Fake vs. True Scriptures: Part 2

Here are more fake "scriptures" I have believed and the true Word that refutes the lies:

Okay, is this in the Bible? - "His punishment leads us to repentance."  NO!  I've often felt that if bad things happened, it must be because I'd backslidden somehow and that awful thing was meant to beat me back into line.  Yet punishments and sufferings aren't the method God really uses to change our minds about Him:  love and grace are what work wonders to soften hearts and change people's minds to believe the truth!  It's been the revelation that He loves me even when I fail that has brought the biggest mind change to me!  The truth is:  "His kindness leads us to repentance."

Here's another one: now what "bible" is this from? -  "Christ was our tutor to bring us to the law."  WHAT?  It almost seems I've believed that the purpose of Christ saving me was for me to be under law, works, behavior modification, and the whole system of self-effort and performance.  But that is just not what scripture says!  Christ didn't come to put us back under the law but to free us from it!  The law had a purpose - it shut up everyone under disobedience in preparation for Christ to come and redeem us.  For the truth is that "The law was our tutor to bring us to Christ," and after we've arrived at Christ, we no longer need a tutor!

Perhaps you've heard this famous "verse" -  "Grace came that sin might abound."  NO!  That's not what it says!  The biggest lie told about grace is the idea that it promotes and stirs up sin.  Grace doesn't stir up sin, it gives us confidence that we're accepted by God no matter what our sin - and that makes us to want to LOVE God and not sin!  Grace empowers us by showing us we're free from sin's hold, and the true righteous identity we've had all along begins to surface.  Thus, grace promotes righteous living, not sin!  And it turns out that law promotes sin:  the strength of sin is the law and by the law is the knowledge of sin. Yet grace super-abounds beyond every sin!  The truth is that while "the law entered that the offense (sin) might abound,"  grace abounded even more and trumped sin.  Praise God for grace!

And lastly, there is this popular "scripture" -  "The law teaches us to live godly in Christ Jesus."  NO WAY!  Boy, have I lived as if this were true, that the way to live a pleasing life before God was to learn what to do and try to do it - but that's law, pure and simple.  Hearing commands to do something (or else) does not bring about a godly lifestyle.  It's grace that sets the heart free to soar in godliness, for grace shows us we're accepted as we are and frees us to trust Christ to live in us the godly life only He can live!  The truth is that "Grace teaches us to live godly in Christ Jesus."

I am so thankful to God for the way He refutes lies with His truth! It's liberating to find out the wonderful truth after living under the fearful burden of lies for so long.. The good news is REALLY good!

                          With love,

You Will Be Safe In His Arms

I love this song by Phil Wickham.  We are safe in His arms forever.  That's what grace tells us.  Nothing and noone can ever take us out of those arms.  We're safe, secure, cradled, held, accepted, loved...

He's Good..

God is so beautiful and good to us!

He wants never to harm us but always to show us His care.

He only wants to wrap His arms around us and hold us to Him.

He has no agenda, no expectations, only love to give us - freely.

He's so good to us!

Fake vs. True Scriptures: Part 1

Honestly, sometimes it seems that some of the beliefs I have held have been the exact opposite of what is actually in the Bible.  It's almost like I have had in my mind a set of "fake" scriptures that I have believed without realizing it.  Even though I have known the true scriptures from memory, I have lived as if the "fake" scriptures were true.  Here are some of the erroneous beliefs I've had and the true Word of God that refutes the lies:

Sometimes I've seemed to believe this "scripture": "God goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom He may devour."  WHAT?  The way I have seen God has often been as a mean God, looking for ways to punish me or cause me hardship.  Yet God is Perfect Love, and Love "does no harm"!  He would never want to harm us.  The truth is that though "Satan goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour,"  Christ came to give us abundant life!

Here's another lie I've believed as if it were scripture:  "Noone can pluck you out of evil's (Satan's) hand."  NO, NO, NO!  I have given far too much credit to the evil one and assumed there's no way to escape evil.  Yet Satan is a defeated foe, and God has given us all authority over him, so that nothing will harm us!  We're actually safe in God's hand.  The truth according to Jesus is that "Noone can pluck you out of My Father's hand."

Does this "verse" sound familiar?  "His mercy lasts only a moment, but His anger endures forever."  THAT"S not Biblical!  At times my prevalent view of God has been that of a disappointed and irritated sovereign, and it has been hard for me to sense His smile upon me.  I seemed to focus more on the anger than the love, for I thought He was all about behavior, and since my behavior was so lacking, well, it was hard to imagine Him looking kindly on me.  Yet the truth is that the anger of God against sin consumed that sin on the cross in one cosmic moment and He has only love and kindness for me, only grace!   The truth then:  "His anger lasts only a moment, but His mercy endures forever."

More to come in Part 2...

                    With love,

You're Not Alone

God reminded me of this song recently - I think He speaks these words to every hurting heart.  Thank You, dear Father, for bringing us through the dark times and for never leaving us!  Your love is never-ending and Your acceptance is like refreshing rain to our dusty souls!  We are never alone...never forsaken...never rejected...never forgotten...We are always loved...always held...always carried...always accepted...

You're Not Alone

I search for love
When the night came and it closed in
I was alone
but you found me where I was hiding
and though I'll never ever be the same
It was the sweetest voice that called my name
singing

You're not alone
For I am here
let me wipe away every fear
My love I've never left your side
I have seen you through the darkest night
and I'm the one that's loved you all your life
All of your life

You cry yourself to sleep
cause the hurt is real
and the pain cuts deep
All hope seems lost
With heartache your closest friend
and everyone else long gone

You've had to face the music on your own
but there is a sweeter song that calls you home
sayin'

You're not alone
For I am here
let me wipe away your every tear
My love I've never left your side
I have seen you through the darkest nights
And I'm the one that's loved you all your life
All your life

Faithful and true... Forever
For my love will carry you....

                                                          Meredith Andrews

We Live In The "Nevertheless"

 "Thus my heart was grieved, And I was vexed in my mind.
 I was so foolish and ignorant; I was like a beast before You.

 Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand.

 You will guide me with Your counsel, And afterward receive me to glory."                                               Ps. 73:21-4


These verses came to mind recently, and what I think God showed me through them is that we live in the "nevertheless" - no matter what circumstances, problems, other people or our own thoughts and feelings say, no matter how many times we mess up, nevertheless we are CONTINUALLY WITH HIM - Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

Our outer words and feelings may be saying, "I feel inadequate, I think I'm alone, I seem like a failure, I feel like a second-class Christian compared to some," and yet He has caused our spirit, in union with His Spirit, to be saying, "I KNOW He is in me, I KNOW I am complete in Him."  His Spirit rises up in us and keeps proclaiming the truth, proclaiming the nevertheless.  And that's where we really live.  Not in the feelings, the doubts, the worries, and the supposed inadequacies.  We live in the nevertheless of His life in us.  He holds on to us and is always in us as that nevertheless reality.

He holds us, not the other way around.  If we have to hold on to Him, all is unsure.  If He holds on to us, we're safe forever.  Another verse in Hosea says the same thing to me:  "I''ll ...neither leave you nor let you go" (Hos. 2:20, MSG).  I love that.  No matter what, nevertheless, He is still with us and we are still with Him!  In perfect and intimate union!

He never leaves us and He never lets us leave Him, and the way He has done that is by weaving us together in the new birth so that His seed is in us and He is our nature, our spiritual DNA, and our very Life itself.  The new creation is melded spirit to Spirit, that's just how we are made.  Losing Him would be like losing our DNA - it's impossible, for it's in every cell of the body, it's what makes us who we are, for it's our identity!

Christ is our inner true identity!  He's in us forevermore!  And we are complete and full in Him, not lacking in any way, for we have ALL of the Spirit of Christ, not just some of Him or part of Him.  He is holding on to us and proclaiming the truth of this reality in and through us.  We are CONTINUALLY WITH HIM.  No matter what, no matter how we feel or act or seem to look, nevertheless, that's the truth!

These are just some thoughts that have helped me lately!  I hope they can be an encouragement to you too..


                       With love, 

The Room of Grace

John Lynch has a message he gives on the Room of Good Intentions vs. the Room of Grace.  In my own past experience, I thought Christianity was a place of me trying to do the best I could (with God's help of course).  I lived in the realm of good intentions and regret, promises made and broken, and self-effort and failure for most of my Christian life.   What a relief when God showed me that Christianity isn't a place of self-effort to get or stay on God's good side (law) but a place where we are unconditionally loved and accepted for free (grace).  I always felt that God was not pleased with me, that He was demanding more from me, that He was disappointed with me, that He was pointing out my need for improvements, that He felt I wasn't good enough.  Yet God was looking on me with love, acceptance and grace the whole time, seeing me as righteous as His Son.  John Lynch shares God's true heart toward us so well in this quote from the book TrueFaced (thanks to Julie of Jewelz Sightings for sending this quote to me):

"We discover in The Room of Grace that the almost unthinkable has happened.  God has shown all of His cards.  He reveals a breathtaking protection that brings us out of hiding.  In essence, God says.......

'What if I tell them who they are?  What if I take away any element of fear in condemnation, judgment or rejection?  What if I tell them I love them, will always love them?  That I love them right now, no matter what they've done, as much as I love my only Son?  That there's nothing they can do to make my love go away?"

'What if I tell them there are no lists?  What if I tell them I don't keep a log of past offenses, of how little they pray, how often they've let me down, made promises they don't keep?  What if I tell them they are righteous, with my righteousness, right now?  What if I tell them they can stop beating themselves up?  That they can stop being so formal, stiff, and jumpy around me?  What if I tell them I'm crazy about them? ...

   
'What if I tell them that if I am their Savior, they're going to heaven no matter what - it's a done deal?  What if I tell them they have a new nature - saints, not saved sinners who should not 'buck-up and be better if they were any kind of Christians, after all he's done for you!  What if I tell them that I actually live in them now?  That I've put my love, power, and nature inside of them, at their disposal?  What if I tell them that they don't have to put on a mask?  That it is ok to be who they are at this moment, with all their junk.  That they don't need to pretend about how close we are, how much they pray or don't, how much Bible they read or don't.  What if they knew they don't have to look over their shoulder for fear if things get too good, the other shoes gonna drop?"

'What if they knew I will never, ever use the word punish in relation to them?  What if they knew that when they mess up, I will never get back at them?  What if they were convinced that bad circumstances aren't my way of evening out the score for taking advantage of me? What if they knew the basis of our friendship isn't how little they sin, but how much they let me love them?  ...

'What if I tell them there is no secret agenda, no trapdoor?  What if I tell them it isn't about their self-effort, but about allowing me to live my life though through them?'"

                                          

                               from the book TrueFacedby John Lynch

What If?

"What if we've got it all wrong about God in the modern church world? What if He is nothing like we've imagined Him to be? What if the most basic understandings we have about His nature, His personality and His approach to us completely misses the point?

What if God the Father didn't send Jesus the Son to come alone to earth so that the Father could vent His anger over sin against the Son instead of us, but instead so that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit could together come to deal a death blow against sin in order to free us from its grip before it caused us to waste away into eternal nothingness?

What if the work of Jesus on the cross wasn't to change God's mind about you, but to change your mind about God?

What if God isn't nearly as concerned about what you're doing or not doing as He is about how you see and understand Him?

What if God is smiling as He looks at you right now and you could never do anything to wipe that smile off His face?

What if the coming of Jesus wasn't God's reaction to Adam's sin, but was carrying out a plan that had been made long before Adam was even created?

What if the primary characteristic of who God is has nothing to do with being a judge, but has everything to do with being a gentle, loving, Father?

What if you could never cause God to become angry or even disappoint Him?

What if you didn't need more faith, but only need to depend on Jesus to express His faith on your behalf?

What if you were the child God always wanted?

What if fulfilling God's plan for your life didn't depend on you at all?

What if God loved Muslims and atheists and homosexuals as much as He loves you?

What if you were a part of the inner circle of love shared by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

What if?"


                                                            Steve McVey

                    

No Mixed Messages With God

After we have just sinned and fallen flat on our face, what does God say to us?

Does He say, "I love you, but I'm so disappointed with you" - ?
Does He say, "I love you, but you need to do better" - ?
Does He say, "I love you, but you've irritated Me" - ?
Does He say, "I love you, but we need to work on this area" - ?
Does He say, "I love you, but I'm going to send bad circumstances on you because of that sin in order to teach you a lesson" - ?
Does He say, "I love you, but now we're out of fellowship" - ?
Does He say, "I love you, but you need to rededicate yourself to Me" - ?
Does He say, "I love you, but you need to confess, repent, show contrition in order to get My forgiveness - ?
Does He say, "I love you, but you're not "right" with Me and you need to do something to get "right" with Me again - ?
Does He say "I love you, but you need to do something to get back on My good side" - ?
Does He say, "I love you, but I won't answer your prayers because you've got sin in your life" - ?

OR -
Does He say, "What sin?  The cross took away ALL your sins and as I have promised, "your sins and your iniquities I will remember NO MORE" - !
And also, "I love you, I love you, I love you, with no BUT's" - !

With God, there is no BUT!  There is no "I love you, BUT"...It's just, "I love you."

It's not, "You're loved, but I'm disappointed in you."
It's not, "You're accepted, but you better shape up."
It's not, "You're in union, but you're out of fellowship."
It's not, "You're forgiven, but I'm sending punishment on you."

I have struggled with each of those ideas so many times.  And yet, God keeps reminding me that those statements make NO SENSE in light of who He really is - LOVE!  He is 100% pure love, perfect love, all the time, and ALL He says is from a heart of REAL LOVE.  Would PERFECT LOVE say any of those things I listed above?  Would UNCONDITIONAL LOVE say them?  NO!  God sees, loves and relates to us based not on our character or works, but based on His character of Perfect Love and based on His works that He did in Christ.  Since the way He relates to us is based solely on Him and the finished work of Christ, nothing we are or nothing we do will change that!  We're not in the loop at all!  Therefore we are safe in this love!

Going back to my list at the top, I truly believe the following statements express His heart toward us:
"I love you, and you will NEVER be a disappointment to Me."
''I love you, no improvements necessary."
"I love you, and you never irritate or anger Me - I've sworn never to be angry with you or rebuke you."
"I love you, and I take you as you are without the requirement to change - you're not under law, but under grace."
"I love you, and I will never punish you for your sins - Christ took all punishment for them already."
"I love you, and I never send calamity on you because of your sin, I send only good and perfect gifts."
"I love you, and we'll never be out of fellowship, for you and I are ONE spirit!"
"I love you, and Christ has dedicated you to me (sanctified you) forever!"
"I love you, and all your sins, past, present and future are already forgiven through the cross - there's nothing you need to do to get that forgiveness, for it's already yours.
"I love you, and Christ has made you right with Me by His works and not your own, so your sins don't change that status."
"I love you, and no matter how many times you sin, you're always in My favor - for it's based on Christ's performance, not yours."
"I love you, and I will always answer your prayers, for I always hear the cries of the righteous and that's you, since I have given you MY righteousness!

There's not a single qualifier attached to God's love and acceptance of us, ever.  God says, "I love you" with no strings attached!  He says, "You're accepted, you're in union, you're forgiven, you're loved," and that's it!  There is no "I love you, BUT.."  I am so thankful that with God, there are NO mixed messages!

                     Love to all from

What Really Matters Is LOVE

What is it that really matters?  It's not perfect knowledge, it's not signs and wonders, it's not correct doctrine, it's not service or even evangelism, it's not social justice, it's not ethics - all that really matters is just knowing Christ, the One who is LOVE.  

When you know LOVE, LOVE is going to flow.  It's going to flow all over you and start healing your hurt spots, it's going to start healing your relationships, it's going to start healing the world.  Because LOVE isn't an it, it's a HIM - it's Christ.  

He is love, He is everything, and knowing Him is everything.  His being is to love.  His nature is to care for others.  His life is just loving.  And He is in us, we're one with LOVE.  So let's be loved.  And love will flow all over our world.. 

             In Him who is LOVE,

Poem for a Perfect June Day

To me, a perfect day in June reminds me of the new creation, what we have in our spirits right now in union with God.  With Him right now inside, where our spirit and His are joined as one, all is well, all is light, all is perfect springtime, all is life, all is growing, all is beautiful, all is clear blue skies and joy, all is acceptance, all is love!  That's the "grace place" where we live forever with Him!

 

"And what is so rare as a day in June?

Then, if ever, come perfect days;

Then Heaven tries earth if it be in tune,

And over it softly her warm ear lays;

Whether we look, or whether we listen,

We hear life murmur, or see it glisten;

Every clod feels a stir of might,

An instinct within it that reaches and towers,

And, groping blindly above it for light,

Climbs to a soul in grass and flowers....

 

"Now is the high-tide of the year,

And whatever of life hath ebbed away

Comes flooding back with a ripply cheer,

Into every bare inlet and creek and bay;

Now the heart is so full that a drop overfills it,

We are happy now because God wills it;

No matter how barren the past may have been,

'Tis enough for us now that the leaves are green;

We sit in the warm shade and feel right well

How the sap creeps up and the blossoms swell;

 

"We may shut our eyes but we cannot help knowing

That skies are clear and grass is growing;

The breeze comes whispering in our ear,

That dandelions are blossoming near,

That maize has sprouted, that streams are flowing,

That the river is bluer than the sky,

That the robin is plastering his house hard by;

And if the breeze kept the good news back,

For our couriers we should not lack;

We could guess it all by yon heifer's lowing,-

And hark! How clear bold chanticleer,

Warmed with the new wine of the year,

Tells all in his lusty crowing!

 

"Joy comes, grief goes, we know not how;

Everything is happy now,

Everything is upward striving;

'Tis as easy now for the heart to be true

As for grass to be green or skies to be blue,-

'Tis for the natural way of living:

Who knows whither the clouds have fled?

In the unscarred heaven they leave not wake,

And the eyes forget the tears they have shed,

The heart forgets its sorrow and ache...

                                                James Russell Lowell

 

Our Rhododendrons

I wanted to share a photo of our rhododendrons.  I'm not much of a green thumb, so when one of our plants look this good, let's just say it's cause for celebration!

Spirit vs. Soul Part 2

I read this quote and liked it a lot.  Here Norman Grubb helps me understand the difference between soul and spirit:

"In simple terms, in our spirits we love, by our soul-emotions and body-actions we express our love.  In spirit we are “knowers”.  Through soul we express our knowledge by our reasoning faculty.  (Peter exemplifies the relationship between those two when he says we give “a reason for the hope that is in us.”)  So soul and body are the only precious means by which we—our spirit and God’s Spirit by us—can express ourselves.  Spirit in the union is stillness, for the universal is always still. (“Be still and know that I am God.”)  This is the still small voice by which God spoke to Elijah.  Spirit can be compared to the sea, which is a still source of power.  The soul is like the waves which dash about as the expression of that power.  The power is in the sea, not in the waves. 
 

"So our danger and problem, till we are awakened to it, is to mistake the surges of the waves (soul-emotions) for the unmoved and still centre (spirit).  We get into trouble when we mistake the variable emotions of the soul for our still spirit centre....The Scripture in Hebrews also compares soul and spirit to “the thoughts and intents of the heart.”  Intents are our spirit—the fixed purposes of the heart.  Thoughts are our soul-varied opinions about the intents."

                                                         Norman Grubb
                                                        (from A Spirit-Soul Understanding)

          

It is such a relief to know we are who we are in our spirit, not what we sometimes feel or think in our soul.  We can celebrate the new creation selves God made us to be in our spirit, that's so important.  Our soul's feelings, hurts and struggles can be something to be honest about and even share about and maybe work through, but it's such a blessing to always "return to our spirit" where all is well and peaceful and we are new, healed, complete, whole, and not in struggle or pain or sorrow.  I love Norman Grubb's description of the soul and spirit as similar to waves and deep sea.  The soul thoughts and feelings are like waves dashing against the shore, but the spirit is like the depths of the sea, calm and still and unmoved.  I am so glad my spirit is one with His and all is well there.  So it's good to know we can focus on spirit, and that we can acknowledge the soul thoughts and feelings from time to time as needed, always remembering our place of rest in our spirit one with His.  We can see and admit our feelings and yet remember the spirit reality in the midst of them.

These are just some of the things I've been pondering lately that have really encouraged me...

                         With love from

Spirit vs. Soul

I read a really good quote recently ("From A Spirit-Soul Understanding") by Norman Grubb:

"It is easy to be drawn strongly by some outward desire of the heart and to seem hapless against it.  But in my spirit centre, where God is, I know my real desire is His will and He keeps His firm hold on me.  A friend recently wrote of a strong desire for a certain thing:  'But in this I felt myself kept.  This keeping made me angry at times, because I wanted to have my own way and I knew I could not.  I knew that it could never be because it wasn't what the real me wanted.'  Spirit and soul!"

When I first read this, I thought, "yeah right."  This sure doesn't seem to happen to me.  It seems I follow my feelings into sin all the time without being able to stop.  Yet here was someone saying that their feelings wanted to go a certain selfish way, yet they themselves couldn't go that way because something was keeping them from doing so, from following those feelings.  It didn't seem true in my experience - that is, until I experienced it!

Only a day or two after I read this quote, that very thing described above happened to me!  I was having very irritable feelings and just thinking, "Oh well, I'm in a foul mood and have to just go with that"...and the next thing you know, I'm feeling fine, peaceful and loving again!  I did nothing!  I decided nothing!  It was all HIM!   It was the most gentle and beautiful thing!  It was like the rising tide that inundates the shore.  He rises up inside us and overcomes the evil thoughts and feelings with a will stronger than any feeling or thought.  The real us doesn't want to sin but only chooses love.  That's His nature within us and He will keep us!  Amazing!

Another quote from the same article:  "I totally enjoy the fact that He has me safely in hand, with the surges of the negatives temporarily flooding in, and spirit winning its battles over soul and body diversions so that I am 'kept by the power of God' and 'having all sufficiency in all things, abound unto every good work.'"  (Norman Grubb)

It reminds me of the New Covenant promise:  "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them ."  (Ezek. 36:26-27)  It's wonderful and such a relief that He will CAUSE us to walk in His ways.  I'm so glad He's taking care of what I could never handle - my walk!  Grace means God does it all and we rest in Him!

                                 With love,

Walking by Grace

In the past I've spent a lot of time focused on my "Christian Walk." I can still stress about my behavior and wish it were better, that's just the honest truth.  But focusing on my behavior is just law, law, law.  I've been down that road before and it's an absolute dead end.  Focusing on improvement, on getting rid of sin and on what I'm supposed to do only stirs up more sin.  I don't think that's what the scriptures on our "walk" are talking about at all.  I think they are talking about walking not in law but in grace, that is, not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

I've noticed the scriptures that talk about "walking" seem to focus on walking in what's already true.  For example, there are scriptures that say, "Walk as children of light", Walk in love," Walk as wise people," "Walk in Him," Walk worthy," "Walk in wisdom," "Walk in truth," "Walk in newness of life."  It's already true that we are children of light, filled with love, the wisdom of God, in Christ, worthy by His blood, of the truth, and alive and new in Him.  So we just walk in what's really true.  That's the obedience of faith to me, just believing what's true about you and God.

So how do we walk?  Do we obsess about our behavior?  Do we focus on what we ought to be doing, or ought not to be doing?  Or do we simply look at Him and rejoice in what He's already made us?  That's it!  We don't look at our behavior; we look at Him.  We set our minds on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, where our life is hidden with God in Christ.  We live out of THAT place!  Walking, though it "seems" to be focused on actions, is really focused on resting in Him.  As you have received Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.  That's the rest of faith.  The rest of faith isn't lazy or inactive; it's energizing and world-transforming!

Our walk is a grace walk!  So...Walk in the love and acceptance of God.  Walk knowing you're in His favor.  Knowing He's present in you, and that you're in union with Him always.  Knowing He's done all the work and has made you perfect before Him through Christ - right with Him, accepted by Him, complete in Him, reconciled to Him, loved by Him.  Walk knowing you're not under law, rules and requirements.  Walk knowing the flesh and its passions are crucified and that the old self is dead.  Walk knowing you're a new, righteous, worthy, loving, wise creation.  Walk knowing He's in you and that He's your life - you live by Him.  Walk knowing it's "He living out of me."  To me, that's walking by grace!

                   With love from

You Are So Beautiful

You are so beautiful
To me
You are so beautiful
To me
Can't you see
You're everything I hoped for
You're everything I need
You are so beautiful
To me
                                                     Joe Cocker


Behold, you are beautiful, my love;
   behold, you are beautiful;             
                                                    Song of Songs 1:15

The Lord your God is with you;
   the mighty One will save you.
He will rejoice over you.
   You will rest in his love;
   he will sing and be joyful about you." 
                                                      Zeph. 3:17

 
He's singing to you today that special love song that's just for you...

Your Love Broke Through

Like a foolish dreamer,
Trying to build a highway to the sky
All my hopes would come tumbling down,
And I never knew just why
Until today, when You pulled away the clouds
That hung like curtains on my eyes
Well I've been blind all these wasted years
And I though I was so wise
But then You took me by surprise

All my life I've been searching
For that crazy missing part
And with one touch, You just rolled away
The stone that held my heart
And now I see that the answer
Was as easy, as just asking you in
And I am so sure I could never doubt
Your gentle touch again
It's like the power of the wind

Like waking up from the longest dream,
How real it seemed
Until your love broke through
I've been lost in a fantasy,
That blinded me
Until Your love broke through

There is nothing in the whole wide world
That means this much to me
In Your love I have found the truth
And truth has set me free
Now I'm feeling like a barefoot child
Dancing in the sun
Unafraid I can face each day
Because of what You've done
Now my life has just begun!
                                                    Keith Green, Randy Stonehill

Today is my spiritual birthday, the anniversary of the day that Jesus drew me to Himself and I was born anew to walk in newness of life - His Life which is now mine!

Thank You, Lord, for making me a new creation, giving me Your righteousness, and giving me Your very life - I am so thankful to be in union with You, the One who loves me and accepts me as I am, forever!

This song is my "birthday" song.  When I first heard it many years ago, I thought it expressed so beautifully what regeneration feels like - it's like waking up from a bad dream (that seemed so real) and beginning life FOR REAL!  It's His love that breaks through and awakens us to life in Him!  And I think it also describes how I felt when as a believer trying to live under law, God "awakened" me to the fact that I am now under grace! 

Let's celebrate the Grace-gift of His life, freely given!

                          With love from

The Secret of All Secrets

"Secret of all secrets:  It is not how we keep hold of Him that can slip, but He has taken such a tight hold of us, and so joined Himself to us - Spirit with spirit - that His union with us remains a fact no matter how we slip, deviate or even sin.  He never changes His choice of us.  So we walk in recognition of that fact, even when the devil or our friends or we ourselves point an accusing finger at us and say, "How can you be a manifestation of the indwelling Christ, when you are such a failure?"  But, it is a lie and we learn to refuse false condemnations." 
                                                                Norman Grubb

I Love You Just The Way You Are

To me, this song has grace written all over it!  I think it describes so well how He feels about us and what He's saying (singing) to us.  The lyrics:

Don't go changing, to try and please me
You never let me down before
Don't imagine you're too familiar
And I don't see you anymore

I wouldn't leave you in times of trouble
We never could have come this far
I took the good times, I'll take the bad times
I'll take you just the way you are

Don't go trying some new fashion
Don't change the color of your hair
You always have my unspoken passion
Although I might not seem to care

I don't want clever conversation
I never want to work that hard
I just want someone that I can talk to
I want you just the way you are.

I need to know that you will always be
The same old someone that I knew
What will it take till you believe in me
The way that I believe in you.

I said I love you and that's forever
And this I promise from the heart
I could not love you any better
I love you just the way you are. 

                                                   Billy Joel

Soul Whisperer

Lying voice:  You are lacking.
God's whisper:  You are complete in Christ.

Lying voice:  You are dirty, sinful and wicked.
God's whisper:  You are 100% clean and righteous.

Lying voice:  Those evil thoughts and selfish feelings come from you.
God's whisper:  Those good and loving desires come from you.

Lying voice:  You've messed up too much to be used by God.
God's whisper:  You are a vessel of glory!

Lying voice:  Bad things will happen to you because you sinned.
God's whisper: No punishment is left for you; Jesus took it all!

Lying voice:  You're not good enough.
God's whisper:  You're perfect in Christ.

Lying voice:  You're not faithful enough to be blessed.
God's whisper:  You're already blessed with every spiritual blessing.

Lying voice:  You can't overcome your problems.
God's whisper:  You have already overcome.

Lying voice:  You're ugly to God.
God's whisper:  You're beautiful and flawless.

Lying voice:  You're just one of millions, unimportant to Him.
God's whisper:  You're special and highly favored.

Lying voice:  He's angry with you and rebukes you.
God's whisper: I have sworn never to be angry or rebuke you.

Lying voice:  He could be harsh.
God's whisper:  A bruised reed I will not break.

Lying voice:  He's pointing out your sins, bringing them up.
God's whisper:  Your sins I will remember NO MORE!

Lying voice:  You must do better, try harder, work to measure up.
God's whisper:  Jesus did His best for you, you stand in that.

Lying voice:  You're condemned.
God's whisper:  You're accepted in the Beloved.

Lying voice:  You're a failure.
God's whisper:  You're perfected forever.

Lying voice:  You're always a loser.
God's whisper:  You're more than a conqueror, always led in triumph!

He is so good to whisper truth into our spiritual ears!  His truth sets us free from the influence of lies.  No matter what we hear from our own feelings, other people, or the enemy, it's His word that whispers of true reality. 

                                  Love,

Self-Rejection Contradicts the Sacred Voice

"Over the years, I have noticed that the greatest trap in our life is not success, popularity or power, but self-rejection.  Success, popularity and power can indeed present a great temptation, but their seductive quality often comes from the way they are part of the much larger tempatation to self-rejection.

"When we have come to believe the voices that call us worthless, unlovable, then success, popularity and power are easily perceived as attractive solutions.  The real trap, however, is self rejection...Self rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us 'the beloved.'  Being beloved constitutes the core truth of our existence."

                                                           Henri Nouwen


Satan wants us feeling terrible about ourselves.  He wants us to feel that we're terrible and rotten people, failures, worthless.  These thoughts heap shame and condemnation on us and they are LIES!  We can't speak of God's holy, precious children - US - in that way!  He has made us beautiful, righteous, perfect, and pleasing in His sight.  The sacred voice overwhelms and drowns out all other voices and tells us we are BELOVED!  We can hold our heads high because we are beautiful to Him by grace through Jesus Christ!

                  Love to all from

There Is NO "Grace, But.."

My blogging friend Lydia of Joy To Be Me blog once wrote a post on how there is no "Grace, BUT.."  (You can read her wonderful thoughts here.)  Here are my own thoughts on the very same thing:

Why do people sometimes think in terms of "Yes, Grace is true, BUT..."?  Why do we add to the perfect, finished work of Christ to make us RIGHT with God?  Why do we put some religious qualifier at the end of the work of God called Grace?  People sometimes say, "Yes, Grace is true, BUT we mustn't give license to sin.  Yes, Grace is true, BUT we have to live holier lives.  Yes, Grace is true, BUT we need to focus on avoiding sin more.  Yes, Grace is true, BUT we must teach on God's wrath.  Yes, Grace is true, BUT I still have to improve myself.  Yes, Grace is true, BUT God is still dealing with my sins.  Yes, Grace is true, BUT I have to do something to be worthy to receive it.  Yes, Grace is true, BUT I have to do my part.  Yes, Grace is true, BUT not for me."  I have struggled with thinking some of those things myself.  And yet...

There is NO qualifier to God's grace!  It stands on its own, pure and radical and true!  No strings are attached or it wouldn't be GRACE!  There is nothing we have to do to add to it or get it, or it wouldn't be GRACE!  It's free acceptance and unconditional love given to us!  It's crazy!  It's amazing!  It's too good to be true, yet it IS true...we are loved and accepted and forgiven for FREE through the work of Jesus, a work He did once and for all, a work that is now finished.  How can we add to His complete work?  It's perfect and stands for all time.

Because Grace is true, we are free to fail and still be "in."  Because Grace is true, we are holy NOW.  Because Grace is true, we are FREE from sin and never separate from God!  Because Grace is true, there is no wrath on us EVER!  Because Grace is true, we are better than improved - we are NEW!  Because Grace is true, God is finished dealing with our sins FOREVER!  Because Grace is true, we don't have to be "worthy!"  Because Grace is true, we need do NOTHING!  Because Grace is true, it is true for ALL of us, even you, even me.

If we even add one little qualifier or "but" to Grace, what we are really doing is adding in Law.  And we know what that does!  Law only stirs up and points out sin.  Law can never make anything righteous.  Grace is the ONLY way to have the righteousness before God that we all want.  And we already have that righteousness for free, as a gift, by Grace!  We have no need for Law, then.  Christ's work was complete and sufficient to give us exactly what we need for free - real Life in a perfect, wonderful, intimate relationship with God!

It's like the scene in Back To The Future when Doc is about to take Marty to the future and says, "Where we are going, we don't NEED roads!"  We don't need the road of the law to guide us when we are already at our destination, soaring in the heavenlies with Jesus!  We don't need pathways to walk on when we can fly!  That stuff would only distract and keep us from the joy of experiencing the freedom we already have!  There is NO such thing as Grace, But..

Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God's grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily. Gal. 2:21.

Law isn't the gospel.  Grace is.  I'm sticking with Grace!  And there are just no "But's" about it!

                                With love,

Son-conscious, Not Sin-conscious!

(I can get confused and start looking at self and seeing my failures sometimes, and that does nothing good at all.  Jesus is so good to bring my eyes back to Him and all He's done for me.  So here's a little talk with myself about that very thing:)

Let's forget about sin!  Let's forget about trying to avoid it, resist it, get rid of it, or stop it in our lives!  Jesus took it all to the cross, and all our sins, past, present and future have been done away with at the cross!  They have been taken away (John 1:29) by the Lamb of God.  They have been brought down to the grave along with our old sin-natured selves and they did not rise!  They are gone, erased, eradicated, and thrown away.  God has said He will never remember them again!  So let's forget about sin..He's brought us to life with Christ as brand new, sinless, perfect, righteous, blameless creations in Him with His very righteous nature and life as our own - now there's something to think about - Jesus the Son, our Life!

Let's enjoy Jesus Christ!  He has come into us, never to leave us!  He is not just our companion for the journey, not just someone nice to have around in a pinch - He is our very Life!  He is the very source and center of who we are.  He is our spiritual point of origin from which all flows in this spiritual life.  Our spirits are in union with His forever - forever!  We're alive in Him!  Alive with the uncreated life, alive with resurrection life, alive with the life that conquered death, Satan, sin and hell and REIGNS forevermore!  Alive with the Life that is Love in a Person.  That's the life that is our very center now - it's Him loving us forever and being love in us forever!  Talk about a wonderful relationship - we are in union with Someone who will always be on our side, who will always see the good in us, who will always accept us, who will always speak kindly to us.  Someone who will never leave, never reject us, never treat us coldly or harshly.  Someone who will do nothing but LOVE in and through us! 

We celebrate Life today - we celebrate the Son today and all He is and has done for us!

                With love from

New Filly at Dad's Farm

Here's the beautiful horse at my parent's farm and her new filly!  Aren't they beautiful?  Just had to post some pictures of the horses.  Our family loves the new foal.  In these pictures she's about 3 weeks old.

The Gift of Freedom

Being totally free from all requirements before God (free from the law) is the only way to ever live from your real desires deep in your new heart.  When we find we can do whatever we want and God will still be there, that no sin we commit will ever cause Him to reject us (we are truly secure with Him - this is my favorite part of being free from the law - no matter what we do, there is no condemnation or punishment or rejection), we are finally free to ask ourselves, "What do I really want to do?"

The answer is so surprising and good.  When I look in my heart after God overwhelms me again with the good news of grace, how I'm accepted freely forever, no matter what, completely secure, what do I see in that heart?  I see the desires that come from my new nature (which is Christ's very nature at the center of my being).  I see the desire to be with Him and be loved by Him.  I see the desire to love others into grace too.  I see so many beautiful things naturally coming out.  And they come out not because I have to do those things, but because I want to.  And that makes all the difference!  We always find it easy to do just what we want!  And we can't know just what we want until all restraints on us are removed!

Sometimes it can seem scary to live in our freedom.  We might be used to being told just what to do, so used to the fear of punishment being a motivator, so used to thinking our hearts are wicked and can't be trusted, so used to thinking that without rules we'll go "wild."  Yet we can trust Christ in us never to desire evil.  Noone ever has to tell Christ what to do or try to keep Him in line. His desire is always to love, and that's the desire God has put within us by making Christ our very Life.  The love of Christ compels us from within and manifests itself as our own desire to love!   Rules and requirements and laws would only tie us down; we don't need them at all since we've got HIM!

We can step out of the open door of the cage and fly free, as we've always wanted to do.  We, the children of the Loving One, never wanted anything other than to love - it's the real desire of our new heart.  He's set us completely free to follow that very desire and to soar!  "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery" (Gal. 5:1).

                         With love from

One Thing I Love About Grace

One of the wonderful things I love about grace is that it's always there, working in good ways no matter what.  It's grace that shines light in our darkness, clears up our confusion, makes us sense His acceptance when we're in a self-hatred mood.  It's grace that loves us when we're acting unlovely, brings peace in turmoil, strengthens in weakness, and is a healing balm in the midst of pain.  Grace opens our eyes to the truth and chases away lies.  Grace gives faith, gives hope, gives joy.  Grace is what transforms our dark thought so that suddenly all is clear again and we're happy in Him.  Grace rescues us from our messes, and grace is always working in us to bless.  Grace is just God loving and accepting us no matter what. It's God always with us, working and holding us, no matter what.

It doesn't depend on me.  I don't have to do or even believe anything in order to make grace come.  It's already present.  I don't have to seek it.  His grace has already found me, already come to me, and always flows in me.

Grace is Jesus.  And no matter what I do, say, think, or feel, no matter what happens, He is there keeping the relationship going, keeping the conversation going, keeping my spiritual life going.  He holds the relationship, not me!

Grace is given when we're weak, given before we do anything, given before we ask.  Grace is already there and has made everything okay between us and God.

"Jesus gives you His love anyway." (Barry Cook)  No matter what, He gives His love anyway.  That is grace.

                 With love to all,

Filled with His Spirit, Filled with His Love

When God poured His Spirit on us, He poured His love on us because God is love.  To be filled with the Spirit, then,  is to be filled with His love.

Alcohol makes people lose their inhibitions and feel free to be themselves and express themselves.  It makes them forget their problems - problems seem to fade to the periphery.  God's love (so therefore His Spirit) does the same.  His acceptance, grace and love free us to really be ourselves and be "bold, happy, and of high spirits" (Martin Luther).  Doesn't that description sound like a person affected by strong drink?  And problems fade into their proper place as He, unconditional love, is in full view.

The Holy Spirit truly IS a strong drink!  He is a river of living water that God makes to spring up and overflow in us.  He is the love of God that He has poured into our hearts.  That love is never ending, always sufficient, forever satisfying!

                            With love,

The Question

The question for me always seems the same:  "Does He love me unconditionally?  Does He accept me no matter what?  Is He okay with me and on my side?  Is He here to stay?"

Satan says, "No."

Circumstances say, "No."

Certain teachings and teachers say, "No."

Feelings, fears and anxieties say, "No."

But Jesus says, "Yes."

And that's all that matters!

                              Love from

Chesed - Love That Won't Let Go

He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support.  I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let you down (relax My hold on you)!  Assuredly not!                              Heb. 13:5

I'm doing a study of the Hebrew word Chesed, usually translated mercy, lovingkindness, or steadfast love in the Old Testament.  It can be thought of as God's steadfast loving favor.  I read that it is the Old Testament word closest to the New Testament concept of grace, so I thought it would be interesting to study and see grace in the Old Testament.

One thing I have learned so far is that the word Chesed contains the elements of (1) strength, (2) love, and (3) faithfulness or loyalty (security).  His is a strong love that won't let go of the other person, no matter what that person does.  It's not only that He loves and favors us right now, but also that He's strong and CAN keep on loving/favoring us in the future and that He's faithful and WILL keep on loving/favoring us in the future - forever.

This love will go with us into whatever dark corner we run; it will follow us every day of our life (Ps. 23:6).  Day or night, it's there (Ps. 42:8).  It is a love that endures and is on our side no matter what the enemy throws against us (Ps. 52:1, 59:10, 86:13), a love that continually holds us up and preserves us whole and safe in His arms (Ps. 40:11, Lam. 3:22), a love that endures through our failures and uplifts us even in the midst of them (Ps. 94:18).  It's unconditional, forever love that is better than anything this life has to offer (Ps. 63:3) and the only thing that will truly fill the ache in our hearts (Ps. 90:14).  And God delights in showing this unbreakable, unconditional love to us (Mic. 7:18)!  It will never fail to be there (Jer. 31:3, Ps. 136:2).  It won't let go.

I see the same idea in the verse I quoted at the beginning of the post (Heb. 13:5).  God's love just won't let us go.  He won't leave us or relax His hold on us.  His love won't fail to hold and support us.  That is part of what grace is to me, a love that just won't let go.  So I don't have to do anything to make sure it stays.  I'm safe and secure in this love.  This love is here to stay - He will always keep on loving me, will stick with me no matter what.  This is such a comfort to me.  God has bound Himself to me with the eternally strong bonds of love.  He won't give up on me.  He won't reject me.  He's in this for the long haul.  If He's totally forgiven all my sin and made me a perfect new creation joined in an eternal love-union with Him, how could anything break that up?

"For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain.  My covenant of blessing will never be broken, says the Lord, who has mercy on you"  (Is. 54:10).


                         With love,

We Are Loved And Accepted For Free

We are loved and accepted for free.  Without having to do anything.  Without having to change.  Without having to be worthy.  Without having to understand it.  We are loved and accepted right now, for free.  No questions asked.  No improvements required.  We need do nothing to get it and need do nothing to keep it.  It's already ours.

We are loved and accepted for free.  Without our trying to achieve it.  Without our effort to make it so.  Without our help at all.  We are loved and accepted right now, as we are.  Not as we hoped we'd be.  Not as we wish we'd be.  Loved and accepted as who we are in this moment.  And any moment.  Accepted no matter what we've done in the past.    Accepted no matter what we will do in the future. It's ours forevermore.

We are loved and accepted for free.  Without any possibility of losing this wonderful gift.  Without any risk of rejection.  Without any risk of ever being unloved or unaccepted.  No matter what happens.  No matter what people say.  No matter what lies the enemy hurls at us.  No matter how confused or doubtful we get.  No matter what failure grips us.  We are loved and accepted still.  It's free, so nothing we do or don't do can change it.  It's ours without condition, no strings attached.

We are loved and accepted for free.  No matter what we feel.  No matter what we think.  No matter what we've done in the past that fills us with regret.  No matter how much we think we've failed or gone too far.  No matter whether we feel hopeless or despairing.  No matter whether we feel all is lost.  No matter whether we feel all alone.  We are loved and accepted no matter what!

We are loved and accepted for free.  There is a light shining upon us.  There is a hand in ours.  There is a voice calling our name.  There are arms wrapped around us.  There is a wind lifting and carrying us.  There is a breeze blowing on our face.  There is a Lover loving us and calling us beautiful, forgiven, free, and delightful.  There is a place where all is Perfect Love.  There is hope, joy and peace.  There is a home for our heart.  We are loved and accepted for free!

We are loved and accepted for free.  It is already true.  We simply see and enjoy what is already there!

But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us. (Rom. 5:8)

It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself (accepting them), not counting up and holding against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them].. (2 Co. 5:19)

Jesus is God loving and accepting us for free!  Thank You God for Your unspeakable gift!

              With love to all from

Schizophrenic About the Gospel?

"The whole idea that is you do poorly, God's going to be angry at you or judge you is wrong.  For Him to be angry He'd have to trample underfoot the work of the cross.

"You cannot be schizophrenic about the gospel!  The gospel is GOOD news, so we can ONLY view life throught he eyes of the goodness of God.  What does that mean?  Noone's safe from a blessing!  Noone's safe!  It doesn't matter what they do or what they are - noone's safe from the blessing of God.

"We have to stop being schizophrenic about the gospel, that "God loves you but He's going to beat the living daylights out of you."  What is THAT?  The whole image that we're giving off is that God is moody, and you never quite know what you're gonna get.  So you can't really relax.  That is a rank, bad gospel.

"Our role is to demonstrate what God is REALLY like - He is love, He is goodness, it's His goodness and His kindness that have so touched our lives and turned us into different people.  I'm still finding out about the kindness of God.  I love who God is.  I love His laughter.  Every time we speak with God we end up smiling.  He has a way of making you feel good about yourself.  John 15:11 - 'For this reason I've spoken to you, so that My joy may be in you.'"

                                                    From "God Is Good"
                                                    By Graham Cooke

Dance, Dance

 Dance dance
Everybody dance
Everybody sing
For joy is in this place now

Amazing grace how sweet the sound 

to save a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I'm found, 
was blind but now I see


Shout shout
Everybody shout
Everybody shout
For joy is in this place now

Tim Hughes

People Pleaser

Why do I care so much what other people think of me?  And why do I think they won't like or accept me?   Yes, why?  It's driving me crazy caring what others think, trying to live up to expectations and meet their approval, wanting them to accept me.  Ugh!  And why do I assume I will fail to be a loving person to them?  Why the negative and self-condemning thoughts?  Why, why, why?  I can think of a devilish reason why...

The evil one doesn't ever want us to enjoy our freedom or acceptance in Christ.  He lies to us that we're worthless, a person noone would ever like, a weirdo, and he tries to make us think we MUST get others approval.  When all along we are just fine in Jesus!  And we have all the love and acceptance and approval we need from the One who matters most, the Only One who sees us as we are and accepts us as we are!  Total, free, unconditional love and acceptance!

Here comes a holy rant...

• We are the righteousness of God in Christ!
• We are accepted and dearly loved!
• We are beautiful to Him!  His masterpiece!
• We are okay right now with Him.
• We are full of Jesus and all our needs for love and acceptance are met in Him.
• We can hold our heads high because we are uncondemned!  He approves of us!
• He delights in us!
• He calls us His own and says of us, "You are MINE!"  We belong in His family!
• We are wanted and special!
• We don't have to meet anyone's standards or be pressured to be something we are not.  We are free people.
• We don't live under the expectations of others.  We are free to be ourselves.
• We don't have to perform for people.
• We are perfect in Christ and His performance right now, even if we never do another holy thing as long as we live.
• We STAND in the grace of God!
• We can be ourselves because who we are is a great and wonderful person in Christ.
• We are beloved and cherished.
• We don't have to compare ourselves to others and think they are better than us or know more than us.  We are just where God wants us to be and He's proud of us right now!
• There's no condemnation on us ever!
• We are people worth knowing!
• Love flows out of us!
• We don't have to be a people pleaser because we are pleasing already to God in Christ, and that's all that matters!
• We can love people for free without needing a thing in return, for Jesus meets all our needs.
• We can accept people as they are, because God does.
• We can accept ourselves as we are, because God does.

Thank You, God, for GRACE!

                            With love,