Tag Archive | spiritual

Completely Righteous

Righteousness–this is a word that finds much attention among the children of the Kingdom. Do you truly understand what it means to be righteous? For I see many striving to be righteous, and many in sorrow that they are not. Do you then know that righteousness is not obtained or earned, but only given by the one who gave Himself for all.

I, Jesus

I AM the one who holds the key to righteousness and when you receive from Me, My gift of Love, you must understand that you will never be able to increase that gift by anything you do to make it more than it is–righteousness. It is the pure and holy gift of Love–My gift to you when you didn’t deserve it. Why then, do you think something you do can deserve more? I have more for you, there is always so much more; for I AM so vast and deep, no man can fathom, but the gift of My Love is complete and, in that, no man can compete.

And why do you try so hard to increase that which is already? Simply rest in the truth that you are completely loved–cherished as no other can cherish you, and then when you have basked awhile…

smile and say–My Daddy Loves me; He sent Jesus–just because He Loves me.

He made me righteous.

He made me complete.

I am completely righteous, therefore I am completed in righteousness.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, ‘He who through faith is righteous shall live.'”

“If, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:17

“Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For no human being will be justified in his sight by works of the law, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction; since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins; it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies him who has faith in Jesus.” Romans 3:19-26

“For what does the scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.’ Now to one who works, his wages are not reckoned as a gift but as his due. And to one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness. So also David pronounces a blessing upon the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works: ‘Blessed are those who iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not reckon his sin.” Romans 4:3-8

“The promise to Abraham and his descendants, that they should inherit the world, did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.” Romans 4:13

“Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God.” Romans 5:1-2

“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-11

Make Ready

May14

Honor and riches are given to those who are not foolish–those who don’t waste their time on earth as if it were free to be wasted. You have been allotted a segment of time as a gift, but a requirement comes with the gift as the wrapper of the package. This time is to be utilized in learning and spiritual growth; for as you grow and change, you are then able to call others higher by example.

Heaven is not a place where sin transfers to, but a place where only righteousness dwells. Why then, would you not be prepared? Prepare yourself as a Bride prepares her wedding trousseau. She makes everything ready before the wedding day. Yes, after the marriage, there is much to learn as maturing continues, but oh, before that day, she makes ready. Her entire focus is in the preparation. She has no time to think of life after marriage, for time passes so quickly, with so much to do. Many are enlisted to help her in her plans for that big day. She trusts that her life will be completed in marriage and all is special and wonderful. Her hopes and dreams shine with love for her Bridegroom is near.

Do you see?

Make ready, for I AM near and time is fleeting…

Make Ready!

“This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.” “Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then every man will receive his commendation from God.” I Corinthians 4:1-2, 5

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” I Corinthians 5:9-11

“–he who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Shun immorality. Every other sin which a man commits is outside the body; but the immoral man sins against his own body. do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” I Corinthians 6:17-20

“And he will destroy on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death for ever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day, ‘Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.'” Isaiah 25:7-9

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” II Corinthians 3:17-18

“And from the throne came a voice crying, “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great.” Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals, crying “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure”–for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, ‘These are true words of God.'” Revelation 19:5-9

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense, to repay every one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Revelation 22:12-13

Miracle Faith

May12

Miracles happen on a daily basis, but many do not even notice–even those in front of their face.

Why?

They look to reasoning. It is in reasoning–the precursor to doubt, that they justify and explain away the very thing that would draw them in to know Me.

I cause miracles to happen ‘expressly’ to love people, and to express My Love as tangible, personal…

I care.

A miracle doesn’t have to be big to be classified as such, it just has to be impossible for man to do without Divine intervention. I will intervene, if you will pay attention.

Remember, to reason is to enlist your mind. I dwell in the heart of faith. You may have Me in mind when you act in faith but, if you don’t mind, I’d rather ‘prove’ your faith by acting out a miracle before you. If you’ll just take notice, I’ll show you…

By faith.

Does that sound reasonable to you? Then it’s not faith, and it’s not a miracle.

For faith doesn’t reason!

Have Faith

“For if the message declared by angels was valid and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard him, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his own will.” Hebrews 2:2-4

“And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the maimed, the blind, the dumb, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, so that the throng wondered, when they saw the dumb speaking, the maimed whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.” Matthew 15:30-31

“And God did extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick, and diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.” Acts 19:11

“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers, helpers, administrators, speakers in various kinds of tongues. ” I Corinthians 12:27-28

“Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? Thus Abraham “believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” So you see that it is men of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham who had faith.” Galatians 3:5-7

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” I Corinthians 13:1-3

“May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.” II Thessalonians 3:5

The Hidden Nugget

May11

Relax your fingernails–they are digging in too hard. You need to trust Me more. I AM sufficient for you in all things.

I complete you.

Allow Me to direct your day, before you get ‘caught away’ in various tasks that may keep you busy, but may not be productive toward your goal–that of your call.

Wisdom is the key that opens the door of understanding.
Seek wisdom–call for it in prayer.
Study My Word for nuggets of Truth, hidden in plain sight.

So much is lost when one fails to pray and listen within before opening the Word. For if you would make this your practice, I will guide you as you read, and you will find great fulfillment in the scriptures–the living Word. It shall become alive within you as you eat of it–the life-giving Word. Manna from Heaven. You will find your study time will no longer be a drudgery, but an anticipated event, for it will satisfy and settle your heart.

If you love Me, then love My Word. For we are one and the same. Food for your soul–the Living Word.

Words for life

Words to live by–for I AM Life.

I AM

A hidden nugget in plain sight!

“Thou dost keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee. Trust in the Lord for ever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” Isaiah 26:3-4

“My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. for the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and preserving the way of his saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you; understanding will guard you; delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech–” Proverbs 2:1-12

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

“Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gets understanding, for the gain from it is better than gain from silver and its profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called happy.” Proverbs 3:13-18

“The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; by his knowledge the deeps broke forth, and the clouds drop down the dew. My son, keep sound wisdom and discretion; let them not escape from your sight, and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. Then you will walk on your way securely and your foot will not stumble. If you sit down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.” Proverbs 3:19-24

“–“Let you heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth. Get wisdom; get insight. Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you. the beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. She will place on your head a fair garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.” Proverbs 4:4b-9

“Make me to know thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me, for thou art the God of my salvation; for thee I wait all the day long.” Psalms 25:4-5

“The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; thou holdest my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I keep the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also dwells secure.” “Thou dost show me the path of life; in thy presence there is fulness of joy, in thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.” Psalms 16:5-9,11

“You have been born anew, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God–” I Peter 1:23

“–whoever keeps his word, in him truly love for God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him: he who says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” I John 2:5-6

“O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory for ever. Amen.” Romans 11:33-36

“Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ Jesus then said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world.’ They said to him ‘Lord, give us this bread always.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.'” John 6:31-35

“May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.” II Thessalonians 3:5

Two for ONE

May10

You and I, we are a team; we flow as one, you and I. My Father and I understand this, as now do you, that two cannot walk together unless they be agreed–in agreement as one. It is the requirement of a good marriage–the two shall be joined as one; no longer two but one. Your hearts are steadfast and there is no shadow of turning if you are one.

To walk away would be to turn your back on yourself, it just cannot be done.

I choose to be one with you, as you have chosen Me. My Father has called you, for He has known your heart; we are no longer two or three, but ONE. In this way, think of your life as being one with Me. Our decisions are made together. We commune throughout the day and share along the way. When something troubles you, we discuss it. When there is a task I would like you to do–I ask.

Do you understand that when you asked Me to come into your life it was to be ONE? Never will we part. Many speak marriage vows and declare “until death do us part.” That will never happen with you and I, for we will never die, and for now and all eternity…

I will never depart

We are a team, you and I…

We are ONE.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:27-30

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die…” John 11:25

“The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me.” John 17:22-23

“I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom thou hast given me, for they are thine; all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them. And they are in the world, and I am coming to thee, Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.” John 17:9-11

“Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?” Amos 3:3 NLT

“And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him. a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:12

“God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” I Corinthians 1:9

I Have More

May9

When you step forth into your calling, you need not have the approval of men. It is wise to seek confirmation from trusted sources, but all will not agree, for all do not see.

There are many who hold Me to a standard that is theirs and not Mine. I AM so vast and the vision of man is so limited. I caution you not to see Me with your eyes, but Mine. I know it is not possible for you to see all that I see, but what I ask is that you ‘see’ what I give you; that you allow Me to be God of your life; allow Me to be more than what you see.

Do you see?

Limits are man’s way of being comfortable and an attempt to hold confusion at bay. They try to quench fear of the unknown, by sometimes stopping what I AM trying to introduce to them. This is all so futile and proof that they are not ready to receive…

More.

More of who I AM, and more of what I have called them to be. I AM patient, but many will never know or walk in the future I have for them because they limit My Ways and choose, rather, to be comfortable, ‘stable’, they call it.

I call it fear.

Do not let fear quench your call, nor that of any other man–allow Me to direct your path. You will find confirmation along the way, by the Holy Spirit speaking through those you have come to trust. For I have connected you to individuals who are open to My Ways, for a purpose…

to show you the Way.

Always check your heart, for it is there that I reside. Your peace will remain if you have chosen Me to guide you in…

the Way.

Now let Me show you something new–for there is plenty more to do.

I AM unchanging and yet ever revealing, more of who I AM

to those who will believe
those who will receive
those who trust that I AM

Let’s move, for there is More!

Are you listening? When you are ready…

I have More…

“‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; yea, and on my menservants and my maidservants in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and manifest day. And it shall be that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'” Acts 2:17-21

“Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, fear not! Behold, your God will come with a vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a hart; and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy.” Isaiah 35:3-6

“And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not pass over it, and fools shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Isaiah 35:8

“–Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils, they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Mark 16:15-18 KJV

“And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.” Mark 16:20 KJV

Hand In Hand

May8

I magnify your hands, as if in the spirit they are bigger–able to do more than you could, and would not do on your own.

These hands choose to serve when they would rather play. These hands reach out to touch when it may be inconvenient. These hands represent a heart of love that has been born out of pure love–Mine. A love so pure that it magnifies you, as if you were near to hear My very own heartbeat and to act upon what you hear within Me.

You are blessed with those hands, for they are not calloused, but smooth. In the natural, they may even be rough, but I ask that you see them as I see them, through the eyes of your spirit–through My eyes. For I see not rough, but smooth hands–eager to wipe away the tear, quench every fear and call all to come hear the heart of the one who loves them.

Your hands are My hands.

Do you see?

Yes

You see…

Therefore, you represent Me. Always remember that…

You represent Me!

Therefore, be My Hands.

“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere love of the brethren, love one another earnestly from the heart.” I Peter 1:22

“Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor.” Romans 12:9-10

“–many signs and wonders were done among the people by the hands of the apostles.” Acts 5:12a

“Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” Hebrews 13:1-2

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” “Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you are serving the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:17, 23-24

“Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish thou the work of our hands upon us, yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.” Psalms 90:17

You Are Powerful!

May7

Absolute confidence comes from knowing who you are in Christ–the anointing, which is your power. You are not to put your trust in the anointing, but to put your trust in Me; for I AM, and if you find your security in the I AM, the anointing will surely flow.

Knowing who you are and knowing ‘who you are’…

are two different things.

You can know your name, and receive your surname from your family line, but until you dig into generations of family dynamics you know very little of who you are. Dig deeply into who I AM, to find who you are, and then you will know your stature, for it comes from within–it comes from Me.

I AM your core power, the strength within you–no matter what you face in life…

I AM your strength.

I AM your answer.

I AM

You will do well to be prepared and not caught off balance when that strength is needed. Find Me within—

I AM Strength, I AM Love, and if I AM your core power, that is who you are–full of power.

You are–

Powerful!

You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was destined before the foundation of the world but was made manifest at the end of the times for your sake. Through him you have confidence in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” I Peter 1:18-21

“You have been born anew, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God–” I Peter 1:23

“–the anointing which you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that any one should teach you; as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie, just as it has taught you, abide in him.” I John 2:27

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature.” I Peter 1:3-4

“–I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fulness of God. ” Ephesians 3:14-19

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. The Lord is the strength of his people, he is the saving refuge of his anointed.” Psalms 28:7-8

“Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21

This New Day

May6

Begin this day to think of yourself as renewed, and not defiled in any way. Many come to Me, receiving all I have to offer,

My Blood,

My Power and Authority,

My Name and the Salvation it brings,

and yet, do not leave behind the sin, the memories and all that led them to seek Me. With the same faith it took to apprehend the gospel–that same faith will renew, restore and release you from the cause of shame.

Be an example for My Kingdom, and let go of blame.

That same power I used to raise Lazarus from the dead, I grant to you, that you may do likewise.

And so, begin with you.

For you were dead in your sins, but made alive in Christ Jesus. Therefore, live as if that is so.

Sparkle for My Kingdom like a new penny–though your worth be far greater than rubies or gold or any tangible thing; your worth claimed My Life.

Therefore, do not walk as if you own yesterday. Release it and leave it behind. Behold, today is the day of Salvation–today if you will hear My Voice.

Today!

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Working together with him, then, we entreat you not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says, “At the acceptable time I have listened to you, and helped you on the day of salvation.” Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” II Corinthians 5:21-6:2

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

“And you he made alive, when you were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.” Ephesians 2:1-2

“Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:23-24

“–God is light and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth; but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” I John 1:5b-7

“So put away all malice and all guile and insincerity and envy and all slander. Like newborn babes, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation; for you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.” I Peter 2:1-3

“O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would hearken to his voice!” Psalms 95:6-7

Swimming Lessons

May5

Have you ever noticed that children only lose one tooth at a time? Old teeth must go to make room for new arrivals; for there will be tougher things to chew in life, but if they lost them all at once there would be no eating.

Do you see why I take you a step at a time?

You still have to eat!

If I took you into the deep too quickly, you would lose the ability to function in the natural world and you wouldn’t yet have learned to swim.

Just as kids learn to chew a little at a time–I’ll take you deeper a tooth at a time.

And

Just as the child keeps ‘working’ that tooth, I want you to get to work on your process. Pay attention when the tooth begins to loosen–you’re about to get something bigger to chew on, but first, we must get that baby tooth out.

I’ll take you into the deep.

One tooth at a time…

I’ll teach you to swim.

“–for every one who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their faculties trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:13-14

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:29-30

“A disciple is not above his teacher, but every one when he is fully taught will be like his teacher.” Luke 6:40

“And have you forgotten the exhortation which addresses you as sons?–“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage when you are punished by him. For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers to discipline us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time at their pleasure, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:5-11

“The earth, O Lord, is full of thy steadfast love; teach me thy statutes! Thou has dealt well with thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word. Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in thy commandments.” “Thy hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn thy commandments. Those who fear thee shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in thy word.” Psalms 119:64-66, 73-74

“Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God; consider the outcome of their life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever. Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings; for it is well that the heart be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited their adherents.” Hebrews 13:7-9

“Obey your leaders and submit to them; for they are keeping watch over your souls, as men who will have to give account. Let them do this joyfully, and not sadly, for that would be of no advantage to you.” Hebrews 13:17

“My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of honeycomb are sweet to your taste. Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.” Proverbs 24:13-14

“If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you be sated with it and vomit it.” Proverbs 26:16