I love to express what I feel called to say. Writing helps me to open up my heart and do that. I hope that what I write helps you in some way. I hope it makes you think, encourages you, or inspires you. If it challenges you or if you disagree, I hope you know that I respect your right to have a different point of view.
Grudges grind away at the mind and eat up the heart. Plainly put, grudges are painful. They cause much more pain to the person who holds them than they do to the people they are being held against. Nonetheless, our human pride makes it very tempting to cling to and carry around the heavy burden of grudge holding.
The Bible calls a grudge “a root of bitterness” and says that it “grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” (Hebrews 12:15) Observe the life of a bitter person and you will see the truth of those statements. The good news is that the temptation to hold a grudge, like any other temptation, can be fought and overcome. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
Tempting thoughts Can be fought And they ought To be. In Matthew Chapter four Jesus shows How He fought Tempting thoughts. He brought The written Word of God Into play By quoting What it has To say Until the Temptations Went away. (Matthew 4:1-11)
Jesus taught Repentance: Align with The kingdom And the will Of God. Have you sought First of all To be caught In God’s will and kingdom? Hear Christ’s call! (Matthew 4:17, 19, & 23)
Loneliness is a form of homesickness, of being far from home whether that distance is physical, relational, or emotional. There is hope for homesick people. An ancient hermit came out of hiding to announce that hope to the world. His name is John the Baptist.
John’s message was to tell people to get out of God’s way and make room for Him to work in and through you. “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight paths for Him.” (Matthew 3:3) Later Jesus Christ confirmed John’s message when He told His followers, “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23)
John the Baptist also said to, “Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance.” (Matthew 3:8) Jesus confirmed that by saying, “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit.” (Luke 6:43-44)
Then John told how we humans can produce good fruit. He said that Jesus will, “baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” (Matthew 3:11) This Spirit baptism isn’t just a dip into religion. It’s never-ending saturation that always produces the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) as long as people don’t quench the Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:19) Jesus put it this way: “Remain in Me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.” (John 15:4)
King David wrote: “Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is He, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty— He is the King of glory.” Psalm 24:9-10 Here’s the challenge of Christianity: Stay ever saturated with Christ and allow Him to continually abide, rule, and reign within you as your Lord and God (John 20:28) and “hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27) Welcome home!
Home is housed in the heart. Home is close relationships. Home is kindness. Home is caring family. Home is dear friends. Home is true community. Home is belonging. Home is tender compassion. Home is a heavenly atmosphere. Home is forgiveness. Home is encouragement. Home is companionship. Home is great joy. Home is inner healing. Your heart can hear home calling. Jesus is waiting for you. He wants to tell you: "Welcome home."
When politics disrupts the unity of the Spirit between Christ-followers it is far from home!
Martin Luther King, Jr. had a powerful dream. It changed the way black people are treated in the USA. Another man had a powerful dream around two thousand years earlier. His name was Joseph, and he was engaged to a young woman who told him that she was pregnant while still a virgin, but Joe didn’t buy the woman’s alibi. Instead, he decided to quietly move on.
That’s when Joe had the powerful dream that changed his life and the future of the world. His dream featured an angel appearance. The angel told Joseph 4 things: 1) that his fiancée, Mary, was pregnant by the Holy Spirit, 2) that she will have a son, 3) that Joseph is to name Him Jesus, and 4) that Jesus will save people from their sins.
The remarkable thing about his dream is that Joseph literally believed and obeyed what the angel told him. The supernatural thing about Joe’s dream is that millions of rational people around the world have believed deep in their heart that Jesus Christ was virgin born. I must confess. I believe it (but I didn’t always).
As a teenager I rejected the incredible claims of Christianity like Christ’s virgin birth, His being “Immanuel” which means “God with us,” the miracles that He did, and His rising from the dead after being crucified. However, as a freshman in college I heard people excitedly talking about Jesus like He was alive, and like they had a close personal relationship with Him. As I heard them talking about how real Jesus was to them, something happened deep inside me. It was like a flip switched and Jesus was suddenly real and present with and in me. I’ve never been the same since that moment. In an instant Jesus began to save me (and to this day continues to save me) from my sin and bondage.
Experiencing Jesus as a nonbeliever made me deeply curious about what was happening inside of me. I began to read and devour the Bible that I had rejected as mere fiction. The more I read it the more it burned in my heart. Over the next couple of years, little by little, I gradually began to believe what the Bible teaches because it was working inside of me and transforming my life. Decades later the Bible and God the Holy Spirit have never stopped working in and through me. It’s a wonderful life.
I’m so glad that Mary said yes to the angel who told her that she was going to give birth as a virgin. I’m so glad that Joseph believed and obeyed his dream. I’m so glad that Jesus is “Immanuel” (“God with us,”) and that death wasn’t able to hold Him down. I’m so glad that Christ lives in me, leads me by His Spirit, and is my hope of glory. The risen Jesus frequently brings tears of joy to my eyes.
For more about Martin Luther King’s dream, google: Off the RACE Track book. For more about Joseph’s dream, search for: The Joy of Early Christianity book.
I blog because I’m happy and I want to share my joy and inner peace with everyone. I blog because I wake up every morning overflowing with thoughts and ideas that make my life better and I want to share them with as many people as I can.
Look beyond routine And the way things seem. Behold Christ unseen. Let His Spirit stream. Then your face will gleam With the light of God And your life will teem With love, joy, and peace.
Daily immerse Your heart and mind In the Bible Verse after verse. It’s not enough To analyze Or memorize The word of God. Go disperse God’s living words Throughout your life. Let them reverse The way you live Until Jesus Consumes your heart.
When I was a child and with a small group of other children in a classroom setting, we were asked who we would like to meet and talk with if we could meet any person who has ever lived. The kids each named someone that they would like to interview (mostly historical figures). When it came my turn, I said Jesus Christ.
As the teacher in that Sunday School class commented on each person’s choice, ignoring His resurrection she acted like Jesus was just like the other historical figures — dead and long gone. I assumed she was correct and although I believed in God I never thought much about Jesus. However, as a freshman in college I had a shocking experience. I heard some people passionately talking about Jesus like He is alive and present today. Suddenly something changed in me. I sensed that Jesus was present with and in me. I’ve been talking to Jesus and interviewing Him ever since then. His comments and answers to my requests always astonish me.
When I ask Jesus to speak amazing thoughts come into my mind — things that I wouldn’t come up with on my own. Almost every morning when I wake up Jesus greets me with a series of thoughts about things that I have wondered about. As I notice and savor those thoughts, they fill me with hope and encouragement. I write them down and post them on my blog and on social media.
I know this may sound strange to you, but the Bible says that Christ-followers “have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16) Jesus Himself said: “My sheep hear My voice.” (John 10:27) You too can interview the risen Jesus. It’s simple. Ask Him a question. Then notice what happens inside of you the next few days. Be patient. At some point a powerfully hopeful thought, feeling, impression, memory, insight, picture, or Bible verse will come to your awareness. When it does, notice it, ponder it, and cultivate it. As you do, other thoughts from Jesus will come to you.
As thoughts come to you, check them out with the Bible. You can use Google and search, “What does the Bible say about (a particular thought or idea).” If it isn’t confirmed by the Bible, then an inner counterfeiter is trying to imitate the voice of Jesus. Reject any counterfeit thoughts. Genuine words from Jesus will align with the Bible.
If you believe that Christ is in you, (Colossians 1:27) live like He is. Focus on Him, enjoy His presence, and do what He says. Begin to interview the living Jesus and you will never be the same.
I have to say I’m not the way I used to be. Jesus changed me And set me free.
I’m feeling great right now because I have been thinking and writing about the true encouragers in my life. Those people lift me up, inspire me, and motivate me. They keep me going even when I feel like giving up.
I often see Jesus. I see Him living in and through certain people. The way that they live shows me Christ at work in them. The things they say and do reveal His reality to me. Their lives exemplify and exhibit His existence. They radiate and demonstrate the risen Jesus. I see Christ in them.
Christ-revealers are my favorite people to be around. They are true encouragers. They don’t just explain Jesus. They present His presence. They soften hardened hearts. When you find Christ-revealers and welcome them into your daily life, you’ll begin to experience the body of Christ functioning in Spirit-led action and demonstrating the fruit and the gifts of God the Holy Spirit.
Who are the people who make you feel closer to Jesus? Make a list of them. Then begin to spend more time with them.
There are a lot of Christ-explainers but few Christ-revealers. Be one!
Throughout each day I see myself as if I am living and doing all that I say and do on a stage, but not just any stage. I see myself on God’s stage. Because I strive to stay aware that God is constantly watching me, that helps me think and behave better than I otherwise would.
Since Christ-followers are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1) we are not an audience of religious spectators. We are living today in this world on Heaven’s stage. Even the hairs on our head are all numbered by God. (Luke 12:7) Here on earth we are supposed to acknowledge Jesus in front of people (Luke 12:8-9) and to speak about what we have seen and heard Him say and do. (Acts 4:20)
Throw off everything that hinders you from proclaiming and demonstrating Jesus to the world. Cast off the chains of your sin. Then you can with perseverance continually follow the script that God the Holy Spirit is laying out inside of you, by always keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus. (Hebrews 12:2)
Let Christ in you (Colossians 1:27) be the ongoing author and perfecter of your faith. Keep your mind and heart constantly focused on and always considering Jesus so that you don’t get tired of obeying the Spirit’s inner script, lose heart, step off of Heaven’s stage, and become a passive religious spectator. (Hebrews 12:1-3)
Christ is here All the time, Always near To a heart That’s open To His love And will hear And adhere To what He Has to say. (Matthew 15:8)
Many people in the USA today seem to want a king. I too want a king, but I want a different kind of king. I want an invisible king who rules me from within. The last thing I searched for online were the Scriptures quoted in this post.
The kingdom of God is direct awareness of and intimate closeness to Christ the King. It is radical obedience to Jesus and to His will. Many hardships are required to bring a human being into the kingdom (inner government) of God — to full surrender to and alignment with King Jesus.
When your will, your opinions, and your desires are finally being broken down, the kingdom of God is beginning to break into your life. That’s why the Bible says: “The testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:3-4) That’s why Paul and Barnabas said: ” We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22)
There are too many words about Christ without closeness to Christ. It’s time to embrace the inner government of King Jesus and to truly let Him be the Absolute Lord and Master of our life. (James 1:22)
Christ awareness Is contagious. Have you caught the Fire of Jesus? Christ-carriers Can ignite you. Faith is more caught Than it is taught. No mere teaching Is able to Show you Jesus. Let Him reveal Himself to you. Seek and you will Find.
As I read an article about the Tennessee Titans, I began to cry from deep within me. This NFL team is doing what I have longed for 55 years to see Christians do. The Titan players are opening up to one another and connecting heart-to-heart.
They call their unique approach to team building the 4Hs — Heroes, Hardship, Highlights, and History. They have divided their team into small groups unrelated to their football position. As the group meets and progresses week after week each person is asked to share about his heroes, the hardships he has faced, the highlights of his life, and his personal background.
Star wide receiver Calvin Ridley said: “I close the door, and I ask my group, ‘Tell me your Hs,’ and I tell no one to hold back to let everyone know what you have going on. Maybe we can help.”
Rookie wide receiver Xavier Restrepo said this about the experience: “You have to know your guys on a personal level . . . that way when you are asking something from somebody, it is not out of disrespect. You know where they come from. You know their hopes and their heroes, and when in their life they have had a heartbreak.”
If it’s important for a football team to support and encourage one another with the comradery of honest, open-hearted community, it’s even more important for Christ-followers. I’ve searched for that kind of intimacy among Christians all my adult life and I’m sad to say that it is very hard to find. If you want a Spirit-led environment of open sharing, you usually have to create it yourself. Even then many people are threatened by it and do their best to stop it. That’s why the Titans article made me cry.
Free Gas for Your Think Tank -- Fill Your Mind and Your Heart With Hope 