Happy Monday! 

 Now that Easter is over, we would do well to remember that the sacrifice of Jesus will never be over.  It lives on in me and in you.  He took all of our sins and died to save us. 

 Jesus poured out His life – “He poured out His life unto death, and was numbered with transgressors.  For He bore the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”  

Isaiah 53:12  –  He gave His life so we could live. 

 It’s difficult to fully understand what Jesus did for us.  We have to understand that He literally took all of the sins of the world upon Himself to the cross.  He did this to clear the way for our sins to be forgiven.  If we don’t understand that, how can we fully appreciate who He is? 

  “He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).  

 Jesus was innocent.  He was the only perfect man to ever walk on this earth.  Yet, the innocent Son of God took our punishment.  He took what we deserved so we could be healed of sin. 

 It was through an act of love that Jesus died.  “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this; while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). 

 “It is finished.”  It was settled at the cross. 

 “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous in order to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18) 

 So, Easter may be over but the sacrifice of Jesus will never be over.  It lives on in us.  How can we glorify God with that knowledge? 

 Pray Unceasingly!! 

Lois 

Happy Monday!

For the first 40 or so years of my life, I believed that if you were a good person and went to church, you were a “good Christian”.  In all those years, I never realized I was missing the most vital part of Christianity, a personal relationship with Jesus!  I was missing the most glorious part of all and didn’t even know it!

I can’t say if there was a specific moment that I came to that realization.  I think it was more of a gradual process where becoming more immersed in the Word gave me a longing for more.  Through prayer and asking the Holy Spirit to fill me more, I found I became closer to Jesus.

There is an old hymn, In The Garden, that sort of describes that growth that I felt. The first verse and refrain go like this:

1 I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses;
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear,
The Son of God discloses.

Refrain:
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own,
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

We need to find some alone time and just listen.  Listen to HIS voice, commune with HIM, and you will find yourself giving your will over to Him!  A relationship requires two.  Talking and listening.  In a relationship with Jesus, your life will never be the same again!

Pray Unceasingly!!

Lois

 A Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ

By BOYD BAILEY

 “Resurrection power is experienced in the sweet intimate fellowship of your pain and in the sufings of your Savior Jesus.”

And, whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this? She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world. John 11:26-27

Martha had witnessed the mighty works of God through Jesus Christ; she knew of His healing power and His intimate relationship with His heavenly Father. Jesus asked His Father for His will to be done. Martha, like most Christians serious about their faith…served…she served especially well by hosting and loving people at home. However, her gifts of service had replaced her personal intimacy with Jesus and her devotion to Jesus. She needed a loving reminder from the Lord to return to her first love of belief in and being with Jesus. With childlike honesty, she remembered her personal relationship with Jesus, “Yes Lord I believe that you are the Christ.”  In her moment of intimacy with Jesus, being engulfed by love, she was prepared for a miracle. Before Jesus brought her brother Lazarus back to life—He wanted her back in an intimate life.

You may be doubting the Lord’s response to your situation…wondering why He is not doing more to resolve the issues you face. Yet, He knows your every need and is a compassionate Father, who first desires you in intimate love and in a personal relationship. Jesus’ love brings you back to your first love of belief in Him and being with Him. In His presence is healing and restoration for your body, mind, and soul…so then you are prepared to be a part of His solution to the problems you face. Resurrection power is experienced in the sweet intimate fellowship of your pain and in the sufferings of your Savior Jesus. Personal becomes real in pain.

“That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Philippians 3:10).

Oswald Chambers gives a deeper understanding of what it means to truly believe in Jesus. Total trust yes, but as a growing Christian, so much more: “To believe is to commit. In the area of intellectual learning, I commit myself mentally and reject anything not related to that belief. In the realm of personal belief, I commit myself morally to my convictions and refuse to compromise. But in the intimate personal belief, I commit myself spiritually to Jesus Christ and make a determination to be dominated by Him alone.” I love the phrase at the end, “to be dominated by Him alone.” Intimacy in a personal relationship with Jesus is dominated by love!

By faith, move into the messiness of being with Jesus in the middle of your mess. He is with you and He is for you as the Holy Spirit helps you sort out what to do next. As you experience intimacy out of your personal relationship with Jesus, the love of the Lord will fill you with peace and expand your capacity to love. You may need to return to your first love of childlike belief, or you may need to begin your belief. Church membership and religious affiliation…without conversion of your heart—by grace through faith—can become barriers to a personal relationship with Jesus. Make sure your belief in Jesus is backed by the resurrection of Jesus. True believers enjoy a personal, intimate relationship with Christ, always growing in love.

“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (Philippians 2:1-2).

Happy Monday!

I came across this prayer and knew it was appropriate for me this week.  Maybe, if it’s appropriate for me, it might be appropriate for you too!

We have studied this in Bible Study, Sunday School and even in a sermon.  We live in a time and a world where we need to be aware and prepared for spiritual attacks.  It isn’t a matter of if the attacks will come, it’s a matter of when and how often.  If you aren’t familiar with what I am talking about, stop everything and read Ephesians 6!  Satan is constantly on the prowl and he doesn’t care what he has to do.  He wants me and he wants you.

We need to counter attack with the Word of God.  Demand that he get out of your life once and for all.  Arm yourself with the weapons shown below and don’t hesitate to use them!  Prepare for battle with the powerful and mighty Word of God!  Ask God to go to battle with you.

I am being attacked, are you?

Pray Unceasingly!!

Lois

The Warrior’s Prayer – Putting On The Armor of God

Prayer Adapted from Dr. David Jeremiah’s Warrior Prayer

Heavenly Father,
Your warrior prepares for battle.
Today I claim victory over Satan by Putting on the whole Armor of God!

I put on the Girdle of Truth!
May I forever stand firm in the Truth of
Your Word so I will not be victim to Satan’s lies.

I put on the Breastplate of Righteousness!
May it guard my heart from evil so I will remain
Pure and holy, protected under the blood of Jesus Christ.

I put on the Shoes of Peace!
May I stand firm in the Good News of the Gospel
so Your peace will shine through me and be a Light to all I encounter.

I take the Shield of Faith!
May I be ready for Satan’s fiery darts of doubt, denial, and deceit so I will not
be vulnerable to spiritual threats or defeat.

I put on the Helmet of Salvation!
May I keep my mind focused on You so
Satan will not have a stronghold on my thoughts and emotions.

I take the Sword of the Spirit!
May the two-edged sword of Your Word be ready in my hands

so I can expose the tempting yet false words of Satan.

By faith, your warrior has put on the Whole Armor of God!

I am prepared to live this day, with and through Jesus Christ,
our Lord, and with complete spiritual victory!
Thanks be to God!
I pray this all in His Good and Holy Name.
Amen!”

For Reflection

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full Armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand”

Ephesians 6:12-13.

Happy Monday!

I am praising God for yet another day and soon to be, another month!  I’m not always as good as I should be at that.

No matter what is going wrong, we should be praising Him for all the things that are going right and when when they aren’t!

If it’s hard to find those things, look around and see the good things in our lives!

Do you have a family?  Praise God!

Do you have a home to come to? Praise God!

Do you have food to eat? Praise God!

Do you have a sweet and loyal pet? Praise God!

Are you free to attend a church of your choice? Praise God!

Are you free to worship God? Praise God!

There ae so many things every single day that we overlook.  Sometimes, we just take them for granted.  Make it a habit to look around you every day and see how much we have to praise Him for!

Pray Unceasingly!!

Lois

 Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah 

Praising God in tough situations isn’t always easy; it takes practice to praise God when we are having a bad day or week or month. But we can and should keep practicing! The next time you have a difficult day or face a tough situation, think of one thing you can praise God for. Maybe you can praise Him for a delicious sandwich at lunch or a yummy pizza for dinner. Maybe you can praise Him for the colorful flowers in your backyard or a good friend to talk to. Maybe you can praise Him for family who loves you and cares for you. The key is to look for one thing, no matter how small, to praise God for and then pray to Him and thank Him for that. The more you do this, the more things you will find to praise God for, no matter how your day is going!

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of

these is love.”  1 Corinthians 13:13

Happy Monday!

It’s “Love” week!  Now that being said, it’s not a huge deal at my house.  My honey and I exchange cards and sometimes something more but real love really isn’t about a box of candy or flowers that will wither quickly.  Real love is taking care each other when you are sick.  It’s supporting each other through every trial that comes up, and we all know they will come up.  Love is taking a deep breath and counting to 10 or 20 or 100 if necessary, even though you want to scream and yell at each other.  It’s talking to, and not at someone.

It’s not just your spouse or significant other.  What if we put more effort into loving your neighbor?  Helping them if they are sick. Even something as simple as some hot soup or taking their trash out for them.  Showing them that someone cares.

What about all of those people standing on the corner.  They aren’t always particularly lovable.   Sometimes, they aren’t real clean and maybe the last person you want to have any involvement with.

Let me just go back to a trend that was very popular years ago and should be something we all think about.   “WWJD”: What would Jesus do?

Mark 12:30-31  NIV

³⁰ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

³¹ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no commandment greater than these.”

 Jesus helped the helpless, healed lepers and restored the lost.  I am not always the best but I do try to do what I think Jesus would want me to do.  If there is doubt, ask Him!

Todays’ world isn’t always a loving environment.  Just think about what a difference it could make if we all made just a little bit more effort to show love to our neighbors and all of those less fortunate.  Not only will it change someone else’s day but I believe it will change your day!

That is love.  Caring for someone besides yourself.  What if we made that a permanent practice?  One step at a time, one change at a time and we could have a better world.

Pray Unceasingly!!

Lois