"Being Pushed"

"Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: but the LORD helped me." Psalm 118:13

In the New King James version this verse reads- "You pushed me violently, that I might fall, but the LORD helped me." Do you ever feel like you are being "pushed around"? Life in general has a way of doing that. The day to day cares, obligations and responsibilities often "push" on us. They push on our time, our resources, our strength. They push us for answers. They push us for attention. They push us to go beyond our abilities and means.

Then there is the "push" from other people. They push us to perform in certain ways-- mostly according to their ways. They will try to push us to get on board with their plans. They try to push us into situations that cause us to compromise our beliefs. They will push us to make decisions that best suit them whether they are in our best interest or not.

Then, of course, there is the enemy of our soul- he is always pushing us. Pushing us to yield to our wants and desires and satisfy the lusts of our flesh. He pushes us to bow down and serve him. He pushes us to lean to our own understanding instead of acknowledging God so that we make the wrong choices. He pushes us to get ahead of God's plan and timing. He tries to push us further and further away from God by pushing us in the opposite direction from God. He uses lies, manipulation, deceitful tactics and subdual persuasion to try to push us.

If you are alive, then chances are that you are going to be "pushed" by something or someone today. When you are, bear in mind and don't forget that the Lord has promised to "help" you. He will protect you from falling when you are being pushed as you look to and lean upon Him. We can't always hold ourselves up when pushed, often we will fall to the ground. But the Lord knows how to keep us from falling even if our foot slips when we are being pushed.

Have a great day. When you are being "pushed", call upon the Lord for help... He will keep you from falling.

For further reading:
Psalm 56:13; 94:18; 116:8
Jude 1:24

Moved

"Moved"

"And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.  And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean." Mark 1:40,41

In the first part of this chapter we see a revelation of the authority of Jesus.  He taught as one who had authority.  He called His disciples to follow Him, and they obeyed.  He healed all those who were sick with diseases, and the disease left.  The unclean spirits recognized who He was.  He commanded them to leave and they did.  The people were all amazed at the authority He possessed.  Then we get down to the verses above.  A leper comes to Jesus asking Him to heal him.  Did you see Jesus response?  He was MOVED with compassion.  This great authority figure is moved with compassion over the plight and condition of this poor leper.  This man was an outcast.  He was ostracized from society.  He was detached from his family and friends.  He was a miserable human being.  Yet, Jesus was moved with compassion on him.  

The depths of the compassion and love that Jesus has is incomprehensible.  He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.  He is All-Powerful.  At His Name every knee bows.  All power in heaven and earth is given unto Him.  The demons tremble in fear at His presence.  He is worshipped by angels.  He created all that is with only the words of His mouth.  In light of the authority that Jesus possess, who is this leper that Jesus would take note of him.  But He did more than take note of him-- He had compassion on him and touched him and healed him.  

Who are we that Jesus would take note of us?  We are poor and retched, unclean, outcast, unworthy, rejected, sinful, yet Jesus had compassion on us and gave His life for us.  I don't believe we can truly fathom the full depth of what was meant when it said, "He was moved with compassion".  The heart of Jesus was touched in such a way, in such a degree that He reached out to the man and touched what was "unclean".  This is the same Jesus that is moved with compassion toward you.  He loves you more than you can imagine.  More than you are able to comprehend.  He is moved with compassion for you in your time of need.  He wants to draw close and touch you like He did that leper.  The leper was not worthy of Jesus' time or touch by man's opinion.  But the compassion of Jesus overruled man's opinion.  Jesus' compassion for you also overrules man's opinion and your own opinion of yourself.  

Have a great day.  Jesus is The Authority of the universe, yet He is moved with compassion for His people.    

"The Missing Word"

"The Missing Word"

"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." Psalm 119:11

When I was growing up, we used to hear talk about the time when our Bibles would be taken away from us in this country.  It seemed so far-fetched given the fact that we are America, a Christian nation and land of freedom.  With the passing of each day, it doesn't seem so far-fetched any more-- it actually looks like it may become reality, and not in the so distant future.  Our religious-- rather, our Christian-- freedoms are being taken from us little by little.  It will continue until we no longer have this freedom and are persecuted to greater degrees like some of our brothers and sisters are being persecuted around the world. So, what about the possibility of our Bibles being taken away from us? A friend and I were talking about this the other week.  She made a statement that has stuck with me and I want to address.

She said that if our Bibles were taken away, how many people really even know what it says.  She wasn't talking about people who don't know Jesus, but those who profess to be Christians.  If your Bible was taken from you today, how many scriptures do you know?  Would you be able to make it if you did not have it to read and refer back to for strength, comfort, peace and hope?  

The Bible is the Christian's road map for navigating through this life.  Without it, do you know enough of it to get you through?  It tells us what the plan of God is for us personally and for all of humanity.  It reveals the will of God.  It shows us how to live godly lives even in the midst of hatred, confusion, chaos and persecution.  It tells us how to live lives that are pleasing to the Lord. It tells us what the Lord requires of us.  It shows us how to walk in victory.  It shows us how to be saved and stay in the faith. 

Let me ask you personally-- What would you do if you no longer had a Bible?  Would you still know how to live for the Lord?  Would you be able to make it?  Some would say that they would fight before letting someone take it.  Some of these people are the very ones who don't even bother to pick it up everyday and read it.  Why would you fight to keep it if you ignore it while you have the chance to read it? 

I said earlier that our Bibles being taken from us is looking more and more like a possibility.  That being the case, you better make sure you know what it says now while you still have it and hide it in your heart so you can draw from it then.

Have a great day.  Is your Bible hidden in your heart in case it is removed from your hands?

"Obeying Sin"

"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof." Romans 6:12

Some think that they have no control over sin in their lives. They believe that they have no choice but to sin. Sin will try to rule and reign in your life- it wants to be king and make you its servant. It will try to lord over you. It will pressure you into obeying it. It will try to dictate your life. But it does not have to have reign- you do not have to obey it.

The verse above is not a suggestion or a recommendation concerning our relationship with sin. It is a command ("Do not let it reign in your mortal body."), but along with this command comes empowerment to fulfill it.

Those who are in Christ are no longer subjects/servants of sin who have no choice but to obey it. Jesus dealt with the sin issue once and for all at the cross. He redeemed us from the curse of the sin. He delivered us from the controlling power of sin in our lives. He empowered us to overcome sin. Jesus already dealt with it, now He tells us to take "authority" over it - "Do not let sin reign in your mortal body".

How do we do that?
1) Stop surrendering to sin. Stand against it, be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. He has made you more than a conqueror in all things. (Romans 6:16)
2) Yield yourself to God and offer yourself daily as a living sacrifice. (Romans 6:13)
3) Remember the grace of God that freed you from the bondage of sin and don't take it for granted. (Romans 6:14,15)
4) Obey the Word of God from the heart. (Romans 6:17)
5) Live by faith. It is not about what you see or feel. Jesus has already delivered you from the ruling power of sin, so walk in that liberty. (Romans 6:9-11,18)
6) Remember you are no longer sin's slave, you are servants of God. (Romans 6:22)

Have a great day. Do not let sin reign in your mortal body- you are no longer its servant.

For further reading:
Romans 6

"A Dream- January 24,2021"

A couple of nights ago I had a dream.  Like some of my dreams there were a lot of oddities in it.  But there were parts that made me believe that this dream was spiritual in nature and the Lord is saying something through it that I am to share. 

The dream began with me and a few others in a house.  Among the others was a child.  While I was there in the sky there appeared two very large figures that were black and had form but no distinct features.  It was obvious that they were demons and they were talking about chaos.  They disappeared and in their place was a huge black swirling cloud-- like a tornado without the funnel.  It was directly overhead and not very high in the sky.  I told the person with me that we had to leave because there were demonic things happening that looked like a dragon. At that point, over our heads, fairly close overhead, appeared a dragon that was big and black and made up of thousand of pieces of things that could not be made out but gave it its form.  From there, I was going to take the child to someplace safe-- didn't know where that was but we were going-- because I knew the child was in danger. As we started to leave there was a man with me and I told him to take the child because he was stronger and would have a better grip on her. As we were heading out of the house, a car pulled up over on our left side.  I sensed that the people in it were demonic.  I went to the car and began to say, "In the Name of Jesus", to them.  I kept repeating-- "In the Name of Jesus".  The next scene we-- the child, man and myself-- were in another place.  Like a house with a hallway.  Coming down the hall toward me was someone that I knew who had died years ago.  I sensed the presence of a demon again.  I went to this "person" and said, "In the Name of Jesus".  I drew a line on the floor right in front of them indicating that in the Name of Jesus they better not come any closer. I kept repeating, "In the Name of Jesus", over and over. The rest of the dream was sketchy, and like I said full of oddities, so I won't share any more.  

What I believe the Lord is saying through this dream is that we are in a time where demonic forces of darkness are everywhere.  We have to be on guard.  But also, as children of the Most High God, He wants us to know that we don't have to be afraid.  Although the demons were plotting, they were very large, the sky was stormy, the dragon was flying directly overhead, demons were on one side of me, they were out in plain sight, and everywhere I went, I was not afraid.  I wanted to get the child to safety, but there was no fear in me.  The Lord does not want us to be afraid.  We must remember that we have not been given a spirit of fear.  We have been given the Holy Spirit and He is not afraid of ANYTHING!!!! So we don't have to be either.  Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. In each encounter with the demons in my dream, I went to confront them.  I didn't wait for them to come to me.  Just as David went out to meet Goliath and took the battle to the enemy, we too have to take the battle to the enemy.  We can't stand in fear on the sidelines like the army of Israel did.  They stood back because of fear.  David had no fear because his trust was in God.  Our trust has to be rooted in the Lord as well.  When it is, the enemy can't make us fearful or intimidate us. The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force.  

The second thing I believe He is saying is-- ALL power in heaven and earth is given unto Him/Jesus.  We are in a time of spiritual warfare, use His authority that you have been given.  There is power in the Name of Jesus!  In His Name demons are cast out.  At His Name every knee shall bow!  In the dream my only response to the demons was to say, "In the Name of Jesus".  I kept saying it.  As I kept saying it, the demons didn't react the way I expected them to.  I thought they would flee, turn tail and run, or melt like wax.  They didn't, but I kept saying it anyway.  I didn't let up.  What did happen was that they didn't come any closer or proceed any further.  So, the message in this is-- don't think that just because you don't see what you expected, it doesn't mean that Jesus is not powerful!! He is Omnipotent!!  Keep trusting in the power of His Name.  The demons have to bow at the Name of Jesus.  Keep standing upon and speaking and using His Name.  The demons tremble in fear when Jesus comes near!!!    

Have a great day.  Don't be afraid.  The Greater One is in you if you have made Him your Savior and Lord.  Stand firm upon the power that is in His Name.