Simple Basics

John chapters 5-6 & Proverbs chapter 29
Exodus chapters 7-8 & Psalms chapter 29

~The Work of God~

They asked him, "What must we do to do the work God requires?"
Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: Believe in the one He has sent."

As I read this verse it brought to mind a dream I had a few years ago where I saw horrible things occurring all over the earth, I was terrified by what I saw. The scene of the  dream changed and I saw myself standing on what I percieved to be the edge of the earth , I was yelling out and pleading to the Lord, "Lord, Lord, what can be done to stop this?" I heard Him say in the dream, "Go back to the simple basics."

What do you supose the simple basics are?

First and foremost it is simply  believing Jesus is who He said He was. If you recall yesterday the scripture said that those who are born of the spirit are like the wind. You know the wind exists, you know the Holy Spirit exists. The only step one can take to catapolt them into being born of the spirit is simply to believe that Jesus is who He said He was. After that intial step of faith and belief, it becomes a knowing. That is the work of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus showed us in His ministry that their are two other basics: Prayer & time with the Father. How do you spend time with the Father? Through His word.

Through His word you will begin to move into His heart just as He has moved into yours.

I asked the Lord to come into my heart at the age of 12 and He did, he never left me. When I look back over my life I can see that He was there. It wasn't until I was 43 that He spoke into my heart and I became profoundly aware that I had never moved into His heart. All those years it had been a one way love affair, He loved me but I had not rightly returned that love. Now I do not let a day go by that I have not spent time in moving closer and closer into His heart.

With God all things are possible...lets go back to the simple basics. Believe Jesus is who He says He is, Pray without ceasing, and spend time with the Father. God will take care of the rest if we heed His word....2 Chronicles 7:14

May your heart be full of Him today and His heart full of you...

<><

Born of the Spirit

John chps 3-4 & Proverbs chp28
Exodus chps 5-6 & Psalms chp 28

"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the spirit." John 3:8

You know without a doubt that the wind exists without actually seeing it, all you can see is the effects of it, you don't know where it originates or where it is going but again you know that it is. When you are born of the Spirit, the same is so, there is no doubt in your heart that the Holy Spirit also exists. You see the effects of the Holy Spirit's sovereign work all around you and within you. You are born of the Spirit and wherever the Holy Spirit leads you, that is where you go.

Are you born of the Spirit?

The One

From the fullness of His grace we have received one blessing right after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's Side, has made Him known. John 1:17-18

During my prayer time and devotions this morning I was asking the Lord what He would like posted today. The above verse along with a few more burned within my soul. Today dear one, know this, that if you have fallen prey and have become captive to hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world, rather than on Christ (Colossians1:15-19) He wants to call you out of it.

When He called me in December of 2006 the first thing He impressed upon my heart was that I was to model myself after the Bereans. Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true (Acts 17:11).

The best advice I can give anyone on their walk of faith is don't set yourself up for a great fall by focusing on a mere man or works and wonders. Keep your eyes on Yehsua ( Jesus). Respect those that God sends your way to teach you, but be wise enough to search the scriptures daily to see that what they are telling is the Truth. Pray over things that are stuck in your spirit. A little bit of us tends to come through, we are Human. God is God and we are not. When you are reading this blog, or a book someone has written or you are sitting under someone who is preaching or teaching, Pray to your heavenly Father who hears you and ask Him to speak to your heart and give you the message from Him through that tool that is the one He wants you to have....Be responsible for your relationship with Him.

If you see more of the person than you see the attributes of Jesus working through that person. RUN & PRAY...The focus should always be on Jesus, The One and Only....

I purposely do not  post pictures of myself, it is not because I am horrid to look at. I have prayed over & over on this. When you visit this blog or the web site connected to it, all you should see reflected is my love for Him and Him....This blog and the site are His, I am merely a tool in His loving hands, nothing more.

Daily Delight Devotion 1/26/10

Luke chapters 23-24 & Proverbs Chp 26
Exodus chapters 1-2 & Psalms chp 26

Praying from Psalms:

Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth. Psalms 26:2-3
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Give yourself a big hoorah... we have completed two books over the past two days. Genesis & Luke.

Recap outline of Genesis:

1. The story of creation
2. The beginning of the knowledge of right and wrong and death
3. The story of Noah
4. The story of Babel
5. The life of Abraham
6. The life of Isaac
7. The life of Jacob
8. The Life of Joseph

I have to say I loved Joseph's reply to His brothers in Genesis 50:20, "....you intended to harm me, but God intended it for good  to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives...."
Ponder that one...

Recap outline of Luke:

1. The birth and childhood of John the Baptist and Jesus
2. The Ministry of John the Baptist
3. Jesus' baptism, geneology and temptation
4. The transfiguration
5. Jesus' teaching and healing ministry
6. Jesus' Journeys from Galilee to Jerusalem
7. Jesus' suffering and crucifiction
8. Jesus' burial resurrection and ascension

So much to contemplate, are you recalling the words of the Lord before you read His word
"Listen Carefully to what I am about to tell you."
Did you pay attention to how often touch was involved?

Then He put his hands on her and she immediately straightened up and praised God. Luke 13:13

"Who touched me?" Jesus asked. Luke 8:45

"He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive." Luke 20:38

<><

A Determined Heart

This morning we read the account of Zacchaeus. As I was reading I got to thinking about how determined this man was to see Jesus. When you think about the fact that this was a wealthy man, it is very interesting to imagine him climbing a tree in the midst of a crowd to see Jesus. It is obvious he did not care what others thought about him scooting up a tree. When I think about it, how many are willing to go to such an extreme to see Jesus? How determined is your heart to see Jesus today?

When Jesus called Zacchaeus by name and told him he was coming to his house, did you see what happened? This man had an immediate transformation of his heart in reaction to being called by Jesus. Zacchaeus Says, "Lord, Lord, here and now I give..." Just like Jesus, he immediately had the attitude of a giving heart. He was already being renewed and transformed into the likeness of Jesus. He knew the things that he had been doing were wrong right away and immediately began to turn them around. He began to clean his spiritual house so Jesus could come and stay.

The response form our Lord to him, "Today salvation has come to this house...."

Are you determined to see and hear from Jesus today? It may require something that may seem extreme to others. If I am wise enough and sane enough in the eyes of God to have a heart set on Him and to respond in whatever way required to Him, it should not matter what the world thinks...

<><

Daily Delight Devotion 1/24/10

Luke chps 19-20 & Proverbs 24
Genesis chps 47-48 & Psalms chp 24

Todays Words of Wisdom from Proverbs:

Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. Proverbs 24:14

<><