Never once (did I EVER walk alone) Matt Redman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1bXG4WIesA

Life is so good, but it also can hurt very deeply at times. It has its way of bringing storms of many different kinds into our life. Sometimes even our own loved ones have a way of driving the nails deep.

Heavenly Father, sometimes our expectations of how things should be, are the very reason why we let ourselves down.

Father forgive us for expecting anything different from our loved ones, or this world, that You Yourself aren’t getting. Help us to stay in your peace, knowing our scars and struggles will continue until you bring us home. May we never cease praying for Your Kingdom come, and Your will to be done , on earth as it is in heaven.

Thank You God, that with every step I take You are always with me…….. You are faithful, God You are faithful.

As we kneel on our own personal battle grounds in this life, with many scars and struggles yet to come. Many of us with joy in our hearts can say, "Never Once" did we ever walk alone. We met the Savior Jesus there and believe. Jesus, thank You for raising me up from every battle.

My scars can help someone to have hope, and maybe come to believe what I tell them about my Savior, or they could continue in their disbelief if they choose. Belief is a choice, it is as simple as that. But my stories are my truth, and they become my testimonies of the scars that are healed as I persevere through this side of heaven. I know that I am not home yet. Jesus made that VERY CLEAR to us all in His word. He said there will be troubles here, but we never walk alone. He walks every step with us.

Jesus has a story, and it is truth! He has the scars to prove to all the doubting Thomas's. He is the RISEN LORD! After His death, many were left in disbelief as people still are to this day. But there are also many of us, who by faith, choose to believe. Are you one of those who have to see to believe. You know, like the story in the bible of Thomas. He had to see and touch the nail scared hands of Jesus to believe, John 20: 24-29. Jesus said "Stop doubting and believe." After Thomas saw he said, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus told him, "blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

If every battle in my life left visible scars that you could see. I would tell you that every victory was by His power to raise me up from it. You don’t have to believe me, but that is my truth. God is faithful, and no matter what things look like, He is a loving patient God with us all. Peace is not found in this world, it is found in Jesus Christ. So if you are looking for every reason to try and believe, or understand things that just don’t make sense to you, you are not looking at the hands of our Savior. He hurt, and so will those of us who follow Him. Are we any better than Jesus?

So many people give reasons why they don't believe. Reasons like, how could a loving God let all this evil and destruction and devastation continue here? Again, we are not home yet! The bible clearly tells us whose world this is in (John 12: 31, John 14: 30)

 Take time to listen to the good of all the stories of those who have gone through many a battle field, and how they were carried by His constant grace and perfect peace.

I heard a testimony the other day of a Christian women who questioned God on why she was going blind. Once she found peace in that battle, another one came. A few years later her son was brutally murdered. That would be enough for me to want to ask God to bring me home now !! It took her some time, but she found that peace again. She said because belief is a choice, she chooses to deal with the things of this life with a smile instead of being bitter and miserable. Talk about deep scars of faith, WOW!

We all have our scars to show of how faithful God has been through it all. When Jesus showed, and reached out His nail scared hands, that speaks to my heart in such a special way. He proved His Father was faithful, and the battle IS WON!!! The enemy is defeated! Jesus had the scars to prove He overcame the world and all its troubles. John 16: 33,  "I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." Only being one with Jesus, accepted Him as your Savior and Lord, you will rise from each battle with your scars of testimony to give hope to others.

Listen to the stories of people. Feel their scars, now as they stand on their mountaintop looking just how far they've come. Knowing that every step, Jesus was with them.

Don't judge the Lord by your way of thinking. God is His own interpreter. Isaiah 55: 8, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways"...

So as Jesus once said, I say..."Stop doubting, and BELIEVE." Listen, and look at the scars of many over comers. Be patient, He will come again one day.

James 5: 7-11 "Be patient....until the Lord's coming......be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near....The Judge is standing at the door!.....As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered"....

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Kim

I will offer up my life....Matt Redman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPf7qUZrHlc

Psalm 71: 20 In this life, we are not guaranteed  a smooth ride. We will have joy, but we will also.. “see troubles, many and bitter,(But I know) You will restore my life again, from the depths of the earth You will again bring me up.”

Vacation is a beautiful thing. Time off, and bags packed to go on a cruise to a few islands. This time we had a balcony. What a difference it was, I mean a window view is nice too, but being able to step out on your balcony with a cup of coffee and my bible without having to get dressed to go up a few floors was so special.

Well 4 days into this beautiful vacation, with beautiful weather, we saw the news on TV about a devastating typhoon getting ready to hit the Philippians. I’m looking out at this beautiful calm ocean in amazement, that somewhere within hours is going to be destroyed and lives will be lost. All I could do was thank God for my time He was allowing me to have, and pray for those people preparing to be hit.

You know, this is life. You never know when your time for something that could change your life forever is going to happen. Illness, cancer, typhoons, tornadoes, hurricanes, are all no respecter of age. I’m sure we all want to live healthy long lives with no interruptions, but you never know what may come your way, or to a loved one or a friend.

Well after being home from this great vacation, I was feeling so down and guilty. Here I was without a problem in the world for 1 week, while devastation and death was in the Philippians. Not to mention a manager of mine who is getting ready to go on her cruise, got a call out of work, being told it was any time for her mom to pass. Also a friend of a friend of mine, only in her 40s, dying of a very rare cancer. My daughters babysitters father just passed… It all just made me feel so guilty, but at the same time feeling so blessed. Life goes on, and each day is a GIFT from God. So we are to live life and enjoy this life we are gifted with. But how we live it matters to God. However short or long this life is that we are given, we owe it all to the “One” who gave it to us. Our desire for Gods glory should be a growing desire. Romans 11: 33-36.

So what can we give, or what can we bring, to so faithful a Friend , so loving a King? The lyrics of this song says it best. “Savior what can be said, what can be sung, as a praise of Your name, for the things You have done. Oh my words could not tell, not even in part, of the debt of love that is owed by this THANKFUL heart.”

“What can we give, what can we bring? Simply this, I will offer up my life, as my worship to you.

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Kim

Endless Hallelujah----Matt Redman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtzAciGlgKE

Another song that brings me right to heaven……

I know when my life is finished here, I will stand before my Fathers throne dressed in glory not of my own, but of all that my Savior did for me. What a joy I will sing of on that day. I can't imagine no more tears, no more shame, no more sin and sorrow ever known again. We will be in His presence singing an endless hallelujah.

But for now I try to sing of the joy I have in my heart by the life I live. Life is good, because God is so good. He has been a patient Father with me, with all of us. One day we will see the price that was paid to bring us home, and EVERY KNEE will bow. But how much better it is to live life realizing it now. It’s comforting to know we are loved beyond what our minds can even comprehend. A love so deep, so wide, immeasurable. A love that never changes.

My prayer is if you have not experienced this love, drop to your knees and invite Jesus into your life now. You will see life in a whole different light.

Malachi 3:6 "For I the Lord do not change" He loves us with an everlasting love, a love that never changes, a love that still bleeds for us all, Jeremiah 31:3, Ephesians 2: 4-5.

As I grow in my faith and love for God, I realize that there has been, and still is times of human weakness. As children of God, we should always examine our hearts and never take sin lightly, but shrink from it. Only in a growing relationship with our Savior will we be able to feel the conviction in our hearts and how much we insult Him face to face. It is a choice either to continue to live with one foot in the world and hear the hand claps of many saying "well done." Or jump in with both feet and one day here Jesus say "well done my good and faithful servant." We are to be the living evidence of the truth of Him in us.

I know some of you reading this may be allot younger than me and not really thinking of eternal things. But as you get older, and a parent and grandparent like me, it seems to be you think allot more about it. I pray always for my family members and friends who don't believe, that one day they will realize the price that was paid so that we all could be singing an "Endless Hallelujah" together, now and forever.

I will live the rest of my life caring about eternal things, and who will be coming with me.

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Kim

Holy.......Matt Redman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lkex4DQqGQs (Preview)

What heart could hold the weight of Your love, and know the heights of Your great worth? Who is like You God? You are Holy, and most worthy!

What a beautiful song. So many thoughts and images of Jesus run through my head when I listen to this, but there is one that I just keep picturing and it just makes my heart break for God.

It doesn't really matter if you're a parent or not. If you can picture the crucifixion you will be able to understand what I am going to share with you.

From the time my girls were born, until now all grown up and on their own, my love for them never stops growing. I know that is how Gods love is for us. No matter what my kids did wrong I still loved them unconditionally. No matter what we do wrong, or have done, or will do, if you are a believer the blood of Jesus redeems us. But love goes both ways, and love should be respectful and obedient to our God.

There are things you have to do as a parent, even though it hurts to do it. Like punishing your children when they do wrong, or bringing them for their painful shots when they were babies. I hated taking them for those, even though it was for their own good. Isn't it true that a loving parent does everything for the best for their children?

Now picture this with me if you would. We take our babies for their series of shots that they have to have every so many months. Sometimes we have to hold their arms down to receive them. As they endure the pain, I always wondered what my baby was thinking of me at that moment. Maybe it was something like "this person is suppose to love me, why are they letting this happen to me? But really their little minds don't have the capacity to understand what's happening. Then when it's all over, they hold on to us so tight for comfort again. It made me cry almost every time. I believe God cries too....

This makes me think of Jesus. When He was being held down to be nailed down to the cross for the good for all mankind. What heart could hold the weight of this kind of love, as the Father looked on knowing that this had to be. There was no other way to take away the sins of the world, but for His Sons blood to be shed. John 3:16... Because God loved us so much, He gave us His Son as a LIVING sacrifice.

I wonder what Jesus must have been thinking as He endured such pain. I know at one point He cried out, Matthew 27: 45-46 "Father why have You forsaken Me" Yet He obeyed every step of the way of His Fathers will for us all! None of us have the mind capacity to understand the HORRIFIC experience of having the sins of the world put upon our Lord Jesus as He hung in excruciating pain on that cross. The physical pain was one thing, but the spiritual separation must have been even greater.

UNDERSTAND SOMETHING, Jesus died for the sins of the world. Even those who He knew were, and still are in disbelief of who He said He is, and why He came. All Sin, except one is forgivable, but only when we repent and turn from it. Acts 17: 30-31..."He COMMANDS ALL PEOPLE everywhere to repent." The only sin that is unforgivable is unbelief.

My prayer is that we realize that there is, and always was, good and evil from the beginning of time. God is not to blame for peoples choices. Free will is what we all have been given from a God who showed His great love like no one else ever will in this lifetime. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. He has been such a patient Father, waiting for His creation to desire to become His children.

Will your eyes one day look on His glorious face?        Repent, turn from sin to your Savior and BELIEVE!

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Kim