Thanksgiving A Way of Life - Give Thanks

 Here is an article I wrote that was published in inspireafire .com. I hope you like it.

https://inspireafire.com/thanksgiving-a-way-of-life-give-thanks/

Something New

Behold I am doing something new

New in you

New to you

New through you

 

Alive, alive my word is alive

It is birthing in you

Something new, something true

 

Stand on my word and proclaim

The glories of my fame

The wonders of my name

 

Declare my word

For it hits the mark

My word is sure

Ever pure

 

Behold I am doing something new

New in you

New to you

New through you

Behold I am doing something new

Because of Him

 

Inside these walls loneliness prevails

Inside this prison my human strength it fails

Who can save me from myself?

Who can bring my soul true wealth?

My past comes to visit me

I wonder how can it be that I could be free

After the silence, someone came to me

An ambassador of victory

Light shown upon my soul

Came to make me whole

My questions melted in Divine Love

From the Father above

I knelt before the cross

I am no longer lost

I am free within

Free from sin

Glory to the God I am free because of Him

 

The Anointing

 Here is an article I wrote for inspireafire. com. It is about the Holy Spirit. Enjoy!

https://inspireafire.com/the-anointing/

Like Jesus

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit rather, in humility value others above yourselves. Philippians 2:3 NIV

Jesus showed us how to live sacrificially in His life and in His death on the cross. By His grace we are to place God and others above ourselves. We receive the ability to do this through the Holy Spirit and through spending time with God and in His word. 
When we read God's word, it acts as a mirror that reveals our true selves. 

God's word shows us who we are in Christ and it also points to areas where we've missed God's mark. God offers loving Fatherly correction to help us better meet His standard. 

Let's surrender to the Lord and let's choose to walk in humility towards Him and towards others. 

Clay Pots

 

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 NLT

We are like clay pots containing the glory of God. When we go through trials of many kinds, it’s like holes are placed in our clay pots. Through it God’s resurrection life shines through. When we are weak, He is strong. When we stumble, God uses it to display his glory.

God promises victory to His children, but along that elevated path for us we sometimes face difficulty. But He transforms our difficulty into glory so that others may follow the King.

Love and Justice

 Here is a poem I wrote that was recently published in inspireafire .com.  I hope you like it.

Love and Justice

The Link Between Evangelism and Worship

 

 

There is a link between evangelism and worship. The need of the human heart is to behold Jesus. Jesus explained the importance of worship to the woman at the well. When she asked him about the kind of water Jesus offered her, He answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14

Then Jesus spoke to her about worship: “You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” John 4:22-24

Jesus was speaking to her about the need of the human heart, and that worshipping Him was the answer to that need. Jesus prophetically and gently pointed out her sin that she was living with a man. But the woman did not receive the word with condemnation instead it opened her eyes to the fact that Jesus was the Messiah and she told many others of this.

Let’s remember to engage others in conversation about the one who meets the need of the human heart. Let’s point them to Jesus and to worship. In our worship services, let us remember the lost by giving them an invitation to receive the Lord. Last, let us be sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit when we are in conversation with those that do not know the Lord. Let’s follow our Lord’s example in winning the lost.

 

Worship is our Highest Calling

Worshipping Jesus is our great joy and privilege. It is our highest calling. Here is an article I wrote for inspireafire. com, It is called Worship is our Highest Calling.

https://inspireafire.com/worship-is-our-highest-calling/

In Christ

I am in Christ, and He is in me

He’s made me righteous, His grace I see

I am healed and whole because He suffered on the tree

In Christ I am bold, In Him I’m free

 

I am accepted in His family. I am complete in Him.

Because of Jesus, I am dead to sin

When He rose up from the dead, I was also made alive

Thanks be to God who stands by my side

 

I love You Lord for who You are

I will follow you near and far

 

I am in Christ and He is in me

He leads me on to victory

The Anointing

 

The anointing breaks the yolk of bondage.

Are you bound to greed? The anointing breaks the yolk.

Are you a slave and desire to be free? The anointing breaks the yolk.

Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness?  You will be filled.

Do you desire what’s only best? The tempest will be stilled.

 

God equips us to overcome.

Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.

We have already won.

 

Yield to Him - the One who’s true.

He will love you through and through.

Resist the devil. Turn your back on sin.

Let the Holy Ghost fill you with His power within.

 

Pray in tongues. His victor be.

Stand strong. His word sets us free

 

The anointing causes us to sing.

Oh, Death where is your sting?

 

Prince of Peace

 Here is an article I wrote in inspireafire. com that explains how we find enduring peace and how

we can overcome anxiety.

https://inspireafire.com/prince-of-peace/

He First Loved Us

We love Him because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19 KJV

In our relationship with God, Jesus is the initiator. Not only did He first die for us when we were sinners, He desires to be the one who takes the lead in our relationship with Him. He first loved us and that love motivates us to love Him and others.

 
The Attributes of the God-Kind of Love

The Bible also says that God is love (1 John 4:8 and 4:16). 1 Corinthians 13 gives us a picture of Love’s character. Here are some of the attributes of the God-kind of love.

Love is patient

Love joyfully puts up with the failings of others.

Love is kind

Love is gentle and puts others above himself or herself.

Love is not jealous

Love does not seek harm to those who excel, rather love rejoices in the success of others.

Love is not proud

Love doesn’t put on airs. It considers others as better than itself.

Love is not rude

Love is not impolite or ill-mannered.

Love does not demand its own way.

A person who loves does not believe he or she is the most important person in the room.

He or she listens to the advice of others.

Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.

It is not easily offended and is quick to forgive.

Love does not rejoice at injustice.

Love hates the mistreatment of others.

Love rejoices when truth wins out.

Love sides with the truth.

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful.

Love always endures even when facing difficult people and circumstances.

The Ability to Love

The above is a snapshot of the God-kind of love. This love has been shed abroad in our hearts as believers through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). We have this love in us. It is in us as a seed, but it can grow. The more we receive God’s love for us, the easier it becomes for us to share that love with God and with others. The Holy Spirit empowers us to love.

Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love God with all of our heart, soul mind and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:30).

God’s love should also compel us to tell others about Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 NIV says, “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.  And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”

In fact, everything about us should be motivated by love. Of course, none of us have attained this. But when we fall, we fall into His arms and we get back up. As we practice love over time, we will see the fruit of love grow within us.

His love is also related to the truth of God’s word. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands.” John 14:15 NIV.”  Feeding on and obeying God’s word is central to walking in the love of God.

Love is a Byproduct

But we must always remember that the fruit of God’s love is a byproduct of our relationship with Jesus. His love for us comes first. As mentioned earlier, He first loved us. His love for us and within us motivates us to love God in return and to love others. As we abide in the vine (our relationship with God), we produce fruit (See John 15). As we feed on God’s word and spend time in His presence, we are changed from glory to glory.

One of the ways that we can love is through our giving. Do we give financially so that others can be blessed? Are we kind to the poor, the widow and the orphan? Are we generous in meeting the needs of the less fortunate? This is a measure of how well we love.

And, of course, our relationships mirror how well we love. Are you a husband? How well are you loving and cherishing your wife? Are you a wife? Do you love and respect your husband? Are you kind to your children? Children, are you obedient to your parents?

Forgiving Others

There may be those in your life that you have grown bitter towards. With God’s help we can and should forgive. It may start as an act of faith. Feelings of love may not be evident at this time. But as you pray for this individual and choose to forgive, it becomes easier.

While we love God and others, we should establish healthy boundaries. We are to forgive everyone who has hurt us, but that doesn’t mean we should continue in unhealthy relationships. If we are unsure as to how to do this, we can ask someone who is spiritually mature to help us.

In Conclusion

God has given us the blueprint for love in His word. He has shown us what God’s love is like. He has come as the Initiator. We love Him and others because He first loved us. His ability to love has been gifted to us through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus has commanded us to love, and He gives us the ability to do so. The more we love God and others, the more we reflect the heart of our Master. Let’s place love as one of the key foundations of our lives. How is your love walk today?

Here is another article I found for further study and inspiration

https://livinghopechurch.net/the-15-attributes-of-love/

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