Matthew 12:43-45
"When a defiling evil spirit is expelled from someone, it drifts along through the desert looking for an oasis, some unsuspecting soul it can bedevil. When it doesn't find anyone, it says, 'I'll go back to my old haunt.' On return it finds the person spotlessly clean, but vacant. It then runs out and rounds up seven other spirits more evil than itself and they all move in, whooping it up. That person ends up far worse off than if he'd never gotten cleaned up in the first place. "That's what this generation is like: You may think you have cleaned out the junk from your lives and gotten ready for God, but you weren't hospitable to my kingdom message, and now all the devils are moving back in."
Wow. Talk about scary!
Following Christ is more than just getting rid of your demons. You have to replace them with God. If you are getting rid of something, you have to put something it it's place - just like when you are trying to diet or stop smoking or something like that.
Showing up at the alter at church - or praying to have God take care of the hurts inside of you are not the end of the answer.
You have to make Jesus the Lord of your life. You have to give over control to Him. You have to be will to have the Holy Spirit enter you and start cleaning out all the rooms of your heart - getting rid of the junk and replacing it with new, pure goodness.
If not, you will rid yourself of one thing, only to have it replaces by something much worse!
This IS what happens. It's straight from the mouth of Jesus. I shudder to think of how many people go to someone to have an evil spirit 'dealt with', only to find themselves in even deeper trouble because they didn't refill themselves when it was done.
We don't have to be empty when that spirit returns. There can be no evil in the presence of the Holy Spirit, so when we fill ourselves with God's Holy Spirit, the evil spirits will find no entry into us again.
I pray that you will fill yourself up today!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Judgment Day
Matthew 11:20-24
Next Jesus let fly on the cities where he had worked the hardest but whose people had responded the least, shrugging their shoulders and going their own way. "Doom to you, Chorazin! Doom, Bethsaida! If Tyre and Sidon had seen half of the powerful miracles you have seen, they would have been on their knees in a minute. At Judgment Day they'll get off easy compared to you. And Capernaum! With all your peacock strutting, you are going to end up in the abyss. If the people of Sodom had had your chances, the city would still be around. At Judgment Day they'll get off easy compared to you."
Jesus berated those who had many chances and still refused to listen.
JUDGMENT DAY - that's a scary thought!
Jesus is with me always - in all I say and do. What will He say about my choices when I stand before Him?
My actions
My words
My thoughts - yes, even my thoughts!
Jesus is with me always - in all I say and do. If I choose to do so, I can allow Him to lead me in all things - My actions - My words - My thoughts, yes, even my thoughts. But do I do that? Do I allow Christ to 'dwell in me richly'? Do I allow Jesus complete and total access to all that is inside me, inside my heart?
Not all the time.
In our hearts we have areas, or 'rooms' that we keep closed.
We will give our hearts to Jesus, sometimes at a very young age, but giving ALL to Jesus is another thing. For me it's been a long long time since I've been 'saved'. but I know I still have rooms that I have yet to give to Jesus. I'm not sure what or where they are right now, but Jesus will let me know when it's time. I've thought I had given them all over to him before, but He let me know when He wanted to clean out a particular 'room' (problem, issue, held-on-to-hurt or resentment). I'm sure He will find others when it is time.
Living in Christ is not a quick thing or an easy thing. It is an ever-changing, ever-growing process of quiet time with God and earthly work for His Glory. I have yet to meet anyone who has 'arrived' yet who still exists here on Earth. God works on us, molding and plying (painful things, remember!!!) until the very end.
Are you being molded and plied? Are you presenting yourself to God and making yourself available for it? Are you open to new insights in His Word?
Christianity is not a stagnant position.
If you aren't growing, you're dead.
Wake up and grow!
Next Jesus let fly on the cities where he had worked the hardest but whose people had responded the least, shrugging their shoulders and going their own way. "Doom to you, Chorazin! Doom, Bethsaida! If Tyre and Sidon had seen half of the powerful miracles you have seen, they would have been on their knees in a minute. At Judgment Day they'll get off easy compared to you. And Capernaum! With all your peacock strutting, you are going to end up in the abyss. If the people of Sodom had had your chances, the city would still be around. At Judgment Day they'll get off easy compared to you."
Jesus berated those who had many chances and still refused to listen.
JUDGMENT DAY - that's a scary thought!
Jesus is with me always - in all I say and do. What will He say about my choices when I stand before Him?
My actions
My words
My thoughts - yes, even my thoughts!
Jesus is with me always - in all I say and do. If I choose to do so, I can allow Him to lead me in all things - My actions - My words - My thoughts, yes, even my thoughts. But do I do that? Do I allow Christ to 'dwell in me richly'? Do I allow Jesus complete and total access to all that is inside me, inside my heart?
Not all the time.
In our hearts we have areas, or 'rooms' that we keep closed.
We will give our hearts to Jesus, sometimes at a very young age, but giving ALL to Jesus is another thing. For me it's been a long long time since I've been 'saved'. but I know I still have rooms that I have yet to give to Jesus. I'm not sure what or where they are right now, but Jesus will let me know when it's time. I've thought I had given them all over to him before, but He let me know when He wanted to clean out a particular 'room' (problem, issue, held-on-to-hurt or resentment). I'm sure He will find others when it is time.
Living in Christ is not a quick thing or an easy thing. It is an ever-changing, ever-growing process of quiet time with God and earthly work for His Glory. I have yet to meet anyone who has 'arrived' yet who still exists here on Earth. God works on us, molding and plying (painful things, remember!!!) until the very end.
Are you being molded and plied? Are you presenting yourself to God and making yourself available for it? Are you open to new insights in His Word?
Christianity is not a stagnant position.
If you aren't growing, you're dead.
Wake up and grow!
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Treading Water
Life can get rough sometimes. These times make me feel like I'm just trying to keep my head above water. I'm up to my neck in 'life' and struggling to find my next move all the time. All my time and energy and thought goes into this particular life situation and I lose track of the rest of life around me.
For ten years I was just trying to keep my head above water. I woke up one day and found that I had lost ten years of my life just trying to survive my life!
What would have happened if I had been able to give it all over to God to being with? How much effort and energy would I have been able to save knowing that God was in control?
Think about it. We live our lives. Life sometimes gets us down. Picture a swimming pool. We are in the pool living life. Sometimes we are able to tread slowly and keep pace with life. Sometimes we have to work hard to keep above the water line. There are even times when we are sitting on the sidelines or floating on a raft.
God lives outside the pool area - he can see from above. He can see what is coming upon us as we swim our way through life. He sees what is coming up the road, around the corner, and slithering through the grass. Knowing this, He will help us prepare for the situations if we will only give the control to Him!
Relax! Remember your swimming lessons from childhood! Lay back and float. Stop spending so much time and energy on trying to keep your head above water! You don't have to do all that work. God is in control. If you will just lay back and place it all in His hands and float a while, you will soon find yourself floating on a raft rather that swimming to breathe!
God wants to help you - but He will never push Himself into your life. You have to lay back and allow Him to do His work in you.
Relax and float a while.
Life will be blessed by God if you do!
For ten years I was just trying to keep my head above water. I woke up one day and found that I had lost ten years of my life just trying to survive my life!
What would have happened if I had been able to give it all over to God to being with? How much effort and energy would I have been able to save knowing that God was in control?
Think about it. We live our lives. Life sometimes gets us down. Picture a swimming pool. We are in the pool living life. Sometimes we are able to tread slowly and keep pace with life. Sometimes we have to work hard to keep above the water line. There are even times when we are sitting on the sidelines or floating on a raft.
God lives outside the pool area - he can see from above. He can see what is coming upon us as we swim our way through life. He sees what is coming up the road, around the corner, and slithering through the grass. Knowing this, He will help us prepare for the situations if we will only give the control to Him!
Relax! Remember your swimming lessons from childhood! Lay back and float. Stop spending so much time and energy on trying to keep your head above water! You don't have to do all that work. God is in control. If you will just lay back and place it all in His hands and float a while, you will soon find yourself floating on a raft rather that swimming to breathe!
God wants to help you - but He will never push Himself into your life. You have to lay back and allow Him to do His work in you.
Relax and float a while.
Life will be blessed by God if you do!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Unveiled
2 Corinthians 3:18 says,"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."
In the beginning of that quote is the idea that our faces are unveiled.
Are they, really?
This scripture is referring back to Exodus when Moses was spending a LOT of time up on the mountain with God. 40 days and nights without food or water he spent up there! Wow!
His face was glowing when he returned. GLOWING!!! He was so completely filled with God's goodness and happy from His presence that he was glowing. He was glowing so much that he scared the Israelites and had to cover his face (veil).
How often do we truly unveil ourselves to those around us?
When we are at work, we are wearing the 'work veil'.
When we are at home, we are wearing the 'wife', 'mother', and/or 'daughter' veil.
When we are at a sporting event, or a school event, we wear the appropriate veil.
When we encounter someone in authority we quickly make sure we have on the correct veil for that situation.
Why the veils?
Are we truly glowing underneath the veils? If we are, then why do we hide it? Why are we afraid to show God's glory to those around us? Why do we hide His presence from those we encounter every day?
Or is that another veil we wear - the veil of Christianity.
Do we put on the veil that tells everyone we are a Christian, only to hide the fact that there is no glow underneath?
Are you spending time daily with God? Do you have the glow of His presence and His goodness shining on your face like Moses?
Ask God to give you His glow and then keep it unveiled for the world to see! What a change you will see for yourself!!!
In the beginning of that quote is the idea that our faces are unveiled.
Are they, really?
This scripture is referring back to Exodus when Moses was spending a LOT of time up on the mountain with God. 40 days and nights without food or water he spent up there! Wow!
His face was glowing when he returned. GLOWING!!! He was so completely filled with God's goodness and happy from His presence that he was glowing. He was glowing so much that he scared the Israelites and had to cover his face (veil).
How often do we truly unveil ourselves to those around us?
When we are at work, we are wearing the 'work veil'.
When we are at home, we are wearing the 'wife', 'mother', and/or 'daughter' veil.
When we are at a sporting event, or a school event, we wear the appropriate veil.
When we encounter someone in authority we quickly make sure we have on the correct veil for that situation.
Why the veils?
Are we truly glowing underneath the veils? If we are, then why do we hide it? Why are we afraid to show God's glory to those around us? Why do we hide His presence from those we encounter every day?
Or is that another veil we wear - the veil of Christianity.
Do we put on the veil that tells everyone we are a Christian, only to hide the fact that there is no glow underneath?
Are you spending time daily with God? Do you have the glow of His presence and His goodness shining on your face like Moses?
Ask God to give you His glow and then keep it unveiled for the world to see! What a change you will see for yourself!!!
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