Month: May 2021

It never gets old.  When we look up, Jesus Saves.

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ephesians 6:12

The Battle Belongs To The Lord. Amen!

The following is giving Annie and me a whole new meaning to “The battle belongs to the Lord.”

And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.
1 Samuel 17:47

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
2 Corinthians 4:8

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Ephesians 6:17

The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.
Exodus 15:3

And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
2 Chronicles 20:15
Ephesians 6:17

The Holy Spirit: Battles are only meant to give you more insights and victories into the Kingdom. Battles are allowed to bring you more of My freedom. Don’t focus on the battles. Keep your focus on the deliverance (Me) I have for you at the end of the battles. This will give you great joy in the midst of any and all trials.

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

Life’s so much better when I let Him – all that He is (like Romans 8:28, and the rest of scripture) – direct my paths.

The Lord (and that He is) bless you and keep you
The Lord make His face to shine on you and be gracious unto you
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace
And I put the Name of the God of the children of Israel on you and bless you in Jesus’ Name, the Name that is ABOVE every other name.

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Hebrews 11:6

God rewards those who diligently seek Him with more of Himself. He loves to make us into His image because He loves us and wants to bless our lives. When God sees us turning to Him and asking Him to change and heal us, He lavishes more of His ways on us. What a blessing.

Isn’t it wonderful when Jesus reveals more of His care, peace and love to us?

I love it when the Lord shows me how I can let Him direct my paths in new areas of my heart, mind and emotions. He tells me I can trust in Him with more of my heart and He keeps showing me more and more healing ways that I can do this.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart (doing this takes even more “care” from me that I didn’t even realize I was carrying); and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6

and he shall direct thy paths. I’m finding that these are such sweet Words. When I let the Lord direct my paths, life is so much lighter, calm, clearer, free, peaceful, and loving. Letting His Word shine it’s loving, glorious light into every corner of my life is making me want Him more and setting me more free because He’s directing more of my life. And where He leads is so healing and beautiful. There is no one like our faithful, sweet, powerful Jesus.

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

Yielding control of our lives to our loving Heavenly Father is so life changing and wonderful. As He speaks to areas of our lives He wishes to touch with His amazing and transforming love, our lives benefit and are blessed in ways we did not know before.

It’s so comforting to know that God will be faithful to complete the good work He’s begun in our lives. His encouraging words of life and love continue to make us more like Jesus and to set us free indeed. What a blessing it is to let Him transform our lives each day.

The Lord bless you and keep you
The Lord make His face to shine on you and be gracious unto you
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace
And I put the Name of the God of the children of Israel on you and bless you in Jesus’ Name, the Name that is ABOVE every other name.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:2

I’ve found that it’s really important to follow the Lord when He points things out in our lives. He desires to transform us and set us free as we learn to hear and obey His all-knowing and loving advice.

Lately, the Holy Spirit’s been telling me to slow down. Not yet sure what all that means, but I’m heeding His advice for driving slower and being more patient with day to day life.

It’s amazing how much we can lay down and be relieved of through letting Jesus into our lives. Invite Him in. You will never regret it.

Hold nothing back from Jesus. Let Him have free reign in your life – every area.

Agreeing to let the Word work in your life is huge.

In many ways, I was taught not to let God’s Word work in my life. Instead, I fought letting God’s Word work in my life through pride, religious pride, stubbornness, self-pity, the fear of what others thought, etc.

Agreeing with the Word will bring relief. Repenting will bring relief. We must repent, we must surrender – agree – to let God’s Word do it’s work in our lives. This is how we give God’s Word entrance into our lives.

Without repentance, without trusting in and applying His Word to our lives, without replacing our ways with His Ways, the darkness that keeps us bound cannot be overcome.

Satan will fight you doing the Word with every excuse he can give you. Saying, “I was wrong” is such a large step towards being set free.

“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
John 8:36

Slow down, listen to God, and obey His loving advice. Live free.

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

“I’m having a really crummy day, and I just don’t feel like believing Romans 8:28 or that God could possibly expect me to believe He’ll work this day for my good.”

A lot of my Romans 8:28 days are more difficult days and take more faith to walk out. But, that doesn’t mean God isn’t working that day for my good. Just the opposite. He’s showing me that I can always rely on Him to teach me He’s working all things together for my good – This is making me more consistent in my walk with Jesus and that is making me more and more free. This is how He’s setting me free so I can live each day knowing He’s overcome this world and that He’s showing me that if I believe Romans 8:28, I can learn to overcome this world each day as well – and with His supernatural joy. Believe me, this makes a world of difference in my life.

What about most of my crummy days? God’s showing me to believe He’s working them for my good and believing that alone is a blessing from Him that’s setting me free in so many ways I can see and in ways He still wants to teach me as well. What a Savior.

Romans 8:28 – Believe it!

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

Annie and I were talking about Jesus this morning. Yes, He’s our favorite topic because He’s Life to us. Anyway, Annie said the following (bolded) this morning. It was so powerful that I knew I needed to share it today.

Renewing your mind enables the Holy Spirit to interrupt your thoughts.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind (to the Word, to Jesus), that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:2

It’s simple. Annie and I could not have the Holy Spirit interrupting our thoughts while living in Oregon because we did not have the Word in us and we did not know how to use it to save us from the destruction, fear, anger, etc., that were coming against us.

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

Maybe like me, the devil tries to get you to compromise on a regular basis. It’s why I constantly ask for Jesus’ help and that He’ll slow me down long enough to hear His leading on all matters. It’s why I’m always asking Him to show me where I’m deceived.

I know some won’t be able to understand me at times. I’ve come to realize that’s okay.

Years ago, God allowed me to be put up against a wall. He gave me just one way out – I was going to have to learn to believe and apply His Word to my everyday life or I was not going to make it. It’s true. That’s why I’ve become a strong proponent of His Word. For me, His Word, Jesus, is Life. When you’ve been faced with death, you choose Life – Hopefully. I’m so thankful He gave me Life and that He continues to show me how to obtain more and more of Him.

He’s loved me away from the awful darkness I was stuck up against. That’s why I love Him. He’s given, and still giving me Life.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 14:6

I love you all.

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

Long story, but God kept reminding me of Romans 8:28. There is nothing and no one like Jesus. His Word just keeps saving us every day from perils we don’t know will pop up along the way. He is so wonderful. He helps us keep the faith every moment.

I and will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen!

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
Psalm 34:2

I wanted a life where I could boast about my accomplishments, but God knew that was not a good path to go down. He knew I would end up serving “striving” and how ugly and destructive that would become. He’s showing me that doing His Word is what humility is all about. I must become humble in order to submit myself to His ways, and in order to be set free by doing His Truth. And all of us who want His ways developed in our lives want to hear more about His ways so we can become more glad. Isn’t that wonderful?

Do I want the trap of doing my ways and being proud about it or do I want to humble myself and follow Christ in order to be glad? Easy choice, right?

The Lord bless you and keep you
The Lord make His face to shine on you and be gracious unto you
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace
And I put the Name of the God of the children of Israel on you and bless you in Jesus’ Name, the Name that is ABOVE every other name.

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

There is a way (the “wide way”) which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Proverbs 14:12

There was a time when I was not loving my wife the way Jesus knew I could and should that would bring His Life to our marriage. I used to be bitter and displaying a whole bunch of other destructive behaviors. Jesus, Who is the Narrow Way, is changing all of that…

I don’t think many of us like destruction. We don’t like it when life seems to fall apart, when things seem to go wrong, when things don’t work out the way we want or expect them to, when the stress and pressures of life build to the boiling point. Right?

There was a time not that long ago when I could not even have the thought that something in life was working for my good. I could not get to or find a path that led to believing anything was working for my good. It was so spiritually dark and defeating to live like that.

Since I began to apply The Word to my life, I’ve begun to be influenced by the supernatural truth and power in scripture. I’m finding that applying the Bible to my life is following the narrow way Jesus talks about. The narrow way the Bible talks about is removing the “broad path” from me. The “narrow way” is showing me that all that will be left is Jesus in me. All of the impact lies had on my life, all of the destruction that was my life is being replaced by God’s Truth. There is no longer room for the devil’s lies in my life.

The narrow way will so impact your life that you’ll wonder why you were ever on the broad path that leads to destruction. I’ll take the narrow way because it’s getting rid of pride, jealousy, shame, striving and worldly ambition, fear, insecurity, unforgiveness, anger, bitterness and all the other dark attributes and character traits the broad way traps us in.

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Matthew 7:13-14

Jesus, Who is the narrow way, leads us away from destruction and into The Life. The narrow way will strip us of anything that’s not Jesus in our lives. Jesus is so amazingly wonderful. Why would we want to hold on to anything that’s not Him?

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28

It’s funny, when I was living in the broad path that leads to destruction, nothing seemed to be working together for my good. Now that I’m applying Jesus to my everyday life, now that I’m on the narrow way that leads to Life, that leads to Jesus, all things work together for my good.

The narrow way – It all works. The wide path – nothing works.

The narrow way or the wide path – It’s an all or nothing proposition.

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

Good Morning,

Some things may not seem to be good. But, if we’ll learn to be patient with Him and have faith in Him, God will show us the good He can work in all things. Wow. Amazing. How good is that?!

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28

God is working (Give Him time to show you it’s true) all things together for your good. Are you kidding me, Mark? Nope. Think of it. All things. All things. ☺

You’ll never get a better deal than that. And the icing on the Romans 8:28 cake is that His mercies are new every morning. Yeehaw!

So come on, folks, let’s get out there and find all those things He’s working together for our good.

Have a good day letting Him work all things together for your good. Yeah, boy!

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark