This morning I was spending a little time with the Lord and asked Him to show me something I had not seen before or realized. I was led to John Chapter 1:16 which says, "And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace."
To think that when we realized the gift of His son and accepted what He did for us, He gave us His FULLNESS!? I looked up the Greek word used here for "fullness" and found that it literally means: power, agency, riches of Christ, of those things a ship carries for its' journey and is filled with all merchandise-manpower-and supplies needed for the journey! The root word of fullness in the Greek means: to make full, filled to render perfect, to accomplish, and to bring into realization!
All we need to realize is that the Gospel is a receiving kingdom. Out of our revelation of what He has given us we are then able to manifest Him. If we still think we are striving to become something for others and God, then we have stepped into the religion zone. That's a dead end my brothers and sisters!
His "fullness" is a much much better option than beating ourselves up and trying to "obtain fullness" by our efforts and mindless religious activities designed to make us feel better about ourselves. Receive the ongoing gift of His fullness and you will see the fruits of the Spirit manifest and not the works of the flesh, Amen?
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
"How do I know I'm loved?"
At our core, we all cry out to absolutely know that we are loved and desired. It is the greatest need of humanity and always will be. Not how much money we make, how many good friends we have, getting the perfect career, or even having the perfect family life. There is something embedded in our DNA that yearns for intimacy with the One who formed us and made us with an eternal destiny in mind. The truth is, if we find it and then nurture that relationship...it enhances and makes everything else all begin to fall in place.
Many people, weather you are a Christian or not frequently say things outwardly or inwardly like, "God, if you really loved me you would ............." right? I have too my fellow sojourners. Here is what I have found and have seen to be helpful. First off you need to be determined to not just have an "engagement" with Jesus and actually get married and joined to Him. If you are not interested in learning the heart and character of God, the rest of this might not gel with you.
I spent the majority of my Christian life relying on a prayer and "good moral" behavior and found that to be a dry dead end...I started hungering for more of the real thing(about 2004) and boy am I getting more and more evidence of what I had been missing out on! LOL
If you have not really spent time in the word of God lately or ever for that matter...now is a great time! Take a look at how wonderfully Romans 8:32 tells you how you can KNOW He loves you and desires an intimacy with you that may seem impossible where you are at right now in life....It says, "He who did not withhold or spare [even] His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely and graciously give us all [other] things?" WOW! In fact Romans chapter 8 is probably one of my favorite chapters in the entire bible to read....consider doing a slow, methodical "soak" there and I guarantee you will see a side of God you might not have really experienced before!
Beloved, I think we in North America need to get back to the raw, powerful message of the cross. What I mean is that God made the greatest love move in the history of mankind when He sent His Son to become "sin" so that we could become the "righteousness" of God through Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).....Romans 5:8 says, "But God shows and clearly proves His own love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ the Messiah (Anointed One) DIED FOR US!"
The bottom line is that the sole expression (Hebrews 1:3 AMP version) of His Glory and majesty paying the penalty for our sins is proof of His love for you. As you continue to ask for revelation and and develop a personal, intimate relationship with Him by spending time and just enjoying His presence...You will KNOW you are loved. This love tank filling will be so superior to anything else available on the earth that anything someone or some thing gives you on earth will just be a nice bonus! Chew on that today and ask the Lord if what I am saying is truth. Blessings to you!
Many people, weather you are a Christian or not frequently say things outwardly or inwardly like, "God, if you really loved me you would ............." right? I have too my fellow sojourners. Here is what I have found and have seen to be helpful. First off you need to be determined to not just have an "engagement" with Jesus and actually get married and joined to Him. If you are not interested in learning the heart and character of God, the rest of this might not gel with you.
I spent the majority of my Christian life relying on a prayer and "good moral" behavior and found that to be a dry dead end...I started hungering for more of the real thing(about 2004) and boy am I getting more and more evidence of what I had been missing out on! LOL
If you have not really spent time in the word of God lately or ever for that matter...now is a great time! Take a look at how wonderfully Romans 8:32 tells you how you can KNOW He loves you and desires an intimacy with you that may seem impossible where you are at right now in life....It says, "He who did not withhold or spare [even] His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely and graciously give us all [other] things?" WOW! In fact Romans chapter 8 is probably one of my favorite chapters in the entire bible to read....consider doing a slow, methodical "soak" there and I guarantee you will see a side of God you might not have really experienced before!
Beloved, I think we in North America need to get back to the raw, powerful message of the cross. What I mean is that God made the greatest love move in the history of mankind when He sent His Son to become "sin" so that we could become the "righteousness" of God through Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).....Romans 5:8 says, "But God shows and clearly proves His own love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ the Messiah (Anointed One) DIED FOR US!"
The bottom line is that the sole expression (Hebrews 1:3 AMP version) of His Glory and majesty paying the penalty for our sins is proof of His love for you. As you continue to ask for revelation and and develop a personal, intimate relationship with Him by spending time and just enjoying His presence...You will KNOW you are loved. This love tank filling will be so superior to anything else available on the earth that anything someone or some thing gives you on earth will just be a nice bonus! Chew on that today and ask the Lord if what I am saying is truth. Blessings to you!
Thursday, August 2, 2012
"You Need the Steak & Ice Cream"
When we take an honest look at our lives, do we ever wonder why our Christian life looks hardly any different than the world? I know, I know kind of a tough question to start things off ...sorry :)
Really though: If we are supposed to reflect the loving heart of our heavenly Father and the fruits of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23...something is missing as a corporate whole.
The other day I was ministering to someone and trying to get across the need for the necessity of walking in a revelation of the unconditional love our Father God has for us. What transpired was an explanation from heaven that at the time really touched us both! It may bless you as well....here it is.
What would happen if you put a plate or a bowl in front of someone you were preparing food (in this case a steak or ice cream) for and started pouring steak sauce, marinade, seasonings, or any other "add on" seasoning or flavoring? In the case of the ice cream: whipped cream, syrup, cherry, etc....
Now imagine just starting to eat the toppings, seasoning, and or flavorings without having the steak/ice cream there? Kinda weird right? Well, getting a revelation and ongoing meditation on the Fathers' unconditional love for you is like the steak/ice cream. If you don't have it and walk in it, you will be trying to feed and get your "satisfaction" from the things of this world like money, jobs, other people etc.....All you get from your husband, wife, kids, job, etc.... is icing on the cake....seasoning on the steak.....toppings on the ice cream....it won't satisfy you-feed you-or bring absolute fulfillment to your life! But, if you are "fed" by the steak of His great love...all the other "things" will be a wonderful bonus to the fulfillment you already have in His love for you! Otherwise, you will always be frustrated-upset-and inwardly unsettled because the "condiments" of the world will never satisfy. This is one of the main reasons I think the Church has fallen short as a composite whole in reflecting the love of God to a fallen world...Let's receive the fullness of His Fatherly love and we will see changes happen!!!..take it to Him yourself today and ask Him what He thinks?
Really though: If we are supposed to reflect the loving heart of our heavenly Father and the fruits of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23...something is missing as a corporate whole.
The other day I was ministering to someone and trying to get across the need for the necessity of walking in a revelation of the unconditional love our Father God has for us. What transpired was an explanation from heaven that at the time really touched us both! It may bless you as well....here it is.
What would happen if you put a plate or a bowl in front of someone you were preparing food (in this case a steak or ice cream) for and started pouring steak sauce, marinade, seasonings, or any other "add on" seasoning or flavoring? In the case of the ice cream: whipped cream, syrup, cherry, etc....
Now imagine just starting to eat the toppings, seasoning, and or flavorings without having the steak/ice cream there? Kinda weird right? Well, getting a revelation and ongoing meditation on the Fathers' unconditional love for you is like the steak/ice cream. If you don't have it and walk in it, you will be trying to feed and get your "satisfaction" from the things of this world like money, jobs, other people etc.....All you get from your husband, wife, kids, job, etc.... is icing on the cake....seasoning on the steak.....toppings on the ice cream....it won't satisfy you-feed you-or bring absolute fulfillment to your life! But, if you are "fed" by the steak of His great love...all the other "things" will be a wonderful bonus to the fulfillment you already have in His love for you! Otherwise, you will always be frustrated-upset-and inwardly unsettled because the "condiments" of the world will never satisfy. This is one of the main reasons I think the Church has fallen short as a composite whole in reflecting the love of God to a fallen world...Let's receive the fullness of His Fatherly love and we will see changes happen!!!..take it to Him yourself today and ask Him what He thinks?
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