accused...

John 7: 7 After this, Jesus traveled around Galilee. He wanted to stay out of Judea, where the Jewish leaders were plotting his death. 2 But soon it was time for the Jewish Festival of Shelters, 3 and Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles! 4 You can’t become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!” 5 For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.
6 Jesus replied, “Now is not the right time for me to go, but you can go anytime. 7 The world can’t hate you, but it does hate me because I accuse it of doing evil. 8 You go on. I’m not going to this festival, because my time has not yet come.” 9 After saying these things, Jesus remained in Galilee.

imagine being Jesus... and your own brothers do not accept who you really are.. they see you with physical eyes and not spiritual... imagine being Jesus all around... everyone hates you.. no one believes you.. you are able to do these amazing things.. and people use you for what they can receive from you.. but they really are underlying haters... do they really hate you/Him.. or is it jealousy of who He is... is it jealousy of His gifts.. is it jealousy that He is the son of God...

I wonder about what Mary might have told Jesus about Himself... would she have explained that He was not Joseph's son? would she have told Him He was God's son? LOL.. imagine telling your kid THAT one!!

but He knew who He was.. He knew His calling.. He knew what was required of Him... He did not allow every one or every thing to get in the way of His purpose.. I have to admit.. sometimes I allow others to get in my way... I don't always walk as I should... I let someone else get the best of me...

Jesus said the world hated Him for accusing it of being evil.. is it possible that this was the true reason for the hate everyone felt for Him.. and what about you? does your life accuse the others that see you of their own wrong... we don't necessarily have to use words to be accusing to someone else... I can say from my own life.. that just yesterday.. someone accused me of wrongdoing with no words at all... I wanted to make excuses about how I feel about someone... and the other person did not argue with me or tell me I'm wrong... she just made me feel as if I should be loving this source of irritation instead of looking at her with annoyance and irritation all the time.. and I was accused... and I was guilty...

the question is.. what do you do when you are accused? I could keep on acting wrong toward this annoying woman.. or I could allow God to help me love her despite my own personal feelings... we often say "what would Jesus do".. but do we walk it out? help me Lord to be better than I am... help me to love others outside of my self.. help me to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh...

I am sorry for the life that Jesus lived.. but I am OH SO thankful that He was willing to live it and give it!!

filthy rags...

Isaiah 64: 3 When you came down long ago, you did awesome deeds beyond our highest expectations. And oh, how the mountains quaked! 4 For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him! 5 You welcome those who gladly do good, who follow godly ways.

But you have been very angry with us,for we are not godly. We are constant sinners; how can people like us be saved? 6 We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind. 7 Yet no one calls on your name or pleads with you for mercy. Therefore, you have turned away from us and turned us over to our sins.

8 And yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand.9 Don’t be so angry with us, Lord. Please don’t remember our sins forever. Look at us, we pray, and see that we are all your people.

I guess any time I get to feeling too full of myself.. I can read this scripture for a reality check..

if I think about how far I have come from where I used to be.. I am looking pretty darn good! I have cleaned up pretty well.. I don't do the things I used to do.. I don't go the places I used to go... I look pretty good!

and I can look at someone else.. who has not done a 180.. maybe they have done a 90 degree turn instead... and I can see that I have come so much further than them... and that is judging... that is deciding where someone else should be in comparison to what I am... who am I in comparision with Christ?? because that is the true comparison... God says that all of my righteous acts are as filthy rags... I act as though my actions or walk makes me righteous...

no... righteousness comes only from God above.. from being covered in the cleansing blood of Christ...

we are all sinful and as filthy rags... we all need to be asking forgiveness daily.. because compared to Christ.. none of us look any too good... one of the things that bother me about new age preaching is the lack of confession of sin that is preached... I agree that God knows us.. He knows all of our rights and all of our wrongs.. He knows our words before they come out of our mouth... does that mean He is all right with it? I don't think so.. I think that daily we need to ask forgiveness so there is no sin between us and God.. every one of us... no one excluded... so even though Christ loves us.. and He does!.. we still need to recognize His righteousness and our lack of it.. and strive toward it.. yet asking forgiveness along the way.. so the lines of communication are open between us and Him...

chosen...

1 Samuel 16: 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
8 Then Jesse told his son Abinadab to step forward and walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “This is not the one the Lord has chosen.” 9 Next Jesse summoned Shimea, but Samuel said, “Neither is this the one the Lord has chosen.” 10 In the same way all seven of Jesse’s sons were presented to Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” 11 Then Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.” “Send for him at once,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.”

12 So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes. And the Lord said, “This is the one; anoint him.”

13 So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.

imagine if we were chosen by what the world thinks of us...

I would never get picked.. almost like the schoolyard games.. if you weren't athletic you never got picked... it always made you want to be someone you are not... seems we never really like ourselves...

yet if we instead look at what God sees in us.. He doesn't look at our athletic ability.. not at our good looks... not at our personality even... He looks at our heart.. and I would believe He also looks at our eyes.. I don't mean our physical eyes.. but instead at our inner eyes.. what we see.. what we think.. the things that tie into our heart...

but I wonder.. when we look at our own heart.. what is it that we see?.. I can look at my heart and see the ugly in me... I wonder often why God would choose me when I am so full of the wrong things... I have come a long way from where I was a few years ago.. but I still battle with being judgemental.. I battle with gossip.. I battle with accepting people when I see a negative on their spirit... so why would God choose me?

for the same reason He chose you.. He sees us for where we are going.. not where we have been.. not where we are now...

Thank you Father.. for choosing us.. thank you.. for seeing us as we will be.. rather than where we have been or where we are..

ready...

Luke 22: 32 But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”
33 Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.”

34 But Jesus said, “Peter, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.”

there are times when we think we are ready or strong enough and yet we really are not... God uses time to prepare us for the things that we have to face in our lives... and we continuously think that we are strong enough.. then the wind will blow and we are weak... it doesn't take very much to make us weak actually.. any time our reality is shaken we become weak... and if the enemy uses deception as his greatest tool.. it is no wonder we fall so easily.. we cannot see past the physical sight of things...

a few years ago.. I really thought I was ready to walk into God's will and purpose for me.. . I felt I really believed what God said to me.. and I was ready to go forward... but God didn't send me forward.. He sent me into the waiting room... as I look back from that time to now.. I see that I would not have lasted against the winds of deception.. I would have become broken and useless.. and all the world would have seen it... I am not sure I am ready now either.. but I know that I am coming to a place where the deception.. the stories.. they don't matter anymore.. if they are true or if they aren't.. they really don't matter because none of the stories change anything God said... so I am to stand on God alone.. and trust in Him.. and walk on the water with Him holding my hand.. no one else.. it is good to have affirmation and confirmation of what God said.. but I think too many times it causes us to become dependent on what man says above what God has said.. then things look ugly or sound wrong.. and we are shaken... sometimes to the place where we turn away... but God is always standing right beside us.. ready to put us back on the right path...

Jesus pleaded in prayer for Peters faith... and I believe He is daily pleading before God for our faith to be strong too.. so that when we repent for our doubts and our fears.. or even wrong doing... God is there.. ready to restore us.. and we are stronger in the Lord because of the situation... I have been shaken and tossed to and fro.. yet the base of what God said to me stands strong in me.. the doubt and the fears are becoming weaker.. the faith in God is becoming stronger... I still can't see how He is going to do it... sometimes I feel as if I have messed things up too much for them to be fixed.. yet I know God's character.. and He knew how many times I would falter and fall before He told me the story... so I also believe He is going to iron out all that I have made a mess of.. and make the path straight again... because Jesus is somewhere before the throne of grace.. pleading on our behalf.. and our faith is becoming stronger because of the trials and tribulations... and I thank God for that!

broken covenant...

Joshua 7: 10 But the Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this? 11 Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. And they have not only stolen them but have lied about it and hidden the things among their own belongings. 12 That is why the Israelites are running from their enemies in defeat. For now Israel itself has been set apart for destruction. I will not remain with you any longer unless you destroy the things among you that were set apart for destruction.
13 “Get up! Command the people to purify themselves in preparation for tomorrow. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Hidden among you, O Israel, are things set apart for the Lord. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you.

how often do we break covenant with God?..

our imagination would be to say that we are faithful to our covenant.. yet are we?

God has set us apart.. we are sacred things of God.. we are to be holy and righteous.. and while we cannot acheive that on our own.. through Christ's blood and sacrifice.. if we are living to the best of our own ability.. God will cleanse and purify us.. but if we are constantly doing things that we know we should not.. do we really expect God to overlook them time and time again?

God will overlook our sins or cover them in Jesus blood.. for a period of time.. then He will highlight them for us.. then we are to turn from them in true repentance... what good is Christ's death if we will not walk in salvation? if we are bound up in sin and depression.. what did the cross really do for us?

I have an issue with my mouth... that God has pointed out to me time and again.. I have asked forgiveness.. and I really intend to turn from it... yet when I feel the nudging of the Spirit.. telling me to be silent... or that the conversation has gone far enough.. I will ignore it.. and plow forward in unrighteous conversation... it doesn't even have to be anything major.. it can just be talking TOO MUCH.. or it can just be not encouraging... what is the point of words that are not encouraging or uplifting??

am I breaking covenant with God in this action? idk.. I would like to say no.. but if I am ignoring the power of God to change me.. how am I walking as One with Him?..

we will never be perfect.. we will never be completely changed.. the key is to DAILY be striving to be more like Christ...

willing to endure...

Matthew 26: 52 “Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword. 53 Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? 54 But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?”
55 Then Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I some dangerous revolutionary, that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there teaching every day. 56 But this is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures.” At that point, all the disciples deserted him and fled.

how much are we really willing to endure for Christ and His purpose or calling? do we have a choice?

do we realize that Christ could have called down the angels to protect Him.. yet He did not..

I have to say.. this particular day.. I would call down some angels if I knew how... if I had that ability...

at that point.. at His lowest moment... all the disciples deserted Him and fled... is that how it happens? does everyone desert us at our hour of greatest need... when we have the hardest time.. does everyone leave us for more sunny skies?

I am feeling like I have endured too much too long.. I am feeling like quitting.. like surely I have been wrong about what I thought.. maybe I was just deceived by the enemy.. maybe I made it all up off desires that I didn't know I had.. maybe my pride is in the middle of all this making me think I am larger than I really am....

Jesus went to the garden of gethsemene right before this took place and three times He called out to God and said that if it was possible.. please take this suffering from Him... but at the end of it.. let His will be done...

I am at the garden myself.. surely there is another way... surely there does not need to be all this suffering... surely I am wrong in what I think or feel or see... yet I still say to God.. let Your will be done.. let it be done unto me as You have said...

this doesn't make me a great person.. not a great example.. not a person of much faith.. not a strong warrior for God... really.. when it comes down to it... when something is from God you have no options.. where do you go that you can get away from God? when we run.. what is it that happens? God comes after us... so the truth of it is... whatever this is.. it is in me like nothing ever has been before.. I have no out.. no back door to run out of... no way to leave... I am weak.. I would leave if I could find the door.. but somehow.. the door is hidden... and so I say to God... whatever is Your will.. let it be done..

stand...

Proverbs 24: 10 If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small.

as I read this scripture.. I would say that we all fail under pressure sometimes... it is easy to say that pressure is what is used to make us and change us... yet it is also what breaks us...

last night at church.. the preacher said that a bone that is broken is stronger than one that has not been broken... that same thing holds true for all of us.. when we have been broken.. we have become stronger.. what we have gone through has made us less likely to fall in that same area... we will not handle things as dramatically the second or third time around... it may still be a struggle but we are already sure that we are coming out the other side...

I think many times we look at things wrong... we look at our weariness over our strength.. if we look back at all we lived through.. we can either look at it and think.. whew.. I cannot do this anymore.. I cannot last even one more day... or we can say... I have already overcome worse things than this... and know we will be victorious...

when you have done all you can.. you just stand...
God will strengthen you.. He will hold your hand as you are waiting for this storm to pass.. He will cover you and protect you in the midst of the rain and wind..