A Joyful Mission

Waiting On The Lord

There is a pastor named Josh Howerton from Lakepointe Church in Dallas, Texas that I have been seeing frequently on YouTube. He has a huge media presence so he often comes up in preaching segments and podcasts where he talks and dissects many different parts of the the Bible and explains them in such a way that is very relatable to all of those who want to know more. He does what I like to call a “deep dive” in passages that may seem confusing or in passages that we just need some clarification on.

In listening to him, one thing that he said once really resonated with me and it was about how so many times we are waiting on the Lord. That is something that we humans don’t do very well, by any stretch of the imagination! In this particular podcast, Josh was referencing the story of Job in the Old Testament. For a quick reference, Job was a man who was absolutely faithful and loyal to God and who worshiped God without fail. Satan wanted to test Job’s faith and asked permission from God to test Job’s love of God, thinking that Job would turn away from God if he was tested through loss and grief and pain. So, Satan did that by making him suffer through some really awful things like the loss of his family, servants and livestock in a series of calamities. Job stayed steadfast throughout so Satan wanted to test him further and strikes his body with sores from head to toe and even threw in some questionable friends who tell him that he must be being punished for something, so there was no support there. In the end, God saw that Job remained loyal and faithful to Him even despite all that he endured so God restored him with more than what he had lost.

So, what does that story of Job have to do with us and our suffering?

In thinking about this story of Job, Josh actually emphasized that we don’t need to “worry, wonder or whine…instead wait on the Lord.” As you see in the story of Job, I’m sure that Job was not happy about all the things that he was suffering and indeed, he could have turned away from God when he was going through so many horrible events. No one would have blamed him. The thing is, how many of us have turned away from God when things in our lives became difficult like it did for Job? Too many to count, I am sure.

The thing is, is that we ALL suffer, in something or in some way or another. It’s natural to worry about our circumstance, wonder if things will ever change for the better and, of course, to whine or complain to whoever will listen about what we’re going through. It’s all perfectly natural to go that route. I’ve been there, so I understand. The most important part that we may be missing is that instead of worrying, wondering and whining, we need to pray that we have the endurance to wait on our Lord. We know that we have a God who certainly will not leave us where we are. It will end. He will deliver us out of our pain, just like He did with Job AND He will give back more if we stay faithful and true throughout it. So, when He does what He says that He will do…. be sure to say “Thank you!” God likes that acknowledgement. (Related post: Jehovah-Nissi: Name of God)

What did I learn from this? I’ve been through a lot, certainly not as much as others but it was and has been a lot for me. In all my time of uncertainty, God has been with me. He has NEVER left me alone and He never will. I am humbled by that. Just knowing that He loves me that much, which, in turn, helps me to just know that He will make ALL things good for those who believe in Him! I just have to be patient a little longer and wait on His timing, not mine. Will it be easy? Of course not! Will it be worth it? Absolutely!! (Related post: The God of Everything)

So, what can you gain from this? If you, too, are going through struggles, know two things: One, you are not alone. There are others around you and in the world who suffer too. Seek out their support. Secondly and most importantly, you have a God who just wants you to reach out to Him. I promise that He will not leave you alone in your pain. Our God has an affinity for those in need. He has a deep and abiding love for those who call out to Him. He will walk with you in your journey and you will come out of it rejoicing and praising in His marvelous name, I can promise you that. I know because He’s done it for me and for so many others. (Related post: “My peace I give you”)

“Little is MUCH when God is in it!”

I was looking through YouTube, which I frequently do, and there was a video that came up with David Ring speaking to God’s people. I’ve come across this video before and each time I was struck by how funny he is and sincere and insightful.

If you don’t know about David, look him up. You see, David has Cerebral Palsy and God called him to preach. In the video that I saw, David is telling God something like the following: “God, you know that I have Cerebral Palsy” like I don’t talk well and you still want me to preach? Which is kind of like telling God, “You know that’s crazy, right?” One of the things that is so inspirational to me about David is that he uses humor in what he is saying and I think that it is really relatable to all of us, as well.

During this clip that I was watching, and felt compelled to watch over a few times more, was the following quote, “Little is MUCH when God is in it!”. That quote really got me thinking about who God calls to do His work. The thing is is that we see obstacles where God sees opportunities. I’ve heard it said that: “God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.” When we say “Yes!” to God, then the very thing that the world looks down on, He elevates. It’s having the faith of a mustard seed which is found in Matthew 17:20 illustrating that if we have even the smallest amount of faith, it can help us to do great things and grow in God. (Related post: The Faith of a Mustard Seed)

David could have said “No” but he didn’t and look at how much more inspiring he is to others because he answered that call. God doesn’t call us because we are the most popular, the best looking or even have the most friends. No, God calls those of us who are broken and scarred. He calls those of us who may not be the prettiest to look at or may be looked down at by others because we don’t fit in. To God, none of those things matter. So when we give God even just a little portion of ourselves, it becomes so much more because we can rest assured that it is God going to work through us.

What did I learn from this? I know that I used to be more of a complainer or an overthinker for sure when I was younger. I was ALWAYS comparing myself to others and finding myself lacking. Don’t we all do that, though? The thing is, is that God didn’t see a lack in me, He saw potential. I needed to go through all that I’ve been through because, now, it has helped make me stronger and more reliant on Him. I am better, not because of anything that I’ve done but what He has done through me. So, I’ll take those battle scars and wear them proudly.

So, what can you gain from this? Each one of us has our own battle scars of going through life. Perhaps it hasn’t been easy for you and you’ve made some wrong turns. Just don’t discount that God has a part for you to play in this crazy world called life. Don’t compare yourself and your gifts to what others have. Your gifts are unique to you. I have found that God will take you out of your comfort zone and push you to do what you might have thought was impossible. So, if you trust Him, give Him a little and see just how much He will do with it. I can tell you already that you’re going to be really surprised of what He will get done through you! (Related posts- Jehovah Rapha and ONE King!)

Jehovah Tsidkenu-Name of God

Jehovah Tsidkenu is a Hebrew name of God that translates to “The Lord Our Righteousness”. This name is found only in the Old Testament book of Jeremiah 23:5-6 and again in 33:15-16 but is fulfilled in the New Testament through the birth, life, death and resurrection of God’s Son, Jesus.

If I have lost you, then stay with me for a minute while I explain.

First, let’s look at the meaning of righteousness which was given to me through AI and in the most simplest terms means “doing the right thing”. It also goes on to state that the word righteousness can be broken down into a few core ideas, such as: moral correctness-having a good character and making choices that are ethically sound; fairness and justice-treating other people with equal respect and kindness; and integrity-doing the right thing even when no one is looking or when it is difficult. It also states that we can go a step further by being in a “right relationship” with God and living a life that reflects His standard of goodness, love and justice.

“Whew!” That sure is a whole lot to unpack! Don’t you think? So, now, let us get back to why this name Jehovah Tsidkenu comes back to Jesus, because, I promise you, it truly does connect.

So, here’s a question…. Would you not agree that we have a very human problem? We are extremely sinful creatures. When God formed us He gave us free will and no matter how many good works that we do throughout our lifetime, that alone will not get us to God. We always fall away from God even when we are doing the best that we can do on our own. We are flawed and broken. Our God is wise and knows this. Our God wants us to be with Him and knows that we cannot do it on our own, so He made a way through Jesus. See 2 Corinthians 5:21, which states, “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”

This is a gift that we have received from God! Now, we get to take that gift and go out into the world and help guide others towards God so they can see and feel and know God the way that we do. We do this by sharing the good news of our redemption through the birth, life, death and resurrection of God’s only Son, Jesus, who died to save us from our sin so that we can be with Him when we die! What a beautiful and selfless act that we have been given! I don’t know about any of you, but that act alone just makes me love our God so much more!! (Related post: Always Room for Growth)

What did I learn from this? I am constantly amazed at our God! I love hearing the stories of people who were changed when they opened themselves up to God. They move me to tears. I know that it is easy to get caught up in the bad things that are happening in the world but we have a God who counterbalances that hate and evil with love and goodness. So, guess where my eyes are looking? I’m looking up because that’s where my God is. I’m looking within because that’s where my God lives and I’m looking out to see who I can bring with me. (Related post: Giving Glory to the God Who Lives in Me)

What can you gain from this? All you have to do is ask for God to be there, to help you and to show you His love. That’s it! Just invite Him into your day and see what happens and watch how you are changed. Recognize His love for you and thank Him for loving you and accepting you the way that you are, right now, but not leaving you where He found you. You will be changed! I can promise you that. Your heart will be become lighter and you will see a new you because the old you is no more. So…. what do you have to lose? Nothing and what you gain will be so much more! (Related post: Seeds are a promise of progress)

Adjust…. Accordingly

Life itself is an adventure. Wouldn’t you agree? We will be just going down our path, doing life things and then something comes along that changes that course that we were on. Sometimes those changes can bring about happy changes, or they can be unsettling, and sometimes those changes can cause anxiety. It’s difficult to change course when we had it all mapped out, our life or the life that we thought that maybe we would be on for a while. It can make it very challenging for us to adjust to those changes, easily or even with any degree of confidence that these changes will turn out the way that we hope they will in the future. That’s where our anxiety can come in and it can be truly overwhelming at times. (Related post: Handling the “Ifs” in Life)

I understand completely where you may be coming from. I have had to adjust frequently throughout my life in my career, so I get it. For reference, I have had eleven to fifteen different directions (including odd jobs as well) that I have taken over my time in a career path over approximately thirty to forty years or so, at this point in time. It’s a bit tiring to say the least and, no, that path was never linear. It was a bob and weave sort of path, so I can honestly say that, yes, I had to constantly adjust accordingly throughout that time. Yet, here’s the thing that sticks out when I look back, while it wasn’t a straight line path in my career, I have realized that each part of what I did has played a vital role in who I am today. Case in point, I can say with all certainty that that path led me to having a blog which I never would have done (I don’t think) without having gone through so much!

I will say, emphatically, that my faith has really helped me to adjust accordingly or better than it would have if I hadn’t had my faith. Our God tells us constantly to not be afraid. He has a plan for us, to prosper us and He will not let us falter or fail. If our trust is in Him, the Creator of all the universe, then we will not fail. We just need to continue to adjust accordingly to what life throws our way and wait on the goodness of our God who loves us.

What did I learn from this? I don’t know God’s plan for me but I trust that He will get me where I need to be and where He wants me to be. I also know that He hasn’t let me down so far. I can see that more clearly now than I could when I was younger and going through all of those changes. I realize now, also, that He was shaping me by giving me time to grow in knowledge and understanding and a patience that I didn’t have then. So, yes Lord, I will continue to wait on You to get me to the next path that You have for me. (Related post: The Seasons of Change)

So, what can you gain from this? It can be hard to let go of all of our anxieties and trust that God’s going to be there to catch us. He never said that life would be easy, but you should know that He will be there to guide us through it. Some of the solution that you can take is to turn to your faith and read your Bible, go to church, pray and find the time to worship God through it all. Remember that He will show you in time what your path is and where you need to go, too. Until then, learn to adjust…accordingly. (Related post: When God Promises… He Delivers)

One Body, One Voice

Let’s face it…we live in a divided world. The devil does what he can to continue that but we have a HUGE countermeasure to that division. We have Jesus. When we choose to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior as well as recognize and acknowledge that He is the Son of our Living God, and that He died for our sins and rose again, then we can become one body and one voice for Him.

The devil hates that and so when we proclaim that we are Christians, he tries to further divide us by having us look at one another and say that this particular group of Christians isn’t good enough or look at what they do that is different than how we do things…and the list goes on. You see, the greatest threat to your faith as a Christian is the devil because he likes to whisper in your ear about things that are counterproductive to the Gospel and to the Bible.

We can’t listen to the devil and listen to Jesus. Jesus cancels out the devil. Our spiritual growth is written as a metaphor and is found in John 15:1-2 where Jesus describes God as a gardener who cuts away dead branches and prunes the fruitful ones so that they can grow even more. The purpose of this is for us to increase our yield in Him. We are also called to be part of the Body of Christ, where in 1 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul states that Jesus is the head of the body and we are called to be members within that body. We are called to be His eyes and ears, His hands, His feet, His mouth and organs (like our heart) but more importantly we must give our soul to Him as well. Even though these things like our heart and soul are hidden, they are just as vital to His ministry.

When we go towards God and Jesus, it allows us to begin to recognize that He also gives us the Holy Spirit which allows us to begin to discern what is from Him and what is not. When we walk in His light, then we also begin to see how we ALL belong to Him and so we are changed. We can then begin to speak with one voice because we belong to the ONE BODY of Christ. (Related posts: With a Thankful Heart and The Heart of the Giver)

What did I learn from this? God made each of us unique but we are still ALL of God’s children. No matter the country of origin or the color of our skin, we are all His. So, because of what I know from our Savior, I am more compelled to demonstrate God’s love for all because that is what He wants us to do. God wants us to guide others to Him, love and comfort His people, show respect and dignity even when we might not agree. None of that is easy, so we have to ask our God to help us so that we can help others back towards Him.

So, what can you gain from this? I cannot answer that question for you but I can ask you this… is pride standing in your way? Too many times we let pride come because we don’t want to admit that maybe we judged too quickly or too easily. This is the part when we need to humble ourselves before God, and ask for His forgiveness for our own sins before we even try to go out and be the one body and one voice of our God. We all suffer from it. You are not alone in that, just do your best not to forget that either so you can walk in His light and share it with others.

Our Daily Affirmations

God tells us consistently not to worry, yet we are human and to worry IS human! I have to remind myself of this fact constantly, yet there is a part of me that knows God is not going to let me go when I falter or I’m afraid or worried about something that is going on in my life or around me.

So, what can we do to help ourselves? Here’s what I do:

I have found that prayer is my conduit to let some of that stress and worry go. Here I am talking to my very best friend and guess what?! He NEVER condemns me for being upset or even angry at a situation. He listens and He loves me and He holds me through it all. There is not a human alive (except for Jesus, of course) who would give me that sort of latitude when my feelings get out of control.

I have also found that I am comforted when I read the Bible. What’s really neat is that because it is a living document, what I may read one day will hit me differently on another day. God’s got us covered in every way, shape, and form when we read His Holy Word.

Another thing that I’ve especially recently been doing is “speaking it into existence” which is more of a way that we affirm God in our daily living and reminding ourselves that He is with us even when we are at our lowest. I will find an uplifting verse that resonates for that situation or that day and repeat it consistently so that it gets me through and I feel better.

Last but certainly not least, I will listen to Christian music with Christian artists like Forrest Frank, Toby Mac, for King and Country, Phil Wickham, CeCe Winans, Brandon Lake, Lauren Daigle and so, so many others. It’s so uplifting when you can worship our God through song and dancing. It frees my spirit and gives me the strength to keep going. (Related post: “My peace I give you”)

What did I learn from this? When I do these daily affirmations, it fills up my soul with positivity. Who doesn’t need that nowadays, right? We are surrounded by so much negativity that tries to push us away from God, so I push right back by surrounding myself with the things of God. I know that I can’t control what happens in the real world but I sure can control what goes into my brain and my heart.

So, what can you gain from this? Do you have a favorite verse that you find inspiring? Maybe you haven’t ever read the Bible so you don’t know one or have one yet. That’s okay. You can wait on that until you get to that point where you can get or find a Bible. You can listen to music that is uplifting and that puts you in the right frame of mind and, most certainly, you can pray and ask God to give you what you need because trust me….He is the one to know! Our God knows you better than you know yourself and He has special plans for you. So, wrap yourself in those daily affirmations. You will not regret it! (Related post: God’s in the Details)

The Repetitive Pattern

I don’t know about anyone else but I have tended to focus more recently on the current world happenings and the stress and worries that go along with seeing that. I’m certainly not oblivious to the past. Trust me, I have known and have studied events from the past, but, again, my focus was more on things that are occurring now. However, I started to notice something very curious. If you are reading your Bible, you have known that it has been foretold in Revelations about the second coming of Jesus. However, we also need to remember that it was also foretold in the Old Testament as prophesy in the book of Malachi and well as other old testament books. (I’m focusing on Malachi mainly because this is where I had my epiphany).

All of Malachi is about prophesy but I want to bring your attention to three verses that stuck out to me as it relates to human nature and what I now see. In Malachi 3:6-7 which states: “Surely I, the Lord, do not change, nor do you cease to be sons of Jacob. Since the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes, and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. Yet you say, “How must we return?””. Verse 13 states: “You have defied me in word, says the Lord, yet you ask, “What have we spoken against you?””.

As I began reading some other books that has helped me to break down what each book in the Bible is about, I began to notice a pattern…and, trust me, it’s a VERY distinctive pattern that tends to get missed because we are so focused on what we are seeing now. So here it is: God gives (love, support, guidance, miracles, etc.), we take what He gives, then, after a while, we forget what God has given us. Wars are fought, conquering happens then we beg God to save us and God does. This is the pattern that goes on and on, and here we are today, doing the same things as our ancestors did, never learning from it at all. The pattern repeats because we take and follow his laws and statutes for a while then we forget again how loving our God is and how much of a relationship that He wants with us. Over and over this pattern has been repeated throughout the Bible. I never saw it before but I can’t unsee it now.

So, how do you break a destructible pattern?

First, we must recognize that there is a pattern. We must see how we constantly turn away from a loving God and we turn back to worldly things. Secondly, we need to realize that God NEVER steps away from us. That’s on our shoulders. We see something shinier and prettier and reach for that instead of reaching for Godly things but we need to remember that those shiny and pretty things will not get us very far. Thirdly, we need to be vigilant and to stay faithful as best we can and trust in our God who is always faithful to us. Is that easy? No, not at all. Finally, we have ONE saving grace… that God sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for ALL of our sins and rose again so that we know how much we are loved and can be saved if only we just believe. (Related post: When God Promises… He Delivers)

Jesus did this so that at the end of time, our time and God’s time, we know that God has given us EVERYTHING that He can to save us from ourselves. Sorrows will happen, but when we turn from God and ONLY remember Him when we are in need, then we have no one to blame but ourselves when we continue to repeat a losing pattern. God’s not to blame for the burdens that we put on ourselves, but He is the answer if we only know where to look and to keep our eyes on Him through it all.

What did I learn from this? That pattern sure was an eye-opener for me. Sure, it’s easy to get caught up in worldly things especially when we have so many things, like technology, at our fingertips. The question that I have for myself and others is this: are we using the knowledge, that we can get so easily, in a wise manner? Are we asking God to give us a spirit of discernment in what we see and hear so that we can begin to know how the world (the devil) tries to keep us in that destructive pattern? Again, I cannot unsee that pattern anymore. So, my goal is to help others to see that pattern as well so we can all break the chains of sin that keep us from our loving Father. (Related post: Correcting Our Course)

So, what can you gain from this? Look back on your life. Look at the directions or the paths that you’ve traveled on, over that time. Were those paths guided by your needs and wants or was there something bigger that guided you to where you are today? If you relied on your own understanding and choose your own path, where was God in those choices? Were you just repeating a pattern or were you trusting God to get you where you needed to be?

It sure is something to think about, isn’t it? Also, remember that if you don’t like the path you’re on, ask God to help you out…but then don’t go back to the same old pattern that you were stuck in. God gives us free will and the choice is yours after all, but don’t blame God for the choices that you decided to make. When you understand that, then you are well on your way to creating a new pattern in your life and one that will take you down a new and better path. (Related post: A Blessed Path)

The Very First Social Stories (The Parables of Jesus)

Everyone reading this should know about parables in the Bible during Jesus’ time on Earth but I will explain them anyway maybe to those who don’t know what they are. According to the official definition from Oxford Languages which states that parables are, “a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels.” (related post: Our God Waits)

What does that have to do with a Social Story?

According to my research and knowledge (I’ve looked into this before through my time as a Special Education Teacher and a Behaviorist) is the following explanation: “A Social Story is a personalized, short narrative tool, created by Carol Gray, designed to teach individuals-particularly those with autism-about social situations, expectations and skills. They use clear, descriptive language and visuals to reduce anxiety and promote independence.” (for more information on social stories, please visit her website: https://carolgraysocialstories.com )

Now, I don’t know Carol Gray but I do know that what she came up with is a way to reach those who cannot communicate like you and I do. A Social Story is about using visuals and not just words. What’s really beautiful about it is that it’s a way of teaching a much needed skill and, in fact, I can also say that it can be used for ANYONE who needs information given to them in a different way, not just someone within the autism spectrum. If you think about it, Jesus, when He was here on Earth, did the same thing with us. He gave us stories that we can learn from and grow in. It was and is our Lord’s way of helping us to make that connection with God and each other.

When I’m speaking with others, I also have a tendency to add in stories of things that I have seen and experienced. It’s a way of connecting to others and helping them to see a point of what I am talking about. We also can use Social Narratives, which is more like parables than even social stories and it is described in the following way: “a personalized, short story with text and visuals that describes a specific social situation, skill or expectation to help individuals-particularly those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)-understand social cues and appropriate responses.”

These Social Stories/Parables/Social Narratives all follow the same idea and our Lord and Savior thought of them first! He wanted us to know that we can learn from what we hear and see in the stories and visuals that are presented to us. Thank you Carol Gray for coming up with that concept in this more recent timeframe for students with ASD, but I’m going to say the biggest “Thank you!” goes to Jesus because His model is the BEST one to follow on what has, can, and will help us in the right now when we are coping with the everyday of our lives.

What did I learn from this? Every one of us has a story to tell. Every one of us can use our own stories to help and shape others. I’m an observer. I know that that makes some people nervous but I have always been fascinated in watching others and figuring out why they do the things that they do. There is so much that is shown in our facial expressions and body language and each one tells a story of what is going on inside of us. I also know that our God knows and sees everything that we don’t say. He knows when we are troubled or unsure, when we are happy and joyful, when we need comfort and reassurance. I know that any emotion that I feel is seen and known by God. My comfort is in reading His Holy Word, the Bible, in worship, in song and in prayer.

So, what can you gain from this? You are not alone and you are not isolated. There are so many others who feel joy and sorrow, pain and frustration, anger and sadness. Reach out to them. Listen to their story and tell them yours. You will find a connection. We are so much more alike than we are different. Also, reach out to our God. He loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to live and die on this Earth, then He rose up from the dead. We have a living God who loves you more than mere words can say. He will hold you in His arms and comfort you. Just know that you are loved. (Related post: For the Love of Our Soul)

I’m NOT Greedy… I Just Want Them ALL!!

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I don’t consider myself greedy at all, but I do want ALL of one particular thing… and that is, I want ALL of His creation to come to know and love and worship and follow our very AWESOME God! I don’t consider that greedy. Do you?

No, I think that when you know and love and worship and follow God, you begin to want others to feel the things that you feel and know the things that you know. The depths of my feelings for Him are tiny in comparison to what our God feels towards us. You see, He meets you right where you are. That place where He meets you may even be at the very bottom of a seemingly unsurmountable hole. Maybe you think, because of things that you’ve done, that you aren’t worthy of ANY of His love and compassion and grace. None of us are worthy of it, but He gives it to us freely. That’s how much He loves us! He also showed us the true meaning of a selfless love by suffering and dying on the cross…just to save us from our sins! (Related post: God’s Love Language)

I have known our God for a long time, but it is only now, in this season of my life, that I am really becoming more knowledgeable about Him through reading of the scriptures and studying the meanings of His Holy Word and the very rich history of what is included in the Bible. Now, the more that I learn, I find that I am thirsty for even more knowledge. In my joy of that discovery, I also want to share that thirst for knowing more about His love and knowledge for all of the humans on this planet. So what do you think? That’s not too much to ask, is it?

What did I learn from this? This is the time that the internet can be very rewarding. This is the way that we can reach out to others and let them know about the love of our God. We HAVE a living God! No other religions can say that! Not only that… we have God, the Father, God, the Son, Jesus, and God, the Holy Spirit. That’s three-in-one! Again, no other religion can claim that, at all! That makes it very special, indeed, to be a part of something that amazing, so I am honored and humbled when God wanted me to do this blog to spread His word and I will do my very, very best at it to the best of my ability! (Related post: Giving Glory to the God Who Lives in Me)

So, what can you gain from this? When you come to know Jesus and you accept that He lived on this Earth, taught and healed others, and when you know and understand that God sent His Son, Jesus to suffer, die and be resurrected, then you are beginning to understand the depth of His love for you. When you understand all of that, then you will see that God will begin to use you as well to reach others. Your joy and love will shine like the brightest beacon because you have been called by God, Himself. Wouldn’t that be something? What do you say…. would you be willing to take a chance? (Related post: A Simple Kind of Love)

The Church Within (Our Daily Bread)

“Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Your Name; thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily Bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory for ever and ever. Amen!”

When I take in You, oh God, through bread and wine, prayers, fasting, worshiping, singing, speaking, listening and hearing your Holy Word, I become the Church of You. My body has become your temple so it has become a sacred place that the evil one cannot destroy.

When we invite God into our heart and our soul, only then can we truly know that we are receiving His Living Water and will never thirst again. Not only that, but we also have to see and know that God sent His Son, Jesus, to take on ALL of our sinfulness when He died on the cross and rose again in three days. Also, get this…. our God also sends us His Holy Spirit to guide us through this wicked world that we live in! No other religion can say that they have a LIVING GOD! So awesome!! (Related post: Jehovah-Nissi: Name of God)

Realize that our faith in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit has nothing to do with the denomination of your Christian faith; instead, it has everything to do with you becoming one with ALL three as your focal point. It’s living your life the way that God INTENDED for it to be lived, as a vessel to carry His word and love and share it with the world. That is the purpose for which each of us are made.

What did I learn from this? I know that I am a sinful person. I fight that all the time. I also know that I feel like I am an empty book with blank pages just waiting to be filled up with His word and His love. I have been a Christian for a long time, but lately I’ve been feeling like I am a CHRISTIAN all the time. As I’ve gotten older (and wiser), it just hits me differently. My soul is being cleansed of everything that has tried to corrupt me in the past. I’m not perfect, but instead, I am perfectly imperfect with a liberal seasoning of God for major flavor to the mix!

So, what can you gain from this? God knows you…I mean He KNOWS you and, get this, He loves you and wants you to come to Him. When you ask God into you life, the old you is gone and you are a new creation in Him. You will find that everything looks and feels different. You won’t want to do the same things anymore or even find that you fit in with your old crowd. I know that can be a shock but you will find that it’s not so bad because you will find others who are finding their own joy in God as well. Trust God to send you where you need to be and who you need to be with. He won’t let you down…I promise! (Related post: Elohim: Name of God)

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