ALL Glory, Honor, Power and Praise is Yours Forever and Ever, Amen!

Do you think there will ever be anything you can possibly do that will ever separate you from God's love? The answer is the only thing standing in the way of your perception of God's love for you is yourself. Once you realize that God really does love you, there is absolutely NOTHING that can separate you from the love of God; "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." How amazing is that!? "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:14-16

Understand what all this means: Jesus desires for our hearts to be filled by Him and not by the world. For scripture says that satin is the prince of this world. A good friend of mine always says "if you put trash in, trash is all that will come out" (T.V., internet, bad movies, bad music, etc.) It may be subtly because honestly all Christians, when we haven't spent time with God, can hide sin for a while, but eventually Jesus will always bring you to your knees. The great thing about being on your knees in this position already is we can "approach the throne of grace with confidence," what better way to approach a throne then on your knees? The key to this though is confidence. You have to know that Jesus is waiting for your heart to be His again and not your own. You have to know that Jesus truly LOVES you, this isn't like your husband or wife or mother or father kind of love, this is a love that surpasses all understanding, so you have to know that this love is beyond anything we have or will ever feel, until we are with Christ. Try and get to the heart of the matter when reading scripture and understand simple words that have such a deeper meaning than what they are used in every day life, such as love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, confidence, fear, Jesus, sovereignty, sanctification, praise, honor, glory, the list goes on...

Allow Jesus to work in your heart when you spend time with Him and I promise you if you pray a prayer that allows Him to do so, He will honor it and bless you for it because that is all He wants - your heart. I have been learning more and more just how the fullness of life dwells within Jesus and what the fullness of life really means. Just the depth that's there is so amazing and it's hard to comprehend just the little bits He allows me to see each day or week, let alone the whole picture. The beauty in it is that He is allowing me to see the changes being made in my life, little by little. The main thing you need to understand when reading the Bible or praying is that you yourself are a spiritual being, not a physical one. As humans we inhabit time and therefore that makes us physical, but our spirit is eternal and that is what needs to be fed in order to truly "live life to the full" in Jesus Christ our Lord. When you understand that you are a spiritual being it is easier to understand who Jesus is and why He desires to have a relationship with you. When you take your focus off of the physical (temporal), there is only one thing left, spiritual (eternal). Fix your eyes on Jesus, give Him your WHOLE heart and do it with confidence knowing, by faith, that He will take care of it (you have to remember it was God who "knit you in your mothers womb" He created your heart, He knows it better than anyone, would you you not want it in His hands anyway)? Then you will be able to say "ALL Glory, Honor, Power and Praise IS Yours Forever and Ever, Amen!

Imitation, but Dig Deeper.

"I like your Christ, but I don't like your Christians. Your Christians are nothing like your Christ." (Gandhi) That is the reason people see Jesus in a negative light because us "Christians" don't embody Christ as He embodied Himself. Let's show the world who the fullness of Christ is, but that will only begin when you yourself understand the personality of Christ Himself, and that will only happen when your relationship with Him becomes more intimate, meaningful, and true. STEP UP! "Let us not conform to the ways of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve God's perfect will, His good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2

Everyone, if you are suffering through some sort of loss, pain, or trial know that it is because God loves you not the contrary. "Consider it pure joy my brothers (that includes you too sisters) when you face trials of many kinds for the testing of your faith developes perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4 He releases His hand for a short while so that you can learn how to walk, then, after a short while, He returns, only to help you be able to run. He builds you for His glory and His glory alone, nothing we do apart from Christ matters. Be rooted to the vine at all times (John 15). Pray for your brothers and sisters in the faith, that we may become one in the body of Christ (Ephesians - Church and James) and help one another out with each other's struggles. But even in that be vulnerable and open, be honest and true about what you need help with; confess your sins to one another so that through prayer and brokenness Jesus may enter your sorrow with passion and begin His work of sanctification. For only the Lord knows everything about you - your true heart - and only He can fix the mess that we have created. The more real you are with yourself and with God the more He can come into your life and begin to help.

Love one another, deeply from the heart, not superficially. Care for one another and help each other through discipleship, prayer, and acts of faith. Hold each other accountable for if we do not help out our brothers and sisters in this way then instead of it being 'Christian friendship it is really just going through the motions and the start of heading down the path of Christian fakery.' You are responsible for the lives of those around you who call themselves Christians because if someone says "I am a Christian" then they are called to live above reproach - a higher standard. Don't be fake and beat around the bush that you are helping someone when you don't get to "the heart of the matter" with them about their sin; help them.

So I sum this blog post up with this: Love one another and search the Scriptures to understand what the word "LOVE" truly means and then apply it to your life. For if you understand Love then you will understand the two greatest commandments Jesus states "Love the Lord your God with all your heart soul and mind and then Love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 23:37-38