So Will I..... Hillsong

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLURTvUQoTM

Mark 11:12-14, The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. ¹³ Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴ Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.”

Things may look really good on the outside, but what's happening on the inside of things are far more important to take care of first. That's what I love about this scripture. It shows us that we can look real good on the outside as a Christian, but not producing any fruit for the kingdom of God. We were made to live a life with substance for the glory of God.

A neighbor of mine took much interest in fixing up the outward beauty of the house they bought. The house has been rented several times in the past few years and looked pretty bad. What they didn't realize is no one took care of a main element that could cause horrible damage, but you can't see it until it backs up on you. The septic tank needed cleaning years ago, and yes, now major damage.

Isn't that just like some of us. So much work on the outward beauty, but really neglecting the most important element to Jesus. Inward Spiritual beauty, so we can reflect His character rather than smelling and looking like a stinking mess.

Jesus is, and always will be about lasting inward change. 2 Corinthians 5: 13-18, We are all wasting away outwardly, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. Matthew 23: 13-15, So take a good look at ourselves because that is where it begins. I never want to look good just on the outside and not having that continuing inward change that pleases my Jesus. I will never be perfect this side of heaven.

So I pray that the life I live is fruitful. "All nature and science follow the sound of His voice"... "So will I"

"God of Your promise
You don’t speak in vain
No syllable empty or void"
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Kim D

Reckless Love..... Cory Asbury

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLFak6N04GY

Luke 15: 1-7

The more I hear this song, and the more I put it with the scriptures and the memory of how I was when He found me, it rips at my heart. I have so much love and gratefulness for my Savior Jesus. 

Verse 2: The religious leaders muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." First of all, "this man" is Jesus Christ, God only begotten Son. God with us in the flesh. But they are so caught up in law, religion, power and pride, that they don't even get it. That is why I hate religion and I love a relationship. But in order to even grasp your mind around it, you have to drop your pride. Surrender your way of looking at the things of this world. Open your heart and mind, and He will open your blinded eyes. Jesus Christ went to the cross to have that love relationship with us. What other love do you know that would give their life for you, and to make a way for you to know Him.

It's so true, His love chases us down, fights till we're found. He leaves the 99 righteous persons to find the 1 sinner who humbles themselves and repents. He doesn't care where you've been or what you've done.

Look at verse 5, this just gets my heart. After He found the 1 who humbly repents, He joyfully puts them on His shoulders and carries them home... That is what it really feels like. Peace that you can't explain. Jesus at home in my heart, and me in His.... It goes on to say, there is rejoicing in heaven over that 1 sinner who repents, than over the 99 righteous people who don't. So much for thinking your better than anyone else. We are all sinners saved by grace ALONE, Ephesians 2: 8.

His love is unconditional. God sent His only Son to die on a cross for our sins. There is not one of us that is without sin. Whether it's in action, thought, or words. None of us will ever be good enough. That is the beauty of grace. I couldn't earn it, and I certainly don't deserve it. Still He gave His life away. Now I can't help but live this life, not taking grace for granted because sin pains His heart. I continually pray for the things that break His heart, for them to break mine. A life that shows Him how grateful I am.

Kim D

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Nearness.... Bethel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03YWAhBzjYQ

My prayer for myself this year, is that no matter what comes my way I will never loose sight of Jesus. I will recognize Him in all things. He never looses sight of me.  Nothing that comes my way is a surprise to Him.

These are great stories. I hope you read them again with an open heart. Then you will see Jesus.

 

There are three scriptures that you can read and see that even those who spent quality time with Jesus didn't recognize Him when He was right there with them. But like us, it was either fear, disappointment,  deep grief, even over joyed that caused them to be blinded. Has that ever happened to you? It has me, and I know that as long as I'm on this side of heaven, it won't be the last. But the closer I stay connected to Jesus, the quicker I see Him.

 John 20: 11-16...... Mary stayed outside the tomb and wept. She was in deep grief. Then Jesus spoke! I love that! I've been in deep grief, then I read the LIVING WORD and I am comforted. I see Him, or better said, I feel Him.

Luke 24:13 - 43... In this story, Jesus was walking and talking with the disciples. You see in verse 17 their faces were downcast. In verse 21-24 you see what they hoped for. Have you ever hoped for something, but at the time you didn't see it the way Jesus wanted you to view it. You were so focused on what and how you thought things should turn out, you forgot what Jesus told you. Then He begins to talk to you from His word and your heart begins to burn within you, verse 32. Once again, and always faithful when you draw near to Him.

Matthew 14:22-33... In this story you can see how the fear of life's storms can blind you. In verse 26 the disciples even thought Jesus was a ghost. Then Jesus spoke. You begin to step out but get gripped by fear again and start going under. Verse 31, you can see Jesus faithfulness again. It never ends. He is always near. Question is, are you near to Him?

James 4:8 Draw near to God.....

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Audiance of One.... Big Daddy Weave

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFxVfAZj5Q0

Such a beautiful love song to the Love of my life. Just to know Him more is my great reward. Jesus, as Your Spirit flows free, may You find within me, a heart that beats to praise you.....

Matthew 16: 24.... Deny yourself and follow Me.... John 17: 21.... My prayer is...

Could you really be one with Him, just as He is one with the Father? That was His prayer for us, the church. To be set apart, made holy, deny the things we want. We can make things right in your own eyes. Or go to a church that tickles our ear. But the word of God is the truth. We can pick it apart and follow what our little pea brains think, but the Creator of me and you wrote it with hopes that we would follow it for the Glory of His Name alone.

If you choose to follow Him, don't expect anything else but the fullness of Him in you. He might be all you get, and He's everything.

You may get healed this side of heaven from your illness, and you may not. But for all eternity you will.....You may not have a happy life right now, but you will be made holy.......You may be homeless, but you will become rich.......Your heart may be broken, but in Him you're made whole.......Some days you may feel like you want to die, but His presence steps in and resurrects you......You may feel like you're in the storm of your life, but with Him you will stay on course..... You may feel like that mountain will never move, but in Him you will have faith to move it...

Are you deeply in love with Jesus? Then go with Him, not the world. Don't expect it to be comfortable either, but He is with you. Go against the flow and popularity. Be all He wants you to be in Him. I love Jesus so much, I can care less what people think about me. He is my audience of One...

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Kim D

Word of God speak.... Mercy Me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JK_6osCH74

Romans 12: 1-8-------1 Peter 5: 1-6

With out Jesus Christ, we are all homeless.............

I am finding myself at a loss for words on how Jesus just presses at my heart when He wants to show Himself to someone. I have had a relationship with Him for sometime now, but I have never felt Him press at my heart as much as He did this time.... Here's the wonderful story of His love for others, and how He shows it through you and I as followers......

For 2 months now, I have been helping a homeless 81 year old mother and her daughter. This is how it started.... I head off for work at 4:30 in the morning. I pass by this cement wall near a McDonalds, that I noticed 1 or 2 people all covered up from head to toe. I couldn't see if it was men or women. I wanted to stop, but I was afraid. It was dark and not many people on the road at that time. But one morning I saw one of them sitting up. I drove slow enough to see it was an old women. I sensed God telling me, "turn around and get them something to eat and drink." I ignored it because I was running late for work. Well all day it bothered me. I asked God to give me another chance. Well, He did.

This certain morning, before I even got to the wall to see if they were up, the word of God came clear as day, "stop and get 2 hot chocolates, and 2 egg sandwiches." Well I did. Then I went to where they both are and they were sleeping. I was so afraid to get out of my car and wake them, but I know God wanted me to, so I would be o.k. I said, "good morning, I have hot chocolate and something to eat." The old women took the blanket off her head and said, "Oh I needed that." From that point on we have come to know each other by name. Carmella, and her adopted daughter Anna. You can look up their story on google.. Type in, Carmela Batista.... Amazing story, and I can't believe God is using me in it.

I don't know where this is going, but I'm continuing to follow that voice in my heart till He is done with me in it. Well again it happened. But more that food and drink this time. Here's how His voice came to me this time..... "It's going to be cold and rainy. Get them a room for 3 nights." It's so near Christmas and money was all I was thinking of. But it was too strong to ignore. With the help of others, I had enough for 3 nights. The man at the desk even brought the price down knowing why I was doing this. THAT'S GOD!!!! When I went to give  them the keys, the look on their faces was worth a million dollars!!! They thanked me and Jesus. They are believers, and thank God for everything, good and bad. It just amazes me. These homeless people have more faith than some people who have everything. Unless you have the fullness of Jesus, you really are poor, even if you are rich.

They said, "God is good all the time." He sure is!! He loves all. Even those who are less fortunate than you and I. He loves them through us. So be the church. Be His hands and feet. You may not know the reason now, but when you get to heaven you will.

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On Earth as it is in Heaven... Chris McClarney and Kim Walker

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttXUFvDLP4E

When our will, what we desire, collides with God's will, it brings confusion and conflict. That is when He is bringing us into a deeper level of knowing and seeing Him at work in us, and through us.

Will we willingly follow? Will we let Him send us out? Can we really say, "Let Your kingdom come, let Your will be done on earth in my life as You have it in heaven."

Matthew 6: 9-10....... A lot of us pray, but do we pray as Jesus taught us? Singing these lyrics and really meaning them from the depths of our heart, must really please the Lord Jesus..... "Oh humbly we bow. Surrendering all to You. We lay down Lord. Do what You want to do." ... Truly ,truly not at all easy. It is a growing process . Remaining in the vine like Jesus said. John 15: 4-5 "Remain in Me and I will remain in you." It 's the only way. Apart from Him we can do nothing.

Matthew 16:24-26, "if anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself". Let Him have His way. You see, everything revolves around His throne. Who of us knows the mind of the Creator? What He is orchestrating in and through our lives that may not make sense to us at the time.  There is so much beauty to be seen in everything, if we look at this life and it's conflicts with kingdom purposes. It's allowing the gift of the Holy Spirit through you, to touch the people He places in our lives. Even the hard ones, and the hard things that come our way.

Truly it is life changing if we allow the Spirit to take us deeper. You want more of heaven? Then we must die to self.

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Kim D

Flood the Earth....Jesus Culture

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL-Vuxlx2aI

Matthew 28:19-20, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations"......

Jesus didn't ask us to do this, He commands us to. It is the great commission of all who put their hope and trust in Him as Lord of our lives. We are suppose to go, in other words, "flood the earth." Carrying the good news of Jesus Christ to such a hurting world. It's hurting because people are hurting, lost, without hope. We know where our hope comes from, so go and share it.

As a believer, you and I have a choice. To make disciples, we have to choose to become one ourselves. That is, realize that we are created by God and for God. We should be seeking to become more Christ-like every day. Share the love of God, the forgiveness, and the hope we have in Jesus Christ alone in this crazy mixed up TEMPORARY world. Don't hold back the truth that can set someone free for all eternity. Once you shared the good news, it's up to them to receive it. They will be held accountable at judgment, but so will you and I. Matthew 7: 21, "Not all who say to me, 'Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." ....... That's big right there, so think about it.

Sweet Jesus, break down the walls of fear that stop us from doing Your will. From carrying on where You left off, but haven't left us. You are right there in us and through us. Push back the dark the enemy try's to keep us in.  You are the Light of the world and we are Your vessels. Out of my love and gratefulness of all you've done, and all you have left to do through me, I want to shine for You. Darkness will have no choice but to retreat from Your Holy presence. So let the rumors of Your kingdom, and Your Name without reserve, "Flood the Earth." Amen.

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Kim D