All things are new in Christ. New life, new hope, new ending.
Did you ever wish you could write a new ending to your life story? You can! In Christ all things are made new.
Don’t like your life?
Tired of the craziness?
Weary of guilt and shame?
It doesn’t have to stay this way. There is hope for you and for me. Life is way more than this.
Ask Jesus to help. Invite Him into your mess – He promised to make all things new. He promised to give you peace and abundance.
Let go of the past. That is not who you are anymore. It was – but it is not you anymore. God erased it. It really is finished.
What have you got to lose? I promise – He will do it! If He did it for me He will do it for anyone – including YOU! Jesus came to seek and to save ALL who feel lost.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life].
But all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ [making us acceptable to Him] and gave us the ministry of reconciliation [so that by our example we might bring others to Him], that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting people’s sins against them [but canceling them]. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation [that is, restoration to favor with God].
So we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us; we [as Christ’s representatives] plead with you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God. He made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness]. – 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 AMP
It has been said that “as a man thinks – so he becomes.” Yes, we are what we think about. One of the hardest things for me after domestic violence and abuse is learning to renew my mind. I had to learn that just because someone said something to me, that did NOT mean that it was true. Abusers are excellent manipulators and agents for the Enemy. They plant lie after lie in your head and after hearing something so many times, I started to believe it.
You know the Negative thoughts:
You are worthless
Nobody would ever want you
The kids and I would be better without you
You are dumb, fat, ugly, and stupid
You never do anything right
You mean nothing to me
Are you really that stupid?
Can you relate?
Only reading the Word of God has helped cast down these lies. I needed a new tape, a new mindset. I needed a new truth.
Praise God – He is able. He is waiting to meet us and get rid of all the lies. Satan has come to kill, steal, and destroy – BUT GOD is exceedingly abundantly willing to give us a new life with new thoughts and life more abundantly. Don’t be deceived any longer my friends.
Those words spoken over you from the Enemy I cast down and turn into dust in Jesus Name!
For though we walk in the flesh [as mortal men], we are not carrying on our [spiritual] warfare according to the flesh and using the weapons of man.
The weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood]. Our weapons are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.
We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ, being ready to punish every act of disobedience, when your own obedience [as a church] is complete. – 2 Corinthians 10:3-6AMP
Have you ever played with a magnet? It draws metal to it by its nature. It doesn’t have to think about it, do something special or do anything to earn it. it just does it, because that is what it was created to do.
Gratitude is a Magnet for Miracles!
Are you grateful today? If not, make a new choice today. Choose gratitude and watch and see what God will do!
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Gratitude dispels fear and anxiety. Gratitude makes room for God to work!
Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
This past Sunday God gave us a Word I’d like to share with you. The band was playing “Break Every Chain” and God gave this Word to our friend Laura :
Word from the Lord
11-13-16
Given to Laura
chains broken 11/13
chains broken all around and laying on an old dirt floor…. like an ancient prision.
no one moves, they stay where the are not leaving- comfortable where they are. we have been freed so we must step forward out of the bondage we have been released from to carry out His will in our lives
we need to choose to walk forward from where we were
I have already released the chains .. what are YOU going to do now….
Sickness. Illness. We live in a fallen world with sin and sickness everywhere. But our God delivers. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost and He heals them ALL. Now it might be here, or it might be on the other side, but He heals them ALL.
“Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them.” Matthew 15:30 NKJV
I do not believe for one moment that God gives us sickness.
Did Jesus ever say,” Geez, I see that you are sick, come back tomorrow.” NO!
Did Jesus ever say, ” Man you really messed up, you better go get right with God before you come back here for healing?” NO!
Did Jesus ever see someone sick and NOT heal them? NO!
I don’t believe for one one moment that God wants to”teach us something” with sickness. That is a lie straight from the Religious Spirit that man has put out there. Not God. He never said that.
God is good and He heals ALL.
” [ Behold, My Servant ] But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.” – Matthew 12:15 NKJV
Do we get sick. Yes. We live in a fallen world. We are living in theses bodies which get run down, stressed out, and sometimes sick. But when that happens there is our opportunity go to God and expect his healing. He promised us. There is no sickness in Heaven. So why do we think we have to be sick here? Like it’s who we are or something. I am not a label. I am not an illness. I am not going to talk about how bad I feel all day. We have the Spirit of the Living God in us – what we talk about will come to pass! No wonder God said to be slow to speak. I refuse to agree with the Enemy of my soul. I have spent way too many years agreeing with the wrong guy.
“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” – Isaiah 53:5 nkjv
I am tired of the Body Of Christ believing all this stuff. He bore our sickness so we didn’t have to. Do I get sick? Of course I do. I am still human. But I refuse to label myself with this disease or that disease and say “This is me and I am my disease and its who I am.” – and take care of it like it’s a pet. I refuse to feed it. Sickness can shrivel up and die.
I was home today. I did it not well. About 6 months ago I was hospitalized with ischemic colitis. It was bad – blood, cramps, fever, etc. The Doctor said I might have this disease and that disease. I said no. My God says I am healed. My husband and kids prayed with me. my Pastors and their wives came and prayed with me. And we STOOD OUR GROUND. Guess what happened? God healed me. Did I take my medicine- yes. God uses Doctors and Nurses all the time to do His will and heal. Let’s use the help that God gives us and not get all religious about it.
Today, that same sickness tried to come back. I had the same symptoms. I thought.” Great – that same sickness that I had had was trying to come back on me..” I had the heating pad on my stomach all day to feel better. I even lost it for a minute and dug out all my hospital paperwork. My first thought was, “Great here we go again.”
Then I got mad. I stood up to that stupid colitis and said, “NO, you are not coming on me again! Get out of here is Jesus Name. I reject you and these demons who brought you to my door. My God healed me and I am standing in that healing.”God is good, Devil is bad. My God heals. He healed me the first time and you are not welcome here.
Stand strong my friends – no matter what the symptoms. Exercise your faith and watch and see what God will do. This is not the end – only an opportunity to exercise your faith and watch God get the glory in your healing. He promised us healing – either here on earth or in Heaven. And I for one am going to take Him at His WORD!
The Good News? If it has a name it has to bow to Jesus!
“And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” – Philippians 2:8-11 NKJV
God taught me something today – through the eyes of a little child. Let’s call him E. He is less than 1 – I think about 6 or 8 months. I play in a worship band every Sunday. We are all over 40-50+. Yet we have fun worshipping the Lord Almighty and bringing his people into the presence of God. Every week little E comes to dance. Sometimes he dances in back by his parents. Today was different. Little E came right onto the stage and started dancing! It moved my heart beyond belief. I scooped him up in my arms and brought him to my piano. He stayed for a moment and played. Praise God!
Then I went and visited my granddaughter. She is the same age. I brought her a little people farm truck that made music. Guess what she did? DJ started to dance! Oh the power of a dance. I truly believe that we bring God joy when we dance in His presence. I wish more of God’s people would let loose and dance before the Lord. David danced – and look what happened!
Let go today. Rejoice in His presence and dance for joy for all that He has done!
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, – Psalm 30:11
It happened as they were coming, when David returned from killing the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy and with musical instruments. The women sang as they played, and said, “Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands.” 1 Samuel 18:6-7
Then David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet.- 2 samuel 6:14-15 NKJV
My husband Bob wrote this out for our friend. It spoke to my heart as well so I wanted to share it with you.
Our bodies respond to our voices. There are times we have to fight. There are times when our symptoms do not match up with the the Word of God. I have found that these are the times I need to declare the Word over myself and my body. Next is the hard part – giving God a minute to work it out.
Lord,
I have received You as my Savoir. You are my God. Your Word declares that by Your stripes I am healed! Your Spirit dwells inside of me, so if there is any sickness, I cast it out in Your mighty name.
I say to my body, get in line. My Savior died and says I will be healed. I plead the blood of Jesus over my health, and Father, if I have opened any doors to allow sickness, forgive me and I close them now in Jesus name. I cast out anything that dwells within me to be cast to the bottom of the sea, never to come back. In Jesus name, I call you out. Body, get in line.
I have the mind of Christ Jesus, Lord of all. If anything about my mind is not like His, I tell it to get out in Jesus name! Any damage that has been declared in my mind, I call it healed, in Jesus name. Lord restore my mind to how you would will it to be. I call myself healed in Jesus name. I call my mind whole, restored, and renewed.
Lord I ask for your holy presence to flow throughout my body, restoring, rebuilding, and renewing me. I speak to the pressure of my blood, and I say you must be lower, in the name of Jesus. Pain and soreness, you must leave, in the name of Jesus. Body, I call you to get in line with the word that says that I am healed!
One thing I have learned in my walk with God is that you must be prepared for resistance when God brings you to a Promised Land. Remember Joshua? He finally led the Israelites into the land that God promised. It was not empty. It was full of enemies. There was a battle that had to take place for God’s chosen people to enter. It was not just a show up and let’s move in kind of deal.
Let me share a personal story to show you what this looks like. I recently finished up my part time job at school. I applied for a summer job at a local company. They offered me full time with full benefits. Of course I said yes! I have not had a full time job with benefits in over 16 years!
Here is what my battle looked like:
3 days before my start date – the water heater in our home went out.
2 days before my start date – the gas stove started leaking and we had to turn it off.
1 day before my start date – the brakes went out on my truck.
The night before my start date – I was up for most of the night killing demons in my sleep.
My first day – the water heater still didn’t work and I took a cold bath.
My first day at lunch – one of my kids got in a fender bender. All is well but the car was ruled a total loss by the insurance company.
Expect a battle when God brings you to the promised land. Keep you peace. Greater is He who is in you than He who is in the world. Keep your peace. Stand on the Word. Stand on the promises of God. Watch God deliver you and your family. Keep your peace.
The results:
My husband and our Pastor fixed the brakes for $42.00!
My husband fixed the water heater with a new part. we now have hot water!
My husband bought the new hose for the gas stove, this too will be fixed!
And the car – we elected to keep the car and my daughter’s boyfriend has all the parts but one to repair it! Praise God!
Thank you Jesus! The Lord will deliver you, He promised!
God’s Word for You:
God’s Commission to Joshua After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.
Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:1-9 NKJV
My Prayer for You:
Dear Lord,
Please be with your people as they travel from the land of slavery and bondange into the promised land You promised them. Be with them as they stand before the Enemy and watch as You deliver them. Give us supernatural strength and resolve as we enter new territories. Let us lean on You and You alone as we conquer the land and possess the territory You have promised us, in Jesus Name.
Worry. It has a way of eating up your hope and joy and destroying your peace of mind.
WORRY – to give way to anxiety or unease; allow one’s mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles.
Worry is dwelling on our troubles or difficulty. The more we worry the worse things get. Worry can lead to anxiety, depression, and hopelessness. Excessive worrying can lead to physical health problems as well – headaches, sleeplessness, poor job performance, and hindered relationships. People may turn to alcohol, drugs, overeating, or other harmful habits to cope. I have even heard it said that worry is a lack of trust – in ourselves, in someone else, or in God.
When we choose to direct our thoughts towards someone else with worry we can bind them to us in fear. This does not help us or them. Most of the “What if” thoughts we have don’t happen. We play out all different scenarios and endings in our heads. “If he does this, I’ll do that” type of thinking is rarely productive. It is debilitating and paralyzing.
There are many actions you can take to relieve your mind from worry.
Prayer – God listens and cares
Counseling – talking helps
Reading a book – helps with changing the atmosphere in your mind
Going for a drive – seeing new things
Listening to positive Music – the words and genre matters
Exercise – going for a walk
Mindfulness – being in the moment
Watching a movie – changing the moment
No wonder God asks us to think about the good things and to be grateful. When we change our thoughts we change our actions. When we choose the good things to think about our feelings change. We begin to believe that good will come out of all things. There is hope my friend. Make a choice – to change your negative thought patterns and replace those old tapes with the Word of God today. It might be the beginning of a new life for you!
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” – Philippians 4:8-9 NKJV
Busy, busy, busy. That describes most of us. School,work, sports, music, family, church, etc. We are overburdened with obligations. Whether you are an adult or a child committing to multiple things at the same time takes its toll on our peace of mind. We as a people are overworked, over committed, and over stressed.
Yet why do we do this?
What good does it do?
This past year I found myself getting sick again. I was overcommitted. I was trying to do too much with too little time. It affected my family as well. My kids started having issues with depression and anxiety. They picked up on mine. I had to make a choice to change. I had to trust God to lead me with what I could hold on to and what I had to let go of. I had to choose to trust Him with the rest. Let go and let God right?
I cut back on a number of things I was doing this year. I stopped recording every song I wrote. I gave myself permission to rest. I stopped going to every function I was invited to. I chose which times I could say “yes” and which times I could say “no.” I let myself say NO. That is huge for me. I was such a people pleaser for so many years. Thank you Lord for delivering me from that!
I am more grateful now. I am more thankful now. It was worth it. My family and I have more time together. We may not go out every night, but we have simple times together. A trip to Dunkin Donuts for coffee for my daughter or a trip to McDonalds for hash browns for my son. A grill and Netflix night with my husband is our date night. A visit with my older girls every two weeks and my granddaughter has brought me such joy. My life is much simpler now. Thank you Lord for REST!
God’s Word for You:
Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed. – Exodus 23:12 KJV
Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” – Mark 6:31 NIV
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. – Matthew 11: 28-29 NIV
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.And the peace of God ,which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:4-7 NIV
(Image source – healthywomen.org)
My Prayer for You:
Dear Lord,
Show us which things to hang on to and which things to let go of. We want to enter the rest of the Lord. Let us lay down our people pleasing selves and accept the newness of life you died to give us. Let us rejoice in peace that surpasses all understanding, in Jesus name.
Sad, Tired, Unmotivated, Overwhelmed. These are some of the things I felt while going through depression. Feeling like I was doing everything wrong and I couldn’t do anything right. Depression is probably the worst thing I have ever gone through. There were a lot of issues going on in my life and that was like an open door for the enemy to come in […]
It’s heck getting older. Sometimes our bodies do not cooperate. Sickness comes and sometimes stays a while. Yes, Jesus can and will heal. I just wish He would do it immediately. I am not a good patient. I admit it. I don’t like being sick. I don’t like not being in control of things. Yes, I have issues, lol!
Sometimes the healing that God promised us takes a while. So here I sit. The Bible says I should rejoice in my troubles. I have to say that is not my first response. I’m the girl texting, “Ugggh!” Moaning and groaning. No particular words. I don’t like to talk about any illness because I don’t want to give it more life. I know we have the power of life and death in our tongues and any kind of illness doesn’t get a stage or a microphone as far as I am concerned.
I pray and receive prayer. I have the Elders at Church anoint me with oil. I read the Word and speak the Word. God says that by His stripes I am healed. Yes, I may have a few ugly symptoms kicking around in my body – but God’s Word is truth and He says I am healed. My body just doesn’t know it yet.
It brings me comfort to know that I am not the only one going through pain during this journey. Even Apostle Paul had a few issues. He had to remind himself and the Church to not become discouraged. We all age. It’s part of the process of this thing called life. God promised that with the sufferings would come a greater weight of glory. It will be worth it all.
I am determined to praise my way through this pain. I know that God will heal me and you both. I just don’t know when. Guess this is the part where I get to trust Him and take Him at His Word. Uggggh!
“Therefore we do not become discouraged [spiritless, disappointed, or afraid]. Though our outer self is [progressively] wasting away, yet our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day by day.For our momentary, light distress [this passing trouble] is producing for us an eternal weight of glory [a fullness] beyond all measure [surpassing all comparisons, a transcendent splendor and an endless blessedness]!So we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are unseen; for the things which are visible are temporal [just brief and fleeting], but the things which are invisible are everlasting and imperishable.” – 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 AMP
“For I consider [from the standpoint of faith] that the sufferings of the present life are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us!For [even the whole] creation [all nature] waits eagerly for the children of God to be revealed.For the creation was subjected to frustration and futility, not willingly [because of some intentional fault on its part], but by the will of Him who subjected it, in hopethat the creation itself will also be freed from its bondage to decay [and gain entrance] into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
For we know that the whole creation has been moaning together as in the pains of childbirth until now.And not only this, but we too, who have the first fruits of the Spirit [a joyful indication of the blessings to come], even we groan inwardly, as we wait eagerly for [the sign of] our adoption as sons—the redemption and transformation of our body [at the resurrection].For in this hope we were saved [by faith]. But hope [the object of] which is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he already sees?But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait eagerly for it with patience and composure.” – Romans 8:18-25 AMP
