Our Alarm System

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."  Romans 8:1 ESV

I'm so glad God blessed us with built in "alarms".  We have negative emotions that tell us that something is wrong with our thinking.    We have symptoms when there is something wrong with our body.  We even have godly spouses, friends and parents to show us things we are too stubborn to receive from God on our own!

But there's one more thing that may not be so obvious.  It's a "condemnation meter".  It looks like a fuel gauge on your dashboard, but it works in reverse.  When the needle is on "Empty", that's good.  According to Romans 8:1, God says there is NO condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.  If you're born again, you have received the gift of NO condemnation. 

When you give place to condemnation, the needle begins to move away from "E" and guilt and fear set in.  If you give place to guilt and fear, the needle moves again and destructive habits set in.  Condemnation is now at dangerous levels!  Condemnation is at the root of all fear, anxiety and destructive habits.  The answer, resist all condemning thoughts, accusations and lies with the truth of God's Word. Warning!  Resist ALL condemnation.  

No Trespassing!

Gen 15:11 (The Living Bible) – “Some vultures came down to eat the carcasses, but Abram chased them away”

One Sunday I was dosing off while watching a football game after church, when I heard a commotion in my front yard.  A Pit Bull had gotten loose from one of the neighbor’s fenced in yard, and had wandered onto our property.  He was met face to face with our dog Benny, an oversized Yorkshire Terrier.  I knew that all that dog needed to do was position his jaw a certain way on Benny’s body and things would be quite serious.  On the contrary, it was Benny that had the Pit Bull on the run and was nipping at his tail and chasing him off our property.

In Genesis 15:11, Abram had laid out a sacrifice as a sign and a response to his covenant with Almighty God.  As he did this, some vultures tried to “trespass” on his sacrifice, but Abram “chased” them away!  That’s exactly what we need to do when the devil tries to come on our “property”.  Drive those “vultures” off of what belongs to you through the finished work of the cross.  You do this by exercising your authority through speaking the Word of God over your family, your teenager, your body, your bank account, your thought life and whatever else it might be.  Jesus said, “I have given you power…over all the power of the enemy”!  Declare today, “No Trespassing!”, in Jesus’ name.

Jesus Loves Me, This I Know

Ephesians 3:19 - "And to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God." 

I read a magnificent story from Joseph Prince's book The Power of Right Believing. He tells of a minister from Oregon who was assigned to provide counseling to patients in a state mental illness facility.  When he arrived for duty, he was sent to a padded cell with a large group of deranged, barely clothed people.  The stench of human excrement filled the room.  When he tried to talk with the patients, they responded with groans, moans and demonic-like laughter.  

Then the Holy Spirit prompted him to sit in the middle of the room and sing the familiar children's song, Jesus Loves Me.  For a full hour, he sang, "Jesus loves me, this I know.  For the Bible tells me so.  Little ones to him belong.  They are weak but He is strong.  Yes, Jesus loves me.  Yes, Jesus loves me.  Yes, Jesus loves me.  For the Bible tells me so". 

Nothing happened the first day, but he persisted.  For weeks he would sit and sing the same melody, but with greater conviction each time.  "Yes, Jesus loves me!  Yes, Jesus loves me!  Yes, Jesus loves me!  For the Bible tells me so!"  Soon the patients began singing with him, one by one.  By the first month, 36 of the severely ill patients were transferred from the high-dependency ward to a self-care ward.  Within a year, all but two were discharged from the facility.   

No matter what challenges, failures and misdeeds you or I might face, the love of Jesus remains constant.  "Jesus loves me, this I know".  My question to you is, do you know that Jesus loves you?  Do you know how much He loves you?  How can we know?  The Bible tells us so.  So simple, yet so powerful. 

I challenge you, as often as you look in the mirror, say to yourself, "Jesus loves me, this I know.  For the Bible tells me so".  And enjoy the forgiveness, freedom, healing and restoration that comes from truly knowing the love of Christ that passes all knowledge!    

The Grace Exchange

2 Corinthians 5 :21 For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him"

Say you bought something for $10 at the store, and for some reason you wanted to bring it back and exchange it for something else.  Would you be able to exchange it for something that costs $50 and not pay the difference?  How about $500?  How about $1 million.  No way!  Unheard of, right? 

Wrong!  In the "grace exchange" Jesus exchanged our sin for His righteousness. Under the amazing grace of God you always get more, immeasurably more than what you deserve.  In 2 Corinthians 5:21 you weren't just changed you ex-changed!  Jesus was "made sin for you".  He took all of your sin, past, present and future and made you the righteousness of God in Him. 

Jesus became sick and you were given divine health.  Jesus became poor so that in His poverty you might become rich.  Jesus died so that you could live, truly live.  He gave beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.  Power and love and a sound and well balanced mind in the place of fear.  Jesus defeated death so that you could receive eternal life. 

It's the Grace Exchange. Believe it.  Receive it. Say thank you. Enjoy it. 

Writing on Your Child's Heart

Proverbs 3:3 - "Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them about your neck, write them upon the table of your heart".  
 
A very successful college professor left a lucrative job, one with tenure, at a major American university, to teach...elementary school kids.  When he was asked, "Why in the world would you leave a great job teaching college students to teach young kids?"  He answered with this question, "Would you rather write your name on a brick before it's baked or after it's baked?" 
 
Young children are like the clay that is used to make bricks before they're baked.  We have an incredible opportunity to write something very lasting and valuable on their hearts and on their lives. 
 
Our children are like that wet clay, or like wet cement, and we are called towrite things, very important things on their hearts.  Proverbs 3:3 talks about mercy and truth, to write them on the table of our hearts.  Like this wet cement, children are so very impressionable.  That's why spending time with them is a lasting and rewarding privilege and gift.  Think about some of the things you say and believe today, most likely they were instilled in your heart at a young age.   
 
Reading to or teaching a child the word of God will "write" scripture upon their heart.  It will stay there, it will not leave.  It's like words written on wet cement before it dries.  You can change a lot of things by writing the right things.  Start today, write the Word of God on the table of the heart of the children in your life.  Ask God to give you creative, positive and fun ways to make a lasting impression.  Write!  While the "cement" is still wet! 

Pole Vaulting and Grace

Mathew 5 21-22 "You have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shall not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment; But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment:"

I really enjoyed the summer Olympics.  One of my favorite events to watch is Pole Vaulting.  Can you imagine running full speed down a runway, jamming a flexible pole into a hole in the ground, holding on for dear life, propelling yourself into the air over a 16 or 17 foot bar, and landing on a cushion.  What?!!  In Rio, after many successful vaults, it came down to Sandi Morris of the U.S. and Ekaterini Stefanidi of Greece in the Women's Pole Vault.  Stefanidi won the gold because Morris' leg simply brushed the bar 16'3".

In Mathew 5:21-22, Jesus does something very interesting.  He quotes the law from Exodus 20:13 in saying, "Thou shall not kill".  Then, just in case people dismiss this commandment because they wouldn’t even think of killing someone, He actually raises the bar, to show their need for a Savior.

He said, "That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment ".  What?!!  If you're angry with someone, you have broken the law?  Yes, that's what He said.  This was just another way of proving that keeping the law is impossible.  He knew that eventually everyone is going to miss it, brush the bar, and it's going to topple over.

What is the answer?  Grace.  Grace pole vaults you OVER the bar, and gives you what you need to overcome in every area of life.  Even if you have less misses than someone else, according to the law, if you miss it once, you are guilty of the whole law.  Not with grace.  God knew we would miss it, that's why He provided a Savior that would take upon Himself all our sin, past, present and future.  He took what we deserve, and freely gave us what we don't deserve…grace.  And grace sends us soaring!  Enjoy!

The Worst Trade in History

Exodus 19:8 "And all the people answered together, and said, "all that the Lord hath spoken we will do"
 
The worst trade that ever took place in sports history was when the Boston Red Sox traded future baseball icon Babe Ruth for $100,000 and a loan of $300,000 to finance the musical No, No Nannette.  Red Sox owner, Harry Frazee, dealt Ruth to the arch rival New York Yankees and watched them dominate the World Series for the next 20 years while his team won absolutely nothing.  Again, the worst trade in sports history!
 
The covenant God made with Abraham and his seed was based totally on grace.  Every blessing that Abraham and his descendents received was unearned.  Every promise undeserved.  This is clearly seen in the exodus of Israel. On their flight from Egypt they complained and murmured, and still God did not treat them as their sins deserved. Instead He gave them grace.
 
At Sinai, everythingchanged. The Israelites traded the grace and goodness of God for the law.  They actually chose a covenant whereGod's blessings now hinged on their faithfulness. 
 
THIS is undeniably THE worst trade in history, of all time!  Before the law, the Israelites sinned and received God's grace.  On the day they received the law the Israelites sinned again, but this time 3,000 people died.   Like I said, the worst trade in history.  They exchanged God's grace and mercy for a performance based covenant, the law..
 
But thanks be to God for the blood of Jesus, which paid the penalty for our sin once and for all, and redeemed us from the curse of the law.  Romans 10:4 says, "Christ is the END of the law for righteousness to them that believe".  Hallelujah!  The trade has been reversed and it's time to win, win, win, again! 
 

Inside-Out Living

Romans 8: 11 “But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwells in you"

Have you ever run out of clean socks, and the laundry wasn’t quite finished, so you simply turned a pair of dirty socks inside out and wore them again?  If you haven’t, you ought to try it, works for me!  Just sayin'.

What truly changed my thinking concerning the new covenant of grace, was that under this new covenant, I'm no longer living from the “outside-in”, but I'm living from the “inside-out”. This truth changed my perspective about everything.  Everything I needed was resident on the inside of my born again spirit.  It was just a matter of releasing what I already had, not hoping and waiting for the promises of God to manifest themselves sometime in the future.

Healing is in you now, prosperity is in you now, peace is in you now, freedom is already in you, unlimited resources are already in you. If it’s in Christ, it’s in you, because Christ is in you.  No more outside-in living, but instead inside-out living.  Simply begin to release your faith in the goodness and grace of God, and the finished work of the cross.  Begin to thank God for all that you already have because of the blood of Jesus alone!

Romans 8:11 tells us that the Holy Spirit is "quickening" your physical body, from the inside-out.  To quicken means to give life to, Hallelujah!!  Go ahead, turn your thinking and believing inside-out, and watch provision flow for every area of your life!

Approved for the Master's Card

Romans 4: 6 Amplified Bible  "Thus David congratulates the man and pronounces a blessing on him to whom God credits righteousness apart from the works he does" 

An envelope comes in the mail with large letters on the front that says "APPROVED"!  Inside is a letter that begins with "Congratulations you've been approved for a ______ credit card!"  Not just one letter, one time, but dozens of letters from the same company, over and over again.  They figure that sooner or later you're gonna take the offer.  After all, if feels great to be "approved".  The companies that send those letters want you to feel that "This is great, I'm approved, something really good just happened!"  Everyone wants to be approved, it validates you, it says you're ok, you're doing well.  Hey, it's better than being disapproved, right?

In Romans 4:6, a blessing is pronounced upon your life, and guess what, you didn't do anything at all to deserve it!  I call this being approved for "the Master's card".  An important gift was credited to your grace account, it's the gift of righteousness.  The day you made Jesus the Lord of your life this gift was given to you and you did nothing to earn it.  

"The Masters card" has given you an unlimited account to draw upon, and the great part is, there's no payments!  Hallelujah!  No monthly reminders, it's all covered!  So what does God want us to do? Draw on His unlimited supply, no interest, and no payments.  

He has pronounced "the blessing" on you and you did nothing to deserve or earn it!  Final approval has been given through the precious blood of Jesus, all payment has already been made.  This card doesn't borrow from the future, but instead has secured your eternal future.  This card has been paid in full!  Enjoy!

Are You Listening to TSN? (the Ten Spies Network)

Deuteronomy 1:28 "Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there."

We need to choose how much time and attention we give the news on TV, radio, internet or any other source.  By nature, the world disproportionally reports more "bad" news than "good" news.  According to what we hear, we might think that this world is the worst it's ever been! 

In Numbers 13, God sent out twelve soldiers to spy out the promised land, and see for themselves the abundance and prosperity that awaited them.  As proof, in verse 23 it says that they cut down a cluster of grapes that was so big it took two men to carry.  Glory to God!  They returned from the promised land after forty days to "report" on what they witnessed.  They said in verse 27, "Surely it flows with milk and honey, this is the fruit".  In other words, the land was full of good things to enjoy.

But then, in verse 28, TSN (the Ten Spies Network) added to the report from their perspective, "Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there."  TSN gave every reason why they couldn't possess the promised land.  They focused on all that was wrong, on every obstacle, every challenge, and they concluded this doesn't look easy.

That's the same report we are hearing today..."The earth is falling apart", "the economy stinks", " we're all going to lose our jobs", "the world is in a terrible place".  But there were two other spies that saw the same thing as the other 10 men saw, but reported differently.  In Numbers 13:30, Caleb said four things that that contradicted the TSN report:

 "Lets go up at once".  
We can do this!  Let's go right now! Don't delay!  It's waiting for us!
 
"And possess it".  
Take it!  It's finished!  Done!  Healing, health, prosperity, just take it
 
"We are well able".  
We can handle these situations!  It's not as big as you think!
 
"To overcome it".  
Caleb didn't deny that there would be things to overcome, but in the new covenant of grace it's already overcome for us! 

You are more than a conqueror through the finished work of the cross.  Which would you rather give your time and attention to, TSN or the almost-too-good-to-be-true news, the Gospel of Jesus Christ?  

Keeping it Wheel

Jeremiah 18:3 - "Then I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he was working at the wheel". 

Not too long ago, I had worked a very full day and was truly looking forward to getting home.  I got in my car and started to drive out of the parking lot and heard "thump, thump, thump".  I had a flat tire.  If you've ever had a flat tire you know that it never happens at a convenient time, and this was one of those times.  I was tired, it was late, and I was over an hour from home.  And the thought hit me, "you have to change the tire to get moving".  No matter how much I stared at that tire, it had to be changed, that is if I wanted to get anywhere.

In Jeremiah 18:1-6, the Prophet is speaking about "change".  In verse 3, Jeremiah went down to the potter's house, and saw that he was working at the wheel.  A potter uses two wheels to work the pottery, a lower wheel operated by his feet and an upper wheel to mold the clay.  The word of the Lord in verse 6 says, "Cannot I do with you as this potter?  Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand". 

What is this speaking of?  "Keeping it wheel."  Being ready for change!  Just the same as my car, if I had not changed that tire, I wasn't going anywhere!  How about you?  Where do you want to go?  Do you want to move from where you are?  It's going to require change.  Most people fight change, but you can't have the "new" in your life without it.  "Keeping it wheel" is doing whatever God says to you, no matter how different it seems.  Will you allow yourself to be on the potter's wheel?  Change doesn't happen until you first submit to the change in your heart.  I encourage you to "keep it wheel" and experience God's best for your life.

The Tarzan Experience

2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come, The old has gone, the new is here" NIV

The children's movie Tarzan, is a perfect illustration of what a huge difference it makes in life when you have the right belief about yourself.  As the story goes, Tarzan was born in the jungle, and when he was still a baby, his mother and father died.  A female gorilla found him and brought him back to her home, and “raised” him as her own.  He soon walked, and talked, and ate like a real gorilla.

Then one day as he got older, he and his gorilla brothers came across some human beings as they were exploring the jungle. They all laughed at them, thinking that they were strange looking creatures.

Then one day, as Tarzan went down to the lake to drink water, his life was forever changed.  As he bowed down to drink, he saw his own image in the still waters. WHAT? He ran to find his mother. Comparing his own hand with the hand of his gorilla mother, he understood the truth about his birth for the first time in his life. He was not a gorilla!  He was a human being, just like those he had seen visiting the jungle.

Now he had a choice to make, would he continue living as a gorilla, or start living like who he really was?  He made his choice, and gradually he started to walk talk and eat like a human being…to become who he really was.

Real transformation happens when we discover who we really are.  Right believing produces right living.  As we look into the mirror of God’s Word, we too will discover who we really are.  Then we need to make a daily choice, to live who we really are.  The new creation has come, the old is gone!  1John 4:17 says, "as He is so are we in this world".  Who is the He?  Jesus.  As Jesus is, so are we in the world…victorious, healthy, prosperous, and living the abundant life.  

Pick Up Sticks

Numbers 15:32 " And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks on the Sabbath day"

When I was a kid we spent a lot of our rainy days inside playing all kinds of games. Monopoly, war, a card game, hide and seek, one of the games we always played was a game called " pickup sticks". The object of the game was to pick up the most sticks. To begin the game a bundle of sticks are randomly distributed so that they end up in a tangled pile. The players attempt to remove a single stick without moving any other stick. Players must not move any other things while attempting to remove the stick, if any other stick moves, he loses his turn.

In Numbers 15: 32-36, there's a story of a man who simply picked up sticks on the Sabbath day, you would have thought that he broke some law or something because immediately he was thrown in a prison and the Lord said " The man shall be surely put to death"! WOW! What is going on? You pick up a few sticks on a Sabbath and your put to death. According to the ten commandments you couldn't do any work at all, no raking leaves, no laundry, no washing the car. That all changed when Jesus came, Moses came by the law but Jesus came by grace and truth, under the law there was serious consequences for breaking any of the laws of Moses, now you can "PICKUP STICKS" and not be stoned! Good news you are not under the law but you are under grace so you don't have to live under fear of punishment from an angry God He loves you and accepts you!

So pickup as many sticks as you want this Sunday, play tennis, go swimming, and if your scheduled by your boss to work, you're in a guilt free zone He is your Sabbath rest, be blessed not stressed! God's not mad at you He's not even giving you a dirty look, He certainly loves and accepts you.

You've Already Got It!

Philemon 6 "That the communication of your faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus"

You've already got it!  Everything that you will ever need for this life has already been provided for you. Your healing has already been provided.  Your deliverance has already been provided.  Financial prosperity has already been provided.  You’ve already got it!

Where is it?  It's IN CHRIST JESUS!  Philemon 6 say's that if you're in Christ, then every good thing is already in you, in your spirit!  It's like a water well, and the pump is activated by "acknowledging every good thing that's already in you”.  In Christ Jesus you are now living from the inside out, not the outside in.  Peace is in you.  Joy is in you.  More than enough is in you.  Start declaring it.  Why?  Because you’ve already got it!

One definition of faith is - a positive response to what Grace has already provided!  God didn't provide healing the day you got sick, HE provided it 2016 years ago.  God didn't provide finances the day you got that bill in the mail.  He provided it 2016 years ago!  God didn't provide deliverance the day you fell into bondage or addiction.  He provided it 2016 years ago!  

If you’re born again, every good thing is already in you, you've already got it!  All that you need is not “out there” somewhere, or in your future, you don’t have to go get it from God.  Simply release the healing that is already in your born again spirit.  Release the finances that are already in you through the finished work on the cross.  Release the peace that is already in you, a fruit of the Spirit.  

Go ahead, “Abound and overflow in thanksgiving” as in Colossians 2:7.  Hallelujah!  Whatever you need, you’ve already got it.  It is finished!