After God's Own Heart Ministries

We Have To Want It…Desire It…Pray For It

“God takes us into deep waters, not to drown us but to cleanse us.” — Author Unknown

Deuteronomy 10:17 NLT  “The Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and takes no bribes.

Our Heavenly Father is Holy and Righteous.  He does not change.  His standard, we must meet.  We must live in His Will, not get Him to approve ours. Christ has set the standard in how we are to relate to the Most High God. Although He shows us unconditional love, mercy and grace, this doesn’t mean we can act and live any way we choose and still expect Him to bless us.

We are new creatures in Christ. Our old way of life and living is no longer acceptable. Therefore, we must desire the life that Christ has won for us. To be Holy as He is Holy. To live in and by love, instead of by our selfish desires and wants.  Our lives are to represent Christ in everything we do, say, believe, think and act.  Our attitudes should be ones of peace, love and hope.  We should always be ready to provide encouragement and help to those around us and share with them the truth of the Gospel of Christ.

Christ’s coming to earth to live among man was not Him coming down to our level. No, it was to show us how to be renewed, cleaned, and restored, in order to live in God’s presence.

That should be our goal my brothers and sisters: to live in His presence.

We have to want it.  We have to desire it.  We need to pray for it.

Dear Lord, please hear our hearts this morning to live for you and not for this world.  Help us to see and understand that we were made to reside in your presence. Work on our hearts and minds to realize that everything we truly need resides in you.  We praise you and thank you for your presence in our lives.  For your glory and for your love.  Forgive us for being distracted by the things of this world and help us to seek after you daily.  We love you and thank you for loving us.  In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

When He Becomes All You Want…He Will Be All You Need

“All I want is you…Jesus. You are my reward.” – William McDowell

Ecclesiastes 1:8 NLT Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.

Until Jesus is all we desire and all that we want, we will never know true contentment, peace and victory.  You may be saying this is a little extreme, but think about your life for a minute.  Outside of Christ, are you content? At peace? Do you feel that you have everything under control?

Some may say that they don’t feel that way, even with Jesus.  And I would have to comment, that there still must be parts of their lives that need to be totally surrendered unto Christ. I know it is this way with my life.

Paul writes to the Philippians in Chapter 4, verses 11-13;

11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

It’s in and through our relationship with Christ, that we are able to endure all things, be at peace with all things and through His power alone, subdue those lusts and selfish desires of our hearts.

It is at this point, that we can sing, “glory glory, hallelujah; since I laid my burdens down. I feel better, so much better, since I laid my burdens down.”

Isn’t it about time we Christians really began to enjoy our relationship with Christ?  He’s already offered to take own our burdens and worries and offered us to take on His yoke, for it is much easier for us.

When Jesus is all that you want…He will be all that you need.

Know that you are really free. Be encouraged.

It’s Not Just About You

“Somebody is waiting on the other side of your obedience.” — Tim Storey

1 Samuel 15:22 NLT 22 But Samuel replied,
“What is more pleasing to the LORD:
your burnt offerings and sacrifices
or your obedience to his voice?
Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,
and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.

This quote really woke me up this morning. I needed to be reminded that as a Christian, a Believer in Christ, my life isn’t about me or for me any longer.  I am a servant for the Most High God.  My life has been paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ for a new and higher purpose.

So is your life.

We have been created for a purpose.  For God’s purpose.  When we humble ourselves and obey, God leads and directs us to wonderful opportunities…for others, for His Kingdom and His glory.

This growing doctrine that we go to God to get what we want and desire is a lie and trick of the enemy.  God provides our needs, all of them…for His glory, according to His Will.  God blesses us with His love, mercy and righteousness, so that others may come to know His Son, repent, believe and be saved.

Father, help us to hear and obey.  Help us to see with your eyes at those around us and understand our created purpose for the life you have given us.  Help us to continue to seek your face and your will, so that we can be used by you to humbly serve. Help us to really understand that in you, we have Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the truth of your Word.  We lack absolutely nothing and therefore can do all things to benefit those around us, to know you through your son Jesus.  We thank you for our lives and ask forgiveness for those times that we lack of obedience and was full of fear and doubts.  But today, oh Lord, remind us of your love for us and your gift of eternal life and hope, that we must share.  It is in the name of Jesus that we thank you and pray.  Amen.

It’s Time!!

“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” – Chad Hymas

Isaiah 50:10 Who among you fears the Lord? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness And has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord And rely upon his God.

No more excuses!  No more reasoning away the Word of God and His promises!  No more weak and foolish doctrines of seeking after what the world offers in the name of God! No more wishing and begging for our lives to be free of storms, trials and problems! No more looking for the easy road!

The time is long past to walk in confidence.  Not confidence in our abilities, but in the abilities of an all powerful, all seeing and all knowing God.

Its time to STAND! Its time to trust and not doubt.  Its time to either believe with all your heart and not swing to and fro with ever man-made doctrine that comes down the pipe.

We know what the Word of God says.  We have read, studied and heard, what our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ has done and won for us.  Its time to stop wavering, running and hiding.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all of your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all of your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight.

Its time to BE THE CHURCH. The Church whose purpose is to spread the love and Word of God to its homes, communities, workplaces, governments, the nation and the world.

We are not powerless as the media, society and the enemies of God wants us to believe.  We have Power from God Himself to stand.  Not only to stand, but to advance the Kingdom of God.

Isaiah 60:1 “Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all the nations to see! For the glory of the Lord is shining upon you.

May you be encouraged and realize God’s power within you to arise and stand.  To move through and beyond, whatever obstacle that may temporarily be in your way.

We are more than conquerors.  You are more than what your circumstances are lying to you about.

You belong to Christ!  And that, my brothers and sisters, IS the difference!

Will It Be Eternal?

“We can love the world, or love God. If we love the world, there will be no room in our heart for the love of God. We cannot love both God, who is eternal, and the world, which is transitory.” — St. Augustine of Hippo

Deuteronomy 30:15-20 NLT 15 “Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. 16 For I command you this day to love the LORD your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy.

17 “But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, 18 then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.

19 “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! 20 You can make this choice by loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the LORD, you will live long in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Not much commentary from me this morning to start the work week.  I believe Moses’ message speaks very clearly today as it did back then.

However, I will offer that it’s a pretty simple choice…at least in my mind and heart.  Yet, I realize that for some, this is a difficult one. I guess to be fair, at an earlier time in my life, it wasn’t such an easy choice.  Basically, because I wanted to do what I wanted to do. I wanted to be in control of my life and I didn’t want anyone or any idea to tell me what I could and could not do.

Needless to say, life or this world has it’s way of showing you just how little control you do have or may think you have.

Of course there are those who would disagree with me and believe that with enough education, resources, determination, effort, right opportunities, talent and abilities, one can create a life of their dreams.

Maybe that is true.  But is it ETERNAL?

God bless and have a wonderful day that God has blessed you with.

A Purpose And A Hope

“Live as though Christ died yesterday, rose from the grave today, and is coming back tomorrow.” — Theodore Epp

2 Timothy 1:9-10 NLT  9 For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. 10 And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News.

Let us live each day, realizing that our lives were purchased by God, through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.  We are being cleaned, rewrapped and properly packaged to finally be presented to Christ at the appropriate time of His return.

This is worth living every day for.  This is worth the struggles, the heartaches and pains, to be able to know, that one day soon, all of the things we have had to go through, will be rewarded beyond our physical and natural viewpoint. We will be complete, both inside and out.

Until that wonderful day, we must live as if that day is days, minutes, seconds away. I know you may think it is impossible to live a holy life in today’s society, but it is.  We have God, who will not fail us. We have Jesus who has provided us access to God. And we have the Holy Spirit that not only guides us, warns us, protects us, but also empowers and strengthened us to persevere and endure.  Yes, we can live with purpose and hope.  For that is exactly what we have been given…A Purpose and A Hope.

May you find that purpose and hope to rejoice today.  Have a blessed weekend.

Oh What Joy

“Unless we know the difference between flowers and weeds, we are not fit to take care of a garden. It is not enough to have truth planted in our minds. We must learn and labor to keep the ground clear of thorns and briars, follies and perversities, which have a wicked propensity to choke the word of life.” — Clyde Francis Lytle

Psalm 32:1-11 NLT 1 Oh, what joy for those whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! 2 Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! 3 When I refused to confess my sin, I was weak and miserable, and I groaned all day long. 4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. 5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. 6 Therefore, let all the godly confess their rebellion to you while there is time, that they may not drown in the flood waters of judgment. 7 For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. 8 The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. 9 Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.” 10 Many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord. 11 So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!

Believe it or not, but yes, there is indeed joy in no longer hiding those things in our lives that keeps us from a complete and close relationship with God.  God knows what’s in our hearts and what we have done.  When we truthfully open our hearts and confess those things to Him to remove and cleanse us, we are then ready to experience the joy and peace of God.  Holding on to sin or to the cares and desires of this life is like swimming upstream with anchors tied to your feet.  God wants us to trust Him and relinquish control of our lives and hearts to Him.  We can’t truly love someone if we are not willing to open up to that person in total honesty.

Take the time today to give everything to God.  Trust Him with your secret thoughts, fears and desires and ask Him to purify your thoughts and heart. God is faithful to do just that.  Once we surrender all to God, He in turn will fill us with all of Him.

Now the key is believing God will not remember our past transgressions or hold them against us to someday, throw them in our face. Satan wants to keep our past in front of us so that we can never move forward to the glory and victory that is ours because of Christ.  But we must purpose in our hearts, that the Blood of Jesus, has indeed washed us and made us new and whole again.  We no longer have to worry about an Accuser, because our record has been wiped clean.  We have a new start, a fresh beginning in Christ.  Let me say that again; IN CHRIST.

The power of sin has been broken.  Live in the power of God’s love.  Its far much better there.

Dear Lord, we surrender all to you today. Take every part of our lives and make it new, refresh and pleasing to you. Remove those things in our lives that keeps us from a complete and total relationship with you. We desire more of you and less of this world. Renew our minds, change our hearts and strengthen our spirits to love you more.  This we ask in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Your Story…Your Testimony…Your Witness…Your Hope

“A good witness isn’t like a salesman, his emphasis is on a person rather than a product. A good witness is like a signpost. It doesn’t matter whether it is old, young, pretty, ugly; it has to point the right direction and be able to be understood. We are witnesses to Christ, we point to him.” —John White

Acts 5:38,39,41-42 NIV 38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
 
41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

Only you know what Christ has done for you.  And only you can tell the story effectively, because it is your story…your witness of Christ’s love for you. Its your testimony.

The question is, “Do you believe enough, in making it your purpose in life, to share your story?

Well, we can do a lot of good things and work very hard in a lot of religious activities.  But, as in the case of the Apostles and every person that God uses; are the things you are doing, pointing others to Christ? Are your efforts proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ?

The take-away today is; if you are a witness of Christ, then nothing will be able to stop you.

May God continue to show you His unconditional love and grant you the strength and boldness to show and give this love to others.

It’s His Grace…Not What You Can Do Or Have Done

If it’s broken, God can fix it. If it’s torn, He can piece it back together. If it’s depleted, our Lord can replenish. Trust in Him. – Positivity Inspires

Romans 5:20-21 NLT 20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. 21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin.

Yes God loves us.  And yes, He shows us favor.  Oh, but if it were not for His grace. Grace to forgive us. Grace to restore us, to cleanse us and to renew a right relationship with us. Grace to accept His Son’s sacrifice for to pay for our sins.

Glory to God Almighty, for His grace has provided us eternal life and glory with Him.

Open Our Hearts And Mouths Oh Lord To Speak Your Truth

If we spread the gospel, Jesus will spread the salvation. — Juha Räihä

Luke 3:4-6 NLT 4…. ‘Prepare the way for the LORD’s coming! Clear the road for him! 5 The valleys will be filled, and the mountains and hills made level. The curves will be straightened, and the rough places made smooth. 6 And then all people will see the salvation sent from God.’

It really is Jesus that has done all the work or the hard part. He gave His life. We are simply to tell the story. This truth should help keep us free from disappointment, fear and frustration.

Let us be the table of contents to the gospel story. We each have our portion of the story to tell from our personal point of view. The theme is that Jesus provides salvation. He did it for you. He did it for me. He can do it for all.

Heavenly Father, I ask that you help us to be a vessel that you may use today, to further your agenda. Help us to see the need for salvation and your love, more than just for us, but for everyone. Please remove those things within us that keep our mouths closed and our hearts indifferent to the needs of others. Help us Lord to be the example of Christ, everywhere we go and in all that we do. We thank you Father for the opportunity to be used by you. Protect us and strengthen us as we venture out into a world that mostly don’t want to know or hear your voice. Help us to recognize that you have empowered us and have provided us with everything we need to be the salt and light in the world today. We thank you and praise you. It is in Jesus name we pray, Amen.