I don't wanna Go - Avalon

Our hearts need to be where Jesus leads. It takes self control to be healthy in mind, body, and spirit.

I have shown a lot of clients how do to strength training: proper eating habits, duration of exercise. They used to say how thankful they were for having me in their lives, and wish they could take me away with them when they go on vacation. It's a fact that frequent, regular training and proper eating habits result in great health benefits. Leaner body mass, more energy, more self esteem and much more "strength". Seldom training, or none at all, results in fatigue, high body fat, low self esteem, and so on...

If you were to want to compete in any kind of sport, you would have to take the proper steps of training, not just your body, but your mind. Your mind and the Spirit of Jesus Christ are in constant battle! Where your thoughts are going on about what you can,and can't do, be or not be. You need to realize that God says you can do ALL things, and His Word is true, living, and active! "YOU" have to train hard to run the race, and win the prize, and don't go a day without Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize... Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training..."

We are all in a great race of life, and the enemy loves to use your mind to play his games. To win the race, your trainer and example is Jesus Christ! Seldom time spent with Him, or none at all, pollutes us with fear, doubt, low self esteem, TOTAL MIND AND BODY, and SPIRIT "weakness."

"He changed my world when He came to me. He drove a passion in my soul down deep. I don't wanna go nowhere, if I know He's not there." As the lyrics to this song states.

I choose to be consistent in my time spent with Him, and take the proper training from Him, and His written word.

One of the promises I strive to keep is PEACE. How do you train your mind, body, and Spirit to keep this peace that transcends ALL UNDERSTANDING? God promises it will guard your heart, and mind.

Take the proper training steps. **Feed on His word daily for nourishment.

Philippians 4: 4-9 is a great promise you can eat, but if you don't digest it in belief, by faith, you will not receive it. CLAIM IT!!! Tell the enemy to BACK OFF, that the battle, is already WON!!! Then, "Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS..." Do not be anxious about anything... Peace is promised to come.

I pray you be consistent, and regularly talking to who will forever be your best friend (and trainer), Jesus Christ. He is our only source of self control. Only His peace will quiet our minds, and put our hearts at rest. Jesus is such a precious blessing, given to us all, that to truly know it, YOU MUST EXPERIENCE IT, it truly does "transcend ALL UNDERSTANDING."

Peace of Our Father be with you

Kim

Alive! - Natalie Grant

We acknowledge Easter and Christmas once a year, but we really should be celebrating all year, "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances..." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).  He is “Alive!”

Watch this video, I will never forget what spoke to my heart as Mary held her Son at the foot of the cross, and kisses Him. Then she looks up from Jesus, as if she was looking right at me saying, “what do you believe of this, and what are you going to do with my Son in your life?”

Think of this; if you were in a situation that you were about to die, like drowning, or someone is holding a gun ready to shoot you, or in a burning building and no way out. In all these situations, you would be desperate to be saved, and then someone comes and rescues you, but they lose their life in the process. How would you live a life of thankfulness? Wouldn't you want to stay in constant contact with them if they survived? Wouldn't you feel like you owed them everything, especially your life, or at least time?

I am not the one to judge, "[God] has entrusted all judgement to the Son..." 

(John 5:22-23).

After His brutal crucifixion and death on the cross, on the 3rd day Jesus rose from the grave, just as He said He would. He is alive, and stands watching over us, and longs to hear our voices each day. To feel His presence, is the greatest feeling in the world.

Throughout the new testament you will read that Jesus always spoke to His Father on a daily basis. That is what prayer is, a conversation with Him. Taking time out of our busy schedule to spend time with Him. No matter what we've done, or what mess we are in, He wants us to talk to Him, just like you want your own children to talk to you.

I know I have broken my mom's and dad's heart in my growing teen years, but they always made me feel loved anyway. This unconditional love is something I will be eternally grateful for. For showing me a glimpse of Jesus in their love for me.

Sadly, this is a love some people don’t get to feel with their earthly parents, and some even in their marriages. If you seek Jesus, you will see that He lets His heart be broken every time, until He heals yours. He will turn your darkness into dawn when you run into His arms.

I pray you press on, "straining toward what is ahead..." (Philippians 3:12-14).  

Forget what is behind, keep seeking to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus. He is “Alive!”

Grace and His peace be with you

Kim

Should Have Been Me - Citizen Way

Ephesians 2:8-10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” 

We should do work for God because we are motivated by our love and thankfulness for what He has given us. Salvation is something we couldn't have gotten, or done for ourselves. We don’t do work to get God to love us, that’s a given, and He gave!

We are God’s creation, His perfect work of art. God sent His Son to die for our sins, He is the perfect gift. Jesus saved us from the deadly cancer of sin that can kill us unless surgery, and the proper medication is taken. Jesus is the Great physician, and all the medication you need! He is a gift from God, and grace is a gift that should be accepted if you truly want to live. Just like you would accept a gift from a loved one who gave you something and said, “This is for you, you need it, so open it.” By faith you would open it. You don’t owe that person anything because it was a gift freely given. Sometimes the gift isn't what we wanted, but our loved one knew we needed it.

O.K., if we were to look at sin like cancer, you would need to put your trust in doctors and whatever they tell you, you need to have done to get rid of it. You don’t want to go through with all their telling you, but you need to, to live. So by faith and trusting them, and only they can do for you what you can’t do for yourself, they operate and get rid of the cancer. If you didn't trust them, or have faith in all the procedures that needed to be done, the cancer would have killed you. That’s what sin does if we don’t let Jesus be the CURE ALL! We will die in our sin.

Now wouldn't it get you mad, after all you've been through, if someone didn't believe you had cancer but you have the scars to prove it. Well, there’s an empty cross, and by faith when you look at it, it’s your choice to believe what happened upon it or not. I know one day I will see His nail scared hands, and it was all for me. My loved One knew what I needed, and I choose to believe it now, by faith.

People don’t easily forget what the doctors did for them, and the cancer that would have killed them. Please don’t forget what Jesus did for you, because it, 

“Should’ve been me, it should’ve been us, hanging there on that cross. It should leave us saying thank God for this heart He changed and this soul He raised.  My God, THANK YOU FOR TAKING MY PLACE!!!!”

Kim

Worn - Tenth Ave. North

We are worth so much more than the lies that we feed ourselves.  If you think you aren't worth anything, that thought is not coming from your Savior.  After all, His love went into an action "While we were still sinners." (Romans 5:8).  

I have a hard time wrapping my mind around this truth, but it tells me I am worth everything to Him.  If you have voices from the past, or even the present, of anyone or anything that makes you feel any less than you are, REBUKE IT!!! Say, “you might as well get behind me Satan, because Jesus never fails me!”

I’m writing this to prayerfully inspire those of us who get worn out, tired, our hearts are so heavy, and our minds are filled with thoughts that are ripping us apart. Also for special prayer for my dad. He says he’s tired even before the day begins.  When I heard this song, I thought my dad had a special interview with Tenth Ave. North and they wrote these lyrics just for him. We should never lose our will to fight because our lives are worth so much to Jesus. He doesn't want our souls to feel heavy, or our hope to fail. He came to give us rest, and to show us that redemption has won. He bought us back, and He was the ransom for us all. "In Him we have redemption through His blood.”  Don’t let His death for you go in vain. (Ephesians 1:7).   Cry out with all you have left.  He can mend your frail, torn heart.  All the dead inside can be reborn.

Maybe you can’t do all the things you use to do because of age, or illness, and you just don’t feel like you are worth anything anymore. That is a lie, and we all know who the liar is. Maybe it’s a mom or dad, or both, who always pointed out all your failures, everything you did wrong, and never acknowledged all you did right. Maybe that's the situation at your job... it's all a lie!  Your identity is not in your job, or what people tell you, or anything you can or can’t do. Your identity is in Jesus Christ! He wants you to forget everything you think about yourself, and pick up EVERYTHING He is!

He gave His life for us!  What more could He give to show that we are worth everything to Him? The same God who spread the heavens open wide, sent His Son, and He waits for us at the cross with arms open wide to lay every unhealthy thought down!

SO LIFT UP YOUR EYES! The struggle can end if your seeking, listening, and following Jesus. If you’re not doing this on a daily basis, it's no wonder the devil creeps in and makes you feel worthless and worn. Your following and listening to the wrong one, and he is doing just what Jesus told you he would do: “Be alert and of SOBER MIND. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8-9).  

Is it you?  Sober up your thinking!!!!!

May the precious blood of Jesus cover you from head to toe.

Kim …

Change My Life - Ashes Remain

Have you ever said, "If only they would see that they need to change, things would be a lot better between us." Or, "I don't know how much more I can take, if things don't change." I'm sure you could relate to one of these statements, or make up one of your own about change, but change is a personal choice, and believe it or not, it begins INSIDE YOU.

This is a personal journey with Jesus for all of us who want it, and who want to change. There are many stories I could share about changes I thought should have been in other people, but God showed me differently...

I remember always praying, "Oh God, please change my husband!" I know the bible tells us to make our request known and they will be answered, but this was the wrong way to request a change for my personal happiness. It took me a lot longer than I would have liked it to, to finally understand, God doesn't change the other person, and He's not my personal Genie! Change is a personal choice, and He could only help me to change to have happiness I longed for, no matter what the circumstances were in my life. What a journey this has been in my life, in many areas, but WELL WORTH IT! It is an ongoing process, but you get to see so much more of Jesus, and so does the other person, inside you.

We are in an imperfect world, with imperfect people, (including me) and there will be hurt and pain while we are here, But there is hope for us in a life changed within us.  "To them God has chosen to make known... this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory... To this end I contend with all the energy Christ... works in me." (Colossians 1: 27-29).  It's never over, but there's always hope...

The nights of staying awake, and feeling so broken up inside, not knowing where to go, or what to do, crying out for a miracle, God was beginning inside of me.

I know all the stories of the miracles that happened in the bible, but God was making them become more than stories to me. He was, He is, and always will be the same God, ALIVE and powerful inside me, in Spirit. He was bringing me to a better understanding of His living word.  If Christ gave Himself for me to live, I didn't want to waste another day letting the enemy tear me apart. I wanted to know Jesus more, and more. His joy, His peace, how He handled hurt and suffering that came from others, and not of himself.  "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20).  

He opened my eyes more, and more each day. He was fixing my heart, and setting me free, because I didn't want to think, or be the way I was before.

He gave me something to believe in, something worth fighting for, something I can't ignore...  I needed to change, and have faith in Him, with guiding me to be all He wants me to be in every area of my life. "I no longer live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God..."

I pray we all come to realize, change is an inner choice that can Set you Free !!!!

Kim

You do all things well - 10th Ave. North

Mark 7:37 “People were overwhelmed with amazement, 'He does everything well' they said.”

I remember the day the doctor came in my husband’s hospital room and said, “The cancer is gone!” I can’t tell you how amazed, how OVERWHELMED we were. There was still suppose to be one more treatment, and then surgery, but God showed us He can do, “all things well.” We do need to be prepared, and be able to say, “God is still good,” no matter what the outcome was. We are not home yet.

God holds this whole temporary world in His hands, and everything, and everyone. It takes time and trials to really start to get comfortable saying, “It is well with my soul,” or, “You do all things well,” regardless of the outcome of what you are desperately praying for. After hearing the testimony of how this song came about, it just reconfirmed that comfort zone deep in my soul.

This group of Christian artist were in Africa, and one of their friends got malaria.  He was not expected to live, but he did. To make the story short, they were praying to God for his healing. Running out of words to say, this is his words exactly:

 I was suddenly struck with the thought, Father, you can heal him now, 

or heal him by taking him home, but whatever you decide to do, 

you do all things well. So I feebly picked up my guitar and began to clumsily strum and sing that simple thought. 

"You do all things, you do all things, you do all things well." 

And out of the corner of my eye, I see Travis' mom stand to her feet, 

lift her hands up in the air, up above her tear stained cheeks, 

up above the despair crushing down on her heart, and impossibly begin 

to sing those words with me.

Only a good God can bring us to this unexplained peace. It’s true, I can testify to this looking back at my husband’s illness, and my dad’s. My prayers became desperate, but really for self, not really thinking of the Kingdom of God. I mean let’s face it, we are never going to be ready to lose a loved one, but it’s amazing how God, by the truth of His word, can bring peace to your soul. Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” I didn't know why this verse always ripped at my heart, or what the outcome would be, but then I put my focus back on God, and that He is not willing to lose not one. I might, but He won’t!! “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of ALL that He has given Me.” (John 6:39).  

God brought me to the order in which he wanted me to pray, “Not my will, but Yours dear Lord.” I started to pray desperately for their souls, over their healing. What meant more to God, started to mean more to me. It’s amazing what God can do in anything you face, good or bad.

He truly does “All things well!” Never give up, and never lose sight of the hope you have. If you are a child of God, our family will be one for all eternity. Here is some comforting scriptures for you to look this truth up for yourself.

Genesis 25:8, 35:29, 49:29

2 Samuel 12:23

Luke 22:17-18

Matthew 8:11, 17:3-4 

My favorite,  Psalm 116:15.

Grace and His peace to

Kim

Quiet you with My Love - Rebecca St. James

Matthew 11:28, “Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” 

Zephaniah 3:17, “He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” 

Just a couple of promises I KNOW TO BE TRUE, but there are MANY more in God’s word to us.  This song was in my heart for three days, because it was the cry of my heart to God. I know you have had those days too, where your heart is just so heavy you can’t help but cry. I kept desperately praying, “God please quiet my insides, I feel so heavy in my heart.” and God put this song in my heart right after I got the last word off my lips. I did just what it said, “Lay your head down on My shoulder, and I will give you rest.”

God is so good, even if your circumstance NEVER changes, He will continually change you. We can’t make anyone change, or feel a love for you the way you think they should. We need to leave them in God’s hands, and never cease praying for them. We need to do just what Psalm 16:8 says, “I keep my eyes ALWAYS on the Lord. With Him at my right hand I will not be shaken.” I know this verse says right hand, but I cling to Him with both!

Philippians 4:4-8, I can’t help but use these verse all the time because it is so true! 

 “Rejoice in the Lord Always... The Lord is near... 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 

by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, 

present your request to God. And the peace of God... 

will guard your hearts and your minds in Jesus Christ... 

Finally brothers, and sisters... Whatever you have learned, or received, 

or heard from me, or seen in me - put into practice. 

And the God of peace will be with you.”

What have you learned or received from knowing the life of our Savior? I've learned it won’t be easy for me, because it wasn't easy for Him, but He had a relationship with His Father that I will always seek to have! If you put what you know of Jesus into practice, “the God of peace WILL BE WITH YOU.” ALWAYS!!

Are you beginning to hear Him sing over you?

Grace, and the peace of our Lord, be with you.

Kim