Tag Archives: Christ

An Opinion or A Witness? Which is the More Reliable?

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image_of_God_Bears_Witness

God is a greater witness than a person, wouldn’t you say?

…whether that man or woman be expressing their thoughts, opinions, beliefs, reasonings, or interpretations on religious matters?

So the question…

Is Jesus the ONLY Way to God and Eternal Life?  

Jesus said that he was The Way…The Truth…The Life.. and that no man could come unto the Father but by Him. (John 14:6)  Was he telling the truth?

Well, Let’s hear A Witness…That’s how we expose a lie when in court, right?

Let’s hear what God the Father, Himself, has to say: 

Let’s take a look at this passage of I John 5:9-20 which is powerful to dispel the lie that there are many ways to God and eternal life. Feel free to look it up in your bible, yet because we are a society of bullet points, I have broken up this passage using them for emphasis, while keeping the text and punctuation totally intact, so that you may see more clearly its truth:

Here is the scripture, I John 5:9-20:

  • If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater:
  • for this is the witness of God which He hath testified of His Son:
  • he that believes on the Son of God hath the witness in himself:
  • he that believes not God hath made Him a liar; because he believes not the record that God gave of his Son.
  • And this is the record: that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
  • He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
  • These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
  • And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, He hears us:
  • And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.
  • If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and He shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.
  • All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.
  • We know that whosoever is born of God sins not; but he that is begotten of God keeps himself, and that wicked one touches him not.
  • And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in wickedness.
  • And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

One of the biggest lies out in the world is that there is more than one way to God and more than one way to eternal life. This “lie” is really antichrist (against Christ).  This lie has everyone around us questioning…the true God?

Doubting that Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One, and the only way to God being through His shed blood and abiding in His Name, causes people to try this and try that, and look into this religion and that one, and they become more and more confused as to what is the truth.  They exchange the witness of the true God himself for the opinion of man, especially if this or that person or argument or perspective has “impressed him”…BUT I repeat the scripture Romans 3:4, “Let God be true, but every man a liar.” That is, Let us believe all men’s words and opinion are fallible, rather than God to speak what is not true! The word tells us God cannot lie. (See Titus 1:2) Therefore, He is indeed a reliable witness, is He not?

Do not doubt what God has spoken, though you may see hypocritical speech or behavior around about you. Our passage tells us true believers are kept from sin. Or do you happen to “like someone” who is impressing upon you their Anti-Christ philosophies…(meaning they are against Christ as God’s only way to eternal life)? Is their logic and reasoning causing you to side with “an opinion” and not “God’s witness”?  Are you already aligning yourself with the AntiChrist spirit which is upon the world, rather than siding with God?

I John 2:22-23 says, “I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”  

I John 4:3 says, “every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.”

The first-given, bulleted passage of 1 John 5 is written for those believers who will call on the name of Jesus to be saved and to be answered in their prayers of faith…and my prayer is that unbelievers will also become believers by reading THE TRUTH… And the confidence and assurance of a true believer CAN be theirs too, upon receiving Christ as Lord.

God’s main emphasis? He tells us we, as believers, can know…we are His…and that eternal life… is indeed Ours!

Do you see all the “know” references? (in the scripture I just revealed to you at the bullet points?) I encourage you to read them again, please…

Now look at the last verse in particular:

  • And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

Can you see that God, who bears witness in this passage, is trying to get you to understand that Jesus is TRUE?  we are in Him, who is the TRUE God?  and is Eternal Life? how many times does can one verse say this?… answer: enough so that we will “know”, I suppose, as believers, that ours is the true God. (smile)

We ought not to entertain the ideas of other religions, alternative lifestyles, new age experimentation, questioning continuously our own faith.  We can stand on solid ground, and establish ourselves in our faith. We can simply BELIEVE WHAT GOD HAS SAID in the Holy Scriptures concerning His Son, and the only way to He, the Father!” He is the greatest “witness” to his own Son, for God is the greatest “being” of all! Again, I repeat, God cannot lie.  He should know what His Son has purchased for us in dying on the cross and shedding his blood…don’t you think? The word says concerning Jesus, His Son:  ”Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Now… with the words of God’s testimony embraced… Believers, you can REST in your salvation.  Put on that helmet of Salvation and protect your mind from “incoming” lies and doubts and questionings that you as a believer in Christ Jesus have somehow “missed it”.  You do not need to know more of “the world and its philosophies”! Quit seeking when you HAVE the answer, if you have already once believed in Christ. What you need is to know more of is “the Word and God’s statements” about His own creation and plan, and His plans and purposes for each of us…so you can stand…against the lies, and be a witness too, speaking to others of Christ Jesus.

I encourage you…Go after God, and stand firm!

Believe and be made strong, if you are already a Believer. Pray, believing God hears! Speak believing others will hear! Stand in your conviction, as the Spirit empowers you.

And if you are not yet a believer in Christ, TODAY is the day!

Simply Believe the above passage, and what God says, and YOU CAN KNOW TOO… that CHRIST is The Lord, and ETERNAL LIFE is yours, in Him.  It is quite simply, a choice to Believe God and what He himself declares of His Son, and then you HAVE eternal life, immediately within…yet you will then grow in Grace and Knowledge of God and his Son Jesus Christ…and sin is removed as you yield to His workings within your heart…and His Grace gives you righteousness, joy, and peace.  

Being confident, and “knowing” for certain of your salvation, and eternal security, you will then have the power to walk the walk of Being HIS…for Christ’s Spirit then dwells within you, that you may Know Him.

I will close with this confirmation….from another scripture passage:

John 17:3 Now this is ETERNAL LIFE: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

Let’s not heed man’s opinion but rather embrace God’s witness.

Written by Elizabeth Norland, May 28, 2013

 

Check out her website for Christian music and instrumentals also: http://handmaidenmusic.com

*Please share on your own social network, that they may KNOW what God says…in this passage of I John 5…and receive warning about the antichrist spirit now operating in our world, that they may be alert.

Identifying The Hardened Heart

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As I began to read the book of Exodus this week, the Lord began to unfold to me characteristics of “The Hardened Heart” and how when one has one, it can grow increasingly hard, and is indeed Identifiable.  I’ll show you the hardening heart’s progression in these verses from Exodus that are in progression as well.

I am speaking of a person’s heart, their real inner self, and how their heart responds to God, when His Words and His Will are revealed.

The Number One characteristic of a hardened heart is that it WILL NOT LISTEN TO GOD. Indeed something IS going into the ear or heart, is heard, and its meaning acknowledged, but a hardened heart will not heed what is heard or respond to God in heart-felt obedience. A person with a hardened heart may temporarily respond, for RELIEF, but then will continue back into their own way. God will continue to speak, that He may be heard, until the hardened heart is stone cold.

None of us is exempt from the possibility of a hardening heart. Therefore try recognize yourself as well as others around about you in these identifiers. These are the last days and many will have hardened hearts. It is good, therefore, for all of us to be able to recognize what a hard heart will be like in those around around us, and know the identifiers so we can avoid a hard heart ourselves. In this case, preventative maintenance is indeed better than damage control.

You may desire to print this and follow along in your Bible, as a personal bible study, and I will bullet point the identification of a hard heart. If you don’t have the time to look up the corresponding scriptures, at least glance through the bullet points…please..for I believe that the Holy Spirit gave this important revelation for this hour. God and Christ Jesus must want these identifiers noted… for the Spirit does not reveal things that have no need to be revealed.

Friends, we are and will be surrounded by those with hardened hearts. Let’s see now what the Word of God reveals concerning one with a hard heart.

Exodus 7: 22-23

  • Easy to turn away from the truth of God, his words or instruction, even having heard it clearly declared.
  • Easy to walk away, to disengage from the reality of what they’re facing
  • Easy to ignore and to go back into their comfort zone
  • Don’t even take it to heart; no thought wasted upon it. Conscience seared.
  • Because the world and the occult mimics what God does, oftentimes His Acts don’t receive consideration.

Exodus 8:8-10

  • When to call upon the Lord?
  • Always “Tomorrow”.
  • Hard hearts always want to yield or to make change “tomorrow”…never TODAY…never NOW.

Exodus 8:15

  • When RELIEF was received, back came the hardened heart... and the “not listening”.
  • This is how to differentiate between “worldly sorrow” and “godly sorrow” (II Cor 7:10)

Exodus 8:18-19

  • Even those in Satan’s camp, those into the occult practices, the magicians could not help but believe when they experienced the Finger of God …. But One with a hard Heart can still resist great signs. (This also gives indication that those in the occult may not have hard hearts, but misplaced alliances, and can and will be brought to salvation through Christ, resulting in them “changing sides”.)

Exodus 8:25-28

  • A hard heart will try to bargain or compromise with God. (Sacrifice “here” not there)
  • Even conceding, seemingly, One with the hard heart will not go as far as what God commands. (God said, a distance of three days. Hard heart “don’t go very far”)

Exodus 8:29-32

  • Hard hearts deceive, over and over, to get their own way… All they are after is “relief.” Then they go back to their own will and way.

Exodus 9:7

  • Even knowing the righteous would “receive favor” and that those of hardened heart would “receive judgment”, a hard heart will remain.

Exodus 9:11-12

  • Even if they notice the aspects of sin or judgment in the view of sufferings, griefs, pains around them, One with a hard heart will remain hard.

Exodus 9:17

  • A Hard heart acts arrogantly against the people of God.

Exodus 9:19-21

  • A hard heart will not heed a warning, even when given the option to receive grace! Whereas, when one has the “fear of the Lord”, they will at least take the warning “just in case”.

Exodus 9:27

  • A hard heart can speak words of repentance: “I have sinned” and can acknowledge God: ” The Lord is the righteous one and I am guilty” yet…

Exodus 9:30

  • Though they speak words, to get relief, God knows the real hearts. He revealed his heart: “I know that you still do not fear the Lord God”
  • True repentance is of the heart… not with words.

Exodus 9:34

  • Again, when relief comes, from God’s heavy hand… Those with a hard heart will sin again, and their heart will harden all the more!

Exodus 9:34b

  • At the hardhearted harden still more, they will bring others to the same hardness of heart that they have. (Note, “and his officials”, was added.)
  • Hanging around with someone with a hard heart? Warning: Your own heart will become hardened!

Exodus 10:3

  • God’s words to those of hardened heart: “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?

Exodus 10:4

  • God gives you “TODAY” to repent of your hard heart.

Exodus 10:7-10

  • Devastation realized… those with a hard heart will try ” to control the situation” even in their choice to yield. (men only… ) (God had said: Everyone, with the herds)
  • When the discover that they cannot cause God to compromise with them, anger will ensue from their frustration of not having the control.

Exodus 10:16-17

  • A hard heart may again be speaking words of repentance and even go so far as to speak words of apology to the person representing the Lord (“and against you”), Or who they sinned against…But…”Please forgive my sin once more” remain empty words…for they only do this “for relief” of God’s heavy hand (I.e. a change in circumstances)…. Not because of any genuine fear of, or belief in, the Lord.

Exodus 10:20

  • When they have received grace… in other words, they get RELIEF… they go right back to “resisting” God.

Exodus 10:24-26

  • A hard heart, when going into another time of some kind of conceding to God…will then compromise a little bit more with God… but will still not let obedience or concession be full, or obedience complete.
  • A hard heart STILL wants to have SOME control. Humility Is just out of the realm of possibility!
  • A hard heart is afraid of losing control, power, or the right to dictate. It still holds itself up “as God” and “self” rules.

Exodus 10:25-29

  • When one of God’s servants is continuously standing up for and declaring God’s will, one with a hardened heart will not desire further contact with that person.

Exodus 10:28

  • Even a murderous heart will become resident within a person with a hard heart, if he refuses to let God dictate to him.

Exodus 11:4-10

  • A hard heart can even resist a warning “against LIFE” and will even sacrifice “human life” (of others) just to have its own will and way.

This is why it is called “a hard heart” ….there’s no life in it toward God. It is a heart of stone.

If you walked through these identification points regarding one of a hardened heart, you will receive an understanding of what the end times are going to be like.

Let’s look at a few more related Scriptures too:

Matthew 4:18

“They are darkened in their understanding; alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.“

  • They don’t desire to know what God has to say.
  • People around us with hard hearts will not care about understanding, for they don’t want the life of God… and their ignorance is quite notable.
  • Their hard hearts and pride, and self-rule, have kept them from the word of God, or from listening to any one who witnesses to them or preaches the word.
  • Consciences seared, they are alienated from even the great grace of having a guilty conscience to steer them toward God.

Proverbs 28:13-14

“He that covers his sins shall not prosper: but whoever confesses and forsakes them, shall have Mercy. Happy is the man that is always reverent before God, but whoever hardens his heart falls into trouble, mischief, and calamity.”

  • Trouble will mark the life of those with hardened hearts.

NOW HERE IS HOW TO AVOID THE HARDENED HEART YOURSELF:

The book of Hebrews, especially chapters 3 and 4 talk about “TODAY, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled!”  A “Rest in the Lord” is available as our reward… a promise obtained from our obedience!

But the operative word is TODAY.

Hebrews 3:13 says, “Exhort one another daily, as it is TODAY, so you won’t be deceived by sin and become hardened in your hearts.”

Hebrews 4:7
“So God sent another time for entering his rest, and that time is TODAY. God announced this to David much later in the words already quoted: TODAY when you hear his voice don’t harden your hearts.”

Psalms 95: 7 – 11
Excerpt:
…”TODAY if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. I said they are people whose hearts go astray and they have not known my ways…”

Today is the time.

Tomorrow may bring judgment, consequences, reaping of our wrong choices, etc.

But we have TODAY…To affect any “future outcome”…through our heeding the Lord God and Honoring Christ through our obedience and following.

As we choose to soften our own hearts to humbly listen and obey God, we ourselves can avoid a hardened heart.

The most tremendous judgment of God in this world is the hardening of the hearts of men. This occurs when they continually Make Choices Daily NOT TO HEED HIS WILL when it is known.

By the way I read a quote, recently, sort-of a side-line to the subject but not OFF the subject. Hardened Hearts will affect people’s health too! This is the quote:

Hardening of the Heart ages people more quickly than the hardening of the arteries! (Author Unknown)  

Proverbs 3:7-8 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. 8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

In this case, too, I repeat: “preventative maintenance” is way better than “damage control“, for when it is too late…our hearts have become as stone.

Encouragement:  If you are at all concerned about this topic, having read it, I assure you that you do not have a hard heart that is unable to become pliable in the Lord’s hands. So simply guard yourself, turn toward God and make necessary changes, and have your resolve to use TODAY to heed God’s voice. You will be led into sweet victory!! Amen!

Written by Elizabeth Norland   January 25, 2013    http://www.theimageofchrist.com

You are A PART. And God is “Building To Plan”.

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The Spirit of God revealed something to me the other day, that I would like to share with you.

Imagine yourself walking down the aisle of a building supply store, like a Lowe’s or Home Depot, with me.

We walk up and down rows of lumber, trim boards, screws,  wires, door knobs, gates, and other builders supplies.

The parts, in the builders supply house, are just there.

Stored in groups. In bins.

Just waiting for a master builder… To come and select each item, each part, and choosing that part for his master design.

It is only when the builder is enabled to place each part where he wants it, as His house is being built, according to His design, that the parts can come together to then bring Him glory.

Some parts may never again be seen or known individually, nor will they be grouped any longer with like parts, for they are fitted together for the Masters use, now, with other, completely different parts.

What is seen, is as a glory to Him, and not a glory to any one particular part that He uses. Oh, some may be more visible to others, but still all are fitted together, and it is what is being built up that is seen by men. A Living House. His Habitation.

The parts, in and of themselves, are of value, yes…but not to their “potential”, until they are “done something with”…or used…by the master builder, in accordance to HIS plan.

Now let’s apply this spiritually.

Oh, my friends, it is not about us. It is about the design of God. His plan.

We wait upon the Lord, to take hold of us.

We make ourselves available to him, for Him to lay hold of. He draws from “his supply house”.

We walk not away, once we are placed in the Masters hand, for he Indeed has a plan of how to use us, or we would not have been chosen by him.

Allow him access. Let him show you, where you fit. Don’t try to show him.

You do not see things that would be, or how they should be. When he is able to see the end from the beginning, and what he is been putting together, doesn’t it make sense to cooperate with Him?  To let him LEAD?  to take others from us, and bring others to us in relationship, as He”fits us together”?

I know this is a simple devotional, but my prayer is that someone seeing this, will realize, they are “a part”….and they have a part.  They do have value to the one building his home…made of US. And that God alone gets the glory in the end.

You can be the very best screw, the most conductive wire, or the straightest plank you can be, for His design to be a masterpiece, for the “cooperative and well-made parts may have the visibility, tis true”… Yet, let me assure you this: even if you are a loose screw, don’t get the communications clear on that wire, or are a bit crooked as a plank, the master-builder is the craftsman, and a master at his art, and is able to create a beautiful masterpiece taking all of this into account. He is able to keep that which has been committed onto him against that day. HE WILL USE US ALL! If we will allow ourselves to be used.

When all is completed, you will be fitted together and be for Him a praise and a glory!!

Amen? (Smile)

Be encouraged, the Master Builder is still building, and still looking for those “parts” who are willing to become part of his wonderful plan and design.

Continue to make yourself “available” and do not grow discouraged, if you are still feeling as if “in the bin”, waiting to be drawn out.  He has already “chosen you”. (smile)

Get excited now to see where you will be placed, and if already placed, then BE THE BEST AT BEING YOUR PART (your self using your spiritual gifts and talents), that you can be FOR HIS GLORY! Be the part you are. A final example given by the Spirit of God just now “tickled me”, making me laugh as I share. “A hammer is not the nail. Both are needed to build. One may feel hammered, one may feel he or she is always hammering.  But the Master Builder is DOING IT.” (smile)

And one FINAL question: Imagine yourself a a part, still on the shelf... (undecided of who you want to make yourself available to).   a Builder will eventually grab you to build something he has designed. Who will YOUR Master Builder be? God or Satan? And whose design plan will be be placed into? God’s or Satan’s?  Interesting to ponder, isn’t it.

Written by Elizabeth Norland, November 2012

Familiar Spirits

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I am going to share what I have come to know about Familiar Spirits, and how the Holy Spirit’s voice can be distinguished from their voices.  Saints, God is equipping us, to be victorious in this hour. It is time to identify our Lord’s enemies in our own midst !

Familiar Spirits attempt to mimic the Holy Spirit.  To mimic means: To copy or imitate closely, especially in speech, expression, and gesture.

This information is for the average believer, yet especially those in authority must know how to identify familiar spirits, for they attack rightful God-given authority.

 It is mandatory for us all, to keep our rightful positions. To Stand is our Command. We all must learn to exercise our authority given by God. It is not prideful to stand in our rightful position.

Familiar spirits bring Disruption and Hindrance… Although they can sound as if saying all the right words…even religious words.  Let us realize that Satan misquotes, slants, and deceives using scripture in a manipulative way, as in Christ’s temptation in the wilderness, and so do Familiar Spirits.

In Acts we read of a young woman following along after the disciples as they went about ministering for the Lord. Her words declaring “These men are the servants of the most high God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” were neither holy or uplifting, but grew actually very irritating to the disciples and troubled their own hearts. She kept it up for days. Until, after some time, needed for discernment, under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, Paul commanded the evil spirit, in operation through her, to come out of her…and within the same hour she was delivered of the “familiar spirit”. Paul, with the Holy Spirit, was finally able to recognize what they were all dealing with. A familiar spirit so mimics the Holy Spirit, we must test the spirits! It sometimes takes time for this identification to be made, yet when one is ALERT and knows how to identify a familiar spirit, God’s inner “check” in our spirit can be discerned fairly quickly.  We rely on the Holy Spirit within us to discern a Familiar Spirit operating around us.

Let’s look at the account in Acts 16:16-18

 16Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” 18She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.

The familiar spirit is a “personal” spirit, and it serves or prompts the individual. They have grown so familiar with it, that they cannot often distinguish it from their own self, yet in reality, their will is a separate will from this spirit, which they are hearing and obeying or operating in. They have not “tested the spirits”, or they would know they were believing “lies” and were in deception. I am convinced, personally, that much of mental illness is the resulting of an individual entertaining a familiar spirit, although, I do not believe this is always the case.  For did not God say He has given us, through His Spirit,  ”a sound mind”? II Timothy 1:7

The Holy Spirit knows exactly who the enemy is, and he will reveal deception to us. This is why Paul was “troubled”. And why you will be too, when in an encounter.

Familiar spirits recognize the Holy Spirit. They tremble in fear when the Holy Spirit is Dealing with Them! They are useless as the Holy Spirit is given Reign!  Believe no man without searching the Scriptures for yourself to see if those things spoken are true. Test the spirits. There is but One Spirit of Truth! And he won’t be casting himself out!

Familiar spirits are at work to cause distraction, commotion, upheaval, and problems, in our life at all times.

Their goal is distracting, misleading, and turning us towards the deceptive and covetous lusts of the human flesh and worldly attractions. Teaching false doctrines and causing people to follow false gods. A friend of the world is an enemy of God.

Familiar Spirits abound even now… All around us. We believers must become alert that we be not tormented in our spirit by them. We will sense something is just not right! As Paul, we will “become troubled”.  The Holy Spirit “alerting” us. He always has been, but up until now, it may be that some of you did not know what you were experiencing with that “uneasy” feeling within. That “check” in your spirit…

So, Now let’s speak of distinguishing between the Holy Spirit and a familiar spirit.

In order for one to counterfeit something, the real must exist, right? For instance, if I handed you a $3 bill, you would know it was counterfeit, for no real one exists. If, however, I handed you a $1 bill, you’d have to be able to distinguish between the real and the counterfeit.  So it is with The Holy Spirit versus a familiar spirit.  Both will speak. Both are spirits. Both will speak to us or around us through another person. We will hear both messages. Therefore we must distinguish.

When the Holy Spirit is leading it all begins with free will. With the spirit leading, I am given truth and guidance….the word of God confirms it, and my own spirit bears witness to what the Holy Spirit within me is speaking.  And, I have free will to obey. The Spirit of God is not making me do anything. He is steering me and can influence me strongly, but He will not violate my own will.  When I heed, there is agreement within my mind and heart. Peace, joy, and fulfillment come forth. Believers’ joy comes when they desire to make their own will to become aligned with His Will. This is why even the Spirit’s leading someone to salvation is called AN INVITATION. An individual is given an invitation to join his or her self TO CHRIST and TO GOD, an act of their free will.

But if another spirit is an operation… a familiar spirit…then I am given a lie, or a lust is activated.  The word of God won’t be consulted, or it will be completely twisted.

 And, if under a familiar spirit’s influence, I won’t feel like I have a choice. I’ll feel pressured. I’ll press. I’m not in agreement between my mind and heart. As a believer I will almost feel “violated”.  Troubled, for sure.  I will feel haste, instead of wait.

Hiding is an indication of Not Being Led by the Holy Spirit. Are you afraid of exposure? Then you better come into the light. Command the familiar spirit to depart. You opened the door to its influence and lies….and in Christ, you can close the door. God can then redeem all, and undo all the damage, using even ‘what you come out of’, as part of your life’s testimony.  When I say “hiding” I am not referring to discretion being shown by the righteous, or by leadership, but rather an individual’s awareness that he or she doesn’t  want others to discover what he or she is doing or who you are really, because motive or sin or iniquity is being harbored by that familiar spirit.

In a church or house meeting … and some are full of familiar spirits….When a familiar spirit is manifesting and causing hindrance or distraction, through a particular person, deal with it! As Paul did!  It can bring increasing destruction.  This is not simply immaturity – which is marked by a sincere desire to know the Lord and is fully submitted. This is a spirit trying to take the reins….of the meeting, of the hearts of people, of the agenda, etc….robbing from God or some God-given authority.

We command IT, or IT will destroy! We will be engaging in spiritual warfare from now until the end of days. A familiar spirit is the enemy of God, not a friend! And you can love the person whilst addressing the spirit. Command the familiar spirit to depart, with the Holy Spirit giving you words, and it will obey the authority of the name of Christ Jesus.

So, how do we open ourselves up to a Familiar Spirit’s influence?  A clue can be found in this passage:

Second Thessalonians 2:12

“They did not receive the love of the truth, and for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie, and that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

Familiar Spirits are connected to witchcraft.  Witchcraft is simply satanic power in operation. Satan’s way of imposing his will on your will…or imposing emotions, behaviors, or circumstances on people, causing them to do or follow, that which they would not follow, if under their own free will. There is no distinguishing between “white” witchcraft and another darker kind of witchcraft.  All is simply Satan’s rule over God’s rightful rule.

Rebellion is as witchcraft in that it is the rejection of the righteous legal legitimate government of God in one’s life, church, or anywhere.

All Familiar Spirits are in rebellion of God, therefore this is how they manifest in people.

Rebellion uses manipulation, domination, or intimidation ….to get My Way…

 When someone is taking authority, not given by God, it is called witchcraft. It is rebellion against delegated, legitimate authority. Familiar spirits draw people into evil.

Some types of familiar spirits are so rampant within the body of Christ, they have been given identification by the Church.

For example we call the Jezebel Spirit “Jezebel” because Ahab, the King, was the legitimate power… but Jezebel was the “illegitimate authority” or the power behind the throne.  She was evil and swayed leadership toward evil, directly threatening God’s anointed, who was speaking for Him.

Jezebel – is simply a name given for a familiar spirit that has these identifiers:

  • Hungers for control.
  • Uses any means at her disposal to do it.
  • She undermines true authority.
  • Found among weak men, with passive authority.
  • Jezebel is all about committing sedition – the undermining of God delegated constituted authority with intent to Overthrow.
  • This spirit drives true anointed leaders to discouragement, despair, suicide, and depression.
  • A “personal” familiar spirit operating in a “rebellious” woman

A submitted woman of God exercising her God-given power and authority should never be classified as having a Jezebel spirit, simply because she carries spiritual authority through her yielded heart to God. Many times it is a man with the Lucifer spirit that starts such a persecution. Usually not her own mate. And yet his identifiers are similar, howbeit male.

Lucifer - He steals the hearts of people away from their predominant leader. He is predominant. He craves authority not given him by God. Identifiers: Proximity, pride, perceived injury, divisive, splitting, rebellious, selfish ambition drives him. A “personal” familiar spirit operating in a “rebellious” man.

Another “personal” familiar spirit influencing believers is the Absalom Spirit. This spirit is charming, deceptive, cunning, subtle, and treacherous.  This spirit brings chaos and confusion to a church or business, all under the pretense of really caring. How many decent and loving people have been destroyed by the proposal of Absalom’s “care” and “concern” for the church, the district, or the business? The spirit of Absalom is a personification of a master usurper…and a pretender. In the bible, David’s son, had a way of judging everything by his own criteria.  His brother, Amnon, sinned and Absalom determined that he deserved to die, so he arranged the execution of his own brother.  Instead of seeing himself as a murderer, he saw himself as a hero, worthy of a Medal of Honor or some other kind of special recognition for his noble achievement.  He was twisted in his thinking.

In the same manner, a modern Absalom gets offended at leadership, then, secretly arranges the subtle “execution” of the leader’s reputation, achievements, or integrity. An Absalom spirit typically harbors camouflaged bitterness, unresolved offenses, disappointments, and anger, as we see in his treatment of his brother’s offense.  His father, King David would never have approved the murder of Absalom’s brother, so he plotted it all on his own.

When a modern day Absalom’s ideas are not accepted or promoted by the leadership, as he believes they should be, he becomes offended.  Once a person takes on an offense, and does not resolve it, he becomes offended at everything, no matter how minor. He will carry that unresolved offense in his heart often searching for others to agree with him in the offense (2 Samuel 13:20-29) Absalom, David’s son, ended up bringing shame to his father, his family, and his kingdom.

So these are just a few identified spirits in conflict with The Holy Spirit.

Let’s go on…

Why do you suppose the Spirit of Christ who dwells within believers is called The Holy Spirit. Because holy is one of HIS identifiers! He will lead to truth. He will lead to righteousness. He will love enough to be speaking the truth in love. He is himself holy.

Whereas, let’s recap what manifestation of familiar spirits in operation looks like:

  • disruption
  • hindrance
  • manipulation
  • confusion
  • Intimidation
  • coercion
  • making haste – pressuring
  • direct conflict with God given authority
  • rebellion
  • selfish ambition

Church, Let’s tolerate this NO MORE!!

Pray on this article. Ask for discernment. Put its truth in your mind and heart. You may not have need of it yet, but you may be “in basic training” for a war you may be called to fight in your near future.

Conclusion:

Believers are given a choice to follow their Savior, to obey from love and devotion, and appreciation for their liberty… Just as US Soldiers do.  We have Free Will. However, if you are being coerced, tormented, hindered, manipulated, oppressed, hiding for fear of exposure, etc… Be alert to the possibility that a familiar spirit may be in operation, and needs to be addressed. Rather, annihilated!  Give that spirit no place! The Holy Spirit will lead you in how to deal with it.

Yet remember what Ephesians 6:12 says:

We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Our authority is over evil, not over people. We love and minister truth to people. We exercise spiritual authority and power over evil and it’s reign in our life and others’ as led by the Spirit of God. Do not go outside of your Spirit Led and Spirit Given realm of authority…

Or you could end up as the acts 19:11-20 attempting exorcists:

11And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: 12So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. 13Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. 14And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. 15And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? 16And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. 18And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. 19Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.

Evil spirits recognize the servants of the Lord as their mortal enemies. They know Jesus, Paul, Peter, and others throughout Christendom. Those who walk in the light as He is in the light will be used, for in that Light the evil spirits would be forced to recognize our authority. In Christ, you have that authority, but only if you are living righteously.  If you exercise this power unworthily, you  may hear the ominous words, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”  I don’t know about you… But I would hate to be fleeing naked and wounded!

On the other hand, we can see from this same passage above, that the Holy Spirit is powerful, and as familiar spirits are identified and rooted out, others will see…fear of God will come on them, and they will leave their own evil ways behind…growing in the word of God…and prevailing!

Therefore, another conclusion in dealing with Familiar Spirits is this:  

To LIVE for Christ is our greatest position of warfare. We are recognized then by both sides of the conflict of Good and Evil. The enemy messes with the undecided, to those ignorant of the Word of God, to those with one foot in each camp, to those who haven’t quieted themselves long enough to hear the Holy Spirit’s counsel.  As we draw near to God, the familiar spirits will hide from us.

Remember, the Holy Spirit does not CONTROL.  We grant Him the controls. (smile) Familiar Spirits control…but they are about to lose their control! Amen?!

So, I INVITE YOU to enlist in the Lord’s Army, of your own free will, and let’s do some serious damage to Satan’s forces!   Pass this article along to others who will benefit from it’s information, or teach it yourself to others at church or a gathering.  I am only sharing what God told me to write TODAY.

IN CLOSING, I DECLARE as a daughter of God, and bride of Christ:

Familiar Spirits, you will be exposed, and you are no longer welcome in our midst! In Christ we have the victory over you! And will “entertain you” no longer! The blood of Jesus has defeated you! And we believers will no longer tolerate your coming against the rightful authority of God! Prepare to do battle! In Jesus Name, Amen!

Written by Elizabeth Norland, November 12, 2012

I cut and paste this list about the Holy Spirit. Author unknown… but these are HIS  IDENTIFIERS. Again, I reiterate, if we have intimacy with the real Holy Spirit, dwelling within our hearts, it is the best way to go forward. and be able to identify the voices without, which conflict with his voice, character, or workings.

The Holy Spirit regenerates us.
The Holy Spirit set the Believer Free.
He will cause you to walk with God.
The Holy Spirit teaches Truth.
He makes you a New Person.
He gives you Rest.
He will bring excellence into your Life.
He will bring Life where there was death.
He is your Seal and Guarantee.
The Holy Spirit Sanctifies you.
The Holy Spirit liberates you.
The Holy Spirit brings renewal.
The Holy Spirit brings you Hope.
The Holy Spirit gives you Comfort.
The Holy Spirit gives you assurance.
The Holy Spirit leads and guides.
The Holy Spirit Helps in Prayer.
The Holy Spirit inspires us to Worship.
The Holy Spirit Leads us to give Thanks.
The Holy Spirit bears witness of the Lord Jesus.
He will turn your Wilderness into a Fruitful Place.
He will cause you to Understand God’s Word.
The Holy Spirit imparts the character of God.
The Holy Spirit reveals the things of God.
The Holy Spirit brings the Works of Christ to your remembrance.
The Holy Spirit teaches you to be occupied with spiritual things.
He will cause you to know God’s Presence.
The Holy Spirit strengthens the Inner Man.
The Holy Spirit brings you into God’s Presence.
The Holy Spirit will manifest the emotions of God within you (Fruit of the Spirit)
The Holy Spirit leads you into all Truth.
The Holy Spirit is much more.
 

We are ALL a WORK OF ART

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WE ARE ALL A WORK OF ART - BY ELIZABETH NORLAND

*Elizabeth Norland images are used below to simply illustrate this valuable Spiritual Lesson given her by the Holy Spirit, so pay attention to the narration under each photo.

SOMETIMES ONLY THE ARTIST (Our Creator) SEES US…

WE ARE “HIS” WORKMANSHIP… DESIGNED…ULTIMATELY…

TO BE PUT ON DISPLAY…FOR HIS GLORY.

THE ARTIST KNOWS “WHO” WE ARE TO BE.

ALREADY IN THE ARTIST’S MIND IS WHERE WE ARE TO BE DISPLAYED…

OUR PURPOSE KNOWN EVEN AS WE WERE BEING CREATED FROM NOTHING BUT HIS IMAGINATION FOR US.  CREATIVELY-DESIGNED.

OUR LORD TAKES GREAT CARE WITH THE DETAILS,

AND TAKES HIS TIME… (EACH OF US A MASTERPIECE!)

WE ARE HIS PRIDE AND JOY!

TREASURED AND VALUABLE!

HIS THOUGHTS ALWAYS TOWARD US.

AND THEN WE ARE PUT ON DISPLAY FOR OTHERS TO SEE.

WE INFLUENCE OTHERS BY OUR VISIBILITY.

THEY WILL COME TO KNOW “THE ARTIST” AS THEY SEE HIS HANDIWORK…

VIEWING HIS WORKMANSHIP.

THIS MAY BE IN A SMALL GROUP – OR FAMILY -

OR WE MAY BE DISPLAYED TO THE BUSINESS WORLD

OR BE GIVEN VISIBILITY IN OUR COMMUNITY.

SOMETIMES WE MAY BE DISPLAYED UNDER “NOT SO PLEASANT” CIRCUMSTANCES…

AND IN THE END FEEL A BIT TATTERED AND WORN OUT…

ABUSED AND USED… FOR BEAUTY IS NOT ALWAYS RECOGNIZED

BUT BEAUTIFUL WE ARE… ANYWAY…AND THE ARTIST CAN “RESTORE US”.

WE MUST BECOME ALERT, THAT WE ARE DISPLAYED AT PLAY, AT CHURCH, DOING YOUR HOBBIES, ETC.  WE ARE BEING OBSERVED BY MANY…

EVEN IF IT APPEARS OTHERS ARE PASSING BY…NOT PAYING ATTENTION.

OUR JOY IN THE LORD TAUNTS THE ENEMY…SO LET THAT JOY SHOW TO OTHERS! LET THEM KNOW HOW THANKFUL AND BLESSED YOU ARE IN CHRIST!

LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE!!  SMILE AND ENJOY LIFE IN CHRIST!

HE IS THE FAIREST ONE OF ALL!

AND WE REFLECT HIS GLORY!

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, WE ARE TO LOVINGLY DISPLAY OURSELVES

TO OUR SPOUSES.

APPRECIATE ONE ANOTHER’S BEAUTY

AND TAKE CARE TO LOVE AND VALUE ONE ANOTHER

AS  PRECIOUS WORKS OF ART.

FOR OUR TRUEST BEAUTY WILL BE MOST APPRECIATED BY

THOSE WHO LOVE US, AND WHO WE DESIRE INTIMACY WITH.

OUR GREATEST BEAUTY

IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

OUR CREATOR

WHO MADE US – LOOKED BACK – AND SAID SMILINGLY (as in Genesis 1)

“GOD SAW THAT IT WAS GOOD”

REGARDLESS OF HOW WE ARE DISPLAYED, EVEN IF WE FEEL BLACK AND WHITE (BLAH AND UNCOLORFUL)… THE FACT REMAINS, THAT WE ARE ALL A WORK OF ART.

WE ARE BEAUTIFUL IN GOD’S SIGHT.

ON DISPLAY FOR “THE ARTIST’S GLORY” AND

“HIS RECOGNITION FOR HIS WORKMANSHIP”.

SO LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE BEFORE MEN THAT THEY MAY SEE YOUR GOOD  WORKS AND GLORIFY YOUR FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN. MATTHEW 5:16

“Hide it under a bushel…NO! I’m going to let it shine!”

YOU ARE A WORK OF ART!

BE CONFIDENT.. THAT YOU ARE JUST AS YOU SHOULD BE…IN CHRIST!

AND BE YOURSELF!

AND IF HE TAKES YOU ASIDE

FOR SOME “RESTORATION” – LET THE ARTIST HAVE HIS WAY.

HE CREATED YOU TO SAY WITH CONFIDENCE:

I AM FREE TO BE ME!

ENJOY YOURSELF! AND SMILE!

YOU’RE PERFECT WORK OF ART.

YOUR SMILE REFLECTS HIS GLORY MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE!

LIKE HIM

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God whispered to me…

MEASURE YOURSELF BY JESUS

Do you LOVE   LIKE Him?  

 Do you OBEY ME    LIKE Him?  

Do you SEEK ME    LIKE Him? 

Do you have SELF-CONTROL    LIKE Him? 

Then, I, your Father, have work to do.

Submit to my hand.

——————————————————————————————————

What Father God is encouraging you to do is:

Don’t compare yourself to OTHERS… or to the world’s standard(s)…

but to JESUS CHRIST, His Son. He is your standard and mine.

He is who you are to look to…to imitate.

In other words,

Do you love God and others, as Jesus loved HIS Father and those around himself? and loved YOU?  

Jesus’s words: “…love one another, even as I have loved you” John 13:34

Do you obey Father, as Jesus did. He, not doing anything he wasn’t LED to do, or doing anything His Father God wouldn’t approve of? Are you self-ruled? If so, you are not LIKE Christ. Christ did not “self-rule” EVER! 

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God,did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.And being found in appearance as a man,he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Phil 2:5-8

Do you seek the Father, as Jesus did, going alone to be with Him, and practicing His presence every moment of your life? Do you ENJOY a “relationship” and do you have “intimacy” with God, as Jesus did? You can! Believers have God residing within themselves, to commune with, Spirit to spirit.

“You are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell IN THEM, and walk IN THEM, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people”  II Cor 6:16

Do you have self-control as Jesus had? Do you turn the other cheek?  not grow bitter or unforgiving though mistreated? avoid being prideful when dealing with the weaknesses in others? Do you avoid harmful substances or bad habits which oppress you and keep you in bondage? Do you avoid sexual immorality and impurity? Continue to give any iniquity over to the Lord, until He brings you completely into freedom. God’s will must become your will in this process. And Jesus pleads in your behalf:

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” Luke 23:34

YOU CAN – BE – LIKE HIM.

Here’s a verse that will help.

Actually Jesus’ own words of John 6:57

“Just as the Living Father SENT ME, and I LIVE  because of the Father -

so THE ONE who FEEDS ON ME  will LIVE because of Me.”

Bad News and Good News

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THE BAD NEWS

Proverbs 5:21-23 KJV

For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He ponders all his goings.

…his own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be held captive with the cords of his sins.

He shall die without instruction, and in the greatness of his folly, he shall go astray.

Sobering passage…

THE GOOD NEWS

Yet, The good news is what Isaiah 55:7 NIV sums up in a verse:

Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. 

The only way to come out of those cords of entanglement to sin and destruction, is by turning in thought and deed unto God, receiving forgiveness and reconciliation through Christ Jesus, and allowing God then to undo the damage, which He will. 

May His Great Grace cause you to examine your own heart today, and to “see” any areas of iniquity that need to be dealt with, that you do not stay “entangled” or “astray on the wrong path” or “going toward death”.

You have a merciful God who will delight in putting the pieces back together of your life, if you presently feel as if you are as a jig saw puzzle, pulled apart and with missing pieces.

I love you all in Christ. So if this turns even one person back toward the Lord, it is worth the post. And my prayer upward: “God be merciful to all who come toward you.”

Faith’s Equation – No Inability in His Hands

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If you are able, play this song link below while reading this blog – these are lyrics to a song I wrote.  This is an important message for someone today. Maybe that someone is YOU.

http://www.thelordwill.com/audio/05_No_Inability_hifi.m3u

THE LESSON: It’s not about our ability or inability – it’s about putting it in the Lord’s hands…for In Him is NO INABILITY.

When God gives to me a task that

seems impossible to do,

Then I know He must be part

of the e-qua-tion.

I will give To Him what I HAVE

Then leave the rest to Him

He is faithful to put the rest

of the equa-tion in….

Will it be  +1 or will it be x10 ?

Will I trust Him? He may “times it” by 1000.

Will it be mul-ti-pli-ca-tion? or ad-di-tion?….

All I give to Him is what I HAVE

To begin with.

For its not MY ability, nor is it MY INability

But its GOD’S ABILITY that

completes faith’s equation.

To us, there is but THE CHOICE to give Him

what’s within “our” hands

There is NO IN-ABIL-ITY in our

Lord’s hands.

Take the boy who gave his lunch of the

five loaves and two fishes

He just gave Christ what he had

within his own hands,

Then the Lord blessed it and multiplied it

…for the mult-i-tude

ALL had plenty…and were filled…

With grat-i-tude

Take the woman and her sons who filled the

jars within their house

And in faith they gathered jars from all their

neighbors

Their supply of oil was multiplied….

Their debt was paid in full…

Sons were free to be

who they were meant to be.

For it’s…

(Repeat Chorus)

FINAL CHORUS ENDING ** Last time only:

There is no inability, there is no inability, there is no inability in our Lord’s hands

My Father and My God – In Christ

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I saw this verse as if NEW today, as I was focused on what Jesus did after his resurrection. I absolutely must share it with others.  It is so simple, yet so profound.

I “really saw” the second half of this verse, containing Jesus’ own words to Mary, before he ascended, yet after he arose: John 20:17b

“…go to my brethren, and say unto them: I ascend to MY Father, and YOUR Father and to MY God, and YOUR God.

Do you see what Jesus did through the resurrection?  from just these words He told Mary to speak and spread to all his brethren, i.e. Believers?

Clearly, Jesus wants us all to know that WE, through what He did for us, have the same “claim” as He did to Father and to God now. God is OURS. We are HIS. We are now RECONCILED. We are “family” now. Jesus, is our brother… and God, is now not only Christ’s Father, but is now Our Father too.

To personalize this… you can say “My Father” just like Jesus did…and you can say “My God” just as Jesus did when He walked the earth. You are given RELATIONSHIP through the RESURRECTION.  This is indeed eternal life.

Do you know what eternal life IS?  Let’s look at John 17:3-4 , again Jesus’ own words:

 ”And this IS Eternal Life, that they might KNOW THEE the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent.  I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.”

He is YOUR FATHER and YOUR GOD.  (Thank you Jesus, for reconciling us, and making us a part of the Family of God, built on relationship.)

Now, are you enjoying this incredible PRIVILEGE?

That you have a Father and He is GOD?

Do we KNOW them? God and Christ?

Let’s look at this verse: , again Jesus’s words:

“I pray for them.  I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.”

Take Ownership… God has taken it of us.. and we are to take ownership of God.  That’s what these words communicate: yours, mine.  They communicate “ownership”.  They communicate “relationship”.  They communicate “belonging”. Let me give you an illustration:

If you were at a wedding, you may be one of the men watching the bride walk down the aisle and would say within themselves, “She is a lovely bride.”  BUT if you were the groom, you would look upon her differently, very intimately, and say of her  ”She is MY lovely bride” and the relationship is one of ownership: He is hers, she is his.

The same is true of the Godhead. Do you look upon Father as YOUR Father?  and upon God as YOUR God?  In Christ HE (GOD) is yours!

ENJOY THE FATHER AND THE SON. THEY ARE “FAMILY”…as are our brothers and sisters IN CHRIST. Have “relationship” with them. This is eternal life.

Alleluia

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ALLELUIA

We should fear only

If God were not in control.

We should worry only

If He were not able to meet our needs.

We should strive only

If the Lord were not our Shepherd.

We should doubt only

If He were not faithful.

We should grieve only

If Jesus were not risen.

I did not write the prose above, but it certainly communicates the “riches” that are ours in Christ. He is the one who may be looked to in all of our life’s ups-and-downs, for He is totally “steady” as OUR ROCK.

Be blessed this week, realizing OUR RISEN SAVIOR IS IN THE WORLD TODAY. And is right there with you to help you TODAY.