Resurrection!

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words. Luke 24:1-8 NIV

Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.” The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about. Luke 18:31-34 NIV

It is comforting to know that everything prophesied about the Coming Messiah has been fulfilled–just as it was told.

Because of His obedience and willingness to sacrifice His life for love; we all have an opportunity to live with Him for all eternity–just as He said we would.

There are many things that have been said throughout the past week and will continue in churches all over the world today, but the most important thing that can ever be said is, “He rose from the dead so we might have life.” It is through His resurrection that we gain grace–unmerited favor–to live with Him, not because of how good we are.

Actually, our entrance into Heaven has nothing to do with our being good, but on how we live that demonstrates we belong to Jesus.

Are we loving and forgiving?

Are we defending the rights of the poor and the needing?

Are we seeking God for direction in all we do or are we allowing the dictates of man to control us?

No one has demonstrated love with the ultimate sacrifice of giving their life so we might live other than Jesus.

No one has died and rose again–just as He said He would–returning to the Father–preparing a place for us–other than Jesus.

So take a few minutes or the entire day or the rest of the your life and think about what His Resurrection really means to you and enjoy the celebration!

Happy Resurrection Day!

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Rejoice–The Lord is Near!

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7 NIV)

I will rejoice, I will rejoice, I will rejoice!

Why will I be glad?  The Lord is near and His peace is guarding my heart and mind--I have no need to fear or be anxious about anything. I know when I place my concerns before Him, He will address each and everyone and respond to His child because He loves me and cares about everything concerning me!

If this is the attitude most people have in life–there would be fewer problems because we know that He is the solution to every problem. We don’t have to know the answer; we just have to know the One who has all the answers.

When we know Him–have a deeply personal relationship with Him and we know His Word–we can relax when trials and challenges rise to defeat us because we know–we have victory in Jesus! Hallelujah! Rejoice! The devil is a defeated foe! Jesus put him under our feet and now it’s our job to keep him there. Remind him of his place every time he raises his ugly head–trying to influence our thoughts, leading to destruction.

Rise up O Believers in the most High God and know that He will never leave us or forsake us. Shout with a loud voice the victory is already won!

We must speak The Word over every situation that attempts to deter or distract us from receiving God’s best! We have the power in the Holy Ghost to keep the enemy defeated, but we must know what we have in order to use it–wisely, never doubting what God has done.

When we pray, our faith must remain steadfast, even when it doesn’t “look” like God is responding. He knows our needs and our hearts desire whether we speak them or not, but He wants us to come to Him, boldly–placing our petitions before Him and expecting Him to act on our behalf.

We have a reason to rejoice in The Lord! We should be glad that He loved us enough to die for us, went into the depths of hell and fought the enemy on his turf and won, rising up from the grave with all power in His hands and then–giving that power to all who choose to believe that He is!

No matter what happens this day or the next, we need to complete this journey called life–knowing that we have a Risen Savior and through Him, we can do all things and with Him, nothing is impossible for us to achieve. We need to act like we Believe His Word on a daily basis and not just be mealy-mouthed people who say one thing, but do another.

I believe every Word of God–know and understand why He inspired men to write it–know and understand why I must love others as He loves me–know and understand why I must obey His Word and because I know and understand His purpose for my life, I can rest assured of my eternity with Him. Not that I am a perfect being, but He is a perfect God and He said, perfect love–loving unconditionally, drives out fear–so I have no need to fear what others may say or think of me.

I have victory in Jesus and I will rejoice in His love for me–and because I love Him, I will live for Him! Hallelujah! I’m declaring every promise fulfilled and completed in this life time, in Jesus’ name for every Believer who is willing to stand–never wavering, but always believing–in faith–right now and it is done!

Rejoice Before The Lord!

“Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.” (Psalm 96:13 NIV)

If we are part of God’s creation, we should rejoice–He created us, He loves us, He willingly died for us, He rose from the grave and gave us power through Holy Spirit–Rejoice in The Lord and again I say, Rejoice for all He has done, is doing and will do!

The Lord lives and blessed are those who love Him enough to obey Him!

For our soon coming King will judge the earth and everyone in it–Believer or Unbeliever and He will judge according His righteousness, not our opinions, and our faithfulness to Him, not man’s continual revisions of what He said, trying to change God’s Word to suit their lustful desires.

Wake up and know–the end is not yet, but will be and when He returns–what will His judgment of you, be?

When we know we have done all we can to please Him, we can be like the birds to chirp in praise of Him and all other creation who raise their voices to rejoice in The Lord of our salvation, grateful for every opportunity to share His love and know of His goodness.

Rejoice for His mercy!

Rejoice for His love!

Rejoice for the grace He gives us!

Rejoice for all lessons learned from disobedience to walking in His Light!

Rejoice for another opportunity to tell someone else how good God is!

Rejoice–sing a new song that praises Him with a melody that will be a sweet, sweet sound to Him!

Rejoice–for He has given us life, love and liberty to live for Him!

He is Risen!

“He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again” (Luke 24:6,7).

And this what the angels informed Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary and other women who were with them (v.10), but when they told the other disciples, they were not believed. Peter went to the tomb and was amazed at not finding Jesus’ body, but still had doubts.

How many people are still not believing in the resurrection of Jesus Christ? The women who were first at the tomb believed because of their personal relationship with Him. The disciples eventually believed when He confronted them. Has Jesus confronted you, yet?

This is a glorious day set aside to always recall the work on the cross and the promise kept–He would rise again and with His resurrection–hell has no more hold over any who receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. He rose with all power in His hands and with Holy Spirit has given us the same power to overcome anything the enemy attempts to do to us.

We have the power to speak peace to any situation and dissuade chaos and confusion, to speak health to our bodies and see ourselves healed, to speak increase to our finances, and to speak love to all, for all and chase away fear.

Rejoice! He has risen and we have all we need in Him and through Him! Hallelujah!

Having a Glad Heart!

“Therefore my heart is glad, my tongue rejoices and my body also will rest in hope” (Acts 2:26 NIV).

In this message in Acts 2, Peter preaches, re-telling how David felt about the presence of God in his life, we retain the same hope that David had, and the same promise that Peter gave to the three thousand that were added to the group of believers that day; the gift of the Holy Spirit, God’s presence always, is available for all who believe, repent, and are baptized.  Whether we receive the gift from God is up to us because we do have the option to refuse or reject.

What was the last gift you rejected from someone?  Anyone?  Many of us accept gifts when we don’t like them, cannot use them, or simply do not want them.  If we have a relationship with the giver, we accept the gift because we do not want to offend them.  If we have a relationship with God, why would we reject the gift of the Holy Spirit?  This is a gift that gives us power to live right, to hear God, and the courage to move forward when it seems like everything and everyone around is against us.

When we know and understand the power of the gift, the purpose behind the gift and the love of the giver, we too can say, our hearts are glad, our tongues rejoice and our bodies will also rest in the hope of eternal life. Have you been added to the Book of Life?  Is your heart glad? If your heart is glad, praising God is as natural as breathing and sharing His goodness a joy!

Father, we thank You for providing us with Your Word for in it, we are always reminded of what You will do for us and who You are to us.  Thank You for adding us to the fold of believers, for giving us the gift of the Holy Spirit, and now help us to allow the Holy Spirit full reign in our lives to bring You glory!  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen!

Joy in the Morning

Life is full of hardships, tragedies, and unexpected twists that bring many people to their knees–leaving them destitute and hopeless.

There is nothing we can do to stop “life” from happening, but we can adjust our responses to those events.  As hard as it may be, we must keep moving forward while we have the opportunity to do so.

When a loved one is hurt in a tragic event–cry, scream, repent and move on. Even though your heart feels like it has been ripped from your chest, given time the tears will mend and you can still rejoice.

When the death of someone you love comes upon them–suddenly–don’t despair even though you may wish it were you–cry, scream, repent and move on.

While you’re watching a loved one’s mind slowly deteriorate–don’t despair–remember the good times, try to help them remember, and even if they don’t–smile, hug them, pray for them, love them, and keep it moving!

If we don’t keep moving when the enemy strikes at our hearts, we allow him the pleasure of knowing how to stop God’s divine plan for our lives and those we could positively impact.  Grieve through the darkness, cry in the storm, repent in the aftermath and when the dawn of morning comes, rejoice in the Lord and know that He has it all in His control!  Hallelujah!

Soaring Like Eagles

In order to soar like an eagle and rise above the “fray”, we must begin to have an attitude like David. In our dry places–we must rejoice and praise Him. In our low places–we must rejoice and praise Him. When we are full and satisfied–we must rejoice and praise Him. No matter what our circumstances are, we must rejoice and praise Him for being an awesome God, knowing that He will raise us to heights we never imagined and keep us soaring above all the enemy would attempt to use against us–for His glory! Hallelujah for our awesome God!