Praise and Glory to God above! He is most high, reining over all the heavens and earth, all above and below! Happy Thanksgiving. Now into the most glorious Christmas time. This will be a very special Christmas for me. Born Again in Christ. I hear every lyric, I see God's light shine in others, I am so hopeful for his return and have the ultimate faith in that. Going into Christmas, in my new created self, I will not ever forget what this is about. All of the years I missed church on Christmas due to MY pain. Now, I am on fire for the Lord. I am so touched by his everlasting gift. To even think I am worthy of His dying on the cross. Praise the prophets of long ago, who listened to God, telling us to just wait and hope. A Messiah would be born. And there it happened! For many of these prophets, I cannot imagine the impatience, in their crumbling worlds of hunger, war, doubt, sinful societies. Praise for that God Man! He had dirty diapers. He was a stumbling teenager. He was everything we are. But, He was spotless. Even though He felt every pain we have ever physically or mentally felt and He felt pangs of temptation of EVERY sin we do: He walked the earth to ultimately be man, and went to the cross and felt every pain of every whip, every nail, every thorny crown. Only for US! Isn't that just amazing? It is not human to completely understand that. But, I am taking that gift and sharing it with anyone I get the appropriate opportunity to do so with. Please do that as well. Please read Paul's letters for instruction. Please, advance the kingdom!
Part of the wonderful conversion process for me was the "scales fell from my eyes". (Just as it did for Saul/Paul). I will continue to blog about this because it is so important for all peoples to understand the Bible will come to life to you, eventually. And along with immersing yourself in His Word, whether you are reading the Bible and this has not happened, or you are very aware of what I am talking about, other items you look at will also show that you had scales on your eyes.
You look at the world as though in an entirely different sense. You won't miss important opportunities, because your ears hear differently, your eyes see VERY differently, and your mouth will be singing love songs to the Lord!
Please hang in there with me if this has not happening yet. I pray it will. (some days I do a general prayer for all to obtain a personal relationship with Jesus Christ) Keep seeking God. Let barriers down that may be blocking this life changing experience. Get rid of your secrets. Confess your sins. Mend fences with foes. Don't be afraid to talk to your parents about your childhood pain. Tell your kids what YOU are sorry for. Get rid of hangups about other folks. Don't worry about who isn't perfect in your eyes. Just wake up, start praising God for all you have. Again, read the Word daily if you can. Just 15 minutes. Talk to God!
The lyrics of songs just stick out at me like a 3-D movie. Onward, Christian Soldiers! I loved this song, growing up in the Lutheran Church. It really moved along. It was a forceful song of our faith. I felt good singing it. I sang along. And now............I think I understand what this war is about!!! (please read anything that John Eldredge writes)
It is about today. Yesterday. Tomorrow. We are at war. Can you guess who we are at war with? I guess as a kid, I saw this as a song about a long time ago. And maybe Martin Luther or someone was marching against non-Christians, or something like that, I thought. Who is the enemy?
Satan is the enemy. We are the saints, (Romans 1:7 and 1 Corinthians 1:2). We need to see this song as happening today. And I plea with you to look at any part of the New Testamanent in that light.
Neil T. Anderson, author, has helped me to grasp many more concepts. This was interesting. I never thought of myself as a saint. Do you have trouble with that as well? But, as I read the Word, I see exactly that saints do not necessarily need to be beatified. We, as sons and daughters of Christ are saints. And we are still alive!
I googled "What does the Bible say about saints?" and I got a weird array of articles. Most direct you quickly to the Catholic church. But, another site says saints were only from New Testament times. Dr. Neil T. Anderson differs with that opinion.
It is so hard for many peoples and churches to let this be a personal relationship with Jesus! It's always someone else the Bible is talking about, some other time......Not "these" days. Wow. Just read Philipians 4:21.
If we continue to keep those scales on our eyes and not seek, we will continue to have The Father Of Lies deceive us. We will think there is no war. That we are doing fine. We have our salvation and "we are already there". So us born agains........be gone! You are making me uncomfortable! Why do I make you uncomfortable?
As Joyce Meyer states, (I JUST LOVE HER)...."God uses crack-pots like you and me to shine His light through"!!!! Praise God to the gifted people such as Joyce and all of the authors I mention. Lord, you gift them with your Spirit and they are using that gift to reach so many of us. They could have refused their gift! Keep them safe from the Enemy.
Please keep seeking the Lord. Be aware of The Deceiver, who wants you to be content in your "religion". Your monotone prayers. (I used to juice up the monotone in the Lutheran and Catholic churches by slightly singing them. Shame on me!) And I wasn't born again, yet! God knew I was still discontent with "religion". With check marks and church "clubs". Have to sit in this pew every week. Have to fast. No communion if you don't get an annullment if you remarry. Printed statements passed out before mass, showing how much financial contribution everyone gave for the year. Clubs, be gone! I will worship where they speak of Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. And if I find that The Enemy has penetrated my church, I will relocate to another church. I will know!
Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war. With the cross of Jesus, going on before. Christ the royal master, leads against the foe; Forward into battle, see His banners go.
Like a mighty army moves the church of God. Brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod; We are not divided, all one body we, one in hope and doctrine, one in charity. (chorus)
Onward, then ye people, join our happy throng, blend with our yours voiced in the triumph song; glory, laud, and honor unto Christ the King: (chorus)
Acts 9: 15-19 But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name. Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord-Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here--has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit". Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after some food, he regained his strength.
Philippians 4:21-22 Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send greetings. All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar's household.
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