power and the showing of grace to the undeserving when they turn to Him in repentance.

To see Jesus is to apprehend Him as the supply of our present needs and believingly to lay hold on Him as such.

The acknowledgement of need and the confession of sin is always the first step in seeing Jesus.

Where there is sin there is always Jesus seeking to forgive sin and recover all the damage that it has caused. He is not shocked at human failure; rather, He is at home in it, drawn by it, knowing what to do about it, for He in Himself and by His blood is the answer to it all! So it is, whenever we think of Jesus, we must think of someone whose coming was necessitated by the offensive business of our sin.

Apart from seeing ourselves as sinner, we shall see no beauty in Jesus that we should desire Him ( Isa 53:2). He has no meaning except as the answer to sin. "To see thyself a sinner is the beginning of salvation," said St. Augustine, and we may add, To continue to see ourselves as sinners is the continuance of salvation.

Seeing Jesus is not merely attaining an objective knowledge of Him; it is something subjective and experiential. It is seeing Him by faith to be just what I need as a sinner; as a failure, as a poverty-stricken weakling, and allowing Him to be just that to me in this hour. And it is not selfish to seek to see Him thus. Never! It is in His being that I need as a sinner that He is truly revealed and known.

Jesus Christ is made to me, all I need, all I need; He alone is all my plea, He is all I need; Wisdom, righteousness and power, Holiness this very hour, My redemption full and sure; He is all I need.

In the book of John we have three steps in the building up of this world of illusion about ourselves. Step 1 is in verse 6 where we have the words, " We lie, and do not the truth." In other words we give an impression of ourselves which is not the truth. We act a lie even if we do not tell a lie. Step 2 is in verse 8, we we have the word, "We deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." This means we have acted a lie for so long that we have come to believe our own lie. We begin by deceiving others, and end by deceiving ourselves. We really do believe now that we are the sort of people we have given ourselves up to be. We are quite sure that we " have never done anybody any harm" and that we are not jealous or proud as other people are, and that we are truly consecrated to the Lord. The Pharisee who thanked God that he was not as other men were, honestly thought he was telling the truth. He was, however, just as covetous, unjust and adulterous as anybody else, but his own heart had deceived him. He was living in this realm of illusion as we are. Step 3 is in verse 10 where we have the words, "We make Him a liar." All this leads us to the place where, when God comes to show us our sin and our real selves, we say automatically, "Not so, Lord." We feel God has made a mistake and pointing to the wrong person. Of course, we all admit theoretically that we are sinners, but when God comes close, either through a message or through the faithful challenge of a friend, to show us that our hearts are "deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jer 17:9) and to do so on specific points, we cannot see that it is right. However to say we have not sinned when God says we have , is to make Him a liar. That is always the end of this blindness, and while we are there God can do little further for us. We have become strangers no only to God, but also to ourselves.

Jesus Himself is the truth. Therefore, truly to see Him is to see the truth.

So in like manner, Jesus says from the cross, "See here your own condition by the shame I had to undergo for you." If the moment the Holy One took our place and bore our sins He was condemned by the Father and left derelict in the hour of His suffering, what must our true condition be to occasion so severe and act of judgement! The Bible says Jesus was made in "the likeness of sinful flesh" (Rom 8:3), which means that He was there as an effigy of us. But if the moment became that effigy, He had to cry, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" what must God see us to be? It is plain that God was not forsaking the Son as the Son. He was forsaking the Son as us, whose likeness He was wearing.

What is done to an effigy is always regarded as done to the one it represents. That derelict figure suffering under the wrath of God is ourselves, at our best as well as at our worst. There, for all to see, is the naked truth about the whole lot of us, Christian and non-Christian alike. If I cannot read God's estimate of man anywhere else, I can read it there. Yes, truth, painful and humbling, has come by Jesus Christ, enough to shatter all our vain illusions about ourselves. However, not only has the truth about ourselves come by Jesus Christ, but also the truth about God and His love toward us.

We see God, not charging us with our sins, as we would have thought, but charging them to His Son for our sakes. "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." (2 Cor 5:19) What we thought was the big stick was really His outstretched arm of love beckoning us back to Himself. In the face of Jesus Christ, marred for us, we see that God is not against the sinner, but for him; that He is not his enemy but his friend; that in Christ He has not set new and unattainable standards, but has come to offer forgiveness, peace, and new life to those who have fallen down on every standard there is. "The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." This is what one writer has called " the surprising generosity of the cross." It not only surprises our guilty consciences but also melts and draws us, compelling us to return to Him in honesty and repentance, knowing that nothing but mercy is waiting for us.

Sin in its beginning is the sinner forsaking God; but in its ultimate penalty it is God forsaking the sinner, and that is hell. Hell was the place to which Jesus went on the cross, the place where God forsook Him, And He did so because that was our place. Our hell was the curse that He bore. Our hell was the God-forsakenness which He endured.

What impurities, immoralities and perversions stain so many lives today; yet so carefully are they concealed! But there, it is openly declared on the cross before all men by the very place that Jesus took for us!

Everyone that does evil hates the light, neither do they come into the light, because their deeds would be reproved." This means that when we have sin to hide, we shun the light---that is, everything that would expose us. Then it goes on to say, "But he that does truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be made known, and that it would be made known they are born of God."

Plain truthful repentance and frank confession of the sin that we been committed will take us to the cross of Jesus for pardon. In this place of humble truthfulness about ourselves we shall find peace with God and man, for there we shall find Jesus afresh and lay hold as never before on His finished work for our sin upon the cross.

Let us welcome Jesus today as the truth. Begin with the first thing that He is showing you. It is probably the thing that is on your mind now. The reward for your obedience to light will be more light on further sin.

As long as I know there is a fountain for sin and uncleanness, I can face the light about myself and my sin. And the wonderful thing is that when we love the Lord Jesus as truth we will find that He is just as precious in that relationship as in any other.

The Battle is Won In The Mind of the Lord Jesus Christ

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.”

Isaiah 55:8

“the Lord —knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath.”

Psalm 94:11

“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!”

Psalm 139:23

“and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.””

1 Corinthians 3:20

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Isaiah 55:9

“How great are your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep!”

Psalm 92:5 

“How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!”

Psalm 139:17

“But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?”

Matthew 9:4

“We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple.”

Psalm 48:9

“When I thought, “My foot slips,” your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.”

Psalm 94:18

Where Do We Get Healed?

Healing follows trusting In Jesus:

1 Peter 2:24

He personally bore our sins in His [own] body on the tree [as on an altar and offered Himself on it], that we might die (cease to exist) to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed. (Amplified Bible). 

3 John 1:2

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers. (Amplified Bible). 

Isaiah 53:5

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole. (Amplified Bible). 

Isaiah 58:8

Then shall your light break forth like the morning, and your healing (your restoration and the power of a new life) shall spring forth speedily; your righteousness (your rightness, your justice, and your right relationship with God) shall go before you [conducting you to peace and prosperity], and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. (Amplified Bible). 

Day By Day: Motive-Purpose-Trust

"For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God."

Romans 15:18-19

“And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.”

Isaiah 30:20-21

"...the fruit in my life is His concern, not mine. My concern is to make sure of three things: that as a potential fruit-bearing branch, I am connected to the Vine and keep that connection clean and unobstructed; that I submit to the cultivation of the Vinedresser, which primarily involves His pruning in my life; and that I communicate with Him my heart’s desire." Pursuing more of Jesus

What is the Gospel Of Jesus Christ and How Do You Receive Jesus Into Your Heart?

What's Love Got To Do With It?

The significance of Jesus = You won't find a love like his in all the earth = the degree that a person is healed is dependent upon the degree that a person sacrifices their own life to  love them = Jesus loved us completely to the degree required to save us and embrace us 

Man's Law or God's Law?

We are hearing a lot about judgement and sentencing these days, and questioning on personal decisions made under what or whose authority in accordance to established "laws."

We all know that a Judge has the authority to say, "You have been sentenced to...---------.... according to the "law.""

We're all familiar with the idea of the law? But not everyone honors or respects an established "law." It comes down to whose "law" is in effect, and whether it is honored in the heart of a man.  We all know there are different laws. Some are more righteous and fair then others, some are added laws that require legalistic fervor, some laws are senseless, and hurtful. Many laws are man made, but there are laws that are established by God. 

Do the judges of the earth consider that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob calls himself The Judge of all things, and that He has established laws through history that he requires people to follow? Do the people of the earth consider that in His Creation the Lord God also established laws in the heavens, and earth so it would be maintained and sustained in order and for life......not death? Do we consider that God even established laws that the Angels and Demons are required to follow so that order is maintained between the spiritual and material worlds?  What happens when God's laws are broken? 

Human thinking is depraved without the Word of God guiding it and molding it. Why are we offended at this? Now, we are seeing a rapid decline in forethought and reason because there is no heeding to God and his laws. Why? The answer is a question: Is there FAITH and LOVE for God's one and only Son Jesus Christ in the hearts and souls of man today? 

Take heed! Don't watch what the world is doing for your souls sake, because the earth has a sentence coming from God for all of its lawlessness. The Almighty the Maker of Heaven and Earth is the Judge who administers justice in righteousness, and it's devastating that the world does not desire to heed God's laws which are primarily to protect and maintain order and health and life in everything. This includes physical, dimensional, civil, criminal, relational, biological, mechanical, sexual, nutritional, moral laws, etc....everything. 

But why does the earth have a sentence from Almighty God coming? Are we to think that there are no consequences for breaking the laws of the Creator? 

"....Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming." Colossians 3:5-6

“Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 

There are reasons why people do not believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob....the God who Christians believe in...the God whose Son is Jesus Christ. Those reasons are numerous, but ultimately the only reason that matters boils down to the response within the heart to God's law under His New Covenant. All of God's laws through time have had a purpose, and today God's laws still maintain order. Amazingly, after God's son died on the cross and rose from the grave a new law was established that causes our sins to be washed away in Christ's perfection for eternity......that is IF WE BELIEVE HIM AND HONOR HIM FOR IT. It's conditional that we have faith in Jesus specifically for this Salvation of our souls because Christ died for a reason. Christ was required to follow the Law of his Father perfectly so his blood could be counted worthy to cleanse us from our sin nature. And Christ fulfilled the Law...perfectly!  In other words,  Jesus lived rightly according to God's requirements for you personally so you could be free from the righteous sentence of death for the sinful choices you have made throughout your life. You are not perfect, but Jesus is and you must respond to the call God is making to you for it to take effect. 

Each person must ask themselves what Law do they want to honor. Do they want to honor man made laws that bring legalism and bondage or God's laws which are righteous and true and have been followed perfectly by Christ? 

Do we see that confusion and chaos and rebellion and legalism can be removed from our hearts, if we just let Christ be who he really is for us. Jesus is outside of ALL of our man made religions, laws, rules, reasonings. 

So why are you rejecting Christ today for the salvation of your soul? Why does it not make sense that people are willing to break the "laws" of a land whose "laws" do not honor God's Law? Who is the ultimate Judge of your soul? Man or God? And what will God judge you by? His Law or man made law?  

““Don’t respect those who want to kill your body ; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28

““Don’t misunderstand why I (Jesus) have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.” Matthew 5:17-19

“For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.” Romans 10:4

“But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.” Romans 3:21-26

The Lord is not slow. His timing is perfect. Is he not working on our hearts even now to get right with Jesus Christ? 

Romans 9:28-33 says, 

"For the LORD will carry out his sentence upon the earth quickly and with finality.”

And Isaiah said the same thing in another place:

“If the LORD of Heaven’s Armies

had not spared a few of our children,

we would have been wiped out like Sodom,

destroyed like Gomorrah.”

Israel’s Unbelief

What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place. But the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded. Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in him. They stumbled over the great rock in their path. God warned them of this in the Scriptures when he said, 

“I am placing a stone in Jerusalem that makes people stumble,

a rock that makes them fall.

But anyone who trusts in him

will never be disgraced.”