Love and Good Works

Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day approaching.

Let's face it, the world is today is full of hard stuff. I very rarely even watch the news because I can not handle all the negative that goes on in it. So, when I read this scripture today, I started asking myself, "What do I do to encourage others to love and good works?"

Do you ever wonder what it is, in you, that encourages others? We all have gifts and talents woven into our very DNA that God put there to encourage others. (Psalm 139 ) Mine will be very different from yours because God created us each with our own unique skill set.

I am a very social butterfly! I love encouraging people in the Word. I love giving gifts to lift someone up in a rough patch, but I especially love giving "just because" gifts! Brett, however, is wired completely different. His giftings are more along the lines of teaching and discernment. He loves to give as well, but it's a little lower on his list, which is great because it keeps me from giving away everything! Man, God sure knows what He's doing!

If you don't know what it is that "makes you tick," I encourage you to go to this link http://www.spiritualgiftstest.com/test/adult and take this test. Remember, it's only one resource that's out there. After you take it, spend some time talking with God about the results. Send it to your pastor or your best friend and talk about it. I'm pretty sure they'll see it right away. Why? Because others can see things in us generally before we do.

Have a great day and remember to encourage someone to love and good works!

Convincing Ourselves

Mark 5:28 For she said, "If I touch even His garments, I will be made well."

Imagine having a disease for twelve years that, under the law, you weren't allowed any human contact. Do you think that there would come a point where you might say, "I'll be this way the rest of my life." Or, "Why, why, why doesn't God love me?" Having a disease for twelve years, we could all come to a place where we convinced ourselves, "Things will never change and I'll be this way forever."

Now imagine hearing about a man that was going around healing everyone He touched. Do you think she went through the law in her head? Do you think she thought to herself, "If I go out there, I could be stoned?" Do you think she allowed her physical condition to rule her? Honestly, I don't know, but I do think she began to hear the stories of Jesus touching and healing those in her town and she began to say, "If I touch even His garments, I will be made well." I think, as she walked through the streets trying to get just close enough, that she repeated that phrase over and over again, convincing herself!

If I touch even His garments, I will be made well.
If I touch even His garments, I will be made well. Oh! There He is!
If I touch even His garments, I will be made well. So many people!
If I touch even His garments, I will be made well. Let me just squeeze in right here.
If I touch even His garments, I will be made well. Just a little further!
If I touch even His garments.....there! I touched His hem! Oh! My!

The Word then says in verse 29 Immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in here body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately!!

It is my belief, that as she walked through the streets repeating the words of her heart, she began to convince herself that she would be made well. You see, God, our good, good Father, doesn't need convincing that we should be healed. It's His desire! He sent Jesus to the cross to bear ALL our sickness and disease. Jesus took them ALL! So, thought....if Jesus took all our sickness and disease, why would God want to give them back to us....let that simmer just a bit.

We are the ones that need convincing! We are the ones that need to repeat to ourselves, If I touch even His garments, I will be made well. We are the ones that need to reach out in faith to touch His garments. The best way to convince our hearts and our souls that, If I even touch His garments, I will be made well, is to continue to speak His Word of LIFE over our lives. The more we speak His Word of TRUTH and LIFE over ourselves, the deeper into our spirits it gets and then one day....IMMEDIATELY happens!

Absolutely Nothing!

Jeremiah 32:27 Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is there anything too hard for Me?

If we could get one thing down in our hearts and spirit, this would be it. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is too hard for God!

This scripture says, "The God of all flesh." He is our creator, He created every cell, every organ, every blood vessel, He created them all. Since He created them all, don't we think that He would know how to fix it?!

God is truly aware of all the things that come across our path in any given day. He knows about that awful person you work with that needs Him. He knows about that Doctor report. He knows about that child that is running wild. He knows! And this morning, I believe He is saying, "Beloved, there is nothing too hard for Me!

Pinpoint your focus today on the NOTHING is IMPOSSIBLE GOD and begin to see the things in your life turn around.

The Cost

Yesterday I had a conversation with someone and this morning I continued to have it in my head. This morning, while I was having said conversation, the Holy Spirit dropped five words into my heart....You don't know the cost. That's it! You don't know the cost. 

We complain about someone, usually a preacher we don't like, because they fly first class instead of coach.....you don't know the cost.

We complain because "they" drive a nicer car than we do.....you don't know the cost.

We complain when people we KNOW aren't perfect get blessed.....you don't know the cost. 

 

We, as Christians, complain an awful lot about others being blessed.....you don't know the cost. 

We recently met a man who has diamond status with the airline that he flys. He frequently gets bumped to business class and, even better, first class. I found myself a little, OK, a lot, jealous. "God," I thought, "why don't Brett and I ever get bumped?" Rabbit trail warning!! Brett and I needed to fly to Baton Rouge for an interview with the ministry that we are hoping to become a part of. Having flown with American for several years, we had miles that we could use. So! When Brett booked our seats we were on....wait for it....the first row! This was a puddle jumper, so it wasn't first class, just the first row. We have never been at the front of any plane! Here we were, enjoying the extra leg room of the front row, when the stewardess asked for a volunteer to move to the back of the plane to even out the plane. It became obvious that the two fellas on the opposite side of the aisle were not going to move, so Brett went to the very last row of the plane. Bumped backwards! I guess that's why this hit me a little hard....end rabbit trail.

As the person continued to talk about getting bumped to first/business class, I began to hear the "you don't know the cost" part of the story. This person flys more than 200,000 miles a year. He flys to every country that they are in to speak with country directors. He flys to churches all over to talk about and raise money for the ministry. He flys a lot! Now, do you want to know what the cost is? He is married and his wife doesn't travel with him because she taking care of the ministry and their three children. Do you want to know the cost? His time with his children is probably about 1/4 of the time you get to spend with yours. 

You see, what we don't see when we are judging others and how God blesses their lives, is the cost that they are paying. We're not seeing the years of flying in coach and not complaining. We're not seeing the time spent before the Lord to preach that sermon. We're not seeing how many times they got a phone call in the middle of the night to go to the hospital for a birth or a death. We're not seeing the hardships that they endured planting a church and only having 20 people in the first service.

So, the next time you want to judge whether or not that person deserves that blessing they're telling you about, remember these five words....

You. Don't. Know. The. Cost

Renew Your Mind

Romans 12:2a Do not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.

The definition of renew in the Greek is to renovate. Since we've been in the states, one of my favorite shows to watch is Fixer Upper with Chip and Joanna Gaines out of Waco, Texas. They don't build new houses, they fix up old ones. The process generally goes like this...

1. Find a house. They look in different neighborhoods to find the house that the client thinks would work for them. Once they decide and purchase the home, demolition starts.

2. Purchase the house. In the natural, we would need to go to the bank and purchase the house that we have our eye on. In the spiritual, our houses are what God purchased on the cross through Jesus. 1 Corinthians 6:20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. Guess what? Our brain is a part of our body and by renewing our mind to the Word of God we are glorifying God!

3. Demolition day. Demolition day is about tearing out the old, corrupt, dilapidated stuff and preparing the house for the renovation. It's dirty, hard, time-consuming work, but only when it's completed and all the junk moved out of the way, can you renovate. I'm going to stick right here a minute. Do you realize that our minds are filled with old, corrupt ways of thinking from our past? Whether it's words we've spoken over ourselves or words others have spoken over us, we've believed the lies of the enemy. It's time we did a demolition day on our thoughts! Get in there and tear out the old kitchen sink of sickness. Tear out the old wall of brokenness. Rip up the old carpet of defeat. Strip the old wallpaper of unloved and fill it back up with the new beauty of the who God says we are in His Word by renewing....renovating....our thoughts!

4. Renovation takes some time as well. During the renovation stage they have to seek out the things that will refill the house to make it complete and beautiful. Hmmmm....what does that mean for us? We renovate by getting in the Word and discovering what God says about us and we read it over and over again, until it gets down in, what I like to call, your knower. You know, that place where you know that you know that you know it's truth. It's also the place where our focus shifts from the old to the new. Instead of having our focus on the broken parts of ourselves, we begin to focus on Jesus and the renovation ahead. 

So, we've torn out the old kitchen sink of sickness and we need to replace that kitchen sink. Let's replace the old one with the brand new sink of I am healed by the stripes of Jesus (Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24). Those walls we tore down? Let's build them back up with I am complete in Him Who is the Head of all principality and power (Colossians 2:10). That old, ragged carpet of defeat, we'll replace with the beautiful hardwood of I can do all things through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:13). Now we need to paint those walls with the amazing color of love! I am more than a conqueror through Him Who loves me (Romans 8:37). 

5. The big reveal. This is the part of the show where Chip and Joanna take the couple out to the finished house and reveal it. The catch is, they have a giant picture of the "before" house for the couple to see before they show them the finished house. This is to remind them of "what was before." 

As we reveal the new that God is doing in us, we will inevitably run into people who can only remember you "before." They'll want to put that sink right back where it was. If we're not careful, we'll allow their words to override God's words. This is place where we need to guard our heart. 

Back to Chip and Joanna. After they've shown the couple the before, they pull apart the picture and the couple gets to see the finished product. Remember when I said that Jesus purchased us? Well, this is the point where God sees us through the finished work of Christ! The FINISHED work of Christ! 

These are some scriptures to get you started in your renovation! I copied this from Joyce Meyers and I encourage you to write them, not only on paper, but on your heart. 

Not sure who you really are? Read this list of Biblical truths that reveal who God made you to be.

I am complete in Him Who is the Head of all principality and power (Colossians 2:10).

I am alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5).

I am free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).

I am far from oppression, and fear does not come near me (Isaiah 54:14).

I am born of God, and the evil one does not touch me (1 John 5:18).

I am holy and without blame before Him in love (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:16).

I have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16; Philippians 2:5).

I have the peace of God that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

I have the Greater One living in me; greater is He Who is in me than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

I have received the gift of righteousness and reign as a king in life by Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17).

I have received the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus, the eyes of my understanding being enlightened (Ephesians 1:17-18).

I have received the power of the Holy Spirit to lay hands on the sick and see them recover, to cast out demons, to speak with new tongues.  I have power over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means harm me (Mark 16:17-18; Luke 10:17-19).

I have put off the old man and have put on the new man, which is renewed in the knowledge after the image of Him Who created me (Colossians 3:9-10).

I have given, and it is given to me; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, men give into my bosom (Luke 6:38).

I have no lack for my God supplies all of my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

I can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one with my shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16).

I can do all things through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:13).

I show forth the praises of God Who has called me out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).

I am God’s child for I am born again of the incorruptible seed of the Word of God, which lives and abides forever (1 Peter 1:23).

I am God’s workmanship, created in Christ unto good works (Ephesians 2:10).

I am a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

I am a spirit being alive to God (Romans 6:11;1 Thessalonians 5:23).

I am a believer, and the light of the Gospel shines in my mind (2 Corinthians 4:4).

I am a doer of the Word and blessed in my actions (James 1:22,25).

I am a joint-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17).

I am more than a conqueror through Him Who loves me (Romans 8:37).

I am an overcomer by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony (Revelation 12:11).

I am a partaker of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:3-4).

I am an ambassador for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20).

I am part of a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people (1 Peter 2:9).

I am the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).

I am the temple of the Holy Spirit; I am not my own (1 Corinthians 6:19).

I am the head and not the tail; I am above only and not beneath (Deuteronomy 28:13).

I am the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).

I am His elect, full of mercy, kindness, humility, and longsuffering (Romans 8:33; Colossians 3:12).

I am forgiven of all my sins and washed in the Blood (Ephesians 1:7).

I am delivered from the power of darkness and translated into God’s kingdom (Colossians 1:13).

I am redeemed from the curse of sin, sickness, and poverty (Deuteronomy 28:15-68; Galatians 3:13).

I am firmly rooted, built up, established in my faith and overflowing with gratitude (Colossians 2:7).

I am called of God to be the voice of His praise (Psalm 66:8; 2 Timothy 1:9).

I am healed by the stripes of Jesus (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24).

I am raised up with Christ and seated in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 2:12).

I am greatly loved by God (Romans 1:7; Ephesians 2:4; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4).

I am strengthened with all might according to His glorious power (Colossians 1:11).

I am submitted to God, and the devil flees from me because I resist him in the Name of Jesus (James 4:7).

I press on toward the goal to win the prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward (Philippians 3:14).

For God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

It is not I who live, but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20).

God Will Supply

Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply every need of yours to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Making this very personal today, and I encourage you to do the same.

Wendy, God WILL supply....make available....EVERY. SINGLE....large or small....need you have by His riches....NOT my way and NOT my riches....in glory in Christ Jesus. Wendy, Jesus supplied your HEALING....every healing, arthritis in thumb, HEALED! Bone on bone in left knee, HEALED! Restless legs, HEALED! Sore muscles, HEALED! Jesus supplied my salvation, completely, fully, IT. IS. FINISHED! Jesus supplied my righteousness! Jesus supplied my new creation...I am no longer who I was, but I am new! God gives in SUPER ABUNDANCE! He is MORE THAN ENOUGH!

When we say things like, "God put this sickness on me to teach me something," we are saying, "Jesus' blood was not enough." When we say things like, "I'm not sure God wants to heal me," we are saying, "Jesus' blood was not enough." When we say, "My need is too great for God," we are saying "Jesus blood was not enough." When we say, "God won't put more on you than you can handle," we are saying, "Jesus' blood was not enough." Anytime we come to a place where it's about our works, our deeds, then we are saying, "Jesus' blood was not enough." God supplied everything we will EVER need through Jesus!

Today, remember that God loves you and His desire is to supply you with MORE. THAN. ENOUGH!

Father, thank you that through your Son, Jesus, you have supplied all that we need. Healing, peace, joy, forgiveness, financial needs, mental needs, bodily needs. You have supplied what is needed for us. Thank you that you are the God of more than enough! Thank you that when we ask, you are there and you will answer, because you said you will never leave us or forsake you! Thank you for the gift of abundant life, for sending Jesus and for sending the Holy Spirit to guide us in our day. In Jesus Name!