Oh, Happy Day

I thought this was a fitting song as we move into the 12 Weeks before Christmas!!! 

Really Everlasting?

As I lay down beside my daughter this morning, a prayer swelled up from my heart:

"Lord, may you shine so bright through me into the hearts of my children that there is no way they could ever deny you."

This prayer stemmed from Chapter 24 of The Rest of the Gospel where the author speaks frankly about the fact that God doesn't give us anything for our benefit but for the benefit of others. He gives others to us, for us, to pour forth the Everlasting Waters that dwells within us. We do this because we will never run dry; because we possess the origins of the flow.

It is our duty to pour out all we have into others and have faith that God will not run dry in our lives. But do we really live so boldly? Can we, willingly, give every ounce of who we are, in complete faith, that Christ is all you really need?

I'm not certain I can do that for the whole world, but I do think I can start with my children and husband. How about you, who is someone that you could give all of yourself to, completely, in faith that God will fill your cup back up to overflowing?

A Birthday Wish

It is amazing how quickly we went from this

to this

As I ponder these last 11 years, I think of so much I would have done different if given the chance to rewind. Been more attentive to your daily habits and less to dirty dishes. Less time on the phone and more on the floor engrossed in you imaginary adventures. So many things I would have done different BUT one thing I'd never change is being blessed with an amazing son!!!! I could have NEVER gotten to where I am now without the desperate plea to be every bit the mother you deserve!!! And I have often prayed that I would always be worthy, in your eyes, to be called Mom. You changed our world forever and captured our hearts from the first breath you took. You are my ray of sunshine! Thank you for every morning hug and night time kiss. May you continue to grow in God's grace and love and mercy!!

Happy Birthday Son!!! We love you more than words can express!!!

Forgiven, Yes You!

Forgiveness IS so much easier than we make it out to be. So often we bind it up with our emotions and expectations and put conditions on it. Why, because as individual believers we haven't taken ownership of the forgiveness we inherited from Jesus Christ. Simply put, you can't give away what you don't have.

We rationalize forgiveness when we set standards of who should and shouldn't be forgiven. Ever heard that saying I can forgive but I'll never forget? Yet that is exactly what the Lord has done for us!!!!

Micah 7:18-19

Who is a God like You, 
removing iniquity and passing over rebellion

for the remnant of His inheritance?

He does not hold on to His anger forever,

because He delights in faithful love.

¹⁹ 

He will again have compassion on us;

He will vanquish our iniquities.

You will cast all our sins

into the depths of the sea.

When you begin to walk in forgiveness, you start to walk in uncharted territory and that becomes scary. Falling completely into the greatest gift given is total faith. Taking ownership of your salvation and being an ambassador of Christ by paying forward the same forgiveness given you; that my friend is true gratitude. 

So what is stopping you from being able to say, "Thank You God, I am forgiven!"

Thank You

Gratitude:
1: the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful
2: a feeling or thankfulness or appreciation.

God has taught me so much through my children. What unconditional love looks like. A willingness to be forgiving. How simple faith can really be and how we weigh it down with our religious expectations and pompous.

I have been reading through a book and it has really made me dig deeper into the core of what I believe and why. Several years ago, I was doing some amazing studies that helped God's Word come alive to me and opened the door to what it really meant to breath in the Living Word! I realized,  God revealed to me that in understanding His forgiveness through Christ, and before I could even begin to allow forgiveness to overflow into all areas of my life I had to first be willing to forgive myself. This was life altering for me. God revealed that although I was working on forgiving others, I hadn't released myself of guilt. And until YOU are willing to accept God's gift of forgiveness, it is not something you can give to others.

It is this very understanding that God unleashed into my life that I understood but was never able to articulate, until I began reading through The Rest of the Gospel. As I finished "Chapter 9: The Real You," I wanted to jump up and down in the air!!! And then I stopped and realized that I was raising my own children to live with condemnation and I didn't want to build that path for them to walk down. And you just might be placing this path before your children, stone by stone as well and not even realize it.

See we are free from sin, through Christ and yet once our children become believes we use The Law to condemn them instead of teaching them to rejoice that they are now free from it!!! Think about the last time your or your child did something that was wrong. What was your first and chances are, only reaction? Once I have humbled my heart I usually go into a quiet space with God and grovel for his forgiveness. Pour out how unworthy I am, and leave with a heart that is defeated. Or at times, to be perfectly honest, I check that box because I've asked forgiveness so I'm good. But do you see the condemnation in ALL of this!!!!

Do you see that it goes A-G-A-I-N-S-T God's Word 100%  

Romans 8:1-2 Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus, because the 

Spirit’s law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

What if we simply developed a heartfelt "Thank You, Father that I am forgiven" reaction to the next time we sinned? What kind of freedom do you think that would unleash in your life or do you feel like it would develop a "free pass" attitude? Let me know your thoughts and I look forward to continuing this discussion next week.............

Damn You.....

to doom to eternal punishment or condemn to hell.

Last week, I said that it was not sin that damned you to hell. Are you ready to take a look into the Bible and see the truth? Are you ready to face the reality that what you "believe" might be wrong? Are you ready to live in the freedom that Christ bought for you on the cross? 

First, let me tell you that I am NO scholar. Never went to seminary AND I don't have a doctrine or any type of degree. And I'm glad I don't because often, not always, "book" knowledge can hinder your understanding of God's Word. I have experienced that once you get past the "I" in learning and understanding God's Word, THEN you are ready for Him to reveal all that He has in store for you. As with all things concerning God, it is not dependent up us, rather it is all in His perfect timing. 

When I read Romans 6:23 I don't see "death" as in a physical death because we are told that the gift of God is eternal life. To me, it's like when Jesus was talking to Nicodemus about being born again he doesn't understand it BECAUSE he is thinking of a physical birth. I think alot of believers are like Nicodemus in the fact that they don't understand the depth of their salvation. They don't understand the complete works of Christ when He died on that Cross and victoriously arose from the dead to redeem E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E. 

It is your lack of belief in Christ that condemns you, not the sins that you have committed, are committing or will commit tomorrow. 

^{John 3: 17}  For  God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.18 Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God.

Salvation cannot be lost, bought or borrowed. It can however be misunderstood and wrongfully used by our best intentions when we let religious rituals take place of the Truth of God. If you say, "Yes I believe I am saved BUT," or "Everyone is saved, HOWEVER," then your belief is not in Christ but yourself.  

I do not expect my post to change your heart or mind, it can't, only God can do that. My desire is to get you thinking about why you believe what you believe. Is it because that is how you were raised? Look at what Saul believed. Is it because that is what you were taught in church? Who was it that Jesus mostly rebuked? Or is it because you have experienced the Truth just like the woman who touched the hem of Jesus' robe or the prostitute who was saved by Jesus from those ready to stone her or the woman who gave all she had because she understood that it's not about the temporal but the eternal. 

Simply put, what is at the core of all our differences is this simple question:

Who do you say that Jesus is?

I AM Free

I am thinking of the song by Newsboys: I am Free. 

Through You, the price is paid

Through You, there's victory

Because of You, my heart sings

I am free

Yes, I am free

Disclaimer: I have often been looked at like I am on the verge of blasphemy when I say what I'm about to say. BUT when you know that you know that you know, you don't care what other people think. AND you don't get mad that they don't see things the way you do. Why? Because you can understand where they are, because you were there, because you realize there isn't anything you are going to say to change their minds before GOD moves their Spirit! So why say it at all? This is my blog, my journey, my testimony to my children of how I went from doing for God to dwelling with God!!! After all that is why I started this blog: to write down my path from salvation to sanctification and every valley in between. 

Notice: I will open up this post for dialogue BUT please know if I don't argue respond to your specific comment, I'm not submitting to your point. I just live in a comfortable place of knowing that I do not need to defend God's Word. He is mighty to do this on His own. Being a very strong-willed-growing-child of God, I also know that chances are you aren't looking for my response; you just wanted your moment to prove me wrong or set me straight. That brings no glory to God. So say what you want, in a respectful manner and if we can have a civilized dialogue, I will engage. Otherwise, I just let it sit there for all to see and God to be the judge of your heart.

Now, my question for you:

Do you believe that E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E is forgiven? Do you believe that Christ blood was sufficient enough to cover the sins of even those who do not believe in Him? 

I do and I also believe that although it is sin that separated us from God and has put us all in a "fallen" condition; sin is not what damns you to hell.

I will leave you this week with a chance to respond or comment and pray that you will come back next week as I follow up with my answer to "What damns you to hell, then!" 

to be continued....just as life does