Why me God?

Trials and tribulations are character building.
We should rejoice when we go through the rough seas.

 Have you heard this before? Maybe someone trying to help us go through a rough time in our life.

Did you hit them???

  I remember a time not so long ago for me, I would have wanted to. I was so closed minded to the things He was wanting me to see. I would introduce myself as Job from the Bible. I felt like I was God's personal whipping post. I look back on that person, the person who I used to be in the world and thank Jesus for always being there beside me even when I felt all alone.

  God does not want our life to be hard. God does not put stumbling blocks in front of us to trip over.

  Read the above again. If your a parent, do you put hazards in front of your child to teach them a lesson? Make life hard on them just to try to build their character? NO, we don't do those things. So why would our heavenly Father put us through those things? Why would Jesus, who gave His life, want to make our everyday difficult? He doesn't!

 So why must we go through these times?


   The enemy is always looking for ways to trip believers up and make us fall. The trials we go through do not come from God but from the enemy himself...satan. Satan wants us to fail, he is full of pride when we stumble. He laughs and has a party when we blame God for our misfortunes.

 Trials and tribulations build character.
 We should rejoice when we go through rough seas.


 2 Corinthians 12:9
   He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made stronger in that weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness so that Christ's power can rest in me.

From "The Message"

^7-10Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn't get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan's angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, 

   My grace is enough; it's all you need. 
   My strength comes into its own in your weakness.
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.


  So maybe your trials or tribulations are not really a limitation or handicap. Financial problem? Infidelity? Anger? You could be going through family problems, work/job issues. What ever the case God did not put them there to cause you to stumble and fall, the enemy did...so put the blame in the right direction. Satan be gone!
  The more we go through, the more we gain wisdom and experience. The higher the mountain we overcome the more powerful the testimony of Jesus's love for us.


  It is a battle out there, don't think that it isn't. We battle what the media says is ok, when we know in our hearts it is not. We battle gossip, envy and pride everyday. We can not win this battle alone! We must have Jesus in our heart. Without Him we would surely lose and fall to the dark side. 


 Romans 8:31 states if God be with us, who can stand against us?  NOBODY / Not a thing.


  As in any battle we must be prepared. Soldiers endure many weeks of bootcamp and then go thru advanced training before going into battle. We have to do the same!  How???


 Get into the Word! Build your close relationship with Jesus. Do this everyday. Pray! Remember praying is just a conversation between you and Jesus. 


  Want a place to start in the Word? Start with Romans 8! Go from there but be ready; Romans 8 is deep stuff. Remember WE ARE FORGIVEN.

Light in the darkness-The Kings daughter

     It was 5:00 am on a Friday morning. I don’t know about you, but 5:00 am on Friday mornings are an extremely difficult time for me, it is the 5th morning in a row that I have gotten up before the sun, before the birds;  in fact, many days it feels like me, my dogs and Jesus are the only ones up anywhere and then sometimes, my dogs go back to bed.
    So as I stood on the patio, barely cognizant, my puppy ran into the dark, he is black and gray, and instantly disappeared past the edge of the light. We were working very hard to potty train him, and I needed to keep an eye on him, so I put up my hand to shield the very bright flood lights, lighting up part of the yard. As I did, the Lord said me, ‘You have to block out the Light to see into the darkness’. It really rocked me. I had been struggling with some anger and unforgiveness which was threatening to put in roots of bitterness and resentment, so there had been ugly thoughts.
    If I was going to continue with those ugly thoughts, I realized I would have to turn from my Jesus, block out my Light, I was instantly awake. It only took a fraction of a second to make the decision, I wanted Jesus, I wanted the Light, I didn’t want to see in the dark, it didn’t matter.

    It was spoken over Jesus as a baby when He was presented at the temple “He is a light to reveal God to all people.” Luke 2:32. Jesus Himself told us in John 8:12 “Jesus spoke to them saying ‘I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life’”. At this point it would be easy to say, why would anyone chose to go into the darkness? Sometimes it’s by accident, we wander into the darkness and before we know it we are stuck. Sometimes circumstances contributes, sometimes we just flat out get rebellious and run into the darkness.
   However we end up there, the enemy wants to keep us there. All it takes is for us to believe the lies and eventually we will allow the chains of them to bind us and some will even sit down thinking “this is just the way it is…..” NO, it is not just the way it is!

     Your name once written in the Lambs Book of Life, is not just for some time in eternity, it is for now! HE has called you out of darkness into His wonderful light! (1 Peter 2:9) My friend, when Jesus said it is finished as He hung on the cross, He paid for our freedom, He lighted the way before me and I walked safely through the darkness (Job 29:3).
     If you realize you are in the darkness and bound up by anger, hurt, bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness, shame, condemnation, unbelief, fear, what ever, get up, He said it in His word, there is a way out and He knows it! First John 1:5 gives us this; God is light and there is no darkness in Him at all.
          
    How do I do it you ask? You call to Jesus, He will meet you where you are, He only has love and compassion and forgiveness for you, He wants you to get up out of your pit, out of where you have sat down in chains in the dark! Dive into Psalm 139. Don’t just read it once and go on, put your name in it, it was written for you. Believe it, it was written about you. Pray it out loud, God’s spoken word combined with prayer is powerful! Make it your hearts cry. Lies can not bind you when you let the living active power of God’s word work in you! Put on the armor of light (Romans 13:12) He has for you and run to Him, run into the Light! He already has the Light of Life for you, what are you waiting for?!

Called to the Ministry- Testimony

How do you know if and when your called? 


The answer is an easy one. You ARE called and it happened when you accepted Jesus into your heart.

Romans 12:1 and Ephesians 4:11 tell us we are called to be different parts of the body of Christ.
  Some will be called to be pastors, apostles, teachers, healers, evangelist, prophets,etc.,. The gifts of the Spirit help us in our journey.

 The calling is most likely something you feel deep down in your heart. It is not probable that you will receive an e-mail or fax from God asking you to be an evangelist or apostle. We are all called to be part of the body. As one part of our body is not more important then another so is the way with the body of Christ. Paul reminds us in Romans 12.

        My calling....

  When I was first called (i'm stubborn) I was about 16 years old. I felt my life was to be given to become a preacher/pastor. I studied the Bible and went to church. I even taught a senior adult Bible study class. I was on the right path.

  Something happened.

I honestly don't know exactly what, but my passion for His path was lost. I spent the next 30 years running from my calling, running from God, running from Jesus, the One who had saved me from hell, running from the One that had saved my life countless times over those years while I was in the military and in a couple bad motorcycle crashes that should have taken my life.
  There were many times during those "dark" years that I thought about it, but always concluded that my past had disqualified me from any ministry. I just pushed deeper into a secular world that accepted me (I thought) and supported me. (NOT)
   I thought I was too far gone. What did I have to offer the ministry anyway?? How not to do life?? Pastors, evangelist can not have a "dark" past. They can not have been divorced.....more then once. I wasn't a good steward, I had a bankruptcy in my past as well. That solved it, there was nothing I could offer a ministry of any type. Sorry Jesus, I have made too many mistakes to follow the path you have for my life...what is plan "B"? He answered me loud and clear. A strong voice that can still bring tears to my eyes, He said......

"What mistakes are you talking about? I don't remember any of what you just told me."


      I was forgiven. My past did not define who I was in Christ. Jesus reminded me I did not need to be ashamed of my past. Jesus reminded me that the blood He shed was for all of my sins. His blood covered it all. He did not pick and choose which sins were forgivable, He forgave all of them and cover them with the seal of His blood.
     A friend of my wife and I reminded us what Jesus had done for all of us. She called Him, "My Jesus" and I wanted to be back where I could say those words again too.. "My Jesus"

   It was so good to be with Jesus in my life again, He was always there, I just had kept pushing Him into the back ground. I learned to ask His advice on everything again. I learned to be still and listen to His words. I learned to wait until it was His timing not mine. I learned who the Holy Spirit is to me.
    You know what??.. Over a short period of time, the path He had for me was becoming clearer. It was the path he had for me almost 30 years ago. This time the path was stronger, it had experiences on both sides, it was paved with testimonies of my life and it was lighted by Jesus.

  What if Paul had felt his past disqualified him? He was a murderer. He sought to destroy the first church.
  What if Moses felt his stutter could not be overcome?
  Matthew was a tax collector- need i say more about him?
  David was an adulterer and a murderer
  Thomas doubted
  The disciples fell asleep
  Jonah was stubborn

  The list could go on. Jesus uses ordinary men and women to do extraordinary things. Praise God!
God does not call people who are already equipped, He calls them and then He equips them. I like it better that way. It is all Him, I am humbled in His presence and His calling on my life.

  I now follow Jesus in our ministry. 24/7. Our ministry is to pray for, help and love others who also have felt that have screwed up so bad that there is no way to come back to Him. His arms are open for you. Say it, shout it, let all hear, Shout it out!!!!  " I AM FORGIVEN!!"

Standing Up and Standing Out;"part 2 of Not of this World"

You are different!


The moment you accepted Jesus as your personal Savior you were "set apart".

You became "not of this world" even though you were still in it.

   Do you remember being "set apart"? Honestly I don't remember, what I do remember is there were a lot of "you CAN NOT do that anymore's" and serve God with your heart. Then I was sent out to share the good news, the Gospel of Christ to all nations. Ok..well..a...something was missing.

  For many of us that was our introduction to becoming a Christian. To be "set apart" and "not of this world" meant playtime was over it was time to be serious. (remove smile, insert serious face) We were taught we had to act different when we were in church, it was God's house. Is it any wonder that so many Christians lead a double life, the Sunday man and the Rest of the week man. We wonder why others see us as hypocrites??

  So what does it really mean to be "set apart", "not of this world"?

  Lets say your employer picked you for a special, high visibility project; with a bonus and a promotion upon the completion of your assignment/project.

  How would you feel? Would you hold your head high? Maybe have a boost of energy? Feel humbled at being picked for such an important assignment?
  That's just what happened when you accepted Jesus. He gave you the most important assignment of your life. The job/project of saving people from an eternity in hell. Loving our enemies as Christ loved us. Think about that for a minute........Wow, that is really out of this world.
  We were not sent out alone either. Jesus is walking beside us, the Holy Spirit dwells in us and God is watching over us. The Trinity. If Christ is in us who can be against us?

  I am "set apart". I am not going to follow the world into moral bankruptcy. My standards are higher then those around me because they are His standards. I will humble myself, the price that Jesus paid is beyond words. I am "set apart".

 How can we as Believers/Christians stay on the path that God has laid for us to follow? Relationship, relationship, relationship with Jesus. I have said in earlier post that you can "know" the man three houses down and not have a relationship. A relationship with Jesus makes all the difference.

 I talk to Jesus all day, guess I might look crazy sometimes but that is alright. Jesus loves me anyway. I firmly believe that if you ask for His help in every decision and follow his leading you will always be on the right path.

  Does that mean you can not go into a bar? No,.. but it does govern how you act if you are in there. Jesus had dinner with the "lower class" of people in that day. The prostitutes, the tax collectors and the poor, He held His arms open wide for them. He loved them. He was "set apart" and "not of this world"

  Brothers and sisters you ARE NOT your past, you ARE NOT the sum of all your mistakes. When you accepted Jesus you became a new person/ a new creation in His eyes. Don't allow your past experiences or mistakes make you who you are today. Jesus bled and died on the cross for those mistakes. The debt has been paid in full. We are "set apart".
 
 God Bless you all. I love all of you. I say that with an open honest heart that Jesus gave to me.

Not of This World

  In the world but not of it?

  

  How can we as believers live in this world and not be a part of it?

  Believers in Jesus Christ are simply in the world—physically present—but not of it, not part of its values. As believers, we should be set apart from the world. This is the meaning of being holy and living a holy, righteous life—to be set apart. We are not to engage in the sinful activities the world promotes, nor are we to allow our minds to be corrupted by worldly views. Rather, we are to conform ourselves, and our minds, to that of Jesus Christ. This is a daily activity and commitment.

JOHN 17:14-15

   I have given them your teaching. And the world has hated them. The world hated these men, because they don't belong to the world, the same as I don't belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world. But I am asking that you keep them safe from the Evil One.

ROMANS 12:1-2

   Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-- this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-- his good, pleasing and perfect will.

   Being in the world means we can enjoy God's creation. The sunrises, mountain ranges, the smell of flowers or the taste of fresh honey on hot bread. This is being IN the world. 

    Being apart (set aside) from the world means we do not conform to this worlds values or morals. 

    How else can we be a light in the dark if we are not set apart, different from those who are lost??

  In my life I have been both in the world and of the the world. Seeking worldly pleasures and riches. To be in and of the world, we become committed to making ourselves priority number one. Once we are no longer of the world, we have put God first above all else.

   Once I totally surrendered to the Holy Spirit, all things became clearer. I was a very lost puppy, whose heart had become hardened by the world. I have written some of my testimony. All my past was covered by the blood Jesus shed on the cross. Praise His name that he didn't pick and choose which transgressions he would forgive and which he would not, He forgave ALL of them.

   I challenge you to "set yourself apart" from this world and live for Jesus. Make a difference in this world by being different then everyone else. Allow Jesus to be seen thru you. 

  This is by no means the easy way, the easy way is just go with the flow of the world as it spins itself into destruction. Stand for Jesus. Stand for your faith. No compromise. Spread the good news of Jesus to all nations my brothers and sisters. Never judge....always with love and compassion. The same love and compassion that Jesus gives us every minute of everyday. God Bless

Rebel Deacon

    I was given this nickname when I was a Deacon in the Baptist church. I guess you could say it fit....long hair, tattoos and rode a custom Harley. The wife and I kind of thought it was pretty neat... for a while. The more we thought about it, tho I dressed the part, I didn't want to be rebellious to what God had for me going forward.

  Remember (if your old enough) the movie with Marlon Brando,  "The Wild One"

Mildred (girl in cafe) asked Brando "What are you rebelling against?"
Brando answers "What do you got"


  The more I thought about it, the more I felt that wasn't me and when we changed churches I dropped the alias. I just wanted to be me. I wanted to follow Jesus where ever he led me, I'm not a "rebel"..... well I didn't think I was.

  If you have read some of my past post, you may see a trend. I'm not into compromise when it comes to God's word. I'm also not really tolerant about some of the more politically correct things going on in my country or with Christian Churches. Call me old fashion, but I never once heard in the Bible Jesus being politically correct, or watering down His message so not to offend someone. Our loving Savior always spoke with love and forgiveness. He didn't judge them out of the sin...He loved it out of them.

  So I guess when it comes down to it, I must be some type of a "rebel". Jesus was a rebel in His day. He spoke out against the corruption in the temple; He loved and forgave the adulteress and he dined with prostitutes and tax collectors. Praise God that he sent His Son for "those" people, people just like me.....and you. To love us and forgive us every time we stumble or fall into sin. He picks us back up, dust the dirt away, holds us close and tells us how much He loves us. Then He forgets we ever fell in the first place.... isn't that just awesome!!!

  My ministry is to spread His message to all! Even those who feel they have really blown it and Jesus could never care or love for them again. He can and He does.

  If your reading this, or someone sent this to you, it is because they care about you and I do too. Your not forgotten. The blood that covered my sins, covers yours too. How do I know? The Bible tells us over and over about God's love for us and His forgiveness.

  King David "a man after God's own heart" was a murderer, an adulterer. He broke the commandments. When he realized (thank you Nathan the prophet) that he had sinned and totally blown it. He asked for God's forgiveness, he repented of his sins and God forgave him. He does the same for all of us who slip and make mistakes.

  I know some of you that are reading this may have been "saved" at an early age, or maybe you fell away after some time, I know I did and it was a tough road getting back to the path He had for me, but I made it and so can you. It's about developing a relationship with Him. You can know the guy down the street but not have a relationship. Jesus wants to have a relationship with you and I.

  The road coming back is a hard one, I'm not going to lie to you, but my brothers and my sisters it is so worth every step. That I can promise you.

  Rebel Deacon mmmm I think I like it more now then before, maybe one day it will be Rebel Reverend???? Brothers, Sisters.. I love you

Testimony of Love and Forgiveness, my own.

Ever wondered 'how did I get in this mess?", or maybe " why me?"?

   I know those sayings all too well. There was a point in my life where I felt it did not matter what I did, I was going to make someone mad. There were times in my life where I decided I was going to live for me and take care of number one. Times where I considered "morals" as just guidelines, good ideas. They could be stretched, re-arranged to fit what ever I wanted them to look like.

 I was living the life!!........but joy,happiness in this setting was for a moment only and fleeting.

  I came to know my Lord at a young age. I truly believe I understood what that meant at the time. I went to church every Sunday, memorized the scriptures and even taught a senior adult Bible class one Sunday when I was 16. I was on the right path, on fire for Jesus. Witnessing to fellow students.
  Then something happen. Sundays were hard to get up and get ready for, the message that was being taught became boring. Pretty soon I was that guy on the back row paying more attention to my girlfriend and ignoring the Word. Church became a place to meet girls and socialize. I really believed that I liked it better this way.
   The following years since then has seen me go through two divorces, drinking, and living life to the max for me. I thought that the more money I could bring into my account would make me happier. The more things I owned would surely make me more joyful. Wasn't working to well for me. Well maybe if I had the right car, the expensive watch and the big brick house I would be happy. I mean wouldn't anybody be happy with all of that??? The job, the car, the house and the prestige that comes with it all. I thought so.......then it all changed in the blink of an eye.

  In the blink of an eye we were both out of work. I was trying to work with her dad in his business. Her dad and I are very much alike..so we did not see things eye to eye on a few things......well most things. Ok almost all things we disagreed. We were struggling to make ends meet, our dogs (all three) had the mange. My wife and I fought constantly. I can still remember all the yelling. This went on for a year or better, we had only been married for 8 months when camelot came crashing down and the hurricanes and fires hit our marriage. This wasn't what I wanted. Third is suppose to be the charm...right?

A break in the storm.......

   My mother invited my wife to a "Beth Moore" concert/bible study a coupe hours away. My wife jumped at the chance to get away. While my wife was away that long weekend I had a chance to really reflect on what was important in my life and what I needed to change. When my loving wife returned from being gone for a few days, the first words were not "I love you" or "I miss you" that I was hoping to hear but instead........

 " I rededicated and gave my heart and my life to Jesus! Are you coming with me? "

  I didn't see that coming. I don't do well with threats or ultimatums and will usually get very defensive and aggressive when that happens. So many things went thru my mind.."what did my mom do to her?", "it's a trick women's question, be careful what you say". I open my mouth and said.......

....yes.

  It wasn't til a few years later that I learned from my lovely wife that she had intended to leave me that weekend, she was done with me, tired of all the problems, tired of the fights and tired of being broke. My moms invitation was just the break she needed before she made her break. On her way home from the Beth Moore study that weekend she had decided that only "one" answer would be acceptable when she asked "Are you coming with me?", a no, or well maybe, lets talk about it; would not have worked. She was prepared to leave me that very second if I had not open my mouth and let Jesus said "yes!" It wasn't me but it was Jesus coming to my rescue after so many years of denying him and ignoring him, he was there in my true hour of need!
  We were both on our knees praying and re-dedicating our lives to Christ.

  ......and they lived happily ever after. The End

 Well not quite. we have still had our moments of discussions and disagreements. She has forgiven me more times then she should have had to but we have both kept our eyes on Jesus. I can honestly say without a doubt that I am happier now then I ever have been. I am more in love with my wife today then ever before. Forgiven

  Maybe another time I will go into deeper details about my sordid past. What I really want you to see is.. it does not matter to Jesus what your past is, it doesn't matter what you have done. He loves you! You are forgiven! Brake the chains that are binding you. You are worthy! You are one of His!
 Too many times Christians fall short and feel that they blew it and there is no more redemption...WRONG! Step out of the dark, leave the chains that have kept you bound. Your sins are no different then mine or anyone else. Do you think Christ died on the cross for only a few sins?? or maybe He died for only a select few? NO. His blood covers all! Turn your eyes back to Him.

Drawn to Him

Jeremiah 31:3 “The LORD appeared to us in the past saying ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love. I have drawn you with loving-kindness’”

 I had read that scripture many times, but in January 2010 the Holy Spirit brought it back to me and opened it up in a new way that gave me hope in a very difficult time in my life.  He opened up the word "draw" for me, unveiling it like a beautiful treasure that He framed in the context of His everlasting love and His loving-kindness.  The actual word in Hebrew is "masak", and in its general definition, it means to drag or extend, but He wanted me to go deeper and what I discovered changed me, delighted me as He showed me yet another dimension of His love. 

Draw; to gather up with gentleness and tenderness and hold close, like a small child scared in the dark, a loving parent will gather her up, tenderly hold her close and speak soothing words to calm and comfort.  Can you picture Papa God doing that with you? That’s what He said, just there in Jeremiah 31:3. 

But, it gets better, draw can also mean to pull along, to cause to move forward by a force applied in advance of the thing.  As only God can do in His everlasting love, as He knows our end from our beginning, He will apply the force in advance to move us forward.  He does not make it up as He goes along, He does not push, He in His love knows you so intimately, that He does in advance just exactly what you need to move forward, more and more into His love.

When we get in too deep and the waters and the enemy threatens to overtake our whole life, He will draw us out of the deep waters, He will pull us up, up above our circumstance, onto the solid Rock, the     Foundation we have in Christ Jesus.

This is a good one, to draw can mean to bring by compulsion.  Ever feel Him draw you to Him even though you were kicking and screaming?  Even if it was away from the edge of the cliff or from the trap of the enemy?  I’ve watched Him to that.  I’ve watched Him patiently and firmly pull one of His children, kicking and screaming from the jaws of the enemy who was just about to devour and destroy one of His precious children. 

And in contrast, I’ve seen the LORD move slowly, extend gradually, draw one of His own with consummate love and tenderness back into His will, His path.  There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.   He will go to great length to draw us back to Him, to win us, to attract us, to invite us to come near. 

Then just as the sail of a sail boat will draw the Wind…… To be filled with the Wind so it can advance on, He will fill us with the fullness of the Holy Spirit, enabling us to move forward. Does He not tell us He will  take us from glory to glory?

In the depth of this simple word, I found no trace of a God Who tolerates me, puts up with me, or looks at me as an obligation, I see an amazing love that spans time, past, future and current.  I see a Papa God who is always for me, Who will never let go and is not far away. 

I challenge you to take a step back and ask Him, how has He drawn you?  Then let Him show you how He draws His precious child who He loves with an everlasting love.

Unconditional Forgiveness For All

   Simon Peter denied Christ three times.

Mark 14:66-72


 ⁶⁶ While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. ⁶⁷ When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him.
   “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said.
 ⁶⁸ But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway.
 ⁶⁹ When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.” ⁷⁰ Again he denied it.
   After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.”
 ⁷¹ He began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.”
 ⁷² Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

  John 18:15-18

¹⁵ Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, ¹⁶ but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in. ¹⁷ “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter.
   He replied, “I am not.”
 ¹⁸ It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.
 John 18:25-27

²⁵ Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?”

   He denied it, saying, “I am not.”
 ²⁶ One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” ²⁷ Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.


Matthew 26:69-75


 ⁶⁹ Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said.
 ⁷⁰ But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.
 ⁷¹ Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
 ⁷² He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!”
 ⁷³ After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.”
 ⁷⁴ Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!”
   Immediately a rooster crowed. ⁷⁵ Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

  Peter denies Jesus three times. First to a servant girl, next to another servant girl (with witnesses) and the third time it was a servant from the high priest. This time Peter felt trapped and cursed that he did not know Him.

  Betrayal from a disciple that told Jesus just hours before that he would follow him to prison and even to death.

Luke 22:33

   ³³ But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”

 

  Jesus tells Peter that when he has turn back to Him and his brothers to strengthen them in faith. Jesus forgave him even before he had sinned against Him.

  Let me say that again, let it sink in, soak in it. "Jesus forgave him before he had sinned against Him"

  We serve an awesome God that offers forgiveness before we even know we needed it.

John 21:15-19

  ¹⁵ When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter,“Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

   “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
   Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
 ¹⁶ Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
   He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
   Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
 ¹⁷ The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
   Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
   Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. ¹⁸ Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹ Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”


   Jesus forgave Peter completely, it was forgotten! He went on to send Peter out to spread the Gospel. Peter was the rock that His church would be built on. Amazing the man who denied Him in His hour of need, He had unconditional love and forgiveness.


   Have you ever felt that you have sinned beyond redemption? The blood that Jesus shed only covered some sins and not all? Who told you that????


  Jesus was crucified for all of our sins. True forgiveness.


  The next time you transgress, stumble or fall, ask for forgiveness and put it in your past. Christ has already forgotten all about it.


  My brothers and sisters I love you. I want you to know the freedom and grace He has given me. The amazing forgiveness and unconditional love that He has in abundance for all who ask and follow Him.

New Breed Believers taking cues from the First Believers

We preach:
Atonement, not attainment
Relationship, not religion
The Christ, not the church

We practice:
In matters of morality, purity.
In matters of faith, unity.
In matters of opinion, liberty.

In all things, LOVE.

We are Radical Believers.

The Church today needs:
RENEWAL
REFORMATION
RESTORATION
RECONCILIATION
REUNIFICATION
REVIVAL

Roger Born wrote these declarations in 1996. The Christian Church is still in need today.

   The church that Jesus built is not a religion.
All religions are man-made. Exception is the religion given to the Jews by God.
Jesus ushered in a new covenant, He came to set us free from religion and the
man-made laws.

    Jesus is the head of His church
Jesus placed few commands on his children. Love one another as He first loved us.
Go spread the the good news of Jesus and salvation.
Believers are free to worship Jesus and to serve Him as they feel led by Him.
All other laws and traditions are just that..man-made.
We keep focused on Jesus and the moral questions are easily answered.

   The Secret
If you are more concerned about serving others, rather than yourself, you will be very careful for their feelings, their conscience, and their souls. This is"Hesed". What is "hesed"? This is a Hebrew word that has no Greek equivalent.  It has many meanings. It means...service, servitude, loving-kindness or gratitude. The angels visiting Abraham were shown Hesed. The angels showed Hesed to Lot in taking him to safety. Boaz showed it to Ruth; Rahab to the spies and God to the Jews in dealing with them as a nation or a person. These were all Old Testament examples. What about in the New Testament? The word Hesed is never used. As stated before there isn't a word that is equivalent in the Greek language. Strange how such a powerful word could not be translated, but there is a solution.....Jesus is Hesed but first Jesus is LOVE.

  We do need unity in the church, but we need this unity to come about without compromising what Jesus taught. We need more radical believers to step up and be counted, take a stand for what you know is right.

All There Is

      Have you ever come to a place in your life where it was so hard and you were so worn down and tired of everything being a struggle and a fight that you just sat down in the middle of the road and said to God “Is this it? Is this all You have for me?  Because if this is all there is, if this is Your best, I don’t want it.” 

      I have, I’ve been there more than once.  Did Jesus come, do all that He did to give us salvation so we could then be miserable, stressed out, weary and worn down?

      No.  The Lord began to teach me, and show me how to have now, no matter what is going on around me, His freedom, His healing, His peace, His joy, His strength and His power in my life.  Jesus came to not only fulfill the Old Covenant, but to bring the New Covenant, and my friend, there is way more to the New Covenant in Christ Jesus than salvation.

     Jesus does not intend for us to be saved and miserable, broken bound up and powerless.  Isaiah 9:2 speaks about those who walk in darkness, then in Isaiah 42:7 the wording shifts, the people have gone from walking in darkness to sitting in darkness.  To me walking shows some hope, when you are walking in darkness, the movement shows at least you are moving around, trying to find a way out, but when you give up hope and sit down, its almost like acceptance….  Both of these scriptures lead into speaking of Jesus, and what promises He brings, not only of salvation, but of light in the darkness, joy, increase, broken bonds, freedom.

     God promises to protect and support and heal, not just mental and emotional, but also physical.  Look at Jesus’ ministry, He set people totally free, no matter what their situation.  In fact, situations were on the bottom of His priority list, He loved people where they were.  Now I don’t think that means He does not care about our situations, what I think that means is we need to root our faith in HIM, not in our situations!   Do you know God’s promises?  Do you really believe God is who He says He is?  Or have you allowed the lies of the enemy to bind you up? 

      I believe that Jesus is tired of His people who know Him as Savior sitting in the dark in chains!  I heard a wonderful teacher and prophet say any area of your life that you do not have glistening hope, there is a lie.  My dear friend, ask the Holy Spirit to start not only showing you the lies you are believing about yourself and about the Lord, but also what His truths are!  Jesus said the Truth will set you free!  Come on that journey with me and learn to live in the joy and peace and strength and freedom we have already been given.  Jesus said it is finished. 

      Learn to be so rooted in Him, that circumstances don’t control you, you live above them in the promised land He has for you today….and all eternity.  Eternity started on the cross more than 2000 years ago. Life in the Light, walking in increasing freedom, joy, amazing peace and power, above what ever situations I find myself in, I’m experiencing God’s best! Are you?

The Kings Daughter