In today's cultural world there has been so much confusion about which religion is true and which is not? Who's right, who's wrong? Is there a God, is there not? I believe that this is due to a lack of truth being taught in the the Body of Christ. I remember on my journey in searching for the truth about God I noticed a difference between what I read in the Bible and what I saw in today's church. The Bible says that the children of God are to be one way, but the church folks I saw were nothing like it. So my journey began with trying to find out why.
First, like most who embark on this adventure I tried to do things on my own, which didn't last long. My grandpa Rev. Jerry Houchins, was very helpful, but being young and full of self pride, I thought I needed more conformation outside of my family's view of God. Folks tend to cast down people's world views that have been raised in church because folks that haven't been raised in church believe that those who were are brain washed. Later I found out that my grandpa's view was right on, and I wish I could have told him that while he was still here, but I know he's up there in the cloud of witnesses Hebrews 12:1 talks about. Praise the Lord!
Anyways, I began to look and watch for folks that appeared to imitate what I saw in the Bible. I met a lot of nice moral folks, but there always seemed to be something missing in them. It was almost as if something was holding them back. It seemed that they had faith, but they weren't quite sure how to operate it. I thought it rather strange that people would spend time talking and singing praises to God about how wonderful and powerful He is and then when tragedy hits their faith is no where to be found. It was all confusing to me. This behavior is contradictory and gave me the feeling of false hope. So I made a promise that if God was real, and if His Word is truly infallible and full of power, then I would follow Him. I promised God to give Him my life and my very best effort. I vowed to follow Him where ever He would lead me. But if there where no manifestations to go along to confirm His existence, then I would go on being my own man.
So I began to get in the Word, and God brought a friend from my past into my life. This friend of mine, who did grow up in church, gave me some Cd's to help direct me. From that day on my life as well as my family's life has never been the same. I began to apply the Word that I learned from those Cd's to my life and God began to transform me into a new creation. Results that God's Word promised started to show up in my life. I began to see things from a very different perspective. Everything seemed to be more clear! The veil was torn from my eyes and God opened my life up to a life full of joyfulness in Christ! I didn't arrive over night to a place where I was fearless, but over time as I would see God's mercy and how faithful He is to His Word and the fear began to leave my heart. Now, as long as I would stay in His Word, I never feared or fret what they enemy tried to put in my mind. But if I quit feeding my faith by not reading and meditating in the Word, fear would creep back in my heart, and my life would begin to unravel and become full of doubt and unbelief. However as soon as I would get my eyes back on the Word things would get better! I quikly realized that reading God's Word is a must in order to live a victorious life of a Christian.
Fear is of the enemy, and it is his strongest weapon to bring the believer back into bondage. But fear cannot stand in the presence of the Almighty Word of God! This is how Jesus guarded His heart in the wilderness when the devil came to tempt Him.. Jesus said, "It is written..." You see He was established and rooted in God's Word! And if Jesus needed to be established and rooted in God's Word, then how much more do we need to be? We build a solid defense against our adversary by framing our minds and life on God's Word! So when the devil comes around to try and deceive us with his lies we don't have to acquaint ourselves with God's will in the situation! We can say, " Devil, it is written I am the righteousness in Christ, and God has put all things under His feet and gave Jesus to be the head over all things to the Church which is His body and so now I am filled with the fullness of Christ whom strengthens me and you are nothing! I cast you out in the name of Jesus!" And James 4:7 says he must flee. Hallelujah! God's Word is written upon our hearts for it is life unto us(Proverbs 4:20-22). Fear has kept many out of the presence and promises of God. Fear has dominated believers from entering into the power of God's anointing.
In these last days it is crucial that we the Body of Christ figure out how to tap into the power of His anointing and begin to operate in it. Grace is much more than just saving us from hell. It's the power to do the things we were commissioned by Jesus to do! (Mark 16:15-18) We alone in our own strength cannot do this, but greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world! We are new creations in Christ! We are to bring the message of Jesus Christ to the world! And that is we don't have to be poor any more! We don't have to be sick any more! We have been delivered form the hand of the enemy and are no longer a slave and in bondage to sin! Isaiah 53 says to whom that believe this report the Arm of the Lord is revealed and that arm is mightier than anything we might imagine. In one place the Bible said that Jesus cast out demons by the finger of God. If that's true, and it is, then how much stronger is the Arm of God? I don't know about you but I believe the report! Isaiah 52 says awake and put on thy strength! This is the message! We are the Sons and daughters of God! He is our God our Strength, our Deliverer, our Healer, our complete source of all things that are good. He alone we trust! So if He is to you all these things, then it's time to lay down your fear. Pick up the Word and declare it right now! Its time to bring out your light from underneath that basket, and let it shine for the Lord! Isaiah 60 says, "Arise, Shine; for thy light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." It's time to come out from among the them and shine for the Lord! Hallelujah! Glory to God!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
A Love Like Jesus!
Along with the New Covenant, Jesus has given us a new commandment. In John 13:34 Jesus said, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." But to truly understand what Jesus is saying, you have to know how Jesus loved. So how did Jesus love others?
Matthew 9:35-38 reveals the true passion of Jesus' heart for man. "And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."
We the believers, are the laborers Jesus said to pray to the Lord of the harvest for. Those who are bound by the enemy are great in number, too great for just one man to minister to them. God knew this and sent His only begotten Son to destroy the yoke of the enemy, and He did. That part is finished! However, many are still bound by the devil's cleaver lies. We the laborers have been given empowerment, an anointing; the Holy Spirit, to carry out the works of Jesus. Jesus is the head of the Church, and we are His body. We are to be powerFULL not powerless. Jesus said in John 14:12, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." So in order to love others as Jesus has loved us we need to operate as He operated. Jesus is a Christian's example and role model. He came and taught, preached, and healed. This is our example to follow! Jesus taught us that what He did we are to do. Jesus is the best leader, and He lead by example. True compassion for man is shown by giving.
I thank God for His Word every day because it truly does bring freedom! Freedom from the bondages of the enemy. God sent His Word and healed them the Bible says. I am convinced that if everyone would get their eyes on the Word and believe God, then every strong hold of the enemy that has appeared to be hindering us will vanish! After all, all the roadblocks in our way are only false vanities, or false appearances of the enemy in his attempt to keep the believer from operating in His blood bought authority. Everything the enemy can do to us as children of God has been blocked by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ! The Bible tells us that Jesus has stripped the devil of all his power (Hebrews 2:14). The same anointing Jesus operated in has been given to His body, the church. Oh! if we only knew the real power of this anointing... Jesus said you can move mountains! Philippians 4:19 declares that God has supplied all our needs according to His bank account, and that's far greater than we can wrap our little brains around.
If the believer is hindered it is because of our own thinking. The Bible tells us to renew our minds by the Word of God. This requires that you walk by faith and not by sight. We often want to know how everything is going to happen before hand, but God doesn't work that way! He says in Hebrews 11:6 that it is impossible to please Him with out faith. Faith is the evidence of things not seen, so how is acting on things after you know all the details walking by faith? It's not! The things of God are not always going to make sense to us on this side of heaven. Often times they are beyond our comprehension or human reasoning. But God sent us His Word to line us up to receive His best! Build upon the foundation, which is Christ, by molding your thoughts and life by the Word of God! The scriptures are God's thoughts written down for us to shape our thoughts after Him! Now it's a matter of obedience and putting our faith in God!
If we will believe Jesus at His word, and do the things He has commanded us to do. And if we would lay aside our doubt and unbelief, God would use us to move mountains in our lives and other's as well! We are to be the body of Christ! We are to be His voice calling, His hands healing, His feet walking in this broken world. We are to be chain breakers, His peace makers, To bring hope and joy to others, and imitators of Christ by spreading His love. And we do that by carrying out His written will (Mark 16:17-18) So what do you say? Do you want to be a world changer and fulfill the purpose God has called you to? Or are you just going to sit back and be content producing little fruit? I don't know about you but I want to hear those words of the master say when I come before the throne, "Well done good and faithful servant."
God bless!
Matthew 9:35-38 reveals the true passion of Jesus' heart for man. "And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."
We the believers, are the laborers Jesus said to pray to the Lord of the harvest for. Those who are bound by the enemy are great in number, too great for just one man to minister to them. God knew this and sent His only begotten Son to destroy the yoke of the enemy, and He did. That part is finished! However, many are still bound by the devil's cleaver lies. We the laborers have been given empowerment, an anointing; the Holy Spirit, to carry out the works of Jesus. Jesus is the head of the Church, and we are His body. We are to be powerFULL not powerless. Jesus said in John 14:12, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." So in order to love others as Jesus has loved us we need to operate as He operated. Jesus is a Christian's example and role model. He came and taught, preached, and healed. This is our example to follow! Jesus taught us that what He did we are to do. Jesus is the best leader, and He lead by example. True compassion for man is shown by giving.
I thank God for His Word every day because it truly does bring freedom! Freedom from the bondages of the enemy. God sent His Word and healed them the Bible says. I am convinced that if everyone would get their eyes on the Word and believe God, then every strong hold of the enemy that has appeared to be hindering us will vanish! After all, all the roadblocks in our way are only false vanities, or false appearances of the enemy in his attempt to keep the believer from operating in His blood bought authority. Everything the enemy can do to us as children of God has been blocked by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ! The Bible tells us that Jesus has stripped the devil of all his power (Hebrews 2:14). The same anointing Jesus operated in has been given to His body, the church. Oh! if we only knew the real power of this anointing... Jesus said you can move mountains! Philippians 4:19 declares that God has supplied all our needs according to His bank account, and that's far greater than we can wrap our little brains around.
If the believer is hindered it is because of our own thinking. The Bible tells us to renew our minds by the Word of God. This requires that you walk by faith and not by sight. We often want to know how everything is going to happen before hand, but God doesn't work that way! He says in Hebrews 11:6 that it is impossible to please Him with out faith. Faith is the evidence of things not seen, so how is acting on things after you know all the details walking by faith? It's not! The things of God are not always going to make sense to us on this side of heaven. Often times they are beyond our comprehension or human reasoning. But God sent us His Word to line us up to receive His best! Build upon the foundation, which is Christ, by molding your thoughts and life by the Word of God! The scriptures are God's thoughts written down for us to shape our thoughts after Him! Now it's a matter of obedience and putting our faith in God!
If we will believe Jesus at His word, and do the things He has commanded us to do. And if we would lay aside our doubt and unbelief, God would use us to move mountains in our lives and other's as well! We are to be the body of Christ! We are to be His voice calling, His hands healing, His feet walking in this broken world. We are to be chain breakers, His peace makers, To bring hope and joy to others, and imitators of Christ by spreading His love. And we do that by carrying out His written will (Mark 16:17-18) So what do you say? Do you want to be a world changer and fulfill the purpose God has called you to? Or are you just going to sit back and be content producing little fruit? I don't know about you but I want to hear those words of the master say when I come before the throne, "Well done good and faithful servant."
God bless!
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