When I am certain that God hears me, I am drawn to eagerly persevere in prayer.  I am strong to believe and stand on whatever answer God gives me; remembering that HIS thoughts are higher than mine, and HIS ways are far more productive and sucessful than mine. 

If only all of God's servants today would get a vision of their Father God waiting to grant their requests. If we could all see just how eager HE is to pour out on us all HIS heavenly gifts of HIS HOLY SPIRIT that we are so very much in NEED of. Then might we set aside 'everything' and make time to sit with HIM each morning, and make room for HIS out-poured power that blesses our 'prayer of faith' with HIS heavenly blessings.

When I say with genuine belief, "GOD WILL HEAR ME! HIS EAR I HAVE!" nothing can keep me from  constant prayer; living before HIM day and night; acknowledging HIM in all my ways. Then I KNOW that what I CAN NOT do on earth CAN AND WILL be done for me FROM HEAVEN! 

So, I choose to COME before Him each morning in quiet stillness. And then, I wait on Him to reveal Himself as the PRAYER-HEARING GOD. 

Year 2022 has been a very beautiful year for me; a year of restoration and peace. I have no doubt 2023 will be another beautiful year because I have learned to trust Jesus with every part of my life and even when I have times of doubt. His sweet Spirit reminds me of where my HOPE comes from. Oh how I love His Word and Promises.  

I have lived in the goodness of God. He has been so good to me; all my life HE has been faithful, even when I wasn’t faithful to Him. He has led me through the fire. He's walked me into His joy and peace. To Jesus Christ alone may my spirit yield. God alone is my strength and my shield. I've known Him as Father and I've known Him as closest friend. He is the desire of my heart and I long to one day worship Him in His full presence. But for now, I will worship Him with my life, with my prayers, with my thoughts, with my words, with my marriage, with my everything.

To God be the glory in everything in my life because it is He who brings beauty of the ashes. It is He who restored the broken parts of my life. It is He who washes clean my filth. It is He who humbles the pride in me. It is He who comforts me in my seasons of pain. It is He who arms me with strength. I look at the years I've lived, and I thank God for them all. The good ones, the bad ones, the ugly ones.

Here's to 2023, my friends and family. May you take time to reflect on the goodness of God in your life. And if you do not know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, may this be your year of knowing Jesus personally and joyfully. Happy New Year!

The same event that caused Jesus so much grief and sorrow, is the same event that produces joy for the Christian. 

When Christ was undeservingly beaten, tortured and nailed to a cross to die, much grief and sorrow was felt in those who loved Him. And yet in that same event, there is much JOY because of what it all produced: Salvation for mankind; eternal security with God for those who love  trust in Jesus Christ. 

When a mother is delivering her baby there is much grief and pain involved, but with birth comes JOY of what it all produced, a little baby to love. God gives us great illustrations to see that sometimes life hands us (or we bring it up on ourselves) events that are sorrowful and that deeply grieve us. But God also uses those same events to produce JOY in us as we see our events through spiritual eyes. 

Joy is not to be confused with happiness. Happiness is external; joy is within and untouched by external circumstances. Joy comes from God. No matter what difficult event I walk through, I still have the JOY of the Lord because I have the Lord who walks with me through those difficult events.

I will come through a little more mature in my faith, more wise, more sanctified, and closer to my Lord, not because of anything I did, but because of everything HE does in me - through the grief and sorrow of events. If the event that caused me so much grief caused me to fall before the beautiful feet of Jesus Christ - it was worth all the suffering, and therein lies my true eternal JOY.

I love the book of Isaiah (in the Bible). All that the LORD GOD tells of the future. You might think it's all for Israel, but it's more. It's for all the nations, and people....

"'Turn to ME and be saved ALL you ends of the earth; for I AM GOD, and there is NO OTHER....Before ME EVERY KNEE WILL BOW; BY ME EVERY TONGUE WILL SWEAR. They will say OF ME, 'In the LORD ALONE are deliverance and strength.' I AM THE FIRST AND THE LAST; APART FROM ME THERE IS NO GOD. APART FROM ME THERE IS NO SAVIOR. I HAVE REVEALED, AND SAVED AND PROCLAIMED - I, and not some foreign god among you. You are MY WITNESSES that I AM GOD. YES, AND FROM ANCIENT DAYS - I AM HE. NO ONE CAN DELIVER OUT OF MY HAND. WHEN I ACT, WHO CAN REVERSE IT?' The LORD will march out like a CHAMPION, like a WARRIOR HE WILL stir up HIS ZEAL; with a shout HE WILL raise the battle cry and WILL TRIUMPH over HIS enemies!"(compare to Revelation 19:11-16) "In faithfulness HE WILL bring forth justice; HE WILL not falter or be discouraged till HE ESTABLISHES JUSTICE ON EARTH. In HIS TEACHING the continents (islands) will put their HOPE." "'See, the former things have taken place, and NEW THINGS I declare,' says the LORD; 'before they spring into being I announce them to you.'"

There's so much more to know about the past and future for Israel, and the future of all mankind, just from reading the book of Isaiah alone. Isaiah, God's annointed prophet who prophesied of the LORD JESUS coming the first time as the Lamb of God and of Christ's second coming as the Warrior of God's great zeal and power, bringing righteousness and justice to the earth. PEACE ON EARTH! What a DAY to behold!

The LORD describes in so many ways (in the book of Isaiah) those who deceivingly look to other gods (themselves/governments/demonic spirits/men of great wealth/human wisdom) and what is their end to be. And HE tells the TRUTH of the glorious future for those who repent before the Son of God, and worship Him alone - to the end of their life on earth. GLORY GLORY HALLELUJAH! HE REIGNS! And He's my Savior and KING!

Why Have You Forsaken Me?

As I was thanking the Lord for going the whole painful distance to the cross for us, I started to wonder if our Savior received any grace from His Father to endure the pain and suffering of all that they did to Him because of who claimed and proved to be. A very good movie that displays our Lord’s persecution and death on the cross is Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of Christ.” I watched it once but I can’t watch it again! It’s too hard to watch what my Jesus went through for us so we could be forgiven of our sins and have the way provided into Heaven through Him alone. It’s just too hard to watch.

This morning I was remembering about the pain and suffering our Lord endured: the beatings with a cat of nine tails whip, multiple strikes to His face, twisting a crown of thorns into his skull, nailing his hands and feet to the cross and piercing His side to see if He was dead yet. So, I wondered if His Father helped Him endure it all. Then the Lord’s words came to me as He hung on the cross. “Father! Father! Why have YOU FORSAKEN ME!?!”

I tried to imagine how Jesus felt at that moment as all the sin of the world was placed on Him. Jesus the perfect man, having never committed any kind of sin or rebellious act towards His Father, took my place of the Father’s wrath on all my sin and rebellion. Not just mine but everyone’s!

I remembered what Jesus said in prayer one early morning before they came to falsely arrest Him: “Father, if it be possible, let this cup (of wrath) pass from Me.” Then He said, “Your will be done Father, not mine.” Jesus knew He had to finish the course for the JOY that was set before Him; that of spending eternity with all those He had forgiven and who love Him, all those who believed in Him to the end of their own life on earth.

Who is Jesus Christ? He is: Creator Son of God, Lamb of God, Bread of Life, Light of the world, Hope of the nations, Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, Rock of all ages, Lion of Judah, King of glory, Redeemer, Mighty God, Everlasting Father.

Jesus was left on His own to physically endure all that pain and suffering, and the worse was being temporarily FORSAKEN by His Father who could not look upon the WORLD’S GREAT sin and rebellion that Jesus temporarily embodied. Just think about that! And then consider: “For God has said, ‘I will never fail you, nor forsake you. I will never abandon you.’ So we can say with confidence, ‘The LORD is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5-6)

Says the Lord Jesus: “If you love Me, keep My commands. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter and Advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:16-18

Father God forsook His own Son on the cross until Jesus gave up His spirit and physically died. Then Jesus was received by His Father and stands at the right hand of the Father for us! No grace was given Jesus. But for us who love Jesus Christ for all He’s done for us – we have God’s grace to endure anything.

1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

2 Peter 2:9 “The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the wicked for punishment on the day of judgment.”

Our strength to endure all of life’s hardships, loss, and body sufferings, comes from God’s grace because God has poured His Holy Spirit in those who believe, the Spirit of His Grace and Gifts.

“Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to His Name.” Hebrews 13:15

A Tesimony called: A Song for the Lord – from the book JESUS FREAKS – The Voice of the Martyrs

John Denley – England 1555

One day, on the way to visit some friends, John Denley was stopped and searched by the authorities, who found his written confession of faith. Denley believed the Lord’s Church was built upon the apostles and prophets, with Christ as its head according to the Scriptures, and that the present state church, the Roman Catholic Church of England, was not part of this true Church. In his time, many of its teachings were not according to the Bible, the Word of God.

For this he was turned over to a local government official, who turned him over to the bishop for questioning. Denley would not back down from his statement of faith, so he was condemned to die and turned over to the sheriff.

Within six weeks, he was sent to the stake to be burned. When they lit the wood beneath him, Denley showed no fear. He cheerfully sang a psalm from the Bible as the flames rose around him. One of his tormentors picked up a piece of wood and threw it at him, hitting him in the face. He hoped to anger or silence Denley, but Denley only responded, “Truly, you have spoiled a good old song.” Then he spread his arms again and continued singing until he died.

“You never know much you really believe anything until its truth or false hood becomes a matter of life and death to you.” C.S.Lewis   

Listening to the old-favored hymn, TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS with lyrics: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”

I began to ask the Holy Spirit these questions: How do I turn my ‘eyes’ upon Jesus? Jesus in body form is not here; He died and went back to heaven!

How do I look full in His wonderful face? I see the drawn and painted pictures by people of what they thought Jesus looked like when He walked the earth. But they are all different. So how do I SEE His face? I see His face in how His chosen earthly witnesses wrote about Him – after being with Him, working with Him, walking with Him. Yet one day we will fully see Him face to face, hopefully as our Redeemer of Grace who has saved us from God’s coming wrath and damning verdict of total separation from God and His glorious Kingdom.

The things of earth, what are they? All that is physical in nature/seen/experienced by our senses, human relationships, substance/matter, success, means of income, worldly activity/invention/threat/chaos.

Growing dim? How? By comparison; but to what? Comparing and judging all things by the LIGHT of God’s Word, with all His Promises for the future of those who love Him. Understanding His purpose for my life and the way He designed me.

“Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11

Why should the things of earth grow dim? Aren’t those things of earth important to have and be concerned about?  Didn’t God create things of the earth for us to enjoy and use and to sustain our physical life with? Yes! But have we come to worship created things over our Creator?

Grow Dim: Those things in life on earth, little by little, should no longer ‘get to me’ in a ‘ruining’ way of who I am in Christ Jesus when compared to who God says I am in Christ Jesus, and what I have with Him by faith in His Son.  “Now we see but a DIM reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”  1 Corinthians 13:12 

His Light: God’s written Word to us for the gospel’s rejuvenation; for hope, contentment, godliness and His peace that surpasses all my understanding of those things that pertain to the world and are of the earth.

“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” John 3:19-21

His Glory: God IS love and truth! God is all knowing, all seeing, all powerful, all present; in full control of His plan to redeem us through faith in Christ, the Savior of the world, and for eternal life with our Father God. His glory includes His final judgment and restoration of all created things – so that the prayer and prophecy of His Son will be fulfilled: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done – on earth – as it is in Heaven….” Matthew 6:9-10  

His Grace: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

Grace has been defined as: God giving us what we do NOT deserve. As Adam’s children physically born into the world, we come with a strong sin nature because of Adam’s rebellion to God’s command to him in the Garden. God put this curse on all people born physically, but when we come to faith in Christ that ‘curse’ is lifted and we are no longer condemned to hell.

John 3:16-18 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

This old hymn now has a new meaning to me: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”

OH WHAT A SAVIOR I HAVE! WHAT GLORY DIVINE! I LONG TO SEE HIM FACE TO FACE AND TO KISS THE HAND THAT REACHED BACK TO ME!