Wonderful Jesus!

Tag: Sin

• Grace That Grows!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on November 7, 2020

  2 Peter 3:18 – “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.” NKJV

  

  grace-that-grows_.mp3 (Note: I changed the title after I recorded it!)

  I’ve shared several blogs on the grace of God. If you have kept up with them, you know that I have repeatedly spoken of grace as God’s unmerited favor that cannot be earned and is not deserved. This is all true! Today I want to bring up a very important point about grace, it grows!

  In 2 Peter 3, Peter addresses several tough issues: the delay of the end times, mockers, false teachers, and the return of the Lord. He concludes this chapter by telling the believers that to be forewarned about these issues is to forearmed. Sounds like great advice! The last thing he says is that we are to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus! This verse captured my interest. So I asked myself, like an student of the word would, “If grace is given freely, because we can’t earn it, nor do we deserve it, how can we grow in it?

  It really goes back to what I have been trying to explain. Grace is powerful! The word of God talks about exceeding riches of grace and yet many believers only understand saving grace, the grace given to us to obtain salvation, and that reservations. Peter writes that we can grow in the grace of God. I believe that what he means is that we are to grow in understanding what grace is, how it operates in our lives, and experiencing it to its fullness. As we grow in grace we can’t help but grow in the knowledge of our God.

  I found an article, written by Bob Hoekstra, Grace for Knowing God. In the article he wrote:

  The more we know about the grace of God, the more we know about one of the great, great truths of our Lord God. He is a God of grace.

  Another word for grow is increase! God is a God of increase! Paul wrote a similar verse about growing in grace:

  2 Corinthians 8:7 -But as you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us— see that you abound in this grace also. NKJV

  In other words, we grow in everything, we should grow in grace! And in case abound needs explaining, the Merriam-Webster dictionary describes it in this manner:

  1 : to be present in large numbers or in great quantity…2 : to be copiously supplied —used with in or with…

  In our verse, abound is used with the word “in”, taking on the meaning that we are to be copiously supplied with grace. And copiously simply means “yielding something abundantly. This is such an important concept about grace. God wants us to get that His grace, His favor towards us is abundant grace! As we understand it and it expect it, we can experience it in greater abundance!

  Ephesians 1:7-8- In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, NKJV

  Even saving grace comes with abundance. Paul wrote that we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sin according to the riches of His grace. Grace abundantly forgives, and our redemption came with abundance of grace. He continues in the next verse by saying that He made this grace to abound toward us! It was given in great quantity, copiously supplied! However, if we don’t understand the extent of God’s grace, endeavor to know more about it, we cannot grow in it.

  God’s grace is a sufficient grace for all that we need and all that we experience. But God’s grace is also clearly abundant. It takes care of whatever it is released in our lives to do, and to do so lavishly. We spend far too much of our lives and our times, living on pauper grace. Just enough to get by! We think of ourselves as “dirty ole dogs”, “wretched individuals” and “unworthy sinners” when He has poured out abundant grace to us! Grace that loving embrace us into His family!

  Think of it like this, if I may try to naturalize something so supernatural. You were homeless, living on the streets, eating out of trash cans, and didn’t know if you would see tomorrow. Suddenly Bill Gates passes by and is drawn to you, for no particular reason that you know of. He walks over to you, converses with you, and invites you to dinner with him. You’re hungry as all get out, but you won’t eat with him, so you just tell him if he’ll give you a few coins, you’ll find something to eat. He says, no way! I want to take you across the street to the Hilton where I am staying tonight. I will get you a room, so you can sleep, take a warm bath, and put on some new clothes that I will have sent to your room. Then we’ll go to eat and I’ll tell you the great plans I have to help you get reestablished in life. But you refuse his assistance, because you don’t want to cause others to look at him badly, or be seen as taking advantage of his kindness, or you don’t believe that he is doing it out of the joy of giving. Whatever! But you’ll take a few dollars, and tonight eat a little better, but nothing in your life has changed. Pauper grace!

  Saints! Too often that is exactly how we treat God. I say, if God wants to do great things for us, then we should get with the program and let Him! Let Him buy me dinner, put me up in the hotel, give me a job, a car, and a house, too! Anything wants to do, and everything He wants to do, I am onboard! I am free from the drudgery of sin that I once lived in and I am more than ready to experience all that He wants to bestow upon me!! Maybe that’s why grace is on my mind!

  As I have been sheltering in place, I have had a lot of time to connect with God. I read the Bible of a loving, giving, abundant God, and I haven’t always expected abundance of grace in my life. Maybe you can say the same thing, and now you want to live differently! Well, it will start as we learn to grow in grace. As we open our eyes, our hearts, and our minds to His exceedingly abundant grace, I believe that we will begin to see it happen in our lives. I’m ready to grow in grace! How about you? Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in favor, God, Grace | 0 Comments | Tagged abound, abundance, favor, Forgiveness, God, Grace, grace of God, Paul, Peter, Salvation, Sin

• Grace Through Jesus!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on November 4, 2020

  Romans 3:24 – being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, NKJV

  

  grace-through-jesus_.mp3

  The topic of grace is an extensive topic. I know that I can’t exhaust it, nor can I completely cover it. But I do want to make the case for grace. It’s free, it’s precious, it’s abundant, and it’s available to every believer!

  My last blog was about grace coming through Jesus. Today, I want to tackle the truth of justification by grace through faith in Jesus. The Vine’s Dictionary explains justification in this manner:

  Justification has three distinct meanings, and seems best described comprehensively as “a concrete expression of righteousness;” it is a declaration that a person or thing is righteous…

  According to this verse, and the definition of justification, we can conclude that we are made righteous before God by His favor which He extended to us through Jesus! We were trapped in our sin with no hope of ever being set free, but God, through grace, and because of His love for us, made us righteous. In the Amplified Bible this scripture reads:

  and are being justified [declared free of the guilt of sin, made acceptable to God, and granted eternal life] as a gift by His [precious, undeserved] grace, through the redemption [the payment for our sin] which is [provided] in Christ Jesus, Romans 3:24 – AMP

  It’s important to note that justification is an important reality to the believer. Each of us came to the Father burdened with sin. Some of us had so much guilt over what we had done, what we should have never done, and what we wish we could do differently. Yet, God’s grace is made available to us to even deal with the guilt of sin. That’s pretty powerful! Paul made this statement:

  Although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 1:13-14 – NKJV

  Paul had much to be ashamed of, knowing that he persecuted believers, watched Stephen get stoned to death, and declared war on the believers. And here he is saying, he obtained mercy and exceedingly abundant grace in Christ. This is probably why he could write so poetically about grace because he understood the richness of what he received from God through grace. I know of no scriptures in the Bible, off hand, where Paul repeatedly said, “I’m so sorry for what I did! I can’t believe I was so blind and persecuted people who believed in Jesus!” He saw God’s grace for what it was, a lifeline, and he hung on tightly!

  Paul wrote to the church in Rome. He reminded them that they had been justified by faith, a faith that gave them access to the grace of God:

  Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2 -NKJV

  Grace must be accessed. It’s freely given, but we must believe that it is available to us and we have access to it. When we trust Jesus for salvation, grace is activated. Not just grace to be saved, but grace to be made righteous, and much more! This is clearly seen in a familiar verse, that I will share from the Amplified Bible:

  For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation]. Ephesians 2:8-9 -AMP

  God’s remarkable compassion and favor is what draws us to Christ. It’s His undeserved, gracious gift of grace that brings us to a state or place of salvation. We can’t brag about it as something we have done, because it’s as a result of His favor towards mankind, and it is free! If we don’t gain any other understanding about grace, we must realize that God gives it to us even though we don’t deserve it.

  I’ve talked with people who just won’t except God’s grace. They feel so unworthy of His grace and mercy. They believe they can never be redeemed and there is no hope for them. But this is so wrong, and my heart aches for them. Too many people are living their lives in a state of unworthiness. News flash! At one time we were unworthy.

  Paul wrote in Ephesians 2, that we were just like everybody else was, at one time in our lives. We walked according to the world and the way things were done in the world. We were more concerned about fulfilling the desires of our flesh and our mind; and we were children of wrath and sons of disobedience. Paul went on to say that at one time we were without Christ, without hope, and without God. That’s a pretty miserable place to be!

  But God’s great loved prompted Him to pour out grace and mercy, instead of judgment and punishment. He not only wants to save people, but He also wants to free us of the guilt of sin, declare us righteous and free from the penalty of sin, and favor us with His glory! Embracing grace is the best thing that we can do for ourselves, and when we realize the greatness of it all, it will radically change our perspective and our relationship with God! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in favor, God, Grace, Jesus | 2 Comments | Tagged encouragemnt, Faith, favor of God, freedom, Grace, Jesus, justification, Paul, Salvation, Sin

• But You Shall Receive Power!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on October 14, 2020

  Acts 1:8 – “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. KJV

  

  but-you-shall-receive-power_.mp3

  In Luke 24:49, Jesus told His disciples:

  Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

  The Holy Spirit executes the power of God. Jesus knew this! He also knew that the assignment He had given to the disciples, to preach the kingdom of God, would require that they walk in power. Therefore, His last instructions to them were to remain in Jerusalem until they received power from on high!

  Many people, mistakenly believe that the baptism in the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is all about speaking in tongues. Well, it isn’t! Speaking in tongues is the initial evidence of having received the Holy Spirit, but it is not the whole picture. The whole picture is that tongues is evidence of the presence of Holy Ghost power! My wedding ring is not my marriage, but it is the evidence of my marriage! (That may be too simplistic for something so amazing!)

  In the book of Acts, when the Holy Spirit was released, wasn’t His introduction to the world. The Holy Spirit has been present, since Genesis, where He hovered over the waters; to produce God’s will upon the creation of the earth. The Holy Spirit was at hand when the Red Sea was parted. The Holy Spirit was present at the conception and resurrection of our Lord. And the Holy Spirit was present on the day of Pentecost. The difference being that when He came on Pentecost, He remained on earth to assist Jesus’ Church in the work of the ministry!

  This time in which we are living is the appointed time, the chairos time, of the Holy Spirit. You can live a godly life in Christ and not be filled with the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Your life will be blessed and you will meet Jesus in eternity. I’m not one who believes less of a person because they don’t speak in tongues or more of a person, because they do. I have, unfortunately, noticed in the Body of Christ, that there are many who believe that those of us who speak in tongues are of the devil. I think that is not only wrong, but it is shameful! That’s how the Pharisees acted towards Jesus!

  In order to be a Christian, we must accept the truth of the gospel. Simply stated, we must believe that through the blood of Jesus, our sins are forgiven and we are cleansed. We must believe that Jesus is the Son of God, come in the flesh and that He is God. And we must believe there is no other way by which we can be saved. That’s it! Whether we speak in tongues or not, when we meet that first criteria and give our heart to the Lord, we are born again. For any Christian to look upon another Blood bought individual, and to accuse them of belonging to the devil, is pure nonsense!

  As I mentioned already, Jesus felt it necessary that the disciples, who had walked with Him, be filled with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. If they weren’t of the devil, then neither are the people who are filled today! The disciples were told to tarry, or wait; but after that, there are no other mentions of tarrying for the Holy Spirit. Although, many have tarried and made it a requirement for receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost, it is not; we just receive Him by faith!

  On the day of Pentecost, which was 50 days after the resurrection of our Lord, the disciples, 120 of them, were together in the Upper Room, praying, worshipping, and waiting for power from on high! As they sat in the meeting, the Holy Spirit came in the room, upon each of them. That’s for the next blog!

  Jesus told them that when they received this power from on high, they would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth.

  When we think of being a witness, we think of the simplicity of sharing the gospel. It is typically how this verse is read and preached, and it isn’t necessarily incorrect. It just isn’t the whole picture! When Jesus was referring to us being His witnesses, He was also referring to us expanding the kingdom in the same way that He did it, by bringing heaven to earth in the lives of the people.

  How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Acts 10:38 – NKJV

  He was a witness that God was real, and that He is the Son of God. As He went about the villages teaching, preaching, healing, casting out demons, and raising the dead, He demonstrated His power over everything in the earth realm.

  Paul said that he didn’t operate in just great preaching and being able to persuade people to his point of view, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and power (1 Corinthians 2:4-5)!

  So what witness was Jesus referring to?

  And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Acts 4:33 – NKJV

  Jesus knew that His disciples would have to operate just as He did, in order to witness to the truth that He is alive. Jesus had received the Holy Ghost on the day of His water baptism and the Holy Ghost never left Him. He was man, operating as God, by the power of the Holy Ghost! And so must we!

  The apostles couldn’t get a young man free from demons when Jesus was alive, without His authority. After the Holy Spirit came upon them, they operated in great power.

  And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people…And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women… Acts 5:12-16 – NKJV

  Now that’s some power! Throughout the New Testament, tongues was understood as evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but it was the power that gave greater proof and great witness about Jesus!

  Since I have been baptized in the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues, it has been a great pleasure, and an honor to experience God’s power. It has been an ever greater blessing to realize that the Holy Spirit is alive and well, and is still moving through countless believers, in countless situations, to bring witness to the resurrected Savior and the kingdom of God. Next time, I’ll talk more about the actual baptism of the Holy Spirit! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Baptism, Holy Spirit, Jesus | 2 Comments | Tagged Believer, God, Healing, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Kingdom of God, resurrection, Salvation, Sin, the Blood of Jesus, the devil, trust in God

• You May Not be Blessed!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on October 5, 2020

  Psalm 1:1-2 – “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. NKJV

  you-may-not-be-blessed_.mp3

  Sometimes we get a little confused about God’s idea of a blessed person. I have always loved the psalms, as most of us probably do, and Psalm chapter 1 is no exception! What is your idea of being blessed? Is it having a lot of money? Is it having favor with the people around you? Or is it when you are feeling good and everything is going well? Today, I want to look at what God’s word has to say about being blessed!

  The psalmist wrote, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly”. God called us blessed when we don’t seek ungodly advice. When you are having issues with your spouse, don’t ask an unsaved person what to do. It’s not that they can’t give good advice, but we are to seek godly advice, and not just good advice. Chances are, if you ask an ungodly person for advice in your marriage, you could end up divorced. I was talking with a young lady, new in the Lord, who was also newly married. Her husband had cheated on her, and her ungodly friends told her the best way to handle it was to get back at him, by doing the same thing. Seriously? That’s not advice for repairing a marriage, or handling a problem; that’s advice for sure destruction of a marriage! God said that we are blessed when we don’t seek the counsel of the world.

  There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand. Proverbs 19:21 -NKJV

  Your unsaved friends and family members, don’t know how God operate, and can’t give you godly advice. Only a person who loves God and understands the importance of His word can share His heart! Their advice is bound to get you off God’s path for your life, and that is why you won’t be blessed!

  The psalmist also wrote that blessed is the man who stands not in the way of sinners. God forbid that we are hindering people from knowing the Lord because of our lifestyle. It should be disturbing, but not unforgivable, when we see a brother or sister in the Lord who is talking the talk, they are not walking! Sinners don’t need a lot of things to discourage them from getting saved. The devil gives them plenty of reasons to resist the Holy Spirit’s tugging at their hearts. But when we participate in the hindering process, the word let’s us know that we are not blessed! Blessed people understand, recognize, and realize that their lives are to reflect the One who blessed them, and as such, they want to draw the sinner to Christ, not hinder them in coming to Him. Can I keep it real? Most sinners are looking for every opportunity to find fault with a believer, and I understand that! Just don’t give them anything that will seal their doubt!

  Blessed is the person who doesn’t sit in the seat of the scornful! This one I will elaborate a little more on. Scorn is the feeling or belief that someone or something is worthless or despicable; contempt. Now, we’re probably not seeing ourselves in this seat, but let’s look at it. God’s word states that when we don’t look down on people, thinking them to be worthless, or holding contempt for them, we are blessed. That leads us to believe, that if we are looking down on people, we are not blessed.

  I once heard a well known pastor call the Democrats, evil Democrats. Really? Now we have become so politically embittered with one another that we are grouping all Democrats and all Republicans in the same boat? That’s contempt! That’s looking down on people! News flash! There are bad people in both political parties, and in the independents. There are good people, also. And even more shocking to some, there are godly people in both parties, irrespective to what we see. God isn’t pleased with us looking at His creation with scorn. He died for the whole world! You can be as passionate about politics as you feel you need to be, but sitting in the seat of the scornful applies to you, me, and every other believer!

  I like what one pastor said, not so long ago! There is only one race of people. The human race. Therefore, we shouldn’t be looking down on anybody because of their skin color! We come in different colors, sizes, and two genders, but we are all a part of the same race. Looking down on an individual because of their color, their nationality, their gender, or their profession, is equally out of order. You may call yourself “blessed by the Best”, but He doesn’t validate scorn on any level.

  One day, I went to visit a woman in the neighborhood who I thought was a friend. She was actually having a birthday party for her child. When I got there, she introduced all of her friends with their “titles”: Attorney This, and Doctor That! And then she turned to me and said, “Oh, and this is Martie!” Was that supposed to be a dig? I do believe it was! I realized she thought that she and her “professional” friends were better than me! You can well imagine that relationship was a bust! When you are the object of scorn, it doesn’t take you long to realize how hurtful that can be!

  Surely He scorns the scornful, But gives grace to the humble. Proverbs 3:34 -NKJV

  How about that? God scorns, looks down on and finds contemptible, the scornful! I’ll take yours over His!

  Receiving ungodly counsel, causing sinners to be hindered, or looking down our nose at others, are not godly characteristics. They are of the devil! We can quote Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, but if these things are a part of our lives, then we are not blessed! Not by God’s standards! And you know what, only what He thinks about us is what truly matters. Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in blessings, God’s Blessings, Psalms | 5 Comments | Tagged Attitude, blessed, blessings, counsel, Psalm 1, scornful, Sin, sinners, ungodly

• God’s Requirements

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on September 1, 2020

  Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? NKJV

  

  gods-requirements.mp3

  This verse keeps popping up, which leads me to believe that I am supposed to blog about it. If you’ve been following my blogs for a while, you already know this happens to me occasionally.

  God is upset with His people in this chapter of Micah. He tells them that He is bringing charges against them and building a case against them. God asks them, how has He done them wrong? He goes on to remind them of how He brought them out of Egypt and paid a great price to get them out of slavery. He sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to lead them. He reminds them that when Balak wanted to curse them, He wouldn’t allow it. And He reminds them of other victories won on their behalf.

  He asks them another question. How can you show God the respect due Him? What are you going to do, bring me a bunch of offerings? Would he be impressed with thousands of rams or the sacrifice of your children to cancel your sin?No! It’s already been made plain in the law of how God wants His people to live. This includes, to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before their God. Today, I want to look at the first part, to act justly.

  Let’s define the word justly. In the Webster’s Dictionary of 1828, justly is defined as “honestly, fairly, with integrity, properly, accurately, and exactly”. This isn’t the comprehensive definition, but it will work for my purposes.

  Justice can be seen in a lot of ways. I think about where we are today and wonder when did justice get so many definitions. In the word, wrong is wrong and right is right. But in today’s society, wrong can be right, and right can be wrong depending on who you are talking to. That’s man’s way, not God’s. When God says that He requires of us to act justly, He meant what He said.

  No matter how many laws are written based on our Constitution, laws that are contrary to the word of God are not just laws. At one time, the law said that my ancestors were not people, but property. That was an unjust law, and I am grateful it is not in the books any longer. But the spirit of superiority it instilled in many whites couldn’t be removed with the ink of the pen. It has to be removed with prayer and the following of God’s example of what is just.

  When I think of acting justly in today’s society I think of the LGBQT community. Do I agree with the laws written about their rights to marriage and all of that? No! But I do agree that they are human beings and they should not be attacked, mistreated, or abused because of their sexual orientation. Neither do I believe that they are second class citizens. As Christians, I believe we really need to be more Christ-like and hate the sin, and love the sinner! How can we win them over to our loving savior, when we are critical, judgmental, and even hateful when dealing with them.

  I was sitting in a bible study one night when the issue of abortion came up. I made a comment about abortion not being the will of God because a life is taken. One of the young ladies, who was already a professing Christian, jumped up and ran out of the room. I knew my comment had upset her. I went to her and talked with her and prayed with her. After our conversation, she was able to go on without the guilt of having had an abortion. I hate the sin, but I am learning to love those who commit the sin, whether it was before Christ came into their life, or after.

  There are all kinds of ways to act justly. I think of the daughters of Zelophehad in Joshua 17. They had addressed an issue with Moses about inheriting their father’s part in the promised land. Moses thought their “argument” was a good case, and granted them their desire. When Joshua and Eleazar were giving out the land, they approached them. Joshua demonstrated his ability to act justly by fulfilling the promise that Moses had made them, and that actually God had already said yes to. No one pretended that they didn’t know what the women were talking about, or that Moses didn’t realize the thing he had said yes to would be unfair because they couldn’t go to war. No! They acted justly in regards of the daughters of Zelophehad and in giving them the land.

  We are the only Christ, that some people will see. If we can ignore injustice, participate in sin, excuse sin, and live deceitfully before people, why would we think that would attract them to our Heavenly Father? Let me assure you, it doesn’t.

  God requires, expects us, to act justly. He expects us to do the right thing in every situation and at all times. When we don’t, He expects us to own up to it, repent of it, and fix it, or do better the next time.

  Can I just say it plainly, in case it was missed, I am against sin, just like God is. I have the same opinion about it that He has, whether that sin is committed by someone I know or someone I don’t know. However, in acting justly, we have to separate the sin from the sinner and learn to love the people that Jesus gave His life for.

  Lastly, God chose Abraham and had this to say about him:

  Genesis 18:19- “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.”

  God said of Abraham that He knew Abraham, and He knew that Abraham would be just and teach his children to be just. The phrase “justice and judgement” is the same Hebrew word for “act justly”. God is watching us. He is delighted when we “do the right thing” even when it is unpopular, unusual, and considered to be wrong.

  Make a point to act justly. It matters in the big things and in the little things. Not only does it matter, but God requires it of us! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Choices, God, Justice, Serving God | 4 Comments | Tagged abortion, Eleazar, God, integrity, Joshua, Justice, justly, LGBQT, obedience, requirements, Sin, Zelophehad daughters

• Yielding the Sword!

  Posted at 2:44 am by wonderfuljesus8, on August 8, 2020

  Ephesians 6:17 – “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;” NKJV

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  I trust you are getting encouraged in your walk with the Lord! The Word of God says that we are more than conquerors; therefore, the weapons against our adversary are fail proof when used in faith! Have you ever watched someone play a video game, or maybe you have played, and the battle called for warriors to use different weapons at different phases of the game? Or maybe you have no knowledge of video games, but understand real warfare. You understand that there are foot soldiers with guns, snipers with rifles, tanks with artillery, planes with bombs, all headed for the enemy to engage him in different ways. All important, all strategic, all deadly, but in different ways! That’s how our spiritual weapons are used; in different phases of the battle, for different attacks, but all are lethal against the adversary! I wrote a blog, this year, “Talk Back to the Enemy” that is a companion blog to today’s entry.

  Paul is writing about the full armor of God in this passage. I won’t address the armor in this blog, but I do want to address the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Typically speaking, a sword is a weapon of defense and the Word is definitely great for defending ourselves against the enemy; but it can also be an offensive weapon used to attack an opponent. Which ever position you find yourself in, even at this moment, the word will work!

  In Matthew, chapter 4, we find Jesus is being led into the wilderness. After forty days and nights of fasting, the devil comes for a visit. He didn’t send a demon this time. This was an assignment he took up.

  The first temptation was at Jesus’ physical need of food. He said to Jesus, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” This was a real temptation because Jesus was hungry. It was also an attack on Jesus’ identity as the Son of God. Jesus didn’t get into a long discourse with the devil. He simply replied, “It is written, ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'” Jesus’ weapon against the devil’s attempt to pull Him into the flesh after a forty day fast was countered with the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God!

  Then we see that the devil took him up into the holy city, and said, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you.'” We can see that Satan came with a counterattack at Jesus, using the Word against Him. That was pretty dumb to use the Word against the Living Word, but he did it. Jesus of course responded with a greater truth, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'” In other words, it is very true that angels would come to His rescue, but He knew it would be silly to test God’s faithfulness on a challenge from Satan.

  Lastly, Satan takes Jesus on an exceedingly high mountain and shows Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. Now he is trying to impress Jesus with his goods. He say to Jesus “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Jesus rebukes Satan by saying, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.'”

  After these words of rebuke, the devil leaves, and angels came and ministered to Him. He whipped the devil with the Word and was victorious, not because He was the Son, but because of the effectiveness of the sword of the Spirit! It worked for Jesus, and it will work for us!

  I want to address something that was going on. During this time of temptation, Satan was trying to get Jesus to sin against God. The temptation wasn’t a sin, but had Jesus done either of these things, He would have sinned. When we are tempted, they are just temptations, but when we give in and do a thing, it becomes a sin. Learning to cut the devil off before he has a chance to get us to thinking about his proposal is key in maintaining our victory. The immediate weapon to use against a suggestion to sin, is the Word of God!

  • Consider an individual who is dating. The enemy tells that person some tired lies that he have used throughout the centuries with others. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t, but he’s had enough success that he still uses it. Recently my daughter told me this one that a young person shared with her, “Girl, you have to try it before you buy it!” How many times did my “girlfriends” tell me the same thing, decades ago. The only thing you get to try before you buy it is a car. Are we reducing our bodies to that of an automobile? You buy a house, you buy it first, then you move in; unless you rent to own. See the lie for what it is then use the word against sexual sin.
    • It is written, “Flee sexual immorality! And again it says “that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and I am not my own. Or have you not heard how Joseph, when approached by Potiphar’s wife refused her saying that he would not sin against God?” No devil, I will not do this thing for it is written, “You shall not commit adultery or fornication. So get out of here with your lies!”

  • Consider an individual who is struggling to make ends meet. The enemy tells that person, you should not be giving the church all of their money. You have been tithing (for all of two months) and things are worst. You have been giving to support the teens ministry, VBS, or pastoral support, but who is helping you?
    • It is written, “Bring the tithe in the storehouse…and I will open the window of heaven and pour you out a blessing you will not have room to receive. It is also written, “Give and it shall be given to you!” There is no way that I will stop being a financial blessing to my church for God has promised in His word, that the righteous are not forsaken and His seed is not begging for bread!” Now leave me alone!

  These are just examples that are common in the church. And they are lies that I have heard hundreds of times over the years that I have living for the Lord. Lies you have heard personally, or know others who have heard them. The Bible is filled with examples of people who have gone both ways: Eve, Samson and Judas believed the lies, Abraham, Noah, and Joseph did not! You don’t have to give in to the lies of the devil, just yield the sword of the Spirit at him and watch him hightail it out of your presence! Once you see it work, it may very well become your preferred weapon of attack!

  I believe I am finished with the weapons of our warfare blogs. I trust you have enjoyed reading them as much as I have enjoyed writing them. On wonderfuljesus.blog, it is my hope that you will always find encouraging, practical topics to keep you living a victorious life and falling in love with Jesus, over and over again! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Jesus, Satan, Spiritual warfare, the devil, weapons of warfare | 0 Comments | Tagged blessings, God, Jesus, sexual sin, Sin, Spiritual warfare, the devil, Tithing, Vic tory, Victorious Living, weapons of warfare, word of God

• Secret Weapon!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on July 30, 2020

  Revelation 12:11 – “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. NKJV

  

  secret-weapon_.mp3

  Are you a fan of westerns? I am! I grew up on the Lone Ranger series, as dorky as it looks today! My daughter discovered that the Lone Ranger was actually a Black man, and decided she wanted to honor his work and memory. Her latest release is loosely based on the character of the Lone Ranger and his friend Tonto; or in her case, Sly and Jamie! In the first three books of the series, Sly is in and out of the stories, helping runaway slaves; but book four is his story. I mention him, to give her free advertisement, and to make a point: Sly, had a secret weapon! Whenever Sly got in a tight spot, he did daring things to help the runaways, or to stop a lawless individual, all without getting hurt. Why? His secret weapon! Jamie was always in the background, giving the appearance that Sly was on his own, and just when Sly needed him, he would show up! One day, Sly was without his secret weapon and things got messy! You’ll have to read the book if you want to know what happened to Sly!

  A secret weapon is something or someone that no one knows about and that will give you an advantage over your competitors or enemies. I’m calling today’s weapon against the devil a secret weapon because many Christians conduct themselves as if they are unaware of it, and it’s so powerful! That’s the weapon of holiness. That’s right! It’s been a secret weapon for far too long, and now we need to become more aware of it in order to have an advantage over the devil.

  In John 14:30, Jesus spoke these words, “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.” As I read this verse, I thought about the blogs I have been writing, and I knew I had to include this verse in this section! Jesus said that the “ruler of this world is coming”. This title is another name for the devil, our adversary. Jesus knew that the enemy was getting ready to attack Him with a mighty blow, and He says, “he has nothing in me!” Wow! What is Jesus saying?

  For Jesus, this was no secret weapon, it was how He lived. And as such, the devil was unable to get a place in His life! The devil came to bring death to Jesus, but he didn’t realize that he couldn’t take Jesus’ life. However, Jesus had to die, for us, so He gave up His life. The devil thought he was doing something, that he had finally outsmarted God and Jesus, but had he known the power of the cross, and the blood that was shed, he would have never allowed Jesus to get on it!

  As I was reading to find examples of the truth of this principle, I found Albert Hibbert’s book, “Smith Wigglesworth: The Secret of His Power”. On page 93, he wrote the following words:

  “To discern satanic activity, we must live in the Presence of Him Who is holy; otherwise, we will very likely fall victim to Satan’s wiles. If we maintain the same attitude toward sin and all its by-products that Jesus had, we need never fear the devil or what he can do. Rather, he will fear us.”

  Smith Wigglesworth was a man of great power. If you have never heard of him before, allow me to introduce him to you. Smith and his wife worked in ministry together for the Salvation Army, when salvations really were its objective. Then one day Smith received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. After that, his life changed, he changed. The Holy Ghost began manifesting His gifts wherever Smith went and mighty miracles broke forth. Creative miracles, the dead rising, miracles of healing, and divine salvations, just to give you an idea of his ministry. Hibbert interviewed him in writing this book and asked him about what he did in his spare time. Wigglesworth said he spent his time in the presence of God, and that kept him ready to be used by God to destroy the works of the devil!

  Jesus lived in the presence of the Father. When He wasn’t meeting the needs of the people, He was stealing away to be with His Father. When He was with the people, His only concern was to do the will of the Father. With such God consciousness, He had no time for sin, for His personal gratification of the flesh. His attitude towards sin was that it needed to be forgiven or dealt with; not enjoyed for a season!

  This is holiness! I know a lot of people think holiness is about what we wear or don’t wear, and the things we watch and listen to. Those are by products of holiness. Holiness is living your life free from sin, as Jesus did, as God does. It’s not always easy, but the pursuit of holiness is a powerful weapon that gives us an advantage over the devil. I know you’ve met the individual who lives to see how close they can get to the world and still be saved. That person is making himself vulnerable to Satan’s attacks! However, the person who is living a set apart life for God, is strengthening his advantage over the enemy! Don’t we need one? Is not there a cause to have an advantage?

  We gush over the lives of the “old timers” and the way God used them, they are great examples. But they were just men and women who allowed Jesus to be the guide for all they did and said. Holiness was a high priority and because of that, they walked in much authority over the works of the devil. They came under attack, but when they were in their rightful place in Christ Jesus, he was no match for them. When they took their eyes off of Jesus, they found themselves sinking much as Peter did.

  There’s so much to holiness. I can’t cover it all, but maybe later I can go more in depth on the subject. I just thought it was interesting to note that Jesus knew His life was lived in such a way, the devil had no ability to hurt Him. It should be a goal for each of us, as it gives us an advantage, and it’s a powerful weapon against the devil! Don’t ever let the devil catch you without your secret weapon! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in holiness, Jesus, Spiritual warfare, the devil, weapons of warfare | 2 Comments | Tagged Attitude, Believer, Deliverance, encouragement, Forgiveness, God, holy, Holy Spirit, Jesus, miraculous, protection, Salvation, Satan, Sin, Spiritual warfare, supernatural, the devil, victory

• The Flip Side!

  Posted at 9:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on July 23, 2020

  Ephesians 4:27 – “nor give place to the devil.” NKJV

  

  the-flip-side.mp3

  I grew up in the Flip Wilson era, where we thought it was funny to say, “The devil made me do it!” Flip Wilson, in his comedy show, did some stupid things, then he would say that the devil made him do it. There is a poster with him in a dress, and of course, the devil made him buy the dress. However, through the years I have realized that it’s no joking matter to give place to the devil and his bidding.

  I’ve written several blogs to remind us that we have an adversary and he is out to get us. However, I would be remiss, if I didn’t write about the “flip” side of that picture. While it is true, that the devil is directly or indirectly responsible for the bad things that happen in our lives, we willingly or unwillingly participate in his schemes. It’s time to stop giving place to the devil!

  A young lady approached me one day crying. I asked her what was going on? She said that it wasn’t fair that she was pregnant and she had only had sex one time, when she knew people who were far more active than she was and they hadn’t gotten pregnant. Can I just say that I was standing there looking at her with a “are you kidding me” expression on my face? How could it not be fair? If you are old enough to have sex, you should be old enough to understand that pregnancy can and might be the consequence of your actions. It’s not a matter of fairness, it’s a matter of consequence.

  Consequence is defined as “a result or effect of an action or condition”. Stephen Covey had this to say about consequences: “While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” This is a truth conveyed throughout scripture.

  When David slept with Bathsheba, not only did he father a baby with another man’s wife, but he killed the man to hide his sin. He chose the sin, but the consequences were costly. A warrior who served him with unwavering devotion died, the baby died, his son rape his daughter, her brother killed the one who raped her, and then he turned around and tried to take the kingdom from David. Did I forget to mention that he slept with David’s wives on the rooftop of the palace? David chose the sin, but the consequences were out of his control.

  Achan was another person whose actions brought devastating consequences. The children of Israel had just finished rejoicing over the walls of Jericho falling. They were rounding up the treasures that were to go to God. Achan saw “a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels” and he took them. They were forbidden for him to take, yet he did it. The children of Israel went out to fight the battle of Ai. They lost. Joshua was so upset that he was crying about to God. God told him there was sin in the camp. Achan was exposed. Joshua had them take Achan, the treasures, his family, and all that he owned to the Valley of Achor. There Joshua had them all stoned and burned with fire. Achan chose the action, but he didn’t get to choose the consequence. And let’s not forget that lives were lost in a battle that should have been a cake walk.

  Do you want a New Testament example? I have one for you. Ananias and Sapphira. They sold their property to be a blessing to the church. They decided that they would keep a portion of the money. It was theirs to do with as they wished. But when Ananias showed up to give his money, he lied and said that it was the total amount that he had received from the sell. It was a lie and he died on the spot. He was so not expecting that! Then his wife came in, not realizing what had happened to her husband and gave the same lie. Then she died. Wow! What an expensive price to pay for a lie. They chose the action, but God chose the consequence.

  All of these are examples of people giving place to the devil. The devil could very much have whispered in their ears, suggesting these things. But he could not make them do any of it. They had to give place to the devil. He didn’t make Eve eat from the tree and he doesn’t make us do things. Unless he possesses us! That’s a different blog, altogether.

  What about that couple I mentioned who had the yelling contest, allowing their anger to get the best of them? They gave place to the devil with their anger, and those spirits had permission to come in and wreak havoc and fear in their lives and their marriage.

  When we sin, whatever the sin, we give place to the devil. We give him an invitation to come into our homes, our lives, our finances, and our children’s lives, by our choices and our actions. When we say “no” to sin, we shut the door to the devil and his demonic activity. We stop the negative consequences from happening in our lives and open the door to the blessings of the Lord. When we say “yes” to sin, we will reap the consequences God has laid out in His word, for our sins. God isn’t punishing us, per se, we are reaping what we sowed.

  I can assure you that there are times, the devil just attacks us for no good reason, except that he can. But sometimes, we invite his attention with the things we do and say. We don’t have to be afraid of the devil, but neither should we give him access in our lives.

  I trust that these past blogs have helped you to see that Satan really is your adversary. I hope you have also realized that you can help him hurt you, or you can stop him in his tracks! And no matter where you’ve been in the past on this issue, I trust that moving forward you have a made up mind to actively watch out for his activity, and to enforce his defeat in your life. Keep reading for weapons to defeat the devil. Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Choices, consequences, God, Satan, the devil | 0 Comments | Tagged Achan, Ananias and Sapphira, consequences, David, David and Bathsheba, Joshua, Lying, obedience, Sin, Spiritual warfare, the battle of Ai, the battle of Jericho, the devil, the devil made me do it

• Is Lying Ever Okay?

  Posted at 2:02 am by wonderfuljesus8, on July 5, 2020

  Joshua 2:3-4 – “So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.” But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from.” NIV

  is-lying-ever-okay_.mp3

  I was reading today in the book of Joshua, and as I read this verse, it made me think about the commandment about not lying. As a matter of fact, it says quite strongly, “Thou shalt not lie!” Don’t do it! And yet, Rahab lies and becomes a part of the genealogy of Jesus. So, is it ever okay with God for us to lie? The Bible tells us that He hates lying lips, and lying is an abomination to Him, so how do we reconcile these situations with what we know about the commandments?

  Rahab told her countrymen that she didn’t know where the two spies had come from. She also told them that the spies had left, and if they pursued them quickly, that they could overtake them. That was an outright lie. She knew exactly who they were, and she had them hidden on her roof!

  When Moses was born, the midwives lied to Pharaoh. They were supposed to kill the baby boys as they left the womb. The women refused to do it, and when Pharaoh asked them about it, they lied. They told Pharaoh that the Hebrew women delivered before they got to them! That was most definitely a lie.

  Obadiah, the palace administrator to Ahab, and one who loved God, hid one hundred prophets of God in a cave and fed them; at a time when their lives were of little value to the king, and his hateful wife, Jezebel. In doing so, Obadiah was being unfaithful to the king, and was actually deceiving the king. He was also probably providing food for the prophets from the storehouse of the king. Was this honorable? Was God pleased?

  I got to thinking about this and it reminded me of some dark times in world history. For one, the Holocaust. Many people lied to friends, family, and authorities to protect the lives of Jewish individuals. From Corrie Ten Boom to Schindler, and names unknown, individuals harbored Jewish people, fed them, helped them to escape, and some died in the process. They knew they were lying, but they were okay with that. Were they liars?

  Abolitionists did the same thing. They helped with the Underground Railroad. And in doing so, they hid runaway slaves, lying to authority figures, bounty hunters, and even people they knew. But they helped people to escape to freedom; hiding them, feeding them, transporting them, and clothing them. They were lying, the Bible states that we shouldn’t lie, and clearly people have done so without remorse. Again, I ask, how does this lying look to the Father, who stated clearly, that we are not to lie? What does that teach us today?

  Well, I have no revelation on the subject! God hasn’t told me that He is okay with some lies and not other lies. I know that’s not true. But I do believe that our first allegiance is to the Father. And in each of these cases, the lying was done to preserve life, to fulfill His plans.

  In the case with the midwives, it was necessary that Moses be born. If the midwives had obeyed Pharaoh and killed the babies, they would have disobeyed God with another commandment about not killing. And God’s plan for the deliverer had to come to pass, so they couldn’t kill the baby boys. They lied to keep from being involved in something even worst. The Lord blessed them, thereby sealing the truth that He was pleased with their choice. And this technically was before the commandments were given.

  Rahab didn’t live by the commandments. However, her lie preserved the life of the two spies. And in lying to her countrymen, she pushed God’s agenda. She also displayed her allegiance to Him, when she shared that she was confident that Jericho would be defeated and she wanted to change her citizenship. Again, this was before the Law. We know that God was pleased because she married a leader of the Jewish people and is found in the ancestry of the Savior.

  And Obadiah was deceiving the king, but protecting the prophets of God. Maybe he didn’t tell an outright lie, but he definitely didn’t let the king know that he had the prophets hidden and were feeding them. Yet, what he did was really an honorable thing!

  What about us today? I don’t agree with lying. I don’t think the commandments change because of situations. But I do think the situations with the Holocaust and slavery were so inhumane, that God’s people got involved to do what was necessary to preserve life. I think that they probably would have preferred to do it another way, but was left with little choice in how to help save these lives. And today, they are heroes!

  Lying to protect ourselves from the consequences of our self-serving actions is wrong. We should not lie. But in response to persecution and tribulation, you have to ask yourself, what can you live with? The midwives couldn’t live with the act of murdering babies, so they chose to lie instead. Rahab couldn’t ignore the fact that God was on the move, and she was drawn to Him, so she refused to allow her countrymen to kill His people. Those who helped in the Holocaust, and the abolitionists with freedom for the slaves, couldn’t live with the injustices of seeing a person destroyed just because of their heritage or skin color.

  I actually admire these individuals. They weren’t looking to escape the consequences of man, they were looking to escape the consequences of God. I guess that’s the answer to lying, if it’s to get out of what man can do to you, it’s probably not going to be acceptable before God. However, if in your heart, if you lied to honor God, truly honor God, then…. I’ll not encourage you to lie! I will just say that it’s a question that I was thinking about. I asked a lot of questions I didn’t answer, but I am sure that their lies were forgiven them. I am equally as sure that while they lied, they did not become liars, and that is the greater truth! What are your thoughts? Leave me a comment! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Commandments, Lying, Sin | 0 Comments | Tagged abolitionists, Commandments, consequences, Holocaust, laws of God, Lying, midwives, Obadiah, Rahab, Sin

• Breakfast With the Savior!

  Posted at 9:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on May 28, 2020

  John 21:12 – “Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.” NIV

  

  Breakfast is said to be one of the most important meals of the day! I know people who wouldn’t dare start their day without breakfast, although, I have done it many times! One of my favorite pastimes is getting together with a friend over breakfast! We laugh, talk, and laugh some more. And we leave refreshed, encouraged and ready to return to the “normal” activities of our day! My favorite breakfast of all, is the one my husband makes for me: French toast with syrup, grits and eggs! I’m making myself hungry thinking about it! I’m sure the reason I love it so much is because he prepares it!

  Recently, I heard a message, given by Pastor Eugene Cho, taken from John 21: 1- 14. I was blessed by his insights into this passage, and I decided to share some of it with you, with a little personal spin.

  Pastor Cho shared that in the beginning of this chapter, Peter announces that he’s going fishing. Several of the disciples were with him and they decided to join Peter. This fishing trip wasn’t about making money, as much as it was about the utter discouragement that they were all experiencing. And therefore, discouraged and disillusioned, they returned to what was familiar, fishing.

  Remember, Peter had promised Jesus, that even if every one left Him, he never would. Jesus told Peter that not only would he deny Him, but that he would do it three times before morning. As passionately as Peter proclaimed his dedication to Jesus, he denied Jesus with even more passion, to point of cursing! Peter’s heart was broken over his denial of Jesus, and so he wept bitterly. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, Peter and the disciples were still disappointed, discouraged, and lost. They wasn’t sure about anything in their lives at this point, but they knew how to fish. So off to fishing they went!

  Although they fished all night, they caught nothing. As morning was rolling in, Jesus stood on the banks and called out to them. “Friends, haven’t you any fish!” They replied no, and to this, Jesus responded with a miracle. He told them to throw their net on the right side of the boat and fish started hopping into that net. Of course, when their nets were filled with fish, they recognized it was Jesus speaking to them. They knew He had risen from the dead, but He wasn’t hanging out with them any more. Can you imagine spending all that time with Jesus and then you don’t see Him anymore? Of course, when we have a little dry spell in Him, we begin to panic. So I think you get a slight indication as to how they were feeling. At this point, any opportunity to see Him was an exciting opportunity, I’m sure! So what does Peter do? Peter jumped in the water to swim to shore, while the others stayed on the boat. When they arrive to shore, Jesus has fish cooking, but He told them to bring some of their fish, and He invited them to eat breakfast with Him. Here comes the good stuff!

  Jesus knew their state of mind. He knew they were discouraged. He knew their flesh was shouting to them, to give up on all that He had taught them, to return to what they knew. Just like people we may know today, or maybe even us. They hit a wall in their faith. A church member betrays their trust, a spiritual leader does the unthinkable, someone dies that they feel God should’ve healed, tribulations are overwhelming…I don’t want to depress you, but things happen! As things had happened to Peter and the disciples to bring them to this point. It is knowing this, where they are spiritually and emotionally, that Jesus comes to have breakfast with them.

  Jesus offers no rebuke! “What are you guys thinking? Why are you out here fishing? Have I wasted the last three years of my life with you? Was it all for nothing?” Nope! None of that! He enjoys breakfast with some of His disciples. The fellowship that refreshes, strengthens, and make you glad that you stopped and spent that time with a friend. But this breakfast was about more than friendship, at this breakfast He offers grace and restoration. Especially to Peter. He asks Peter, do you love me, and Peter has a chance to reaffirm His love to Jesus, to His Savior. He had already seen Peter’s tears of repentance. He knew that Peter was disgusted with himself for what he had done. He still had a work for Peter, for His disciples. They needed to be whole and know that He still loved them and believed in them. And so He comes and extends grace and restoration. Then He recommissions Peter and the others for the work of the kingdom. And the rest, as we say, is history!

  There are times we all get it wrong! Times when we desperately want Jesus to truly throw our sins as far as the east is from the west. Times when we are confused, hurt, and vulnerable to the attacks of the devil. But these are the times, that we need to get before the Lord, and dine with Him! Not a literal breakfast, but to feast on His Word, to feast in His Presence, to allow Him to restore to us the joy of our salvation, so we can get back in the race!

  He’s not ready to kick you to the curb! He loves you! And He will give you the opportunity, just as He did with Peter and the disciples, to renew your love for Him, to reaffirm your commitment to Him. There’s no time like the present to “have breakfast” with Jesus! Grace and restoration is available for you!

  Well, this isn’t exactly how he preached his message, but this was my “take away”! I was blessed by it, and wanted to add my two cents! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Discouragement, Forgiveness, Grace, Jesus | 2 Comments | Tagged encouragement, fish, Forgiveness, hard times, Healing, Jesus, love, Peter, restoration, Sin, trust in God, victory, word of God

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