Why Holiness is a Choice!

Holiness is to be set apart, fully consecrated for Him and His purposes.  Holiness is a gift given when we answer the call of Jesus, “Come follow Me.”; obedience to come and follow; to empty myself of everything that I held or hold dear and receive from my precious Lord those elements that He needs me to carry to reach out to the broken world.   

Holiness is a recognition that in me dwells no good thing, unless it is the pure love and light of Christ.  By faith, we obtain His life and light and love.  

“Be holy as I am holy.”   

He calls us to carry our cross, whatever it be, totally identifying ourselves with his suffering, death and rejection, and trusting in the risen life that He has freely bestowed upon us.  His blood became the drink offering poured out from His holy vessel to reconcile us to our Father.  

Will I trust in Him to not only make me holy unto that end, that my life would be counted to  be a holy vessel to my God, and the world that He loves so much, that even in its darkness, sin and black-heartedness he gave His only Son to make us one with Him?

Forgive me Father for not allowing the crucible of the potter’s fire to strengthen me.  Forgive me when I want to hide because the way seems too difficult. 

Thank You for Your promise- that nothing can snatch me from Your hand.

I choose to be holy-set apart for You.  Lord, I trust You will bring it to pass.

Question: What is one thing you can do today to walk in holiness?

Barriers, Stumbling Blocks or Open Gates?

I've got a bit of a heavy heart this morning.  I was reading several posts on a FB page of an atheist.  He has a huge following.  It wasn't the mocking of Christians by the atheists that got me, it was the vitriol of the supposed Christians towards atheists and other non-believers.

I truly feel like weeping.

My Jesus is so kind and full of compassion and mercy.  He literally wept over Jerusalem because they would not receive him.  He longs to gather us as a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings.  But so often, even we, who are his, refuse.

The only places I see Jesus getting angry at people is with the religious people, the money changers, and his disciples.

In Matthew 23:13, Jesus excoriates the religious ones, the scribes and the Pharisees,

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

If we do not live and act as Jesus in this earth, we do not walk in the kingdom of heaven. Not only that, but we create barriers keeping those who are seeking for truth, who do not yet know how desperately they need him, from seeing him,and entering into the glory of God.

Woe is a huge word! It expresses deep grief and distress.  Jesus felt their stubborn hypocrisy deeply. He totally understood the results of their actions: lost sheep.

When Jesus burned with anger in the Temple, he over-turned the money changers' tables and drove them out of the Temple with a whip.  Once again, it was those who made it hard for others to enter into his Temple, into his Glory, to come and to receive prayer, healing and relationship with God, that stirred him.
(Matthew 21:12-13)

James and John were two of Jesus' devoted followers.  When Jesus sent them ahead of him to a Samaritan village to prepare for his coming, they  villagers would not receive them. James and John wanted to call down fire to consume them, as Elijah the prophet had done.  Jesus sternly rebuked them!

You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them. Luke 9:55-56

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us examine our hearts and our motives daily.  Let us walk as Jesus walked, preaching the Good News, healing the sick, casting out demons, raising the dead.  Let us plant seeds of kindness and goodness and mercy and hope and faith and Love.

I pray not one of us be a stumbling block to anyone.  Let our eyes be filled the Light of Christ. Let us burn with passion for those God loves.  He is still longing for those who are far off.  Let us be an open gate for them to walk, though into Your Kingdom.

Father, forgive me of ever causing one of your precious ones to stumble.  I love you, Lord!

Some heath tips for the new year!

Check out my new post on my 60 Day Health Challenge blog! Click here!

Wisdom for Healing

The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and a good report makes the bones healthy.                ~ Proverbs 15:18 (NKJV)

The book of Proverbs is full of practical wisdom for healing.  Modern medicine continues to confirm the truths that are written inside.
Sometimes when I read Proverbs, the Lord illuminates the spiritual truth; other times he reveals the physical reality.

Jesus is the Light of the world.  When we fix our eyes on him, he fills our hearts with joy.  I honestly cannot think of a single instance, when I finally changed my focus from my problem, my sorrow, my anger or pain to look at Jesus-to look into his Word, that I was not transformed into joy-filled believer in God!

In the same way, God created us to live in the light.  We need sunshine!  We need beauty!  When we spend time outdoors soaking up sunshine, making vitamin D, depression leaves.  Vitamin D deficiency is epidemic.  Sunscreen inhibits the body's ability to make this vital element. Our skin needs to absorb the suns rays! And our eyes need to be exposed to the natural light. UV protection sunglasses, worn all the time, reduce the amount of light we take in through our eyes. When the full spectrum of light hits our eyes, the optic nerve is stimulated, and has a positive effect on our endocrine system.  (Do some research on this. It's fascinating!) Sunlight makes us happy!


Healthy bones, spiritually speaking, are needed for our walk with the Lord.  Without a strong framework, the deep inner Truth, our journey in the Spirit is handicapped.  As members of the body of Christ,  every bone and joint must supply for the organism to move and grow.  We get strong spiritual bones by believing a good report:  The Good News of Jesus Christ!  Every word that is written in the Bible can bring strength to our inner man.

In the natural, our bones are critical for our immune system to work.  The awesome news here is that when you believe a good report it literally strengthens the marrow of your bones, bringing health to your entire body!  Laughter and joy create the environment for healing.

I remember a time when my husband was feeling really sick, like he was coming down with the flu. We had a date with friends to go see a play called Nunsense. (I highly recommend it!) Jack practically had to drag himself into the theater. While we were waiting for the show to begin, he kept saying that he thought he better go lay down in the car.  He was just getting ready to leave when the show started.

This production was hilarious from the get go!  In about ten minutes, Jack was laughing so hard he was crying. He looked at me and said, "I don't feel sick any more!" His fever was gone and all the nausea had disappeared! 

When you need healing, just remember this wonderful proverb.  Apply it like the medicine it is, and watch God work!

Blessings!

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