Every so often, my focus shifts to the keen awareness that nothing I do is really good enough to present to the Lord as a gift. During these times, I wonder, how much of what I do today as I serve my God and fellow mankind, will actually survive God's Quality-Control-Test by fire as described in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15?
"For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have--Jesus Christ. Anyone who build on that foundation may use a variety of materials--gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person's work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames." (NLT)
The times I have brought this concern to the Lord, He has always lovingly and faithfully encourages me. Today, I wanted share with you a compilation of my conversations with God about this concern. My hope is that His words of loving-kindness will strengthen, encourage and help refocus anyone else who is having the same concern and give hope to those who are looking for help and for a solution.
My Prayer:
"Heavenly Father, I come before Your great presence in the name of Jesus Christ, to place a concern at Your feet. Father in heaven, I am concerned for the state of my heart. I am aware of my inner flaws and am concerned that what comes out of my heart may infect the service I do in Your name.
"My heart (mind and emotions) can at times be an ugly place. It can be fearful, prideful, selfish, self-deceiving, judgmental, self-serving, manipulative, frustrated, disappointed, taking offense, resentful, impatient, self-protecting, and downright lacking in trust/faith. Though my words and behavior are usually in line with my faith in Christ, I feel like I am constantly struggling with the sin nature to bring it under submission to Christ. It's an everyday battle with myself. I need to be changed even more than I already have because I want Messiah Jesus and the Holy Spirit to feel at home in my heart.
"At times I fail because I'm exhausted from my activities, or confused by switching situations, or surprised by the unexpected, or just lack the strength to follow through. I know you love me and accept me but I also know that my heart is just not good enough. It hungers and thirsts after holiness and inner righteousness. In every situation, it wants to be filled with thoughts that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8-9.) I desire to have the heart of Christ! A heart that's faithful and true. Any good works that proceed from such a heart will make it through the trial by
fire on that Day when our works are judged.
"Lord, I need a changed
heart! Please transform me so that Messiah Jesus can fully and freely rule in
my life without any interference from the sin in my heart. I want to change to allow Messiah to rule in all
my thoughts, plans, emotions and perspectives. I hunger for a
much deeper walk with Messiah. In Jesus' name I pray, amen."
The Vision:
As I finished the prayer, I saw a heart shaped bubble and I had the knowledge it was in my chest. and Christ, my Savior was sitting on the throne that was at the center of the bubble and He was smiling joyfully. Something a little like this...
God's Holy Spirit:
"My grace is sufficient for you. I know you by name. I see your heart. I know your concerns. But you forget that I did not choose you for your perfection. I chose you in your disgrace while you were still in sin. I extended my hand to you and you responded by accepting My gift of salvation, grace and peace in Messiah Jesus: Salvation from the punishment for sin, grace for a life of victory, and peace to have a personal relationship with God the Father who is in heaven. This grace is My favor. I favor you, because you love me. And in spite of your shortcomings and failures, you are determined to deny your flesh, take up your cross, and to follow me. I know you inside and out--And I love you. I am pleased with you. Haven't I always stepped in and graciously helped you find your way back into My plans? You have consecrated yourself to Me and have never turned back. Now you are Mine. I will never forsake you. I will never abandon you. In that Day when you receive your resurrected, new body, you will also have a blameless heart. Every good thing that you pray for now, if you do not receive it in this life, you will receive then. So, what often seems like a "No" to you, is in reality a "Not yet."
"But just as Jesus had to live a life facing temptation, so must you. As he conquered by obeying Me, so will you because he lives inside of you. You are not fighting these flaws alone. So, do not be too discouraged by them. Atonement has already been made for you. Your mistakes have all been covered by the blood of the Lamb. And you will overcome, in Christ Jesus, by My Holy Spirit.
"Actually, I am very pleased that you hate, renounce and reject any sin you see in yourself while still acknowledging My love for you and how precious you are to Me. You don't justify your own sin, or make excuses for it, or give in to it, or seek support to continue in it. On the contrary, you do your part battling the sin nature bravely and faithfully every day, instead of fighting with or blaming others. You never give up. You try and try, over and over again, gaining more and more insight and power, until you achieve victory. I see the hope, comfort, wisdom and joy you bring from your experiences to those around you. You are My child, a citizen of My kingdom, and these flaws are really no longer a part of you. You know that you are a new being and that as such, those flaws do not reflect who you have become. They are merely roots of old things that are vanishing--They are waging a losing war. I love what I see in you. So, be encouraged, keep up the good fight; the blood of My Lamb has made you free to become more than a conqueror. Continue running the race to win. It pleases Me every day to see your victories. They are the highlight of My day. Don't worry about the minor battles you have lost. They just help you develop better, more effective strategies for the next time. Haven't you noticed that every time you fight the same flaw you gain more self-control? That with every battle it becomes weaker and you become stronger? Focus on the big war you are winning. So, be at peace my daughter--Rejoice! I am proud of you and I delight in you."
Encouragement from Joy:
Now, my beloved brothers and sisters, I pray this fills all of you who know Christ, and who are getting to know Him more and more every day, with renewed joy and peace.
And, for anyone else thinking...
I Want To Change My Life -- I Need Change In My Life
You might be asking yourself if this change is possible for you too. Yes it is!--It is for anyone and everyone who wants it!
Do not feel discouraged because of all the failures you see in yourself. We all sin, every day. And no one can fix themselves on their own. It is futile to try to fix yourself before coming to Jesus. Christ did not come and died and rose to life again to condemn us. He did it to save us from our sin and from the punishment for sin, to help us live a life pleasing to God overcoming our flesh, and for us to be able to have a son/daughter relationship with Father God. We are weak but Christ is strong. He is the solution, the antidote to our sin.
We do not have the kind of ability or level of self-control needed to fix ourselves. Sure, there are tons of techniques out there we can learn to help us cope with and control much of our toxic behaviors. But only Jesus Christ can bring true, complete and lasting transformation from deep within our soul. If we surrender our will and our lives to him, he will transform us from within and this will empower us to change our behavior. We need Jesus to give us the kind of ability and self-control that we need to help us conquer sin. When Christ rules in us, his spirit produces life in us and everything inside of us begins to change. As we grow, the situations around us also begin to change.
All our sin does not go away all at once. Our struggle with sin is a daily matter. By living inside of us, Jesus Christ gives us the ability and power to be victorious as we daily battle the different areas of sin in our lives. He sets us free from being slaves to sin. A slave is a prisoner. In Christ, we are freed from the imprisonment of sin so we can victoriously grow into who God created us to be. It happens progressively--not all at once, but one day at a time.
When I look back at who I used to be and consider how far Christ has brought me, I am amazed and I feel so blessed and happy! You too can start today on this same new path of victory in Christ and begin to experience everyday miracles and see change! When Jesus lives in you, you walk in victory!
Yesterday was Resurrection Sunday and as I was meditating on the wonderful things Jesus did and achieved for us, I felt sad that so many Christians do not fully understand the most important amazing thing our Savior accomplished for us. I remember having to explain it to quite a few Christians to help them realize it. Too many Christians imagine that we will live as ethereal, unbodied beings in eternity--spirits..
So, as I was thinking about all these things the Holy Spirit lead me to put this study together that I felt I should share with you. (All scriptures quoted are from the NIV.)
Jesus said to Martha after Lazarus died, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live [again], even though they die." ~John 11:23-25
"The apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead." ~ Acts 4;2 There are many good churches. But since few of them teach about the nature of the resurrection as described in the Bible, most people do not know or understand much about this.
Jesus also said, "Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man." ~ John 5:24-27
The apostle Paul says, "...Christ has indeed been raised from the dead... since death came through a man [Adam], the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man [Jesus Christ]... For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive... But someone will ask, 'How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?' ...The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;" ~1 Corinthians 15: 20-22,35,41-43. Paul is saying: We will have new physical bodies that will be of a different type than these earthly bodies. Our bodies will be like Jesus' after he rose from the dead. We will be able to defy gravity, ascend to heaven and come back to earth. We will shine with the glory of God. Also, these new bodies will not get sick, weak, or die. We were created to live in the earth. We will live in the new earth for eternity and God will live in our midst (Revelation 21.) In 1 Corinthians 15:16, before all this, Paul makes a very important statement. One that is vital for us to grasp how our body on earth connects with our eternal body. Paul says, "What you sow does not come to life unless it dies."
This is a statement about nature, something we see everywhere around us that helps us understand how our bodies will change. A plant exists in two states: pre-germination (seed, spore, bulb) and post-germination (tree, moss, plant.) Each state has distinct characteristics. This change in state of a plant is the best representation of how we will be changed. This means that our earthly bodies are the "seeds" from which our resurrected bodies will come forth!! Just as a seed has to die to be able to produce a plant or a tree, so our current body has to die to be able to bring forth our resurrected body! Isn't this exciting? The Holy Spirit opened my heart to understand that seeds waiting to be planted represent our lives before conception--We existed in the mind of God. His Word is seed. He called us into existence, from the foundations of the earth, before our lives here on this planet even began. Each life was spoken into being to produce fruit for the Kingdom of God. Our souls awaited the time they are finally sown into the earth, like seeds in a sack.
Now, how does God sow us into this life? He places each of us, a seed, into earth. Mankind is but dust. Our physical bodies are made of earth. We are sown into a body made of earth--into a womb. From the moment we have been sown into a womb, the germination process begins. As we live our lives, we go through the various stages of the germination process, the final being when we die. Our body is buried in the earth, but we show up in eternity. This life is truly just preparation for the next.
So, everyone's life today is but the germinating seed that sprouts their next life. The death of our "seed" body is called the first death, because it is the type of death we experience first. Practically, everyone has to go through it because we will all be resurrected. We will all receive a "tree" (resurrected) body. A tree is better than a seed. But the seed is the hope for a tree. Those who live for Jesus will not experience the second death. They will live with God forever!
"Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years." ~Revelation 20:6. The first resurrection is called "the resurrection of the righteous" in Luke 14:14.
First? Second? Huh!??
"There will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked." ~ Acts 24:15 Yes. Really!
Both will rise (be resurrected) but they won't share the same eternal destiny. Jesus said, “...a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voiceand
come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those
who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned." ~ John 5:28,2. Resurrection. Those who remained faithful to Jesus, will be resurrected first and will reign with Christ, in the earth, for 1,000 years. Those who did not choose Christ, will only be resurrected after the 1,000 years are over. At that time, all the people who are still dead will now be resurrected to appear before the Judge seated on the great white throne (Rev. 20:4-5, 11-13.) So, one resurrection is into eternal life and the other into eternal condemnation.
Death. The first death, is the death of the physical body. Everyone must die. It's the part of life when the body changes from one state to another.
The second death is what happens in eternity. But in eternity nothing dies as we know it. Earthly death does not exist in eternity. Eternal death is worse that earthly death, it is eternal condemnation. Eternal condemnation means
being banned from God's presence forever: no love, no light,
no hope, no peace, no rest, no joy, no kindness, no friendship, nothing good because there was no repentance from sin and no sacrifice to cover those sins and redeem that life.
There
are only two elemental forces: light and darkness. God and good are light. Satan
and evil are darkness. God's home is in heaven. Satan's home is in hell,
the place of his (Satan's) condemnation. Hell was made to punish Satan, it was not intended for people. But Satan has managed to deceive many to be with him. Those who've lived lives that disqualified
them from heaven, will only have one other place to go. So death in eternity is eternal separation from God because that raised body cannot die as we know death in this earth. It is "imperishable." (1 Cor. 15:42) That eternal body needs God's light, and love to live, but won't have it. Instead, it will be joining into Satan's punishment. Thus the torment.
Life. Jesus Christ came to give us eternal life. People, we will have new bodies that will be strong, youthful and vibrant--forever! Nothing like our present earthly bodies. Eternal life means to live in God's presence because God is fullness of life! All
good and beautiful things come from God.
These are the things the Holy Spirit whispered to my heart as I meditated on the Resurrection. Since this life prepares us for the next, and we have the promise of the resurrection, let us pursue becoming everyday more and more like Christ who empowers us to live wholeheartedly for our God!
A journal entry from many years ago, updated with new insight God has given me since. Joy: "Abba, why is there so much evil and suffering in the world? How exactly does this happen?
What is your heart for us?" God / Holy Spirit: "I love all that I created but most of all, I love mankind; because I created you in my very image. Like parents who conceive and give birth to children bearing their traits (looks, strengths, abilities, talents, likes, etc.), so I too have conceived and created you with my traits (an eternal spirit, ability to love, creative talent, a heart for justice, rewarding faithfulness, valuing righteousness, etc.) Like good parents who focus on teaching their children to develop their traits in a way that will help them be happy and successful in life, so do I, too. Now, not every human parent is a good parent; mostly due to past traumas or mental illness. While some plain and simply lack the needed basic insight and understanding, most are loving, caring, and understanding; good parents. And just like every kind and good parent, I have children with an obedient heart, and I have children with a rebellious heart. The obedient ones bring me great joy but the disobedient ones cause me sorrow. But as a parent, I love them both, just as much.
Every good parent wants the children they have brought into this world to contribute to building a better society and to creating a better world. So do I. No good parent wants a child to grow up to become a menace to society, a destroyer of lives, a person of violence, a thief or a murderer. Neither do I.
But many children become rebellious because they want to do what they want and think they understand life and know better. They think the parent doesn't really understand or know anything. They believe the false promises of a life of selfishness and even violence. Ultimately, they end up renouncing their parents' values and deny their parents the opportunity to impart wisdom into their lives. They turn a deaf ear and a hardened heart and go their own way. My rebellious children do these same things to Me--all the time. They have each turned to their own way and, in their hearts, they have renounced and denied Me as their Father and have legally adopted another as their father. It gives a parent tremendous joy to see their child happy, doing honorable things and changing the world for the better. But deep sorrow invades the heart of the good parent whose child leads a life of running after things that could eventually lead to self-destruction, harming others and maybe even violence. No parent wants to see the life of their deeply loved child destroyed. And what's worse, most people begin to blame the good parents for the behavior of their children. I experience the same things. People are blaming Me all the time for the evil in the world.
Now, some pain and suffering are normal in this broken and fallen world, and it comes to everyone indiscriminately: death, working hard at something that does not fulfill you just because you have to make a living, accidents, attacks from wild animals, sickness/disease, and droughts. Such sufferings are the basic consequences of the Fall and are not necessarily caused by the evil that has taken root in the hearts of mankind.
The universe--both the physical and the spiritual dimensions--operates according to laws established in eternity."
Joy:
"Father, eternity has laws!?"
Holy Spirit:
"Yes, the spiritual realm has its own laws as well, of which you know little. But Satan knows this and uses it against you and to his advantage.
When I created the physical world, I gave dominion and authority over it to mankind. Man was in covenant with Me.
When Satan came and deceived mankind, he did it with the one thing that would mean they had renounced Me and denied Me free access to intervene in their personal lives--He deceived them into disobedience. So they disobeyed Me, their Source of Life. He was aware that, according to the laws of heaven, this would permanently cut them off from Me and therefore, also from eternal life. And that this would transfer all of mankind and the dominion and authority I had entrusted to them, over to him. He was aiming for the gold. But I had a plan. I always do.
From then on, he gained dominion over the hearts and lives of mankind. But after the Fall, I promised to send a Savior to mankind. Everything had to happen according to the laws of eternity; heaven's laws had a provision for redemption for mankind and for the world. No one can repeal the laws of eternity and Satan could do nothing to change this.
So, I chose a particular human family line to bring about My promise of redemption to mankind. I walked with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel), I left My glory in heaven, humbled myself and took on flesh, and came as a human-being--as Jesus (meaning God saves,) the Christ (meaning: the Anointed One,) as Emmanuel (meaning God is with us), and as the Lamb of God (meaning to remove your sins from you.) This is why Jesus is called the Son of God. I will help anyone who decides to love and follow Me, no matter what they've done or where they are in their lives right now.
Throughout time, the Evil one has been working very hard at corrupting the hearts of mankind; so much so, that every thought of man has become evil in My eyes. Satan has plunged mankind into deep darkness and ignorance of Me and of My Father-heart for them.
Satan now rules the world and the systems of this world through the will and the hearts of mankind. Human beings do not realize how much I love them, and that what they are doing is so repulsive in heaven's eyes. Satan uses man's selfishness, self-worship, and self-serving attitudes to propel mankind into rebellion against Me and to hurt others. By willfully choosing to disobey My teachings and to hurt others, individuals express their rejection of Me and reassure their commitment to Self.
The easiest way for Satan to control the world is through man's heart. The heart will receive input from either Light or Darkness. And each individual is given the opportunity to make this choice for themselves and eternity abides by it. This choice is personal. When people choose Light, the laws of the Kingdom of Light will apply in their lives. When they choose Darkness, the laws of the Kingdom of Darkness will apply in their lives. Very simple. Of course, Darkness promises importance, reputation, fame, success, power and wealth but requires from people that they control, manipulate, deceive, and use twisted strategies. But after a human-being dies, he can't take all that fame, power and wealth with him. All people will have left for eternity is their soul. Since I created mankind, the laws of eternity give me the right to pursue the heart of each human-being for as long as they live. I have the right to seek the restoration of our initial relationship. And since My blood sacrifice paid for all sins, all can be restored to this relationship, without having to fear punishment, if anyone chooses to return to Me. But if they persist in remaining with Darkness, I do not have a right to them after they die. They will have to appear before My Throne of judgement and, after this, go with the one whom they have chosen, the one who now owns them.
So, I have been rejected as a Father and another is now their father. I have been denied any say in the lives of those who go their own way. And even when, according to eternity's laws, I am no longer their Father, I still love my creation very deeply and hurt for all who suffer. So, I sneak in Light, grace, and mercy here and there. But I have a unique window of opportunity when those who are faithful to Me, pray or intercede on behalf of the lost. In these instances, the laws of eternity grant me the right to break into a situation to answer those prayers. Since Satan is now the father of those who've rejected Me and chosen him, Satan has the laws of eternity on his side, when it relates to the lost. These laws of eternity do not give Me the right to override human choice. And I am not a thief. So, I will never break My own laws, the laws of heaven, because I am holy, righteous, and just. I am unchanging and My Word stands forever. Therefore, I will not usurp Satan's role as the chosen father.
For me to intervene, my covenant children have to lift up a prayer and submit a request on behalf of the lost, before the Throne of Grace. I am always waiting and ready to act and start the process of turning the heart of a lost soul. Prayer gives me the right to intervene at a greater degree and deeper level in their lives. This is why it is so important for My faithful ones to pray always and intercede for the lost.
It is Self (selfishness and self-centeredness) that causes hatred, arguing, jealousy, anger, contention, and all other evil. At the Fall, man acquired the knowledge of evil. These were sown into the heart of mankind by Satan and it is all that Self knows how to do. Prior to our disobedience, mankind only had knowledge of what was good. Today, once again, My Spirit fills the heart of mankind with good: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These come from the Kingdom of Light. When I am welcomed in, I sow these new seeds and begin to root up the old weeds. And slowly but surely, lives are transformed (Galatians 5: 13-26.)
I love each and every single human-being and it brings Me sorrow to see anyone choose Darkness. I hate the deeds of darkness and evil, because they cause a lot of tragedy and suffering, but I do not hate people. On the contrary, I loved you all so much that I came to earth and died in the flesh to pay the price for everyone's sin. Now, you are free to live fully for Me. The evil nature no longer has a hold on any one who has accepted Me.
I want you to look at every human-being through my eyes. All can be redeemed. All have value. Pray for their salvation. A NOTE FROM JOY: Dear reader, know that you are deeply loved by the One who created you in His image. If you have never before received Jesus Christ (the human appearance of God) as your Savior, God, and King; will you invite Him into your life and heart today? He has been waiting for you for a long time. If so, just click here and read the 4th prayer (the Sample Prayer of Invitation to God.) He will bless you! Recommended Reading:
