Have You Experienced True Peace?

Charles Spurgeon once asked his congregation, "Are you pacifying your own conscience by crying,"peace, peace when there is no peace"?

He was speaking to people who were living in sin (fleshly desires), blatant rebellion against God, all the while telling themselves they were fine..."God doesn't expect me to give up promiscuity, drunkenness, cursing...etc." Actually he demands it for His child! See for yourselves by reading Galatians 5..

Many have a false perception of Jesus, meaning, they "believe" in their head that He died on the cross for their sins and to many this means they can keep living according to the flesh...after all, didn't Jesus forgive me that day on the cross!?

Truth is, Jesus had to die a horrible death, in order for sinners to be reconciled to God. Our sins were placed on the Innocent Lamb of God so that we could be made right with God! Being made right with God, or reconciliation, means to have peace with God! The Bible is clear...

2 Corinthians 5:17-21(NLT)
"This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Until you truly surrender of your life to Christ, you will only experience a temporary artificial peace. To have lasting peace, one can only have it through Jesus Christ, KNOWING He is the Prince of Peace!

It all starts at the foot of the cross! "I am crucified with Christ, and I no longer live but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:19b-20

Can God Trust You With Silence?

"If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, He will give you the first sign of His intimacy - silence."~Oswald Chambers

During my reading of "My Utmost for His Highest", by Oswald Chambers, God spoke to my heart. How many times have I wondered why God wasn't speaking to me? Wondered if He even cared about my struggles...I even wondered if I did more to get His attention, such as fasting, spending longer amounts of time with Him in the morning reading His word, would He speak then?
There were times that I had cried out to Him for help, understanding, or healing with no answer...
Did He hear my cries for His touch. Doesn't He want me to hear Him and feel His presence? I even wondered if He was truly with me. Have you ever felt that way?

As my relationship with God began growing stronger each day, I began to recognize God's hand in different places and at different times. There are countless times that I felt His presence and then there were many times that I did not, however, deep down I knew He was there. I started believing the truth of God's Word over my feelings. Truth is, God is always with us (Hebrews 13:5)!

I believe the title says it all; Can God trust you with silence?

Here's an illustration:
You're on a long road trip with your family and all of a sudden there is silence. Is it awkward silence or is it peaceful silence? Do you feel as though you need to say something to strike up a conversation, or do you just enjoy their presence? Having four children the silence is often welcomed and needed.

On the other hand, lets say you ask a co-worker for a ride home because your car broke down. You get in the front seat, you begin to think of what you can talk about. You don't really know this person outside of work related stuff, so the 20 minute ride seems to take forever...
"How was work today?"
"Good. Stressful but good."
"How's your family?"
"Good. Yours?"
"Great."
"What do you think of this weather we're having?"
"It's been nice."
The questions are forced and the answers are vague.  Then comes the dreaded silence and you think to yourself, "What do I say now?"  It feels very awkward after only a brief period of no words...

So can God trust you with His silence? Do you know Him well enough to just sit in His presence without having to hear Him speak to you? Or is it awkward? Do you try to force a conversation with God or does it feel peaceful just being in Christ Jesus?

I am at a place in my walk with the Lord that I do not feel awkward silence in His presence. I believe Him at His word; that He is always with me and He will never forsake me (Hebrews 13:5), He hears my cry for help (Psalm 18:6), His love for me is unconditional (John 3:16)...He always has an answer for me. Sometimes His answer, "Be still and know that I am God!" Psalm 46:10.

As I sit in wait, His presence is all I need to know!
Psalm 16:11, "You reveal the path of life to me; in Your presence is abundant joy; in Your right hand are eternal pleasures."

Manifestation of the Holy Spirit

1 Corinthians 12:7-11 (HCSB), "A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person to produce what is beneficial:
to one is given a message of wisdom through the Spirit,
to another, a message of knowledge by the same Spirit,
to another, faith by the same Spirit,
to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
to another, the performing of miracles,
to another, prophecy,
to another, distinguishing between spirits,
to another, different kinds of languages(tongues),
to another, interpretation of languages(tongues).
But one and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each one as He wills."

Acts 11:16-17
"Then I remember the word of the Lord, how He said,'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' Therefore, if God gave them the same gift that He also gave to us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I possibly hinder God?"

I was pondering the power of the Holy Spirit on my way home from work and just really thinking about some teachings that can be misleading. So I have asked God for wisdom when it comes to the gift of the Holy Spirit, the gift/s, as well as the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I pray for the truth of God's Word to be in my heart and on my mind always as I am called to be His Ambassador.

I have had people of a certain denomination tell me that I was not truly saved since I did not speak in tongues...I had them question my salvation, tell me that I must not want to gift of tongues because I had not told God to give it to me. I am not trying to offend anyone so please hear me out.

Let me give you an analogy: Let's say your birthday is coming up and your dad goes to several stores looking for a special gift just for you. He has watched you grow into a mature young adult and being your dad, he probably knows what you like and don't like. He also knows how you will handle the gift he wants to bestow on you. Now you, knowing your dad will pretty much give you whatever you ask for since it's your birthday, you decide to go to him begging for something you really desire. The begging becomes pleading and then manipulation...all before you have seen the gift he chose for you.

To me if you go to your dad begging for a specific thing for your birthday and he gives you exactly what you asked for, it ceases to be a gift...A gift is a special something, chosen by a special someone, to be given on a special occasion.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is given to all who believe in Christ Jesus as Savior. The gift/s of the Holy Spirit are giving to each Believer according to God's will. I can't go to God and beg Him for something I already have. I can't go to God and tell Him that I would rather have the gift of speaking in tongues over the interpretation of tongues.

The bottom line here is our Abba, Daddy, The Gift Giver, has chosen which gifts to bestow on each of His Children. When I was saved by trusting Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I was baptized in the Holy Spirit and God chose to give me the gift of faith, wisdom, discernment and the gift of interpretation. My life transformation from who I once was to who I am now, is a testimony to the power of the Holy Spirit in my life. I CANNOT live as I do without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and His gifts to me!

Childlike Faith--My Daddy Can do Anything!

When you were a little kid, didn't you believe your daddy could do anything? Even though my father wasn't around much when I was growing up, I still believed that he could do ANYTHING! I idolized him as a SUPERHERO, MY SUPER DAD! No matter how many times he let me down, I still believed in him. I still waited on him to "save" the day! The crazy thing is, once I realized my dad was only human, I still loved him. Often times feeling abandoned, I still loved him. I desired my daddy's love so much that no matter how bad I felt he treated me, I wanted him to know I still loved him.

That is the kind of faith God is looking for in His children. The faith that says, "God, I believe You can do anything and I trust You no matter what!" God, you are my SUPER DADDY, and even if you can't "save" my day, I will still love You!

Is your life saying "I love you Daddy?" If not, ask Him for childlike faith, He will give it to you!


Psalm 116:6 NLT
The Lord protects those of childlike faith;I was facing death, and he saved me.

"I will use you to speak to millions"

The Lord spoke to my heart about 7 or 8 years ago about speaking His Truth to people. I felt Him so strongly that day! I will never forget when He told me that He would use me to speak to millions....I kept it to myself for a long time until one day the Lord had me share it with the ladies in my Bible study so they could be praying for me and the ministry God was preparing me for. They encouraged me to listen to the Lord. I found myself searching the Bible for Truths that many of us overlook...Oh what a treasure God's Word is!!

Back to the millions, I began to ponder what that would look like..Would I be in a football arena, a baseball arena?? Or maybe the Lord would put me on T.V. We can dream big! We serve a Big God!!

As I grew in my faith, the Lord would gently whisper to my spirit, "Speak my truth no matter if it offends them or not." Eventually He taught me that as I share His Word with others, even if it's one at a time, He will turn that number into millions.

You see, being faithful to God even when you only have 1 person in the audience, is what God wants. If you can't be faithful with the little....

God is my One audience that I am concerned with pleasing, not a million people!

The cool thing about bloggin, is you can reach a million people by sharing His Truth on the WORLD WIDE WEB....maybe that's what He meant when He said I would speak to millions?? I will be faithful in the little and I will keep dreaming Big! Can't wait to get to heaven to see the millions ; )I love you Jesus, my Lord and my King!

On the Couch With God!

Here is a simple analogy that the Lord spoke to my heart about being in His presence.

It's like being in the same house with your family and everyone is doing their own thing. Maybe the kids are in their bedrooms, your husband is sitting in the recliner watching television and you are sitting in the sun room reading a book. You're all in the same house but no one is engaging with another.
Then everyone makes their way into the living room. Dad still in his recliner, the kids plop down on the couch with their iPod's and headphones in, and you sit down on the love seat. Everyone is in the same room, all are in your presence but communication is vague, no eye contact is made because everyone is still doing their own thing.

You notice the kids on the couch and decide to join them. You sit right in between them. Communication begins; talking, laughing, enjoying their closeness. Then you invite dad to join in the fun and he hops on the couch with you. The family is now in one another presence. Being intimate, knowing and being known, living in a concentrated effort to achieve "oneness" as a family.

God spoke to my heart about how I sometimes treat Him. I know He is in this "house" of mine yet I often become content knowing He is "here" that I forget to commune with Him. There is so much more to His presence. Amen!

In our relationship with God, He wants to be on the "couch" with us. Not sitting alone in His "recliner". He is waiting for an invite. There must be a concentrated effort on our behalf to achieve oneness with God because He has already done His part; Jesus on the cross and His Spirit in us! Once we invite Him, He will "plop down on the couch" with us and we will enjoy the fullness of His presence! Knowing and being known by our Creator God. Oh, to live in His presence!

Lord God, Help me to live in Your presence at all times that I may glorify You and know the fullness of Your presence! In Jesus Name, AMEN!!

Hosea 6:3 "Oh, that we might know the Lord!
Let us press on to know him.
He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn
or the coming of rains in early spring.”

Are You Living in Amazing Grace?

I'm sure as you read the title, the words of "Amazing Grace" came to your mind. It may be the original verses or the more contemporary, either way the message remains the same.

"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me...I once was lost but now I am found, was blind but now I see..."

Since 1760 this hymn has been around the globe. People have sung it in Cathedrals, Country churches, Mega churches, house churches, in their homes and even in their vehicles. The message is clear but I believe due to the tradition of singing this song, it has become stale among church goers today. We often sing this song without thinking about the meaning.

You see this song was written in past tense and present tense..."I once was lost". Being lost means to be separated from God because of our sin nature. "But now I am found". This means you are now reconciled to God through the precious blood of Jesus because of God's amazing grace! If we sing this song and still live in the "past tense" of being lost, there is no amazing grace to experience...

Yes, God's grace is extended to ALL people but if you don't confess Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead(Romans 10:9)then you are not "found"/saved. You are still living in a "lost" position of life eternal. The lie that has ensnared people all over the world, especially "Christians" in the United States is: "As long as you prayed a prayer and asked Jesus to come into your heart, you are saved. You don't have to change to way you live to be His child." This is only partial truth.

The Truth is, if a person truly repents and asks Jesus to be their Lord and Savior, there is change in their lifestyle! He loves you so much and accepts you just as you are but refuses to leave you just as you are. It won't come all at once but it will happen. Why? Because the Holy Spirit has taken residence in your body and has given you the Spirit of Christ.(Read Ephesians 5)

I believe too many have prayed a prayer out of fear, just as I did when I was younger because I didn't want to go to hell when I died. There was no evidence of Jesus in my life, no life change, no remorse when I sinned, etc. I lived how I wanted to live until I was 28 and I realized my sin separated me from Holy God. I repented and gave my life to Christ. I then started living in the "found" position of life, because the Holy Spirit made His home in me and convicted me of sins.

When I hear this song, no matter where I am, I am truly thankful for His AMAZING GRACE, that saved a wretch like me! How about you? Are you living in His Amazing Grace?