Catch Up!

Another great post by my son, Daryl Chesser:

The most terrible thing had happened.  

Hundreds of Lying, murderous, hateful, thugs, government officials and religious leaders had actually framed an innocent guy who was just trying to help people. 

They fixed the trial results by ramping up social media outrage and where necessary, payoffs and threats, so that any “honest” leaders would cower into submission of the mob mentality.

But when the dust settled, the crowds gone home, the media silent, 3 women headed to the site of the tragedy to salvage what dignity they could.  Discouraged, afraid, they came to the place…

Mark 16:1-7 

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they could go and anoint Jesus’ dead body. 

Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they came to the tomb. 

They were saying to each other, “WHO’S GOING TO ROLL THE STONE AWAY FROM TH ENTRANCE FOR US.?”

When they looked up, they saw that THE STONE HAD BEEN ROLLED AWAY.

And it was a very large stone! 

Going into the tomb, they saw a young man in a white robe seated on the right side; and they were startled. 

But he said to them, “Don’t be alarmed! 

YOU ARE LOOKING FOR JESUS OF NAZARETH, who was crucified. 

HE HAS BEEN RAISED. 

HE ISN’T HERE.

Look, here’s the place where they laid him. 

Go, tell his disciples, especially Peter, that he is going ahead of you into Galilee. 

YOU WILL SEE HIM THERE, just as he told you.” 

 – tragedy, horror, fear.  

The worst thing that could happen, had happened.  

However, anyone familiar with the last two thousand years knows that this tragedy at the cross, of betrayal, jealousy and hatred, turned out to be the very definition of “opposite”.

This tragedy was the plan from the very foundation of the world by our Heavenly Father.  It was his idea that Jesus Christ would come as the Lamb slain for the sins of the world.  

It was Jesus’ love and obedience to His father that brought him here, and put him on the path to this very tragedy. He willingly, knowingly, went to that cross…because of love.

This was indeed a tragedy, but not for the ones we would suspect.  This was a tragedy for sin, for death and hell, for sickness, disease, poverty and fear.  

This was the final solution for the Serpent, the devil and all of the spiritual darkness.  

They had walked right into the very tomb they had hoped to inter the Source of Life, Jesus Christ.

Death and hell were now interred in the trap they set for Jesus…the tomb.

The women who approached the tomb that day dejected, alone and terrified after the events of the previous 3 days, asked the question that we all ask after tragedy or loss or despair…”WHO WILL ROLL AWAY THE STONE OF DEATH, DESPAIR, LOSS, FEAR, DEBT, DISEASE, AND HOPELESSNESS FOR US?”

They were going to see Jesus, to anoint him or clean him up…that is when they saw it.  The stone has already been rolled away.  Jesus was not in that tomb.  He had risen.  And, he had gone on ahead of them.

Catch up.  

What?  

I said, “catch up”.  

Catch up to what?

Catch up to Jesus who has already gone ahead of us into our day, our harvest, our hope, our righteousness, our salvation and our victory.

He is not back at the tomb.  He is in your heart and your mouth right now.  Believe what you heard, DECLARE WHAT YOU HAVE BELIEVED, THAT HE IS RISEN, HE IS NOT IN THAT TOMB, HE WILL SEE YOU OUTSIDE OF THAT GRAVEYARD.

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, that God has raised him from the dead, and declare with your mouth that He is Lord, and you and your house will be saved.

No matter the tragedy that darkness has perpetrated on us, we won’t find Jesus in the grave, in the past failures or successes.  

No, he is gone ahead of us into the shinning path of the just, of the righteous souls redeemed by his blood, and by his flesh ripped apart for our entrance into the very presence of our Heavenly Father to obtain grace and mercy to help us in the time of need.

Catch up.  Run to the Father in the name of Jesus Christ today.

Hebrews 4:16 

So let us come boldly to the very throne of God and stay there to receive his mercy and to find grace to help us in our times of need.

Dr. Daryl

cLifeministries.org

cLifetv.org

 

 

Peace! Peace!!

Our world is in turmoil.  

Our nation is divided.  

Individuals are anxious, confused and angry.  

People by the thousands are standing in line, even now, to vote in this presidential election of 2016.  Deb, my daughter, was told this morning when she got in line she had about a 3-4 hour wait to vote. 

Anxiety, lies, and confusion in every form fills our land!

BUT GOD!

We need the PEACE of GOD to flow through our nation, and fill individuals!

We need an old-fashioned Awakening, and an old-fashioned Revival to change all our hearts and cause us to fasten our eyes upon HIM!

Oh how we need HIM in our nation!  JESUS is more important than any man or woman who lives in OUR White House!  

May the PEACE of GOD infuse your heart, mind, and spirit today, in the Name of our Lord and Savior, JESUS CHRIST!

 Peace, Peace, wonderful Peace,

Coming down from the Father above.

Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray,

In fathomless billows of love. 

(W. D. Cornell-W. G. Cooper-19th Century)\

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

John 14:27 NKJV

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

Jeremiah 29:11 KJV

 

For in Him, we live, and move, and have our being…

Acts 17:28

 Dr. Jean

cLife Ministries

 cLifeministries.org

cLifetv.org

 

 

The Protection of the Lord!

This is the beginning of my story, at least this particular one.  

 On Wednesday afternoon, October 12, 2016, I was on my way to the surgeon’s office. I was hoping it would be my last visit after having surgery last May. 

I didn’t make it to the surgeon’s office. 

As I was driving down Independence Blvd. toward town in the middle lane with cars on my right and on my left, we were all going at least 50 MPH. 

For any of you who do not know Independence Blvd. (Hwy 74) through Charlotte, NC, it is one of the main thorough-fares through the city.  

All of a sudden, my car made a horrible noise.  It completely turned off – no brakes – steering becoming terribly hard to manage – no power – everything gone. 

Flipping on my flashers quickly, I immediately had an opening in the right lane that only the angels of the Lord could have opened, and I was able to pull the steering wheel enough to get over against the curb in a merge lane. 

The car finally came to a stop, but I couldn’t start it again.  

I called OnStar, and they were getting ready to send me a tow truck, but it would take 70-90 minutes to get there.  By that time, a police officer had pulled up behind me with his lights flashing. 

As he came up to my window, he overheard the ’70-90 minutes’ from OnStar, and he said, “You cannot be out here on Independence waiting for a tow truck that long.  It’s too dangerous.”  He said he could get one much quicker.  He called and his guy was probably there in 15-20 minutes.  As he was pulling my car up on his truck, my daughter, Deb, came from work to pick me up.  

By the way, the police officer who came to my rescue told me he hated Independence Blvd., because of how dangerous it is.  He said so many times, while he is working one wreck, other wrecks will happen all around him.

I was blessed in several ways – no one hit me at all with that sudden experience – there was a space that came open for me to go completely across the right lane to the merge lane – there was no screeching of brakes nor any horn that blew – and then…

The policeman went back to his car for a little bit.  When he came back I was thanking him over and over for his kindness and I told him I prayed for all the police officers because I had a nephew who was a policeman.  And he said, “Oh, yes, Tony”! 

I asked him how in the world he knew (since he had not even asked my name yet). He said that he ran a check on my license plate and came up with ‘Chesser’, and there weren’t that many Chessers around.  He said he was a friend of Tony’s, and he also knew ‘Andy’, who is Andrea, Tony’s sister.  She used to be a medic.  So I felt like I was with family!

God is good!!

As of now, my car is in the shop, and with first checking it out, the engine has blown.  The mechanic said it was no fault of mine.  There was plenty of oil in the engine and I had maintained the car well, so it was in perfect condition; it was just a catastrophic engine break down.

He will be pulling the engine out, taking it apart, and seeing if it is less than replacing the whole engine, but at his first glance, that is the worst scenario.

Thank God for His protection!!  That could have hurt so many people as well as me, so I’m blessed! 

Looking back upon the incident, I had no fear nor panic.  I just could not figure out what in the world all the noise was, and what in the world had just happened.

Today, I felt I was to post this.  Some who are reading this may feel like your ‘engine’ has gone to pieces.  You may have had a bad report.  You may be going through a difficult time.

I just want to encourage you!  In your weakest moment, in your time of despair, Jesus is there!  When you think He does not care, His thoughts are upon you! (Jeremiah 29:11)

As I was driving down Independence Blvd. on Wednesday afternoon, I don’t remember praying or even thinking about the Lord at that moment, but ‘in the twinkling of an eye’, (I Corinthians 15:52) He was there!

Yes, I do know that ‘I Corinthians 15:52’ is talking about the coming of the Lord, but He certainly came into my situation on Wednesday!

His Word is true!  God is not man, so He does not have the ability to lie!  (Numbers 23:19)

You can put your whole trust in our God!  There is NO THING (NOTHING) that takes God by surprise.

If you don’t know this God – Who is our Savior, our Protector, our Provider, our Healer, our soon-coming KING – He’s waiting for you!

⁹ that if you CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH THE LORD JESUS and BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD HAS RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD – YOU…WILL…BE…SAVED!! ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”

(Romans 10:9-10)

If you have now confessed Jesus Christ as your Lord, and you have believed in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, welcome to the family of God!! 

I’m now expecting to spend eternity with you! 

You can trust God! 

OUR GOD IS FAITHFUL! 

 

Get Wisdom Now!

We vote all these politicians in by their ‘words’, not having a clue what is in their hearts!  They WILL say and do anything to get elected – and then set out to accomplish what was in their hearts the whole time!  

We need the WISDOM OF GOD in this season as never before!!

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Proverbs 2:6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding

Proverbs 4:5-9 Get wisdom! Get understanding!
Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
⁶ Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you;
Love her, and she will keep you.
⁷ Wisdom is the principal thing;
Therefore get wisdom.
And in all your getting, get understanding.
⁸ Exalt her, and she will promote you;
She will bring you honor, when you embrace her.
⁹ She will place on your head an ornament of grace;
A crown of glory she will deliver to you.”

 

Feeling Overwhelmed Today?

Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer.

 ² From the end of the earth I will cry to You,

WHEN MY HEART IS OVERWHELMED;

         LEAD ME TO THE ROCK THAT IS HIGHER THAN I.

³ For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. ⁴ I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah

⁵ For You, O God, have heard my vows;

         You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name. (Psalm 61:1-5 NKJV)

 There are times in our lives when it seems like all is falling apart and it would seem like we are being ‘attacked’ on every hand – Deaths; surgeries; Urgent Care visits; cars wrecked and ‘totaled’; finances at the bottom; loved ones hurting with various issues; my nation in the throes of discontent and distrust; my world in chaos; babies being slaughtered; people, in our nation and across our world, being consumed with hate; churches going over the edge and embracing Chrislam; – on and on and on – and it seems like you and I are absolutely being overwhelmed and there is no help and there is no hope!

 Such is in this episode of our lives called ‘life’!

 In the last couple of months, I have experienced several of these things (and please don’t get in touch with me to find out what, and please don’t call or write people to try to find out what all has gone on and/or is going on.  If I would have wanted the world to know, I would have told it.  LOL)

 I have become aware that so much of the time ‘I am trusting in Jesus’, my eyes and my mind are full of the circumstance, and I am not looking above each and every circumstance to see Jesus!  I realize my gaze has not gone ABOVE in a VERTICAL position, but it has been a HORIZONTAL gaze – looking at the problem, while calling on the name of Jesus to help, thinking my faith was in action.

 In one of my recent situations when it seemed like fear wanted to rule and reign, it really dawned on me, I was looking at my problem and the resolving of that problem. But when I really looked up and turned my eyes upon Jesus, the problem was out of my vision, and my eyes were fixed on Jesus, Who did and does have all the answers!  It is impossible to look up VERTICALLY and at the same time, look Horizontally – straight in front of you!  You make a choice – VERTICAL or HORIZONTAL, which will it be!     

 But in the midst of it all that I’ve gone through, what I want you to know today is that ‘IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL’! ‘THROUGH IT ALL, I continue to learn to know my Jesus, and I continue to learn to trust in God, the Author, the Finisher and the Creator of all of our lives!

 In the midst of ALL the issues through which I have gone, not only these last 2 months, but throughout my lifetime, I have experienced a PEACE that passes all understanding!  Before and after every situation, God has given PEACE, and He has put His Word in my heart! 

 God has no favorites!  Jesus loves ALL of us – Red & Yellow, Black & White, we are ALL precious in His sight!  Whatever is going on in your life today, I want to assure you God loves you SO much, He sent His only begotten Son to this world to be beaten to a pulp, shed His blood, hang on a cross, and Jesus did it all!  He bled and He died – for you and for me!!

 As inhumane as the death of Jesus was as far as His earthly body was concerned, what He bore in His body and until He said, “IT IS FINISHED”, was/is beyond any human comprehension.  He took all our sicknesses and diseases and ALL the SIN OF THE WHOLE WORLD – PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE!  It was the death that only the Savior of the world and the Savior of all mankind could endure! 

 AND HE WENT AS A LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER!

 Jesus paid that price so that you and I today, in all our issues of life, can look vertically into the face of Jesus, and know He has the plan – He has the answer – He has our deliverance if we only trust Him with it.

 As you read this today, I pray you will “Turn Your Eyes Upon JESUS, and Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the Light of His glory and grace!”  That not only sings well, it lives well!

Today, Jesus is waiting for us to cast ALL our care on Him.  He does care so much for us!! God is LOVE and His love is so deep, so wide, so open to everyone, we only find what all that means as we have Him as our Savior!!  May you have that experience today and may your issues that are overwhelming you be seen through the eyes of Jesus.  I promise you – they become very small!

 God is able and HE IS FAITHFUL!   He is so faithful that even when we are faithless, He remains faithful!  He cannot deny Himself!! (II Timothy 2:13)

 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life!  (John 3:16)

 TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS

O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There’s light for a look at the Savior, And life more abundant and free!

Refrain: Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace

Through death into life everlasting He passed, and we follow Him there; O’er us sin no more hath dominion— For more than conqu’rors we are!

His Word shall not fail you—He promised; Believe Him, and all will be well: Then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell!       

                                                                                       (Helen H. Lemmel, 1922 – Hebrews 12:2)

 IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.

     Refrain: It is well with my soul, It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! — My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll, No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait, The sky, not the grave, is our goal; Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord! Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll; The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul.

                                                                                                                               (Philip P. Bliss, 1876)

 

A Song In the Night

I wrote this about three years ago.  Today as I reread it, I felt it was very timely for the day in which we live!

A SONG IN THE NIGHT

Psalm 42:8

8Yet the LORD will command his loving kindness in the day time, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer to the God of my life.

Last evening a big storm blew into our area.  It had hail, thunder, lightning, and in some places 70-75 MPH winds.  The sky was beautiful – blue, not a cloud in the sky – but the weather forecast kept predicting this big storm.

My son, Daryl, called from Texas because several of his friends from Charlotte had posted about the coming storm, and when Daryl checked the radar, he could see the magnitude of what was headed our way.

I had no fear or trepidation whatsoever about it.  However, as the sky turned dark and almost black and the wind whipped up, there was a song that I started singing. These days I find myself singing more than I have in years, and most of them are songs from my childhood.

The song I heard myself singing without even thinking about it was:

Til the storm passes over –

Til the thunder sounds no more –

Til the clouds roll forever from the sky-

Hold me fast, Let me stand, In the hollow of Your Hand –

Keep me safe til the storm passes by.

I even went to my old piano and started playing and singing.

The hail was the hardest and largest I have seen in many years.  It hit the windows until I wasn’t sure whether the windows would break or not.  Then on the roof, the sound was horrendous, and almost sounded like some of the shingles were coming off the roof that isn’t even a year old.

There continued to be complete peace in my heart as the Lord gave me that song in the ‘night’ as it were.

It made me think of the storms of life that hit all of us.  You may be in the midst of one of them right now.  Everything seems to be going smoothly, and then suddenly, it seems, out of nowhere, we find ourselves in the midst of a physical or financial storm or many other kind of storms.

If we will turn our hearts and our eyes to the Lord Jesus Christ, I believe there is a ‘song in the night’ for our situations!  There is no one else to turn to in those times.  There are many who will try to help in one way or another, but our answer comes from our God!  He is our Saviour – our Healer – our Provider – our Beloved Lamb of God!

Psalm 30:5

5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Our weeping may endure for a night – and some of those nights are very long –

BUT our joy will come in the morning as we look to our God!!

Just as fast as that storm came into our area, it left.  Quickly those very dark skies turned bright once again – there was no rain, no hail, no wind, no lightening – it was just as if it had never stormed!

As we come out of those storms of life. We look back at those situations sometimes, and it is as if it had happened to other people.

In our family we have had many, many storms – many with different names – but our God is faithful, and through all these troubles and trials and storms of life, I can still proclaim His faithfulness!

May I encourage you today – wherever you are and whatever is going on in your life – may you have a song in your ‘night season’ that rises up with the Word of God and you know that you know everthing is going to be all right!!

As we follow God, I believe we are going to arise and shine.  The Spirit of our God is risen upon us, and I believe the glory of the Lord will be seen upon us as we lift up our Lord, Jesus Christ!

Isaiah 60:1-2

1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

 

 

 

 

 

Do The Math

Another great writing by my son, J. Daryl Chesser!

12 men went on an adventure. They explored a beautiful land filled with fruitfulness and possibilities. But there were also a few negative things that would have to be factored into the final equation. What was the equation?

The equation that had to be solved to enter the Beautiful land was; are the hardships >/< (greater or less than) their abilities.

Would they enter into their possession or would they walk away. What was the answer to the equation for these 12 men?

Numbers 13:26-28, 30-33
They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran.

There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land.

They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and IT DOES FLOW WITH MILK AND HONEY! Here is the fruit!!

BUT THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE ARE POWERFUL, and the cities are fortified and very large.

We even saw descendants of Anak there (giants). (gasp, murmur, murmur, gasp again)

Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “WE SHOULD GO UP AND TAKE POSSESSION OF THE LAND, FOR WE CAN CERTAINLY DO IT.

But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.”
And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored.

They said, “The land we explored DEVOURS THOSE LIVING IN IT.

All the people we saw there are of great size.
We saw the Nephilim there the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim (giants).

WE SEEMED LIKE GRASSHOPPERS IN OUR OWN EYES, and we looked the same to them.”

– take a moment and read that again…

There were 12 men that went into the land to explore, but two of the men came up with a different answer to the equation of entering into the beautiful land.

10 of the men had concluded that ‘their abilities’ were LESS than the hardships, the giants.
So their equation was, hardships > (greater than) their ability = do not enter the beautiful land.

They even showed us their work to come to that answer. They said there were giants in the land, in fact they said, ALL OF THEM were giants.

They said that the land devours its inhabitants…its own people living there in the land.

And finally they said that they, the 10 men and therefore the whole assembly, WERE LIKE GRASSHOPPERS in their own eyes.

Wow. They get points for showing their work to get to that answer, but God marked them with a “Bad Report”.

Why? Their work was sloppy and filled with wrong assumptions.
The land may devour some of its inhabitants, but certainly not all…assumption.
Not everyone was a giant…Hyperbole and assumption.
We looked like grasshoppers in their sight and certainly in their sight as well…big time assumption. These 10 men were projecting their own fear on to what the big folks might be thinking.

What about the other two spies, what did their math look like?

Numbers 14:2-9
All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt!
Or in this wilderness!

Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword?
Our wives and children will be taken as plunder.
Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?”
And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”

Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there.

JOSHUA son of Nun and CALEB son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “THE LAND WE PASSED THROUGH AND EXPLORED IS EXCEEDINGLY GOOD. IF THE LORD IS PLEASED WITH US, HE WILL LEAD US INTO THAT LAND, A LAND FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY, AND WILL GIVE IT TO US.

Only do not rebel against the Lord.

AND DO NOT BE AFRAID OF THE PEOPLE OF THE LAND, BECAUSE WE WILL DEVOUR THEM.
THEIR PROTECTION IS GONE, BUT THE LORD IS WITH US.
Do not be afraid of them.”

I can not ever read this without wanting to stand up and shout and get packed for trip into the beautiful land!!

Joshua and Caleb’s math was different in only one value, entering the beautiful land= hardships <<<<<< (waaaaaay less than) GOD’S ABILITY with them.

The ten men had used the wrong value in their calculations. They had plugged into the equation ‘their ability’ instead of ‘God’s ability’. Obviously the Conclusions will be very different.

Now, the end result for all of them was not good. The Ten men didn’t live long at all. The two men who had used the right math, lived a very long time. Unfortunately, they had to wait another 38 years to walk into the beautiful land because the 10 had convinced the WHOLE CONGREGATION to walk away from their inheritance because of wrong assumptions.

The GOOD NEWS was that the two, along with a whole new generation of believers, walked in and took that land in the end. They, the two, and the “…wives and children will be taken as plunder” that the 10 were in fear about, were the very children that went in and took the land.
Ironic, no?

The truth is this, with God we can do all things.
If this value is not plugged into ALL OF YOUR EQUATIONS in life, you are going to make some very bad assumptions.

We in America have made a whole lot of very bad assumptions, with the ten, the multitude of politicians and leaders who have given us a bad report. WE CANT DO THIS, WE MUST RETREAT, WE MUST CHOOSE A LEADER WHO WILL LEAD US BACK INTO EGYPT, INTO SLAVERY.

We have been afraid of the people of the land, the giants that devour all of the inhabitants. They are too powerful, too many, too big, they live in walled cities, and we are too small IN OUR OWN EYES.

Well, I believe that we Americans, of every race, gender, faith and persuasion are entering a different calculus in this season. Washington is not too big, lobbyists are not too influential, special interests are not too powerful, big businesses are no longer indispensable, we are definitely no longer TOO SMALL IN OUR OWN EYES.

In fact I make a counter proposal to their math. They, the giants, will be food for us and our children.

With God ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. Even on our currency we have inscribed the VALUES we use to calculate all of our victories…IN GOD WE TRUST.

Do not put your assumptions or trust in any candidate. It is God who is with us, he alone is our King, our Father in heaven. Don’t elect a ‘giant’ of your own to fight the ‘giants’ who have tried to keep us in fear and division. You are using the wrong value in your equation…our abilities, the people, instead of God’s abilities.

In your own life today, everyday you are making ‘value’ judgments in your math. You feel like a grasshopper in the sight of all the giants. You are afraid because of what you see or feel. But hopefully TODAY you will see that the giants ARE FOOD FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY BECAUSE OF CHRIST JESUS AND HIS FINISHED WORK ON THE CROSS.

The giants are above all things ‘mouthy’! Yap, yap, yap, yap yap. They will tell you how big they, are how great they are, what they can do to you, blah, blah, blah.

God comes to you gently and with grace and compassion and tells you what HE HAS ALREADY DONE TO THE GIANT, SATAN, And death, and sin, and sickness, and poverty at the cross of Christ Jesus!

Will you be one of the Two, or one of the Ten.

Matthew 18:18-20 (GW)
(Jesus speaks) I can guarantee this truth: Whatever you imprison, God will imprison.
And whatever you set free, God will set free.

“I can guarantee again that IF TWO OF YOU AGREE ON ANYTHING HERE ON EARTH, MY FATHER IN HEAVEN WILL ACCEPT IT.
Where two or three have come together in my name, I am there among them.”

Am I saying to go get a prayer partner or two? Of course that could never be a bad thing, however I believe Jesus was telling us that IF YOU AGREE WITH WHAT JESUS DID HERE ON EARTH AT THE CROSS, then God ACCEPTS IT AS DONE. The TWO are Jesus and you! Christ IN US the hope of glory!

Do the math.

Could THIS be the MAN?

“SO I SOUGHT FOR A MAN AMONG THEM WHO WOULD MAKE A WALL, AND STAND IN THE GAP BEFORE ME ON BEHALF OF THE LAND, THAT I SHOULD NOT DESTROY IT, BUT I FOUND NO ONE.”

Ezekiel 22:30 NKJV

More than 2,000 years ago, a Virgin conceived a little Baby Boy by the Holy Spirit.

“Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.  He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.”

Luke :30-32 NKJV

That little Baby Boy was born in the little town of Bethlehem.

“Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.  So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.  And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

Luke 2:4-7 NKJV

That Child, at 12 years of age, astonished the teachers, listening to them and asking questions.

“Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.”

Luke 2:46 NKJV

That Baby Boy grew up and became a Man, causing the blind to see, causing the lame to walk, cleansing the lepers, causing the deaf to hear, raising the dead to life, and preaching the gospel to the poor.

“Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.”

Luke 7:22  NKJV

For that, this Baby Boy, who became The Man, was apprehended and taken captive by the religious society.  He was beaten until hardly recognizable with stripes on His back, crown of thorns on His Head, and His clothes being gambled away on that fateful day.

“So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him.  And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe  Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!”  And they struck Him with their hands.”

John 19:1-3 NKJV

“Behold, My Servant (JESUS) shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.  Just as many were astonished at you, so HIS VISAGE (HIS FACE) WAS MARRED MORE THAN ANY MAN, AND HIS FORM MORE THAN THE SONS OF MEN.,”

Isaiah 52:13-14 NKJV

“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

“Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness – by Whose stripes you were healed.”

I Peter 2:24 NKJV

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as HIS DIVINE POWER HAS GIVEN TO US ALL THINGS THAT PERTAIN TO LIFE AND GODLINESS, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue. by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

II Peter 1:2-4 NKJV

THE MAN was then taken out of the city, bearing a cross, (Until Simon stepped in and carried it the rest of the way).  THE MAN was nailed to that cross, his wrists and ankles had spikes driven through them, and with a THUD … THIS MAN WAS HUNG ON THAT CROSS BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH … FOR YOU – FOR ME!

Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: “They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.”

Matthew 27:28-29 NKJV

In the last moments of THIS MAN on earth, He said, “I THIRST”, and a sponge full of sour wine was put to His mouth.

“After this, JESUS knowing that ALL things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!”  Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.”

John 19:28 NKJV

THAT MAN, JESUS, THEN CRIED OUT, “IT . IS . FINISHED”!  AND EVERYTHING FOR WICH THE MAN HAD BEEN BORN – FOR WHICH HE HAD LIVED HIS LIFE – WAS COMPLETELY ACCOMPLISHED AND THE DIVINE EXCHANGE WAS COMPLETED BETWEEN JESUS AND EVERY MAN, WOMAN, AND CHILD, PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE!

SOZO (SALVATION) WAS ACCOMPLISHED:  SALVATION – HEALIING – DELIVERANCE – PROSPERING (TO DO WELL IN ALL THINGS) – PRESERVATION – PROTECTION – BEING MADE WHOLE!

“So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “IT IS FINISHED!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”

But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

John 19:30, 34

THE BODY OF THE MAN was then bound in strips of linen with spices and taken to a new tomb in the garden where He was crucified!

“Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury,  Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.  So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby,”

John 19:40-42

BUT THE STORY ISN’T YET COMPLETED!

    On the THIRD DAY, several of the women visited His grave, only to find the stone rolled away and an EMPTY TOMB!

“Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.  But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.  Then they went in and DID NOT FIND THE BODY OF THE LORD JESUS.  And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.

“HE IS NOT HERE, BUT IS RISEN!  Remember how He spoke to you when He was still iin Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.'”  And they remembered His words.

Luke 24:1-4

And these women became the first ministers of the gospel as they ran to tell the disciples, “JESUS, THE MAN, IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD!  HIS GRAVE IS EMPTY!”

“Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.  It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.  And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.”

Luke 24:6-11

“BUT THIS MAN (JESUS), AFTER HE HAD OFFERED ONE SACRIFICE FOR SINS FOREVER, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD.”

Hebrews 10:12 NKJV

“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His  shoulder.  And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever.  The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”

Isaiah 9:6-7 NKJV

“FOR THERE IS ONE GOD AND ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN, THE MAN CHRIST JESUS!!”

I Timothy 2:5 NKJV

I now ask you –

COULD THIS BE THE MAN GOD WAS LOOKING FOR

TO  MAKE A WALL

AND STAND IN THE GAP? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DOES IT SEEM LIKE EVERYTHING IN YOUR LIFE IS BEING SHAKEN?

We are living in a day when it seems that everything all around us is shaking!  Families, Churches, Jobs, Relationships, certainly Politics, etc.  The list could go on and on and on.

We have already been told this in the Word of God.  EVERYTHING THAT CAN BE SHAKEN WILL BE SHAKEN!  It certainly seems to be the last of the last days.

JESUS is the only One NOT being shaken.  We can run to Him and hide in Him!

JESUS is our Rock, our Messiah, our Savior, our Healer, our Provider, our Sword, our Shield, our Comfort, our Joy, our Peace, our EVERLASTING FATHER, our Rose of Sharon, our Great and Morning Star, our Lily of the Valley, our Great Shepherd and the list could continue throughout this day.

Bottom line, JESUS IS ‘I AM’!  Always Present Tense!  Whatever you can name, JESUS IS!  He IS in your day today!  Whatever is shaking your world today, ‘I AM’ has already been there!

‘I AM’ – JESUS – is standing there with arms open wide to receive you and be with you.

If you do not know nor have this Great Stabilizer – JESUS – in your life today, all you have to do is confess that JESUS IS LORD, and believe in your heart that God, our Father, has raised Him from the dead, and you are in the family of the Great ‘I AM’!

WELCOME to the family of God!

 “See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.”

Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.”

Hebrews 12:25-29 NKJV

ARISE, SHINE!

Arise, shine; For your light has come!  And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.

For behold, THE DARKNESS SHALL COVER THE EARTH, AND DEEP DARKNESS THE PEOPLE;

BUT, the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you! (Isaiah 60:1-2)

Praise God for HIS WORD that gives us the understanding that it is DARKNESS upon our land and upon the people that causes a mayor and 7 of 11 city council members to pass such a resolution as was passed in Charlotte, NC last night, February 21, 2016.

They call it the ‘Non-Discrimination Ordinance’, which includes that regardless of your sex, you may use the bathroom for whichever sex you ‘feel’ you are.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

THIS IS NOT A ‘BLADDER’ PROBLEM!

Other bathrooms have been offered that anyone may use, but they are usually just for one person at a time, and are not ‘acceptable’ for this agenda.

THIS IS A CONTROL PROBLEM!

Our Father in heaven took note of what happened here in Charlotte last night, and in spite of such ‘darkness’, and lack of even common sense, God still loves these people!

God loves them (and us) so much, He sent His only begotten Son, JESUS CHRIST, to this earth for all of us. (John 3:16)

This same JESUS was beaten to a pulp, and He paid the price for any/all things that pertain to us this side of heaven.  (Sickness, Disease, Mental/Emotional Problems, etc., Financial)

Then JESUS was hung on an old rugged cross and paid the ultimate sacrifice through the shedding of His blood for all mankind, to WASH away ALL the sin of the world – PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE!!

JESUS was buried, and three days later, GOD RAISED JESUS FROM THE DEAD, and today there is an empty tomb where He was laid to rest! (Matthew 28)

JESUS ascended into heaven, and is now seated at the right hand of God, our Father!      (Mark 16:19)

AND THIS SAME JESUS CONTINUES TO LOVE TO THE UTTERMOST – AND, WITH HIS HOLY SPIRIT, HE DRAWS US TO HIM!  (John 6:44)

The choice is now in our court – will we receive JESUS?  Will we confess, ‘JESUS IS LORD’?  Will we believe in our heart that GOD HAS RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD?  (Romans 10:9)

As we do this, we receive that DIVINE EXCHANGE!

JESUS BECAME ALL WE WERE/ARE/WILL BE BY BEARING ALL OUR SINS AT THE CROSS THAT DAY – AND:

WE BECOME ALL THAT HE WAS AND IS!   JESUS CLOTHED US WITH HIS ROBE OF RIGHTEOUSENSS AND WE BECOME THE ‘RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS’!    (II Corinthians 5:21)

The WORD then goes on to tell us, we are in the position to see the GLORY OF THE LORD as never before!!

PRAISE GOD!

We now can sing:

I’m redeemed by Love Divine!

Glory, Glory, Christ is mine!

All to Him, I now resign!

I have been – I have been – REDEEMED!!

(I could not find the composer)

 AND:

LET THE GLORY OF THE LORD RISE AMONG US!

LET THE GLORY OF THE LORD RISE AMONG US!

LET THE PRAISES OF OUR KING RISE AMONG US!

LET IT RISE!

OH LET IT RISE!

(William Murphy)

Until next time, God bless  you, keep you and cause His Face to shine upon you!