The Race Marked Out for You

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3

Brothers and Sisters in our Sovereign LORD,
What a powerful scripture this is for encouragement and instruction. God's Sovereignty is personal, like sweet perfume, causing me to dance in delight and praise. I am awed that there is a race personally marked out for me! There is security and rest knowing nothing can come my way without first receiving His permission. All passes through His hand for His approval. Nothing is overlooked and nothing sneaks past His will for me. Not one thing. Why? because the race I am running is marked out for me by Jesus Himself. The warnings intimate there will be encumbrances and sin ever ready to entangle us. Anything to keep us from running the race He has set before us. Therefore I am instructed to run with patient endurance. Most importantly, as I run, I am to fix my eyes on Christ. This requires a conscious choice to focus on Him instead of whatever opposes me. I am to consider Him, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross. To put my mind on Him who endured such hostility of sinners against Himself, so I will not grow weary and lose heart! (quit running, give up, lose focus, or embrace  discouragement)

Consider Him. 'Consider' indicates to ponder, to think over by weighing or comparing...we are to consider all our Savior endured in His life and death. This  key opens the door to a good race. Would He ask us to endure if it were not possible? Each of us has met with the temptation to quit. We have all 'felt' like throwing in the towel! When I have felt most compelled to quit are, I am ashamed to say, when living is about 'me'. On the contrary, when I have taken a long, deep look at the Cross I am strengthened to take up my cross and my living is "not I, but Christ". (Galatians 2:20) This Cross of death gives life and Hope. Have you ever placed yourself at the foot of the Cross? What do you see? really focus, look past the blood spreading over the ground. Can you hear the groans of pain? Hear the thunder and see roiling clouds? Listen to the words He speaks with strained effort? This man who looks so ordinary until you lock eyes with Him and hear words uttered out of unspeakable suffering. See beyond the physical suffering. This One who hangs in naked shame and has chosen to shoulder the worlds sin out of nothing less than Love, is He who marked out your race! Shall we complain? The Father marked out the race for His Son and His race took Him to the Cross. Prostrate in awe of the Most High God.
When we finally understand that the Lord Jesus is our Life, we will no longer think in terms of 'me'. In my prayer should my attention be to unite God's will with mine? Is He a cosmic vending machine who is supposed to crank out what I ask for as I push the right buttons (go through the motions)? I read that the mark of a truly classic spirituality is rare today. "The saints of centuries past struggled in a different way-- not to get God to do our will, but to die to ourselves so we can accept God's will." GT
A woman I greatly admire at church has struggled for many years with health issues resulting from a car accident of which she was not at fault. She is my heroine. I have never heard her complain. She also has suffering as a mom and mentioned her daughter was struggling with infertility. Anyone familiar with infertility is aware of what a painful journey it is. Though painful it should not be hurtful. Yet this young couple were told they needed to search themselves to see if there was any sin of which to repent, as this may be God's discipline. This was cruel, hurtful and wrong. I think of Paul who suffered much and it wasn't because of sin.
God marked out Paul's race and it included much suffering. Read what Paul wrote...
 We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed;  sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything. II Corinthians 6:3-10
Surrender doesn't come easily for me! I am independent. I like the fast lane and the shortest route to get where I am going. God allows enough speed bumps or a slow car in front of me to cause me to stop, focus, and take a deep breath and swallow the complaint that was playing on my lips..."Why do they have to move so slow?" It may be I should ask 'why do I move so fast?' True faith considers Him and listens for His voice. Surrender enjoys His Presence and though it may be a struggle, comes to a point of realizing it is not my great my faith, or how 'perfect' my prayer, but how great and how perfect He is yesterday, today and forever. Believing He is sovereign means I can pray the perfect prayer in any situation, "LORD not my will, but Your will be done" and mean it!  This would certainly reduce the amount of presumptuous prayers.  A 'God heal me or else mentality.' Though we do not phrase it as such our attitude is that we assume only healing will bring God glory. Why do we think that or is it we just want our own way? God heals. God also chooses not to heal. God gives and God takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord.God carefully chooses the vessels He allows to suffer the mystery of His will. He trusts them with a trial the average Christian will not be allowed. As He creates the likeness of Christ in these chosen ones, they bring forth the sweet fragrance of Christ, as trials crush and press and relentlessly. Those who have been hurt deeply, He often uses greatly. May God have mercy on those who in presume to judge others. Things may be going well in their life and so they speak out of shallow, self-righteousness. It reminds me of Job's 3 friends who criticized Job without hesitation. God had harsh words for them. God instructed them to humble themselves and 'go to Job and he will pray for you' so that God would not deal with them according to there folly. Job 42:7-9

'The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.' Galatians 5:7  Let those words find a place in your mind and heart and digest them and pray them and feed on them. Love doesn't wound a brother or sister. If you who have been wounded by a fellow Christian I encourage you to forgive. Hear Jesus words from the Cross: "Abba, forgive them for they know not what they do." God in love is preparing you for His purposes by the race He has marked out. Are you dancing? This is so amazing. . Life is a battle and it will always be. Give thanks for we only have to live it one moment at a time.

Abba, You who have marked out my race. Who better to mark it out for You who know me intimately and love me immeasurably. God of mercy I thank You for the suffering that draws me near for You are Comfort and Refuge. I long to please You and trust You. I long to bring You glory. When the race takes me to deep places and Your Spirit seems to move away and I am tested with loneliness and failure and inadequacy, carry me. Who else hears my cry for Help? Fill my heart with faith to trust You for all you give, all You allow and All You withhold and with every turn and stop and contradiction. There is so much I do not understand though I long to love You well. You who are power beyond comprehension, i quake exceedingly as I get small glimpses of Your greatness and wonder how can I ever serve You, Adoni, my Adoni... my tears wash your feet as I bow before you. I love You.

az

gramzkidz.com/Home_Page.html

If you want to know how to receive Christ as Savior and know forgiveness of your sins, click on this link:  http://www.campuscrusade.com/fourlawseng.htm

All Means All

To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul. O my God, in You I trust,

Make me know Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths.
Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation;
For You I wait all the day. Good and upright is the LORD;
And He teaches the humble His way.

All the paths of the LORD are loving-kindness and truth… Psalm 25:1-2,4-5,10

Greetings in the wondrous name of Jesus to each of you who were in the heart of the Creator since before the world began,

In my growing-up years my family would gather to celebrate holidays. This meant good food and a lots of it… and piles of dishes! Dinner finished, I would sit eying the numerous plates and utensils and groan inwardly. Inevitably as my mother began clearing the table she said, ‘Getting started is half the battle. Just get up and get started’.

As a Christian I have heard 'Acceptance is half the battle'. Acceptance means a letting go, a releasing into God’s hands, acceptance indicates that you have stopped wrestling and fighting your circumstances and have surrendered your will to God's will.  I have often fought acceptance of hard things until I found myself on my knees crying out in desperate prayer, "Lord, help me to want Your will more than my own way!"

Amy Carmichael has said “In acceptance lies peace.’  

  

Peace is only possible when I truly believe ‘All the paths of the Lord are loving-kindness and Truth.’ (Psalm 25:10 nas) Once we know that His plan and purpose for us is always wrapped in His loving kindness and that He uses trials to move us to deeper dependance on Him, there will be acceptance followed by rest and peace.

When we resist trials and refuse to accept what God allows in our life, we will be discouraged and restless much of the time. Our life will become all about us. God specifically begins verse 10 with the word ‘All’ in Psalm 25. Think: If God says 'all' He means all. He does not mean ‘nearly’ all nor does He mean ‘all but the path I am on right now’ or 'all but this painful path' and certainly not ‘just the paths that make sense to me!’ His Son, Jesus, came and lived the path of His Father's choosing and it made no sense to the disciples. Wherever you are in life, it is not what happens to in our lives but what we do with what happens. Be it unexplained trials with sharp stones and briers, or a baffling guidance just out of reach of your common sense, or loss, all are His loving-kindnesses working out His purposes for good in our life. Nothing less. They will not 'feel' like loving-kindnesses! But as Christians we do not live by feelings but walk by faith. In acceptance is peace and by faith acceptance is possible.
"We walk by faith and not by sight-" (by feelings) II Corinthians 5:7

Our Father creates need in our life to wean us from self-dependence to Christ dependence. Acceptance results in a Galatians 2:20 life of ‘not I, but Christ’. Then Jesus is our focus even in the face of tremendous struggles and suffering. Have you not seen men and women ennobled as they suffer, for they are experiencing the life of Christ through them? (reflecting a light even from within) So many of God’s children see with physical eyes fixed on their trials and life becomes about them. They do not see with the ‘new man’. Only God’s Spirit within can turn our eyes to see the invisible and ennoble us to suffer for His glory. Instead we frequently and foolishly wrap our affections around that which will pass away!

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. II Cor 4:16-18

 Those who have the deepest appreciation of grace do not continue in sin. Moreover, fear produces the obedience of slaves; love engenders the obedience of sons” JWS jr

I am thankful I am not on probation. My God does not love me because of the good He finds in me, there is none, He loves me because He is good. How amazing is that? It isn’t that God lives, but that God is Life! God is trustworthy and when He says  ‘all’ He means ‘all’. Faith will rely on God’s chastening (discipline) hand as a mark of His loving-kindness. Until we are sure of our standing, of God’s loving-kindness and His sovereignty over our lives and that He is working all things for good in our life, (that good is our being conformed to the likeness of Christ Romans 8:29) we will not have the ability to embrace the 'all' of Psalm 25:10 in faith. Fear will keep us from  believing God's word. Let His love enfold You and remove the fears as He fills your heart with faith to trust Him. He treasures you.

Creator God, though outwardly I am wasting away, inwardly I am being renewed day by day. When everything is shaking around me, hold me steady with Your loving kindness. Thank You that my frustrations and limitations will not diminish Your glory. Thank You that by Your Spirit I am able to fix my eyes on the eternal and then You give a heavenly perspective and peace. Thank You that my trials achieve an eternal glory that is far weightier than the trials themselves. What a promise!  It sets my feet to dancing before Your throne, Abba. You, Most High God, are comfort and Hope and Grace, as You establish me in every good word and work! I bow in awe of You. I lift up every person reading this devo, asking You to bless their socks off…. Surprise them with Your love today as You open their eyes to see who You are. Lead them in Truth, teaching them Your paths. Be glorified now and forever, amen in Yeshua

 much love

 az

What did it Really Cost?

For you have been bought with a price… 1 Corinthians 6:20

My Sisters and Brothers, you who are His treasure,

Jesus has an encounter with a woman who had been sick for twelve years. The crowd pressed in on Him from every side when suddenly He felt power go out of Him! I always saw this story from the perspective of the woman and her faith. Now I was jolted by another perspective. Luke 8:43-46

“a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. And Jesus said, “Who is the one who touched Me?” And while they were all denying it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing in on You.” But Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had gone out of Me.”
Jesus is not just anyone!

Power went forth from our LORD; it cost Him something to heal. And that power which went forth from Him passed into the poor sick woman and in her  it became peace. “Go in peace” He said to her. So as you pour forth power to help others, that power- if you are living deep in your Lord and Master and drinking deep of His Spirit- will pass into peace for others, healing and peace. Ac

Though I had read this many times, this was a new thought to me that Jesus paid a cost to heal her. It may be a new thought to you also. It is well to remember Jesus lived in a human body that grew weary, experienced hunger and thirst, required sleep, sweat and bled and shivered in the cold, as we do. He felt the drain of those who clamored for Him to meet their needs. The whole human experience was His. As my children were growing up there were many days I felt the drain of meeting their needs. It costs to love.

It cost God the Father to send God the Son to rescue us…

It cost the Son to leave God the Father and walk in the world He created.

It cost the Son to be placed as the seed in the womb of a young Jewess and be born in a humble stable

It cost Him to dwell among the earthly, He who possessed all the glory of heaven

It cost Jesus to be be the Lamb of God and be mocked, rejected, misunderstood, forsaken and suffer the torture and humiliation of crucifixion.

The cost was horrendous for Jesus and His Father, when the Father turned away from His Son as the sins of the world were laid on Him.

It cost His life to purchase our freedom on the cross with His blood and satisfy God's wrath against our sin.

It cost Him immeasurably to LOVE us!

 Meditating on these Truths cause me to ask ‘Why would He do this for me?’ Then my heart bursts with being loved so deeply by Jesus and worship floods my soul.

  
These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. Rev 14:4

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. I Cor 6:19-20

 What is the cost of living?

Purchased I am not my own! I must ask: ‘Does my life speak of the wonder of His forgiveness and the wonder of who He is?’ I long to be with Him now and dance before the throne. Then I concede ‘it is enough for now’ that He indwells me. “Love through me today LORD and enable me to embrace the cost. For I am crucified with Christ and death to 'self' is the cost of living for Him each day. It costs to love a lost world and those God has given us. Gifts cost something…. a gift of love will cost us precious time in our busyness and require dying to self and to pride. Choose to love.....
TODAY:

I will give the gift of laughter, laughing with someone is loving someone. I will loosen up and learn to laugh at myself. I’ll be fun and Dance!

 I will give the gift of love and write a note to encourage or send a card snail mail or email and brighten someone’s day.

 I will give the gift of really listening to someone. It is a rare gift of love that doesn’t half listen or interrupt.

 I will give the gift of praying for someone and with someone.

 I will give encouragement as the Holy Spirit leads.

 I will give the gift of saying thank you to those who serve me in any capacity. A grateful spirit is a wonderful gift to give.

I will say I love you to someone and give an appropriate embrace.

The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ Matt 25:45 (wow! are you dancing?)

  

Father, Cost-payer, thank You precious One for redeeming me. I am in awe of You and the horrific cost You paid to save me. When power went out of You did it drain your body of strength and energy? Were You ever homesick for Your heavenly home? Lord I am so thankful for the cost You paid; for You understand the hurts we live in our earthly walk. Thank You for your nearness and comfort.  In Jesus

Bought with a price,

az

 

gramzkidz.com/Home

If you want to know how to receive Christ as Savior and know forgiveness of your sins, click on this link:  http://www.campuscrusade.com/fourlawseng.htm

Thankful?

Then on that day David first assigned Asaph and his relatives to give thanks to the LORD.
Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples. Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; Speak of all His wonders. Glory in His holy name;

Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad. Seek the LORD and His strength;
Seek His face continually. Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done, I Chronicles 16:7-12

My Brothers and Sisters, chosen by God,
God's word is living and powerful and surprising! David was King. The Ark of the Covenant was back in Israel and it set David's heart to rejoicing and his feet to dancing! Food was distributed to each person in Israel. David appointed Levites to minister before the Ark of the LORD and celebrate by giving thanks and praising the LORD. Then on that day David first assigned Asaph and his relatives to give thanks to the LORD. They were skilled and trained in singing and musical instruments.
 
Picturing myself a relative of Asaph, I wondered what would I be thinking about my assignment? Giving thanks is a spontaneous action of my spirit and far from something assigned to me! My spirit bristled at this phrase until I reflected on the Psalm which followed. It was filled with beauty and worship and praise to our LORD; expressed in singing and with musical instruments. This was coupled with the speaking of a His wonders. Verse 11 calls you to seek the LORD and while 'seeking' the LORD and His strength, remember His wonderful deeds and in verse 29 ascribe to Him the glory due His name! With word and song praising His attributes now and forever!

My desire was to have my complaining heart transformed into one joyfully surrendered and actively worshiping God in my daily walk! I believe I needed to settle a few things for this to happen. The key was to decide what I believed about God. Did I believe He is good? truly and deeply believe this? Hand in hand with this is 'Do i truly believe He is in control of all things?' If I do would I not surrender to Him and embrace His will and do so without insisting on understanding? If I am complaining over how my day is going that either reveals I do not believe He is good or I do not believe He is Sovereign. If He is good and Sovereign... making no mistakes, worthy of all praise and always acting out of His goodness while superintending my day, would I be grumbling? For if a Christian cannot thank and praise God as well in calamities and sufferings as in prosperity and happiness, he is as far from the piety of a Christian as he that only loves them that love him... For to thank God only for such things as you like is no more a proper act of piety than to believe only what you see is an act of faith. (law)

It was then I thought of I Thessalonians 5:18: 'in everything give thanks for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.' It is easy to say these words but living them in the mundane calls for death to the flesh. When my attitude is grateful and I am being thankful in word and attitude, I bring Him glory. It was exciting to see in some mysterious way the giving of thanks and making known His deeds is symbiotic! Hand in hand this heart moving scripture (I Chron 16:29) further instructs us to bring Him an offering and worship in holy array. And Hebrews 13:15: Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. This is such a powerful verse I am drawn to stop typing and fall on my knees with a hungry heart. I want to know this kind of thanksgiving. Praise that costs the giver.

Thankfulness is the opposite of griping and is ours through reckoning ourselves dead with Christ and alive with Him. Surrender to the Holy Spirit fuels a grateful spirit. It comes through Christ... it is not the natural outflow of my human heart, but by His enabling, His life through me. Giving thanks is to be continual, not a Sunday thing, not a Thursday in November thing, nor is it dutifully contrived thing any other day. 
Begin today. Begin giving thanks for small things which is often the most difficult. God is worthy to be praised no matter what He allows in our day. I believe the sweetest praise given is that which costs. It is praise rooted in sacrifice... the fruit  of my lips. Thanksgiving spoken or sung aloud. I believe this discipline will grow into full blown, daily praise to our King bringing Him pleasure. This too is a mystery... How can rebellious, sinful human bring this amazing God pleasure anymore than an ant crossing your foot could 'give' you anything?

Praise: He loves me and He is good.
Praise: He attends my way in perfect wisdom because He is Sovereign and in control.
Praise: For He is worthy to be praised regardless of how I 'feel' or what mood I am in.

O that we would be a praising company before the throne to bring honor to our King. Can such praise be 'assigned'?  It's embarrassing to admit, at times I find it hard to be grateful even when it is a good day. This reveals just how terrible and ungrateful my sinful nature is and I must choose to surrender to Galatians 2:20, 'not I but Christ'. Only then will His fruit produce the sacrifice of praise in and through me. 
The world is filled with negative words and actions. Let us see it as an opportunity to make known His deeds by simply being thankful and expressing it throughout the day... yes even while driving, or waiting in line, a long line. Even when disappointed and in the face of rejection and loss we can remember the goodness and faithfulness of the LORD and find we are lifted up and strengthened as we speak by faith words of thanksgiving. 
Lord, help me to brag not about who I am but about who You are. Never let me run out of words to praise You for your goodness and kindness. AS

May grumbling cease for it cannot co-exist with a grateful spirit. We wound our loving Father when we are ungrateful.
Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations to which they will be carried captive, how I have been hurt by their adulterous hearts which turned away from Me, and by their eyes which played the harlot after their idols. Ezekiel 6:9

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30

But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit;  Isaiah 63:10

For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
II cor 4:17-18

When we look on the Cross, and really see Jesus  and believe His faithfulness, how can we gripe and grumble? Let us rise in His strength and count it all joy? Paul was so content in his prison he sang songs in the darkness and stench of his surroundings, which provided him with more than sufficient reason to complain. How unfairly he was treated and beaten and maligned. But He sang praise... make today one of praise. Read all of  I Chronicles 16 for a real blessing.

Father, worthy One, I seek Your face! I want to be faithful and thankful and remember your faithfulness and wonderful deeds. Splendor and majesty  are before You. I exalt you. You know how I struggle every day with being grateful. Forgive me and change me! I want to go beyond birth truths and know You intimately. Teach my sisters and brothers and me how to be grateful and offer You the sacrifice of praise and to glory in Your praise. I ask You, Compassionate One, to lift us above the rebellion of complaining. Thank You for Your nearness  and Love. Your nearness is our good. In the name of Jesus, amen

Assigned to give thanks,
az

gramzkidz.com/Home_Page.html

If you want to know how to receive Christ as Savior and know forgiveness of your sins, click on this link:  http://www.campuscrusade.com/fourlawseng.htm

Doveseye a once a week email devotional: http://az-doveseye.blogspot.com/

God's Way

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.  Eph 2:5-6

Greetings my Sisters and brothers, who are made alive with Christ and seated in the heavenly realms,

 The Father has enfolded us in His very heart and His intention is for our hearts to find our all in Him. We, who were dead in our sin are made alive in Christ!   I do not want to ever let these words become just words! Hear these words by FWG

"Think of the fast embrace with which I find myself held, right to the heart of my Father, when I discern my position in His Beloved Son. Grace, absolute sovereign grace, has set me there- to show its exceeding riches throughout time and eternity. What could effort of mine have done in this matter? What can failure of mine undo?" 

 And Julian of Norwich was reported to have lamented that her longing for God seemed vandalized by her constant battles with sin. I can relate to this and so it sets my feet to dancing to know not a single one of my sins can undo God's grace or surprise Him!  

Focusing  on my sin, whether I am overcome by it or fleeing it at a full trot, pleases the enemy of my soul. Why? Because either way I am constantly occupied by it and it keeps me from the sweetness of practicing the Presence of God. As believers we find it distressing to discover the tyrannical nature of our 'old sin nature' which obstinately refuses to be controlled. We become concerned with denial of self, (sin nature) and desiring to grow spiritually we fight to defeat and subdue sin in many ways; but God has only one way.

1. Mortification

Self-denial, some resort to removing themselves from society and natural human relationships; to fast, pray and struggle to subdue their osn.

2. Victory

We fall into the struggle to control our osn by more Bible study, meetings, more prayer- but it falls short of effectual change.

3. Revival

Hold special meetings, confession, surrender, resolutions and hope for change- but change is rare.

4. Growth

Humdrum repetition of their spiritual list of 'do's and don't's, multitudinous church activity and duties expecting time to bring change. But self never changes into anything but more of the same. "That which is flesh is flesh" John 3:6. The flesh can be extremely evil, violent, angry, hateful, lustful or deceitful. The flesh can also look good on the outside and be full of deadly poison... pride, resentful, unbelief, jealousy, unloving and self-righteous. OUCH! Did you feel the pinch?

5. Confession

This entails keeping up to the moment in confessing your sin and asking for cleansing in the precious blood.  However John 1:9 has to do with the sins already committed and not with the source (self) from which they emanate! "The Blood can wash away my sins, but it cannot wash away my 'old man'. It needs the the Cross to crucify me...the sinner...Our sins are dealt with by the Blood, but we ourselves are dealt with by the Cross. The Blood procures our pardon; the Cross procures our deliverance from what we are..." WN

6. Experiences

Different spiritual experiences are offered in churches. We must be careful that our experience isn't simply our flesh on the loose in rampant pride seeking gifts rather than the Giver. As valuable as experiences may be they must be in agreement with Scripture for God says "no flesh will glory in my Presence"! I Cor 1:29 NIV  Things so easily becomes about us; like an infection in the blood. Hear this please: Scripture teaches Calvary comes before Pentecost. Death with Christ precedes the fulness of the Spirit! Where there is no death with Christ we will not know resurrection power. Speaking in tongues and other spiritual gifts are good but so much easier to counterfeit. Where as deep, humble love which readily dies to self and washes the feet of others, that serves for an audience of One, that gives generously, suffering without complaint, Love which can shake the world.... because it is empowered by the Holy Spirit and impossible without Him, Love that goes against our nature because it is costly.. requiring death to self.... this cannot be counterfeited so easily. So beloved brothers and sisters be careful, relying on God for discernment. Remember just because something is supernatural, does not make it authentic or guarantee it is from God. We have an enemy that lives by deceit and Satan counterfeits what God does. John 15 speaks frankly about this. How much better to bear fruit for His glory than strive for outward gifts. When we surrender to God's way to deal with the flesh we open the door for Him to be  manifest in us by His Spirit and all He chooses to give us is eternal.

God's Way

The flesh will only yield to the Cross; not to our resolutions even though well intended, not to self-effort, not to attempts at self-crucifixion, only to co-crucifixion, crucified with Christ. We receive the benefits of all Jesus did at Calvary simply by reckoning on or believing in the finished work He alone accomplished. How wonderfully He has provided for us. What a glorious day when we come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. I John 4:16

 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Galatians 2:20,22-24

You who are greater than all your gifts, great in compassion and purpose. You alone are God.You are the living god who endures forever! Your word is true. Your dominion is also eternal and You have prepared a place for me! Your nearness sets my feet to dancing and I long for the day I will dance before Your throne in worship of Your beauty. All You do in my life is to create the likeness of Christ in me for Your glory. I cannot comprehend such love as I experience in Your Holy Presence. LORD you set my feet to dancing! I long to dwell with You but You  are telling me it is enough for now, that You dwell in me. So I rejoice in You... in Your greatness, nearness, and sweet Presence. Help me to want Your will more than my own way! I am crucified with Christ. In whose name I pray amen.

Your Way,

 az

gramzkidz.com/Home_Page.html

If you want to know how to receive Christ as Savior and know forgiveness of your sins, click on this link:  http://www.campuscrusade.com/fourlawseng.htm

Doveseye a once a week email devotional: http://az-doveseye.blogspot.com/