After God's Own Heart Ministries

After God's Own Heart Ministries

Our Mission: To reach the world for Christ through the medium of the internet and other social media.

He Is Awesome!!

“Sometimes the Lord rides out the storm with us and other times He calms the restless sea around us. Most of all, He calms the storm inside us in our deepest inner soul.” — Lloyd John Ogilvie

Luke 8:24-25NLT 24 The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” So Jesus rebuked the wind and the raging waves. The storm stopped and all was calm! 25 Then he asked them, “Where is your faith?” And they were filled with awe and amazement. They said to one another, “Who is this man, that even the winds and waves obey him?”

I was intrigued this morning with the thought of being “awed” by God and what does that really mean.

Awed is defined as: being inspired by a feeling of fearful wonderment or reverence. -vocabulary.com

In my terms, it means to me, that God is so amazing, so wonderful, that its hard to wrap my mind around all that God is and all that He does.  Basically, my finite mind cannot figure God out. And I’m thankful that I can’t.

For if I could, then there would be no faith. God would be brought down to my level of thinking and understanding, and to be honest, that would not be a god that I would or could put my trust in.

I am so glad God’s ways are not mine.  I’m thankful that when I can’t love myself, He does.  When I lose hope, He provides it.  When I am weak, His strength is in abundance.  When I see test, trials and storms, God sees reproving, renewing, restoring, cleansing and unconditional love.

Are you in AWE of God today?  Does He fit in your box of understanding, and control, or do you simply worship and praise Him in fearful wonderment and reverence?

God isn’t “the man upstairs”. He’s not “the big guy in the sky”.  He’s not just “a force of nature”, a feeling or a religion.  He is God!  He is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  The Creator of All.  Omnipotent, Omniscient, Eternal.  Beyond our comprehension, yet right here with us. Loving us in spite of ourselves. Forgiving, patient, merciful and full of grace.

Do you stand, kneel, sit in awe of Him today?  I don’t know about you, but He is worthy of all honor and praise. He’s worthy of our worship and reverence.  He deserves all the glory. For He is God.

May He continue to reveal His awesomeness to you. May He bless you with all that you need today.

Where There Is Light, There Is Liberty. Where There Is Jesus, There Is Victory

The valley of the shadow of death holds no darkness for the child of God. There must be light, else there could be no shadow. Jesus is the light. He has overcome death.  — Dwight L. Moody

John 8:12NLT Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

Where there is light, there is liberty.  Where there is light, there is freedom.  Where there is light, a person can see.  Where there is light, darkness overcomes it.

Where there is Jesus, there is liberty.  Where there is Jesus, there is freedom from sin and despair.  Where there is Jesus, a person can see the Love of God.  Where there is Jesus, satan is defeated and we have the Victory!

Everything that’s positive, healthy and good, grows in the light.  Everything that is positive, healthy and good in us, grows in the light; the truth and love of Jesus.

Therefore, allow the light of Jesus to fully envelop you today. Not only will it light your way out of a dark place that you may have found yourself in, but it can also illuminate a way out of hopelessness and despair for someone around you.

Let HIS light shine and live the life that was WON for you.

Heavenly Father, once again we come to you with a grateful and thankful heart. For you have watched over us and provided another day to show us you grace, mercy and love.  Oh how, we desire to honor you and praise you in our thinking, our words and our actions.  Help us Oh Lord, to keep our eyes of Jesus and our ears open to the voice of your Spirit.  Order our steps and guide us in to doing thy Will.  May we represent you well today.  And knowing that all good things come from you and all that we are able to do today, is because of you, working in and through us.  We dedicate this day, to you. It is in Jesus name we pray and thank you, Amen.

Know that you are blessed and highly favored.

A Life Of Purpose Or Possessions?

“What you do every day should contribute to giving your life meaning. If it doesn’t, why are you doing it?” — Don Hutcheson

It sounds so simple doesn’t it?  To live a life of purpose and meaning.  Yet, we seem to struggle in what exactly are we on this earth for.  After the schooling, the relationships, the children, the careers, the houses, cars and titles; what’s left? When you look back over those years, what has defined your life? What can you point to that is of significance and lasting importance?

2 Timothy 1:9 NIV 9 He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time…

So at the end of the day, do we find ourselves living a life that would be pleasing to Christ or simply living a life that pleases us? Can we have both?  I would say yes.  For if we delight ourselves in Christ, then our lives will have meaning and purpose.  For all that we do with Christ as our foundation, will produce a fruitful life. And a life that produces good fruit, is a life that will have a lasting impact on others. A Life that is born from the love of Christ.

1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

Our lives are more than gathering things and possessions.  Its what we possess within us.  Its what we are created to do for God and His glory and not our own, that gives our lives purpose and meaning.

May you find your ultimate purpose for life in Christ.

 

Rejoice…Because We Are Not In Control

“Worry is most often a prideful way of thinking that you have more control over life and its circumstances than you actually do.”  ― June Hunt

Philippians 4:4-9 NLT  4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. 8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

What we actually have control over is how we think about the circumstances that we face.  Its only at the time that we come to realize that God has the power and control to do what He said He will do, that we can humble ourselves and surrender our thoughts, feelings, and control, over to God.

I wouldn’t be sharing this if it was easy or if I had mastered it.  No, this is to share with you, how subtle the enemy can be in whispering to us that if we just work harder, pray harder, yell more or plead, beg and cry more, we can fix our situations.

The truth is, if we just rejoice at all times, because we know that God is in control of our lives, both spiritually and if we allow Him, mentally and physically, then the matter will work out in our favor, in due time.  But we are impatient and in need to be in control. Somehow, as strange as it may seem, we find some type of comfort in worrying about almost everything.  Even though we have heard the sermons, read the Word, listened to many lyrics of songs, that tell us over and over, that God is in control and will not fail His Children.

Our peace in this world will come from no other place than from resting, trusting and rejoicing in the arms of Christ.  For if it truly was in our control, would we still be worrying?

May God show you that you can cease from worrying when you cease believing that you are in control. What we have is CHOICE.  And I believe CHOICE is more powerful than Control.  But I will leave that for another time and discussion.

God bless.

How Solid Is Your Foundation?

“We turn to God for help when our foundations are shaking only to learn that it is God shaking them.” — Charles West

Luke 6:46-49 NLT 46 “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? 47 I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. 48 It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. 49 But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”

If you find that your foundation is shaking, in my humble opinion, its not as important as who is shaking it, than what we have built your foundation on.

Jesus is the Solid Rock, on which we should have our foundation built upon.  He does not move or change by any storms, circumstances or trials that come our way.  However, anything and everything else will.  When God shakes our foundation, its because our foundation is weak, built upon something else, other than Jesus.  And its because God loves us, that He does not want to leave us in deception that our foundation is strong, when its not.

I Corinthians 3:11 NLT  For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.

My brothers and sisters, we must keep in mind that we all are going through a process of having all our spots and wrinkles removed. Yes, our repented sins are forgiven, but there is a cleaning up process, a changing of heart, mind and attitude, that must be repaired from the ravages of our sins.

When we can come to understand that God truly loves us and when we surrender our lives to Christ, He will keep His Word to make us ready for eternity with Him.

Its all in our perspective of who God is and who we are in Him.

Thank you Father for shaking our weak and destructive foundations so that you can rebuild our lives on the right foundation…Jesus. Thank you for not leaving us in our sinful state. Even though it may hurt, please continue to remove ALL spots and wrinkles in our lives, so that we can be made right to spend eternity in your wonderful presence.  We love you Father and praise you for Jesus, your Spirit and your love.  It is in Jesus name I pray, Amen.

True Success

“Success is found in maximizing your potential for the good of others and the glory of God.” – Dr. Tony Evans

Joshua 1:8-9 NKJV 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

The world is fixated on achieving success, power, possessions and fame, at all costs.  Get on TV or any type of media, and say whatever and/or do whatever, to make a name for yourself and hopefully big bucks.

No longer does character, integrity, morals, decorum or respect, mean anything. Its all about achieving success as today’s society has defined it.

I’ll think I will stay with the success that comes with knowing Christ as my Lord and Savior.  Long after the ratings have dropped for that reality show, or the music has faded, or whatever is popular today, is no longer the “next great thing”, I will still have Jesus!  My sins will still be forgiven, my name written in the Book of Life, and my life lived for Him.

Then on that special day, my success will be revealed in hearing my Lord say, “Well Done!”

Be Encouraged. Hold on just a little while longer. Our Victory is assured.

Seeing Through The Eyes Of Faith

Everyone else thought, “Goliath is so big, I can’t beat him.” David thought, “Goliath is so big, I can’t miss him.” “A man of less faith might have been too nervous to take the proper aim.” W. G. Balikie

2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT  18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

Its by faith in God that we must see this world differently. Where we see hate and evil, we must see and understand what the power of love and good can accomplish.  Where there is despair, we must see hope overcoming it.  Where there is a mountain or valley before us, we must see that mountain moved, that valley filled or even better, see ourselves climbing up and over that mountain or walking through the valley in strength, perseverance and thanksgiving.

Its by faith that we can serve and please God. Its by faith that we can endure all things with hope. Its by faith that we can walk through this world and be the light it so desperately needs.

Its by faith that we can and must see ourselves forgiven, redeemed and empowered to be mighty servants of our most Holy God. Its by faith that we know that we know that we know, we are indeed, God’s children, God’s chosen and His vessels to show the world His glory, power and might.

See yourself and your situations through the eyes of faith today.  And be victorious!

Heavenly Father we thank you today for your faith that grows and grows each day.  Open our eyes to see your power and Spirit working in and through us.  Help us to see our “giants” as big enough not to miss them when we stand before them.  And we know that we must face them to receive our victory and your glory, when we defeat them in your name.  Help us to stand in faith and trust that you see all and know all that we must face and have to go through. And remind us, Father, that you are always there, waiting for that one step of faith, to show your power, not only to our enemies, but to us as well.  We love you and praise you. It is in Jesus’ name we pray and thank you, Amen.

When We Seek Him…We Will Find Him

“God does not give us everything we want, but He does fulfill all His promises . . . leading us along the best and straightest paths to Himself.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Daniel 9:4 NLT  I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: “O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your covenant and keep your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and obey your commands.

Oh, the promises of our God!  To love us, to keep us, to never leave us.  To protect our souls and to lead us to righteousness and glory that we cannot imagine.  To forgive our sins and to restore us to our rightful place with Him.

Matthew 5:2-12 records the Words of Christ, detailing the blessings and promises of God.  Note that he doesn’t mention worldly blessings that we desire, but those things that will not perish or be stolen. The things that God promises are not “man-made” but God given!

Only when we seek after the things of God, will we know true deliverance, freedom, contentment and love.

I pray that we seek and are satisfied with the blessings and promises of God.

Thank you Father for your love, your word and your promises.  May we never take them for granted and seek your face with all that we have and all that we are.  Continue to open our eyes and hearts to see and know you more today than yesterday.  We love you and thank you for all that you have done and plan to do for our lives.  In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

If It Wasn’t For Jesus…

“Perhaps one reason God delays His answers to our prayers is because He knows we need to be with Him far more than we need the things we ask of Him.” — Ben Patterson

John 6:26 NLT Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs.

It has been said that we should love the giver more than the gift. But our human nature is such that we often get caught up in the excitement of the gift we have received, instead of recognizing the love and desires of the giver.

As Believers, we indeed have been given wonderful blessings and promises from God. Unmatched by anything remotely possible in this world.  Yet, we are not to worship anything or anyone more than our Heaven Father who has given us all of Him.

Another reminder of this can be found in Hebrews 7:7 where the writer states:

And without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing is greater than the one who is blessed.

Take an assessment of what you have and where you are today.  Now think about God’s love for you and His very character.  Which is greater? Would you give up what you currently have and the position you are in today for not knowing Christ as Lord and Savior?

Its fine to want things and/or to seek a better position in life.  But none of that should be greater or mean more to you, than God, the Father; the Son; and the Holy Spirit.

I know for a fact, that if it wasn’t for Jesus, I would not be here today.

Thank you Jesus for who you are.  You didn’t have to give your life for us nor show us the way to the Father.  You didn’t need to intercede for us nor send the Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us.  So we thank you and praise you for being everything and all things to us and for us.  It is in your wonderful name, we give thanks.  Amen.

Free-Will or His Will

Charles Spurgeon: ”  I see, in one place, God in providence presiding over all, and yet I see, and cannot help seeing, that man acts as he pleases, and that God has left his actions, in a great measure, to his own free-will.

There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD. — Proverbs 21:30 (NIV)

A lot of people, even Christians, fall into this trap that they can out-think or out plan God. We amass so much knowledge, experience and faulty logic, that we are led to believe that we have things figured out…or at least the next steps.

The problem with this type of reasoning is that we are actually in control of very little in our lives.  We only have control of our choices and our attitudes.  And even those are heavily influenced by our current situations.

However, God doesn’t change. He is timeless, and therefore, knows all the options from start to finish.  He is Sovereign and therefore, nothing escapes His Will.  Nothing is allowed, unless by His permission. See Job 1:6-12.

If we would only surrender all, trust and rest in God’s care.  We would find that we would not have to waste our time trying to out-think God or worry about a future that ultimately is God’s to establish.

Alas, our FREE-WILL.

I know this doesn’t quite sit well with a lot of people, because some truly believe or have been taught that we have our own destiny in our hands.  We set our path for life and or future.  But if that was indeed true, would you really plan for the storms to endure, the mountains to climb and the valleys to cross?  Would you plan for the losses in life and the pain and suffering that we sometimes have to face? Can you see that far in the future to avoid these things?

If the answer is “no”, then why does a God who says He loves us, allow these things or has planned them for our future?

To keep this short this morning, just let me say again, that God is Sovereign and that He knows what is needed to get us to the future He planned for His Children.  Some of those unpleasant moments in our lives have set us on the right course to Him and some have kept us on that course.

I for one wish it was or could be different, but in light of Job 1:6-12, the entire book of Job and what Christ endured for our salvation, I’m willing to simply surrender all and trust the ONE, who knows all and is All.

As far as my Free-Will…I thank God daily for His mercy and patience with me. Because if left to my own imagination, wisdom and desires, I would still be lost in my sins and my life would eventually be headed to an unpleasant eternal end.

Yes, God allows us to have Free-Will, but I rather have HIS WILL.

Know that we are truly blessed to have Christ as our Advocate.

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