Holy Rant: Peace

God is our peace forever.

Jesus said, "MY peace I give you."  (John 14:27)

Let's testify and have a holy rant about God's peace in us: "My peace in Him CAN'T be removed.  In Him I AM at peace!  He has a covenant of peace with me that won't be removed - He promised.  (Is. 54:10)  His promise of peace for me will never be broken!  His peace not only surrounds me, it's in every fiber of my being and it guards my heart, pushing back every fear and lie and anxiety.  His peace is a wall around me.  I am at peace with God because of the finished work of Christ who took away ALL my sin forevermore, and NOTHING can change that!  Nothing I do, think, say, or feel will ever come between us.  I'm acceptable forever because of Jesus.  HE is my peace!"  

A Thought: Christ is being peaceful in me, holding me in His peace, right now and always.

Holy Rant: Joy

God's joy in us lasts forever.

Jesus said, "You will rejoice, and NO ONE will take away your joy."  (John 16:22)

Let's testify and have a holy rant about the Peace of God that we HAVE forever in Christ: "My joy in Him CAN'T be taken away!  I'm happy in Jesus forever, and that's untouchable.  No circumstance, problem or evil can ever touch my joy in Christ.  It is my permanent possession because it's HIS joy in me.  He looks on me and sees someone He's perfected forever, His dear child and the apply of His eye.  He's happy with what He made - me!  He's smiling at me RIGHT NOW and that is a joy to me!  My Jesus is delighted in me forever and He's sticking with me forever.  Nothing can break that up!  My emotions can go up and down and life can be crazy, but that's all only on the surface.  Under the surface in my spirit is a deep calm joy in HIM!" 

A Thought: His presence in me makes me full of joy!

Being Kind Is Our Nature

You are a kind person.

"As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience."

Colossians 3:12

We all want to be nicer people, but we can all see areas where we are not kind. We may put ourselves down for being selfish or uncaring, rude or judgmental sometimes. But God doesn't see us as selfish and uncaring! He sees us as made in His good image of love and kindness. It's our nature to be kind, even though sometimes we act in the opposite way! We can all think back to a time in early childhood when we showed tenderheartedness and love, whether it was for a beloved pet, a parent or grandparent, or a friend. That is our true self - a little child full of innocent love and sweetness. We are tender-hearted and kind just like our heavenly Dad, and He remembers and sees us that way even if we have forgotten and started to act otherwise! Christ has come to show us who we are as God made us and to fully liberate us to act according to that true, God-given good nature within. Knowing His love for us empowers us to just go out and be ourselves in kindness, generosity, and acceptance towards those around us.

A Thought My heavenly Dad is holding me in His lap right now, reminding me that I'm His good and beloved little child, and that it is my nature to be kind!

At Rest

We are resting in His love.

"My soul finds rest in God alone."

Psalm 62:1

We are at rest in God right now. No matter what the turmoil of our feelings and thoughts, deeper than that is our spirit, resting in God. At our deepest core, we are one with God's Spirit, face to face with Him, being loved and being held, totally at rest. We are resting in Him, having all of His love, favor, and support without having to strive for any of it. There is nowhere to go, nothing to strive for. We are already at the destination and we already have everything. We're not struggling with God and He's not struggling with us. God is at rest in us and we are at rest in God. All is at rest and all is well.

A Thought: No matter what I'm feeling, no matter what I'm thinking, deep down I am always in the most peaceful place of all - God's arms.

The Easy Life

"The Christian life is easy - I just let Him live it."  

Source Unknown

"For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose."

Philippians 2:13

Nobody can live the Christian life.  Nobody but Christ.

We were never meant to live this life on our own, by our efforts, or even with His help.  We were meant to express His life, which means to me that He lives it through us.  It looks like us.  But it's Him flowing through.

The Christian life is easy if I don't have to live it.  It's easy if I don't have to stop sinning on my own power.  It's easy if I don't have to figure out every detail of my life's direction.  It's easy if I don't have to handle my problems.  It's easy if I can rest.  It's easy if He lives it for me, as me.  It looks like me.  But it's Him.

I think we are constantly being brought back to the reality that we can't live this Christ-Life, but that He can and will.  I find He constantly brings me back to looking to Him within to handle every problem, every situation, every temptation, every fear or worry that comes, every decision.

There is nobody in us but HIM.  The evil one isn't there, our sin is dead and gone and not there, the old man isn't there.  He alone fills this cup.  He will pour out!

The Christian life is easy when we let HIM live it!  Because Jesus can handle anything.  Easily!

A Prayer:   Jesus, You will have to handle this life of mine.  Because I see, and You've taught me, that I can't handle it.  Praise You that I was never meant to.  I am not an independent agent, out there to fend for myself.  I am ever linked to You!  Yoked together, we are so ONE in spirit that we're inseparable.  You will have to live this life.  And because we're yoked together, I will be living it too, but we'll both know that I'm only a vessel.  The wine is You.  The Life is You.  You are the One who does it all!

He Carries Me

I used to try to lug around Jesus. Now I see He carries me.

"Throughout your entire journey, until you reached this very place, the Lord your God has carried you just as a parent carries a child."

Deut. 1:31 (CEB)

I used to try to get myself closer to Him or seek to keep Him close.
Now I see He is with me, never to leave.

I used to try to maintain my Christian life and my faith.
Now I see He maintains all in me.

I used to try to keep myself from falling.
Now I see He keeps me.

I used to think this life was all up to me.
Now I see it's all up to Him.

I used to feel so alone in my problems.
Now I see He's with me to handle all my problems.

I used to try so hard to pry my eyes off the storm and onto Jesus.
Now I see He by grace pulls my gaze to Him.

I used to try so hard to get over all my struggles.
Now I see He HAS overcome for me and will manifest that victory.

I used to try to do it all.
Now I see I can trust Him to do it all.

I used to try to walk on the water by myself, all alone.
Now He holds my hand and we walk over the waves together!

A Thought: God takes care of everything.

Sunshiny Day

He wakes us from a dark, rainy night to to a bright, sunshiny day!

"With God on our side like this, how can we lose?" (Rom. 8:31 MSG)

God in His grace has a way of clearing the air, doesn't He?  We learn that all we ever wanted and hoped and often worked for is ours for FREE through Christ's perfect work.  We realize we now have the love and acceptance and freedom and life we've been searching for all our lives.  We find ourselves under the blue sky of God's presence and love!  I think He loves waking us up to what we already have in Christ.  I think He loves seeing us open our eyes to the bright sunshine, realizing we're not in the dark anymore ever again!  I think He loves breaking away every lie to show us we now have God's very Life inside, which automatically trumps every sin, problem, fear, and evil.  We are IN Life and we're never going out!  

A Thought: He has made it an eternal sunshiny day for us in the spiritual realm, where we are seated with Him in the heavenly places forever!

True Self

The True Self, the Real ME, is the inner essential me. It is in solidarity with all my hurting outer parts that ‘act out’ and yet beyond their actions and feelings..caring for all the hurting parts and soothing their fears with love and understanding. The True Self is spirit, always one with Christ's Spirit deep within.

"Though outwardly we are wearing out, inwardly we are renewed day by day."

2 Corinthians 4:16 (GW)

The True Self is the inner self, the spirit, one with God at all times. It is always firm and stable, always seeing Eternal Reality - always seeing the wholeness at the heart of everything, always aware of the good happy ending that is guaranteed to come, always knowing with that deep inner knowing that all is well. This True Self is continually being renewed, always fresh and never depleted, always true and never confused, always calm and never disturbed, always happy and never sad, always loving and good, always connected to God, part of God, made of God, one with God! 

In fact that Real Self is truly part of God’s wonderful Being, caught up as part of Him..our True Self is somehow one with God's Self..they are one!  We are flowing with Him at all times, always at peace, full of joy, part of that great reservoir of love and goodness who is our Papa, the Father of us all, the Source of all that is! 

We are always in perfect harmony with Him in our spirit!  One!  Flowing together as one heart!  No separation, no disturbance, no disagreement!  Right along with Him, we watch the drama of our lives and watch the acting out of all our addictions, struggles, plays for power, fear based mechanisms..and all is accepted, all is loved, nothing is judged 'unacceptable,' no part is rejected, no action is grounds for dismissal..all is loved, all is held, all is accepted, no matter what!  This is the Unconditional Love that we are part of, that we are held by, that we are caught up in, that we truly ARE in our Real Selves, forever!

A Thought: I am one spirit with Christ and that is the deepest and most authentic, real me!

God's Faithfulness

 "The big thing about God is His faithfulness. He never gives up on those He has made in His image. Even when they torture and kill each other, God doesn't give up on them. God continues to try and find us, by any means except force. Consistent and reliable, God never gives up on us completely. That's what history is all about: God's unending waiting for us to return to the Love that created us. Whether we realize it or not, God is with us always in this life and in the life everlasting."

Fred Rogers

"Yet the Lord still waits for you to come to Him so He can show you His love."

Isaiah 30:18 (TLB)

It's so wonderful that He will not give up on us. He is like the prodigal son's father, who never stopped scanning the horizon, watching for his beloved child to come home. He is like the shepherd that never stops searching for the little lost sheep till it is safe in His arms. He is always there, always waiting, always loving, always caring. He is always ready to talk, ready to listen, ready to help, ready to encourage. He will never give up on us. We are never too far gone for Him. We are never too far off from Him. For wherever we wander, He has gone with us. Whichever way we have turned, He is always facing us. He is accepting us at every moment as if we had never been 'away' from Him in our minds or behavior. He keeps on loving us back to healing and sanity, keeps on loving us back to His arms. And we find those arms have been holding us the whole time!

A Thought: His love won't fail us.