Wonderful Jesus!

Category: encouragement

• A Canopy Of Glory- Revised!

  Posted at 7:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on March 24, 2020

  Isaiah 4:5-6- “And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defense. And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the day time from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and rain.” KJV

  I was thinking about my next post, when the Lord reminded me of this post from 2019. I went back and read it and was amazed at how it fit where we are today. So with a few revisions, I am reposting this blog today.

  I was reading in the book of Isaiah, visiting a beloved friend, when I read this verse. Isaiah was one who understood God. He understood His majesty, His heart, His plans, His purpose, His words, His desire to know us, His desire to be known by us. He understood God. I have said before, “If you want to understand Jesus, read the gospel of John; but if you want to understand God, read the book of Isaiah.” Sometimes I just want to read about the One who is the Lord of Glory! And tonight I want to talk a little about that glory!

  The word “canopy” can be defined as “a protective covering”, and for my blog tonight, it’s the meaning I want to use. Recently, I was teaching a literacy lesson using a text about the rainforest. In this text, it talked about how in a rainforest or even a jungle, the trees grow so close together that they create a canopy in its top branches. This canopy can be well over 100 feet from the ground. When you view this canopy from on top it looks like a large green field, but when viewed from underneath, it is where the plants and the animals live, the life of the rainforest.

  In the above verse, Isaiah is talking to Jerusalem of a time when they will be in utter desperation because of the hard times that they will experience. Hard times brought on by their sins. But then he goes on to write that the time will come when God will bring a cleansing to His people. And when they are cleansed they will be His holy people.

  Now before I go any further, let me remind you that if you have been washed by the Blood of Jesus and your sins have been forgiven that you are His holy people. Peter said it like this, “You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” So now this prophetic word that Isaiah spoke to the people of Jerusalem becomes a prophetic word for the believer.

  Isaiah prophesied, that once you were made holy, the land would produce for you it’s best. And if that is not enough, Isaiah prophesied that the Lord would place a canopy (a protective covering) of His glory over His people- a cloud by day and a fire by night! Now where have we seen this before? When the children of Israel left Egypt for the Promised Land!

  So here we see the Lord of Glory again promising that His Glory would be before us protecting us as it did the children of Israel! This is awesome news! If we can get in position in the canopy of His Glory, it is where we will find the best of life.

  Shocking news come across our ears daily and some unusual things have been happening in the world today because of the coronavirus, and if we are not careful, fear will grip our hearts. But the prophet Isaiah encourages us with these words that once again, His glory will go before us and be behind us, and He will place a canopy of protection over us! He promises to be our shelter, our protection from the storm and rain, and even from the heat. That promise includes protection from worldwide viruses!

  As we are at home on lockdown, I find myself in my prayer time thanking God for this promise. As I worship Him I thank Him that I, my family, my friends, my church, the Body are all under His canopy of Glory and that protection is ours. This is wonderful news, from a wonderful Savior, for His people because although we are practicing social distancing, the real truth is that God is our Protector. This message was relevant when Isaiah spoke it and it is surely relevant now! Thank God for His canopy of glory that is over you and me during this unusual time in our world. Hearing of the deaths of so many is almost unreal, watching the numbers of cases around the world is mind boggling, but I just keep focusing on the One who has promised me protection, and I am thankful for His canopy of Glory that is full of life. Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Believers, Christian, coronavirus, encouragement, protection | 3 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, coronavirus, encouragement, hard times, protection, provision, the Glory of the Lord

• The Miracle Worker

  Posted at 12:18 am by wonderfuljesus8, on March 15, 2020

  Luke 23:8 -Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. NKJV

  In 1962, a movie was released called “The Miracle Worker”. This movie was based on Helen Keller’s life, a child who became both blind and deaf after a bout with a high fever in her infancy. When she became a young child, her parents were encouraged to institutionalize her, but they decided to try a tutor from a school for the blind as a last resort. As you know, if you have heard the story or seen the movie, Anne Sullivan, dubbed “the miracle worker” became Helen’s teacher and lifelong friend, after being able to reach through the deadness of her mind, teaching her to communicate through ASL and Braille. A life that was spiraling out of control became a great testament to the power of love and having the right teacher.

  Isaiah 9:6- “For unto us a child was born”…, and He became the greatest teacher of all, the true miracle worker. In less than four years of earthly ministry, He did so many miracles that John said there were not enough books to contain it all. But in God’s word, we get a real insight into who this great miracle worker was and is, and we are left knowing that with a powerful love and an amazing ability to teach, He changed the course of mankind forever!

  Herod was so excited to finally see Jesus. He had heard about Him from others, but now he would see Him for himself. The scripture tells us that Herod wanted to see Jesus because he was hoping to see Jesus perform a miracle: maybe He would open some blind eyes, or open some ears, or create a new limb, it didn’t matter, he just wanted to see something happen. But Jesus did not perform a miracle for Herod that day, leaving Herod disappointed, somewhat disillusioned, and even angry!

  People have not changed today. They still want to see the Miracle Worker. They still want to see a performance or be awed, or even entertained by some great feat, some wondrous occurrence. Some chase around the world, others run from church to church, still others, chase behind an individual to glimpse the miracle worker, and when He won’t perform for them, they too walk away disillusioned, disappointed and even angry.

  But can I tell you what Herod missed, that others are still missing today? Jesus was and is the Miracle! To have an opportunity to see Him, to hear of Him, to discover that you are loved of Him is a miracle. Herod didn’t realize that the One who came to save him from an eternity spent in hell was before him and he was looking for entertainment. He didn’t understand that knowing Him was far better than seeing Him do any kind of feat, and he was about to miss his moment of visitation. But that’s exactly what happened, he missed out on a relationship with the Living God because he was looking for the wrong thing, a performance!

  Even in the church world, we are looking for a performance. We think that if we can do this, then God will do that! If we can get there, then God will perform that. We believers, and even those in the world, are still looking for the Miracle Worker to perform for us, when He is still waiting for us to just want Him!

  I am one who believe in miracles. I look forward to hearing about the miracles people have received and those done through God’s people. I love the environment in a service when God moves on someone’s behalf and grant them a miracle. And I just love watching Him do Him and be Him. But a long time ago I met the Miracle Worker. He was more awesome than Anne Sullivan and still is. She pales in comparison! Jesus, the real miracle worker, reached through the deadness of my soul and, although I was blind, He didn’t teach me to operate in my blindness, but He gave me sight to see that I was in need of a savior, Him! I was deaf, and He didn’t teach me to hear with my senses, but He taught me to hear with my spirit what He has to say to me through His word! He took my life of chaos and dysfunction and turned it into a life of productivity filled with love, hope, and opportunities! And through the power of love and great teaching He has transformed my life and the lives of so many others. Isn’t that miraculous?!

  At this critical time, when our world needs untold miracles to get us to the other side of this pandemic, I want to say that we serve the Miracle Worker! It’s not enough to come to Him for a divine intervention in this pandemic, although He should be your first point of contact; but you must come to Him because He is the only One who can bring you hope in the midst of so much turmoil! He doesn’t want to be known by you as one who seeks Him only for what He can do for you, for what He can show you, for what He can perform for you, no more than He was interested in performing for Herod. But He can and will do miracles, great things, amazing things for those who are seeking to know Him, the only true Miracle Worker, for who He is!

  At this time of great panic and deep concerns for the well being of our world, seek the Miracle Worker! He can save you! He can heal you! He can set you free! And the greatest news of all is, He will! If you can believe! You may already be disappointed, disillusioned, and even angry over this pandemic, but I encourage you to turn you heart to Jesus, the only real Miracle Worker and watch Him move on your behalf and in your situation changing your heart and mind as He has done for so many others! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Believers, Christian, coronavirus, encouragement | 4 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, encouragement, Faith, Healing, Health, Jesus, Jesus as teacher, love, miracle worker, miraculous, Salvation, transformation

• Bearing the Mark!

  Posted at 1:00 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on January 21, 2020

  Galatians 6:17 -From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.

  It’s amazing to me how I can read the Bible and after so many years, and so many times reading it, can find something interesting, something that stands out or speak to me, as if I have never read it before. Such was the case with this scripture.

  I wrote a blog on the thorn in Paul’s flesh during my first year of blogging. I’ve often wondered how people read that and feel that Paul was referring to some sickness that would not go away. And when I read this chapter, I often wondered why Paul said that the Galatians would have plucked out their eyes to give to him (4:16). But as I read it a couple nights ago, I had a different thought that I wanted to share with you.

  For some reason when I read this scripture I thought of the famous picture of the slave that was flogged, and how they had photographed his back to show the marks of his beatings. It resembles vines to me. And I don’t even want to think about the pain he obviously endured.

  

  As I read the above verse, and I thought of this picture, it was if I understood these words and what Paul was trying to convey. Let me explain:

  In 2 Corinthians 11:23, Paul shares a long list of many of the things he suffered. Things that are not talked about in detail in the Bible. But Paul mentions that he was beaten by the Jews five times with 39 lashes, three times he was beaten with rods, and he was even stoned. Look at this man’s back. We are clueless as to how many times he was whipped, but the scars are there, evidence of what he had to bear.

  After Jesus was beaten, before His crucifixion, it is said of Him that there was no beauty in Him that we should desire Him (Isaiah 53). What do you suppose that Paul looked like after 5 beatings with cords, three beatings with rods, and a stoning? I would say, that he was scarred pretty badly. Especially immediately following one of these beatings when he was probably bloody, swollen, and barely able to move. I can well imagine if you had seen him after one of these beatings, you would have turned away from looking at him, as would most people. As they did to Jesus! And if you knew him, you would have wanted to offer him whatever you could, even you eyes, if you thought it would ease the pain that he was carrying.

  When he was stoned, dragged out of the city, and thrown outside the gates, because they thought he was dead; he had to be pretty bad off. But the disciples gathered around him, and probably prayed, and God raised him up!

  Even in that, he was probably pretty scarred up. And in his thinking, I am sure, for him, they were the marks of Christ that he bore in his body. Marks, that in some ways, caused others to be offended by his presence, but marks that were a testament of the sufferings he endured for the Lord, sufferings Jesus warned him about. (See Acts 9:13).

  I believe Paul’s body was healed multiple times by the Lord, but that doesn’t mean that He removed the scars from His body. Could He have done that? Yes, of course He could! But did He do that? I’m not so sure.

  If you read Galatians from beginning to end, this book’s theme could easily be about circumcision as we know it was the mark of Judaism. But in this verse, Paul is basically stating that he doesn’t want to keep answering to circumcision when he carries the marks of Jesus in his body.

  Someone once said to me that they wanted to have a scripture tattooed on their body so that people would know that they loved Jesus. But the word says that God will write them in our hearts. (Hebrews 8:10) We don’t need to intentionally mark up our bodies to show that we love and honor God. But sometimes, scars are left after the battle!

  You see, I got to thinking about the scars, or marks of the Lord Jesus that we as Christians can bear. I would venture to say that those who are persecuted for their faith in Pakistan, Russia, Syria, Tanzania, India and many other countries, could easily identify with Paul. They too have suffered greatly for the faith in the Lord. They have hidden in secret meetings to have fellowship. They have been dragged out of their homes, thrown into prison, beaten, killed, stoned, and all sorts of heartrending experiences for the cause of Christ. But I have no such story, no such pain. So I won’t belittle what they experience and try to glorify what I have experienced to say that I too bear marks in my body for the gospel! I salute their courage in the face of adversity and their stand for the Lord! May God send protecting and ministering spirits to assist them in their walk!

  But the scars in my soul I can talk about! And maybe, just maybe you can identify with them both! It is for you, my fellow believers around the world, who know firsthand what Paul went through, because you are living it every day, that I write this blog. I am thinking of you, praying for you this day! And I just wanted to take some time and let you know that you are not forgotten! You are on the Father’s heart, and He has placed you on the hearts of so many others! Be encouraged and stand in the faith! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Believers, Christian, encouragement, Galatians 6:17, persecution, Victorious Living | 0 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, encouragement, encouragemnt, Galatians 6:17, hard times, Jesus, Kingdom of God, protection, Victorious Living

• The Comforted Becomes the Comforter!

  Posted at 4:00 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on November 2, 2019

  2 Corinthians 1:3-4- Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

  Trouble comes to us all! It’s sad, but it’s true. No one is exempt from the troubles of life. Black, White, Asian or Mexican; rich, poor, or middle class; old, young, or teen; it doesn’t matter. Trouble comes. And even worst, some of us experience our shares of trouble and enough to go around. How can we reconcile a loving God with all that we have to deal with? Some times it really can be a challenge, but getting the right perspective on the matter helps!

  Paul says that God is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort! A lot of people see this only in times of grief, but God really is the Comforter. He’s there for the person who has been abandoned by a spouse or parent. He is there is for the person who has been abused in any manner. He is there to help through the painful loss of a loved one. And yes, He’s even there in the loss of our possessions. But we have to allow Him to be that comfort, and some times we have to open our eyes and realize He is there. There in the midst of the pain, the loss, the confusion. He didn’t cause it, He didn’t even allow it to happen, but it did! And He is waiting for you to allow Him to comfort you.

  When my mother died, I was about 9 years old, and I clearly remember someone telling me that God took my mother because He needed her. Well, that sounded pretty cruel to me, because how could He need her more than I did? I didn’t get it! But I give Him praise that in-spite of the mixed messages I received that day and throughout my growing years, I have found Him to be a good God and a very loving Father. And I don’t believe for one second that He took her because He needed her. Actually, I don’t believe He took her. Disease took her! A lack of medical knowledge and treatment may have assisted it. But God did not!

  Whatever the tribulation…

  I heard Pastor Joel Osteen share how his mother was healed of cancer in the late 1980s and how once she was healed, she began going to the hospital to pray with others who was going through cancer treatment. She was able to speak to them in a way that said, “I have walked in your shoes. I know your pain, your heartaches, and your struggles and I am here for you!” Isn’t that beautiful to know that God can send us to be His hand extended to the broken, down trodden, abused, battered, sick, or neglected? That He can actually take our ashes and turn them into beauty? Yes, He can!

  I have had three pregnancies, three children, and I have three adults. We have been blessed. Of the three pregnancies, two were difficult, life threatening deliveries. Two of our babies were fighting for their lives before they had a chance to live. I know the challenges that come with that. I know the fears, the sleepless nights, the tears, the guilt of what did I do to bring this on. I know! But God comforted me as only He could! And when I had a chance to reach out and comfort a young mother who was going through that I didn’t have to search for the words of comfort, because I knew what comforted me.

  When one of my dearest friends died from cancer after I and so many others were believing for a miracle, my heart hurt in a way I couldn’t imagine. But God comforted me. When my brother died in his apartment and we didn’t discover it for a couple weeks, the shock and pain that hit me was almost unbearable. But God comforted me. And since those incidents, I have had to comfort others with the same and similar incidents. The comfort with which I was comforted was a vehicle of comfort to another.

  Some things I haven’t experienced and I am not able to articulate the grace given by God to overcome them. I have never been divorced, but if you have been and you survived, then God has given you a powerful weapon to use to comfort someone else who might be facing a divorce. Maybe you’ve lost every thing because of drugs, alcoholism, or some other addiction, but God brought you out. Guess what, it wasn’t just for you, but it was so that you could also be there for someone else who may experience the same thing.

  Most of the time, when we are going through we can only focus on ourselves and our problems. At least that is the way I am. And probably you, also. But once you recognize the blessing of grace given to you to walk victoriously through a thing, then God expects you to help someone else get their victory.

  The world gets it! A son is killed by a drunken driver and a mom starts a movement MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers). A loved one is taken from this life via cancer, and pink ribbons and marches are started all over the world. A teen is shot in a high school and the parents go around the country sharing their grief and why we need more gun control and then reach out to parents who experience the same thing. They take their pains and heartaches and reach out to others with the same pain to make a difference in the lives of others who are experiencing what they went through. Some times we as Christians are the last to catch on.

  Shame, guilt, pride and a host of other negative emotions keep us selfishly attached to our tribulations, when God says to us, “Let me show you how to get through this, and then go and show someone else how to be free.” Then the comforted can become the comforter.

  You see, it’s not just enough to get a victory, we have to learn how to help others get their victories. Not to start an organization or a movement, but out of a sincere desire to see someone set free. So I ask you, what has God comforted you with? How has He worked things out for you? What situation, circumstance, or tribulation has He brought you through? Whatever, it is or was, He did it for your good and for the good of others! For freely you have received and freely He expects you to give. Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Christian, encouragement, Healing, Victorious Living | 2 Comments | Tagged encouragement, encouragemnt, hard times, Healing, testimony, Victorious Living, victory

• The Immutable God!

  Posted at 3:29 am by wonderfuljesus8, on October 30, 2019

  Hebrews 13:8- “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

  I have a friend and sister in Christ who loves to talk about our God as the “immutable God.” It thrills her to no end, so I thought tonight I would blog about the immutable God.

  Immutable means “unchanging over time or unable to be changed”. That’s our text in a nutshell. Jesus has not changed and is unable to change. As He was, so is He and always will be. In Malachi, God said, “For I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.” In other words, the proof that He does not change is in the truth that Israel is still a nation of people. He’s so amazing!

  Many feel that because we are in the new millennium that the gospel needs to change in order to reach the “millenniums” and the younger generation. The gospel will never change, because of the immutability of the One who the gospel proclaim. The methods may change, but the gospel can never change! Not ever!

  We can’t afford to take this message of Jesus and make it palatable for this generation. There was a time when they took the Blood out of the gospel messages to make it less frightening for children. Then they took hell out of the gospel to make it more tolerable. And we can see how ineffective all of that was!

  What should we take out of the gospel for this generation? The cross? The truth that the soul that sins shall die? Maybe we should remove the absolutes of the word? The truth that homosexuality truly is an abomination to the Lord our God? Or maybe we should remove the truth that we are a to be a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable, set apart for the Master’s use!?

  You see, since God is synonymous with His word, if we try and change any of what His word says to appeal to anyone, then we in fact are trying to change God. And He cannot change and will not adapt to any generation.

  He truly is the same today as He has always been. He still saves the lost, they are precious to Him in every generation. He will run through a troop and leap over a wall to save them, but He won’t change for them.

  He still loves the sinner, but He still hates the sin! Always has, and He always will. There’s no changing that or Him. None of us will escape the penalty of sin if we die in our sins. None of us, although He truly love us!

  He cannot lie! It isn’t in His nature! He still says what He means and means what He says. You can trust Him just as surely as Moses could. You can trust Him just as surely as Abraham did! You can trust Him just as surely as Paul did for He cannot and will not mislead you into believing something that He will not do!!

  This isn’t what I had in mind when I thought of this topic, but this is what has appeared on the blog! Rev. Schambach used to sing it like this, “I know God is God, and God don’t never change! I know God is God and He always will be God!” He hasn’t lost His power! He hasn’t lost His sovereignty, He hasn’t lost control over the devil, or the universe, and He hasn’t forgotten how to be God!

  He still heals! He still delivers! He still sets the captive free! He still makes a way in the wilderness! He is still the Great I Am! He is still the Alpha and the Omega! He is still the Prince of Peace! He is still Almighty! He is still the only true God! There is still no one like Him! There is no other God besides Him!

  He was sufficient for the children of Israel! He was sufficient to handle Pharaoh! He was sufficient to handle King Nebuchadnezzar! He was sufficient to handle the devil! He was sufficient to handle every single thing in the past and He is capable of handling every single thing in the present and that which is yet to come!

  He is the immutable God. Incapable of changing over time, and incapable of being changed! This generation, my generation, your generation and our children’s generation all have to humble themselves before the One who doesn’t change. Each and every one of us have to line up to Him and His way, not Him to us! He has nothing to prove and nothing to lose! Stop fooling yourself or allowing the devil to tell you that this generation needs something different than we needed. Sin is sin! Salvation is salvation! Holiness is holiness! God is God! Always has been and always will be! Wonderful Jesus!!

  Posted in Believers, Christian, encouragement, God, Jesus, milleniums, Victorious Living | 0 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, God, immutable, Jesus, millenniums

• My Heart Rejoices!

  Posted at 9:33 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on September 14, 2019

  Psalm 19:8a- “The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart:”

  The Hebrew word for statute is “hoq”. It means “statute, prescription, rule, law,or regulation. It is derived from the Hebrew word, “haqaq” which means “to cut in, determine, or decree”. According to the Vine’s “in a general sense it refers to the “laws” of nature like rain. Psalm 148:6 states that he hath established the celestial bodies forever. But the most important meaning is in reference to the law, which correlates with our text. Yahweh’s statutes, decrees, law, or determinations about nature, mankind, or anything else is right!

  Right means morally right or straight. People look for all kinds of loopholes in the laws of man, but there are no loopholes in the laws of Yahweh. He said what He meant and He meant what He said. Barak found this out when he tried to curse the children of Israel as they made their way to the promise land. God had decreed that they were blessed, so Barak couldn’t curse them, but ended up blessing them also. He finally had to say, “God is not a man that He should lie, nor the son of man that He should repent. Has He said it, and shall He not do it. Or has He spoken, and shall He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19) We need to start taking God at His word! He will keep His word to us!

  Then we look at the phrase, “rejoicing of the heart”. I don’t know about you, but my heart rejoices at the decrees of God. When I think of decrees I always think of the decree King Nebuchadnezzar made in chapter three. The one where he decreed that when the music was played everyone had to bow to him or be thrown in the fiery furnace. Then the music sounded and the three Hebrew boys refused to bow. So because of the decree they were thrown in the furnace. Or the decree in the book of Esther when King Ahasuerus gave Haman permission to destroy the Jews? Remember how Esther had Haman and the king over for dinner and she exposed Haman’s plot against the Jews? In chapter eight she asked the King to reverse the decree and the king’s response to her was: “for the writing which is written in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse.” If this is true of the earthly king, it is even more true of the heavenly King. No man can reverse what He has decreed. So that is reason to rejoice! This is what He said about His word, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” His word always produces. That’s reason to shout!

  What has He said about you?

  • You are blessed!

  • You are healed!

  • You are prosperous!

  • You are the head and not the tail!

  • You are the righteous of God in Christ Jesus!

  • You are an heir and a joint heir with Jesus!

  • You are more than a conqueror!

  • You are the Blood bought Church, the redeemed!

  So the next time you are feeling as if it is too hard to follow and obey the statues of the Lord, please remember, that His statues are His decrees that are meant to bring joy to your heart! He was and is looking out for your best interest and mine. His statutes gives us reason to hope and to move forward in life! Embrace His decrees and know that they are there for the rejoicing of your heart! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Believers, Christian, encouragement, Psalm 19, the Word of God, Victorious Living | 4 Comments | Tagged Christian, encouragement, encouragemnt, Psalm 19, word of God

• Won’t He Do It!

  Posted at 2:12 am by wonderfuljesus8, on August 25, 2019

  Genesis 50:20 – But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. NKJV

  It’s unfortunate that as we go through this life we are going to get hurt! There is no getting around it. We probably offend someone at least once a day, and are offended at least twice a day, it’s a part of life. But there are some times when people are just down right mean, and it can cause you to stumble.

  Joseph experienced this in a painful way. From his own family. From his brothers. And it was no accident. It was on purpose and intentional. Ouch!

  Jacob had two wives. They were sisters! Jacob really loved and desired Rachel, but he was tricked into marrying Leah. Then he had to play lover boy to not only the sisters, but the Sisters’ maids in order to produce children. Finally, Rachel had her own sons, Joseph and Benjamin. Talk about a major soap opera! It gets worse.

  Jacob made a coat of many colors for Joseph because he was Jacob’s favorite! Parents should never have favorites and then parade it around their children. When my kids asked who my favorite was I would reply something like, “you’re my favorite six year old, and so-so is my favorite…” Loving all of your children the same doesn’t mean treating them all the same, because different kids need different things. But they should always know they are loved equally. Anyway, Jacob treated Joseph as his favorite and his brothers despised him. To make matters even hotter, God started speaking to Joseph in dreams about ruling over the family, and he shared it, causing everyone to get angrier at him. Even Jacob didn’t care for that action!!

  So when the opportunity came for them to harm him, that’s exactly what they planned to do. However, Judah interceded in the manner, planning on helping Joseph, but then the other brothers sold him into slavery. Can you imagine waking up tomorrow and realizing that you are so despised by someone that they are planning your demise, your destruction, your downfall; and they are your family or close friend? Well, it happened to Joseph.

  Maybe it wasn’t this drastic for you. Maybe a family member was physically abusive to you; or maybe to one of your children. Maybe someone close to you stole money from you that you needed to pay your rent or mortgage. Maybe your spouse had an affair or your parent abandoned you. Maybe all of this, or some other junk that comes into our lives to mess us up! It could be a whole lot of stuff!

  Well, Joseph did not allow that stuff to get into his heart and stop the plans of God. When the woman tried to seduce him, he wouldn’t have any part in it. He didn’t allow his pain to cause pain. When he was thrown in jail and falsely accused, he didn’t malign her character or say God had abandoned him. No way! He was still in such fellowship with God that he was able to interpret dreams. And when the cupbearer forgot about him for two years, he didn’t become bitter and declare it was no use in serving God. Nope! And that’s why he was ready for promotion when it came.

  You see, Joseph had obviously decided that no matter what came his way, his hope and trust was anchored in the Lord. He looked for God in everything and in everything he served God. Unlike a lot of us today. My biggest pet peeve; the thing I hate the most, is to hear someone attribute the pain, hurt, and disappointment in their lives to God. Joseph didn’t do it! And neither should we.

  That is why when his brothers thought “surely it was payback time” after the death of their father that Joseph was able to say to them, “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good!” You see, some things in life may be difficult, but if we will trust God, He will work it out for our good. (Romans 8:28) He promised that He would. I personally don’t believe that God needed Joseph to be hated by his brothers to make those dreams come to pass. But I do believe that God knew they hated him so much that they would sell him, and God gave Him the dream in advance to give him hope. See, God is not reactionary! He knows the devil plans and He gives us a counter plan, often in advance, to thwart the devil.

  Let’s face it! Life stinks some times. Even when we are trusting God to work things out for our good! But it is imperative that in the midst of difficult times and situations we keep our hearts right and our eyes fixed on Jesus! Then we will be able to say that what people (being used by the devil) mean for evil against us, God will work it out for our good! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Christian, encouragement, Victorious Living | 0 Comments | Tagged Attitude, Christian, encouragement, hard times, Victorious Living, victory

• He’s Already Provided!

  Posted at 1:00 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on August 7, 2019

  Genesis 22:13-14 -Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, The- Lord -Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

  One day I was reading an article about a miraculous provision from God. In the article the missionary shared how he and the children were praying for a need for the mission and as they were praying, one of the little girls prayed for a baby doll. Now this has been a while and I don’t remember all the details of why they were praying, but I remember she prayed for a baby doll.

  Well, not long after they prayed, a box came to him from his sister. She would send boxes of things to him, but usually they were needs. However, in this box was a baby doll. Now since she had mailed the box to him weeks before they prayed, there was no way for her to know the girl prayed for a doll. But lo and behold, a doll was in the box. She explained it by saying that as she packed the box she saw the doll and felt impressed to add it! She had no way of knowing that a little girl would pray for a doll, but God knew. (If you have read this and I didn’t tell it completely accurately, don’t be offended! I just want to get the point across!)

  Another time I was reading, could have been the same article, not sure, but I was reading when I read about a missionary who had lost his glasses. He was really at a disadvantage without his glasses and had no way of getting another pair where he was at. So he asked God for some new glasses. Again, a box came in with a pair of glasses with the perfect prescription for him! They got in the box because a packer of the box dropped them accidentally in the box and they were mailed off. Apparently the person who lost his glasses had access the missionary didn’t have to a new pair of glasses. (Surmising here!) But God sent those glasses in the mail, before the need arrived and provided for it in advance!

  Well, recently, I had a similar thing happen to me. Our daughter had a washer and dryer in her apartment, in another state, that she needed to have moved because it was sitting in her living room. We decided to go and visit her, but we would go in our truck so that we could bring it back home and store it in our basement until she decided what she wanted to do with it. You guessed it, my washer died on me suddenly. And yes! He had already provided a washer for me! Sitting in my basement ready for use!

  He is good like that! He knows what we have need of before we ask and often times He just provides it without us asking or sends it to us before we even know we have the need.

  That’s what happened with Abraham. He went to obey God and offer up his son, knowing the promise God had given him concerning Isaac! I think Abraham was expecting to see his first resurrection. When he told his servants that he and his son was going to worship and would return, he was fully expecting God to give him a miracle. God watched as Abraham was ready to obey Him and in the moment of complete obedience God stopped him and showed him the ram! He had already provided!

  Peter wrote: “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,” (2 Peter 1:3). As Christians we spend half of our lives begging God to provide to us that which He has already provided! Every thing we need that pertains to life and godliness has been given to us already. Now we trust and believe that He has provided it and will get it to us! This isn’t an easy transition to make-going from begging, to praying and trusting, but it’s a necessary transition.

  What do you have need of today? What are you asking Him for? Can you believe that He has already provided? If you can, He has! Now believe and receive it! Not name it and claim it and blab it and grab it! But trust that your Heavenly Father truly wants to bless you with all that He has provided! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in encouragement, God’s Blessings, Jehovah Jireh, provision | 0 Comments | Tagged Abraham, encouragement, provision

• Are You Offended With Jesus?

  Posted at 12:50 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on July 21, 2019

  Matthew 11:2-3 -Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?

  This morning I was reminded of a passage in the Bible and I decided to blog about it. Generally speaking, I don’t blog until I feel I have something to say. And this morning I do!

  In the Scriptural text, John sends two of his disciples to Jesus to ask Him, “Are you the One, or look we for another?” There are some interesting dynamics going on here, but the major thing is that John is offended with Jesus!

  The word offense means “to have an annoyance or resentment brought about by a perceived insult to or disregard for oneself or one’s standards or principles.” I believe that John was clearly offended with Jesus. The Bible doesn’t explicitly tell us the why of everything but there are some things we can infer.

  Why would John be asking Jesus is He the One? Was it not John who declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:36)?” And was it not John who declared, “ I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost?” (Mark 1:8) Yes, it is he!

  But John also said of himself that he was “the voice of one crying in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord” and that Jesus came after him but was preferred before Him. And the greatest statement John made about Jesus was, “And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God!” (John 1:34)

  So I return to my original statement that John was offended with Jesus because he went from “Behold the Lamb of God”….to “are you the One?” Only offense will cause us to question our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ!

  Let’s return to Matthew 11, where Jesus responds to John’s disciples. He tells them to report back to John what they hear and see, but then He makes this statement in verse 6, “And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” Why would Jesus add this to what He wanted the disciples to tell John? Obviously, John was offended!

  Why was John offended? I don’t know for sure, but I can surmise that John is in prison and he is about to die and offense has come in. He had a perceived notion that he would be protected from the devil because of his service to God. He has spent his entire life preparing the way for Jesus, getting people ready to hear the Messiah and the thanks he is getting is a beheading. What’s wrong with this picture?

  You see, John had the same adversary that we have. While we are living this life in Christ, things are going to happen and the adversary will forever be there to accuse God to us! After all, he is an accuser. He accuses us to God and God to us! And so I am sure that while John was in prison, the devil was in his ear: You spent all that time working for God and now you are going to die! You thought Jesus was the Lamb of God, but if He is, then why are you in prison? Why hasn’t He delivered you! Your life has been a sham, a lie, a joke! He is not the Son of God! Admit it! Your life and ministry has been in vain!

  And so John, in desperation, frustration, aggravation, and offense, sends a message to Jesus. And Jesus, in the way only He can do, sends a message back to John that will settle things for him and bring him peace…”the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the poor have the gospel preached to them…and oh yes, blessed is he, who shall not be offended in me!”

  This is the biggest problem in the church! Offense with Jesus! Yes, we have a problem being offended with others, but the biggest problem is offense with Jesus! We get offended when He doesn’t answer our prayers the way we want Him to, or in a timely manner. We get offended when our loved ones die. We get offended when we are not healed miraculously. We get offended when our spouses desert us or our children go the way of the world. We get offended when our ministries don’t take off and we get offended when we can’t find a husband. And the list goes on and on and on. And once we get offended, we have a problem with Jesus, and if He is truly who He said He is, and can we trust Him to do what He said He would do!

  Well, I am writing today to declare to you, that He is and He does!! He has given us exceeding precious promises and will fulfill all that we can believe Him for! But in the case of John, John knew that Jesus must increase and he must decrease. We use that saying to show our humbleness, but John said it because he had already been told that he and Jesus would not share the same stage. He really had to leave this earth. It was part of his assignment!

  Jesus loved John! John was his cousin by birth, but John was truly His forerunner. Jesus eulogized John by saying that he was a prophet and more than a prophet. And Jesus validates John’s mission in life to prepare the way. Jesus was not uncaring about John, but Jesus understood that something greater was in the making! There was a bigger picture!

  Recently a church member passed. We were believing God for her miraculous healing. But she didn’t get it on this side of heaven. Generally when people I have prayed for and with pass on, I have to fight against the lies and accusations of the devil. But I just made up my mind that I wouldn’t have to this time, because I wouldn’t participate with the lies of the devil. God is a good God! Nope, He is better than good, He is great! And when we get the right heart and mind regarding Him, the devil will not be able to lead us into offense against our Saviour!

  I hadn’t realized that I had written so much, so I will end it here. If God tugged at your heart strings while you were reading this because you have become offended with Him, fix it now! Don’t let another moment go by with you being offended at the Lord! Repent and get your peace back! John did! And he died knowing that he had fulfilled all the plans and purposes of the Lord! And you can, too! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Attitude, encouragement, freedom, Matthew 11:2, Victorious Living | 0 Comments | Tagged Attitude, encouragement, John the Baptist, offense

• Give Me Liberty

  Posted at 5:22 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on July 6, 2019

  John 8:36- “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed!”

  This week I have been enjoying a time of vacationing with my family in Virginia. Ironically, on Independence Day we were actually visiting the sites of colonial Virginia. One of those sites was the battlefield in Yorktown. And as we walked around the site there were people wearing colors and tees representative of the day. One man I passed had a tee shirt that read, “Give me liberty, or give me death!” Of course, I knew it would be the title of my next blog.

  Now if you remember your fifth grade history lessons at all, you may remember that Patrick Henry gave a speech in Richmond, where we actually vacationed, designed to cause those listening to him to understand his passion for independence and their need to prepare to bear arms against Great Britain. His parting words, “Give me liberty, or give me death,” are still remembered today.

  As we have celebrated the 4th of July, the day the founding fathers of America signed the Declaration of Independence, we may have mixed feelings about when our freedom was actually acquired and what this day means to us. I for one am American and I am thankful to be American, although our history is shady at best, I am glad to be an American. I am not an African American, I am an American and I am Black! For another day!

  This area also holds much history for our ancestors who were brought here as slaves. We visited Petersburg today, the site where the Civil War was finally ended, where Black soldiers fought alongside white soldiers for their freedom. My husband’s ancestor fought in this battle! Lol! We visited the entry point of the slaves in America and saw the auction block. Didn’t stop! I got the point!

  As I saw that shirt I couldn’t help but think of my liberty in Christ Jesus! He said, in the verse above, if the Son makes you free, you are free indeed, and yet countless believers are not living in freedom. Yet Jesus Himself said that we are free indeed!

  How can His word be true when our lives lie daily to that truth? I believe it is quite simple. We must believe that we are free!

  Have you ever heard a story about an animal being trapped in a cage, or tied to a stake, or trapped in a jar who desperately tries over and over again to be freed to no avail? And then one day the animal just accepts its new reality and stay put, so that even when the restraints that held it in place is removed, it is still imprisoned in its mind? Well, I think that is the way with the vast majority of believers. They have been enslaved to the yoke of sin so long they have become comfortable with it and don’t know how to live without it. But you can have your liberty! Jesus said so!

  Let’s say someone is bound by drugs. It’s all they ever knew. And when Jesus saves them and grants them their liberty, they return to the drugs. Or let’s say someone is bound by a lustful spirit, and Jesus comes into their life, the Great Liberator, but when they get alone, they still have those same desires to watch porn or to continue. in sin. They have been told that they are free, but they don’t believe that they are free. So even when the restraints of sin have been broken off of the lives of His people, if they don’t grasp or can’t grasp the truth of their freedom, nothing much has changed for their earthly situations in life.

  It’s time to shout like Patrick Henry, “Give me liberty!” It has already been obtained for you, but you have to take it! Seize the moment! You have to understand that Christ has set you free and you are truly free! Then you live like it one day at a time with His amazing grace!!

  Will it be easy? Not at first! But is it possible? Most definitely. I used to curse. A lot. Then one day I started to hungering for God like never before. I was a believer but I had a dirty mouth. I read the scripture about bitter and sweet water doesn’t come out of the same fountain (James 3:11). I decided I needed to be cleansed and free from that. After surrendering it over to the Lord in prayer, I got up determined my mouth would be clean. And you know what, it was! Overnight! No slips and dips, just free from a foul mouth.

  Will it be that way for every one in every situation? No! I am still dying to my flesh in some other areas. But because I know I am to be free, I will have my liberty! The chains of darkness have been broken off my life and the lives of every believer, but we have to walk it out agreeing with Jesus that we are free indeed! Go declare your spiritual freedom as loudly as you declared your national freedom and then go and live it with His unlimited grace. Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Believers, encouragement, freedom, independence day, Victorious Living | 0 Comments | Tagged Believer, encouragement, encouragemnt, freedom, independence day, Victorious Living, victory

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