Praise God for all He’s done!
You know, nothing makes our Father happier than a child who is obedient, joyful and giving. Don’t give till it hurts, give till it tickles! It’s all about your heart, so when you give tithes, remember to thank Him for saving and blessing you. Love you guys. I’m off to an elementary musical.
healed by His stripes,
Nancy
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Be Strong
‘be strong in the Lord’. Did you know that the bible says ‘be strong’ about forty times? Interestingly, it never says ‘be weak’. J
It is God’s will that we be strong. Why? In Proverbs 18:14 the Lord says ‘the strong spirit of a man sustains him in bodily pain or trouble, but a weak and broken spirit who can raise up or bear?’
The Lord is saying that if your spirit is strong, you can endure through to the end of every trial. And that is precisely what He wants you to do.
‘well, I sure wish my spirit was strong,’ you say. Good news! You can strengthen your spirit just like your body.
Spirits need spirit food. The word is spirit food. Other stuff is spiritual junk. Now, I’m not saying that you should throw out the TV, but maybe you could turn on a faith-filled, uplifting teacher for half an hour or read the word a little before breakfast. Turn on a praise cd at lunch or a teaching cd on your commute. Little changes matter; they add up.
Spirits need exercise, too. Praising with the cd is exercise. Praying in the spirit is good exercise, and speaking God’s words back to Him is good as well.
Finally, avoid spiritual drains; they will suck you dry faster than a teenager a root beer. Worry is a huge, deadly drain. Ten minutes worrying can undo hours of good stuff. Strife, or arguing, is another. Think of these as spiritual poison.
So good food, exercise and avoid spiritual poison.
Remember, the way to change something permanently is do it a little at a time. Don’t put yourself in basic training because it will not stick. Add one thing for a couple of weeks, then add something more. As you draw near to God, He will draw near to you. He will strengthen your spirit as you eat His word and exercise. And then you will win every challenge, because your strong spirit will sustain you. Glory to God! Hallelujah! I love you all; be blessed like Abraham.
healed by His stripes,
Nancy
It is God’s will that we be strong. Why? In Proverbs 18:14 the Lord says ‘the strong spirit of a man sustains him in bodily pain or trouble, but a weak and broken spirit who can raise up or bear?’
The Lord is saying that if your spirit is strong, you can endure through to the end of every trial. And that is precisely what He wants you to do.
‘well, I sure wish my spirit was strong,’ you say. Good news! You can strengthen your spirit just like your body.
Spirits need spirit food. The word is spirit food. Other stuff is spiritual junk. Now, I’m not saying that you should throw out the TV, but maybe you could turn on a faith-filled, uplifting teacher for half an hour or read the word a little before breakfast. Turn on a praise cd at lunch or a teaching cd on your commute. Little changes matter; they add up.
Spirits need exercise, too. Praising with the cd is exercise. Praying in the spirit is good exercise, and speaking God’s words back to Him is good as well.
Finally, avoid spiritual drains; they will suck you dry faster than a teenager a root beer. Worry is a huge, deadly drain. Ten minutes worrying can undo hours of good stuff. Strife, or arguing, is another. Think of these as spiritual poison.
So good food, exercise and avoid spiritual poison.
Remember, the way to change something permanently is do it a little at a time. Don’t put yourself in basic training because it will not stick. Add one thing for a couple of weeks, then add something more. As you draw near to God, He will draw near to you. He will strengthen your spirit as you eat His word and exercise. And then you will win every challenge, because your strong spirit will sustain you. Glory to God! Hallelujah! I love you all; be blessed like Abraham.
healed by His stripes,
Nancy
Sunday, April 26, 2009
God's word is medicine
Good afternoon, blessed ones.
Psalm 138:2 says all God’s promises are backed by all the honor of His name.
Psalm 145:13 says that God always keeps His promises.
Is there anybody with more honor to back a promise? What are His promises? Every promise in His word. So find a promise, take it to the Lord, and thank Him for it. Because it’s as good as done.
Proverbs 4:20-22 says that God’s words are life to those that find them and health (Hebrew translates to medicine) to all their flesh. This means God’s words will heal every physical human problem. His words created us in the first place. They can surely do a little repair work. And His word is backed by all the honor of His name! Praise God! I love you all.
healed by His stripes,
Nancy
Psalm 138:2 says all God’s promises are backed by all the honor of His name.
Psalm 145:13 says that God always keeps His promises.
Is there anybody with more honor to back a promise? What are His promises? Every promise in His word. So find a promise, take it to the Lord, and thank Him for it. Because it’s as good as done.
Proverbs 4:20-22 says that God’s words are life to those that find them and health (Hebrew translates to medicine) to all their flesh. This means God’s words will heal every physical human problem. His words created us in the first place. They can surely do a little repair work. And His word is backed by all the honor of His name! Praise God! I love you all.
healed by His stripes,
Nancy
Friday, April 24, 2009
sounds good continued
God’s richest blessings to you!
One of our circle (BTW, I am missing lots of email addresses due to the transition to eye-tracking technology, so our circle should be bigger) reminded me about silent prayers and tongues. God hears every silent prayer because he is in our hearts. And praying in tongues is super-charged because it’s always God’s perfect will. It confuses and diffuses the enemy fast.
Now about the other words we speak… Jesus wasn’t praying when he spoke to the fig tree. His words came true. Ours can, too. We have the same anointing . We have His righteousness. We have 66 books of His words. There are a few things we can fine-tune to make all our words really effective.
1. Jesus forgave everyone. Right after teaching the disciples how to pray (Matthew 6) in the same breath, He said to forgive. Unforgiveness is very subtle and deceiving, and it is crippling to one’s faith. I heard it said once that if you forgive, you go free.
2. Jesus believed what He said. Sometimes we say unbelievable stuff like, ‘that scared me to death.’ Or we exaggerate, or even lie a little. Our spirits know, and they get used to not believing our mouths. So if we can be careful to say what is true, our words will be more effective.
3. Remember God’s words are truth, the highest form of reality that exists.
So these are just minor adjustments for us, if we want to. Be encouraged!
I love you all.
healed by His stripes,
Nancy
One of our circle (BTW, I am missing lots of email addresses due to the transition to eye-tracking technology, so our circle should be bigger) reminded me about silent prayers and tongues. God hears every silent prayer because he is in our hearts. And praying in tongues is super-charged because it’s always God’s perfect will. It confuses and diffuses the enemy fast.
Now about the other words we speak… Jesus wasn’t praying when he spoke to the fig tree. His words came true. Ours can, too. We have the same anointing . We have His righteousness. We have 66 books of His words. There are a few things we can fine-tune to make all our words really effective.
1. Jesus forgave everyone. Right after teaching the disciples how to pray (Matthew 6) in the same breath, He said to forgive. Unforgiveness is very subtle and deceiving, and it is crippling to one’s faith. I heard it said once that if you forgive, you go free.
2. Jesus believed what He said. Sometimes we say unbelievable stuff like, ‘that scared me to death.’ Or we exaggerate, or even lie a little. Our spirits know, and they get used to not believing our mouths. So if we can be careful to say what is true, our words will be more effective.
3. Remember God’s words are truth, the highest form of reality that exists.
So these are just minor adjustments for us, if we want to. Be encouraged!
I love you all.
healed by His stripes,
Nancy
Thursday, April 23, 2009
sounds good to me
Blessings, y’all.
Yesterday I shared about light. In genesis 1, God said ‘let there be light’. And light was. So which came first into this physical realm, light or sound? God introduced his very first principle when He spoke. The first principle is this: sound changes energy. The second principle is found a few verses later. Sound changes matter. When God spoke, His words brought forth the universe. Wow! Glory to God!
Is that principle in effect today? Or did it end on Day 7? Genesis 1:26 says God blessed Adam and gave him dominion over the earth. Now, this is before sin. Adam was made in God’s image and likeness. He looks like God, acts like God and – get this – sounds like God. God gave him the ability to keep and tend the garden the same way it was created; with words. Adam used words to expand the garden. Adam never had to toil until he sinned. So, did that principle end with sin and death? No. In fact, none of the physical laws, or principles, has ever changed. But the devil stole our dominion , so men’s words came up against his power. Then praise God, Jesus got dominion back! Now we’re in Christ, we have the Holy Spirit and the name of Jesus. Even though satan’s forces are out there, they can’t hinder us anymore. All they can do is blow smoke to get us to speak their words instead of God’s words.
The principle still works. It will forever. Sounds from our mouths affect our world. You see, that is one reason Jesus came as a mortal human. That was the only way he could speak words to affect the world, because men were the legal owners with the power of sound. Not angels, not demons. Jesus came as a man, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke words. Remember the fig tree He spoke to and it dried up at the root?
So today I’m encouraging you to listen to the sounds from your mouth.
You have more power than you think. But why do our words seem to be less effective than Jesus’? To be continued…
healed by His stripes,
Nancy
Yesterday I shared about light. In genesis 1, God said ‘let there be light’. And light was. So which came first into this physical realm, light or sound? God introduced his very first principle when He spoke. The first principle is this: sound changes energy. The second principle is found a few verses later. Sound changes matter. When God spoke, His words brought forth the universe. Wow! Glory to God!
Is that principle in effect today? Or did it end on Day 7? Genesis 1:26 says God blessed Adam and gave him dominion over the earth. Now, this is before sin. Adam was made in God’s image and likeness. He looks like God, acts like God and – get this – sounds like God. God gave him the ability to keep and tend the garden the same way it was created; with words. Adam used words to expand the garden. Adam never had to toil until he sinned. So, did that principle end with sin and death? No. In fact, none of the physical laws, or principles, has ever changed. But the devil stole our dominion , so men’s words came up against his power. Then praise God, Jesus got dominion back! Now we’re in Christ, we have the Holy Spirit and the name of Jesus. Even though satan’s forces are out there, they can’t hinder us anymore. All they can do is blow smoke to get us to speak their words instead of God’s words.
The principle still works. It will forever. Sounds from our mouths affect our world. You see, that is one reason Jesus came as a mortal human. That was the only way he could speak words to affect the world, because men were the legal owners with the power of sound. Not angels, not demons. Jesus came as a man, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke words. Remember the fig tree He spoke to and it dried up at the root?
So today I’m encouraging you to listen to the sounds from your mouth.
You have more power than you think. But why do our words seem to be less effective than Jesus’? To be continued…
healed by His stripes,
Nancy
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
physical and spiritual
Hello everyone.
Did you know, or have you ever thought about how, physical things mirror spiritual things? In my years of research writing a bible – based science textbook, I have become convinced that there is nothing original; it is a copy of something heavenly. All plants and animals are flawed (by sin) copies of heavenly ones. Every physical principle mirrors a spiritual principle. A simple example is gravity. It mirrors God’s love for us. It is forever, constant and unchanging, but you feel its effects more when you are closer to its center. Think about space; you hardly feel earth’s gravity out there, but it is still gently pulling. In the same way, God gently draws us in, and we feel His love more as we come closer to Him. There is no crash at the bottom, thank goodness!
Another example is light. The bible says God is light. The more scientists learn about light, they admit the more mysteries they uncover. It’s matter and energy, electricity teamed up with magnetism, yet very predictable according to its laws. It is made up of every beautiful color imaginable, and so much more than we can see! (see any parallels? )
God is the self-existent one. He has always been around, forever. He is spirit, which is spiritual matter. He is also the source of all energy. He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit teamed up into one. The more we learn about Him, and this is so exciting, the more we can learn. Knowledge of Him is like exploring space! Infinite and exhilarating! And yet God is completely faithful to what He said in His word. He follows His own principles. He is multi-faceted and gloriously beautiful, and we can only see a very small part. 1 cor. 13:12 says ‘For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face.’ And here is one more parallel: a tiny bit of light expels the darkness around it, no matter how deep the darkness. There’s no fight, light wins. No struggle. IN THE SAME WAY, God’s glory, His Holy Spirit, expels the darkness in our lives. The bigger the light, or the more glory we walk in, the more darkness will be expelled. Without any struggling on our part! This is good news, friends. We don’t have to do what the anointing, or Holy Spirit, does without a struggle. All we need to do is draw near to God. Since He is light… Get it? If you are close to the source of light for all the stars in the universe, (that’s a lot of light!) darkness will have to flee! Praise the Lord forevermore! Hebrews 4:3 calls this entering His rest.
I love you all. Draw near to God and enter His rest today. Hallelujah!
healed by His stripes,
Nancy
Did you know, or have you ever thought about how, physical things mirror spiritual things? In my years of research writing a bible – based science textbook, I have become convinced that there is nothing original; it is a copy of something heavenly. All plants and animals are flawed (by sin) copies of heavenly ones. Every physical principle mirrors a spiritual principle. A simple example is gravity. It mirrors God’s love for us. It is forever, constant and unchanging, but you feel its effects more when you are closer to its center. Think about space; you hardly feel earth’s gravity out there, but it is still gently pulling. In the same way, God gently draws us in, and we feel His love more as we come closer to Him. There is no crash at the bottom, thank goodness!
Another example is light. The bible says God is light. The more scientists learn about light, they admit the more mysteries they uncover. It’s matter and energy, electricity teamed up with magnetism, yet very predictable according to its laws. It is made up of every beautiful color imaginable, and so much more than we can see! (see any parallels? )
God is the self-existent one. He has always been around, forever. He is spirit, which is spiritual matter. He is also the source of all energy. He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit teamed up into one. The more we learn about Him, and this is so exciting, the more we can learn. Knowledge of Him is like exploring space! Infinite and exhilarating! And yet God is completely faithful to what He said in His word. He follows His own principles. He is multi-faceted and gloriously beautiful, and we can only see a very small part. 1 cor. 13:12 says ‘For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face.’ And here is one more parallel: a tiny bit of light expels the darkness around it, no matter how deep the darkness. There’s no fight, light wins. No struggle. IN THE SAME WAY, God’s glory, His Holy Spirit, expels the darkness in our lives. The bigger the light, or the more glory we walk in, the more darkness will be expelled. Without any struggling on our part! This is good news, friends. We don’t have to do what the anointing, or Holy Spirit, does without a struggle. All we need to do is draw near to God. Since He is light… Get it? If you are close to the source of light for all the stars in the universe, (that’s a lot of light!) darkness will have to flee! Praise the Lord forevermore! Hebrews 4:3 calls this entering His rest.
I love you all. Draw near to God and enter His rest today. Hallelujah!
healed by His stripes,
Nancy
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
more on Christ's redemption
good evening, everyone.
2 Corinthians 1:19, 20 says ‘For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, …. was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. 20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.’
This says that all God’s promises, everything He put in His word, He can answer ‘yes’ to because of what Jesus did. In fact, He already answered yes through Jesus’ sacrifice. That means… Anything you need, if it’s promised in the word anywhere, ask for it boldly knowing that your prayer is answered by our Father already.
Think about Jesus on the cross, for instance. Would you stand there watching Him bleed and ask ‘do you really want me to be saved? Is it your will, Lord? How do your hands and feet feel?’ his answer is ‘yes’, not only in His word but in His action.
Another example is from Isaiah 53. By His stripes we are healed. Would you watch Him being beaten and bruised, wondering if He wants you to be healed? He did not have to be beaten to save you from hell; the cross was enough for that.
He went to the whipping post to redeem you from the curse of the law. Galatians 3:13 says so. Just look at all the horrible things you are redeemed from. It’s too horrible to even copy, so if you want to read it, it’s in Deuteronomy 28 starting with verse 15. Remember to thank God that you are free from each thing, because you are. Then read the first 14 verses last, knowing that Jesus bought the blessing for you… All of it.
So all the promises in the blessing are completely yes because of Jesus! Not only the Deut 28 blessing but every promise in the bible. So, if you need something, find it in the word. God is true to His word. If Jesus paid for it, and He did, the answer is a resounding, happy ‘yes’.
I love you all dearly. Be blessed , praise Jesus!
healed by His stripes,
Nancy
2 Corinthians 1:19, 20 says ‘For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, …. was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. 20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.’
This says that all God’s promises, everything He put in His word, He can answer ‘yes’ to because of what Jesus did. In fact, He already answered yes through Jesus’ sacrifice. That means… Anything you need, if it’s promised in the word anywhere, ask for it boldly knowing that your prayer is answered by our Father already.
Think about Jesus on the cross, for instance. Would you stand there watching Him bleed and ask ‘do you really want me to be saved? Is it your will, Lord? How do your hands and feet feel?’ his answer is ‘yes’, not only in His word but in His action.
Another example is from Isaiah 53. By His stripes we are healed. Would you watch Him being beaten and bruised, wondering if He wants you to be healed? He did not have to be beaten to save you from hell; the cross was enough for that.
He went to the whipping post to redeem you from the curse of the law. Galatians 3:13 says so. Just look at all the horrible things you are redeemed from. It’s too horrible to even copy, so if you want to read it, it’s in Deuteronomy 28 starting with verse 15. Remember to thank God that you are free from each thing, because you are. Then read the first 14 verses last, knowing that Jesus bought the blessing for you… All of it.
So all the promises in the blessing are completely yes because of Jesus! Not only the Deut 28 blessing but every promise in the bible. So, if you need something, find it in the word. God is true to His word. If Jesus paid for it, and He did, the answer is a resounding, happy ‘yes’.
I love you all dearly. Be blessed , praise Jesus!
healed by His stripes,
Nancy
Monday, April 20, 2009
correction
Two corrections; it’s not 1 Corinthians but 2 Corinthians. Also when I quoted ‘he opened not His mouth ‘, it was from Isaiah 53:7. The chapter is all about Jesus, and the message is a fresh look at it, so I copied it here.
The Message (MSG) Isaiah 53
1 Who believes what we've heard and seen? Who would have thought God's saving power would look like this?
2-6The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling,
a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over,
a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
Through his bruises we get healed.
We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost.
We've all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong,
on him, on him.
7-9He was beaten, he was tortured,
but he didn't say a word.
Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered
and like a sheep being sheared,
he took it all in silence.
Justice miscarried, and he was led off—
and did anyone really know what was happening?
He died without a thought for his own welfare,
beaten bloody for the sins of my people.
They buried him with the wicked,
threw him in a grave with a rich man,
Even though he'd never hurt a soul
or said one word that wasn't true.
10Still, it's what God had in mind all along,
to crush him with pain.
The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin
so that he'd see life come from it—life, life, and more life.
And God's plan will deeply prosper through him.
11-12Out of that terrible travail of soul,
he'll see that it's worth it and be glad he did it.
Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant,
will make many "righteous ones,"
as he himself carries the burden of their sins.
Therefore I'll reward him extravagantly—
the best of everything, the highest honors—
Because he looked death in the face and didn't flinch,
because he embraced the company of the lowest.
He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many,
he took up the cause of all the black sheep.
healed by His stripes,
Nancy
The Message (MSG) Isaiah 53
1 Who believes what we've heard and seen? Who would have thought God's saving power would look like this?
2-6The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling,
a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over,
a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
Through his bruises we get healed.
We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost.
We've all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong,
on him, on him.
7-9He was beaten, he was tortured,
but he didn't say a word.
Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered
and like a sheep being sheared,
he took it all in silence.
Justice miscarried, and he was led off—
and did anyone really know what was happening?
He died without a thought for his own welfare,
beaten bloody for the sins of my people.
They buried him with the wicked,
threw him in a grave with a rich man,
Even though he'd never hurt a soul
or said one word that wasn't true.
10Still, it's what God had in mind all along,
to crush him with pain.
The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin
so that he'd see life come from it—life, life, and more life.
And God's plan will deeply prosper through him.
11-12Out of that terrible travail of soul,
he'll see that it's worth it and be glad he did it.
Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant,
will make many "righteous ones,"
as he himself carries the burden of their sins.
Therefore I'll reward him extravagantly—
the best of everything, the highest honors—
Because he looked death in the face and didn't flinch,
because he embraced the company of the lowest.
He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many,
he took up the cause of all the black sheep.
healed by His stripes,
Nancy
Christ's redemption
Be blessed!
I was thinking about Jesus last night… How he voluntarily left heaven, became totally human, was baptized and anointed with the Holy Spirit, and from that moment on He did everything as an example to us… Taught us how to live and love one another, how to beat the devil at his game and bring other people into the family.
He did that until Thursday night in the garden. At that point He was no longer our example, but our substitute. Everything He did, He did so we wouldn’t have to. Everything He did not do, He didn’t so we would have a right to. Let me explain further…
He suffered worse temptation in the garden than you and I can imagine. What was the temptation? I don’t think it was fear of the upcoming events because He had perfect love, and 1 John 4:18 says there is no fear in love. I could be wrong but I think the hardest temptation was that he knew He had a legal right to stop the process and the authority to say one word, and it would all be over. We would all be doomed to hell, so He resisted to the point of sweating blood. He did this so we would never be tempted beyond our ability. (1 Corinthians 10-13)
Throughout everything He endured, He ‘opened not His mouth’. Remember He was our substitute, so He gave up His legal rights for us.
From the dawn of time, God wanted to be with His kids. Sin separated us, and He was prepared. In Revelation it says Jesus is the ‘lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world’. They already had it worked out in heaven, but it had to happen on earth, too. Starting with Adam, people had to sacrifice animals to cover their sin. Then Noah started the sacrifices again, then God made a blood covenant with Abraham. Then God gave the law through Moses. At this point, the Hebrews made one ‘atonement’ sacrifice each year. God basically let them push their sins forward, blessing them ‘on credit’ based on what Jesus would do.
When Jesus went to the cross, He took all sin- past, present and future. He took the weight of four thousand years of past sin and at least two thousand years of future (to Him) sin. 1 cor. 5:21 says He became sin for us so we could become the righteousness of God in Christ. Because he took and became our sin, we can take and become His righteousness. God sees us through the blood of Jesus, and we look right, clean and lovely. Think about that for a minute… You look good to our Father. Not because of anything you’ve done, but totally because of Jesus on the cross. You look marvelous! J
No person has ever been saved, delivered, healed or blessed by God in any way except through Jesus’ work on the cross and the whipping post. Either looking forward to it or looking back on it. Read that again, because it is big and hard to wrap around. Jesus paid it all, literally. That’s good news, because He did it for us. Now we can have what He bought. Salvation is the biggest and best thing; heaven instead of hell. Real relationship with the Lord! I… Wow! Hallelujah! There’s so much more. To be continued…
I love you all. Rest in the Father’s love today.
healed by His stripes,
Nancy
I was thinking about Jesus last night… How he voluntarily left heaven, became totally human, was baptized and anointed with the Holy Spirit, and from that moment on He did everything as an example to us… Taught us how to live and love one another, how to beat the devil at his game and bring other people into the family.
He did that until Thursday night in the garden. At that point He was no longer our example, but our substitute. Everything He did, He did so we wouldn’t have to. Everything He did not do, He didn’t so we would have a right to. Let me explain further…
He suffered worse temptation in the garden than you and I can imagine. What was the temptation? I don’t think it was fear of the upcoming events because He had perfect love, and 1 John 4:18 says there is no fear in love. I could be wrong but I think the hardest temptation was that he knew He had a legal right to stop the process and the authority to say one word, and it would all be over. We would all be doomed to hell, so He resisted to the point of sweating blood. He did this so we would never be tempted beyond our ability. (1 Corinthians 10-13)
Throughout everything He endured, He ‘opened not His mouth’. Remember He was our substitute, so He gave up His legal rights for us.
From the dawn of time, God wanted to be with His kids. Sin separated us, and He was prepared. In Revelation it says Jesus is the ‘lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world’. They already had it worked out in heaven, but it had to happen on earth, too. Starting with Adam, people had to sacrifice animals to cover their sin. Then Noah started the sacrifices again, then God made a blood covenant with Abraham. Then God gave the law through Moses. At this point, the Hebrews made one ‘atonement’ sacrifice each year. God basically let them push their sins forward, blessing them ‘on credit’ based on what Jesus would do.
When Jesus went to the cross, He took all sin- past, present and future. He took the weight of four thousand years of past sin and at least two thousand years of future (to Him) sin. 1 cor. 5:21 says He became sin for us so we could become the righteousness of God in Christ. Because he took and became our sin, we can take and become His righteousness. God sees us through the blood of Jesus, and we look right, clean and lovely. Think about that for a minute… You look good to our Father. Not because of anything you’ve done, but totally because of Jesus on the cross. You look marvelous! J
No person has ever been saved, delivered, healed or blessed by God in any way except through Jesus’ work on the cross and the whipping post. Either looking forward to it or looking back on it. Read that again, because it is big and hard to wrap around. Jesus paid it all, literally. That’s good news, because He did it for us. Now we can have what He bought. Salvation is the biggest and best thing; heaven instead of hell. Real relationship with the Lord! I… Wow! Hallelujah! There’s so much more. To be continued…
I love you all. Rest in the Father’s love today.
healed by His stripes,
Nancy
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Eph 1: 4-7
Good afternoon y’all.
Ephesians 1:4-7 is so rich, I pray you really meditate on it today. Read it out loud and put ‘me’ where it says us. I love you.
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.
Be blessed today!
healed by His stripes,
Nancy
Ephesians 1:4-7 is so rich, I pray you really meditate on it today. Read it out loud and put ‘me’ where it says us. I love you.
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.
Be blessed today!
healed by His stripes,
Nancy
Friday, April 17, 2009
Jesus, His name
Blessings in the name of Jesus! Hmm… Why do we use the name of Jesus? Is it like some magic word, like the ‘abracadabra’ of Christianity? Or is it habit like ‘bless you’?
I believe most of us have probably used it that way, not thinking about it. We might say it hoping something will happen but not absolutely certain it will. We might say it at the end of a prayer just like we would say ‘the end’ at the end of a story. (maybe… )
Let’s go back to the beginning, when Jesus first said ‘ask in my name’. the Lord himself was telling us that we will do greater works than his because He was going to the Father (John 14:12-14). The amplified says in verse 13 whatever we ask in Jesus’ name (as presenting all that I AM) he will do it. So He says that when we use His name, we are presenting all that he is. We present Him to the devil, and he has to flee from the Jesus we presented. We declare things that agree with the word in Jesus name, presenting all that He is, and the power of the Holy Spirit backs our words.
Also notice that ‘I AM’ is all caps, reminding us that He is everything the Father is. When we use the name of Jesus, we are implementing everything that the great I AM is. Awesome! And quite a responsibility. …
Do you believe in Jesus? Me, too. Matthew 16:17, 18 says certain signs will follow us who believe. BIG signs! Massive, miraculous signs, that are supposed to follow us. You. Me. Daily. Tall order. You want the list? Ok, here goes. ‘in my name’ He says, ‘they will cast out devils, speak with new tongues, take up serpents, if they drink anything deadly it will not harm them, they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover.’ I told you it was a tall order! J but is it impossible? With God, all things are possible.
Basically, we are Jesus’ representatives to the world. We present Him, all that He is, to those around us. We are supposed to free people from the devil in every area, spirit, soul and body. Tall orders; Jesus must really believe in us, too. He does, you know.
I love you. My encouragement today is to look for an opportunity, listen to the Lord, and (like his mother told the servants at the wedding) whatever He tells you, do it. Simple, really. That is why I’m typing with my eyes… He told me to. And when you step out and obey, it’s better than a chocolate volcano at the end of a Mexican dinner, isn’t it? Yummy.
Now in Jesus’ name, presenting all that He is, I bless you. Be well, full of joy and peace, and be victorious.
healed by His stripes,
Nancy
I believe most of us have probably used it that way, not thinking about it. We might say it hoping something will happen but not absolutely certain it will. We might say it at the end of a prayer just like we would say ‘the end’ at the end of a story. (maybe… )
Let’s go back to the beginning, when Jesus first said ‘ask in my name’. the Lord himself was telling us that we will do greater works than his because He was going to the Father (John 14:12-14). The amplified says in verse 13 whatever we ask in Jesus’ name (as presenting all that I AM) he will do it. So He says that when we use His name, we are presenting all that he is. We present Him to the devil, and he has to flee from the Jesus we presented. We declare things that agree with the word in Jesus name, presenting all that He is, and the power of the Holy Spirit backs our words.
Also notice that ‘I AM’ is all caps, reminding us that He is everything the Father is. When we use the name of Jesus, we are implementing everything that the great I AM is. Awesome! And quite a responsibility. …
Do you believe in Jesus? Me, too. Matthew 16:17, 18 says certain signs will follow us who believe. BIG signs! Massive, miraculous signs, that are supposed to follow us. You. Me. Daily. Tall order. You want the list? Ok, here goes. ‘in my name’ He says, ‘they will cast out devils, speak with new tongues, take up serpents, if they drink anything deadly it will not harm them, they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover.’ I told you it was a tall order! J but is it impossible? With God, all things are possible.
Basically, we are Jesus’ representatives to the world. We present Him, all that He is, to those around us. We are supposed to free people from the devil in every area, spirit, soul and body. Tall orders; Jesus must really believe in us, too. He does, you know.
I love you. My encouragement today is to look for an opportunity, listen to the Lord, and (like his mother told the servants at the wedding) whatever He tells you, do it. Simple, really. That is why I’m typing with my eyes… He told me to. And when you step out and obey, it’s better than a chocolate volcano at the end of a Mexican dinner, isn’t it? Yummy.
Now in Jesus’ name, presenting all that He is, I bless you. Be well, full of joy and peace, and be victorious.
healed by His stripes,
Nancy
Thursday, April 16, 2009
God's will -- perfect or permissive
Bless you in the name of Jesus!
When I was a kid, I asked all kinds of tough questions with my Sunday school teachers and I listened to the prayers of adults in prayer meetings with my grandmother. From what I gathered, God must have had two wills for everything on earth; a perfect will and a permissive will. Like a plan A and a plan B. if you didn’t make A, then B was all you could really hope for. Since all have sinned basically everyone is stuck in plan B. Well, that’s what I thought.
The more I study the Word, the more I become convinced that the Lord has only one will for each of us. Ancient Hebrew scholars called it His Master plan, and said we can connect with the Master plan. This is really different.
So wait. If God has only one will, then how do we figure it out? Or can we?
Ephesians 5:17 says ‘be not unwise (the amplified says foolish) but understand what the will of the Lord is’. Does the Lord command us to do something we can’t do? No. So how do we find the will of god?
Isaiah 55:8 says that God’s thoughts and ways are not ours. But verse 7 says to forsake our way and come to Him. In other words, take His thoughts and ways. They are different. They are higher. But praise God, he has made them reachable. Check out the rest of the chapter… It talks about restoration and blessing and abundance. Those are His ways and His thoughts for us. Better, higher, more.
So then – why don’t we see that completely in our lives? There are all kinds of reasons, but most of the reasons can be summed up in Romans 5:12. Death (that is, the curse) came as a result of sin, and all have sinned. The Message bible says no one is exempt from sin and death. So our problems don’t come from God. In fact, Jesus called satan the prince of this world. He is God’s enemy.
How did satan get that title? Back in Genesis 1:26, the Lord blessed Adam and gave him the earth. ‘subdue it, have dominion over… ‘ everything. So it was Adam and Eve who chose to allow sin into the earth, not God. But since God gave Adam the earth and He is just, He will not take it back until the appointed time.
Adam and Eve really had that power ?? yep. Check out Matthew 16:19. Whatever you bind, or forbid, on earth is forbidden in heaven, where God is. Whatever you loose, or allow, on earth is allowed in heaven.
God is so true to His word that He will honor our right to choose our own way, but all the while calling us to choose life. His only will is in Jeremiah 29:11… Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. And we can connect with His master plan! Halelujah! God is a good Father who loves us and only wants good, blessing, for us.
With all this in mind, I loose the blessing of the Lord into your lives, and I set myself in agreement with you in binding, or forbidding, satan from every area of your life. And you can pray this for me, too. Thank you so much. I love you dearly!
healed by His stripes,
Nancy
When I was a kid, I asked all kinds of tough questions with my Sunday school teachers and I listened to the prayers of adults in prayer meetings with my grandmother. From what I gathered, God must have had two wills for everything on earth; a perfect will and a permissive will. Like a plan A and a plan B. if you didn’t make A, then B was all you could really hope for. Since all have sinned basically everyone is stuck in plan B. Well, that’s what I thought.
The more I study the Word, the more I become convinced that the Lord has only one will for each of us. Ancient Hebrew scholars called it His Master plan, and said we can connect with the Master plan. This is really different.
So wait. If God has only one will, then how do we figure it out? Or can we?
Ephesians 5:17 says ‘be not unwise (the amplified says foolish) but understand what the will of the Lord is’. Does the Lord command us to do something we can’t do? No. So how do we find the will of god?
Isaiah 55:8 says that God’s thoughts and ways are not ours. But verse 7 says to forsake our way and come to Him. In other words, take His thoughts and ways. They are different. They are higher. But praise God, he has made them reachable. Check out the rest of the chapter… It talks about restoration and blessing and abundance. Those are His ways and His thoughts for us. Better, higher, more.
So then – why don’t we see that completely in our lives? There are all kinds of reasons, but most of the reasons can be summed up in Romans 5:12. Death (that is, the curse) came as a result of sin, and all have sinned. The Message bible says no one is exempt from sin and death. So our problems don’t come from God. In fact, Jesus called satan the prince of this world. He is God’s enemy.
How did satan get that title? Back in Genesis 1:26, the Lord blessed Adam and gave him the earth. ‘subdue it, have dominion over… ‘ everything. So it was Adam and Eve who chose to allow sin into the earth, not God. But since God gave Adam the earth and He is just, He will not take it back until the appointed time.
Adam and Eve really had that power ?? yep. Check out Matthew 16:19. Whatever you bind, or forbid, on earth is forbidden in heaven, where God is. Whatever you loose, or allow, on earth is allowed in heaven.
God is so true to His word that He will honor our right to choose our own way, but all the while calling us to choose life. His only will is in Jeremiah 29:11… Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. And we can connect with His master plan! Halelujah! God is a good Father who loves us and only wants good, blessing, for us.
With all this in mind, I loose the blessing of the Lord into your lives, and I set myself in agreement with you in binding, or forbidding, satan from every area of your life. And you can pray this for me, too. Thank you so much. I love you dearly!
healed by His stripes,
Nancy
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
God's Will for Your Life
God bless you!
I have recently been asking the Lord what is his will for my life. You know, the bible says in 1 corinthians 2:9 that we can’t see, hear or even think the things that God has planned for us. But the very next verse says He has revealed them to us. How? By His spirit. Awesome! That means we never have to be in the dark. How do we know it’s the spirit? Almost always, there is a scripture to back it up. God’s will is written in His word. Now for a hard question:
Is God’s will always done on this earth? Take salvation, for instance. When a person dies without Jesus, was that God’s will? We all agree that ‘God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to the knowledge of Christ’. His will was written in His word. What about this scripture – ‘in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God… ‘ does that happen all the time? Alas, not in my life, anyway. Why? Because we have wills, too.
God will not ever go back on His word in Deut. 30 when He said ‘I set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life.’. Since death reigns by sin in this world, (romans or Hebrews) it takes real effort to choose life. You don’t just coast into life.
But it is worth it, isn’t it? Deut 30 continues and says to love the Lord and cleave to Him for he is your life and the length of your days. What a deal! I encourage you today to cleave. Be blessed in Jesus name. I love you !
healed by His stripes,
Nancy
I have recently been asking the Lord what is his will for my life. You know, the bible says in 1 corinthians 2:9 that we can’t see, hear or even think the things that God has planned for us. But the very next verse says He has revealed them to us. How? By His spirit. Awesome! That means we never have to be in the dark. How do we know it’s the spirit? Almost always, there is a scripture to back it up. God’s will is written in His word. Now for a hard question:
Is God’s will always done on this earth? Take salvation, for instance. When a person dies without Jesus, was that God’s will? We all agree that ‘God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to the knowledge of Christ’. His will was written in His word. What about this scripture – ‘in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God… ‘ does that happen all the time? Alas, not in my life, anyway. Why? Because we have wills, too.
God will not ever go back on His word in Deut. 30 when He said ‘I set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life.’. Since death reigns by sin in this world, (romans or Hebrews) it takes real effort to choose life. You don’t just coast into life.
But it is worth it, isn’t it? Deut 30 continues and says to love the Lord and cleave to Him for he is your life and the length of your days. What a deal! I encourage you today to cleave. Be blessed in Jesus name. I love you !
healed by His stripes,
Nancy
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